Chapter Fourteen: The Red Monster

Fatty and Yingzi also saw it. Even though their faces were covered with masks, their foreheads were dripping with cold sweat. I was also sweating all over, feeling a bit regretful for making the ghost stories sound so terrifying earlier.

I glanced at the coffin behind me. The lid was securely fastened again, and there was no sound at all. Could it be that ghosts really exist in this world?

Yingzi, who stood next to me and was most afraid of corpses and ghosts, reached to pull off her mask. I quickly held her hand and said, “Don’t take off your mask! What are you trying to do?”

Yingzi wanted to whistle to call the hunting dogs in. I patted her shoulder and said, “Don’t be scared. It’s not time for that yet. Besides, dogs can’t bite ghosts.”

Fatty walked over to look at the candles on the ground and turned back to ask me, “Old Hu, how much did you pay for these candles?”

I had bought the candles in Beijing, but I didn’t really pay attention to the price. They were probably around two cents each.

Fatty complained, “Why didn’t you buy the five-cent ones? How can you buy cheap stuff for something so important?”

I scratched my head and said, “Next time, I’ll buy imported ones. Whichever is more expensive from the U.S., Japan, or Germany, I’ll get that. But now that the candles are out, let’s not play the role of an armchair strategist. Should we just put everything back as it was?”

After all the effort we put in to get these few items, neither Fatty nor I wanted to return them. It felt like a wasted effort.

Fatty was unbothered, thinking that even if a ghost did appear, he could just smack it with a shovel until it was on the ground. He was determined to keep these items today. Unless a ghost knocked him down, there was no way he was giving them back.

Yingzi thought it would be better to return everything. None of us knew how to deal with ghosts, and if we really stirred something up, none of us would make it out of the tomb alive.

Before I could say anything, the two of them started arguing. In the end, they agreed to my compromise: we would relight the candles, return a few pieces of porcelain, and see if the candles went out again. If they did, we would put back one more item. If it really came to that, we would only take the two pieces of jade and leave the rest of the porcelain. Maybe the candles went out earlier because of the mountain wind blowing in from outside the tomb. If we didn’t take something with us, it would not only feel like a waste of our hard work, but it would also be embarrassing.

Fatty slapped his thigh and said, “Alright, I’m in! I’ll put back a small piece of porcelain first. Old Hu, you go relight the candles. If they go out again, we’ll just pretend we didn’t see anything.”

Bargaining with the tomb owner might be something I invented. If the tomb raiders from previous dynasties knew about this, they would probably be furious and come back to haunt me. I felt guilty towards my ancestors. But now, in this era of reform and opening up, we should adapt to the flow of history. We can’t stick to rigid traditions. The economy needs to thrive, and so do our thoughts. If our thoughts don’t thrive, how can the economy?

As I tried to justify myself, I took out a match and lit the candle in the corner. At that moment, Fatty had already placed a colorful porcelain vase on top of the coffin. He was too lazy to move the coffin lid and just set it down directly on the coffin board. He walked back to me and said, “Now it’s fine. The candle is still lit, right? Shouldn’t we just sneak out?”

I suddenly noticed something unusual. In my nervousness, I didn’t immediately respond to Fatty’s comment.

I didn’t have time to deal with his nonsense. I made a shushing gesture and pointed at the candle on the ground, whispering, “What the fxxk… Why is the flame… green?”

The flame was glowing a bright green, casting an eerie light that made our faces look pale. Both Fatty and Yingzi leaned in to see, and upon witnessing this, they exchanged worried glances and fell silent. The green flame flickered a couple of times and then, without any external force, went out with a “poof.”

I knew this was bad news. It was my first time exploring a tomb, and I had already run into trouble. I grabbed Fatty and Yingzi by the arms and ran toward the escape tunnel. We had to get out first; I didn’t want to stay here forever.

Just as we were about to reach the tunnel entrance, a strong gust of wind rushed toward us. If we didn’t dodge, we would definitely be hit. We quickly ducked down, and at that moment, the porcelain vase that Fatty had placed on the coffin flew over our heads, crashing into the edge of the tunnel and shattering into countless pieces. Then came a loud bang as the coffin lid, which had been nailed shut, was suddenly thrust into the wall of the tomb.

The tomb wall was made of a special compacted earth mix from the Northern Song dynasty, as hard as rock. Yet, the coffin board was also extremely heavy, and it was thrown with unimaginable force, embedding itself flatly into the wall and sealing off our exit. It would take considerable effort to dig through the coffin board with a shovel; it wouldn’t be a quick job.

Just how much strength did it take to slam the coffin board into the wall? If we had been a moment slower, we could have been knocked out! Although Fatty was bold, he was now scared out of his wits. “Old Hu, you need to negotiate with it! Let’s leave a few more items behind. It’s not good for anyone if things turn hostile… After all, peace is love.”

