Chapter 53

Luo Ci's parrot, startled, flew into the air. Luo Ci lowered her voice and called out, "Xiao Ying, Xiao Ying." The parrot paid no attention and flew away into the distance.

Zhou Huaizhong impatiently shouted, "Forget about it."

Luo Ci reluctantly responded, looking very unwilling but not arguing.

The six of them quickly returned to the back courtyard and walked straight into the yard. The doors of the three large houses were all open, and inside, there were coffins, their lids pushed to the side. At the entrance of each large house, four or five people stood motionless.

The six flashlights shone on their faces simultaneously. These people had wooden expressions, stiff facial muscles, and wide, staring eyes that were straight and vacant, as if they saw nothing. They exuded a deathly aura, giving a cold and eerie feeling.

"Zombies!"

The two words popped into the minds of the six people. An invisible cold wind suddenly blew through the courtyard, making them shiver, their scalps tingle, and their bodies feel cold.

This scene was truly unbelievable, but the appearance of these people left them no choice but to believe they were zombies.

The whistle from the front courtyard suddenly sounded again, this time more urgent. With the sound of the whistle, the zombies suddenly raised their hands and hopped towards the six people.

Seeing this, Xu Mo felt even more chilled. At the same time, he heard a 'clicking' sound beside him. Turning his head, he saw Luo Ci, her teeth chattering, her face pale like a corpse.

"Quick, retreat!" Zhou Huaizhong shouted. If they were people, he wouldn't be afraid even if there were more. But how could they fight zombies?

In the midst of the crisis, Xu Mo suddenly called out, "They are being controlled. We need to catch the person blowing the whistle."

Zhou Huaizhong was delighted and shouted, "Xiao Xu is right. Let's go to the front courtyard and catch that person. Without control, these zombies are useless."

Without finishing his sentence, he led the way to the front courtyard, and the others hurriedly followed. Luo Ci, terrified, found it hard to move her feet and remained rooted to the spot.

In a moment of urgency, Xu Mo grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. After a few steps, Luo Ci came to her senses, took a deep breath, and said, "Thank you, Brother Xu," though she was still very afraid.

The person blowing the whistle seemed to have anticipated their intentions. As soon as Xu Mo and the others entered the front courtyard, the person walked out and headed towards the back courtyard through the corridor on the right.

The six followed the sound of the whistle. Suddenly, the whistle changed, and the zombies split into two groups. One group chased from behind, while the other turned around and returned to block the corridor, meeting the person blowing the whistle.

Xu Mo thought, "Not good! If this continues, we'll be trapped in the corridor by these zombies."

He wanted to say something, but Zhou Huaizhong, full of anger and determined to catch the person, couldn't be persuaded. Xu Mo had no choice but to follow them.

The zombies moved slowly but pursued relentlessly. The six quickened their pace, following the sound of the whistle. Soon, they saw a small figure ahead.

The person looked back, seemed to panic, and ran faster. The whistle sounded more urgently, and the zombies' speed increased.

The zombies in front came forward, and the person ran through them, turned back, sneered, and changed the whistle again. The zombies on both sides moved forward, trapping Xu Mo and the others in the middle.

The zombies extended their arms and attacked Xu Mo and the others. The person turned and fled, disappearing in a moment.

Xu Mo thought, "Trouble!"

Not knowing what to do, Zhou Huaizhong shouted, "Fight!" He raised his machete and charged at the zombies, swinging it at one of them. The zombie didn't dodge and was hit on the head, blood splattering. Zhou Huaizhong, being too close, was covered in blood.

But the zombie felt no pain, and after being hit, it swung its hands and grabbed Zhou Huaizhong. The nearby zombies joined in, trying to pin him down.

The Guang brothers and An Jing tried to help but were held back by other zombies.

Xu Mo watched the fight, finding it increasingly strange. If they were zombies, they should have been dead for a long time. How could they still bleed?

But there was no time to think. The zombies behind had caught up, and Luo Ci couldn't help but scream. Xu Mo held his dagger, pulled her, and ran forward, crouching low.

