Chapter 5: The Swarm's Assault

With these doubts lingering in my mind, I followed behind Black Jacket, Ma Xu, and Zhao Zhiqiang, continuing forward.

“Hey, brother, you really do live up to your reputation as an official’s son—you’ve got some real skills!” Ma Xu slapped my shoulder, grinning as he tried to get on my good side.

I shot him a cool glance, unable to muster a smile. “This place is far from simple. I suspect that little girl was just the opening act. The real danger is yet to come—we can’t afford to let our guard down.”

Seeing I had no intention of humoring him, Ma Xu scratched his head awkwardly. “Right, right.”

“Cut the crap and get moving!” Zhao Zhiqiang, who had always despised sycophants like Ma Xu, gave him a swift kick, urging him forward. Ma Xu yelped and stumbled ahead a few steps.

“You brat, how dare you kick me—”

“Hush! Listen!” Ma Xu had barely started cursing when Black Jacket cut him off sharply. At the sight of Black Jacket’s alert expression, both Ma Xu and Zhao Zhiqiang immediately pricked up their ears.

Standing behind them, I held my breath and focused, faintly catching a strange rustling sound—swish, swish, swish—growing steadily closer.

“Brother Pang, what on earth is that? It’s making my skin crawl,” Ma Xu complained after a moment, unable to make sense of the noise.

Black Jacket’s face was grim and clouded, as if he hadn’t heard Ma Xu at all, his silence betraying his deep concern.

“What do you think?” At last, Black Jacket turned to me.

I furrowed my brow, listening even more intently.

I recalled what my father’s book had said: that in tombs, beyond traps and ghosts, there were creatures unseen by ordinary people—highly aggressive and difficult to deal with.

Within the chaotic noise, I detected a uniformity in the footsteps—it was clear these were herd animals, quickly converging on our position. My heart skipped a beat, and I inwardly cursed our luck, then immediately warned, “Move! Danger!”

Ma Xu and Zhao Zhiqiang were caught off guard by my sudden urgency, looking at me in confusion, but they understood soon enough. At the end of the corridor, an ominous mass of writhing black shapes surged towards us, closing the distance with alarming speed.

“What the hell is that!” Ma Xu’s eyes went wide; he stood frozen, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

Seeing his display of cowardice, Zhao Zhiqiang didn’t hesitate—he grabbed Ma Xu by the collar and cursed, “Damn it, don’t just stand there! Run!”

Jolted by Zhao Zhiqiang’s shout, Ma Xu finally snapped out of his stupor and dashed after him.

“Brother Pang, what now?” Zhao Zhiqiang panted, glancing anxiously over his shoulder. The swarm was fast, nearly upon us.

Ma Xu turned to look—some of the insects were already nipping at his heels.

“Ah! Get off me!” Ma Xu shrieked. I halted abruptly, forcing Black Jacket and Zhao Zhiqiang behind me to stop as well.

Ma Xu’s screams pierced the air: “Damn it, get off! Get off!” His eyes darted to us, desperate and helpless.

“Help me!” he cried, slapping frantically at the bugs crawling up his body. Zhao Zhiqiang was stunned speechless, and Black Jacket was about to rush forward, but I seized his arm.

My voice was cold, my demeanor unflinching. “Don’t touch him, or the insects will swarm onto you as well!” I gripped Black Jacket’s wrist tightly, stopping him from an ill-fated rescue.

Black Jacket bristled. “He’s my brother!”

Without replying, I silently pulled a packet from my bag, revealing a pale yellow powder.

These insects acted as a group—once one latched onto a person, the rest quickly followed. Soon, Ma Xu was crawling with them, the creatures beginning to gnaw at his flesh.

“Damn it, these things bite!” Ma Xu cursed, slapping wildly at the insects. But they seemed endless, impossible to kill or shake off, clinging to him relentlessly.

There was no time to waste. I approached with the powder and shouted, “Close your eyes!” Without waiting for a response, I doused Ma Xu in the yellow dust. In an instant, he looked as if he’d just crawled out of a sandpit, his entire body coated in the powder.

“Ugh! What is this stuff?” Ma Xu brushed the powder from his eyes and mouth, grimacing in disgust.

But soon, he realized the insects recoiled from the powder, hastily retreating from his body and then forming a wary circle around him, too afraid to draw near.

“Heh, I’m all right now!” Ma Xu’s delight was palpable. Wherever he walked, the insects scattered, as if by magic.

Showing rare generosity, Ma Xu gathered up some of the yellow powder from his own body and shared it with the rest of us, then sidled up to me. “Hey, brother, what is this stuff? It works like a charm! Got any more? Mind giving me some?” He eyed my backpack with unconcealed greed.

I glanced at him and explained, “It’s just sulfur powder. Insects are afraid of it.”

“Any more? Just in case we run into more bugs?” Ma Xu pressed, his eyes fixed on me.

“That’s all there is—what you’re wearing now is everything,” I replied, implying that he’d better make it last. Hearing this, Ma Xu began carefully collecting every bit of sulfur powder from his body, loath to waste even a speck.

Black Jacket looked at Ma Xu’s pitiful display and frowned, then turned to me. “These two are useful—Ma Xu is skilled with traps, and Zhao Zhiqiang is adept at warding off evil.”

I understood what he meant—he wanted to assure me these two would be valuable, not burdens.

I nodded seriously, then replied humbly, “This is my first time entering a tomb. I’ll be counting on you all for help.”

At my words, Ma Xu and Zhao Zhiqiang visibly relaxed. Ma Xu stepped forward, clapped me on the shoulder, and boasted, “Don’t worry, brother. I owe you my life. If you run into trouble later, I swear I’ll protect you without hesitation.”

Whether he meant it or not, I was grateful nonetheless.

“Cut the bragging. I think, even if this is his first time, our friend here is plenty capable. Who protects whom is still up in the air,” Zhao Zhiqiang retorted, unable to stomach Ma Xu’s bluster.

“Hey, you looking for a fight?” Ma Xu shot back, embarrassed by the rebuttal and raising his hand as if to settle the score.

I paid their squabble little mind, but then, by chance, my eyes fell on the murals lining the corridor walls—and I was instantly stunned.

These murals… there was something distinctly strange about them.