Having such a rough start made me feel a surge of anger. I was falling back into my old impulsive ways. I turned around, shielding Yingzi behind me, pulled out the black donkey hoof from my pocket in one hand, and held the shovel in the other, saying to Fatty, “Negotiate my ass! Our exit is blocked! It’s clear it wants us to stay here as company for the dead. I’m taking those ancient jades today, no matter what! Damn it, let’s see who’s tougher! We’ll fight this ghost!”

At that moment, the coffin in the main chamber had completely stood upright. The ancient corpse inside, which had originally been a dark purple color, had somehow grown a thick layer of red hair…

Seeing this, I gasped in shock. I had heard that zombies could grow white or black hair, known as white or black fiends, and there were legends of poisonous corpses with green hair. But what the hell is this red hair?

Could this be the legendary “Red Denglong”? It was a fierce beast that lived on the grasslands of Outer Mongolia, known for its iron-like body and burrowing habits. It was rarely seen in modern times, only heard of in rumors. Could it be that this ancient tomb was its lair?

This time, I was too careless. I thought this small tomb would be easy to navigate, just avoiding the traps above. I never expected to encounter a “Red Denglong” inside. We hadn’t brought our hunting rifles, and the tunnel we had dug was now completely blocked. We couldn’t call the dogs for help. Our hunting dogs and rifles were our defenses in the forest, but now we had to rely on our German shovels and the black donkey hoof to fight.

The Red Monster had even grown red hair on its face, making it hard to discern its features. It looked like a giant red monkey, and with a powerful leap, it jumped out of the coffin, covering more than two meters in a single bound. It approached us silently and swiftly, and in just a few moments, it was right in front of us, extending its ten sharp claws like steel spikes.

I never expected the Red Monster to move so quickly. In that critical moment, there was no time to think. In the cramped space of the tomb, we had no room to maneuver; we could only press forward and attack. Fatty and I had the same thought: whatever it was, we had to take it down first. We shouted and swung our shovels down at the Red Monster.

The Red Monster was incredibly fast. It swept its arms, and we felt a tremendous force hit us. Our hands went numb, and we could no longer hold on to the shovels. They flew into the air like leaves caught in a storm, crashing into the glass ceiling of the tomb with a loud clang. Although it was dark above, we could tell from the sound that the ceiling, struck with such force, could collapse at any moment.

The Western fire dragon oil was no joke. If it spilled, the entire tomb would be destroyed, and we would be trapped. We had to end this fight quickly, but fighting barehanded was no easy task.

Without our weapons, we could only try to dodge the Red Monster’s attacks and run toward the back room where the armor and horse bones were stored.

The tomb was dark, illuminated only by our flashlights. As we ran, it became even harder to see our feet. Just a few steps away from the back room door, Fatty accidentally stepped on a jar by the wall and fell to the ground with a yelp.

The Red Monster was right on his tail, letting out a cry like a night owl as it lunged at Fatty. The chilling sound echoed in the narrow tomb, creating an indescribable terror that made my skin crawl.

I had sworn many times that I would never let any of my comrades die in front of me. Seeing Fatty in such danger, I didn’t care about the risks. I kicked out with my foot, landing a blow to the Red Monster’s chest. It felt like kicking a steel plate, and I gasped in pain, nearly breaking my leg.

The Red Monster, now focused on me, abandoned Fatty and lunged at my head with its sharp claws. I threw my flashlight at it and rolled under its arm to avoid the attack. At that moment, I found myself in a dead end, trapped in a triangle formed by the wall and the Red Monster behind me. If it turned around and lunged at me again, I would have no way to defend myself.

I’ve faced life-and-death situations countless times in my life. The more desperate the situation, the more I needed to stay calm. This “Red Denglong” was solid and real, just a beast with brute strength. It wasn’t invulnerable; it was just an animal, not a ghost. I wasn’t afraid of it at all. Without overthinking, I leaped onto the Red Monster’s back. The stench hit my nose, and I was grateful for my mask; otherwise, I might have been knocked out before I even started.

In the darkness, I couldn’t see anything without my flashlight. The Red Monster’s limbs were stiff, unable to reach back to grab me. It just kept shaking its body, trying to throw me off.

I held tightly onto its neck with one arm while using the black donkey hoof to try to shove it into its mouth. I fumbled around its face for a while but couldn’t find its mouth. Instead, I was getting dizzy from being tossed around, and I thought to myself that if it shook me off a couple more times, I would fall.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in the darkness. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but upon closer inspection, I saw that Fatty and Yingzi were holding flashlights in their mouths while charging toward me with a large wolf-tooth club they had retrieved from the back room. They were planning to go head-to-head with the beast! I quickly jumped off the Red Monster’s back.

The wolf-tooth club weighed dozens of pounds and was considered a heavy infantry weapon from the cold weapon era. When we first entered the tomb, we had seen it along with other weapons, armor, and horse bones piled on the ground in the back room, likely used by the tomb owner in battle.

Although these weapons had developed a greenish patina, the wolf-tooth club didn’t rely on sharp edges to injure the enemy; it was purely about using its weight to smash down on opponents. Fatty and Yingzi positioned themselves on either side, lifting the club with their four hands and swinging it like a bell hammer in a temple, crashing it into the Red Monster’s chest. The impact of the dozens of pounds of the club, combined with their running start, was significant, and with a loud thud, the Red Monster was knocked to the ground.

