Grave Worms

Car doors opened and shut. Gong Qing climbed out, the pull of his muscles tugging at his chest. A stab of agony made his already pale face turn even whiter.

"I'll go check things out first." Wen Keyi's voice came from behind him as she jogged past.

After treatment throughout the journey, her injuries had mostly healed.

"Let me heal you."

"No rush. Let's see what's happening first." Gong Qing pointed ahead.

Zhang Ping pushed a woven sack out through the sunroof.

"Zhang Ping, I'll get you over here first. It's too dangerous. Forget the supplies."

As she spoke, Wen Keyi took a soybean-sized seed from her pocket and tossed it into the roadside planting strip. A thick vine grew rapidly, arching like a bridge, its tip drooping toward the SUV.

"Sister Wen, there's one more bag. The car won't sink just yet." Zhang Ping pushed out another sack, then climbed through the sunroof with a potted Morning Glory in his arms.

Gong Qing came closer and narrowed his eyes. It felt as though something utterly terrifying might awaken inside that eerie burial mound at any moment.

It exuded a sinister, unholy aura.

Zhang Ping finished tying on the second sack and securing Morning Glory, then gripped the vine with both hands for dear life. If he fell, he was dead.

"Ready, Sister Wen. Pull me over."

Wen Keyi commanded the vine to retract. The next instant, the thick black liquid splashed up as though a huge boulder had plunged into a lake, forming a monstrous maw that snapped toward Zhang Ping.

Zhang Ping's pupils contracted.

Su Yue, Hao Ren, and Wen Keyi, standing on the road, were also startled by the sudden turn of events.

It was a mass of eyeless, legless worms that slid along by writhing.

Wen Keyi tried to pull Zhang Ping higher, but she was too late. The splash covered too wide an area.

The black maw snapped shut. Zhang Ping did not even have time to scream... He was swallowed in an instant. Only a few broken lengths of vine remained, dangling limply from the air before falling into the black pool and dissolving instantly.

"Zhang Ping!"

Gong Qing's pupils contracted.

Hao Ren's car had not sunk at all. Those black worms had eaten it.

Behind them, the roar of the Raptor's engine drew closer, accompanied by the sound of hoofbeats.

"What's going on? Why did you stop here?" Su Nian opened the door and climbed out.

Hao Ren spotted his car at once. Only a section of its roof remained, but he could still recognize it.

"Where's Zhang Ping?" Hao Ren asked.

"He's dead!" Gong Qing's voice was heavy as he recounted what had just happened.

Hao Ren's expression darkened. Zhang Ping had followed him ever since they first crossed over into this world... More than half a year together-it was impossible not to grow attached. Even though Zhang Ping was not an Awakened, Hao Ren had long since considered him a friend.

Besides, he would have awakened sooner or later. They had even talked about which sequence he hoped to awaken.

Su Nian walked to the edge of the encroaching corruption.

[Grave Worms]

[Details: Secondary units spawned by the "Grave-Crying Specter." Their bodies consist of flowing, pitch-black grave soil mixed with tiny worm-shaped spirit entities. They favor burrowing into living humans or animals. They briefly recoil upon encountering cold metal such as cars, but will still choose to engulf and corrode it...]

Su Nian turned his gaze toward the distant burial mound, his Blood Eye shining with an uncanny crimson light.

He sensed that whatever was inside was the most terrifying thing of all.

Hao Ren took out a Red Candle, lit it, and walked toward the edge of the corruption.

The corruption receded, and the affected roadside returned to normal. The candle burned down quickly. Hao Ren blew it out and retreated.

"Fuck! The Grave-Crying Specter wants to wipe us out to the last man. What the hell's been going on lately? Why are we so damn unlucky?" Hao Ren made no attempt to hide his irritation.

He had thought the survivors would be enough to satisfy the Grave-Crying Specter. He had never expected it to have such an enormous appetite.

