In this narrow, dark space, next to a coffin, a ghostly call suddenly came through the intercom, resembling someone crying or trembling while reciting something. It startled me so much that I quickly turned down the volume and tried to see what was going on.

This is a military intercom produced by Moto, with a plastic shell that is very suitable for use in harsh conditions, so it shouldn’t malfunction easily. After switching it on and off a few times, the strange noise at first disappeared, but the speaker began to emit intermittent static sounds, as if someone was calling but the words were unclear. I shouted a few times, but there was no improvement, and changing frequencies didn’t help either.

Having tinkered with electronic devices, I knew that this kind of noise wasn’t due to a physical malfunction but rather caused by radio wave interference, which can arise from various sources—ranging from solar flares to household appliances, all producing similar effects. We were deep underground, so the chances of being affected by solar flares were slim; and in this remote cave in the mountains, there wouldn’t be any household appliances. Where was this interference coming from?

I moved the intercom around, searching for the source of the disturbance, and soon discovered that the noise intensified significantly whenever I brought it close to the massive coffin. If I moved it further away, the noise would lessen. This was very strange. Could the source of the interference actually be inside the coffin? I cautiously extended the intercom into the gap between the coffin lid and the body, and suddenly, the chaotic noise erupted to an astonishing volume, as if someone had screamed in agony. Startled, I nearly dropped the intercom into the coffin.

Oh no, I thought, it seems there’s definitely something inside the coffin emitting irregular electromagnetic waves. This was unbelievable—was it a natural phenomenon, or something more bizarre?

I knew that plants could emit weak electromagnetic signals, and these signals varied under different external conditions. For example, when you played soothing music for them, or cut them with a knife, they emitted two completely opposite signals, which is referred to as the language of plants. However, these signals are extremely weak; even specialized instruments might not detect them, let alone a regular intercom.

There are also certain specific situations that can produce strong electromagnetic wave interference under natural conditions, such as before an earthquake or during a volcanic eruption. However, this kind of interference is typically destructive and would never be as mild as what I was experiencing now.

Looking at the enormous coffin, I considered an unlikely possibility: strange electromagnetic wave interference often occurs near sites of mass slaughter or large burial grounds, continuously. Some say it is energy emitted from decaying corpses, while others believe it is information released by numerous spirits. Could the strong electromagnetic waves be emitted by the corpse inside the coffin?

The light here was extremely dim, and the pale roots of the old banyan tree, illuminated by the searchlight, looked like deformed snake bones. Coupled with the unsettling noise, it felt as if something inside the coffin was screaming, urging me to enter. I was covered in goosebumps and felt an overwhelming sense of dread, so I quickly took out the intercom and turned it off.

The surroundings fell silent, and I suddenly felt dizzy. Perhaps it was the humid air and strange smell here that made me start to feel oxygen-deprived. Looking around, I felt a chill in my heart, something I hadn’t experienced throughout my journey.

Boss Wang had been shouting outside, probably unable to hear my response. He was so anxious that he was jumping up and down. His shouts, filtered through layers of tree roots, had become very weak by the time they reached me, like trying to hear someone talking outside while being buried under several layers of blankets—it was hard to make out clearly.

Just a moment ago, I was considering luring Boss Wang over here to subdue him, but now I had changed my mind. I thought it might be better to temporarily retreat; this place felt eerie, and staying too long was making me uncomfortable all over. This was primarily due to being alone; if there were two or three people around me, I would feel much calmer.

After much consideration, I fell back into my old habit of being indecisive, unable to make up my mind. Boss Wang stopped shouting after a while, and I heard him curse loudly a few times before he fell silent, probably unsure of what to do. Knowing his temperament, he likely wouldn’t dare to come in and check. Although people like him are quite powerful in society, in such a bizarre place, especially hearing about coffins, they instinctively feel fear. Coffins represent death, something money and power cannot control; it signifies an authority that cannot be shaken by human efforts, which is something those who dig for treasures find difficult to comprehend.

Lost in thought, I suddenly heard that grinding sound again—a “de…de…de” noise—coming from somewhere, much clearer than when I was outside.

Now I could hear it distinctly; the sound resembled someone walking in wooden clogs on a stone floor, but it was steady, lacking the ebb and flow of someone pacing back and forth. Instead, it sounded like… someone was jumping continuously.

The sound was very rhythmic, one after another, and in this silent environment, it made my heart race. I had already been startled once, and now it felt like a death knell, causing my heart to tremble along with the rhythm.

