I had a vague sense that something was happening, but I couldn't be certain; in fact, I didn't even dare to fully consider what it might be.

Zhuoma Yangjin’s eyes widened as she stared fixedly at the coffin, gripping my hand so tightly that her nails dug into my flesh.

A rustling sound came again from inside the coffin, as if something were arranging its clothes. Then, a face—only half visible, bloated and gleaming like a piece of flesh—slowly emerged from the casket, followed by the neck, then the chest—he had sat up, and his body was twice the size of a normal person. His chest was covered in a ragged, shapeless military uniform, and behind him... behind him, a corpse was pressed back-to-back against him, much like Section Chief Wang’s situation with the Faceless One. That corpse was dressed in the black official robes of the Qing Dynasty, with an embroidered crane patch centered on the breast.

How could this be?! Ignoring the deserter slowly rising from the coffin with the corpse attached, I quickly asked Zhuoma Yangjin, "You didn't misread it? You said this tomb belonged to a third-rank military official?"

Zhuoma Yangjin was completely absorbed in watching the movements inside the coffin, not noticing my question at all; in reality, no one paid any attention to what I was saying. Everyone was watching the deserter slowly rise from the casket. The corpse on his back had intact clothing, and his boots, hat, and official cap were all complete. However, because it was facing me sideways, I couldn't see its face clearly—I couldn't tell if it was completely faceless or, like those other zombies, had a lifelike appearance.

As the deserter was about to stand fully upright, my heart hammered so violently I thought it would burst from my chest, and I unconsciously tightened my grip on Zhuoma Yangjin’s hand.

The deserter stood fully erect. Now I could see clearly: only half of his head remained, and the cross-section revealed thin, long, black scorpion legs protruding from the wound. The back of the Qing official’s head was pressed right against those scorpion legs, and a three-eyed peacock feather dangled and swayed incessantly!

My palms were slick with cold sweat, and all I could picture were the repeated attempts by Section Chief Wang, carrying the Faceless One on his back, to attack us at the communications station on the mountainside.

The deserter stood up and remained motionless for a long time, as if hesitating whether to jump down from the relatively high coffin. We were all stunned, gaping at the deserter as he stretched out his arms, flexing them. His arms were perfectly flush with the official’s corpse; when he moved forward, the official’s arms also straightened out behind him. He turned his half-head, twisted his neck, and the official performed the exact same movements. Then, he tentatively extended one foot outward, testing the ground, but quickly pulled it back—perhaps realizing the coffin was set quite high and he couldn't simply step out. After a few seconds, the deserter suddenly leaped into the air and landed firmly on the ground.

"Ah—" Zhuoma Yangjin shrieked first, "The Faceless Devil!"

It was truly a devil; there was no other way to describe what we saw before us. Forget the deserter, with only half a head and ragged clothes, clearly long dead and without shoes. Yet, he stood perfectly straight, backed by the tightly adhering Qing Dynasty official, who was revealed in his entirety: wearing a bright red topknot with a three-eyed peacock feather, a black official robe bearing the crane insignia, eight thumb-sized prayer beads hanging on his chest, and square-toed black boots. Like Wang Weicheng, his face was completely bloated beyond recognition of features or orifices, leaving only a massive mouth.

The Faceless One! The Faceless One again. I felt like throwing myself against a wall until I died. How could I run into the Faceless One again, and this time, a Qing Dynasty official!

What to do? Panic overwhelmed us all for a moment; we glanced at each other, unable to utter a sound.

But before we could discuss our next move, the deserter moved his foot and, with lightning speed accompanied by a "whoosh" of wind, charged straight toward us.

Startled by its incredible speed, I quickly pulled Zhuoma Yangjin and dashed sideways. Everyone scattered immediately. This Faceless One was incredibly quick and agile; missing the first strike, it instantly turned and locked onto one person—Yamamoto—pursuing him relentlessly.

Zhuoma Yangjin clutched me desperately, stamping her feet in anxiety, and shouted, "Fire! Fire! Flamethrower!"

Takeyano’s face drained of color. Hearing Zhuoma Yangjin’s shout, he snapped back to attention, hastily removing the flamethrower and aiming it at the Faceless One. However, he was hesitant to fire recklessly; Yamamoto simply couldn't outrun the creature, nearly being caught several times. Takeyano unleashed the full force of the weapon, the flames roaring, but he dared not aim directly at the Faceless One.

Yamamoto was screaming incoherently, and I assumed he was crying for help. Unexpectedly, Zhuoma Yangjin suddenly focused on my face and said softly, "He's telling Takeyano to ignore him and quickly send a telegram back home to report this."

My palms were covered in clammy sweat; all I could think about was how to escape this damned tomb chamber, and I paid no heed to Yamamoto’s shrieks. I didn't respond to Zhuoma Yangjin.

"Engineer Luo," Zhuoma Yangjin turned and faced me, her voice firm and resolute. "Engineer Luo, ignore Yamamoto. I cannot let this Faceless One live; it must be killed."

