His body jolted, and finally, a name surfaced: Ganda.

He roared at the corpse, "Ganda, is that you?"

A gasping breath returned from within, finally forcing out three words as if fighting for air: "It is I."

Lu Zong desperately shoved the coffin open, then flipped it over. Instantly, putrefied remains spilled out, and from the viscous decay, a humanoid shape wriggled free—Ganda.

Ganda lay on the floor, coughing violently, spewing forth. Seeing his utterly filthy state, Lu Zong felt a wave of nausea himself, but to protect Ganda’s dignity, he swallowed it down. He stepped forward and gently massaged Ganda’s back, helping him expel the contents within.

He was intensely curious about Ganda’s appearance: completely naked, yet covered entirely in pus and fluid that dripped sluggishly downward, an odor of rot saturating the room. He had to use his other hand to cover his nose, barely restraining himself from vomiting.

When Ganda had almost finished, his ragged breathing subsided, and he crouched on the floor to rest. Lu Zong rummaged through his own belongings, produced a large stack of sanitary napkins, and handed them to Ganda to clean himself.

Ganda remained silent, snatching the tissues and frantically scrubbing his body clean, not daring to meet Lu Zong’s eyes. He knew the heavy guilt he carried toward Lu Zong.

Lu Zong asked, "Ganda, what about those two girls?"

Ganda froze for a moment, then explained, his voice laced with tears, "Professor, it is all my fault for bringing you to this place. I should have stopped it, but I failed. I am not a qualified guide."

Lu Zong walked over and helped Ganda up, speaking with regret, "Ganda, this is not your fault. It’s because we were too stubborn, which led to this happening. Now, explain to me exactly what happened. Where are those two girls?"

Ganda shook his head sadly, then burst into tears. Lu Zong figured that if Ganda claimed ignorance, forcing it out would be useless. It was better to wait until Ganda calmed down before discussing it; right now, stabilizing Ganda’s physical condition was paramount.

He looked at the completely bare Ganda and asked, "Ganda, where are your clothes?"

Ganda then noticed his own nakedness and said sheepishly, "That’s a long story, I’ll tell you when I have the chance later. Say, do you have any clothes in your luggage? Could you spare one?"

Lu Zong replied, "I do, but unfortunately, the luggage wasn't brought in; it’s still outside. However, I can give you the clothes I’m wearing. They’re excess for me anyway."

Saying that, he began stripping. His outermost layer had gotten soiled while he was massaging Ganda’s back; without hesitation, he took it off and handed it over.

Feeling clothed, Ganda seemed much improved. He rested a while longer before gradually recovering, looking much like he had when he first arrived.

It was then that Ganda noticed Ma Xiong was missing from Lu Zong’s side and asked curiously, "Lu Zong, where is Ma Xiong?"

Lu Zong explained, "Ma Xiong was confused by some parasites and wandered off somewhere. We should go look for him now."

As soon as Lu Zong finished speaking, Ganda’s face darkened, and he shrieked, "What? Parasites? How did he get infected? What do those parasites look like?"

Lu Zong didn't understand why Ganda’s expression was so bizarre and suddenly changed, but for Ma Xiong’s safety, he patiently explained, "When we first entered the dark passage, we thought about wearing masks, but unexpectedly, the masks placed on the mummies carried parasites. Ma Xiong didn't know and put one on. But once it was on, he couldn't take it off, and his body was controlled by those parasites. He’s just walking around."

Before Lu Zong could finish, Ganda yelled without hesitation, "Quick, we must find Ma Xiong! How long has he been controlled by those parasites?"

Lu Zong quickly calculated and replied, "About two hours."

Ganda said grimly, "That's still manageable. We must find Ma Xiong within eight hours, or he will be completely controlled by those parasites, becoming what is truly called a walking corpse."

A walking corpse? Lu Zong murmured curiously, "That term... wait, right, does Shamanism use these parasites to control people?"

Ganda immediately countered, "Don't ask so many questions right now. I don't know much about Shamanism. Let’s focus on finding Ma Xiong first. But I can tell you this: I was controlled by those people before. I obeyed their every command."

"You were controlled by them?" Lu Zong asked, intrigued. "What happened? Tell me about it."

Ganda seemed to be deliberately teasing Lu Zong, or perhaps trying to conceal something; he stammered, "That's a long story. We can talk about it later. The most important thing now is finding Ma Xiong."

