Chapter 17: The Corpse Bride

The woman sat motionless, as if she had been waiting for us for a thousand years. The moment I saw her, an inexplicable sadness welled up in my heart, as if my chest was being squeezed tight. The sorrow was so overwhelming that I had the urge to cry... In such an eerie place, the sudden appearance of a woman dressed in a crimson wedding gown would have scared any ordinary person senseless. However, Uncle Li and Luo Hai were not ordinary people. They remained calm, carefully observing her without making any rash moves. Time passed by, and I noticed that the woman still hadn't moved. She showed no reaction to our presence. Her head was covered with a red veil, preventing us from seeing her face. "She's not alive," Luo Hai was the first to break the silence. Uncle Li nodded. "Indeed. There's no trace of life on her. But her attire is too strange. Everyone, stay on guard." Luo Hai, being an expert tomb raider, had seen countless corpses in his time. He took out a telescopic baton, flicked it open, and cautiously approached the eerie bride… Everyone was so tense that they held their breath, but their heartbeats quickened. In such a silent space, I could clearly hear the pounding of our hearts. I couldn't stand the oppressive atmosphere anymore, so I took a step forward to follow Luo Hai and get a closer look at the woman. But just as I moved, Ding Yi grabbed my arm. "The situation is unclear. With your skills, you shouldn't rush in recklessly," he said. I rolled my eyes at him. Though I felt a little indignant, I had to admit he was right. With my lack of combat skills, if something went wrong, I'd be the first to die. Ding Yi held me back, but he himself followed Luo Hai, cautiously approaching the red-clad woman. "Be careful," I muttered anxiously. Just as Luo Hai's baton was about to lift the red veil, a sudden urgent voice rang out from behind us— "Don't touch her!" We were all startled and immediately turned to look in the direction of the voice. It wasn't any of us who had spoken! Uncle Li had the sharpest eyes. He immediately spotted a shadowy figure standing in a dark corner beyond the reach of the lanterns. "Who's there? Come out!" Uncle Li barked. The figure hesitated for a moment but eventually stepped out of the darkness. When I saw his face, I was utterly shocked! I instinctively turned to look at Uncle Li and saw that his expression was just as astonished as mine. It was a middle-aged man wearing glasses and a blue-gray work uniform. His face was pale, his skin cracked from dehydration. "Who are you? Why are you here? And why don't you want us to touch her?" Zhao Qiang asked cautiously. The middle-aged man, his voice weak, replied, "I'm a member of a scientific expedition team. While searching for water, I got separated from my group. Then a massive sandstorm hit, and I lost my way. I eventually stumbled upon this place, hoping to find some drinkable water." Zhao Qiang and the others seemed to lower their guard upon hearing his explanation. However, I was still highly skeptical. I exchanged a glance with Uncle Li, but he subtly shook his head, signaling me to stay put for now. Suppressing my doubts, I feigned composure and asked, "Uncle, why did you say we shouldn't touch this woman?" The man adjusted his glasses and pointed to the side of the red-clad woman. "Look from this angle…" Luo Hai immediately shone his flashlight in that direction, and we all gasped in horror—thin, vine-like tendrils were growing out of the woman's body, creeping all the way up to her face beneath the veil. "What… what is this?" Luo Hai asked, his voice laced with shock. The middle-aged man pulled out a notebook from his bag, flipped through a few pages, and then explained, "This is an ancient species of spore plant dating back to the Cretaceous period. It completes its life cycle by parasitizing animal hosts. "Look, the tendrils extending into the veil have dormant spores on them. If anyone touches the veil, the spores will be released instantly. Once inhaled, a person will die within twelve hours. Their body will then remain perfectly preserved, just like this corpse, until another living creature comes along and touches it. Then the cycle repeats." Everyone was horrified. We had narrowly avoided disaster—if Luo Hai had touched the veil, none of us would have survived at this distance. "How do you know this plant is lethal?" Zhao Qiang asked skeptically. The middle-aged man adjusted his glasses again. "I'm a biologist. This is my area of expertise. Although I've never encountered this species in real life before, I can infer its properties from the murals on the walls." Hearing this, we all turned to the walls and finally noticed the intricate carvings covering them. Each mural was exquisitely detailed, but I struggled to piece together the full story they told. The first mural depicted a strange figure—part human, part fish—emerging from the sea. In the second, this same being wore human clothing and was engaged in farming. I noticed Uncle Li furrowing his brows as he studied the murals. Curious, I asked, "Uncle Li, can you understand what these murals are saying?" Instead of answering, Uncle Li politely turned to the middle-aged man. "Can you interpret them?" The man nodded. "I can understand about seventy to eighty percent." And so, he began to recount the story depicted on the walls— According to the murals, the ancestors of this place were once sea-dwelling creatures known as merfolk. However, due to geological changes, the sea dried up, forcing them to migrate onto land. Over time, they adapted and integrated with human society, becoming indistinguishable from regular people. Although they had moved onto land, the merfolk still couldn't survive without water. After a long and arduous search, they finally found the original site of this ancient city, which had an underground water source. But just when they thought they had secured their survival, something terrifying happened. The first few merfolk who went to fetch water died suddenly. However, those who went in afterward remained unharmed. This strange phenomenon occurred every seven years. Eventually, they came to believe that the underground water was guarded by a "Water God." If they wanted to use the water, they had to offer a human sacrifice every seven years. Then, one day, fire rained from the sky. The entire land was engulfed in flames. The merfolk, seeking refuge in the underground water, were the only ones who survived. The firestorm raged for seven days and nights. When the flames finally died down, the merfolk emerged to find that the land was now covered in countless black stones of various sizes…