The man’s voice cut through the air, urgent and strained. “We need to pass through this tunnel to reach the temple on the outskirts of the county town. Only there can we prepare ourselves to pinpoint the source of the holocaust.” His words held an unmistakable weight, as though the fate of everything rested on that next step.

He handed a machete to Zhao Xi with a firm grip, his rough fingers brushing against Zhao Xi’s palm. There was no question now, no hesitation in the air. The time for wonder and questioning was over; this was the path they had to follow, and it led straight into darkness.

Zhao Xi nodded, his mind still reeling from the events, but his instincts sharpened. The girl—whom Zhao Xi had never seen before but who now appeared as a fierce ally—met his eyes with a somber, determined gaze. Her face was set, her features taut with an expression he could not quite decipher, but there was no mistaking the resolve in her stance.

"I'm sorry for your comrade," she said softly, her voice quiet but steady, "but you need to snap out of it. Keep moving on."

Her words hung in the air, a mixture of sympathy and hardened truth, as she placed her hand on the middle-aged man’s shoulder. Zhao Xi looked on, his thoughts a storm of conflicting emotions, when she added, “He is my father. Our family has been here since…” But before she could finish, her father—the middle-aged man—interrupted, raising a hand as if to stop her.

"Enough," he muttered in a low voice, signaling with a terse gesture. It was clear that the man did not want to reveal more.

Zhao Xi understood. There were secrets here, dark ones perhaps, and this wasn’t the time to pry.

Without another word, the three of them moved forward. The tunnel was narrow and smelled of damp earth, the cold air creeping down Zhao Xi’s spine. Every step seemed to echo in the suffocating quiet as they descended deeper into the unknown.

After what felt like an eternity, they emerged from the depths of the tunnel and found themselves at the foot of a temple nestled on a mountain crest. The air was thick, heavy with an unnatural stillness, and the moon hung like a cold, silent witness in the sky above.

The temple, though once grand, was now in ruins—its walls crumbling, its roof partially collapsed. Time had worn it down, and yet, there was something about the place that made Zhao Xi’s skin crawl. A presence lingered here, something dark and malignant.

The middle-aged man raised his hand in a silent gesture, signaling them to be on high alert. “Be aware,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “They… they’ve already occupied this place.”

Zhao Xi’s heart skipped a beat. “What? Those creatures?” he whispered, the words barely leaving his mouth before the reality of the situation began to hit him.

“Yes,” the man replied, his eyes narrowing, the weight of his words hanging in the air like a curse. “Hold tight to your machete. It seems we’ll have to face a battle.”

Without waiting for another response, the trio moved cautiously through the ruins of the temple toward its garden. The moonlight filtered through the twisted branches of trees, casting eerie shadows that seemed to stretch and twist unnaturally.

Suddenly, a guttural slurp echoed through the stillness, the sound unnerving and unsettling. Zhao Xi froze, his heart pounding in his chest. From the darkness, a pair of glowing blue eyes appeared, followed by another, and then another. Slowly, the forest of eyes grew, all focused on them.

“Get ready,” the middle-aged man muttered, his voice tight with urgency. He looked at Zhao Xi, his expression grim. “Protect yourself. There are too many of them, and I can’t juggle both of you.”

The words barely had time to settle before the creatures lunged, their mouths dripping with saliva, their distorted bodies shambling toward them with grotesque, jerking movements. The battle had begun.

The man swung his machete with deadly precision, cleaving through the first creature that came at him. Its head fell to the ground with a sickening thud, and the body crumpled, twitching for a few seconds before lying still. But more were coming—too many for him to handle alone. His every swing was a blur of motion, his machete flashing in the moonlight as it met its target with brutal force.

Beside him, the girl was equally lethal. She handled her machete with grace and power, each strike clean and swift. Her face was set, her eyes hard with determination as she decapitated another creature, its twisted body crumbling to the ground in a spray of black ichor.

