Raise the body

At this moment, we finally beheld the complete appearance of the corpse soldiers. It was a towering ancient corpse, with a desiccated and contorted face, adorned in tattered armor. The muscles had somewhat atrophied, presenting an eerie bluish-purple hue. Despite this, the skeletal frame was unusually large, undoubtedly indicating its past as a formidable warrior.

The ancient corpse took massive strides, nearly crossing the space in front of me with a single step, accompanied by the peculiar stench that assailed our senses.

Big Head turned around and pulled me, saying, "This creature is no ordinary foe. Why stand there idly? A man facing outward while relieving himself in an outhouse is not one to adopt such a straightforward approach." He dragged me, making the ancient corpse miss its target. The corpse roared in frustration and then lunged again.

This pull brought me back to my senses. I hurriedly crawled away, and Big Head pointed to the door on the left, saying, "Go this way."

Though the ancient corpse seemed robust, it appeared less agile due to just awakening. We only needed to pass through this door and maneuver a few times to evade it. However, I noticed that Big Head hadn't caught up. I urgently called out, "Why aren't you running?"

Big Head, waving his hand dismissively, curiously asked, "Look, what is it trying to do?"

I looked over, surprised to see the ancient corpse not chasing us but instead slowly retreating. I remarked, "Perhaps it's tired and wants to rest its legs."

Zhao Min countered, "No, this is bad. If it wakes up the other coffins, we're in trouble."

As I observed, I realized Zhao Min was right. The ancient corpse wasn't heading for its own coffin but was directed toward the others. Anxiously, I said, "Attack together; we must not let it awaken other ancient corpses."

Big Head, clenching his teeth, said, "Damn it, I can handle ordinary sticky rice dumplings, but this ghostly thing is invulnerable. Approaching it is like delivering one's head on a platter."

Now the situation became tricky. Neither retreating nor advancing was an option. Zhao Jun sighed, "Even a few bamboo poles could lock it down."

Zhao Jun's mention of bamboo pole restraints was not unfamiliar to me. It was a method used in Guangxi to capture zombies. Several villagers would each use a long bamboo pole to lock the zombie's neck. Since the zombie's joints couldn't bend, it would spin in place, allowing others to kill it.

Finding bamboo poles on this desolate ground was impossible. I looked around and, in a moment of inspiration, realized a viable solution. I suggested, "There's a way. Look at those hemp ropes beside the coffins. Those ropes are soaked in tung oil, preserving them and making them sturdy. If we stretch the ropes tight, it's similar to using bamboo poles."

"That's the plan. I'll distract it, and you guys hurry," Big Head declared. He then ran towards the ancient corpse, shouting, "Hey, here's a hill with eighteen turns, and here's a waterway with nine linked rings…"

As expected, the ancient corpse was attracted by his antics, growling and chasing after him. Big Head, initially dancing around, sprinted when he saw the speed of the approaching ancient corpse.

Frowning, I said, "This is bad. The joints on the ancient corpse are loosening. We won't be able to outrun it once it's fully recovered."

Seeing the ancient corpse being lured away by Big Head, Zhao Min swiftly rushed out, demonstrating surprisingly fast agility. I sighed inwardly, realizing I couldn't match this woman in terms of skill.

"Not good!" Zhao Jun exclaimed. I looked over and saw Big Head falling to the ground. Just as he was about to get up using the "Donkey Hoof Twist," he struggled due to his large belly. Zhao Min had already reached the ancient corpse, and she drew her short knife, aiming for its skull. However, the ancient corpse's skin was highly hardened, preventing the blade from penetrating. This action only angered the ancient corpse, which turned to roar at her and lunged forward.

Undeterred, Zhao Min did not retreat. In the moment of passing the ancient corpse, she threw the hemp rope to Big Head. Simultaneously, she wielded her knife and thrust it into the back of the ancient corpse's head. Although the blade didn't pierce, it infuriated the ancient corpse. It turned around to roar at her and lunged towards her with quick, aggressive steps.

Zhao Min showed no signs of backing down. In the moment of interaction with the ancient corpse, she tossed the rope to Big Head and, with a graceful Iron Bridge move, evaded the ancient corpse's attack.

Big Head, displaying some wit, took the rope and ran towards Zhao Min. The two of them, passing each other, entangled the ancient corpse in the middle. Zhao Jun and I joined the effort, circling around the ancient corpse from another direction. Each of us held a part of the rope, trapping the ancient corpse in the middle.

No matter which way the ancient corpse tried to move, the other three of us held the rope, keeping it confined. The ancient corpse howled in frustration.

Seeing the effectiveness, Big Head triumphantly said, "I told you, this is something we can boast about. While others walk their pets, we walk corpses."

But before he could enjoy his moment, the ancient corpse directly charged towards him. We three quickly pulled back, and I felt a bit anxious. The standoff wasn't a solution. The ancient corpse struggled several times, making us exhausted.

Just as I was about to express my concern, the rope in my hand suddenly lightened. Wondering what happened, I realized that the ancient corpse was now turning towards Zhao Min. This unexpected turn of events caught us off guard, and Zhao Jun and I had no choice but to exert force in our positions. Due to the reduced resistance on the side where the ancient corpse was, coupled with its strong force, we were almost overpowered.

Just as I was about to voice my worries, the rope in my hand suddenly lightened. Wondering what happened, I saw the ancient corpse, originally charging towards Big Head, suddenly redirecting its attack towards Zhao Min. This unexpected turn of events caught us off guard, and Zhao Jun and I had no choice but to exert extra force to maintain our positions. Due to the reduced resistance on the side where the ancient corpse was, coupled with its formidable strength, we were almost overwhelmed.

Already depleted of energy from the intense struggle, I lunged forward, and the ancient corpse, in turn, charged towards me. In that moment of impending danger, a powerful force collided with my waist, sending me flying. Although my waist ached, I managed to perform a somersault on the ground, evading the ancient corpse's attack.

Lifting my head, I saw Zhao Jun in the spot where I had been moments ago, his hands supporting the ancient corpse's jaw, preventing it from biting down. A wave of relief washed over me. If it weren't for him, that bite might have landed on my neck.

Big Head also snapped back to reality, pulling out his dagger and approaching Zhao Jun. I was alarmed and shouted, "What are you

 doing?"