Chapter Thirty-Eight: Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

"Hhh... cough..."

On the wooden bed, a faint, dry sound emerged, like a thick glob of phlegm stuck in a throat, or perhaps... the buzzing of a windpipe being scoured and abraded by a cold gale.

Boss Hu, who stood closest, shuddered violently. His eyes nearly popped from their sockets, and a strange, whimpering noise bubbled up in his throat; paralyzed by the extremity of his terror, he had lost his voice. Even Steward Ma’s face turned paper-white in an instant, beads of cold sweat erupting across his forehead.

From the moment he had walked through the door, he had sensed the uncanniness of the funeral hall. Yet, decades of planning and the seeds of hatred had driven him to proceed... But he had never imagined what would happen if a bug were to crawl inside the corpse of Old Master Hu—a body he had used to intimidate Boss Hu and which had been "stored" in the villa for so long.

He dared not think of it! An unprecedented, overwhelming panic—a sense of reality slipping beyond his control—seized him.

"No... no..." he mumbled vacantly, subconsciously taking a step back.

"Steward... Steward Ma?" Hou Kui also sensed that something was wrong. His grip on his dagger tightened, his voice carrying a subtle, imperceptible tremor.

Just as this deathly silence was shattered by fear—

"Hhh!!!"

A dull howl, heavy enough to stop a heart, exploded from the wooden bed! It sounded like the final, agonizing wail of someone dying.

"Ha—!"

Boss Hu, kneeling beside the bed, let out a short, inhuman gasp. Clutching the wound on his chest, his eyes rolled back, and his body went limp, collapsing into a dead faint.

Steward Ma, Hou Kui, and Xiao Zhang’s expressions shifted wildly. They stared fixedly at the wooden bed, shifting their blades into defensive positions.

"Hhh! Hhh! Hhh!!!"

The roars from the bed came one after another, each louder and more violent than the last!

The thin, yellow cloth covering the body twisted and deformed, and before their eyes, it began to... bulge upward. Within a few breaths, the outline of a human figure stood stiffly before them, pushing against the yellow fabric.

"Rip—!"

With a sharp, tearing sound, the deep yellow cloth was pierced through from within by a withered, shriveled hand covered in dark brown liver spots.

Fragments of cloth flew through the air!

The hand that had emerged... its nails were black, sharp, and long. The skin was stretched tightly over bone, presenting a lifeless, bluish-black hue, and it was stained with dark brown wood splinters. It clutched the remaining fabric on its face so tightly that the five skeletal fingers seemed to sink into the flesh!

"Whoosh—"

The palm-sized piece of cloth, along with some skin, was torn away.

Following that, a stench so thick and nauseating—as if a mixture of soil, rotting flesh, and some peculiar, musky foulness—erupted like a tangible flood from the hole in Old Master Hu’s face, sweeping through the entire hall!

"Ugh... blech..."

Cai Kun, standing nearby, was the first to succumb. His stomach churned violently, and he doubled over, dry-heaving. Le Dong also felt a wave of intense dizziness and nausea, quickly covering his mouth and nose.

Steward Ma, Hou Kui, and Xiao Zhang were struck as if by lightning. Their faces turned deathly pale, their eyes filled with extreme horror and disbelief.

"No... impossible..."

Steward Ma retreated in a daze, crashing against the cold wall, his lips trembling. "Grandma Bai said this insect could only control a soul... how could it still control a corpse..."

Hhh... hhhh...

The bone-chilling roar sounded again, like sandpaper rubbing against bone.

Under the flickering beam of the flashlight, the "Old Master Hu" standing on the wooden bed slowly turned its stiff neck. It opened eyes that were turbid and filled with spiderweb-like blood vessels. Yet, in the depths of those pupils flickered a kind of inhuman, pure hunger and brutality!

That gaze was like a cold searchlight, sweeping back and forth over the survivors in the room, as if evaluating which piece of "meat" was the most fresh and delicious.

As that gaze passed over him, Le Dong felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head!

"Run!"

Le Dong roared, simultaneously slamming into Hou Kui, who was nearest to him, in a desperate attempt to create a path for himself and Cai Kun.

Hou Kui was caught off guard and knocked aside; a fierce look flashed in his eyes, but a second later, he had no time for Le Dong.

Because "Old Master Hu" on the bed had moved!

Its movements were stiff yet incredibly swift. Carried on a foul wind, it lunged directly at Steward Ma! Those black, sharp nails, like poisoned daggers, swiped viciously at the steward’s face!

"You dare!"

Steward Ma was terrified out of his wits and scrambled to the side. The nails brushed past his scalp, taking a few tufts of gray hair with them.

