Chapter Forty-Seven: Two "National Players"

Ever since entering this ancient tomb, the presence of spiders has filled me with an ominous feeling. I wondered if perhaps a spider demon was imprisoned here. My mind flashed back to the ordeal in the cocoon chamber, and though the terror still lingered, I managed to collect myself enough to turn and call for Fatty and Peanut.

But at that very moment, on a patch of white spider webs within my line of sight, a ghastly pale human hand slowly emerged. The hand was slender, its five fingers as thin and limp as noodles. It stretched out from somewhere unseen, suspended above the webs as if the person behind the arm was lying atop them, so light that it barely disturbed the filaments.

I stared, dumbfounded, my heart seeming to shrink into my spine. After a few moments, I began to edge backward, but the hand on the web moved toward the doorway as well, inch by inch.

“Pea... Fat...” I tried to call out, but my lips trembled so violently that not a sound escaped. At that instant, I noticed something amiss in my peripheral vision.

Several seconds passed before I realized what it was: at some point, all the torches in the corridor had gone out. Aside from the gap in front of me, the surroundings were plunged into utter darkness.

I dared not look ahead anymore. Instinctively, I spun around and hurried toward the side chamber where Peanut and Fatty were. Unable to see anything in front of me, I stopped and fumbled for my flashlight in a panic. But when fear takes hold, even the simplest actions become fraught; my fingers searched the flashlight for what felt like an eternity, but I couldn’t find the switch.

Sweating profusely in the darkness, I considered stopping to shout for help. Just as I was about to call out, I thought I’d found the switch, and in my terror, completely forgot that I could do both things at once. After ten seconds of mounting panic, I felt as if something had already crawled from the crack in the door behind me.

Driven by desperation and fear, I tossed aside the damned flashlight and pulled the lighter from my pocket. With a sharp click, a weak flame flickered before my eyes.

And in that brief glow, every drop of blood in my veins seemed to shrink back into my heart in a half-second, for a scene so haunting appeared before me that I nearly died of fright on the spot.

In the wavering light of the windproof lighter, three faces, each as large as a washbasin, appeared in front of my head, to the left, and to the right. All three faces were identical, their skin a sickly gray-white. They had no eyebrows, their eyes squinted and twisted, with mouths so narrow that the corners stretched nearly to their ears. The faces stared at me without moving, their expressions twisted into a grotesque smile straight out of a comic book. Yet now, as these smiling faces suddenly appeared, their horror was beyond measure.

I was completely paralyzed, able to perceive nothing but what lay before my eyes. In the shadows, the three faces leered at me, and I stared back, numb. After a while, I began to wonder if I had already died, for the stillness was not merely a lack of movement.

Suddenly, I heard a faint hissing sound from behind the three smiling faces. In the flickering light, a human silhouette appeared behind the nearest grotesque visage, inching closer.

I jolted—another monster? Was I only to be frightened to death? But soon I realized something was off; that silhouette looked like Fatty.

Indeed, as the figure drew nearer, I could make out the round, smudged face of Fatty. Never before had I found his dirty, dust-covered face so comforting; in an instant, my mind snapped back from terror.

Fatty gestured for me to get down. I nodded uncertainly, and just then, the three faces moved slightly as well.

I gritted my teeth, and Fatty quickly crouched. Neither of us dared move further until the three faces stilled again. Then Fatty cautiously straightened, giving me a heavy nod.

Fatty and I had only recently met, so there was no way we could have established any tacit understanding. Yet, at that moment, I knew exactly what he meant—he was about to make a move, and I should get down as soon as he did. I didn’t reply this time, but shifted my focus to my knees, ready to crouch at a moment’s notice.

Suddenly, a flash of fire bloomed behind me, and Fatty grunted, leaping up with simian arms wide, lunging at the backs of the three faces.

I reacted a bit slower but managed to crouch in time. As I did, I saw what that fire behind me was about.

At some point, Peanut had materialized behind me, torch in hand. Seeing me crouch, he hurled the torch forward.

When I looked back again, Fatty was already clutching the three grotesque faces from behind, and the torch struck the middle one dead-on. Only then did I see clearly—the things resembling human faces were not faces at all, but the bellies of three giant spiders. They hung by silk in the corridor, presenting their swollen abdomens toward me.

Even more chilling, when Peanut’s torch struck one spider’s belly, its tip plunged inside. In that final second of vision, I recalled how, outside the city gate on the plaza, this very sort of creature had silently snatched Tan Wei away. Although his helplessness had been an act, I was certain these three spiders were the same shadow I’d seen that day.

Apparently, Peanut hadn’t expected things to play out this way. Instantly, the only source of light remaining was my lighter.

“Damn it! What are you two gawking at? Hurry up and help!” Fatty roared. I saw him clutching the spiders’ backs, body hoisted into the air. The three monsters thrashed desperately, and the other two lashed out at Fatty with their legs.

“Why the hell are you still holding onto them? Let go!” I shouted.

“No way! If we don’t kill these bastards now, they’ll come after us again!” Fatty retorted, slamming his knee into the belly of the nearest spider. Fatty’s strength was formidable; after only three blows, he punched a hole in the spider’s abdomen, and green viscous fluid gushed out.

The spider, its belly burst, slid down. It tried to crawl away, but Peanut darted past me and kicked it hard. I saw the spider’s upper half fly like a ball, landing with a crisp smack in the darkness.

“Kid, you’ve got some soccer skills! Here comes another perfect assist!” Fatty, now freed up, grabbed the next spider with one hand, pressing the third’s head down with the other. With brute force, he slammed the creature down, snapping its silk.

As it was falling, Peanut landed another flying kick, sending the upper half of the smiling spider spinning away. The remaining grotesque face hovered before me for a second, then fell to the ground, dead beyond doubt.

Fatty laughed uproariously above. “Peanut, the national soccer team needs talent like you. You should change careers once we get out.”

The last spider was no match for Fatty, its silk strained to breaking under their combined weight.

“You little punk, today I’ll show you the true Cao family scorpion kick...”

Hearing Fatty say that, I knew exactly what he intended. If he could actually pull off a midair scorpion kick with his bulk, it would be a miracle.

“Ha!” Fatty cried, swinging his right leg back.

“Damn, are you really going to try that?” I couldn’t help shouting. Just then, Fatty yelped, his leg losing force, and he tumbled from above. He’d spent all his strength, but his upper body suddenly slackened, all power transferred to his swinging leg. With that momentum, he managed a midair tumble, but it wasn’t a scorpion kick—it was a headfirst dive straight down.

Damn it, he really messed up. Instinctively, I rushed forward to catch him, and as I took a step, I glimpsed Peanut giving me an awkward look.

Wait, why isn’t Peanut moving? That realization struck me in an instant. As Fatty’s hefty body crashed toward me, I sincerely regretted it, bracing for the pain and cursing silently, “Damn you, Peanut, one day I’ll make sure you pay for this!”