Lu Zong suddenly noticed that Ganda seemed slightly different from before—a little cunning, a bit sly, as if deliberately hiding something from him. However, given the current situation, the best move was to form an alliance. If they turned against each other now, Lu Zong would surely suffer more losses. Seeing Ganda’s reluctance to answer, he didn't press the matter, quietly exiting the room to scan the surroundings, hoping to spot any sign of Ma Xiong.

But just a few steps outside the room, he heard a clattering sound from within, followed by Ganda’s shout, "Lu Zong, quickly come back in! What’s happening in here?"

Lu Zong hurried back inside and saw Ganda pointing with a look of pure astonishment at the pile of decaying matter that had just spilled from the coffin.

Lu Zong watched as the pile of rotten matter gradually diminished, shrinking, and then vanishing, as if dissolving into the floor from thin air. He stared at the scene in horror, unsure what it meant. He looked at Ganda, who was watching the bizarre spectacle with a strangely calm expression, though he seemed shocked.

Lu Zong’s inner turmoil churned again; his suspicion toward Ganda grew stronger. Though Ganda was clearly knowledgeable, surely he hadn't witnessed a sight like this. If he had, he wouldn't act so completely unconcerned! The only reason he wasn't surprised was if he were already familiar with the phenomenon—if he had known the secret, meaning, in fact, that he had participated in it.

He recalled how he had walked out, leaving Ganda alone in the room. Ganda had persistently urged him to find Ma Xiong, yet Lu Zong himself hadn't rushed out. Ganda hadn't followed Lu Zong. His suspicion of Ganda solidified, deeply rooted now.

What had happened to Ganda? Could he also be controlled by those shamans now?

Yet, he found it hard to believe in mind control, which only fueled his curiosity about what was truly going on with Ganda.

As he considered this, the rotting flesh had completely evaporated. Only scattered, old debris remained on the floor.

Ganda stepped forward and, with practiced ease, swept the debris away, then pointed to a hole in the floor, saying, "Lu Zong, look, there's a hole here. That corrosive substance must have drained down through here."

Lu Zong approached and peered down, saying, "Indeed. Look, the pus below seems to be covering something else."

Ganda moved closer too, and suggested, "Lu Zong, should we go down and take a look?"

Lu Zong was surprised by Ganda's sudden enthusiasm. In the past, Ganda would certainly have stopped him from crawling in, just as he had refused to let Lu Zong and Ma Xiong climb into the ear structure. He looked at Ganda, whose encouraging eyes seemed to be subtly hypnotizing him into going down.

He thought, What does it matter if I die? I've already lived through so many cycles; this life won't be missed much. Besides, seeing what’s down there might be worth it. If I’m going to be killed by someone, at least I’ll have seen what I wanted to see. A worthwhile end.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, we’ll go down to see what’s there. But you must prepare yourself mentally. Don’t scream if you see anything terrifying; it might alert the unclean things."

Ganda nodded, a faint hint of mockery in his demeanor. Lu Zong couldn't help but feel suspicious of everyone these days.

He decided to push these thoughts aside for now; finding Ma Xiong was the priority.

He and Ganda found a broken stone and smashed open the floor, revealing another room beneath.

Ganda declared, "I'll go down first to check for danger. Wait until I confirm it’s safe before you follow. Remember, do not jump down without my order. This place is too dangerous. If something unexpected happens, I won't be able to explain it to our boss."

Lu Zong didn't resist; who would argue about taking a fatal leap?

Ganda found a handhold, arched his body, gripped the edge of the broken opening with his hands, and began to climb down slowly. After only his head remained outside, he released his grip, letting his body drop.

In less than three seconds, a thud echoed from below. Lu Zong judged the room couldn't be very deep.

Lu Zong walked to the edge of the hole and shouted down, "Ganda, what's the situation down there?"

Lu Zong replied, "Wait a moment, I’m checking the surroundings."

Then, the sound of rummaging through boxes and cabinets drifted up, further piquing Lu Zong’s curiosity. If there were boxes and cabinets below, it must be a dwelling place. Who lived down there?

He shouted again, "Ganda, how is it below? Is it safe?"

After a long pause, Ganda finally answered, "It's very safe down here. You can come down."

Lu Zong hastily copied Ganda’s method and jumped down, though he immediately learned a life lesson: Don't look at others; look at yourself. The landing left his legs numb. It took him a long time to recover.

He called out, "Ganda, Ganda, where are you?"

A firm, gentle hand gripped his arm. "Are you alright?"