Zhao Xi, still recovering from the shock of it all, gritted his teeth and raised his machete. He was an ordinary man, not trained for this kind of fight, but his military training kicked in, pushing him to act. He swung his machete at a creature that had lunged at him, narrowly missing its sharp claws. His hands were shaking, sweat pouring down his forehead, but he pressed on, his body moving on instinct as he took down one creature, then another. His mind raced, his thoughts scattered, but he fought with every ounce of willpower he had.

Minutes passed—minutes that felt like hours. The creatures were relentless, but one by one, they fell. The man and the girl fought side by side, a seamless partnership, while Zhao Xi, despite his fear and uncertainty, managed to kill a few of the grotesque monsters himself.

At last, the last creature dropped to the ground with a final, gurgling scream. The trio stood in the midst of the carnage, their breath ragged, bodies tense and alert. But there was no time to rest.

“We need to move,” the middle-aged man said urgently, his voice tinged with fear. “There are still many of them lurking around. We can’t stay here.”

Zhao Xi looked around, his body still trembling from the fight. He was barely able to process what had just happened. His heart still raced in his chest, his mind struggling to keep up with the madness unfolding before him.

“Why don’t you use your greenish-blue armor?” Zhao Xi asked, his voice trembling with confusion. “You... your superpower. Why not use it?”

The middle-aged man’s face twisted with pain, his brow furrowing as though the question caused him physical discomfort. “It… it consumes my life,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “It was never meant to be used so often. I’m running on borrowed time.” He paused, his eyes darkening with a mix of guilt and resignation. “I can’t keep using it. It’s too dangerous.”

Zhao Xi felt a chill run through him. The man wasn’t just fighting the creatures, he was fighting against something far more insidious—the very essence of his own survival. Every time he called on that power, he paid the price. And the price was steep.

But there was no time to dwell on that now. The monsters were still out there, and their mission was far from over.

With a grim nod, the trio moved deeper into the temple’s ruins, ready for whatever horrors lay ahead.

The journey along the rugged mountain path was long and arduous, the jagged terrain seeming to twist and rise endlessly. The cold air was heavy, carrying with it an unnatural stillness, broken only by the occasional crunch of their boots on loose gravel. After cresting a series of hills, the trio finally came upon the object of their search—a dark, yawning hole carved into the mountainside.

The sight of the hole sent a shiver through Zhao Xi. The surrounding ground was etched with strange, angular motifs, their intricate patterns spiraling outward as if marking the location of some long-forgotten ritual. The designs were carved with a precision that seemed almost too perfect, their symmetry unbroken despite the passage of time. The eerie glow of the moon overhead cast strange shadows across the ground, making the motifs appear as though they were alive, writhing under the trio’s gaze.

The middle-aged man let out a long, weary sigh, the weight of his thoughts clearly visible in his lined face. “It seems this is it,” he said, his voice heavy with grim finality. “This hole... it’s the source of the holocaust. What resides within it... it feeds on people’s souls. Its intangible tentacles reach out, corrupting minds, twisting bodies, drawing life into itself.”

Zhao Xi stared at the hole, unease bubbling in his chest. His eyes caught on the motifs, their familiarity tugging at his memory. Suddenly, he stiffened, realization dawning on him. “These motifs... I’ve seen them before!” he exclaimed, his voice echoing faintly in the still air.

The man turned to him, his expression questioning but guarded. “Where?” he asked cautiously.

“In the office of County Head Wei Tian,” Zhao Xi said firmly. “Three months ago, when I was still the party secretary of Qing Shan County, I noticed something strange about Wei Tian. He was evasive, always avoiding his assignments, using his so-called afforestation project in the mountains as an excuse. At the time, I thought it was just laziness or incompetence, but now... now it seems there was more to it. These motifs—they match the ones in his office. I think this hole has something to do with him.”

The man’s eyes narrowed, and he let out a low, thoughtful hum. “Wei Tian,” he murmured, almost to himself. “I’ve seen him from time to time. Always seemed a little... distant. Maybe even frightened. Perhaps he knew more than he let on.”

Zhao Xi’s mind churned. Pieces of the puzzle were falling into place, but the picture they formed was more terrifying than he could have imagined.

