After Skyfall

The parking lot on the second basement level was vast.

Li Yi walked alone on the muddy ground; his body tensed and he stayed alert to his surroundings.

Knowing full well that this place is haunted and many have died here, these people still insist on acting alone. It looks like they’ve made up their minds to risk their lives. Crow is truly ruthless, promising such tempting rewards. Who can resist that?

Initially, they just wanted to make a few thousand bucks, but now they’re willing to risk their lives. Even I can’t resist the temptation to seek Artifacts in such circumstances.

After all, this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Everyone is desperate to advance.

As Li Yi wandered around with his flashlight, he let his thoughts drift.

The flashlight’s beam could only illuminate a limited area, and the search was further complicated by the abandoned structures and supporting columns obstructing his view.

More importantly, Li Yi had no idea what he was supposed to be looking for.

He did not recognise Artifacts.

While it’s still safe, I’ll just take a quick look around and then head back. I won’t go too far and risk getting lost. I’m content with earning a bit of money this time. I can’t risk my life for some unknown Artifact. Whatever others decide to do is their business; I can’t let myself be blindly swept along.

Feeling somewhat calmer now, Li Yi slowed his pace.

After walking a bit further, he felt he had covered enough ground and decided not to venture deeper.

He swept his flashlight left and right. If nothing unusual appeared, he planned to turn back.

But soon, Wei Li’s voice echoed from the darkness not far away.

“I think I’ve found something here. I’m not sure what it is, but it seems unusual. If you’re interested, come take a look.”

“You found something? Great, I’m on my way,” responded Wang Hu.

Zhang Kaiwen added, “Wait for me; I’ll be right there.”

Several beams of light began converging in one direction through the darkness.

It’s not far from me. I should check it out. If I don’t get any useful information, I probably won’t get paid. Li Yi’s curiosity piqued as he cautiously moved towards the source of the voices.

Quickly, the group gathered in one area.

Though they were still far apart, their flashlights all pointed in the same direction.

There, a slightly raised mound stood. It appeared to have been excavated long ago, with broken tombstones scattered around it and some ritual items lying nearby. This damaged grave was peculiar—it did not seem to belong to this world. Instead, it resembled a newly unearthed ancient tomb.

“Is that my imagination?” Li Yi wondered aloud, shining his flashlight on the mound. He noticed a faint halo surrounding the area, but as soon as he moved the beam away, the halo vanished into the darkness.

“It’s not an illusion. Something is definitely unusual over there.”

Li Yi’s heart, which had calmed earlier, began to pound once more.

Could this be the Artifact they mentioned?
He was not sure.

But the mound was not far away, and a closer look would clear any doubts.

And he was not the only one with this thought.

Yet, at this moment, everyone tacitly agreed not to act rashly. Wei Li’s flashlight was not pointed at the mound but at the ground around it.

There, eerie, mud-covered human arms were growing out of the earth, twisted and deformed—a grotesque sight. The closer to the mound, the more arms there were. Even more terrifying was the faint movement of something wriggling in the mud.

No wonder Wei Li didn’t dare move forward.

Li Yi’s heart tightened with a chilling premonition. He sensed that if they stepped into the area ahead, they would face unimaginable and horrific attacks.

As ordinary people, their chances of surviving such an ordeal were slim to none.

It was clear that Wei Li’s warning was not out of kindness—he did not have the confidence to cross the dangerous area himself and needed others to help test the waters.

“The path is right in front of us. The risk is high, but so is the reward. It’s up to you to decide,” Wei Li said slowly, wiping his glasses. “If we turn back now, getting the remaining hundred thousand yuan is a sure thing. But think carefully before making your choice.”

The group fell quiet, caught in a moment of silence.

They were hesitating, but also waiting for someone to take the lead.

Meanwhile, on the first floor of the building…

A tall woman stood in an abandoned room, eyes closed, completely motionless.

She had been in this position for some time. Suddenly, a smile appeared on her lips. “They’ve safely reached the core area. I figured out their location from the sounds. So far, none of the five have died. My earlier assumption was correct: ordinary people aren’t targeted by the vengeful spirits roaming downstairs.”

