The silk cocoon on the ground stirred again, quite visibly, it moved. My expression shifted slightly, fearing it might climb back up. Old Li saw it too, repeatedly urging, "Technician Luo, ask them if they'll hand it over; if not, we leave." His tone sounded tough, but his confidence was sorely lacking.

But looking at the Germans, the moment they saw the cocoon move, sheer terror spread across their faces. Hans, in particular, was breaking out in a cold sweat. "..." He cautiously glanced at me, fumbling in his embrace for a long moment. The expression suggested he was having a piece of his heart cut out as he constantly looked at the item he was pulling out, stroking it repeatedly before handing it to Lieske.

Lieske took it, shot me a hateful look, and without a word, passed it to me.

Knowing it was the map, I tossed it to Old Li to check if it was genuine. Old Li scanned it quickly, nodded, and took out his compass to find our bearing.

Lieske suddenly shrieked, "It's getting up!" Then the three of them bolted. I looked—the silk cocoon was actually struggling to stand!

"Let's go!" Just as I was about to run, Old Li yanked me along.

After a few steps, that strange herbal fragrance from before reappeared. Inhaling it made me feel completely refreshed and invigorated; even my courage seemed to swell. A thought surfaced: Perhaps I can meet the people they mentioned who are protecting me. So, I forcibly stopped my tracks. "I want to see what this monster really looks like."

"Technician Luo? You!" Old Li was frantic with worry and anger, dragging me desperately. "Don't you want to live anymore?"

I felt an unprecedented calm settle within me. "I need to see what this monster looks like," I said. The moment the words left my mouth, I couldn't help but feel I was throwing a childish tantrum.

"You're insane!" Old Li let go of my arm, wanting to leave but unable to move.

Just then, the silk cocoon staggered to its feet. This time, it was closer to me, and I got a clear look. It possessed the typical features of a Tibetan man, mostly naked, covered in a dark, sooty layer. The most grotesque aspect was on the left side of its body: it seemed as if half a person had grown right next to its torso—a shrunken half-person: half a head, one ear, one eye, half a nose and mouth, half a torso, with one arm and one leg attached to that half-body. I dared not look at its side profile, fearing I might see a belly full of half-intestines and organs. Despite suppressing the urge, my stomach churned violently, threatening to spill.

The cocoon creature slowly struggled, attempting to walk toward us, but after a few steps, it seemed hesitant, fearful, and stopped, swaying slightly as it stared at us, baring its teeth and glaring at me with eyes that clearly wished to tear me in half instantly.

Strenuously fighting the nausea, I steeled myself and took a step toward the cocoon—"I refuse to believe you still won't show yourself now," I thought grimly.

As soon as my foot landed, Old Li, sensing trouble, immediately grabbed me tightly and roared in my ear, "Luo Lian, have you gone mad?"

At that moment, the strange herbal scent intensified, quickly becoming an enveloping mist that obscured our surroundings. I took the opportunity to quietly whisper my idea to Old Li. He completely ignored me, just dragging me sideways while repeating, "You're crazy!"

I wasn't crazy! I was genuinely consumed by curiosity about who possessed such power that they could make the arrogant Germans humbly return the map.

But... I was disappointed. As the mist slowly dissipated, the silk cocoon had collapsed onto the ground. The surroundings were deathly silent, without a trace of breath. The quiet was terrifying.

Old Li released my hand, staring at me dumbfounded, his eyeballs utterly still.

Looking at the others, Mayatis almost jogged over to stand beside me, while the remaining Germans watched me sheepishly, appearing hesitant to approach lest they lose face.

"What happened?" I asked Old Li, a question so obvious it was absurd.

Old Li shook his head blankly, thought for a moment, then added, "You saw it. Someone was clearly helping us secretly just now."

It seemed the plan had failed; the mysterious benefactor simply didn't want to reveal themselves. I felt a wave of dejection.

Then, Mayatis approached, placatingly addressing me, "Luo Lian..." His voice trembled slightly, yet he tried not to betray his fear. "Luo Lian, Hans and the others said you have a friend here."

At first, I paid little attention to his words, but after a moment, I snapped back to attention. "What!" I nearly shouted, grabbing Mayatis’s collar in agitation. "I have a friend?! Here!" I asked twice in quick succession.

Mayatis looked utterly innocent. "I... I don't know. It was them..." He pointed at Hans and the others. "They were eavesdropping when they said it."