For a moment, I felt strange—why was I so scared? I should have already overcome this fear. I took a moment to calm myself, removed my gas mask, and took a whiff of the real smell around me. Generally speaking, gas masks can filter out harmful odors, so the smell I sensed while wearing the mask was processed. Sometimes, the characteristic odors of toxic substances can be filtered out, but in special circumstances, toxins can still penetrate the mask, leading to poisoning.

The surrounding smell was extremely irritating to my nasal mucosa; I sneezed after taking just one breath, breaking out in a cold sweat, and quickly put my mask back on.

After listening for a while, I realized the sound wasn’t coming from elsewhere; based on its direction, it seemed to be emanating from inside the stone coffin.

I began to sweat, pulled out my long-handled hunting knife, and crawled toward the gap, wanting to listen more closely. However, my heartbeat grew louder, and by the time I reached the edge of the coffin’s gap, it felt like my heart was about to leap out of my throat.

I’m aware that I’ve been influenced by the environment here. For a while, I thought I had overcome this flaw, but it seems I haven’t. Having a vivid imagination is a major taboo in this line of work. I keep reminding myself to stay calm and collected, imagining the surroundings becoming brighter, realizing it’s not as dark as it seems. I take a few deep breaths and manage to calm my racing heart. I sigh and turn my ear, trying to discern what that sound really is.

But just then, the sound suddenly stops, plunging me into an eerie silence. I’m startled by this abrupt change, my whole body tensing up. At the same time, I suddenly feel something like a hand resting on my shoulder!

My scalp prickles, and my vision goes dark for a moment. In a panic, I swing my arm back with a knife, only to hit a tree root with my flashlight, extinguishing it immediately. The surroundings plunge into complete darkness, and then something wraps around my hand, twisting it backward. I’m so frightened that I lose the ability to think clearly, letting out a scream and using all my strength to try to turn around. In my struggle, I hear a crack as I step on a tree root that hasn’t fully hardened, and I suddenly sink down, falling into a shallow pit along with whatever was behind me.

As I fall, I suddenly hear someone curse, “You damn ghost!” Then the flashlight turns on. Boss Wang is pressing down on me tightly while shining the light in my eyes, nearly blinding me. I instinctively raise my hand to shield my face, and in a moment of panic, I slap him hard without holding back. My nose immediately feels cold, and I start bleeding.

After hitting me, he curses me again, saying, “You little bastard, you think you can mess with me? Go to hell!”

I quickly realize what’s happening. This fat guy from Guangdong actually had the guts to sneak in here. He probably thought I was playing tricks since I didn’t react, and out of caution, he didn’t turn on his flashlight when he sneaked in, fearing he’d fall for my tricks. He just happened to catch me while I was listening to that ghostly sound, and almost got stabbed in return. Now he probably thinks I want to kill him.

I want to explain, but he’s got me by the neck, and I can’t say a word. He seems really angry and slaps me again, making my ears ring. I feel a surge of anger and think to myself, “How dare you hit me like that?” It shows he doesn’t see me as a person at all. In a fit of rage, I charge at him, knocking him hard. We tumble together, exchanging punches and kicks, rolling toward the edge of a coffin. He’s stronger than me and gains the upper hand, pinning me down and trying to choke me. But the space is too low; when he lifts his head, he bangs it against a tree root, momentarily dazing himself. Seizing the opportunity, I kick him hard in the groin, flipping him over, then pounce on him to grab his flashlight, smashing it against his head to knock him out.

I pressed down on him, and seeing that he couldn’t move for the time being, I used my flashlight to illuminate the surroundings. I discovered that the birdman had not brought his gear or gun inside, likely thinking it was too cramped and fearing he might accidentally injure himself. I reached to search his body for his dagger, but suddenly he pushed me up, and like him, I bumped my head against the top, stars exploding in my vision. I quickly rolled to the side to avoid getting hit again. My brain felt like it was about to burst from my nose.

Boss Wang climbed up, his body covered in fine roots and crushed fungal plants, his face twisted in anger, gasping for breath, his eyes reddened. I knew he was filled with murderous intent. A person like him, who started as a thug and climbed his way up, would certainly have a heavy killing instinct, always wanting to eliminate his opponent. It seemed that this time, it would truly be a fight to the death.

