Chapter Thirty-Six: Obscurity (Please Support and Recommend)

There is no time like the present. Since we have a lead, I intend to find a way out. The place Wei Lin mentioned is also in the circular corridor, so perhaps I can double back and check on Fatty.

"Let’s head out and find it then," I said.

Wei Lin shook his head. "Don’t be in such a hurry. We don't know what it’s like out there. The creature might not have crawled back into the bone pit yet. It probably won't be back for a while, so we might as well get some rest."

I wanted to rest too, but there was no time. After a moment of thought, I said to Wei Lin, "The friend who came with me was injured. I have to find him quickly."

Wei Lin frowned. "Is that so?" He looked conflicted, and after a long pause, he replied, "Alright then, we’ll go look for that place now, but you stay here for a moment while I go out and see if that thing is still around."

"If we’re going, we go together. It’s too dangerous for you to go alone."

Wei Lin said, "I’ve been playing cat and mouse with that thing for a long time; I’ll be fine. But I need to take the flashlight, and also..."

I could see there was something else he was struggling to say. "Just say it."

"Uh, I was thinking... could you lend me your gun? Just in case I run into any trouble, it would be good to have some protection." As he finished, he looked at me with an awkward expression.

If it were Fatty, Peanut, or Qin Feng, I would have handed the gun over immediately. But remembering the way Wei Lin had been eyeing my pistol earlier, I hesitated.

It was difficult to refuse. After all, Wei Lin was taking a risk by scouting, and since we were working together, cooperation was essential. Refusing would make the atmosphere incredibly tense.

I considered suggesting we go together, but that would clearly show I didn't trust him. The result would be the same.

However, if I gave him the gun, I would have no guarantee of my own safety. I had only just met Wei Lin; it was impossible to be completely unguarded around him. Furthermore, the events inside the small chamber were still fresh in my mind, and I had been wary of him ever since.

My mind raced. I knew I absolutely could not give him the gun. I decided to insist on going with him, and even if it made things uncomfortable, it would at least make my stance clear. I knew that in dealing with people, one cannot simply retreat indefinitely.

"How about we just go togeth—"

I was halfway through my sentence when a dull "thud" echoed from the large wooden crates nearby.

The sound clearly came from inside one of the boxes. I looked over in surprise, then glanced at Wei Lin in confusion.

"What... what was that? What’s inside those?"

I was not like my father or Fatty; having entered the ancient tomb, I didn't have a deep, intuitive sense for the artifacts around me.

When I first saw these large crates, I subconsciously assumed they were empty or contained old relics. Besides, Wei Lin had never mentioned them, so I hadn't paid them much mind.

Wei Lin froze for a moment, then acted as though he were just as surprised. "I... I don’t know. I hadn't noticed before."

Hearing him say that, my heart sank. I was almost certain this bastard was hiding something from me.

"Hadn't noticed"? Hmph. You’ve been here for nearly ten days; you mean to tell me you weren't even a little curious about what was inside these boxes?

If Wei Lin knew what was inside and wouldn't say, then he definitely had ulterior motives.

With that in mind, I continued to pretend I knew nothing. "Why don't we open them and see?"

"Ah, no!" Wei Lin immediately looked nervous. "Oh, I mean... there might be danger inside."

"It's fine, I have a gun." I emphasized the word "gun," simultaneously pulling out the loaded pistol I had tucked away and gripping it tightly.

This series of exaggerated movements was, in reality, a silent warning to Wei Lin.

True enough, as soon as he saw the gun, Wei Lin went silent.

As I moved toward the crates, I never took my eyes off him. He must have realized by now that I was suspicious of him.

There were four wooden crates beneath the brick wall. None were locked, and they were positioned with their openings facing the wall.

I circled around and, starting from the back of the room, used my left hand to open the first crate.

Each of these reddish-brown crates was over a meter tall with a heavy lid. Unable to use both hands, I struggled for a while before finally pushing the first lid onto the floor.

Throughout the entire process, Wei Lin didn't even attempt to help. His eyes were fixed on me, unblinking.

I began to realize that whatever was hidden in these crates was something Wei Lin didn't want me to see. He knew he couldn't stop me now that I had the gun, but I had no idea what I was about to find.

The first crate was empty.

I pushed the lid off the second. Inside was a pile of filthy items, and a pungent, fishy stench assaulted my nostrils.

Looking closer, I realized it was a heap of blood-stained clothing—jackets, pants, belts, and underwear. It wasn't just from one person.

I immediately looked up at Wei Lin.

"What is this?" I demanded.

Wei Lin gave a faint smile. "Don't look. These things won't help us now. Looking any further will only make you feel worse."

Clothes meant people. Wei Lin was fully dressed, so the items in the crate must have been stripped from someone else.

The only people I could think of were A-Wei and Qi Hui, who had gone missing from the main burial chamber along with Wei Lin.

"What exactly did you do?"

Wei Lin stopped answering.

A terrifying silence filled the room. I realized I didn't have Wei Lin's capacity for patience. Staring at him, I violently shoved the lid off the third crate.

"Giggle... hehehe, hahaha!!!"

As soon as I saw what was inside, Wei Lin suddenly let out a sinister, cackling laugh. In an instant, I understood what was happening, and I turned away to retch violently.

Wei Lin was laughing like a madman.

"Hahaha... I told you you wouldn't believe me. Haha, see? And so what if you do? Hahaha..."

After a bout of vomiting, I straightened up and retreated into a corner, putting as much distance as I could between myself and Wei Lin.

The crate contained a naked male corpse. He hadn't been dead long; the decay wasn't advanced. But there wasn't a single patch of intact skin left on the body; it was covered in deep gashes from a blade.

The corpse’s left leg was nothing but bone with a few scraps of meat clinging to it. Beside it sat a metal mess tin, filled entirely with flesh sliced from the body. Resting on top of the meat was a dagger. Most horrific of all was his face—it was covered in rows of lacerations, and those marks were unmistakably human bite marks.

I tensed every muscle in my body and, trembling, aimed the gun at Wei Lin. "You... you’re eating... his flesh?"