Only then did a series of horrifying laughs echo from the depths of the ancient tomb, and I realized the fat man I had pinned underwater had vanished. While my attention was fixated on that dehydrated black "tongue," the scoundrel had snuck deep into the tomb passage.

I found it deeply strange. Now that we had found the "tongue," why was he still emitting those cold, eerie laughs? Could it be that the fat man was no longer truly "the fat man"? The vengeful spirit within the "Wuyi" cloth had possessed him through this "tongue," solely for the purpose of being brought into the King’s subterranean palace!

inley Yang whispered to me, "Damn it, there was something else in Fatty's mouth, and the tongue-gu fell into the water. If we can't find it soon, we might not be able to save him."

I told inley Yang, "As long as it’s not demonic possession, that’s a relief. Let’s split up. I’ll go ahead and catch up to him. You search the water for that half-tongue as fast as you can, then meet us at the entrance to the main chamber."

inley Yang nodded in agreement. Since both "Chicago Typewriters" were stored in waterproof packs, there wasn't time to retrieve them, so she handed me her Type 64 pistol.

I took the gun and bolted after the sound of laughter, running along the passage. As I ran, I cursed the fat man internally for being greedy and courting disaster, yet I was also intensely worried about what mess he might have gotten himself into this time. I didn't know what else was in his mouth—at best, he’d lose his tongue and be mute for the rest of his life; at worst, he’d pay with his life here in the tomb of the Tribute King.

In my haste to catch the fat man ahead of me, I dared not pay attention to any traps or ambushes in the passage. I held the "Wolf's Eye" flashlight high, wading forward with effort through the black water that reached my waist.

This tomb passage had no forks. It began with a flight of stone steps, then widened considerably into a vast platform displaying dozens of bronze men, bronze horses, and bronze chariots. As I reached the platform, I vaguely sensed something was amiss. These grey-green bronze figures and chariots were somehow unusual. However, unlike the grotesque, mutated bronze figures in the main hall of the "Heavenly Palace," these chariots and horses, while conventionally crafted, seemed to be missing something essential.

Just as I was leaning in for a closer look, I heard a woman's sharp, mocking laugh coming from behind the bronze chariots. I had to temporarily abandon my scrutiny of the bronze figures and hurry forward. Behind the chariots, instead of the grand gate to the "Underground Palace" I expected, there was a ramp of bluestone leading down to a pitch-black hole in the earth. On either side were mounds of tamped earth—I had never heard of tombs containing earth mounds within the main burial chamber, and I couldn't figure out the purpose of this arrangement.

The laughter that had been echoing from this area suddenly ceased. The surrounding environment was extremely complex, filled with objects whose functions were entirely unknown, forcing me to slow my pace. Using the beam of the flashlight, I began to search step by step.

The ground was littered with desiccated male corpses, scattered in complete disarray. A quick glance suggested at least a hundred bodies. All the mummies had had their ears and noses cut off, and their eyes gouged out. Though I couldn't see inside their mouths, I assumed their tongues had also been ripped out before they were allegedly doused in hot wax and left to solidify into this state after suffering extreme torture. The sight was horrifying, causing my grip on the gun to tighten further.

Beyond the dark hole in the stone ramp, there was no other way forward, only the dead bodies everywhere. There was no trace of the fat man. In the darkness, fearing my eyesight was insufficient, I called out softly, "Commander Wang, where are you? Stop hiding and get out here now."

I called out twice more, but no one answered. I looked back toward the entrance of the passage; it was equally pitch-black. inley Yang was likely still searching the water for the sorceress's "tongue." Despite knowing there were three living people in this tomb, including myself, a chill ran down my spine, as if I were the only person left in the grim underground sanctuary. I continued to call out to the fat man: "Commander Wang, rest assured, the organization’s policy towards misguided youths has always been lenient. If you come out now, we will certainly overlook whatever you did in the past..."

As I was shouting out policy statements, I suddenly heard a faint, rustling sound from beneath my feet. I immediately lowered the "Wolf's Eye," and saw the fat man, his back to me, hunched over a mummified corpse in the corner, engrossed in something, utterly oblivious to the flashlight beam.

I dared not startle him, instead creeping stealthily around to his front. Only then did I realize the fat man was actually gnawing on a wax figure. Panic surged through me. I kicked out, knocking him backward, then lunged forward, pinning him down on his stomach and grabbing his throat. "Damn it, you really were possessed by that vengeful spirit! What are you gnawing on that corpse for? Aren't you afraid of corpse poison?"

With me holding him down, the fat man’s face was a picture of sheer panic. He clutched his mouth tightly with one hand, waving the other wildly. I pinned both his arms with my leg, using all my strength, and clamped my left hand onto his large face, forcing his mouth open. A sinister, cold laugh immediately erupted from within.

