Folk Strange Stories Part 1: The Witch Ancestor of Miao Township Chapter 7 Section 2: Ghost Faces

I pushed back, "I have night vision, I can see."

Lao Wang said, somewhat skeptical, "You have night vision? How come I didn't know?"

"You never asked me." I felt a bit frustrated. I couldn't exactly say I had acquired night vision just twenty minutes ago.

After Wang Zuo and Wang Guofeng left, the seven of us continued forward for another ten minutes. We encountered more and more headless mummies, at first just a few scattered ones, but eventually, they knelt in two rows along both sides of the wall. Even though a few of us had seen some things in our lives, we couldn't withstand such a spectacle.

Zhang Yunwei couldn't help but say, "I'm telling you, that guide Lao Lin kept talking about the waterfall being ominous. With so many headless ghosts kneeling here, it's strange if it's not ominous!"

"Say less." Lao Wang also felt a shiver down his spine. "Don't say so much useless stuff. Hurry up and find Mott's bunch of bastards, deal with them quickly, and get out of this damn place."

"Captain Wang, it's just a few dead people, right?" Song Er Douzi spoke up. "We're not afraid of lively things; why would we be afraid of a few headless ones?"

Lao Wang affirmed Song Er Douzi's insight, "Song Chunlei, shut your mouth!" I said to Song Chunlei, "Chunlei, adults are talking; kids shouldn't butt in."

"Captain Wang, there's no road ahead." Li Yan, who was at the front, said.

"Huh?" Lao Wang walked to the front, and sure enough, the path had ended. Ahead was a five-yard-high stone wall. Damn it, did we take the wrong path, or did they never enter the cave at all? Lao Wang's complexion turned pale; he looked at me with a less-than-friendly expression. "Shen La, we followed your lead, and this time our falconry has lost face."

I was also unsure. I paced around the stone wall a few times, feeling something odd about it. The wall was casting my shadow.

"Captain Wang, there's something strange about this wall."

Lao Wang leaned over; he was about to press his face against the wall. "What's wrong?"

He was wearing night vision goggles, which allowed him to see the cave's interior in the darkness, but the effect was not as clear as what I could see. I sighed and said, "Try touching it yourself."

Lao Wang reached out and touched the wall a few times, saying, "Why is it so smooth, just like..." He trailed off, forgetting the word at the tip of his tongue. He couldn't describe it properly, so I finished his sentence for him, "A mirror."

"Lazi, can you figure out what a mirror has to do with an exit?" Lao Wang's hope was rekindled.

"I don't know, I just feel something's off." I poured a bucket of cold water on his enthusiasm.

"Captain Wang, someone has indeed been here." Li Yan picked up a cigarette butt and handed it to Lao Wang.

"Made in China. Damn it, these drug dealers sure have money." Lao Wang was somewhat indignant. "Search around; see if there's any hidden passage."

I placed my hand on the wall, looking for any gaps or crevices. Suddenly, in front of me, a green face appeared on the wall. The face looked at me, and tears of blood streamed from its eyes.

"Ghost!" My hair stood on end immediately, and I reflexively aimed the gun at the face, almost pulling the trigger. Lao Wang and the others were startled; they aimed their guns in the direction I pointed. "What's wrong?"

"Don't you see it?" I pointed at the face.

"See what? Is there something?" Although Lao Wang and the others were nervous, their faces showed confusion. Damn it! I understood—it seemed that my celestial eye had opened again.

"Lazi, are you okay? What did you see?" Lao Wang thought I had found a hidden door. I tried to adjust my mentality and said, "I'm fine. I just had a momentary blur in my vision, and I got startled by your shadow."

After saying that, I acted as if nothing had happened. When I looked at the face again, the wall was empty, and there was no sign of the face.

Lao Wang said irritably, "Can you please stop startling us like that? I thought you really saw something." After that, he no longer paid attention to me; they were all searching the area near where Li Yan had found the cigarette butt.