Gong Qing took a deep breath. They would have to abandon the survivors here. Even using up all their Curios might barely allow the few of them to escape, let alone the ordinary survivors... Then he turned his gaze toward Big Black Bull.

Big Black Bull understood instantly. Two jets of white air puffed from his nostrils, and he looked ready to gore Gong Qing if he dared try anything.

Gong Qing looked away after a glance. Even draining the bull dry would not provide enough blood.

The atmosphere grew heavy.

Su Yue stood nearby and pressed her lips together, unsure what to do, her awkwardness mingled with fear.

Everyone else was trying to find a solution, but she knew nothing about any of this... She might as well treat the injured.

She held her hand in front of Gong Qing's chest. Faint green motes emerged from her palm and sank into his chest. The sharp pain rapidly subsided, and Gong Qing let out a long breath of relief. Before, he had not even dared breathe too deeply.

"Thank you!"

He had always envied other convoys for having a healer, so their injured did not have to tough it out alone.

Without her, his injury would have taken ten days to half a month to heal.

"You're welcome. This is all I can do to help." Su Yue forced a faint smile.

She knew perfectly well they were in danger this time. Everyone wore a grim expression.

"Bring the fuel truck up," Su Nian turned and called toward the rear.

The fuel truck's driver pulled out of the convoy and drove toward Su Nian.

"How did I not think of that?" Hao Ren muttered.

Perhaps Zhang Ping's death had left him too agitated. He had forgotten they still had gasoline.

Fire had some effect on all supernatural horrors, though not much. They would not stand still and let you burn them, but the stuff covering the ground would stay put.

Su Nian unhooked the fuel hose and turned its red valve. Pressurized gasoline sprayed out in a fan, carrying a pungent, volatile smell as it splashed over the writhing black asphalt ahead of the truck.

The black asphalt did not consume the gasoline. It simply pooled on the surface, forming a thin film.

Su Nian released the valve and pointed at the two plastic cans hanging from the rack. "Fill those two cans two-thirds full."

The driver hurriedly took the hose and filled the plastic fuel cans, leaving some space as Su Nian had instructed.

Hao Ren took two alcohol wipes from his pocket, tore open their wrappers, lit them, and tossed them ahead.

The burning wipes touched the film of gasoline. With a whoosh, flames leaped up. Crimson tongues of fire streaked with orange licked at the night, fiercely lighting up the darkness in an instant.

Masses of eyeless, legless worms that moved by writhing shriveled and twisted in the heat before crumbling into charred fragments, like moss dried out under a blazing sun and then crushed underfoot.

"It works!"

Gong Qing smiled... Then he looked at Wen Keyi. She had kept her head lowered the whole time. She must have been terribly upset.

"What happened to Zhang Ping wasn't your fault. Don't be too hard on yourself."

"Yeah, I'm not upset. It really had nothing to do with me!"

That tone... "You two switch accounts a little too often!" Gong Qing was speechless.

"The little crybaby was too embarrassed to stay out here, so she switched with me. She's bawling her eyes out right now, but she should be able to hear you," Wen Kele said.

"Then why are you being so quiet?"

She had kept her head down like a timid little quail. He had thought she was Wen Keyi. Wen Kele was never this quiet-otherwise, she would not be Cola.

"Oh, a little thing like this doesn't need the captain to handle it. I should give my team members a chance to get some practice." Wen Kele waved a hand, revealing a small pointed canine.

"I'm quite pleased with your performance."

She had no solution either. If she spoke up and someone asked her what to do, wouldn't that be awkward?

Didn't a captain have her dignity to maintain?

Wen Kele was overthinking that part. No one would have asked her anyway.

Su Nian picked up a can of gasoline and hurled it.

The gasoline struck the burial mound.

Boom! The flames erupted, an irregular fireball swelling outward in an instant to engulf the mound.

A blast of hot air swept outward.

Su Nian picked up the other can and hurled it while the fire was still blazing.