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Dragon's Grave
墨書 Inktalez
Just then, a series of loud knocks echoed through the room, each one more forceful than the last.
Lying in bed, Big Black groaned in annoyance as he climbed out, muttering, "Who the hell is making all this noise at this hour and disturbing my sleep?"
He threw on a coat and opened the door to find Haruko shivering, arms wrapped around himself, exhaling puffs of white breath. "It's freezing out here! I can't take it anymore. Let me in," Haruko pleaded.
Big Black stood there, unmoving, with no intention of letting him inside. Haruko, not paying attention, accidentally bumped into him and found himself passing right through Big Black's solid form.
Unaware of what had just happened, Haruko sat down at the table, poured himself a cup of hot tea, took a sip, and exclaimed, "This is so damn good!" He then called out, "Big Black, why haven't you closed the door yet?"
Big Black stood frozen in place, his face a mix of disbelief and terror. His hands still gripped the door as he looked down at his body, seeing nothing amiss and thinking it must have been an illusion.
Yet something felt off. He walked over to the table and sat down; the kerosene lamp flickered weakly, casting dim light around the room.
Haruko continued to shiver, his shadow dancing on the floor in the faint glow.
Noticing Big Black's dazed expression, Haruko teased, "Big Black, are you daydreaming about some girl?"
Big Black was momentarily taken aback. Haruko waved his hand in front of Big Black's face with a sly grin. "Snap out of it! I've got a plan to make some money. Are you in or not?"
Instinctively, Big Black nodded. Haruko grinned widely. "Great! So here's the deal: a few days ago, I discovered a tomb at Ghost Head Mountain. It's a big one and has already been exposed by recent rains."
Big Black and Haruko had engaged in such antics before—small-time schemes that often landed them in trouble. They had been caught more than once and had gained quite a reputation for their mischief. Now in their thirties, they struggled to find partners and had been single for many years.
Hearing about the potential for big money made Big Black forget all his earlier concerns. If they struck it rich this time, he wouldn't have to worry about finding a wife!
With renewed focus, Big Black looked intently at Haruko, eager for him to continue.
"Let's go now, or someone else will get there first, and that would be unfair to him," Haruko continued.
Heizi pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offered one to Haruko, though he didn't take one for himself. Haruko took the cigarette, sniffed it under his nose, and cursed, "You little brat, you have foreign goods but only now are you willing to let me smoke."
Big Black tucked the cigarette pack back into his pocket and smiled apologetically. "I just forgot, that's all."
Haruko couldn't be bothered to argue with him. "Are we going or not?"
"Of course! Let's go right now, or we'll miss out big time if someone else gets there first," Big Black replied.
Haruko said, "I rushed out earlier and forgot to bring my tools. You need to grab them all."
Big Black acknowledged her request, and Haruko urged him, "What are you waiting for?" He snapped out of his daze, quickly got up, and grabbed a hoe, some rope, and other tools. The best tool was the American-made flashlight.
Haruko didn't hesitate either; she took the tools Big Black handed her and headed outside.
It was December now. Even though they were in the south, the weather was dry and chilly for this season, with a light drizzle falling and a biting cold wind blowing.
Big Black closed the door behind them and asked, "Should we take raincoats?"
Haruko replied dismissively, "With this little bit of rain? No way!"
After locking the door, Big Black turned on a flashlight. The bright beam illuminated the falling drizzle. They had done this kind of thing many times before, so they weren't afraid of walking the mountain paths at night.
After walking for a while, Haruko called out, "Wait for me! I need to take a leak."
"Come on, hurry up! Damn it, lazy people take forever. Don't let the cooked duck fly away," Big Black said impatiently.
Haruko stood by the roadside with his back to Big Black and replied, "Shine the light over here, will you?"
Big Black directed the flashlight toward him. He noticed Haruko shiver a couple of times and knew they were done.
When Haruko turned around, he startled Big Black; his face was pale, which had been hard to see in the dim light before. Big Black took a moment to calm himself, thinking that Haruko must be freezing; it was damn cold out here.
Haruko looked at Big Black, who was still in a daze, and shouted, "Let's go! What's wrong with you today? This isn't like you!"
Big Black absentmindedly responded and followed Haruko.
After walking for a while, Haruko pointed ahead and said, "We're almost there."
Both of them quickened their pace, hurrying along the path. The trail in the mountains was difficult to navigate, especially in this weather, with yellow mud sticking to their shoes.
Big Black felt distracted, sensing that something was off as he glanced at Haruko ahead of him.
Haruko reassured him, "We're almost there; it's just up ahead."
Big Black nodded in response.
They continued walking along a narrow mountain path surrounded by trees. A biting cold wind rushed through the area, making Big Black feel as if his heart were numb from the chill.
When Haruko reached a fork in the road, he turned into the mountain and walked for several dozen meters before stopping. "This is it," he said.
Big Black tossed the tools onto the ground, picked up a flashlight, and stepped forward. A dark opening appeared in his line of sight. He shone the light inside and, sure enough, discovered burial goods within. His heart warmed at the sight; he couldn't care less about anything else. Tying a rope to a sturdy tree, he spat on the ground, wiped his hands, and said, "Let's get to work."
It seemed these tools were unnecessary; in the past, grave robbing had always been done with a shovel, digging one clump at a time like tilling a field.
This was the first time they had found something ready-made, and both felt a thrill of excitement.
The wind howled around them as Big Black tightened his grip on the flashlight and grabbed the rope to descend. The hole looked to be over two meters deep. Once down, he raised the flashlight to illuminate the area for Haruko.
After they both descended, they found themselves in a space about twenty cubic meters wide, filled with numerous burial items. Big Black didn't think too much about it; they were there to collect treasures.
He began stuffing items into his pockets without even looking closely—after all, they were surely antiques and valuable.
Suddenly, Big Black's foot kicked something soft. He instinctively knew it was a corpse because he had encountered such things before. It was a tomb; there had to be dead bodies buried there.
He shone the flashlight toward that direction and nearly gasped when he saw the body—his spine tingled with cold fear, his scalp prickled, and he felt weak all over.
Lying on the ground was none other than Haruko. Big Black cautiously directed the flashlight toward him and noticed that he was still rummaging for something.
"Big Black," Haruko said, "let's split whatever treasures we find once we get out."
Big Black rubbed his eyes, glanced at the corpse on the ground, then looked back at Haruko who was still searching for items.
Seeing that Big Black hadn't responded for a while, Haruko assumed he had discovered something valuable that he wanted to keep for himself. He hurried over, but when he crouched down and saw the corpse, he froze in place.
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