The sharp crack of two gunshots was immediately followed by a rush of wind past his ears, and then, silence returned.

His heart hammered wildly against his ribs. He had no idea what had just happened, nor whether he was alive or dead, or even if he was still in the mortal world or had been cast into hell. He forced himself to calm down, taking a deep, shuddering breath, lying completely still on the ground. He dared not move, fearing any shift might draw the attention of infernal messengers or restless spirits—if they didn't kill him, they might drag him away, which would be a far worse fate.

After a long while, he detected a faint tremor in the ground, accompanied by the distinct sound of leather shoes striking the earth. His nerves instantly tightened again. He fearfully forced his eyes open, but saw only impenetrable blackness. He couldn't discern friend from foe. Regardless, caution was paramount here. He frantically dragged his body toward the edge of the path, attempting to clear a way for whatever was approaching. Only now did he truly understand the adage that it is better to have an enemy you know than one you do not; if this unknown entity decided to pursue him, he would be in for severe trouble.

He continued to drag his heavy frame along, thinking these thoughts. He had landed awkwardly on his knee when he fell, and every inch of movement sent waves of agony through his leg. Yet, he bore it silently, making no sound whatsoever.

During his slow crawl, his hand accidentally brushed against the corpse. He snatched it back instantly. He had no idea how this person had died; the preceding sounds suggested a gunshot, but who in this remote, backward wasteland would possess such advanced weaponry? Aside from Ma Xiong and his two companions, not even Ganda had access to such gear.

“Could it be Ma Xiong?” he thought, before softly calling out.

“Ma Xiong?” His voice was trembling, laced with sheer panic.

He held his breath, praying to hear Ma Xiong’s familiar response. But after an agonizing wait, there was only the sound of approaching footsteps, no reply.

His nerves grew tauter. The fuzzy state he had been in moments before was instantly ripped away by terror, leaving him acutely sober. He deeply regretted calling out for Ma Xiong; now he hadn't found him, but he had certainly betrayed his own location.

Even though both parties were enveloped in darkness, Lu Zong felt his current position was extremely disadvantageous. Who knew how long the other party had been living in this gloom? Perhaps they were already accustomed to the cavern’s darkness, their vision perfectly adapted, seeing his every move with absolute clarity.

With this thought, he edged himself further into the corner.

Finally, the footsteps began to fade, growing lighter, as if the person were deliberately slowing their pace, yet Lu Zong sensed they were drawing nearer.

“Roar!” A sudden, savage animal bellow erupted behind him, jolting Lu Zong violently. He could feel the creature’s heavy, ragged breathing right next to him. A shock ran through his system, and an immediate, horrifying realization struck him: The wall he had been leaning against—could it be the creature’s body?

At that terrifying realization, his head swam. He frantically lunged forward, attempting to evade the beast’s attack. But his sudden movement had completely enraged the monster, which lunged straight at him. The rush of air preceding it was enough to stifle his breath; he couldn't gauge the sheer size of the thing.

He quickly rolled sideways, but at that exact moment, the crack-crack sound erupted again, this time seeming to come from right beside his ear. He felt no pain on his body; apparently, the other party had intervened to help him. Then, he felt the creature’s massive weight crash down upon him, sending a jolt of agonizing numbness through his entire frame. It was only because he managed to shift slightly that the full weight did not crush him entirely—the consequences of that might have been unimaginable.

He struggled violently until he managed to wrench his body out from beneath the heavy mass, rubbing his aching shoulder and grimacing through the pain.

“Hmph. I never thought a distinguished National First-Class Professor would ever admit to feeling pain,” the other voice cut in, cold and sharp.

Lu Zong froze for a few seconds, then exclaimed with relief, “Ma Xiong? Is that you? Where the hell have you been? You had me searching frantically; I almost lost my life!”

Ma Xiong gave a slight smile. “It’s nothing. I just sensed the cave was awfully dark; figured there must be some secret worth hiding, so I came to check. Didn't expect to scare you this badly.”

Lu Zong stared, incredulous. “You are amazing. Aren’t you afraid this cave holds some creature that can see in the dark, that could spot you and treat you like lunch?”

Ma Xiong immediately retorted, “Lu Zong, Lu Zong. I see your mind has gone soft after a few years away from your weapon. Don’t you know about night vision goggles? In China, you can buy those for a hundred yuan.”

Lu Zong sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “Right, sorry, I forgot. Hey, do you have any night vision goggles left? Give me a pair.”

A clatter of items followed, suggesting Ma Xiong was rummaging through his pockets. The CIA truly was a treasure chest that never emptied, no matter where they went.

After the shuffling stopped, he handed Lu Zong something resembling spectacles. “Here, take this.”

Lu Zong put them on and looked around. Indeed, he could make out silhouettes. They appeared entirely red, which he recognized as the thermal imaging characteristic of night vision.

He steadied himself and then cursed Ma Xiong. “Damn it, why didn’t you say anything when I called for you? You nearly scared me to death!”

