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墨書 Inktalez
"This is something my grandfather told me. He said that a long time ago, this place was actually very prosperous and wealthy, with many high-ranking officials living here. If we trace it back, it should be from the time of my Great-Great-Grandfather! According to my grandfather, that night, my Great-Great-Grandfather and a friend were delayed on the road and returned late. Just as he stepped into the village, he heard cries and screams coming from inside, and a fierce fire was consuming an entire house. They thought there were robbers attacking, so his friend went to find help while my Great-Great-Grandfather rushed in to assist. Little did he know that most of the people inside had already been killed; each one had two bite marks on their necks from an unknown creature, and even the livestock had not been spared. Moreover, those people somehow came back to life suddenly, stretching out their arms and jumping to grab anyone they could to bite. At that moment, my Great-Great-Grandfather was paralyzed with fear, instinctively feeling that they were possessed. The villagers were few; those who could escape did so, while those who couldn't perished. Then there were people like my Great-Great-Grandfather; once everyone around him turned into those creatures, all the targets focused on him."
At this point, the Boss took a sip of water, seemingly immersed in the past, feeling a bit of dread.
"Just then, a figure appeared from the darkness. My Great-Great-Grandfather thought he was also a living person and intended to run towards him. But when he saw those undead staring motionlessly at the man, he instinctively sensed something was wrong. The man was dressed in a crescent white robe and moved gracefully towards my Great-Great-Grandfather. The smell of blood and dirt was overwhelming. Then he opened his mouth ominously, revealing long sharp fangs inside, and his fingers were long and ink-black as they reached out towards my Great-Great-Grandfather. If it weren't for my Great-Grandmother saving him at that moment, my Great-Great-Grandfather would surely have met his end there."
"Did your Great-Great-Grandfather mention what color the Zombie's eyes were?" Molin asked eagerly.
"I don't know; my grandfather didn't tell me."
I tugged at Molin's sleeve and whispered, "Let's hear him out first."
"Sorry about that; please continue," Molin said.
The Boss shook his head and continued, "My Great-Great-Grandfather seized the opportunity to escape and went to town for help, but no one believed him. Just when he felt helpless, a girl approached him and offered assistance. At that point, my Great-Great-Grandfather was willing to try anything and took her with him. The girl asked him to wander around nearby with her until they discovered the Tomb in the southwest. She concluded that the owner of the Tomb—the Zombie—was responsible for the deaths in the village. Since it was daytime, they might not be able to defeat it at night; they needed to seal it first. The girl turned out to be a Taoist priestess; despite her young age, she not only sealed the Tomb but also burned all those undead in the village. Finally, she gave my Great-Great-Grandfather a talisman for emergencies and instructed him to stay in the village. As long as he kept the talisman intact, he would be safe for life."
"A girl? A Taoist priestess?"
For some reason, I suddenly thought of Stunning encountering a woman in a robe at that time; I wondered if it could be the same person.
"So those undead are what you call Zombies?" the Boss asked. Molin nodded in agreement.
"There's no doubt about it."
The Boss seemed anxious as he asked again, "Are you sure that Tomb has reopened?"
"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes," Molin replied seriously.
"Ah!" Boss trembled all over. "What are we going to do? That woman is definitely dead now; who can stop this?"
"Where is the talisman passed down from your Great-Great-Grandfather? Since it's for emergencies, now is the time to use it."
Boss suddenly realized, clapping his hands. "Right! How could I forget? I'll go look for it right now."
He took a few steps and then turned back, looking at Molin with suspicion. "Do you understand these things too? I heard them say you claim to be a Taoist."
"I understand, but they don't believe me."
"I believe you. As long as you can help the village through this disaster, I'll do whatever you ask." Boss nodded vigorously. "Actually, that day when I heard Little Scar say that the ones who killed the poultry were Big Pie and Fool, I had some doubts. But the next day, I saw Widow Wang taking them to the village chief's house to apologize, so I didn't think much of it. Can you tell me if they were really bitten by that thing?"
I glanced at Molin, who nodded at Boss. "They were indeed bitten."
"Oh no, I knew it!" Boss said, distressed. "Those two are useless all day long. Not long ago, they even talked about going tomb raiding. I thought they were joking; I didn't expect them to actually go through with it. What are we going to do now?"
"For now, we can only burn them," Molin said calmly to Boss. "You should go back and find the talisman."