The trio approached the edge of the hole cautiously. It seemed to stretch endlessly downward, its darkness impenetrable. Step by step, they began to descend, the narrow passage spiraling deeper into the earth. The air grew colder, heavier, the oppressive atmosphere pressing against their chests. The walls of the tunnel were damp and jagged, marked with the same eerie motifs they had seen above. Their descent was slow, deliberate, each step a reminder of the danger that awaited below.

As they went deeper, the narrow passage began to widen, the walls receding until the space ahead of them opened into a vast underground chamber. Zhao Xi gasped audibly, his breath catching in his throat. What lay before them was not merely a cave—it was a sprawling ancient ruin, its colossal stone columns and crumbling archways illuminated by an otherworldly green glow. The architecture was like nothing Zhao Xi had ever seen—alien and magnificent, yet unmistakably sinister.

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The girl clutched her father’s hand tightly, her voice trembling with equal parts awe and fear. “Father, it’s true,” she whispered. “The ancient manuscript... it’s true!”

The man stood motionless, his face unreadable as he surveyed the massive chamber before them. His grip on the machete tightened, and a strange mix of resolve and sorrow flickered in his eyes. “Yes,” he said softly. “We’ve finally met our fate. All the wandering, all the searching our family has endured over the past century... it was for this. It was worth it.”

Hearing the cryptic exchange, Zhao Xi felt confusion and curiosity clawing at him. He turned to the man, his voice edged with urgency. “Your fate? Your family? What is this mission you’re talking about? What’s going on here?”

The man was silent for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the ruins as though searching for the right words. Finally, he spoke, his voice low but steady. “For generations, my family has carried the burden of this place. We’ve known of its existence, of the thing that inhabits it. Our duty... our purpose... is to seal it. To stop it from spreading its corruption. Even if it costs us our lives.”

Zhao Xi’s mind reeled. The enormity of the man’s words hit him like a blow. He had suspected that the man and his daughter knew more than they let on, but this—this was beyond anything he had imagined. A generational mission, a family bound to this dark place... it was almost too much to comprehend.

The man turned to Zhao Xi, his expression hard but not unkind. “You’ve been caught in this, not by choice, but by fate,” he said. “If you’ve come this far, you’ve seen what this place is capable of. But you need to understand—the closer we get to the source, the more dangerous it becomes. It will try to break us, to twist us, to consume us.”

Zhao Xi nodded slowly, gripping the machete in his hand. Fear churned in his stomach, but a deeper resolve began to take root. He thought of Sun Cheng, of the lives lost in the cursed county, and he knew he couldn’t turn back now.

Together, the trio stepped forward, deeper into the ancient ruins. The green glow seemed to pulse faintly, as if the chamber itself was alive, watching them. Somewhere in the distance, a low, rhythmic sound echoed—a heartbeat, deep and foreboding.

The trio continued their cautious descent into the ancient ruins, the oppressive air thickening with every step. The eerie greenish glow from the walls illuminated the corridor, casting flickering shadows that seemed almost alive. The silence was deafening, broken only by their footsteps and the occasional rustle of loose stones underfoot. As they ventured deeper, the chilling sight of bodies strewn along the path stopped them in their tracks.

Zhao Xi’s breath caught in his throat. These were not ordinary corpses. The bodies, twisted and broken, lay in grotesque positions, their faces frozen in expressions of sheer terror. Their hollowed eyes stared blankly into the void, their mouths locked open in silent screams. Some had jagged wounds across their limbs, while others bore no visible injuries at all, their pale faces a testament to some unfathomable horror.

The middle-aged man knelt by one of the corpses, his face impassive but his eyes heavy with understanding. "These poor men," he said quietly, his voice filled with a mix of pity and grim certainty. "They must have lost their senses while they were alive. The air in these ruins... it’s not just heavy—it’s poisoned with the curse of this place. It seeps into the mind, taking hold of rational thought, feeding on fear and despair. It drove them insane. In their madness, they likely turned on each other. And then, this…” He gestured at the shattered, lifeless bodies before him.

Zhao Xi shuddered, his grip tightening on the machete in his hand. "But why haven’t we gone crazy?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. The weight of the question pressed against him like the air around them.

