I had no idea how Zhuoyangjin managed to compose herself so quickly under those circumstances; only later did I realize that from beginning to end, I, Luo, had been an absolute fool, and she was the one who would have the last laugh.

If a woman could remain so calm in such a terrifying situation, I, a grown man, certainly couldn't appear any worse. So, despite my fear, I had no choice but to brace myself and stay with Zhuoyangjin. She produced a pair of thin white gloves, pulled them on, and instructed me to hold the lamp steady. Showing not a shred of fear, she began examining the corpses with meticulous care, much like an experienced anatomist studying the wounds on their chests.

There were five bodies lined up against the cavern walls, dressed in the attire of serfs from before the liberation. To my eye, the wounds on every corpse looked similar: the chest cavity ripped open by some ferocious animal, which had then consumed all the internal organs—otherwise, why would the viscera be missing while the rest of the body remained intact?

After studying them for a long time, Zhuoyangjin offered no definitive answer, only stating that there must be many more strange and perilous things lurking in this cave, and turning back was not an option. Never mind whether the devils upstairs, armed with guns, would permit us to exit; simply because of these corpses and the scattering of bones on the floor, she would not leave easily.

Of course, I knew the little devils wouldn't let us out yet, but staying put in this unfathomable hole wasn't a solution either; we needed to find a way out. Zhuoyangjin’s detached, clinical attitude towards the bodies irritated me; she kept re-examining the wounds, pausing occasionally to stare into space before burying her focus again.

“Are you done yet? I’m feeling quite nauseous,” I snapped irritably.

Zhuoyangjin finally clapped her hands, stood up, and tossed the gloves aside. She glanced at me with a flicker of concern. “Technician Luo, from this moment on, you must be extremely vigilant. I fear there are some incredibly potent and bizarre things in this cave.”

“You mean there’s another White Python?” I asked, though inwardly I thought the python’s method of killing didn't match these wounds.

Zhuoyangjin shook her head, her expression suddenly darkening. “Forget it…” she hesitated, then said, “Let’s move forward and see what the situation is.”

She behaved nothing like a normal woman encountering skeletal corpses in a dark, dangerous cavern. Except for that initial moment of distress and a sharp scream, she was far calmer than I, a man. A growing wariness toward her began to surface within me.

After walking a few paces, the floor of the cave was surprisingly level, almost as if artificially constructed, rather than uneven. I dared not let my guard down, unsure of how deep this tunnel went, so I dimmed the spotlight to conserve battery, plunging the surroundings into deeper gloom. Fortunately, my eyes adjusted, allowing me to make out the general layout. Zhuoyangjin clung tightly to my sleeve, following closely behind. I almost teased her for playing mysterious and profound, but on second thought, I held my tongue. Holding my sleeve like that, she looked exactly like a fragile, dependent little girl.

We had only walked for two or three minutes when a series of heavy thuds echoed from behind us—thump-thump-thump—as if heavy objects were dropping. I turned to see Section Chief Wang, Officer Liu, and Yamamoto and his group had all jumped down. I immediately switched off the spotlight, grabbed Zhuoyangjin’s arm, and pulled her to the side to observe.

The cave plunged into darkness, followed by screams; clearly, someone had stumbled upon the desiccated bodies. After ten seconds of chaos, someone turned on a light—it was Yamamoto again. He first swept his beam across the dried corpses, then leveled the harsh light directly onto Zhuoyangjin and me, illuminating us from top to bottom. The intense beam blinded me, and recalling how he had shoved me down the shaft at gunpoint earlier, rage boiled over. I instinctively reached for the pistol at my waist. But Zhuoyangjin forcefully clamped her hand over mine. “Don’t make any rash moves now, Luo. We need the Japanese to solve a few problems first,” she whispered. “Something formidable will surely appear to deal with Yamamoto for you. Trust me.” She kept her grip tight, evidently fearing I would impulsively shoot a Jap.

Yamamoto ignored us, turning with his men to examine the dried corpses. Like Zhuoyangjin, they inspected the bodies with extreme care, even more meticulously, turning them over to check their backs. I felt a mix of nausea and dread, completely baffled by their intentions.

