Ancient tomb excavation traces

I noticed they had a pair of pincers-like tails, and my hair stood on end. Their tails were a bright red, and I wondered: if I were pinched by one of these things, would the pain be like having a rusty nail stuck in my flesh?

I swallowed hard, no longer able to pay attention to this creature I'd never seen before, because if I kept looking, the three of us might lose our lives here.

We ran like madmen, and when we glanced back at the six strange-faced figures, we found them standing silently in place, indistinguishable from the stone statues of human figures. At that moment, I suddenly felt that those stone statues were modeled after their own prototypes. And the reason they hadn't attacked and surrounded us was because they had complete confidence in these Gu worms.

I gritted my teeth. My strength was completely gone. If I had eaten some meat earlier, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state. The worst part was that the modified bag I was carrying wasn't the kind of hiking backpack we used to have. The grave-digging tools that were originally wrapped in cloth were swinging behind me, which really slowed down my escape.

"Giggle..." More sounds came from behind us, and I felt like they were right next to my ears.

I couldn't stand the humiliation of being chased by bugs, so I yelled at the young Taoist priest, "Running like this isn't going to work! Does this...do these things have any natural enemies?"

The young Taoist priest replied, "This is the first time I've seen this kind of Gu poison..."

Upon hearing the answer, I thought to myself: Does that mean all I can do is run?

Just as I was about to cry, a stench descended from the sky. Bao Cai, behind me, cried out in alarm, "Oh my god!"

I heard him shouting and looked up. There was more of that thing than before, and it had formed a thin red mist. If we were covered by it, we would be like those who feed on Gu poison, with holes left all over our bodies.

Just as we were about to feed the Gu worms, the young Taoist priest in front of us suddenly stopped and said, "You go first!"

After saying that, he hurriedly took off his Taoist robe. Bao Cai limped over to my side, but those things were relentless, determined to kill us. I watched as the young Taoist priest faced over a hundred Gu worms alone, and just as I was about to help him, he held up his robe and blocked our way, urging, "Go!"

I felt a surge of emotion and wondered why this person was so kind to us after we had just met. Just then, the red, foul-smelling insect mist attacked the young Taoist priest.

I had a bad feeling, but the young Taoist priest was unusually calm. I watched as he turned around and raised the robe in his hand, and the Gu worms crashed into it with a crackling sound.

Seeing an opportunity, the young Taoist priest spun around and pulled them inside! But there were so many Gu worms that a single garment was not enough to help. I saw that some of the creatures inside the robe had already crawled out of the folds, while others had spread their wings, ready to attack us. I hardened my heart, took out the lighter from my waist pouch, and set the young Taoist priest's robe on fire.

Although the large swarm of Gu worms was encased in the burning robes, the number of Gu worms in front of us didn't decrease. At that moment, the witch and the six masked figures were already before us. They stared at us menacingly, and I then noticed that the exposed chests of these Gu feeders also had insect holes!

I cursed inwardly, thinking to myself: No wonder there are more Gu worms than before, these people are treating themselves as living parasites! Their bodies are covered with these things, it's absolutely inhuman!

I felt nauseous. At that moment, something strange happened. The fire I had lit earlier had turned the little Taoist's clothes to ashes, but in the embers, I heard a "crackling" sound again... Then, one... two... After the thing had consumed its lust, it was completely unharmed, and its body was even redder than before.

Bao Cai and I looked at each other in bewilderment. The witch beside the deer looked down at us from above, while the insects around us swarmed around us.

We don't even have the right to confront them...

"Run!" I shouted as the arrow-like insects shot at us again, and the young Taoist priest quickly got up. In fact, I could have used a gun to deal with the masked man who controlled the Gu insects, but they were still human... I couldn't bring myself to do it. If Lao Tiao were here, he certainly wouldn't care about any of this.

Bao Cai was ahead of us this time, limping. The wound on his buttock seemed to have reopened when he ran so hard. I saw him covering it with his hand, and blood was seeping out between his fingers.

I didn't run ahead of Bao Cai, afraid that if he fell behind and I couldn't see him, it would be troublesome. However, because my speed had slowed down, the Gu worms were already in front of me. I took off my short shirt and kept swatting them away, but these things were much bigger than mosquitoes. After I dispersed them, they quickly swarmed back together, and it was endless.

What was most frustrating was that, at this moment, the exhausted Bao Cai tripped over the tangled tree roots, stumbled, and fell to the ground. Because our running energy hadn't diminished, the young Taoist priest and I had already overtaken him by half a body length. When we turned around, the Gu worm had formed a human shape and was approaching Bao Cai.

At that moment, I shouted anxiously, "Behind us!"

Upon hearing my voice, Bao Cai immediately turned around, his face contorted with fear. The young Taoist priest and I were also in trouble. I frantically shook my shirt, and in my panic, I saw Bao Cai reach out to swat away the things. I knew he had lost the ability to think and react, acting purely on instinct. I told him not to swat; if he got touched by these poisonous things, how could he possibly recover?

I couldn't care less anymore. For the sake of my brother, I drew the gun from my waist and fired at the swarm of insects. I guess the sound of the gunshot was too loud, because the insects suddenly stopped. Bao Cai was also frightened and muttered that I had shortened his lifespan.

