If anyone had expected to see Geng Wei utterly battered, they would not have been surprised, but for him to appear before us completely unharmed, smiling—this was truly beyond everyone's expectations. I took one step forward, then dared not take another.

Trembling, I turned to ask Tang Minghao, who perhaps knew the most, "What... what is going on? Why is he here?"

Tang Minghao also seemed utterly astonished upon seeing Geng Wei, repeating, "Impossible, impossible," his expression growing more bewildered, though beneath the confusion, a flicker of clarity appeared, as if something had just dawned on him.

Although Yanzi was startled by Geng Wei’s sudden appearance, she seemed overjoyed, grabbing Old Li’s hand excitedly. “Exactly, exactly! Look at the chair he made—it’s a Han chair. Zaxi said the treasure is right underneath it.”

The mention of treasure stirred my long-dormant hope once more. I figured there might genuinely be a treasure; otherwise, how could Geng Wei appear here after being taken by the King Fish? Where the extraordinary happens, something extraordinary must have occurred. Fine, let’s go take a look first. Even if Geng Wei had undergone some bizarre transformation, surely the four of us strong men could handle him?

Thinking this through, I told Old Li and the others to be careful while we went up to see what was happening. Tang Minghao became animated, rushing toward Geng Wei, calling out, “Uncle Geng.”

Geng Wei remained seated, smiling and motionless, watching us approach. As we drew near, he still smiled, unmoving and silent, only his eyes darting around, confirming he was still alive.

I hesitated to touch him, fearful of anything clinging to him, and took a slight step back. Tang Minghao didn't care; he strode forward and clapped Geng Wei hard on the shoulder. A swarm of white insects immediately dropped off, landing on the ground where they continued to writhe slowly. Geng Wei blinked repeatedly, looking deeply grateful. Only then did I notice his complexion was abnormally pale; there must have been insects on his face too.

Indeed, Tang Minghao expertly patted his face again. An entire facial mold of insects detached like peeling scab, leaving me stunned speechless for a long moment. No wonder his expression had been frozen—it was these creatures causing the trouble.

Next, Tang Minghao carefully patted down every inch of Geng Wei’s body. The ground quickly became covered in a layer of white crust, causing us to leap back in fright. Curiously, Tang Minghao seemed unafraid of the insects, and once on the ground, though they crawled everywhere, they did not attack Tang Minghao or Old Li, nor did they crawl toward us; they stayed clustered around the chair Geng Wei had been sitting on.

Regardless, seeing the ground littered with countless wriggling little bugs still gave me goosebumps.

Yanzi, having completely forgotten the eerie scene, was ecstatic. As soon as Geng Wei was cleared, she tried to rush over, but Old Li grabbed her back just in time. “Are you tired of living!” Old Li barked sternly. Yanzi immediately stopped, but her eyes remained fixed on the chair Geng Wei occupied.

After the insects were brushed off, Tang Minghao meticulously massaged Geng Wei’s joints for a long time. Finally, Geng Wei let out a great wah, spitting out a large pool of greenish fluid, his face turning ashen, his body suddenly slack, about to collapse. Tang Minghao reacted quickly, supporting him, repeatedly saying, “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Geng Wei couldn't speak, his eyes fixed on Tang Minghao with a pleading look. Tang Minghao said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

As he spoke those words, the confusion vanished from his face; he looked completely normal. Yet, I still couldn't trust that this was the real Tang Minghao. How could the real Tang Minghao be so composed? If he knew there had been at least two other entities inhabiting his body, he’d be driven mad.

The four of us stood aside, looking at each other, unsure how to help.

Fortunately, after a moment, Geng Wei regained some composure, and leaning on Tang Minghao, he slowly walked over to us.

“The bugs just fell off when you patted him?” I asked, still somewhat disbelieving. Although we had encountered them before, they hadn't been this numerous, and I still worried about any stragglers hiding in my clothes' seams.

As soon as Geng Wei sat on the ground, he let out a pained howl, his features contorted. “My hand... hand... ah... foot...”

His hands, at the wrists, were covered entirely in gnawing marks, revealing bone, yet there was no blood, just clean, as if washed, with only scattered bits of torn flesh adhering to them. Both wrists were like that, and the same condition afflicted his ankles.

“The King Fish did this?!” I exclaimed in shock. “Should I bandage them?” The moment the words left my mouth, I realized we had no bandages, filling me with fear and urgency.

“No need,” Tang Minghao said calmly. “It won’t bleed anymore. We’ll find a doctor when we get back. If only Doctor Ciren were here.” He sounded genuinely regretful.

Hearing Doctor Ciren’s name gave me a headache—that terrifying entity. Wait... no, didn't Tang Minghao always have him? What about him? “Where is Doctor Ciren?” I finally remembered to ask.

Tang Minghao dismissed it lightly. “They took him.”

“Took him?” Old Li, Xu Zhiwu, Yanzi, and I all drew out the word, voicing our profound disbelief.