I looked at Zhuoma Yangjin blankly, not understanding why she would suddenly say such things to me, nor how she, unarmed, intended to kill the Faceless One. "I..."

Zhuoma Yangjin interrupted me quickly, calmly instructing, "You and Li Zeng must find a way into the coffin immediately to look for a book. If I remember correctly, there must be a book in the coffin... as soon as possible." She paused here, glanced at me again, her eyes filled with reluctance and tenderness, "Engineer Luo, I should have told you some things. Now and in the future, I fear there won't be a chance to explain. But you must remember, I, Zhuoma Yangjin, like you."

Hearing the three words "like you," I froze in shock. The entire world suddenly fell silent; Yamamoto's incessant shouting and the roar of the flamethrower completely vanished. Only Zhuoma Yangjin's "like you" echoed endlessly. The words "like you" felt so distant, so impossibly far away. Since breaking up with my ex-girlfriend, I had become utterly disheartened, never imagining I would care for someone else, nor that someone would care for me. But Zhuoma Yangjin, she actually said this to me at such a perilous moment, saying she liked me. When life and death were so uncertain, what use was liking or not liking? In the end, death was the only certainty anyway, right? With that thought, I sighed, looking at her without speaking.

Looking back much later at the expression in my eyes then, it was purely one of pity—pity for myself, or perhaps for Zhuoma Yangjin. Perhaps both.

Regardless, under those circumstances, an expression of pity was inappropriate. As soon as Zhuoma Yangjin saw my look, she bit her lip and never looked at me again, turning instead to Old Li. "Li Zeng, this is critical. I do not intend to leave this tomb alive, nor do I intend for the Japanese to leave alive. This concerns the safety of the entire Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. You two must survive and carry the message out: tell them the Japanese know the secret of reincarnation, and warn them to ensure their conspiracy fails."

Old Li said gravely, "Since we came together, we leave together."

Zhuoma Yangjin shook her head resolutely. "The Faceless Devil wants to devour people; no one can escape. The time the three of us take to distract it will be enough time for the two of you to escape."

Hearing this, a deep pain gripped my heart. "Yangjin..."

She waved her hand, still not looking at me, though her voice softened considerably. "Engineer Luo, it is enough that you know I like you. If... if... just remember me, that’s all I ask."

I was too grieved to speak. I looked at Old Li, wanting him to persuade Zhuoma Yangjin not to fight the Faceless One. Old Li, however, asked her, "You have no swords or guns; what will you use to kill the Faceless One?"

Zhuoma Yangjin gave a mournful smile. "My grandfather gave me a specially prepared sedative that is effective against the Faceless One. But... but... never mind. You hurry and search inside the coffin while the Japanese aren't paying attention to it yet. Yamamoto’s cunning and ruthlessness are more than you can handle."

With that, Zhuoma Yangjin cast a sorrowful glance at me, pulled a small packet of powder from her embrace, and turned to run toward the Faceless One. Over there, Yamamoto had somehow managed to create distance from the Faceless One, and Takeyano's flamethrower was now fiercely spraying fire at it. However, the Faceless One didn't seem to react strongly to the fire; its movements slowed slightly, and it charged toward Takeyano through the flames. Seeing Takeyano attacked, Yamamoto quickly ran in front of the Faceless One to divert its attention, loudly repeating the message about sending the telegram that he had told Takeyano earlier.

Zhuoma Yangjin looked back at us and shouted, "Hurry, hurry!" Then, she lunged toward Yamamoto...

"Yangjin..." I cried out, but Old Li grabbed me, shouting fiercely, "Go find the thing in the coffin, now!"

The importance of the matter was clear to me. Steel-hearted, I stopped worrying about her, followed my prior path, and climbed onto Old Li's shoulders to reach inside the coffin.

Inside the coffin, there were only a few messy piles of brocade quilts and a wooden pillow; nothing else. I guessed that what Zhuoma Yangjin mentioned would be near the head, so I went straight for the wooden pillow. With little effort, I found a slightly yellowed book beneath it. I flipped through it quickly; the script looked the same as what was on the external tombstone—it was likely Manchu, and I couldn't read it. I quickly stuffed it inside my coat, stepped onto Old Li's shoulder, and dropped to the ground.

As soon as I landed, Old Li asked, "Did you find it?"

Zhuoma Yangjin seemed to see me descend as well and asked breathlessly and loudly, "Did you find it?"

Yamamoto, sensing something was amiss, also asked me in Chinese, "Luo-kun... what did you find?"

I first assessed Zhuoma Yangjin’s situation. She was desperately lunging at the Faceless One, which was dodging and instead attacking Yamamoto and Takeyano. My heart eased slightly. I briefly told Old Li about the book, mentioning it looked like Manchu and that I couldn't understand it. Afterward, I was about to rush over to help Zhuoma Yangjin kill the Faceless One.

Old Li quickly stopped me. "Wait a moment. Let Yamamoto and the others deal with the Faceless One for now. It seems the Faceless One is somewhat wary of Zhuoma Yangjin, so she’s probably not in mortal danger. We should take this chance to find an exit, that's the sensible thing to do."