I shone my right hand holding the "Wolf's Eye" flashlight into his mouth and saw it clearly. At that moment, I finally understood, exactly as inley Yang had predicted: there was indeed something in the fat man's mouth. Growing from his tongue was a woman's head—or more accurately, a tumor-like growth.

It was yellowish and not very large, only about the size of a thumbnail. At first glance, one might mistake it for a thick layer of "tongue coating," but this "coating" possessed the full contours of facial features, resembling the face of a young woman sleeping with her eyes closed.

Although the woman’s face-like lump on the fat man’s tongue remained still, as if in deep slumber, its mouth kept opening and closing, emitting bursts of cold laughter. I realized this "mouth" was the source of the laughter. I wondered how the fat man had acquired such a malicious form of sorcery. It seemed this "mouth" on his tongue had an insatiable appetite for human flesh, and after entering the passage, he had lost control of "it." To prevent himself from biting me and inley Yang, he had fled to the deepest part of the passage to devour the dried corpses.

By this time, inley Yang had arrived, illuminating the water with her "Poseidon’s Flash" and finally locating the half of the black "woman's tongue." She rushed over, and upon seeing this utterly bizarre scene, was greatly shocked. She quickly placed the semi-petrified "tongue" on a dry stone slab, poured some solid fuel over it, and ignited it with a lighter.

As soon as the Shapo’s "tongue" caught fire, it emitted a plume of foul-smelling smoke, quickly turning to ash. At the same moment, I yelled at the fat man, "Don't move! Stick your tongue straight out; I’ll pluck it for you."

Using the fire nearby to heat my Russian Spetsnaz paratrooper knife, I had inley Yang hold the fat man’s head steady. With two fingers, she pinched the human-head-shaped growth on his tongue, and I used the tip of the paratrooper knife to hook and yank it out. There seemed to be a tiny bone spur inside; disgusted, I didn't bother looking closer. I flicked the blade and casually tossed it into the fire, burning it to nothing along with the "tongue."

The fat man’s mind was still relatively clear; he knew what we were doing was to save him. He allowed his mouth to stream with blood, biting back any cry of pain. Only after the growth on his tongue was removed did he cry out in agony. Although his tongue was severely lacerated and he might slur his words for a while, this was the best possible outcome—at least he hadn't lost any limbs. I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

We were utterly exhausted, unable to investigate the stone door of the main chamber, and unwilling to linger near the corpses. We retreated to the platform with the bronze chariots and horses to rest briefly.

inley Yang told the fat man, "Just keep your mouth open and your tongue extended for now. Wait until the wound dries before closing your mouth, otherwise, if it touches the water in the pool, it’ll get infected."

I took out a cigarette and lit one for myself. I then pretended to offer one to the fat man, but inley Yang quickly stopped me. I smiled at him and said, "The chief needs a smoke to calm his nerves. Learned your lesson this time, didn't you? A lesson written in blood. I say you deserved it for being so indiscriminate, treating everything like scrap metal you pick up."

The wound in the fat man's mouth wasn't too severe, and the elastic protein gel was very effective; the cut healed quickly. The fat man rinsed his mouth of the blood and declared mournfully, "I swear I'll never pick up just anything again. In the future, I’ll only take the most valuable things."

I told him, "If I could change this habit of mine, I’d write the character 'Hu' backwards. We don't need a written self-criticism from you, but we do hope that in your occasional free time, you can delve deep into the ideological roots of your mistakes, compare them against the current excellent domestic and international situation, state your firm resolve to correct your errors, and demonstrate it through concrete action..."

After teasing the fat man, I suddenly remembered something and put on a stern face. "The organization still views you with suspicion. The hex on your tongue has been removed, but whether your thoughts and ideology have been affected is hard to say. Who can guarantee you are still the same person? Perhaps you’ve become a spy infiltrated into our pure ranks."

The fat man cried out in protest, speaking thickly, "Commander Hu, if even you don't believe me, I swear I won't live anymore. I'll just bash my head against the wall and die. If you doubt me, test me! Name it—jumping into a cauldron of boiling oil or rolling on a bed of nails—if you draw the line, I’ll do it immediately! Otherwise, when we open the coffin to retrieve the Tribute King's artifacts later, just watch me. Even if the Holy Mother Mary herself showed up with her breasts out, claiming this coffin holds God, I'd still grope inside without hesitation."

I quickly pressed his mouth shut. "Alright, alright, watch your mouth. We'll consider your issue settled. Just redeem yourself through meritorious service from now on. But there's one thing you must clarify: exactly how did that... thing grow on your tongue?"