The man straightened, his expression calm but thoughtful. "We are the ones meant to seal this place," he said. “It’s likely that our purpose—our mission—shields us from the full effects of the curse. But you..." He turned his piercing gaze on Zhao Xi. "You’re an ordinary man. By all accounts, you should have succumbed to the influence of this place by now, just as your comrade did. You should be one of them."

Zhao Xi stiffened at the mention of Sun Cheng, the memory of his transformation still fresh and raw. He swallowed hard. "But I haven’t," he said, his voice firmer than he expected. "Why?"

The man shrugged slightly, the weight of his own uncertainty evident in his eyes. "Perhaps it’s willpower," he said. "Perhaps your resolve is stronger than most. Or maybe... maybe this place hasn’t fully taken hold of you yet." His words hung in the air, ominous and unsettling.

They pressed onward, the ruined passageway widening into a vast hall. Massive stone columns rose into the darkness above, their surfaces etched with more of the strange, spiraling motifs. The air seemed thicker here, charged with an almost palpable energy.

Suddenly, without warning, the floor beneath Zhao Xi’s feet shifted with a loud click. Before he could react, the ground gave way, collapsing into a hidden pit below. He cried out as he fell, his machete clattering to the side as he tumbled down. Sharp stone spikes lined the bottom of the pit, gleaming faintly in the dim light. He twisted his body mid-fall, narrowly avoiding being impaled, but one of the jagged spikes caught his leg, tearing into his flesh.

“Zhao Xi!” the girl screamed, her voice echoing through the chamber.

He clung to the crumbling edge of a stone platform just above the pit’s spikes, his arms trembling as he tried to pull himself up. Blood dripped from his injured leg, the pain shooting through his body like fire. His grip was slipping. Panic surged through him as he realized he wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer.

The girl didn’t hesitate. She leaped into action, grabbing a long piece of vine-like rope that had fallen from the ceiling. With quick, practiced movements, she secured it to one of the nearby columns and slid down toward him.

“Hold on!” she called, her voice steady despite the urgency of the situation.

Zhao Xi groaned through gritted teeth as his hands began to give way. Just as he was about to fall, the girl reached him, grabbing his wrist with surprising strength. She pulled him upward, her determined expression leaving no room for doubt. Slowly, carefully, she guided him out of the pit and back onto solid ground.

Zhao Xi collapsed onto the stone floor, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. The pain in his leg was sharp and persistent, but the adrenaline coursing through his veins dulled it enough for him to focus. He looked up at the girl, gratitude and disbelief warring on his face.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice hoarse. “You saved me.”

The girl knelt beside him, her brow furrowed as she inspected his leg. “You’re lucky,” she said, her tone brisk but not unkind. “Another second, and you’d have been impaled.” She tore a strip of cloth from her sleeve and began to wrap it around his wound, her hands steady and precise.

The middle-aged man approached, his expression grim. “These ruins are full of traps,” he said. “This place was designed to keep people out—or to keep something in.” He glanced at Zhao Xi, his gaze hard. “Be more careful. The closer we get to the source, the deadlier it becomes.”

Zhao Xi nodded, his jaw tight with determination. “I’ll be careful,” he said, his voice low but resolute. “But we keep going. Whatever’s waiting for us at the heart of this place... we have to face it.”

The man and the girl exchanged a glance, their shared resolve clear. Together, they helped Zhao Xi to his feet, and the trio pressed on into the depths of the ruins, their path illuminated by the faint, unnatural glow that seemed to grow brighter with every step. The air around them grew heavier, colder, the oppressive energy of the place pressing down on them like an invisible weight.

As the trio reached the core of the ruins, the chamber unfolded into an immense space, its walls glistening with pulsating, red-veined tendrils that seemed alive, stretching and curling around the stone. At the center stood a towering monstrosity, its form both grotesque and tragic. Encased in layers of bloody, sinewy flesh, the creature bore a twisted semblance of Wei Tian. His face—or what was left of it—was stretched grotesquely across the mass of writhing tissue, his mouth hanging open in a soundless scream of agony. Ethereal and terrifying, the monster loomed over the chamber, its presence suffocating, its aura radiating malice.

