Folk Strange Stories Part 1: The Witch Ancestor of Miao Township Chapter 8 Section 1: The Resurrection of the Dry Corpse

At first, Fatty pretended to inspect the goods, made some random remarks, and after a few lies, Mott regarded him as a confidant. Mott even promised to hand over the cave to Fatty after their deal was done.

Initially, Fatty's task was to locate the drug storage site. But trouble arose as they were leaving the secret chamber.

In each corner of the secret chamber, there were four corpses. Mott had been here multiple times and had become numb to his fear of them. However, due to the warning from the Miao person, he dared not disturb them.

As Fatty and Mott were about to leave the chamber, a green light suddenly illuminated from each corner, followed by a series of "clicking" sounds. Fatty could clearly see that one of the corpses, previously seated cross-legged on the other side, rose slowly to its feet. Its movements, though slow and stiff, indicated a clear intention.

A henchman standing in a corner hadn't reacted yet when one of the corpses embraced him from behind. In shock, the henchman turned around, and the corpse bit his lip, moving its cheeks back and forth in an intense "kiss." The henchman's frantic struggle proved futile. The corpse's limbs tightly embraced him. Fatty witnessed the henchman's body rapidly shrivel, and within seconds, he turned into a mere skeleton. Strangely, the corpse's flesh gained color.

In the blink of an eye, as the group realized what was happening, the henchman had died. Terrified, Mott and his henchmen pointed their guns at the moving corpses and pulled the triggers, but the bullets had no effect. Their attention focused on the monster before them, they failed to notice that three other corpses in the corners had opened their eyes and were moving restlessly. After a few shots were fired, the remaining corpses also rose, almost simultaneously embracing nearby henchmen and initiating a long "kiss." Watching the three men's struggling and twitching slow down until they showed no signs of life was eerie.

Fatty's hair stood on end as he watched the exit being blocked by the corpses. Gathering his courage, he snatched an AK47 from a henchman next to him and fired a burst of bullets toward the wall that separated them from the grand hall. Mott also realized the situation and turned his gun to where Fatty was shooting. When the gunfire ceased, Fatty shouted, retreated a few steps while holding his head, and slammed into the bullet-riddled wall.

Fatty's nearly 300-pound weight directly smashed the wall. Mott and a few henchmen took advantage of Fatty's impact and scrambled out.

After hearing Fatty's account, Lao Wang furrowed his brow and looked at the collapsed hole in front of him. No strange creatures, not even any unusual noises, were seen or heard.

This place was too eerie. Lao Wang assigned Li Yan to guard the collapsed hole. In essence, our mission was complete. We had located the drug storage site, apprehended Mott, and all that was left was to safely lead these people out for a job well done and everything to end well.

Lao Wang approached Mott and asked, "Is there another way out?" Mott hesitated for a moment, lowered his head, and said, "Yes." Before Lao Wang could feel relieved, Mott's next sentence caught him off guard, "There's another way inside." He pointed to the direction of the collapsed wall of the secret chamber.

"You lead the way," Lao Wang coldly instructed. "I'm not going in!" Mott's response was somewhat hysterical. "You might as well just shoot me here instead of letting those monsters suck me dry inside! Morlamí gāo, míguǒ mǎ lái." He ended with a few sentences in Burmese that none of us could understand. And this was the big drug lord? Looking at his soaking wet crotch, I couldn't help but feel disdain for how he was embarrassing the drug lords.

No matter how much Lao Wang tried to coax, deceive, or even scold, Mott clung to his decision and refused to enter. His henchmen wore the same grim expression, unified in the determination to die here if necessary.

Since Fatty had recounted the events in the secret chamber, a strange thought had taken root in my mind. I recalled what Guide Lao Lin had said earlier – that the Waterfall Death Pool was off-limits to the local Miao people. How did a Miao person know the secret behind the waterfall? And why would he willingly reveal it to Mott? The scent of a conspiracy was becoming stronger.

While Lao Wang was discussing the next steps with Liu Jingsheng, and with Song Er in charge of watching Mott and a few henchmen, I took advantage of the lack of attention. I walked up to Mott, squatted down in front of him, and handed him a cigarette ("军威," a brand I obtained from Lao Wang). I asked, "What's the name of the Miao person you saved?" After lighting up, Mott took a deep drag and exhaled, revealing two words amidst the smoke, "Lin Huo."

The surname Lin? I felt like I was getting closer to the truth. I inquired further, "What does he look like?" Mott's description of the Miao person's appearance became clearer in my mind. Just a few hours ago, I had seen him. I had even given him half a pack of "军威" cigarettes.