Chapter 44: The Fox

The scene before my eyes instantly made every hair on my body stand on end, and an inexplicable chill wrapped itself closely around my neck.

Paralyzed by fear, I began to stumble backward. In a split second, tripping over something unknown, I tumbled straight down and landed hard on my backside.

"What the... what the hell!"

Whether out of fear or the pain in my tailbone, as I looked at the dead body hanging from the tree, I could feel my calves trembling and my breathing growing ragged and short.

Could a person's expression in death be any more terrifying?

Peering closely through the moonlight, I saw his face frozen in a look of lingering terror, as if right before he died, he had witnessed something utterly incomprehensible to him.

After panting heavily for what felt like an eternity, the terror gripping my heart finally began to subside a little.

I unhooked the gourd from my waist, opened it, and took another heavy swig. The burning sensation tore down my throat. Clenching a cigarette between my lips and pushing down the uneasiness in my heart, I slowly walked up to the corpse.

...

The first thing I did was take out my dagger and cut through the vines that had hanged the man, causing the body to drop heavily to the ground.

I lowered my head to inspect the corpse closely. It was obvious he hadn't been dead for long; his skin was fair, and his clothes were expensive brand-name items. Anyone could tell he was not a local who had lived in the Greater Khingan Mountains for years, because true veterans of the old forest would never wear such impractical clothing. He must have come from the outside world.

Looking closer, I abruptly noticed a callus on the web of his thumb, which proved that this man was accustomed to handling firearms.

Yet, I frowned.

I had never laid eyes on this man before. How did he end up dying here so suddenly?

Subconsciously, I felt this man might be connected to the foreign man and woman I had encountered earlier... because his designer clothes were of a similar style to theirs.

As for why I was certain he wasn't a spy—normally, spies rely heavily on concealment; no idiot of a spy would ever wear something so conspicuous when coming into China...

I reached out and patted down his body. It was completely clean, with nothing on him. After a brief thought, I figured someone must have looted the body a step ahead of me.

Perhaps Old Master Chen had already arrived here earlier and taken everything the man was carrying.

Realizing this, I knew that Old Master Chen must still be pressing further ahead.

But why?

That piercing, miserable scream of a woman had clearly not been far from us! Why had Old Master Chen traveled so far to get to this spot?

Just as I was deep in thought, the piercing cry of the eagle Dahang echoed through the sky once again...

Hoo~ hoo~

Hearing that sound, I knew that Dahang must have found Old Master Chen.

Without hesitation, I first reached up to wipe the rainwater from my face, then cast one last glance at the corpse lying on the ground before setting off at a brisk pace toward the location Dahang had indicated.

I hadn't walked far.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I instinctively glanced back at the corpse. I couldn't tell if it was just my imagination.

To my absolute horror, I saw it.

That thoroughly dead corpse gave me a... slight blink of its eyes.

Damn it!

My steps came to an abrupt halt. I swallowed hard, turned my head back, and stared closely at the corpse's eyes.

After staring for a long while, the corpse remained completely motionless. I let out a long breath, telling myself internally that I must be losing my mind from encountering too much weird supernatural crap lately.

Finally, making sure the corpse remained completely still, I hurried away.

...

Perhaps because it was already nearing winter, most of the flora and fauna in the old forest had noticeably dwindled, perhaps serving as a precursor to the heavy snows sealing off the mountains.

Guided by Dahang, I endured the sharp pain in my feet and marched resolutely through the ancient woods.

Every few steps, I would blow my eagle whistle so Dahang could confirm my position.

Come to think of it, the weather in the Greater Khingan Mountains was truly bizarre. On one hand, it was raining; on the other hand, the moon hung bright and dazzling in the sky...

After walking for nearly ten more minutes, a faint, subtle sound suddenly arose off to my front right.

"Hmph!"

"Glug!"

Though the sound was not loud, it carried clearly through the dead silence of the ancient forest.

Pausing for a fraction of a second, I instinctively wondered if that sound had been made by Old Master Chen.

Despite that thought, I still dared not lower my guard.

Stepping lightly, I moved slowly in the direction of the sound. Parting the bushes before me step by step, a small stream abruptly came into view.

Yet right beside the stream were two figures wearing conical bamboo hats, their heads leaned closely together, making a gurgling sound.

A patch of dark clouds drifted across the sky, momentarily blocking the moon, so at first, I couldn't clearly make out what those two figures were.

They vaguely looked like humans, yet something about them felt entirely different.

Even without the moonlight, I could still dimly discern their movements...

It seemed they were digging a hole by the stream. Once finished, they placed something they had been carrying into the hole. After completing all this...

The dark clouds drifted apart, and the moonlight shone down once more. Gasping heavily, I clearly saw what those two hat-wearing figures actually were.

Those two figures were nothing less than two foxes!

They were wearing human conical bamboo hats on their heads, draped in human coats, and wearing human shoes on their paws...

They looked entirely human at a glance.

Yet, looking closer, they were undeniably foxes!

Those fox tails, those fox paws, those fox snouts...

Damn it!

These bastards were absolute, thorough animals! But their movements, their actions, and their vigilant gazes—how the hell could they be so much like humans?

A deep wave of shock washed over me, and my breathing unconsciously grew heavy. In this day and age, why did animals seem to be acting just like people?

After burying the unidentifiable object, I watched with my own eyes as the two foxes looked left and right just like humans, then leaped directly into the bushes and vanished in an instant.

...

I stood rooted to the spot, utterly incapable of accepting what I had just seen for a moment, letting the rain beat down against my body and forehead...

I didn't know how much time had passed before my body involuntarily shivered, and I suddenly realized I was still lying prone in the bushes!

A wave of curiosity welled up inside me.

What on earth had those two human-like foxes buried by the stream?

I pulled out my corn liquor flask from my chest, took a small gulp, and after looking around to ensure no one was there, I bent over, grabbed my folding military entrenching tool, and hurried over.

Reaching a patch of earth that was noticeably soft, I didn't hesitate for a moment, raised the shovel, and began to dig.

Before long, as I continued to shovel away, buried deep within the soil...

Something wrapped in a red plastic bag appeared right before my eyes...