Chapter 055: Submerged in Blood

This was an unsettling matter to begin with, and recounting it deep within these remote mountains only made it more chilling. Yet, when Bi the Fatty spoke of the woman bathing, he swallowed hard, distracting Li Tianque from the story. He chuckled and said, “Brother, these stories are just internet rumors. You know how the web is these days—everyone loves to stir things up, especially with these short pieces. As for how true it is, well, that remains to be seen.”

“Well, if you really don’t believe it, there’s nothing I can do. Guess I’ll be on my way then. But let’s add each other as friends. It’s fate that we met out here, I’ll buy you a drink next time!” Bi the Fatty shuffled his hefty body and stood up.

“Alright, let me scan your code.”

The two began to exchange contact info. Just then, Li Tianque heard a strange noise by the well, as if someone was pouring a handful of pebbles down it. He was immediately startled to see the frame holding the rope outside the well begin to shake, and to his shock, the rope itself snapped.

“This is bad!” Li Tianque rushed to the well, not even finishing Bi’s friend request.

Near the mouth of the well, just as he peered down, he suddenly felt the ground shift beneath him—whether it was inertia or something else, his body pitched forward, almost tumbling straight into the well.

Luckily, Bi the Fatty was quick despite his size; he grabbed Li Tianque just in time.

“Hey, what’s with you? Why are you so panicked?”

“Isn’t it obvious? My companion is still down there! The rope’s broken!” Li Tianque exclaimed.

Bi the Fatty pulled out a high-powered flashlight from his backpack and shone it into the well, saying, “Relax, maybe she just wasn’t careful with the safety rope and accidentally snapped it. Should be fine, you see those ladder rungs along the wall? If she wants to climb out, she can use them!”

Li Tianque followed the beam downward. A wave of cold air rushed up, chilling him to the bone. He saw the ladder Bi mentioned—each rung a rectangular iron frame, rusted through and stretching downward.

It struck Li Tianque as odd. He didn’t know what this well was for, but surely it wouldn’t have such a ladder. This wasn’t a sewer well; who would dig a sewer in the mountains?

On closer inspection, the soil wedged in the stone cracks around the well was a strange reddish-brown, and the rocks near the opening were streaked with the same hue, resembling ancient blood stains.

What baffled him most was, how much blood and for how long would it take to stain the stone itself? It simply defied reason.

“Did you bring a radio?” Bi the Fatty asked.

Li Tianque shook his head. “Of course not. There’s probably no cell signal down there either.”

He realized then he didn’t even have Wu Miaoran or Duan Xiaoyu’s numbers. He quickly found Lü Mou’s number, intending to call him and ask for their contacts.

Yet, as soon as he pulled out his phone, he saw a big X over the signal bars—there was no signal at all.

“Man, you guys are amateurs. Coming out here for a rescue without a radio? But to be fair, this damned mountain is weird. Even our radios don’t work here, which is how I got separated from the rest of my team,” Bi the Fatty grumbled.

The flashlight’s beam was swallowed by the darkness, and the bottom of the well offered nothing but waves of frigid air.

Aside from the grimy walls and the rusted ladder, there was nothing else to see.

Li Tianque shouted down toward the well, “Wu Miaoran! Are you alright?”

He called several times, but there was no answer, making him even more anxious.

Bi the Fatty was surprised when he heard Li Tianque calling out. “What? Wu Miaoran? You let a woman go down there alone? Damn, that’s low!”

“That’s not the point right now. We need to find help—let’s go!” Li Tianque couldn’t waste any more time. He wasn’t sure if Wu Miaoran was safe, but he had to let Lü Mou know what was happening.

“Uh, right…” Bi the Fatty hesitated, then followed.

As they spoke, another eerie sound echoed from the well. It started as countless pebbles tumbling and colliding, then intensified, merging into a rushing sound of water.

“Wait… is the water rising?” Bi the Fatty stared wide-eyed, turning his flashlight to full power.

Li Tianque caught a strong, metallic scent in the air—blood, thick and overpowering. The water below grew louder, and soon, a reflection appeared at the edge of Bi’s light beam, creeping closer.

“Damn, the water really is rising…”

Li Tianque’s heart skipped a beat. He didn’t know what was happening below, but with so much water surging up, Wu Miaoran was in grave danger, possibly doomed to drown.

Swimming up inside a well was nearly impossible due to the pressure—and if there was a dead pool below, her chances of survival were almost nil.

“Damn, it’s getting closer! Get back!” Bi the Fatty shouted, pushing Li Tianque aside.

They both retreated, just as the ancient well spewed water, gurgling upward. Both men were stunned.

The water wasn’t ordinary—it was foul, bloody water.

Murky, stinking blood flowed slowly, rhythmically, just enough to spill over the well’s mouth and trickle down the walls and surrounding rocks, eerily strange.

“We’re screwed… Wu Miaoran must be in real danger now. The two of us can’t handle this. We need to get help!” Bi the Fatty said.

“Yes.”

Li Tianque knew things were dire, so he quickly started up the mountain.

But they hadn’t gone far when a thick mist inexplicably rose around them, covering the sun and blanketing the entire valley. Within the fog, chilling laughter echoed.

Li Tianque’s heart tightened. It was already noon, the sun should be overhead, and even on a cloudy day, there shouldn’t be such dense mist at this hour. It was unsettling.

Even stranger, the sounds from every direction were mournful and desperate, like the imprisoned souls beneath the earth struggling to break free, leaving a prickling unease.

Bi the Fatty heard it too, his hair nearly standing on end. “Damn, this place really is haunted! Li Tianque, look! Look at the cliff wall!”

Li Tianque was startled and immediately looked where Bi pointed.

He glanced up—and was shocked.

End of this chapter. Happy reading!