Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
At that moment, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere?! Caught between two sides? I was startled! My heart nearly leaped out of my chest! I didn’t even have time to look; I rolled to the side, ignoring how muddy the ground was, and dodged away. When I clumsily got up from the ground and looked around, I realized it was Mo Ping! Mo Ping didn’t seem to know where he had come from; he just happened to witness this scene, seeing his deceased father staggering about. Mo Ping stood there as if in a daze.
I shouted at him, "Mo Ping! Mo Ping!" But he still didn’t respond. I knew this scene would be hard for anyone to accept, let alone Mo Ping, who was the Son of the Deceased. I got up from the ground and gave him a sharp slap on the back of his head.
Mo Ping jolted awake, letting out a cry of "Ah!" I quickly said to him, "Mo Ping, you need to calm down. What you see isn’t a dream; it’s real. Hurry and go wake Old Wei in the courtyard, and remember to bring some rope!"
Mo Ping still stood there in a daze. "Leader, this is my dad." I steeled myself and kicked his leg while shouting, "He was your dad when he was alive, but now he’s something else entirely. Go now!"
Mo Ping hesitated as he glanced at his father. At that moment, the Zombie slowly approached, its stiff hands reaching out as if trying to grab something. Its pale face, closed eyes, and slightly open mouth all indicated that this was no longer a living person.
I pushed him again. "Why aren’t you going yet?" I raised my hand and picked up the Hoe. Mo Ping finally began to react; with a complicated expression, he took one last look at his deceased father and ran towards the courtyard.
As Mo Ping passed by the Zombie, I noticed it turned its body towards him. I was very curious about what it was targeting. There wasn’t time to ponder that now; seeing that the area was relatively open, I took advantage of its diverted attention. Swinging the Hoe, I struck its leg with a thud. The Zombie stumbled, and seizing the opportunity, I hooked its leg with the Hoe and pulled hard, causing it to crash down onto the ground!
Having studied medicine, I knew that once a person died, their limbs would become stiff. So once it fell down, it would take some time for it to get back up. As long as we waited for Mo Ping and Old Wei to help out, we could easily tie it up. Heh, I really wanted to know what kind of creature this Zombie was! Humans are strange; once fear dissipates, other thoughts rush in—should we send it for research? Or wait until daylight and see if sunlight can dissolve it?
While I was lost in thought, Mo Ping came out with rope alongside Old Wei. Clearly, Mo Ping hadn’t had time to explain things to Old Wei or perhaps didn’t know how himself. So when Old Wei saw Mo Old Three struggling on the ground, he exaggeratedly sat down in shock and exclaimed, "The dead have Revived! The dead have Revived!"
"Old Wei! Come help us!" I shouted anxiously. At this point, I had pressed the Hoe against the Zombie's chest while stepping on its leg; its resistance wasn’t too fierce—its limbs moved only slightly and its head swayed gently—not at all like those powerful Zombies depicted in movies!
Mo Ping stood beside me holding the rope, staring blankly at his father or what used to be his father’s form in confusion. I yelled at Old Wei again: "Hurry up and help tie it up! How much longer are you going to watch?" Old Wei responded with an acknowledgment; seeing there was no immediate danger, he cautiously approached.
I instructed them: one should restrain the Zombie's head to prevent it from biting while the other started tying it up like wrapping zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). After hesitating for a moment, they began carefully following my instructions. During this time, I kept observing the Zombie and noticed its movements were becoming more pronounced; its limbs were less agitated now and its head swayed more vigorously.
Once they finished tying up the Zombie and stood back up, I was astonished to find that it had stopped moving! Yes, completely still—indistinguishable from an ordinary corpse!
I couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous this situation was; if anyone saw us right now, who knows what they would think? "This isn’t a good place for conversation; you all should carry it back to the hall of spirits and put it in a coffin while I take my time with you."
Old Wei and Mo Ping were clearly at a loss for ideas. They hurriedly followed my lead and carried the Zombie back to the Main Hall. Mo Ping grabbed a ladder from the corner, fumbled around to unscrew the Electric Light bulb, and took another one from his pocket to replace it. He then pulled the switch cord, and the room lit up. I realized that it was just the Electric Light bulb that had burned out; Mo Ping must have gone out to find a replacement, which explained why the Main Hall had been shrouded in darkness earlier. After tidying up the mourning hall, we placed the Zombie inside. Strangely enough, during this time, the Zombie remained completely still.
Once everything was in order, the three of us sat in the Main Hall, panting heavily. I knew that Old Wei and Mo Ping were frightened and confused, so I recounted how I had stepped outside to relieve myself and how I encountered Mo Old Three after he had Revived. Even though it was a personal experience, Old Wei and Mo Ping exchanged shocked glances.
We all stared at the tightly bound corpse in the coffin. Now, aside from its dirty and wrinkled clothes, it looked just like any other dead person. Who would believe that this corpse had just chased me around the courtyard?
