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墨書 Inktalez
Big Black stood frozen, momentarily at a loss for what to do.
The beam of the flashlight in Big Black's hand began to tremble uncontrollably. He looked at Haruko, who was crouched down, and felt his legs start to shake. Haruko remained turned away from him, frozen like a fossil.
The shaking of the flashlight grew more pronounced. Big Black's pupils constricted and then dilated in an instant, cold sweat forming in his palms.
When it came to treasure hunting, the worst thing was being afraid. Although fear gripped Big Black's heart, he struggled to control himself, but his body refused to obey.
Suddenly, Haruko moved slightly, slowly twisting her neck to look back. Upon witnessing this, Big Black seemed to forget his own actions, the light still shining directly on Haruko.
When Haruko's face came into view, Big Black felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar; he gasped in shock as a chilling sensation crept up the back of his neck.
Her face was pale, completely devoid of color, and he could faintly sense a wave of death emanating from her. Big Black wanted to run, but his legs were completely paralyzed.
Haruko remained crouched on the ground, staring at Big Black without moving. Her hands were still in the position of picking something up. Her eyes were filled with panic.
Her lips trembled as she whispered, "Am I... dead?" After saying this, she glanced back at her own body. Suddenly, she laughed and said while laughing, "I'm dead," her tone cold and profound. "I remember discovering this Tomb; how could I be dead?" Haruko spoke as if answering herself.
But these words sounded like echoes from hell to Big Black's ears. He kept rolling one conclusion over and over in his mind: she was dead; he had gone tomb raiding with a corpse—what should he do now? Yet his mind felt rusty at that moment, unable to come up with a solution.
Big Black's gaze became unfocused; no one could understand his urgent anxiety. He feared that Haruko might turn against him.
Despite having done this many times before together, those in their line of work knew there was no one trustworthy. They often argued over dividing their spoils; this time, she would surely kill him.
With that thought surging within him, Big Black found an unexpected surge of strength and began to turn and flee, the flashlight slipping from his grasp and falling to the ground.
Haruko, still lost in thought and talking to herself, immediately turned her gaze toward the now-moving Big Black upon hearing the noise.
Big Black immediately felt a surge of fear rising from his heart. His movements unconsciously slowed down.
Haruko's face was cold, and the white beam of the flashlight made him look even more defeated as he silently stared at Big Black, still holding an antique in his arms.
After a moment, his expression became slightly more ferocious.
At that moment, Big Black couldn't help but gasp, a chill running through his entire body.
Determined to take a chance, he steeled himself and said, his voice trembling slightly, "Haruko, although we’re not blood brothers..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Haruko let out a heavy breath. His body became increasingly ethereal and thin, as if he were about to vanish.
When a person first dies, their soul has not yet fully departed; they still carry some residual life force. Now, however, his body was starting to fade away completely, indicating that the life force was about to dissipate entirely.
Big Black realized at once that Haruko was turning into an Evil Spirit. A deeper chill gripped him as he estimated that this time he might not make it out alive. In the past, when he and Haruko engaged in such activities together, they had never encountered anything like this. Although he had heard stories about it, he never expected that the first time he would face an Evil Spirit would be when it was one of his own.
Should he run or stay? Big Black struggled within himself; he clearly wanted to flee, but his body felt powerless. He felt a wave of weakness wash over him, as if he couldn’t catch his breath. He coughed violently several times.
Haruko remained motionless.
Big Black struggled again when suddenly Haruko spoke.
The moment Big Black began to regain his composure upon hearing the voice, he was startled and felt his body go limp. Who was speaking? He couldn’t quite grasp it. The voice was sharp and chilling, like a ghostly sound rising from the depths of Nine Hells; it didn’t sound like Haruko at all.
Haruko's lips moved, and the voice came from his mouth. But it had already lost its original tone.
Big Black was at his wit's end. To save his life, he pleaded with Haruko, saying softly, "Haruko, you have a big heart. For the sake of our past friendship, spare me this once."
Haruko seemed to sigh, as if he had already accepted the fact that he was destined to die. His gaze appeared clearer now, but the aura of death within him grew stronger. Haruko spoke, "I won't harm you." His voice remained as cold and mournful as before, but to Big Black's ears, it felt like the last lifeline he could cling to.
"Thank you for sparing my life. From now on, every Qingming Festival, I will burn paper money for you and even send some beautiful women to serve you," Big Black said hurriedly before attempting to flee.
The flashlight that had fallen to the ground continued to cast light into the tomb. One shadow lingered while another had long since vanished.
Big Black took two steps but was blocked by a pale, indifferent face. He let out a scream and fell backward.
His hands were too weak to support his body, and he stumbled again, getting covered in dirt and dust. But Big Black couldn't care less about that; survival was paramount. Yet here was Haruko blocking his way again—what did this mean? Had he changed his mind?
Looking at Haruko, who appeared somewhat ethereal before him, Big Black stammered, "W-why... is this happening?"
Haruko's voice came out devoid of any human emotion, sending chills down Big Black's spine. "We are brothers, right? You need to help me with something."
Big Black nodded vigorously; he would agree to anything at this moment—even a thousand tasks if necessary.
Haruko instructed, "First, drop the antiques on you."
Big Black hesitated for a moment but then acted without any further thought. He threw all the valuable items off himself. Finally, he turned his pockets inside out to show that he had 'lost everything.'
Haruko remained silent, as if sighing, but to Big Black's ears, it carried a different meaning.
"Can you let me go now?" Big Black asked weakly.
Haruko shook her head, seemingly resigned. "No, this Tomb is my life, and so this Tomb will be my resting place. I'm sorry, Big Black, but you can't take anything from here."
Big Black finally understood. This meant that the burial items were now his to keep.
Haruko continued, "I have never done anything good in my life, so after death, I became a malevolent spirit and cannot be reincarnated. I hope you can find someone skilled to perform a ritual for me, to help me move on and be reborn as a human."
Big Black quickly nodded in agreement. "But..." he hesitated, his face showing concern.
Haruko understood his intention and said, "You can take one antique with you." After all these years of hanging out together, she knew he was poorer than a ghost.
After a moment, Haruko added, "You can leave now."
Big Black felt as if he had been granted a reprieve. He scrambled to grab a treasure, forgetting even the flashlight, and clutched the rope with agility that rivaled a monkey climbing a tree. In just a few moments, he reached the cave entrance.
Breathing heavily, Big Black still felt a chill run down his spine.
Without pausing for breath, he took off running; it was best to leave this haunted place behind. Just then, a voice echoed as if descending from the heavens. "If you break your promise, I will make you come down here to keep me company."
Big Black turned around sharply and nearly lost his wits in fright. His heart raced even more; it seemed there was no escaping this matter.
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