Chapter 001: The Affairs of the Catacombs

Mu Tu turned around abruptly and saw the clay figure standing at the entrance of the cave, his eyes suddenly wide open! A layer of mud on the corner of the clay figure's eye slowly cracked, and the fissures spread across its entire face, then extended down along its neck. ... In no time, the mud skin covering the clay figure began to crumble and peel away, revealing its delicate flesh beneath ...

During a tunnel collapse incident, Muthu inadvertently discovered a cavern hidden 600 meters underground

Mu Tu vaguely felt that this underground cave was indeed very strange; if he did not hurry to leave, he might encounter some ominous events. With this thought, he stood up, gritted his teeth, and strode forward.

Then the woman took the torn-off piece of skin, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing it vigorously. Mutu collapsed onto the ground and began to vomit. He then heard a sound from the woman's throat that resembled laughter, and when he looked up, he realized: the woman had no tongue in her mouth and was roaring with her mouth wide open. It was impossible to tell whether she was angry or laughing.

However, Mu Tu soon regretted his leniency: after the woman completely shed her outer layer of clay skin, she first smiled at Mu Tu. Just as Mu Tu's heart was fluttering, he saw the woman grab a handful of her brown hair and pull it hard, tearing away not only the hair but also the entire scalp.

But upon closer thought: that's not right, why is the sound of breathing I hear inconsistent with my own breathing rhythm? ... Could it be ...? ... That is simply not my own breathing sound?

Mutou reached out to touch the *book* again, but the furry thing he had felt earlier was no longer there. Immediately after, he heard several squeaks from nearby. Mutou felt much more at ease: it turned out he had touched a mouse. However, upon further reflection, he realized something was amiss. How could there be mice at a depth of five to six hundred meters underground? Old miners all knew that at a depth of thirty meters, mice could no longer be seen.

Realizing he had taken the wrong path, Mutu quickly turned around to retreat. To his surprise, just as he was about to reach the entrance of the cave, a clay figure was blocking the exit. Mutu felt as if his scalp was about to split: when he entered just moments ago, the entrance was perfectly fine, yet in the blink of an eye, how could such a clay figure have appeared?

Mutu slowly crouched down on the ground and casually picked up an object, which happened to be a bronze sword

Mutu was unaware that those characters have a specialized name in academia: inscriptions, also known as bronze inscriptions

That was an illegal gold mine that presented itself deceptively. The mine was excavated deeply, penetrating far into the mountain, and most people would not dare to venture into such a dark mine. Mu Tu, naturally bold and possessing great strength from his training, was further enticed by the high wages offered by the mine. Without a second thought, Mu Tu went to the Langshan Ditch at the foot of the Yinshan Mountains.

After taking a few steps back, Mu Tu sensed a strange odor in the surroundings. He could not quite describe what kind of smell it was, but it was something he had never encountered before, an uncomfortable and peculiar scent. It seemed that, in addition to the strange smell, there was also a rustling sound gradually approaching him.

To his astonishment, there stood a clay figure right in front of him. The clay figure was about the same height and build as himself. For some unknown reason, a layer of fine black hair had grown on the clay figure, similar to human body hair but denser. Even the lips of the clay figure were covered with a layer of black hair... However, Mutu soon felt a sense of horror: when his hand touched the chest of the clay figure, it felt warm; the texture was not as solid as he had imagined, but rather soft!

However, the underground palace before me seems to have been deliberately damaged, with many areas reduced to ruins and numerous white bones scattered on the ground. Some artifacts are crushed under stone hammers, shattered by the blows of the hammers. It is evident that fierce battles have taken place in this location

Mu Tu stared in astonishment at the entire process of the clay figurine's transformation. He had intended to stab it with a sword before the figurine fully transformed; however, after the transformation, the revealed eyes, cheeks, lips, and even the legs... turned out to be that of an extraordinarily beautiful woman. More importantly, the woman was completely unclothed, with not a single piece of modesty covering her, leaving nothing to the imagination. Mu Tu could hardly believe that such a bizarre phenomenon existed in the world. Faced with such a vividly alive object, how could he bring himself to act against it? More importantly, the woman was completely unclothed, with not a single piece of modesty covering her, leaving nothing to the imagination. Mu Tu could hardly believe that such a bizarre phenomenon existed in the world. Faced with such a vividly alive object, how could he bring himself to act against it?