The two of them were exhausted from the effort, panting heavily. I could almost hear their hearts racing.

I cheered them on, “Well done! I didn’t expect you two to have such strength. I’ll make sure to give you credit when we get back…”

But just as I finished speaking, the Red Monster’s body sprang back up as if it had springs inside. I cursed loudly, “Damn it, it really is unkillable! Fatty, hit it again, this time aim for its head!”

Fatty was also getting fired up. This time, he didn’t need Yingzi’s help; he lifted the wolf-tooth club with sheer brute force and swung it at the Red Monster. However, this time he missed, and the Red Monster jumped forward, sending the club flying into the back room. Fatty was knocked off balance, landing hard on his backside, and his hands were injured, blood pouring out as he cried out in pain.

An idea struck me. My shovel was stuck in the ceiling, and if we wanted to open the tomb door blocked by the coffin lid, we could use the wolf-tooth club to break it open. I needed to retrieve the club from the back room, distract the Red Monster, and then smash the coffin board to escape. Outside, there was plenty of space, and we had our hunting rifles and dogs. We could handle anything out there, but in this cramped tomb, we were at a disadvantage.

I helped Fatty up from the ground, and the three of us rushed into the back room of the tomb. The back room was lower than the main chamber. Once inside, I shone my flashlight around and saw that the wolf-tooth club had been flung out by the Red Monster’s immense strength, creating a large hole in the back wall. How could it be a hole and not a pit? Was there more space behind it? I had heard that some ancient tombs contained hidden chambers. Could this be one of those secret rooms? I was truly surprised.

The hole in the wall was dark and deep, and my flashlight revealed what seemed to be a long passageway.

Just as I was marveling at this discovery, the Red Monster charged into the back room, accompanied by a chilling wind. We had no time to waste; we turned the wolf-tooth club around to try to push it back and then rushed out to smash the coffin lid. However, the creature’s strength was beyond our imagination. It raised its arms, and despite our combined efforts, the wolf-tooth club was knocked away again, spinning through the air before crashing into the wall behind us.

The hole in the wall grew larger, and with no way out, we had to retreat into the hidden chamber behind the wall, ready to fight again with the wolf-tooth club.

But the Red Monster stopped chasing us and began to circle in the back room. I let out a sigh of relief and shone my flashlight on Fatty and Yingzi’s faces. Aside from Fatty’s injured hands, they seemed unharmed. Reflecting on the intense battle we had just endured, it felt like we had danced on the edge of death in just a few short minutes.

Yingzi suddenly exclaimed, “Look at the wall! There are words on it! What does it say?”

Following her flashlight beam, we looked at the wall and saw a red sign that read, “Underground Storage of the Manchurian Black Wind Pass.”

Fatty and I exchanged glances. “A secret fortress of the Kwantung Army?” We hadn’t expected that the underground passage of the Japanese fortress was just a wall away from the back room of the tomb. If the wolf-tooth club hadn’t struck the wall, this hidden military base might have remained undiscovered forever.

Before we could examine it further, the wall separating the tomb’s back room from the fortress collapsed with a loud crash, and the Red Monster jumped through the broken wall.

Fatty cursed, “Damn it, it’s like a sticky band-aid, it just won’t let go!” He grabbed the wolf-tooth club and was about to charge at it.

I quickly stopped him, saying, “Don’t engage it directly! We need to find a way to escape first.” The three of us ran deeper into the passage. The underground fortress was wide, with a concrete floor that could accommodate armored vehicles. However, the passage was long and open, and the Red Monster was fast, quickly closing the distance behind us.

I thought about throwing the black donkey hoof to slow it down. As I rummaged through my pockets, I suddenly remembered I had some sticky rice. I had heard that ancient tomb raiders would bring sticky rice to counteract the effects of corpse gas. Now, it could serve as a projectile against the beast.

Feeling the cold wind and the foul stench behind me, I grabbed a handful of sticky rice and tossed it at the Red Monster. The rice scattered like flowers in the wind, landing on its face. It didn’t seem to notice, pausing only for a moment before leaping toward us again.

At that point, we had reached the end of the underground fortress passage, and a large iron door to the storage room stood half-open before us. It seemed the Kwantung Army had retreated in a hurry, leaving the door unlocked. However, after thirty years of disuse, the hinges were nearly rusted shut. We rushed into the storage room, gritting our teeth and straining with all our might. Just in time, we managed to slam the heavy iron door shut before the Red Monster could follow us in.

Even if the Red Monster had a head of iron, it wouldn’t be able to get through that door. We couldn’t even hear its attempts to break in from the other side. The design of military storage doors was meant to withstand explosive shockwaves, with two layers of padding between the steel plates to absorb impact. The Japanese had built these underground fortresses to resist large aerial bombs, so even the most fearsome creature would find it difficult to breach such defenses. For now, we were safe, but figuring out how to escape was still a pressing concern.