Little Pink Starfish

“This side too!”

“And here!”

Seven or eight flashlight beams swept across the rock wall, revealing rows upon rows of dark holes. Inside, coffin lids jutted out into the open, some already decayed, exposing pale, skeletal remains. The wind howled through the canyon, a chilling wuuu wuuu sound, as if hundreds of ghosts were wailing in unison.

Goosebumps prickled Zhang Qiu’s arms. He considered himself relatively brave after experiencing the Gumu Kingdom tomb and King Hui of Xiapi’s crypt, but right now, he couldn’t stop the cold sweat trickling down his back.

“E-everyone, I’ll g-give you your money back! We c-can’t go any further! The Wu God will be enraged!” Na Wu begged Boss Jin before dropping to his knees, kowtowing frantically toward the mountain wall. “Wu God, please forgive me! I didn’t mean to desecrate your sacred ground…”

Old Fei, growing annoyed, noticed that two of their men looked hesitant. Clicking his tongue, he spat on Na Wu and sneered, “What Wu God? This is just a pile of bones! If you’re scared, then get the hell out of the way. Big money doesn’t come easy.”

Then, without hesitation, he pulled out his gun and fired several shots into the coffin holes above. Bang! Bang! Bang!

Na Wu went deathly pale, his lips trembling as he repeated in a daze, “It’s over… It’s over…”

But Old Fei’s words had done their job—mentioning wealth immediately steadied the waverers. One of the black-clad men grabbed Na Wu by the collar. “Quit your whining. Lead the way, or we’ll take care of you right now.”

Na Wu’s body went limp, his face resigned to his fate, and he was dragged forward.

Just as Zhang Qiu took a step, Li Shu suddenly pulled him back into his arms.

CRACK!

A sharp sound echoed through the canyon. From Li Shu’s embrace, Zhang Qiu turned his head and saw a coffin crashing down near Old Fei’s group. The impact shattered the decayed wood, and a shriveled corpse spilled onto the damp ground.

Zhang Qiu’s breath hitched. Was he seeing things? The corpse’s body was covered in patches of green fur.

“It’s a green-haired Jiangshi,” Zhang Yushui said from behind.

Zhang Qiu opened his mouth to ask what that meant, but before he could—

The corpse suddenly twitched.

Then, slowly and stiffly, it started to rise.

Na Wu let out an ear-piercing scream. Several of the black-clad men backed away in panic, their composure shattered.

Boss Jin, however, quickly recovered. “Shoot it! Aim for the head!”

His two men raised their guns and fired a rapid volley. Bang bang bang!

The Jiangshi was riddled with bullets, its body jerking violently before collapsing back into the water.

Zhang Qiu glanced at Old Fei just in time to see him discreetly wiping sweat from his forehead. So you do get scared, huh? Weren’t you acting all tough just a minute ago?

The very next second, Old Fei stomped over and furiously kicked the fallen Jiangshi, spitting curses before raising his gun. “Move! Keep going!”

This guy’s completely insane… Zhang Qiu exchanged glances with Li Shu and Zhang Yushui before whispering, “What do we do?” His nerves were screaming at him to turn back.

Li Shu ran a hand through Zhang Qiu’s hair. “Don’t be afraid.”

Zhang Yushui, meanwhile, looked determined—he was clearly still fixated on King Hui of Xiapi and his eerie resemblance to Emperor Zhang of Han.

“Forget it. Might as well see this through.” Zhang Qiu gritted his teeth. If he left now, he’d just spend the entire time worrying about Li Shu and Zhang Yushui. Better to stay with them.

After the Jiangshi encounter, the black-clad men showed more respect toward Boss Jin, no longer treating him as just a swindler. They continued forward. Zhang Qiu focused on the path ahead, keeping his flashlight aimed forward—he really didn’t want to look at the walls anymore.

Gradually, the tunnel brightened. They were nearing the exit, and the water level had dropped significantly.

Then, suddenly—

The two men at the front shuddered.

The movement was subtle at first, almost imperceptible. Then it happened again. This time, it was more pronounced. Their entire bodies shook like they had been electrocuted.

Zhang Qiu’s scalp tingled. Something felt wrong.

Before he could convince himself he was just imagining things, the two men convulsed violently for a third time—then went completely still.

Behind them, Old Fei furrowed his brow. “What’s wrong with you two?”

Silence.

The two men didn’t answer. Their trembling gradually ceased, and for a moment, everything seemed normal again.

But then—

Without warning, they spun around and lunged at their teammates.

They moved with unnatural speed, tackling two men into the water. As soon as they pinned them down, they bit into their flesh.

Screams of agony filled the tunnel.