I calmed myself and thought it over. In Tibet, besides those few people in the military, I truly didn't know anyone else—certainly no master so elusive who could save people in peril. "Are you sure that's what they said?" I asked Mayatis again, perhaps too insistently. He nodded frantically.

"..." Seeing that everything appeared calm for the moment, I decided to press for the full truth—otherwise, an unresolved mystery, especially one so ethereal, would drive me crazy.

"Come here," I instructed Mayatis. "You're coming with me as a translator; I need to find out what's going on." Hans and the others had Lieske, who understood Chinese, but I didn't fully trust them, which is why I asked Mayatis to accompany me. Mayatis understood immediately, thinking I considered him one of my own, and he cheerfully scurried along behind me toward the Germans.

Seeing me approach with Mayatis, Hans’s expression was complex, but I was certain I saw a look of thirst for immediate vengeance should he ever regain the upper hand. Absolutely certain; I never misread such things. But it didn't matter; I never believed their sudden subservience meant they were genuinely loyal to me.

"Hans, I need to ask you something," I said loudly, pretending not to notice his look. Mayatis, standing nearby, immediately translated.

Hans gave Mayatis a look of disgust and muttered something in German to Lieske. Lieske then stepped forward. "Luo Lian, if you have something to ask, ask me directly. You don't need a translator. My Chinese—it won't be too bad."

I paused, called Old Li over, and kept Mayatis trailing behind—as a precaution against any trickery from the Germans; at least Mayatis was eager to please me now, and he would surely speak up if they made any small move.

Now I felt secure. So, with an air of arrogance, I asked Lieske, "Who did you meet? How did he say he was your friend?" It was a simple question, but upon hearing it, Lieske’s face suddenly showed extreme reverence. He cautiously glanced at Hans, as if seeking his permission to tell us. Hans nodded, his face stern. Only then did Lieske stammer out, "It... it was one of your friends."

I couldn't believe my ears and repeated the question. Lieske looked at me with a mixture of distaste and suppressed apprehension, confirming, "It was your friend. A man, and from his voice, not very old."

I became even more confused. Which young, mysterious master could possibly be my friend! "What—what did he say?" I truly didn't know how to phrase the next question.

"..." Lieske's expression suddenly shifted dramatically, mixing terror and bitter grief. "Could you please not ask about that... it reminds me of poor Mark," he said.

This involved Mark? Things were getting much more complicated. I admit I felt no sympathy for the Germans; whether he lived or died was irrelevant to me, just as our fate was irrelevant to him.

"I really want to know," I said coldly, without mercy.

Staffer’s eyes snapped open, and he stepped forward, seemingly preparing to draw his gun again. I challenged him with a sidelong glance, remaining perfectly still, not even blinking. No one stopped him this time. After thinking it over for a moment, he angrily tucked the gun away, shooting me a final, venomous glare. I didn't even look at him, addressing Lieske instead: "I very much want to know which friend of mine it was... Also, if this isn't clarified, I don't feel like going any further."

This tactic worked instantly. The sadness on Lieske's face hadn't fully lifted, but he immediately took up the thread, stating decisively, "Fine, I will tell you."

This time he didn't even consult Hans, saying directly, "I will tell you exactly what happened, but you must promise to continue moving down with us."

Not continue? Could I go back now? I sneered, withholding any response. Seeing this, Lieske quickly added, "We need to cooperate."

I still didn't commit, but Old Li interjected, "That's acceptable."

Lieske seemed about to bargain further, but I turned to leave, growing impatient. He quickly called out, "Don't go... This is what happened!"

It turned out that as soon as Hans and his group descended, they were plunged into the same chaotic darkness as us. Their panic was, of course, intense, and they blindly stumbled around, unsure where they ended up. Suddenly, Mark cried out, then collapsed heavily. The others rushed over and saw that his leg was bleeding profusely, wrapped in several strands of white silk. Just as Hans was about to staunch the bleeding and bandage the wound, Mark began to convulse uncontrollably... Immediately afterward, his lips turned a deep purple, his eyes closed, and his entire body became deathly pale and translucent, as if all his blood had drained away—like a ripe silkworm about to spin its cocoon!

Hans and the others stared at each other, completely thrown into disarray, having never witnessed such a sight; even if they wanted to help, they didn't know how. In the midst of their confusion, threads began slowly spinning from Mark’s body, gradually encasing his lower half! Mark seemed to be in pain, twisting his legs and struggling, but he couldn't utter a sound.

At that moment, someone—Hans—finally realized Mark was beyond saving and hurriedly called for everyone to leave quickly, saying the Mark they knew was gone.

For more novels, visit storyread.net.