The old banyan tree, tangled together, had its trunk riddled with holes. Usually, it was supported by the red flesh-like tendrils growing from the jade coffin inside it. But now, without that support, it became top-heavy and toppled over with a loud crash when a massive creature from below pushed against it.
As the tree fell, the jade coffin I had shattered with my Thompson submachine gun also hit the ground. The liquid inside had completely drained away, leaving only the naked corpse of an old man with a white beard and the skinless Teng snake that was parasitically attached to him. The man and the snake rolled out together, and in less than three seconds, they transformed into a pile of charred, dried-up charcoal.
We stepped back, unsure of what might emerge from below. I pulled back the bolt of my gun, aiming it at the tree roots, while Fatty had already taken out a propane torch from his backpack, ready to set everything ablaze.