Geng Wei looked at Tang Minghao with the same incredulity. Tang Minghao remained composed. “Yes. They took Doctor Ciren; otherwise, do you think we would have gotten out so easily?”

“Then... then... who are you?” I asked cautiously. “Are you Mima Chamma? Or...?”

Tang Minghao turned to us with an extraordinarily warm smile. “Technician Luo, Li Zeng, and Expert Xu, you don’t recognize me? I am Tang Minghao.”

This declaration stunned everyone into silence. He was Tang Minghao, yes, but wasn't there still someone else inside him? I looked toward Old Li in panic. Old Li looked quite surprised, and after a long pause, he stammered, “Then, what about the person inside your body?”

Tang Minghao paused slightly upon hearing the question about others in his body, but then quickly responded, “I know. When they took Doctor Ciren, they must have taken whatever was inside me as well.” He then turned to Old Li. “Did you see them touch my head?”

Old Li nodded blankly.

“However, I believe there might still be remnants of other things in my mind. For instance, I knew how to handle Uncle Geng’s episode just now, and I have a feeling of familiarity with this place,” Tang Minghao said evenly. “Since they left this residue, I must get you all out of here.”

His speech was orderly, his demeanor calm and steady—truly unlike his previous hazy state. I wanted to relax, but I dared not be completely at ease.

Yanzi, hiding behind Old Li, mustered her courage to ask Tang Minghao, “So, you know there’s a lot of treasure here?”

Tang Minghao let out a slight, dry laugh. “There is indeed an earth-shattering secret hidden here, but it seems it isn’t treasure.”

Yanzi retorted under her breath, unwilling to accept it, “But Zaxi clearly said...”

“Of course, it’s possible I misremembered. After all, these are just fragments of memory someone else gave me. They might not be accurate.”

I found Tang Minghao’s words increasingly outlandish, and the writhing white bugs on the ground had vanished at some point, leaving behind a slick, grayish-white patch that made one want to vomit.

After some time, Geng Wei had recovered slightly. He looked at his hands and feet, tears welling up but not falling. “I’m ruined,” he mumbled. “Ruined, useless. I can never be a water ghost again.”

Tang Minghao sighed again. “It’s a pity Doctor Ciren was taken away; he would surely have known what to do.” He seemed deeply disappointed.

Xu Zhiwu couldn’t help but interject, “Don’t you know Doctor Ciren was determined to make us his hosts?”

Tang Minghao fell silent then.

Geng Wei’s condition was genuinely painful and pitiable to watch. Everyone momentarily forgot the strangeness of the situation and rushed to console him with kind words. He was a tough man, though; after a brief bout of despair, he started trying to reassure us not to worry, yet his words betrayed a fear that we would deem him a burden and abandon him, so he insisted he was fine.

However, someone would have to carry him; he had no mobility whatsoever. No one could guarantee safely leading him out—we didn't know where the exit was, what else might attack us, and everyone’s life was no longer in their own hands.

But no matter what, since we had found him again, we absolutely could not leave him behind. When Old Li and I had first encountered the human-faced monster, the despair we felt when Niqiong and Xu Zhiwu abandoned us to flee alone was indescribable. Geng Wei feared the same thing.

Geng Wei was still desperately trying to convince us he was fine, even listing ways he could help once we returned. I interrupted him. “Uncle Geng, don’t worry, we won’t leave you.” Hearing this, he immediately clamped his mouth shut, watching each of our faces carefully to see if I spoke the truth.

Only after Old Li, Xu Zhiwu, Tang Minghao, and Yanzi all affirmed their commitment did he visibly sigh in relief and relax. Yet, there was still the matter of Tang Minghao’s abnormal normality, which kept us uneasy. If he had shown any fear or revealed any ulterior motive, I would know how to react. But now, since seeing Geng Wei, he was calmer and more collected than anyone, completely unlike his former self.

Uneasily, I stole glances at Tang Minghao. He looked at Geng Wei with compassion, repeatedly asking how he felt. Geng Wei’s face was bloodless, but he grit his teeth, insisting he was fine, presumably still afraid we would consider him a liability and abandon him halfway.

After comforting Geng Wei further, Tang Minghao asked us, “Aren’t you even a little surprised at how Uncle Geng appeared here? Aren’t you going to ask me what happened?”

How could we forget such a huge event! It was just that the situation had spiraled so fast I hadn't had a chance to speak. But before any of us could reply, Tang Minghao cut in again. “Yanzi, are you sure Zaxi told you there was treasure here?”

Yanzi was momentarily stunned by the abrupt question. “He... he did say that...” Her voice already lacked the confidence it had before.

Tang Minghao chuckled faintly. “Treasure? Well, you could call it that. Uncle Geng and all of you need to rest a bit more. No monsters should appear here for the time being, so I think I should tell you everything I know.” He paused, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face. “I don't know how long I can maintain this state. It feels like this knowledge is just bubbling up from nowhere. I’m afraid... afraid I won't be myself in the next blink.”