Na Wu took advantage of the chaos and bolted, running back the way they had come.

“L-look at their faces!” Zhang Qiu stammered, his own face going numb with fear. The two attackers’ faces glowed a faint green. Their pupils had shrunk to tiny white dots, inhuman and terrifying.

“AAAAHHH!”

“Shit! SHOOT THEM!”

“There’s something in the water!”

Gunfire erupted.

Zhang Qiu barely had time to react before he was suddenly lifted off the ground. Li Shu carried him effortlessly, sprinting forward. Zhang Yushui followed closely behind. Boss Jin and his men took one look at the carnage and abandoned their own teammates, running for their lives.

The water behind them churned with a sickening mix of black and red. Blood bubbled up before being swallowed by the filth.

Beneath the murky surface, glowing green worms swarmed in droves, wriggling toward them at alarming speed.

Zhang Yushui pulled a talisman from his sleeve, muttered a quick incantation, and flicked the paper toward the incoming swarm.

BOOM!

The water ignited. The flames roared, spreading across the surface. Old Fei and the remaining men stumbled forward in a panic, none of them daring to look back.

—

By the time they reached the tunnel’s exit, their belongings were scattered in disarray. Of the seven black-clad men, only four remained.

Zhang Yushui swept his flashlight over the scene. The three missing men had not escaped—their corpses still floated in the water, their faces eerily fixed in their direction.

“Fucking unlucky,” one of the surviving men muttered, his face covered in bloody bite marks.

Old Fei, for once, had nothing to say.

Boss Jin exhaled. “We need to find a safe place to treat the wounded. Who knows if those green things will come after us?”

The others were visibly shaken by the experience. Without hesitation, they gathered their supplies and moved on.

Na Wu had fled, leaving Zhang Yushui to guide them.

Zhang Qiu, still being carried, poked Li Shu’s arm. “You can put me down now.” He was starting to feel awkward about the whole princess carry thing, though thankfully, Boss Jin and the others were too preoccupied to notice.

They pressed on into the mountains. Strangely, the trees here were sparse, as if something had drained the land of its vitality. The soil was reddish, dry and unnatural. The further they climbed, the faster Zhang Qiu’s heart pounded.

Li Shu noticed his unease and reached out, taking his hand. “I’ll hold onto you.”

Zhang Qiu: …

Why are we holding hands in a situation like this?!

But seeing Li Shu’s serious expression, Zhang Qiu relented. “Fine. Hold if you want.”

Oddly enough, after that, his anxiety disappeared. Meanwhile, Old Fei and his men were panting heavily. For a group of mercenaries, their endurance was laughable.

Eventually, Zhang Yushui stopped and pointed. “There.”

Ahead, the trees were much denser—lush and vibrant, unlike the lifeless ones surrounding them.

Boss Jin’s eyes gleamed. “We’ll rest and treat wounds here. Then we dig.”

As they set up camp, Zhang Qiu’s stomach growled. He sighed. “I’m starving.”

Little did he know, the real horror had yet to begin.

That night, they rested at the campsite. Zhang Qiu boiled water to prepare some hot food, while Li Shu and Zhang Yushui set up a simple tent. Even Old Fei’s injured men helped out, setting up camp lanterns to illuminate the surroundings.

It wasn’t until around 9 PM that Boss Jin and the others finally returned.

“It’s done,” Boss Jin announced, wiping sweat from his face before gulping down hot water. His clothes were caked in dirt, but he didn’t seem to care. He turned to Li Shu. “Brother Li Shu, when do you think we should go down?”

Old Fei was clearly displeased that Boss Jin had asked Li Shu for his opinion. He scoffed, “We’ve already dug the tunnel. The sooner we get this over with, the better.”

Zhang Qiu, who had been observing Li Shu the entire time, caught the fleeting smirk that crossed his lips. It was subtle, but undeniably cold.

“Let’s go,” Li Shu said.

Boss Jin nodded decisively. Since they had already eaten and rested, there was no point delaying. They packed up their lighter gear and headed for the tunnel entrance.

From a distance, Zhang Qiu spotted a dark shape hovering at the edge of the pit.

“There’s something there!” he shouted.

The group immediately raised their guns and flashlights, sweeping the area—but there was nothing.

Old Fei shot him a glare. “Quit making shit up.”

But Zhang Qiu had seen something. A shadowy figure, just barely visible. It reminded him of the Jiangshi that had crawled out of the tomb in King Hui of Xiapi’s crypt.

Unsettled, he tugged on Li Shu’s sleeve, seeking reassurance. Li Shu simply gave a slight nod.

Zhang Qiu’s heart settled—Li Shu had seen it too.

But if he had seen it, why wasn’t he saying anything?