Chapter 065: Your Soul Betrayed You

What exactly was that? Did his eyes deceive him?

Li Tianque rubbed his eyes and peered intently at the terrifying hanging ghost. The shadow flickered, exuding a chilling, dreadful aura.

Gazing at the horrific apparition suspended in midair, Li Tianque quickly realized something was amiss. Even if this thing was a hanged ghost, no normal person could have such a long tongue—it looked almost as if a belt dangled from its mouth.

Bi, the chubby man, stared at Li Tianque in bewilderment, his voice tinged with confusion. “Hey, what’s wrong with you? Did you see a ghost or something?”

Li Tianque swallowed hard, murmuring, “I’m afraid... I really did see a ghost.”

“What? You saw a ghost? What nonsense are you spouting?” Bi looked in the direction Li Tianque was staring, even more perplexed.

“You don’t see that shadow?” Li Tianque asked in astonishment, turning to Bi Youqian.

Bi scratched his head and glanced again where Li Tianque was looking. “There’s nothing there! Don’t try to scare me! Let me tell you, I’ve encountered more weird things in the rescue team than you’ve had hot meals. These tricks of yours won’t work on me.”

Li Tianque fixed his gaze on the hanged ghost floating in the air, and suddenly, it dawned on him. He touched his beret. Though he wasn’t sure if the black iodine inside had already evaporated, based on the difference in what he and Bi could see, he was almost certain—the seal in his mind seemed to have been lifted.

At this moment, Li Tianque realized he could once again see the ghostly shadows of others. He could see the shadow of death!

Taking a deep breath, Li Tianque couldn’t tell if the return of this strange ability was a blessing or a curse. But at least one thing was certain—there was definitely someone alive nearby, and that person was most likely hiding inside the tall, dark building ahead.

The hanged ghost floating in the air must be the death shadow of that person.

With that thought, Li Tianque roughly deduced the identity of the ghost. It should be the very same Wu Liangjin that Yang Tianshu mentioned in his diary!

According to the diary, Wu Liangjin’s tongue had grown unnaturally long after years of tasting soil and rocks, which matched the grotesque figure before him perfectly.

Lowering his voice, Li Tianque whispered to Bi, “It’s nothing. I must’ve been seeing things. Let’s turn off the flashlights and sneak up quietly. I suspect there might be someone on top of that ruin.”

“Really? That’s great!” Bi said, excitement in his voice.

“That might not be a good thing. You’ve seen all the traps hidden in this cave. They seem designed to keep outsiders away—but that’s just one possibility.”

“What do you mean? These traps are for more than keeping people out?” Bi Youqian asked, surprised.

“Exactly. They might also be meant to prevent someone from escaping. Either way, anyone who set up these traps isn’t someone to be trifled with. We can’t rule out that the one hiding up there is the trap-setter.”

“You mean the guy up there made those strange rocks?” Bi was astonished.

“It’s possible. So let’s move carefully. The light from my phone will do.”

Bi nodded, switching off the lamp on his power bank.

Darkness pressed in, and the limited glow from Li Tianque’s phone flashlight barely illuminated a small area, making the two of them seem enveloped in a fragile halo of light, beyond which darkness threatened to flood in at any moment.

Cautious, one behind the other, they edged forward. When they reached the base of the massive shadow, Li Tianque caught a strong scent of rust mixed with earth—a smell that wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

He saw that the light from his phone revealed a series of codes painted in red—probably some kind of serial number. The paint must have helped stave off the rust, allowing the markings to remain legible after so many years.

Scanning their surroundings, Li Tianque realized the metal hulk in front of them was spindle-shaped, with two giant, triangular wings jutting out from beneath it. The wings, however, were broken and bent, misshapen and covered in stones and mud, with blotches of rust swelling up here and there.

Meeting each other’s gaze, both instantly understood what the enormous black mass was.

“Hey, look at this—turns out this rusty lump is a wrecked airplane!” Bi exclaimed in surprise.

“It really is. Let’s find a way into the cabin. That person must be nearby,” Li Tianque replied in a low voice.

Looking up, he saw that, though the area was shrouded in darkness, the death shadow remained vividly clear, as if it emitted its own eerie light.

Observing the ghost’s movements, Li Tianque guessed that Wu Liangjin had already sensed their approach. The shadow bobbed up and down, as if its owner were either preparing to flee or, perhaps, about to die, drawing the death shadow ever closer to its host.

Whatever the case, Li Tianque knew he had to find Wu Liangjin first.

The two of them climbed up the side of the plane, one following the other. Li Tianque noticed that the death shadow hadn’t moved far—it was hovering again, almost stationary.

Judging by its position, Wu Liangjin was hiding no more than five meters away. Both Li Tianque and Bi were exhausted. Bi had wanted to use his climbing pick, but Li Tianque stopped him, so he had to climb with his bare hands, nearly slipping several times.

Seeing the ghost shadow motionless, Li Tianque knew Wu Liangjin must have noticed them, perhaps even spotted their exact position. Earlier, Wu Liangjin’s shifting had likely been to check their approach, searching for an opportunity to ambush them.

The thought brought a smile to Li Tianque’s face. Wu Liangjin had no idea his soul had already left his body—and that his wandering spirit had already betrayed his presence.

There was no need to hide anymore. Li Tianque called out loudly to Bi, “Hey, brother, false alarm! Looks like there’s no one up here after all. I must’ve mistaken it for a mountain rat!”

Hearing this, Bi let out a long sigh of relief, just about to respond when he saw Li Tianque winking at him in the beam of the flashlight.

A seasoned old hand, Bi paused but quickly caught on. Wiping sweat from his brow, he brought his climbing pick down hard on the iron plate ahead and said, panting, “Scared me half to death—almost didn’t dare breathe! Just a rat, huh?”

“Yeah, if there were someone here, we’d have heard something by now. Must’ve been a mistake,” Li Tianque replied, feigning nonchalance.

Bi switched his lamp back on and noticed the cockpit wasn’t far away. He pointed and said, “Look, the cockpit’s right there! Let’s check it out!”

“Alright!” Li Tianque responded, hurrying toward the cockpit, all the while catching the death shadow floating high behind them from the corner of his eye.

They approached the cockpit, finding the protective glass long since shattered. Just as they were about to peer inside, the scene illuminated by their flashlight made them jump in shock—and Bi let out a terrified scream.

(End of this chapter)