I told him he was a heartless bastard, then grabbed him and started running backwards. But after only a couple of steps, the "giggle..." sound started up behind us again. I inwardly groaned.

Because the three of us were constantly running, they couldn't directly touch us. But I'm human, not a machine, and I eventually get tired... At this moment, I was panting heavily, and the oxygen in my brain was becoming increasingly scarce. I ran slower and slower, and then the worms, carrying a foul stench, caught up with me. Another one even grazed my ear. I tensed up and quickly dodged, but in my haste, I crashed into a tree trunk...

At that moment, I suddenly felt sorrow, thinking that I, a living, breathing person, had become prey for a bunch of tiny insects. Bao Cai called to me, "Get up quickly..." I responded weakly. He called twice. My gaze was tired as I looked at him. His face had changed, a sudden shock following anxiety.

I had a premonition of something, my back stiffened, and then a piercing pain shot through my arm, like it was being burned by fire. I screamed in agony. At that moment, the little Taoist rushed over, and Bao Cai hurriedly took off his clothes and ran behind me, constantly shaking off the gu worms that were buzzing around my head.

The young Taoist priest drew the Mongolian knife from my waist, and I asked him, "Is the situation very bad?"

He smiled at me and said that a venomous insect's tail had pinched a small wound on me.

Seeing his forced composure, I knew I was about to be killed, so I smiled faintly and said, "I'm about to die, so give me a quick explanation?"

The young Taoist priest didn't know what "Gua" meant, but he still understood what I meant. He said with a serious expression, "Half of the Gu worm has already burrowed into your flesh, and the surrounding skin is showing signs of ulceration." He wiped my Mongolian knife with his sleeve and said earnestly, "Bear with it, I'll help you remove it."

I nodded, feeling as if a scalding bullet had been embedded in my skin, and the wound began to itch, an itch that made me want to tear my flesh out.

Bao Cai was already at his limit; he kept urging us on. I bit my blouse, signaling the young Taoist to act. He nodded, and I saw his expression change as the knife tip pierced my flesh. Without a word, the young Taoist moved swiftly, flicking something bright red that flew out of my sight. I cried out in pain, the blouse falling from my mouth, my face drenched in sweat. Now, the thing, stained with blood, lay on its back, gurgling as if unsatisfied. Enraged, I raised my foot to stomp on it, but the young Taoist quickly stopped me, saying the thing might be corrosive.

My arm was in excruciating pain. This thing didn't seem fatal, but from what I knew about Gu worms, almost none of them could save a person from death. I suddenly wondered if this was just leaving me a breath, so that I would die in agony later.

The young Taoist priest helped me up and asked how I was. I managed a weak smile and said in a trembling voice, "It hurts so much, it's almost like dying. If I keep running, I'll probably die in a few steps. You guys go ahead..."

I was moved by my own greatness, and my nose started to sting a little. Bao Cai cursed, "Nonsense! You're Lao Chou's buddy. If you die here, that guy will definitely strangle me. We'll go together!"

Seeing Bao Cai's brave appearance, I felt a lump in my throat. I thought to myself, this guy always seems so afraid of death when he's in danger, but I never expected him to be so loyal in a critical moment.

I wanted to say that the situation was critical and that every life counted, but the young Taoist priest silently helped me run forward, and I was deeply moved. Bao Cai, limping behind, was using his short-sleeved shirt to swat at the Gu worms, muttering, "These worms seem to be getting fewer and fewer..."

Actually, I noticed these Gu worms flying backwards just now, but fewer doesn't mean none... and how could those people let us go so easily?

The truth is always cruel, and my idea was not wrong. At this moment, Bao Cai waved his hands, terrified, because the six strange-faced men reappeared. They were not far from us, cutting their hands with the knives they wore at their waists. A large swarm of Gu worms surrounded their bodies, looking greedy.

They might be a bloodthirsty flying gu, and they're not in a hurry to chase us now because they need to replenish their blood. Thinking this, I felt a pang of sympathy for the gu shaman who feeds them.

I really can't understand why they live like this. Is it because of their faith?

The witch held up her torch expressionlessly, watching as the docile deer beside her began to stir, as if about to attack us. I thought to myself, how come such a good-natured animal becomes so agitated in the hands of these strange people?

The three of us watched them and carefully backed away. We hadn't noticed because we were running too fast, but when we slowed down, we heard the sound of water. I was excited and thought to myself: there might be a mountain stream nearby! The young Taoist priest and I exchanged a glance, as if we had seen a glimmer of hope.

At this moment, the Miao witch uttered a few words in her native tongue, and the deer seemed to understand, pawing the ground a few times with its front legs. Whether it was my imagination or not, I noticed its eyes were veiled in a blood-red light, exuding a murderous aura! And so did the witch!

I observed the bizarre scene before me and, trying to stay alert, said to Bao Cai, "There are many trees here; if we run in a zigzag pattern, the deer won't be able to attack us head-on!"

Bao Cai responded and slowly retreated to my side, saying, "There's only one deer. If we split up, it definitely won't be able to figure it out."

I said okay, once we get to the mountain stream, we'll meet up and find a way to get rid of them. Bao Cai nodded, and the little Taoist priest agreed as well.