"What should we do?" I asked.
Both of them turned to me simultaneously. I had to say, "Mo Ping, what was your original plan for handling the funeral?" Mo Ping replied gloomily, "We were planning to wait for my sister to arrive today and then hold the funeral tomorrow."
At that moment, Old Wei interjected, "No way! Once it lights up, it has to be buried—just like Mo Old Five!"
I shot a glance at Old Wei. "What do you mean?"
Old Wei wiped his sweat and said, "I told you before that Mo Old Five also Revived and scared off the last military officer. The village head witnessed this firsthand, which is why he ordered him to be buried deep right away. When we arrived yesterday, they had just paid respects at the ancestral hall; that's what he told me. Who would have thought that Mo Old Three would end up like this too!"
Mo Ping nodded in agreement. "The story about Uncle Five has spread throughout the village."
I pondered for a moment and suggested, "Then let's close the coffin for now. After it lights up, we can go find the village head to discuss what to do." I hadn't seen Mo Old Five's Revive incident myself and didn't know the actual situation, but honestly, I had a nagging feeling that these two Revives might be related somehow. But where was the connection? I couldn't figure it out at that moment.
After all this commotion, no one felt sleepy anymore. In the end, both Old Wei and I dressed properly and kept vigil with Mo Ping through the night. Just as dawn began to break, I pulled Old Wei along to visit the village head's house. As we exited through the gate, I glanced at the mad dog curled up in the corner and told Mo Ping that we needed to deal with it quickly—little did I know it had almost bitten me twice already.
When we found the village head, he had just woken up and was brushing his teeth in his yard. Without bothering with pleasantries, I rushed over and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him into a corner as I recounted everything that had happened last night. Village Head Mo was so shocked that he dropped his toothbrush on the ground while exclaiming, "How is that possible? How could this happen?"
I am a naturally curious person; encountering such strange occurrences made it impossible for me to simply walk away. After Village Head Mo confirmed that he would call people to bury Mo Old Three's body deeply this morning, my interest in uncovering the reasons behind these bizarre Revives in our village intensified.
I learned that prior to this incident, both our village and nearby townships had been perfectly normal without any such rumors or tales circulating. The death and revival of Mo Old Five was an unprecedented case; something unusual must have triggered these events—there must be something special about this village! After thinking for a while, I asked Village Head Mo if there had been any recent outbreaks of collective illness in the village. He pondered for quite some time before answering that there hadn’t been anything serious; however, there had been a measles outbreak some time ago that infected many people. It was only after a medical team was called from the county health center that everyone was treated successfully.
I was quite confused because the Measles Virus alone wouldn't cause a corpse to revive. So, where was the problem?
After thinking for a long time, I still couldn't figure it out. Old Wei, who was beside me, asked a question that both the village chief and I had been avoiding: "So, if someone else dies in the village, will they also revive?" At this, the village chief and I exchanged glances; it was a terrifying question.
To solve this issue, we needed to clarify what was causing the dead to revive! I thought to myself.
Everyone fell silent for a moment before the village chief spoke up. "Let's first bury Mo Old Three." I had no objections; Mo Old Three had already been tied up like a dumpling. Even if he were to revive, he would just be moving in the coffin. Who could know what terrifying things might happen if such a corpse revived in the middle of the night?
Old Wei turned to me and said, "Things here are almost done; we might as well leave early." I glanced at the village chief. Old Wei was indeed straightforward; bringing up this issue directly was rather awkward. I had to maintain my composure and replied, "There's no rush. We can attend Mo Old Three's funeral in the morning. It’s better to go pay our respects; it serves as a precaution, just in case..." I didn't finish my sentence when Village Head Mo quickly agreed, "Alright, let's do that. Come sit in my house for a while; after lunch, I'll make arrangements!"
Old Wei gave me a helpless look, and I pretended not to see it as I turned and entered the village chief's main hall. After this incident, I really didn't want to stay at Mo Ping's house.
The efficiency in the village was surprisingly high. With a shout from the village chief through a loudspeaker, everyone sprang into action and soon made all necessary preparations. They carried the coffin towards the graveyard halfway up the mountain outside the village. Old Wei and I followed at the back; he seemed lost in thought with his head down while I pondered what was so strange about this village. How could the dead revive? If this problem remained unsolved, what would happen every time someone died in this village? Would everyone revive? Being someone who took things seriously, I felt anxious when I couldn't find answers to these questions.
As we passed by the last house's entrance, just as we were about to leave the village, I noticed a large black dog tied up next to the door. It barked furiously at our departing procession—wide mouth, ugly face, sturdy limbs, bristly fur—it looked like a version of Hao Ran, Mo Old Three's dog!
(To be continued; more exciting content tomorrow!)
Comment 0 Comment Count