Seeing Steward Ma falter, Xiao Zhang reacted quickly. The short spike in his hand struck like a viper, aiming precisely for the monster’s flank. However, with a dull "thud," the weapon felt as though it had struck thick, tough cowhide. It only pierced an inch before it could go no further. Xiao Zhang’s face changed drastically as a massive, jarring recoil numbed his wrist.

"Hhh!"

The corpse seemed enraged. It whipped its head around, its withered claws sweeping through the air toward Xiao Zhang. The latter ducked quickly, but his shoulder was still torn, leaving several bloody gashes that burned with intense pain.

Seeing blood, Hou Kui, further away, also lost his composure. He roared and drove his short blade into the monster’s back.

"Clang!" A crisp sound rang out; the blade felt as if it had struck an iron plate, leaving only a shallow white mark. The webbing between Hou Kui’s thumb and forefinger split instantly, and blood poured out!

Driven by the bizarre insect, this corpse had become impervious to blades!

"Damn it! Is this body made of iron?!" Hou Kui cried out in shock and fury.

Amid the chaos, Le Dong had already reached the corner and hauled up Cai Kun, who was still dry-heaving. "Stop vomiting! Hurry! Carry Ma Wenwen!"

He glanced at the unconscious Boss Hu on the floor, gritted his teeth, and shouted at Cai Kun: "Take him too! We can’t let him die here and let that man surnamed Ma frame us!"

The shout jolted Cai Kun awake. Enduring the nausea and fear, he scrambled to lift the limp Ma Wenwen from the pile of paper money.

All of this happened in an instant. Steward Ma, noticing Le Dong’s intent, scrambled away from the corpse’s next lunge, casting a fearful glance at the creature behind him. He realized in a flash:

Survival is what matters!

"Hold it off! Don’t let it come over!" Steward Ma shrieked, frantically rummaging through his own clothes.

At these words, Hou Kui and Xiao Zhang exchanged a glance. Though extremely reluctant, they knew this was no time for infighting.

The two stood side by side, desperately swinging their daggers and knives. Yet, with every dull "thud," it was as if they were striking water-logged hardwood; they could only leave shallow marks. Not only did they fail to stop it, but they only further provoked the creature.

"Hhh—!"

The corpse seemed to lose patience. It swung both arms in a wide arc. Hou Kui and Xiao Zhang were struck as if by a giant hammer, sent flying backward with screams, crashing heavily against the wall and the altar. They vomited blood and were unable to stand.

In the gap created by their struggle, Le Dong and Cai Kun had managed to hoist the unconscious Boss Hu.

"Go! Downstairs!" Le Dong roared, charging toward the door first.

Steward Ma seized the opportunity. Without calling out to Hou Kui or Xiao Zhang, he followed on his hands and feet. As he ran, he pulled something from his chest—an object about the size of a thumb, deathly pale, shaped like the smoothed-down fang of some creature.

He gripped the "white tooth" tightly in his palm, as if holding onto a final lifeline.

"Hhh hhh..."

After knocking aside Hou Kui and Xiao Zhang, the corpse didn't stay to feed as they had feared; it seemed intent on keeping them all there.

It turned its head to stare at the open door, its scarlet, hungry gaze immediately locking onto the fleeing Le Dong and the others!

"Hhh hhh..."

It let out a growl from its throat and gave chase. Its heavy footsteps pounded on the wooden stairs with a heart-stopping "thud-thud," like the rhythmic beat of a death knell!

Hearing the footsteps drawing closer, sweat beaded on Le Dong’s forehead, but with Boss Hu on his back, he was not moving quickly.

It wasn't over yet. Just as he managed to scramble into the first-floor living room, before he could even catch his breath, an aura even colder, one that seemed to freeze the very soul, instantly enveloped them!

Le Dong looked up abruptly, his heart nearly stopping!

In the center of the living room, right by the coffee table where the gold bar box sat, a translucent figure wearing burial clothes stood with its back to them, head slightly bowed, "inspecting" the open box.

It was none other than the vengeful spirit of Old Master Hu!

Le Dong instantly recalled the strange incident at the drainage pipe. He instinctively stopped, staring at the spirit in the distance.

This time, it was not as indistinct as it had been at the pipe. He could see a faint, solid blue light radiating from the figure, and its face wore an expression of near-obsessive satisfaction.

It extended a translucent finger, as if gently caressing the golden bars, while its mouth seemed to be muttering something silently.

"My gold... my gold..."

A weak fluctuation of intent, as if sounding directly in his mind, washed over him, filled with greed and contentment.

Le Dong gripped the stair railing, his legs feeling weak. Behind him was the corpse of Old Master Hu; before him was the spirit of Old Master Hu.

He did not know where else there was to run.