Zhou Huaizhong called out, "You two, follow that guy. Don't let him escape. We'll get rid of these things and catch up."

Xu Mo responded and pulled Luo Ci, keeping an eye on the direction the person had fled. He knew the person had passed through the zombies, through the weeds and shrubs on the right side of the back courtyard, and headed forward. If nothing went wrong, the person was likely heading towards the back gate.

He and Luo Ci rushed to the back gate, but after such a delay, the person was long gone, and they couldn't catch up.

The two searched the back mountain for a long time but found no trace of the person. Zhou Huaizhong and the others also didn't follow, and no one answered Luo Ci's calls.

Anxious and worried, they waited for a while, feeling uneasy, and decided to return to search. At the original fighting spot, only a pool of blood remained, and it was unclear whether it was from Zhou Huaizhong and the others or the zombies.

Zhou Huaizhong and the others, along with the zombies, were nowhere to be seen.

The two were even more frightened but didn't want to leave. They searched the courtyard, calling out Zhou Huaizhong's name softly, careful not to be noticed, walking through the weeds.

They searched the front and back courtyards, but the entire courtyard was silent, as if everyone and the zombies had vanished. They couldn't guess what had happened and ended up in front of the iron shed again.

"Brother Xu, what should we do?" Luo Ci, completely at a loss, asked Xu Mo again, her face showing fear, her voice trembling.

Before Xu Mo could answer, a 'clank' came from the iron shed, as if a metal object had fallen to the ground.

Both were startled, and Luo Ci couldn't help but lean against Xu Mo.

Xu Mo glanced inside the iron shed, unsure whether to leave. He suddenly remembered that Zhou Huaizhong and the others were missing, and the keys to the off-road vehicle were with Zhou Huaizhong. If they couldn't find him, how would he and Luo Ci leave?

After a moment's hesitation, he bit his lip and said to Luo Ci, "Let's go in and check."

Luo Ci, at a loss, followed Xu Mo without objection. They carefully entered the iron shed and walked to the last room. The room was empty except for the coffin and the cement platform.

Xu Mo and Luo Ci exchanged a glance, feeling something was wrong. "There's nothing in this room. Where did the sound come from?"

But the only things in the iron shed were the coffin and the cement platform. Clearly, the sound was related to them.

Xu Mo approached and examined the coffin again, touching the metal plate in the groove. He suddenly had an idea and said to Luo Ci, "Help me put the coffin lid back on."

Luo Ci was weak, and the two couldn't lift the coffin lid. Xu Mo lifted one end and placed it on the coffin, asking Luo Ci to hold it while he lifted the other end. The coffin lid fell into place.

Xu Mo looked down and saw the coffin lid pressing the metal plate, which slowly disappeared.

He crouched and looked under the coffin. The bottom of the coffin, which had been flush with the cement floor, was now raised by small wheels.

"Ah, I see," Xu Mo said to himself. He pushed the coffin, which slowly moved, revealing a dark hole.

The hole was less than a meter wide, about 1.5 meters long, and more than 7 meters deep, with a ladder leading down. A light was on below, showing a large space. Xu Mo listened but heard nothing.

"Brother Xu," Luo Ci called out, surprised.

Xu Mo quickly gestured for her to be quiet.

Luo Ci understood and looked at the hole, feeling afraid. She lowered her voice and whispered to Xu Mo, "Brother Xu, let's go."

Xu Mo didn't respond, thinking about the Book of Revelation. The book specifically mentioned this coffin, indicating that the underground passage was important. Should he go in or not?

As he hesitated, a sound of footsteps came from outside the iron shed, as if several people were approaching. The footsteps grew louder and soon reached them. The iron door creaked, and it was clear that the people had entered.

With no way to escape, Xu Mo steeled himself and called to Luo Ci, "Down!"

The two climbed down the ladder one after the other. As Xu Mo descended, he saw a handle next to the hole. He grabbed it and pulled down, feeling resistance. The coffin on the cement platform slowly returned to its original position.