Ma Xiong smiled apologetically and explained, “I saw you swaying unsteadily, almost as if you weren't in control of your body. I was curious, thinking maybe you were affected by something supernatural, so I didn't dare interrupt, wanting to see where the strange sounds would lead you. But then I saw a figure standing behind you, so I kept quiet, terrified of exposing myself. If that happened, killing the target would become much harder. After all, this is their territory; they know it best.”

At this point, Lu Zong cut in, his curiosity piqued. “What? You saw a person standing behind me? Are you absolutely sure it was human?”

Ma Xiong, unsure of Lu Zong’s meaning, nodded hesitantly.

Lu Zong looked down at the ground with an expression of utter disbelief, then pointed, motioning for Ma Xiong to look closer.

Ma Xiong suspiciously lowered his head, glanced, and then shook his head at the equally confused Lu Zong. “What’s wrong? It’s just a body.”

Lu Zong insisted, “No, look closer. Don’t you notice he looks like he’s been dead for quite some time? There’s fluid oozing from his mouth.”

Ma Xiong observed carefully and saw the greenish pus bubbling out. Based on his years of combat experience, pus typically began flowing from the mouth only after a corpse had been exposed to the air for about seven days, resulting from internal materials fermenting and corroding the soft tissues of the brain. The realization that they had just encountered a man who had been dead for nearly a week—yet was still moving—was baffling.

Lu Zong argued, “That’s impossible. I clearly heard him roaring just now.”

Ma Xiong countered, “I agree, something is off. I clearly saw him smile at me just a moment ago. I even wondered if he could see me, if he recognized me, and I was planning to approach him to get a better look, but before I could reach him, he lunged at you. If I hadn’t intervened immediately, you’d have been crushed and bitten to death. Look at his teeth.”

Lu Zong glanced at the teeth. Sure enough, a perfectly aligned row of teeth was exposed, resembling the fangs of a lion or tiger.

He shivered involuntarily. If that dead man had managed to bite him, he would certainly have been maimed, if not killed.

Yet, they remained deeply puzzled. Who were these entities, and why did they look so bizarre? To call them non-human was difficult, as their facial features, limbs, and overall proportions were roughly consistent with primates, with humans included. Furthermore, they were wearing clothes, tattered though they were—a detail that separated them from wild animals. But their appearance was truly terrifying, less aesthetically pleasing than their own farm fowl, with bared teeth, bodies stiff as if already deceased, pus dribbling from their mouths, and a few strange tufts of hair clinging to their heads.

Ma Xiong was intensely curious about this anomalous race. He kept urging Lu Zong to cooperate so they could dissect the body and discover what made it different from a normal human.

Lu Zong glared at Ma Xiong, exasperated. How could he be in the mood for anatomical study at a time like this? “You’re unbelievable. Wait until you’ve rescued those two beauties; perhaps one of them will offer herself to you in gratitude.”

Ma Xiong’s eyes widened in shock, staring at Lu Zong. “What? Those two women are missing? Why didn’t you say so earlier? You’ve made us waste all this time here!” With that, he grabbed Lu Zong and started pulling him toward the exit.

But Lu Zong stopped dead after only a few steps, nearly yanking the rushing Ma Xiong off his feet. Ma Xiong turned back, looking annoyed. “What are you doing? This is hardly the time for jokes!”

Lu Zong ignored him, walking with trembling hands back toward the corpse. He pulled up the figure’s tattered shirt, exposing the skin beneath.

One second later, Lu Zong couldn’t bear it any longer; he turned away and gagged violently.

Ma Xiong was startled by Lu Zong’s strange reaction and hurriedly looked toward the body. He saw the exposed flesh of the corpse weeping thick drops of putrefied matter. There was no skin left; it was merely a mound of rotting flesh, with blood-red organic structures—likely teeming with maggots—writhing on the exposed organs. If he hadn't been determined to maintain his composure and avoid embarrassing himself in front of Lu Zong, he would have run off to vomit in private long ago.

He managed to compose himself, then approached Lu Zong, who was dry-heaving, and patted his back to soothe him. After a long time, Lu Zong somewhat recovered, though his expression remained agitated.

Lu Zong stuttered out, “Ma Xiong, I’m certain these people have been dead for several days, otherwise their skin wouldn’t have decomposed this fast. Remember that scarecrow? That was shamanic magic, the kind used to control the dead. Are these corpses being manipulated by a shaman? Can they truly control the deceased?”

Ma Xiong immediately shook his head, firmly stating, “Impossible. Once a person is dead, they are dead. How could they move? This has to be some trickery they’ve devised.”

Lu Zong glanced confusedly at the corpse, then back at Ma Xiong, lost for words.

Ma Xiong pulled Lu Zong up. “Let’s go, forget about these bodies. Whether they’re controlled or moving on their own, the most crucial mission now is rescuing those two women. You know one is an international ally, and the other was sent by the organization. You must save them, even if it costs you.”

Lu Zong stared blankly at the corpse, utterly motionless, his expression vacant.

Ma Xiong suddenly found the situation too eerie. He stepped forward and nudged Lu Zong.