Volume One - The Hundred Coffins Tomb Chapter Thirty-Two - The Tide of Corpses

The pounding sounds within the grand hall echoed incessantly, while behind us, the desiccated corpse upon the high platform stared unblinkingly at the two of us. Despite the noise erupting from the coffins, I noticed that each one was secured with two rows of steel nails, which meant that whatever lay inside would have to struggle fiercely to break free.

Seeing this, I said to Li Kun, "Old Li, stop staring and run while they're still trapped. We have to get out of here before they manage to break through."

Li Kun nodded hastily, and we both broke into a run, retracing our steps toward where we had come from. We had barely made it halfway across the room when, with a deafening crash, the lid of a coffin up ahead was flung violently off, landing squarely across the narrow path, less than two meters wide.

Witnessing such raw power, both Li Kun and I drew a sharp breath. Li Kun muttered under his breath, "Damn, these things are strong."

I turned to him and said, "Let's go around. Don't let them hold us up. If we get caught, neither of us is making it out alive."

He nodded again, and we veered left. The coffins were packed closely together, but there were still places to step. Directly ahead, however, the coffins were so dense that there was no way around. Clenching my teeth, I rushed straight up to the nearest coffin, silently praying that its occupant would stay still a moment longer.

With one hand pressed on the lid and both legs tensed, I vaulted over. Seeing my move, Li Kun followed suit. But with his 87-type rifle slung across his chest, the weapon caught on his leg as he leapt, throwing him off balance. He tumbled headlong over the coffin, and for a moment, I feared he would land headfirst on the ground.

But at that instant, something even more alarming happened. The lid of the coffin beneath Li Kun suddenly flew open with a violent jerk, and as it shot up at an angle, Li Kun fell straight into the coffin itself.

He was terrified, cold sweat beading across his forehead, but as his feet touched the bottom, he braced himself against the corpse inside and vaulted back out in a single, desperate motion.

My heart sank at the mishap, but seeing him scramble out, I breathed a sigh of relief, rushed over, and grabbed him by the arm. "If you're still breathing, get up and run!"

Li Kun wiped the sweat from his brow and scrambled to his feet. All around us now, the thunderous sound of coffin lids slamming to the ground filled the chamber. We were still some twenty meters from the exit passage.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself harder and said to Li Kun as we ran, "Old Li, if any of those damned ghouls block our path, don't hesitate—shoot them."

As I spoke, I bent down and drew the tri-edged military bayonet strapped to my leg, gripping it tightly as I charged forward without pause.

Li Kun understood the gravity of the situation and wasted no time. There was no room for error; a single misstep now would mean certain doom.

I glanced around—and what I saw chilled me to the bone. Dozens of figures were now moving in the chamber, and seven or eight of them stood directly in our path, blocking the exit.

I cursed silently. In just those few moments, these fiends had all emerged, and now the way out was barred.

With no other choice, I tightened my grip on the bayonet and hurled myself at the nearest corpse-demon, resolved to fight my way through.

At that same moment, a furious roar erupted behind us. Li Kun lifted his rifle, aiming at the ghouls ahead, finger tightening on the trigger. The instant he fired, the roar overtook us, sending a searing pain through our heads and a deafening rumble swirling in our skulls.

Staggered by the force of the sound, we faltered; I toppled face-first to the ground. Li Kun, gun still blazing, sent stray bullets whistling just over my head—close enough to make my scalp tingle with fear.

As we fell, the desiccated corpse in the ritual robe appeared behind us. We were both facing forward, the robed corpse now at our backs, barely five or six meters away. The roar had come so suddenly that neither of us could turn in time.

The robed corpse stared down at us for a moment, then turned its gaze to Li Kun at my side, and with a vicious lunge, charged at him. Hearing the approach, we both whipped around, and in that instant, despair flooded our eyes.

There was no escape. The path ahead was blocked, and behind us, the robed corpse and a horde of monstrous entities closed in. Even if we wanted to run, there was nowhere left to go.

But then, something unexpected happened.

As the robed corpse lunged, a nearby coffin lid suddenly flew open with tremendous force, propelled by the corpse inside. The heavy lid struck the robed corpse squarely in the thigh just as it advanced, snapping its leg with a sickening crack.

The momentum sent the corpse sliding towards us, its golden bell tumbling from its hand and clattering to the ground with a series of clear, ringing notes.

At that moment, Li Kun and I heard a chorus of guttural, agonized wails rise throughout the tomb. The corpses that had been advancing on us suddenly collapsed, clutching their heads and writhing in apparent pain. Their desiccated vocal cords produced a bizarre, saw-like shriek that grated harshly on the ear.

For a moment, we stood bewildered amid the cacophony. I snatched up the golden bell from where it had fallen and rose to my feet, sweat slicking my grip on the bayonet. "Old Li, what the hell is going on?"

Li Kun, just as confused, stammered, "What... what's wrong with these things?"

I cursed under my breath. "Forget it! Let's go, now!"

Li Kun nodded fiercely, raising his rifle and firing bursts at the nearest corpses. Though we knew bullets couldn't kill these abominations, the suppressive force of the automatic rifle was enough to drive them back—and that was all we needed.

I darted to one of the ghouls blocking the passage; a long centipede crawled across its face, revolting me. I had intended to stab it, but instead, I lashed out with a kick, sending it sprawling. Then, gripping the bayonet, I drove the blade through another's neck and tore it free, severing its head, which thudded to the ground, the body following a moment later.

Li Kun slapped a fresh magazine into his rifle and sent another barrage of fire into the milling corpses. I glanced toward the tomb passage; if we could just get past these last three, we'd reach the exit.

But suddenly, a chill ran down our spines. I turned to see a tattered corpse behind us, hefting a coffin lid high, ready to bring it crashing down onto Li Kun.