I clutched the torch nervously, almost suffocating in fear. Although several zombies were separated by the flames, I dared not be careless. The distance between us was only two or three meters, and if they swarmed up, they could tear me apart in an instant.
I quickly glanced at Zhao Jun, who had climbed a few meters. Big Head and the others were approaching the middle. My palms were sweaty, and as long as they reached the rope, they could pull me up.
Suddenly, a ghost soldier took a step forward, sending a shiver down my spine. I quickly shook the torch in an attempt to drive it away. Uncomfortable, it emitted a sharp, ear-piercing cry, and the hesitant ghost soldiers followed suit.
Instinctively, I took a few steps back. Seeing that Big Head and the others hadn't reached the end of the rope, my heart sank. Several ghost soldiers approached, and I made up my mind - whether I could escape or not depended on fate.
Seizing the opportunity, I forcefully threw the torch towards the approaching ghost soldiers. Turning around, I ran towards the rock wall. The ghost soldiers hesitated at the torch's disturbance but continued to advance. In an instant, what was once hesitant became a coordinated approach.
I subconsciously took a few steps back, seeing that Big Head and the others had not reached the end of the rope. The ghost soldiers approached, and I made a bold decision - my fate depended on running or not.
Seizing the opportunity, I threw the torch towards the approaching ghost soldiers. Turning around, I ran towards the rock wall. The ghost soldiers, disturbed by the torch, hesitated for a moment before rushing forward with low growls.
I ran for my life, not daring to look back. Just as I grabbed the lifeline, a strong gust of wind came from behind. Instinctively tilting my head, I narrowly avoided a fatal blow. Anxiously, I pulled the rope and climbed the rock wall.
While climbing, I wrapped the rope around my waist, fearing the zombies behind would drag me down. After climbing three or four meters, I dared to look back. Several ghost soldiers below continued to howl, but due to the stiffness of their joints, they couldn't climb up.
I breathed a sigh of relief, and my pounding heart finally calmed down. Looking up, it seemed that I had frightened them. Big Head tilted his head and gestured a thumbs-up.
I also showed a relieved smile. This time was truly a stroke of luck; if there had been a slight delay, my fate might have been much worse.
However, Big Head's smile quickly froze, and then a fearful expression appeared. At the same time, before I could scream, my body suddenly sank, followed by a jolt. The huge inertia almost snapped the rope around my waist, causing me to vomit a large mouthful of sour water from my stomach.
Zhao Jun hurriedly asked, "Are you okay?"
Just now, the end of the rope was bent due to the force, but fortunately, Zhao Jun quickly grabbed the other end at the critical moment, allowing the rope to hang on another iron nail attached to the rock wall. This way, Zhao Jun, I, and the iron nail holding the rope formed an inverted uppercase letter "V".
I cast a grateful glance at him. If it weren't for his selfless rescue, I would either have fallen to my death or been torn apart by those ghost soldiers.
"Cough, it's alright." Zhao Jun coughed twice and asked me, "Do you have cigarettes?"
I was puzzled about smoking at this time but still searched my pockets. I handed him a crumpled pack of cigarettes. He took one with his mouth, saying, "Give me a light."
I responded with a sound and used a match to light his cigarette. He took a puff and said, "The iron nails on this side are old. I'll hold this end for you; you quickly find a way to secure it."
I looked around and saw a groove not far from me, along with a few footholds nearby. I told him, "I'll go over there first."
Seeing him nod, I held the rope with both hands, used my feet to exert force on the rock wall, and swayed twice. With a strong push, I rushed towards the groove. As I approached, I reached out to hook onto the stone edge, securing myself inside.
It was the first time I saw the groove up close. The rock wall was roughly chiseled, not as deep as it looked from the outside. In reality, it was only a little over a meter deep, enough to accommodate half a coffin.
I tied a knot in the rope around my waist and used my feet to support against the cave wall to fix myself. I called to Zhao Jun, "It's your turn, come over."
He didn't reply immediately; it seemed he was still smoking. I urged, "Hey, come over quickly. The iron nails above won't hold for long."
He slowly raised his head to look at me. I had a bad premonition. "What's wrong? Your face doesn't look right."
With a cigarette dangling from his mouth, he turned around to face me. I was shocked and covered my mouth. A bloody gash on his right side almost cut through his ribs. He smiled with a hint of regret, "Look at my damn luck."
I was almost stunned, realizing what I had seen just now. It must have been the wound caused by the iron nail when he fell from above to save me. Anxiously, I said, "Hold on, I can pull you up."
