Daxiong cursed under his breath, spun around, and yanked hard on the thing he’d grabbed, pulling with the force of a fisherman reeling in a line until a lizard, over two meters long, came tumbling toward him.

Daxiong swung his massive fist down onto the head of the flying creature, producing a sharp squeal as it slammed to the ground, its head buried deep in the sand, its body thrashing wildly.

“Damn it, this thing has spikes!” Daxiong grimaced, his hand bleeding from several punctures made by the spines on the lizard’s head.

He tore whatever was wrapped around his neck free, and only then did I realize it was the giant lizard’s tongue!

Suddenly, the wind picked up from all directions, and the sound of whooshing filled my ears. Sensing danger, I dove low and slammed to the ground just as several slimy strands whipped past where my back had been—they were all tongues.

Daxiong swatted several of the attacking tongues away, snarling, “You filthy beast! You taking me for a housefly? Watch this!”

He raised his hand and fired. A few sharp cracks echoed, and the leading lizards caught bullets in the tops of their heads, letting out terrible shrieks as they collapsed. But more lizards immediately scrambled over the bodies of their fallen comrades and rushed forward.

I scrambled back to my feet, moving forward almost on all fours, as Daxiong shouted that he would cover my retreat, firing a few more shots.

After I’d covered another fifty meters, I glanced back to see Daxiong almost completely engulfed by the black torrent, and a sudden chill gripped my heart.

Before I could even call out to him, several dark shapes darted in front of me, blocking my path—more giant lizards.

At that moment, complete despair washed over me. Am I going to die here today? I thought. I really should have listened to the old monk and not run out in the middle of the night. Even if I screamed for help now, no one would hear.

I frantically looked around, searching for any weapon I might have on me, but after searching everywhere, I found I had only brought my phone.

In desperation, I unbuckled my leather belt and snapped it, hoping the loud crack would intimidate the beasts.

However, the massive lizards moved with incredible speed. One flashed past my feet. I swung the belt, but the heavy buckle only kicked up a cloud of yellow sand, blinding me further.

Just then, my feet were snagged, probably by a lizard tongue. Pulled with immense force, I lost my balance and fell backward onto the sand.

Damn it! I’m too weak! I cursed inwardly. If I survive this, I’m heading to Thailand to learn how to fight!

The giant lizard dragged my ankle backward, pulling me across the ground. I struggled to get up, but everything suddenly went black. In the faint moonlight, I saw a dark shadow lunge toward me.

I threw up my hands to defend myself, but it was useless. The thing that landed on me weighed at least three hundred pounds and nearly crushed the breath out of me.

In an instant, I felt a searing grip on my arm, sharp claws sinking deep into the flesh, causing a pain that stole my breath.

By the time I reacted, the lizard on top of me had opened its massive jaws and was snapping toward my face. Terrified, I twisted my head away.

A rush of wind hit me. Though I managed to dodge the direct bite, a searing pain erupted in my shoulder, and I felt hot blood spraying out.

Oh God, I’m really going to die, panic flooded my mind as I kicked uselessly.

Worse, I heard a terrible cursing voice nearby. I turned to see Daxiong running toward me, only to trip and fall after a few steps. Then, the lizards swept over him like a wave.

“It’s over!” I screamed out, my heart broken.

Though my cry sounded worse than a pig being slaughtered, the lizard holding me didn’t loosen its grip, nor did it press the attack; it just held me down firmly.

After perhaps ten seconds, I heard a rustling sound in the sand beside me, and specks of dirt and grit showered onto my face.

I turned my head and saw two ugly giant lizards digging furiously at the sand near me.

Their front claws were remarkably nimble, quickly excavating a hole in the ground.

What now? Are they going to bury me alive? I wondered, finding their behavior strange.

Recalling everything I knew about lizards, they weren't supposed to hoard food. Carnivorous reptiles usually devour their prey immediately.

But then I remembered something from a book: some lizards don't eat at night because the temperature is too low for their digestion to work. Instantly, I understood: they were dragging us back to their lair to eat us when the sun came up!

My guess proved correct. The two lizards dug a massive pit, easily two or three meters deep, and then the lizard pinning me began dragging me toward the edge.

The lizard backed toward the pit, dragging me in reverse. My shoulder throbbed, but I dared not struggle, afraid its sharp teeth would tear my arm off.

Reaching the edge of the hole, the lizard twisted its body and tossed me into the pit first.

My body fell, expecting to hit sand immediately, but to my shock, I plummeted seven or eight meters before I still hadn't landed.

As I marveled at the descent, a sharp pain hit my back, and I felt a wave of dizziness, nearly vomiting blood.

After a long moment, I managed to collect myself and painfully rolled over, looking up at my surroundings.

I first looked down: a layer of yellow sand, perhaps half a meter thick, seemed to have filtered down from above.

Then, looking up, I saw the moonlight filtering through the opening far above—it had to be ten meters high. If I hadn't landed on this sand, I thought, I’d probably be paralyzed.

Three lizard heads cast shadows down from the opening. I watched as they surveyed the area for a while, then started climbing down into the pit.

Startled, I quickly threw myself down to feign death. But just as I settled, I saw several lizards shoving a bulky figure out of the opening.

My heart hammered. I rolled instinctively, and a dull thud sounded as the figure landed right next to me—it was Daxiong.

The moonlight pierced the opening but couldn't illuminate the darkness around us. Still, I could see Daxiong was covered in injuries, and since he hadn't made a sound upon landing, the man was likely unconscious.

Though I worried for his life, I dared not move. Even if the lizards didn't eat at night, they could certainly bite us to death first.

I closed my eyes, listening to the faint rustling sounds above, feeling countless lizards beginning their descent.

The noises grew closer, eventually reaching our ears.

Then came that strange, crushed-plant odor I’d smelled before, mixed with an intense musk that drifted around us. Hard scales occasionally brushed against my arm, sending a jolt through me with every touch.

After an agonizing twenty minutes, the sounds around us began to fade, but I still didn't dare move.

About half an hour later, silence finally settled. An overwhelming fatigue washed over me, and my consciousness began to blur.

Am I dying from blood loss? I wondered.

Suddenly, a hand grasped my arm, and a soft voice whispered, “Xiao Chuan, are you alright?”

Hearing Daxiong’s voice filled me with a surge of relief. I opened my eyes.

Seeing that familiar, scarred, stout face gave me a measure of calm; it seemed he had only suffered superficial wounds.

Daxiong made a shushing gesture, then winced as he rubbed his lower back. “Those sons of bitches nearly broke old Xiong’s back slamming me down…”

Seeing he was okay, I surveyed our surroundings and immediately gasped. The ground around us was densely packed with giant lizards, large and small, their faces monstrous in the gloom. Some were piled on top of others, sleeping like a scaly tower.

In the area lit by the faint moonlight alone, there were at least a hundred, and who knew how many lay further in the darkness.

I cursed silently while Daxiong turned on his phone’s flashlight to scan the area.

What we saw made us both exclaim in surprise.

I had assumed we were in a natural underground cavern, but the light revealed we were inside a room.

The interior walls were coated in gray cement, now heavily peeling. Opposite us was a large window with empty flowerpots on the sill—evidence that this place used to be above ground before being buried by sand.

Daxiong whispered, “Holy hell, what is this? Who built this place?”