After a full half hour, Yamamoto’s crew finally tossed the corpses aside, seemingly satisfied. I swallowed the urge to draw my weapon and ask Zhuoyangjin what the devils were looking for. She answered evasively: “It seems it’s confirmed, it’s around here.” Although I was completely lost as to what she meant, judging by her actions and the Japanese men’s behavior, there was definitely something significant going on.

As I puzzled over it, Zhuoyangjin suddenly greeted Yamamoto in Japanese, flashing a smile! Yamamoto returned her greeting civilly, appearing entirely cordial—hardly the demeanor of a man who had just pushed her down a shaft. My confusion deepened, compounded by my ignorance of Japanese, which left me entirely outside the loop. After talking with Yamamoto, Zhuoyangjin acted as if nothing had happened and told me to call Section Chief Wang and Officer Liu to come forward with us. I couldn’t hold back any longer and confronted her, demanding to know what game she and the Japanese were playing. She merely told me to stay close to Wang and Liu, and then asked if I remembered what she said when we encountered the White Python. I felt a vague sense of recognition, as if grasping something important, yet still missing the main point.

Seeing my silence, Zhuoyangjin called Wang and Liu over herself to join our group. The Japanese followed us at a discreet distance of two or three meters.

I had considered asking Wang and Liu what the Japanese had discussed after Zhuoyangjin and I fell in, but they seemed strangely exhilarated, constantly craning their necks and paying no heed to us; furthermore, they didn't understand Japanese. So, I decided against it.

After walking another thirty meters or so, the atmosphere began to feel subtly wrong. First, I accidentally stepped on an iron chain, and then Section Chief Wang’s foot landed squarely inside a human skull. Zhuoyangjin clung to my arm, terrified, refusing to fall behind or move ahead of us.

No one spoke; not even a deep breath was audible. I kept the lamp off, and the flickering shadows cast by the Japanese men’s lights from behind made my head spin, increasing the anxiety. In my distraction, I failed to watch my footing and tripped with a crack over an iron chain. Fortunately, Zhuoyangjin yanked me back just in time to prevent a fall. At that point, saving battery was no longer an option. I switched on the spotlight with trembling hands and looked down at the chain—good heavens, it was fully four fingers wide. Though heavily rusted, one could still sense the immense strength required to use such a massive chain, presumably to bind something equally powerful. Shining the light further ahead, I saw at least ten of these colossal iron chains lining the walls. Zhuoyangjin and I exchanged wide-eyed glances, speechless. This cave involved more than just ferocious beasts tearing out internal organs; these chains were clearly man-made artifacts!

When we stopped advancing, Yamamoto’s party noticed the commotion and immediately sent someone to investigate. Before they could ask questions, Zhuoyangjin urged us to move on and ignore them.

As we proceeded deeper, the cavern grew wider. We still occasionally spotted chains and scattered skulls on the floor. However, having weathered the initial shock, we managed to avoid dissolving into helpless terror in front of the Japanese.

Walking further, Zhuoyangjin suddenly exclaimed, “Eh?” and then directed me to look at the cavern walls on either side—every half-meter, an equally spaced, uniformly sized human skull lantern stared back, stretching into the distance. My mind went blank, and a cold sweat broke out. While Tibetan culture does utilize human or animal skulls for ritual lamps, I had never witnessed such an array—two dense rows of skulls, their craniums sawed open, trailing endlessly. Walking past felt like being watched by countless empty eyes!

My legs went weak; I couldn’t move an inch. Zhuoyangjin, however, showed no alarm. She gripped my hand from behind and spoke softly to reassure me: “Technician Luo, don’t be afraid. We Tibetans have customs that involve using human skulls for ritual implements. I’ve seen them since I was little. You must have heard about it too.” Of course, I had heard stories—about certain sects lighting a thousand lamps made from the skulls of young boys and girls during a single ritual. But those were just tales; seeing these actual human skulls, each one belonging to a person who had once been alive, was different.

The more Zhuoyangjin tried to explain, the more sinister and terrifying the scene felt, sending a chill down my spine.