From the shadows surrounding the chamber, grotesque creatures crawled forward, summoned by the monstrosity. Their jagged, contorted forms chittered and screeched, their glowing blue eyes locking onto the trio with an insatiable hunger.

The middle-aged man stepped forward, his machete gleaming under the dim, otherworldly light. His voice echoed through the cavern, steady and resolute. "I won’t tolerate you anymore, Wei Tian—or whatever you’ve become. For all the casualties, for every living being bereft of their lives because of you... I’ll put an end to this madness. Right here. Right now!"

With that, the man launched himself into battle, his machete slicing through the air as he clashed with the towering creature. The impact of their collision sent shockwaves through the chamber, the sound reverberating like thunder. The monster shrieked in rage, swinging its massive, fleshy appendages toward the man, who dodged with precision, his movements honed by years of experience.

Zhao Xi and the girl had no time to watch. The creatures surrounding them lunged forward, their grotesque forms clawing and snapping. Zhao Xi tightened his grip on his machete, his hands trembling but his resolve firm. He swung wildly, hacking at the advancing monsters. Beside him, the girl fought with lethal efficiency, her blade slashing through the creatures with a cold, practiced precision.

But the battle was relentless. As the creatures kept coming, the chaos grew more frenzied. A rock, dislodged from above during the struggle, struck the girl on the head. She crumpled to the ground, her machete slipping from her grasp. Zhao Xi’s heart stopped for a moment as he knelt beside her, shielding her limp body from the advancing creatures.

Meanwhile, the man fought valiantly against the monster. His strikes were powerful, each blow landing with devastating force. But the creature was immense, its resilience otherworldly. One of its tendrils lashed out, striking the man across the chest with a sickening crack. He staggered, blood spraying from his lips as he fell to one knee. Yet, even as pain wracked his body, he pushed himself upright, his resolve unwavering.

The battle reached its crescendo when the man, with a tremendous effort, drove the monster into the ground, a colossal stone crushing its body. For a moment, the beast was pinned, its twisted form writhing and screeching as it struggled to free itself.

"Boy!" the man shouted, his voice hoarse but commanding. "Take my daughter and get out of here! Follow the path that brought us here. Quickly! You must save her. Leave me behind!"

Zhao Xi froze, his mind torn between conflicting emotions. He stood motionless for a fraction of a second, his gaze locked on the man who had saved his life twice now. Gritting his teeth, he finally spoke, his voice thick with emotion. "Old man... you’ve saved me twice. I promise you, I’ll take her out of here, no matter the odds. But... I hope you make it out too. What’s your name?"

The man was silent for a moment, his chest heaving from exertion. Finally, he said, "My surname is Yin. Take care of my daughter!"

With those final words, the man spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground, his body trembling as he summoned the greenish-blue armor that encased him in an otherworldly glow. The armor shimmered, brighter and more intense than before, as though feeding on the last reserves of his strength. He stumbled but quickly regained his footing, standing tall and defiant despite the blood dripping from his lips.

The monster, still pinned beneath the stone, shrieked and thrashed, its tendrils snapping and twisting as it squeezed itself free. With a deafening roar, it lunged at the man, its grotesque form surging forward with terrifying speed.

"Go!" Yin shouted, his voice booming over the chaos.

Zhao Xi scooped up the girl, her unconscious form slumped against his shoulder, and began to retreat. His legs burned as he trudged through the narrow passage, the weight of her body and his own exhaustion nearly overwhelming him. Behind him, the sounds of battle grew fainter, replaced by the groaning of the cave itself as it began to collapse.

The ground beneath him shook violently, stones raining down from above. Zhao Xi gritted his teeth, his vision blurring as he stumbled forward. His breaths came in ragged gasps, each step a monumental effort.

A large stone fell from the ceiling, striking Zhao Xi on the head. Pain erupted through his skull, and the world spun around him. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, the girl slipping from his grasp as darkness consumed his vision.

The last thing he heard was the faint, echoing roar of the collapsing ruins, mingled with the distant cries of the creatures and the unyielding battle cries of the man they had left behind.