Suddenly, it felt as if my lips had collided with something; both lips felt numb, as if many fine thorns were pricking them. Mu Tu extended a hand and pushed forward: his palm, neither skewed nor misaligned, just happened to touch something furry. At that moment, the miner's lamp on the safety helmet suddenly lit up

The more Mu Tu thought about it, the more anxious he became, especially with the layer of black hair growing on the clay figure, which became increasingly terrifying; Mu Tu began to quietly retreat, taking small steps backward... He also bumped into something behind him, and there was a strong, strange odor.

At that moment, the mining lamp on his head suddenly went out! Mu Tu turned around, gripping the bronze sword tightly, and thrust it forcefully; the bronze sword seemed to pierce into something, and only then could he pull it out with both hands

Mutu was daydreaming about picking up some treasures in the cave when the miner's lamp on his hat suddenly went out. It was at that moment that he realized how dire the situation was: the surroundings were pitch black, visibility was zero, and beneath his feet lay a chaotic array of bones and weapons, making it impossible to find a place to step; even more terrifying was the fact that he could not locate the exit of the cave.

At the moment he was about to stand up, a cool breeze swept past him... There was definitely something that had rushed by. Muthu immediately felt a chill run down his spine; whether it was a person or a ghost, it was somewhat better if it could be seen. The most terrifying thing was that it was completely invisible, leaving him to wonder what exactly was nearby.

Mutudun suddenly fell silent: the woman violently tossed her scalp to the ground, then from the top of her head, she grasped the flesh and pulled it downwards, completely peeling her facial skin off her face.

Could it be that this pottery figure can walk on its own

Due to the complete absence of light, Mutugen could not see the obstacles ahead. With each step, he lifted his feet high but landed with great caution. Despite this, he could not avoid producing various sounds from collisions, prompting Mutugen to tightly cover his ears with both hands

At the moment the bronze sword was drawn, a piercing scream echoed in his ears. Mu Tu was startled: was there someone behind him? Who could it be? At that moment, the mining lamp above him lit up again. To Mu Tu's astonishment, a clay figure stood before him, with a gash in its chest, blood gushing out. Mu Tu stared in shock, suddenly sensing a strange odor wafting from behind him.

Mutu is my close friend, who has served in both Hunan and Xinjiang. During a field military operation, he accidentally made an operational error and shelled a vineyard, injuring the owner. Since then, he has carried the disciplinary action and returned to his hometown.

In the eerie and terrifying cavern, numerous corpses and rusted bronze artifacts are scattered about. Among the identifiable items are bronze axes, bronze spears, bronze short swords, as well as some ornaments and plaques; the plaques are inscribed with characters that Mutu claims resemble an ancient script, similar to the oracle bone script discussed in high school textbooks.

Mutu gritted his teeth and hurriedly made his way towards the cave entrance. Initially, he had stumbled into this cave in a state of panic while in the collapsed air passage. Without much thought, he spotted an opening and crouched down to crawl inside. Little did he know, the tunnel grew deeper as he proceeded, winding through several turns, revealing numerous caverns before him. Each cavern was connected by narrow tunnels or suspended ladders, and the scale could even be considered as a vast underground palace.

But what is the use of regret? There are regulations in the mine: workers must be searched before going underground, and they cannot carry anything on their person—except for safety helmets and tools for work. Now, Muthu does not even have a lighter in hand; even a glimmer of light would be better than being in complete darkness.

Mutu tightly gripped the bronze sword, standing still in place, holding his breath and straining to listen, trying to catch any faint sound around him. However, after a long time, the surroundings remained eerily quiet, as if he could only hear the sound of his own breathing

Mutu's scalp was about to split open, and sweat began to trickle down his forehead along his cheeks

After returning home, due to that disciplinary action, Mu Tu changed jobs many times and faced repeated setbacks; reluctantly, he worked as a miner for a few years at a mine located at the foot of the Yin Mountain, alongside the village chief's brother-in-law.

Unable to endure such torment any longer, Mu Tu gritted his teeth and thought: I will go all out! Leaning forward, he placed both hands on the ground, raising his rear like a monkey, cautiously feeling his way ahead with his hands, slowly inching his body forward. After just a few steps, one hand touched something warm; upon closer inspection, it felt furry. Without a second thought, Mu Tu swung his bronze sword forward, striking empty air, then immediately slashed diagonally, yet still failed to hit anything. After just a few steps, one hand touched something warm; upon closer inspection, it felt furry. Without a second thought, Mu Tu swung his bronze sword forward, striking empty air, then immediately slashed diagonally, yet still failed to hit anything.

Mutu, while groping his way backward, began to secretly regret that he should not have ventured into the cave alone

Allow me to introduce myself: My surname is Guo, and my given name is Shaoqian; I am from Chang'an County, Shaanxi Province