I had used up nearly all my strength dealing with the zombie that had suddenly reanimated and the previously controlled Zhang Yunliang. When I finally saw the corpse lying motionless on the ground, I let out a long breath and collapsed where I stood. Sharp pain shot through my arms, and blood streamed freely down from them.
My shoulder had been slashed open by the zombie's nails earlier—several deep gashes that wouldn't stop bleeding, already swelling and going numb.
Zhang Yunyao stared helplessly at the wounds on my shoulder, even though they were already bandaged. Blood kept seeping through. She looked completely lost, eyes brimming with tears, on the verge of crying.
Seeing her like that, I smiled and said gently, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
But when I turned to inspect the wound myself, my expression instantly changed. The blood oozing out was no longer bright red—it had turned darker, almost black.
Zombies carry corpse poison. Whether you're scratched or bitten, infection is highly likely.
Fortunately, the Zhang family ancestor's corpse had only just undergone reanimation, so the corpse poison wasn't particularly potent yet.
I rummaged through my bag and pulled out a pouch of glutinous rice I had prepared in advance.
Exhuming graves always involves contact with corpses, and the risks are unpredictable. I'd packed plenty of items for emergencies—this was my first real job, and I didn't have much experience.
Without hesitation, I pressed the glutinous rice onto the wound. A surge of pain exploded immediately, and a foul-smelling white vapor rose from the wound—the corpse poison was being neutralized.
But not all glutinous rice works for this. The process to prepare effective antidote rice is incredibly specific.
First, the rice must be soaked in virgin boy's urine for forty-nine days. Then it needs to be dried under direct sunlight for another forty-nine days. If there's even a single day of rain during this time, the rice loses its detoxifying effect or becomes significantly weaker.
After applying two handfuls of the rice, it turned black almost instantly as it absorbed the poison. The numb, swollen sensation began to ease.
But damn, it hurt. Cold sweat kept pouring down my face.
Zhang Yunyao could only squat nearby, watching anxiously, not knowing how to help.
"It's fine now. Help me up," I said to her.
She quickly rushed over, placed my arm over her shoulder, and helped me to my feet.
After all that effort, I was feeling a bit weak, but I knew a short rest would do me good.
"Young Master Wu... my brother's still lying there. Is he going to be okay?" she asked cautiously.
"Leave him. His life isn't in danger for now," I said, a bit irritated.
All of this mess had been his doing. If he had just listened and waited for me to start the relocation process, none of this would've happened. He didn't just put others in danger—he nearly got himself killed.
Zhang Yunyao bit her lip, eyes full of guilt. "I'm sorry, Young Master Wu. I know my brother caused this, but he's still my brother. Please don't abandon him."
"This is his mistake, not yours. You don't need to apologize. And don't worry, since I took this job, I won't leave him behind," I replied firmly.
Only then did she relax and apologize again.
After a brief rest, I felt a bit of strength return. I told her to stay put and not move, then ran off toward the woods we'd been in earlier.
While I was fighting the zombie, I had spotted a shadowy figure moving through the trees.
That figure must've been the one controlling Zhang Yunliang—and likely the same person who tampered with the Zhang family's ancestral tomb.
I needed to find him and ask why he did all this.
But when I returned to the forest, the figure was already gone. Maybe he was hiding nearby, but no matter how much I searched, I couldn't find him.
Just as I was about to head back, a scream—loud and terrified—cut through the night air. It made my heart jolt.
It was Zhang Yunyao's voice.
I bolted toward the Zhang family tomb as fast as I could.
There, standing between several coffins, was Zhang Yunyao. Her hands were covering her mouth, her eyes wide with horror.
Seeing that she wasn't physically hurt, I let out a sigh of relief.
"What happened?" I asked as I approached.
As soon as she saw me, she ran straight into my arms, trembling uncontrollably. With a sob in her voice, she cried, "The coffin… I heard something coming from the coffin!"
I was surprised. She hadn't even flinched when facing a zombie earlier—why was she so scared now just because she heard noises from a coffin?
Women really are impossible to figure out sometimes.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here," I said, gently patting her back before slowly pushing her away.
Then I turned my gaze toward the coffins.
Suddenly, a chilling realization struck me.
Where were the other workers the Zhang family had hired? And Uncle Huzi?
Why had only Zhang Yunliang, the one under mind control, been here?
Holding my breath, I listened carefully—and sure enough, I heard faint noises coming from one of the coffins.
In the dead of night, out in the desolate wilderness, hearing sounds from a coffin was enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
The more I listened, the more the hairs on my neck stood up.
It was the sound of fingernails scratching against the wooden lid of the coffin.
Creak... creak... The noise grew louder.
Then, one of the old coffins nearby visibly trembled.
My face paled.
Could it be that all the ancestors in those exhumed coffins had turned into zombies?
Just one earlier had nearly finished me off. If several came out at once, I'd be dead for sure.
Panic surged through me, and for a second, I wanted nothing more than to turn and run. Now I understood why the Eight-Tailed Fox had warned me not to come here—this place was crawling with danger.
But I couldn't run. If I did, and those corpses really had reanimated and made it to the nearby villages, the casualties would be horrific.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to stay calm.
Then I turned to Zhang Yunyao and said, "Get back to the car. Don't come out no matter what happens."