He shook his head, his voice weakening, "I can't go with you, Second Young Master. I'm a rough man. My brother just died today, leaving only one younger sister above. I have to leave, and you can't blame yourself. I saved you just for Xiao Min... You must go out, find someone to marry, and settle the debt with the old man in the next life."
His voice became smaller and smaller until he couldn't hold onto the rope and fell down.
"Zhao Jun!"
The ghost soldiers ignored the already dead Zhao Jun and continued to howl at me.
But it seemed I couldn't hear any of these. I sat paralyzed inside, tears streaming down uncontrollably. My mind was filled with self-blame; I was too useless. If it weren't for me, Zhao Jun wouldn't have died.
I don't know how long it took until Big Head's voice came from above, "Is there anyone still breathing? Does Brother Lei need me to go down and carry you up?"
Only then did I come to my senses, wiped away my tears, untied the rope, and climbed up without looking back.
Big Head pulled me up and said, "Don't blame yourself. Everyone has their destiny. The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll enjoy happiness. Cheer up; we still rely on you down here, Second Master."
I saw Zhao Min sitting silently on the side. Tears burst out uncontrollably as I sat at the entrance of the cave, crying, "I'm a useless Second Master. I'm useless and couldn't even protect Zhao Jun. I don't have the ability to lead you out..."
Before I could finish, Big Head kicked me in the stomach, making me curl up in pain.
He cursed loudly, "You're still a Second Master after coming down here. The hell with that!"
Later, he told me that he considered me a friend from that moment on. After seeing the cold and warmth of human relationships underground, sometimes, the so-called brotherhood and kinship meant nothing. Even fathers and sons could break up. According to him, sometimes the people underground were not really human.
But my performance that day, although lowly, somehow touched him. He felt that people like me were more deserving of being called a Second Master.
Inside the cave, there was a revolving door. However, we didn't hurry to go through. The three of us leaned against the wall to rest. After a while, Zhao Min walked over, handing me a water bottle. I hesitated and said, "I'm sorry; your brother left because of me."
She placed the water bottle at my feet, leaning against the wall beside me. Looking at the opposite wall, she said, "He's not my biological brother. He, Xiao Shuai, and I were all adopted by Father since childhood. Father taught us martial arts, and the three of us wandered around with him. But a few homeless people turned into family. Isn't it funny? Later, Father got addicted to gambling and owed a lot of money. The three of us went out to repay the debt. This time, we were introduced to Boss Song. If we achieved the expected goal, Father's debt would be paid off. Before coming, Xiao Shuai even said he wanted to use the remaining money to open a convenience store."
I didn't expect the three siblings from the Zhao family to have no blood relationship. It made me sigh; familial bonds were more important than blood ties. Even at the moment of death, Zhao Jun hoped Zhao Min could live a good life.
I asked Big Head, "Why did you come down here?"
Without much contemplation, he said, "I'm not as noble as them; I'm purely here to enjoy life. I'm not a big spender, but I'm used to living freely. I can't handle the nine-to-five life. What about you?"
"I...," I scratched my head, feeling embarrassed. I didn't know how to explain the Cao family matters to them. Just as I hesitated, the revolving door next to us suddenly made a creaking sound, slowly pushed open, and frightened Big Head, making him roll up from the ground.
A flashlight beam came from behind the door, and Han Sheng poked his head out. At that moment, I almost burst into tears.
This trip, rather than saying I led them down as the Second Master, it was more accurate to say Han Sheng led us down. They disappeared from the mine, and I had been the one holding on. If my luck hadn't been good, I would have died eight hundred times.
Han Sheng's gaze passed through the two, and when he saw that I was unharmed, he revealed a toothy smile, "Second Master, are you okay?"
"Okay my ass." I wiped away my tears, "Where did you guys go?"
Han Sheng squeezed in, shrugged, and said, "It's a long story. I'll explain later. Old Wan and the others are still waiting ahead. Let's go first."
"Oh, by the way, use this." Just as he was about to push the door open, he turned back and took out a flashlight, handing it to Big Head. He said, "Extinguish the torch. The zombies in this tomb have been subjected to a calming spell. They will revive if there is a heat source."
I was surprised at how he knew. He explained, "We found some records, and Li Xin happened to be able to read them. Also, Brother Zhao..."
"He died trying to save me."
Han Sheng fell silent for a moment, patted my shoulder, and said nothing.
Pushing open the door, a long tunnel appeared. Han Sheng led the way. "To be honest, I didn't expect to meet you guys here. I thought you would go up. If it weren't for Old Wan insisting on coming down, I would have sent him up."
Big Head asked from behind, "Did you find the entrance?"
Han Sheng did not answer that question but instead asked, "Do you know we are already in the Tian Shan Mountains?"