“Because they haven’t awakened their psychic abilities—they can’t see the ghosts—and so they won’t be attacked. For us practitioners, who can see things invisible to ordinary people, entering the first basement level means immediate assault by numerous ghosts. The second basement is even more densely packed with them. If we tried to charge in, it would be a massacre,” Crow said in a low voice.

“Just thinking about the countless vengeful spirits around those five makes my hair stand on end. But sometimes, I envy them. Not seeing means not fearing. Without that fear, they could easily reach the core area. Otherwise, they would’ve been scared out of their wits long ago.”

The tall woman continued, “Avoiding the unseen ghost attacks is just the first step. The entity there is no simple matter; it has already become an earthbound spirit*. Getting close to it would be deadly.”

“These guys are pretty sharp and cautious. They won’t approach recklessly; they’ll probably just take a quick look and snap a photo before leaving,” Crow mused.

“That works too. As long as I have a photo, I can pinpoint the exact location. Then I can gather a few friends and make another attempt. If we move quickly, retrieving the object won’t be difficult,” the woman said. Suddenly, she let out a soft exclamation.

“What is it?”

Her eyes snapped open. “Damn it! Wang Hu is trying to snatch something from the earthbound spirit. His actions have caused the entire area to erupt in a frenzy of restless spirits. We can’t stay here any longer. We need to leave this building now, or we’ll get caught up in it too.”

“Those five are doomed,” Crow said, his face paling.

The two swiftly retreated from the dangerous area, instructing their subordinates to keep their distance as well.

At this moment, in the second basement level of the underground parking lot.

Wang Hu charged forward, leaping with precision to land on what should have been a muddy surface. But instead of sinking, he found solid footing on a car buried beneath the mud.

The car served as his stepping stone, allowing him to quickly approach the lonely grave.

However, his actions set off a series of terrifying reactions.

“Ah! Ah!”

Agonised wails echoed through the darkness. In the soft mud, numerous twisted, grotesque corpses began to writhe, their mouths open in silent screams, expressions of agony etched on their faces. They inched relentlessly towards Wang Hu, and the mud-covered arms started to sway like grass in the wind, reaching out to grab anything they could touch.

“What the hell are these things?”

The sight was terrifying.

Wang Hu leapt again, narrowly avoiding a terrifying arm thrusting out from the mud. But this time, his luck failed him. The parking spot ahead was empty, with no car buried beneath the mud.

In an instant, his towering figure sank nearly halfway in.

His movements slowed; nearby corpses in the mud writhed and struggled, surging towards him. In just a few seconds, terrifying figures surrounded Wang Hu, threatening to drag him into the mud and swallow him whole.

“Move! Damn it, move!”

He roared, his muscles tensing to their limits. With an immense will to survive, he unleashed unimaginable strength.

Miraculously, Wang Hu broke free from the mud’s grasp, swiftly climbing onto the roof of a nearby car.

Yet the danger was far from over, as even more corpses began to swarm towards him.

However, at this moment, Wei Li took action. He cautiously stepped through the soft mud, aiming to reach the lone tomb as quickly as possible.

The horrifying corpses in the mud were all drawn towards Wang Hu, presenting an opportunity for Wei Li.

“My life’s already in ruins; if I don’t take this chance now, when?” Zhang Kaiwen immediately took off his shoes, attempting to cross this dangerous zone before him.

At this moment, all three of them were gambling with their lives.

To go or not to go?

Li Yi pondered swiftly. He was tempted because the path before him had cars to use as stepping stones, and the nearby corpses in the mud were being drawn away by others.

He was confident he could safely cross this dangerous zone and reach the vicinity of the lone tomb.

But that was all he knew.

He did not know if there were dangers in the tomb, if there really was an Artifact, or if he could safely return. But he did not continue thinking much of them.

Because in the next moment, he dashed out as well.

I want to advance too.

(End of Chapter)

——

*TL’s note:

Earthbound Spirit is a vengeful creature formed by the spirits of fallen warriors, that drags anyone who dares approach it into the deepest bowels of the earth.

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