"Alright, I'll bring it to you once I find it."
Once Boss left, I quickly approached Molin. "If Boss's story is true, then this must have been done by that Zombie. What do you think?"
"I don't have any thoughts; we just need to burn those two. It's almost time; we need to act quickly."
So I made up a reason to draw Widow Wang away. Before long, I heard a beast-like wail echoing through the air. Even though we were a good distance from Widow Wang's house, I couldn't understand why I could hear it.
After about two hours, Widow Wang couldn't sit still any longer and wanted to go back. At that moment, I was caught up with my mother, and in a moment of distraction, Widow Wang escaped. I immediately followed her and saw smoke rising from the roof of Widow Wang's house in the distance.
"Hey, don't go."
Widow Wang took off running, and I hurried after her. As soon as we entered, I saw Molin standing to the side, making sure they were completely burned to death and wouldn't escape.
Upon seeing us, he looked at me with displeasure. "Why didn't you stop her?"
"I didn't mean to."
"Who are you, and why did you kill my son?"
Widow Wang, fueled by an unknown strength, pushed Molin away. Over there, Fool was already a charred corpse, while Big Pie was still struggling in a dying attempt; it was more of a stiff twitch than a real struggle.
"I won't let you harm my son."
Widow Wang threw herself onto Big Pie, using a cushion to try to smother the flames.
Molin frowned. There was no time to blame me now; he stepped forward to pull Widow Wang away. "They're already dead. Your obsession will only bring harm to many others."
"I don't care! I only have these two sons. How can you be so heartless? I finally brought them back! With those black lines on them, they won't go out and hurt anyone!"
Widow Wang clung tightly to her son, refusing to let go. I watched as Big Pie twitched a few times before going completely still, allowing the flames to continue scorching him.
Molin forcefully threw her onto a nearby chair. "How did you manage to bring them back? How did you know to use Ink Binding Line to restrain them? Did someone teach you?"
Widow Wang paused, her gaze wandering, then she frantically struck at Molin. "Does it bother you that I know these things? You murderer! I'm going to take you before the village chief and send you to the police!"
I actually felt sorry for her. If my child had turned into something like this, even knowing they were no longer human and could harm others, I would still struggle with the bond of blood and kinship.
She was raising two children on her own, and her greatest hope was for them to settle down and start their own families, which would give her some peace of mind. Therefore, it was difficult for most people to accept the harsh reality of turning against their own kin.
“Ha ha ha ha…” Widow Wang suddenly laughed eerily, her expression vacant as she retreated step by step toward the door. “My son appeared right in front of them, alive, and then suddenly died. Who would believe you, Zombie? You’re just a murderer! Hahaha…”
Widow Wang turned and ran outside. Molin called out, “Not good!” and chased after her. I glanced back at the two charred bodies behind me, shuddered, and followed suit.
Widow Wang was an older woman, while both Molin and I were young; there was no reason we couldn’t catch up to her. However, when we reached the back mountain, Widow Wang had vanished from sight. The surrounding area was filled with woods, and we had no idea if she was hiding somewhere.
“What do we do now?”
“In a village like this, it’s not surprising that someone knows about the Ink Binding Line,” Molin said thoughtfully, stroking his chin. “But today she mentioned a black line. Anyone who knows about the Ink Binding Line wouldn’t say something like that. So I find it strange. She managed to bring two Zombies home and bound them with the Ink Binding Line, even feeding them blood—she’s definitely not simple. She cares for her son but is likely being manipulated by someone.”
“How do you figure that?”
“I asked the poultry seller in town. Widow Wang goes there every day to buy several birds, which means she had been doing this before we arrived. Blood is extremely enticing to Zombies; the more they crave it, the stronger they become. When I infiltrated her house today, I noticed that the sunlight streaming through the roof wasn’t as intense as I expected. Then just now, I saw the wound on Widow Wang’s wrist. I suspect she mixed her own blood with theirs to drink. That’s why I didn’t think much of it and set fire to everything.”
I felt a chill run down my spine; Molin's analysis made sense. I had also seen the wound on Widow Wang’s wrist. “Do you think it could be the one who bit them?”
Molin didn’t answer immediately. A gentle Wind Sound rustled through the trees, blowing my hair into my face. As I waited for him to speak and brushed my hair aside with my hand, I caught a glimpse of a Red Figure straight ahead through my fingers.
“Xiaoya!”
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