After catching his breath, Boss Wang pulled out a dagger from his belt, gripping it fiercely as he charged toward me. My short hunting knife was a full half shorter than his dagger, and even if I managed to stab him, I wouldn’t hit any vital spots. At this moment, I had no choice but to use my flashlight as a weapon, shining it into his eyes. However, this fat man was extremely fierce, completely ignoring me. He turned his head to avoid the bright light and charged at me like lightning, slashing at my neck with one swift stroke. I ducked to the side, grabbing his hand with my left hand, while my right hand suddenly turned off the flashlight.

His eyes had grown accustomed to the bright light, and when it suddenly went dark, he instinctively paused for a moment. I noted the position of his head, raised the flashlight, and swung my arm for a strike. In the darkness, I heard a muffled grunt, and surprisingly, the flashlight lit up again. I shone it at his position and saw that he had already spat out a mouthful of blood and was collapsing there, seemingly on the verge of losing consciousness.

I didn’t know if he was pretending or if he had truly been knocked out. I kicked him hard toward the gap. If he wasn’t unconscious, he would definitely resist; otherwise, he would fall into the coffin. I kicked him several times in succession, and his feet slid in first. Unfortunately, when it got to his chest, he got stuck. I stepped up and delivered another kick, pushing him further inside.

Boss Wang was stuck like a dead fish for a long time before suddenly sliding into the gap. At that moment, I finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he had indeed passed out. Just then, a fat hand suddenly reached out from the gap, grabbing my kicking foot and yanking it down with great force.

This was truly unexpected. I had already relaxed my entire body and felt a blur before I was dragged completely into the coffin. I was internally screaming that I was doomed; I had actually fallen in. This was truly unprecedented, and in my panic, I tried to grab onto something around me, but I couldn’t grasp anything and fell into endless darkness!

Boss Wang dragged me down as we slid. I had originally thought that the coffin was only about the height of a person, but upon entering, I realized something was off; there was a depression inside, clearly sunk into the copper tree. I slid down for about three to four meters before landing hard on something, causing me to wince in pain. At the same time, Boss Wang loosened his grip, seemingly wanting to pounce on me again.

I quickly used the flashlight to scan the surroundings, trying to see if Boss Wang was next to me. With a sweep of the light, all I could see was a haze, a gray mist obscuring everything, and I couldn’t see anything even half a meter away.

I stood up and swung the flashlight vigorously around, but I didn’t hit anything. The fog was so thick here that after Boss Wang fell, he must have been unable to see anything clearly and probably hid inside the mist.

I found it very strange—how could there be such dense fog inside this coffin? If it were incense, it shouldn’t linger for a thousand years. I reached out and stirred it; the fog was so thick that it felt almost like water. When I pushed it aside, a visible vortex of air appeared.

I couldn’t see anything clearly in the middle of the coffin, and I didn’t dare to step inside. I could only check if I could climb back up the side I had slid down. Looking up, I couldn’t see much either, only that tree roots were growing in through the gaps. They didn’t seem to be growing wildly inside but were clinging to the inner walls and bottom of the coffin like ivy. The roots were covered in a fuzz-like fungus that fell off when touched, somewhat resembling mold.

There were some relief carvings on the inner walls of the coffin that were not covered by the roots. I could tell at a glance that some of the patterns inside were in the same style as the four statues standing outside, but most of these patterns were obscured. The blade of my long knife was too thin; it was a bit laborious to cut the roots above. After cutting off some of the new, spreading root hairs, I found I had no way to deal with the main roots that had become hardened and stuck to the coffin wall. When I struck them, it felt like cutting into stone, leaving only a white line.

Despite this, I could still discern some content. It seemed to depict the scene of constructing a bronze ancient tree. The people depicted were wearing left-lap clothing. To my surprise, I noticed that the bronze tree above was segmented, suggesting that this giant cast artifact wasn’t made in one go but had likely been built up over several generations, section by section, before becoming such a magnificent piece of art.

There were many relief carvings, but I didn’t dare move around carelessly. After examining this section, I turned back to look at the fog and felt an inexplicable fear wash over me. I decided to step onto the nearby tree roots to try to climb back the way I came.

However, strangely, despite the roots seeming very suitable for climbing, I tried twice and quickly slid back down both times—it was like stepping on ice. When I touched the surface, I found that the fungus had become very slick and slippery after being compressed, like lubricant. It seemed quite difficult for one person to climb up.

I steadied my mind, wondering what to do. It looked like I had to scrape off the fungus above first to get up, or perhaps use the knife as a climbing pick; I wasn’t sure if that would work.

Just as I was pondering this, an unusually clear strange sound suddenly appeared behind me, seeming very close.