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墨書 Inktalez
I stood at the top of the corridor with Fat Ma.
Looking down, I saw the Corpse Worms swarming around the clay figure, leaving only a faint glimmer of light.
The situation was dire, and I couldn't afford to hesitate any longer. I instructed Fat Ma to bring Li Jie's body up.
Fat Ma understood the urgency and wasted no time, hoisting Li Jie's body and climbing toward the exit.
I called out to the clay figure, urging it to come up.
Just then, a gust of wind blew through, extinguishing the already weak flame. Darkness enveloped me, and I felt momentarily stunned.
At that moment, someone tapped my shoulder and urgently shouted, "Hurry up!"
Without hesitation, I scrambled up through the opening.
The clay figure followed closely behind. It quickly spread its clothing to block the hole and urged me to move faster.
Fat Ma was already in the chamber above. Upon seeing me, he immediately pulled me out.
"Where's the clay figure?" Fat Ma asked.
"Behind us," I replied.
At that moment, we heard the clay figure's voice preparing the Coffin Lid.
I hurriedly lifted the fallen Coffin Lid with Fat Ma. The clay figure burst forth like a carp leaping out of water, rolling on the ground, with faint flickers of fire visible inside.
The sharp, piercing sound grew closer. Without hesitation, Fat Ma and I quickly closed the Coffin Lid.
Just as we were about to breathe a sigh of relief, we faintly heard the sound of the Coffin Lid cracking.
The clay figure stood up and moved forward, its expression changing. "We need to go."
Fat Ma hoisted Li Jie's body, and we hurried through the Passageway.
Soon, we arrived at the entrance of the Burrow where we had descended earlier, white light filtering in from outside.
The clay figure led the way, leaping up to grab the rope and quickly pulling itself up.
Then it swiftly pulled me up as well, while Fat Ma lagged behind.
As we managed to pull Li Jie's body up, Fat Ma was already screaming from below, urging me and the clay figure to hurry. "We're almost there!" Just as Fat Ma finished speaking, he made it up.
The clay figure quickly found a pile of straw and set it ablaze, tossing it into the Burrow entrance.
The Corpse Worms that were about to emerge let out terrified screams in the firelight, shrill and prolonged...
The sky was already tinged with a hint of dawn.
I wasn't idle either; I quickly covered the entrance of the Burrow with soil. Fat Ma came over to help, and the three of us worked together for a while before finally burying the entrance.
The tension that had been lodged in my throat finally eased, and I lay on the ground, gasping for breath.
Fat Ma and the Mud Man also lay down.
I looked up at the sky; the sun was steadily hanging on the slope, and a gentle breeze blew, lightening the anxious atmosphere.
After a moment, I said, "We should let Li Jie rest in peace first."
Just then, the Mud Man called out in surprise, "Wait," and I looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
The Mud Man said, "He has artificial wounds on his body."
Upon hearing this, Fat Ma immediately squatted down to examine Li Jie's body. He noticed a red mark around Li Jie's neck. "He was strangled by someone," Fat Ma said.
"Which means he was killed by someone before being thrown down here, and then later eaten by the Corpse Worms," I concluded.
After analyzing the situation, we agreed that this conclusion made sense.
Once we buried Li Jie, we made a simple tombstone for him.
"What are we going to say when we get back?" I suddenly asked, realizing that someone had just died like this.
Fat Ma replied, "It's not our responsibility; we aren't the killers." I sighed, unsure of what else to say.
At that moment, the Mud Man spoke up, "Why don't you both come back to the city with me?"
Both of us turned to look at the Mud Man.
He continued, "That way, you won't have to worry."
Fat Ma replied, "It's easy for you to say that while standing there. If someone frames us, we'll be held accountable and never be able to turn our lives around."
The Mud Man fell silent, and the three of us remained frozen for a moment.
Fat Ma pulled out all the Mingqi he had in his pocket and said, "Let's divide the things now."
I shot a surprised glance at Fat Ma.
The Mud Man also rummaged through his pocket and took out a few Mingqi.
Fat Ma muttered, "What about my Bronze item?"
The Mud Man suddenly looked deflated and said, "I lost it down below."
Fat Ma bluntly replied, "Then you get one less item."
Looking at the Mingqi spread out on the ground, I felt a wave of sadness wash over me as I thought of Li Jie. My mood wasn't great, so I let them divide it however they wanted. In the end, Fat Ma handed me the Bronze Fish Mouth.
When I held it in my hands, an inexplicable shiver ran through me. I didn't dwell on it too much; instead, I was focused on what to do next.
The sun steadily climbed higher in the sky, and by this time, they should have already begun their work.
Fat Ma lit a cigarette and took a drag.
After some time passed, we were all enduring the wait.
Fat Ma tossed aside the cigarette butt and said, "Old Sun, why don't we just leave?"
If we left like that, it would only complicate things further. I was contemplating this when he interrupted my thoughts. I shook my head, and in the end, we decided to go back and take a look first.
The Mud Man couldn't conveniently return with us, so he left us an address to find him later.
I never expected that this rascal, the Mud Man, actually had a legitimate job in the city.
After bidding farewell to the Mud Man, Fat Ma and I tidied ourselves up a bit before heading back.
As I lifted the curtain to enter the kiln cave upon arriving in the village, the Production Team Leader was already waiting for us inside.
We were both caught off guard.
The Production Team Leader immediately asked me, "Where have you two been?"
Before I could respond, Fat Ma was already ingratiating himself with the Production Team Leader.
The Production Team Leader's expression darkened instantly as he scolded, "Don't try that with me."
"Captain, what are you talking about? I'm just trying to relieve the leader's worries," Fat Ma replied.
The Production Team Leader then asked, "What about Li Jie?"
I kept my eyes fixed on the Production Team Leader, and when he mentioned Li Jie's name, I clearly noticed his lips tremble slightly.
He continued, "Did you all do something wrong?"
Fat Ma was momentarily at a loss for words, so I quickly answered, "No."
After that, we ended up in a heated argument with the Production Team Leader, which escalated into a confrontation.
He stubbornly insisted that we had killed Li Jie, while we maintained our innocence. Eventually, the police from the town arrived.
After an investigation, the truth came to light: Li Jie had caught the Production Team Leader in a compromising position and was blackmailing him for a transfer to the city.
Moreover, he made even more outrageous demands. The Production Team Leader felt cornered and had no choice but to take drastic measures. He called Li Jie out under some pretense and then silenced him. Coincidentally, Fat Ma and I had disappeared at that time, making it easy for him to frame us.
In the end, everything was clarified. The police took the Production Team Leader away, clearing Fat Ma and me of any wrongdoing.
With everything settled, both Fat Ma and I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
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