Chapter 70: Eradicate or Join

Amidst a haze of drowsiness and intense pain, Li Tianque drifted off into unconsciousness. He felt as though he were in a constantly jostling environment, and it was only after an indeterminate amount of time that he slowly began to wake.

When he came to, Li Tianque felt utterly weak, his limbs numb and his mind muddled. He had no idea what he had just endured, but an overwhelming sense of exhaustion weighed upon him, as if he had just finished running a marathon—his whole body ached and he had not a bit of strength left.

The first thing he did upon waking was to instinctively touch his own face, wanting to check if the corpse powder was still there. His hand brushed against his skin, which now felt unusually rough, but there were none of those hair-raising tiny holes he'd seen on the ghostly apparition. The sensation was strange, but the maddening pain and itch were completely gone. For the first time, he realized that having nothing on his face could actually bring a sense of comfort and happiness—an utterly absurd thought.

Li Tianque slowly sat upright and looked around.

He discovered that he was back in the vehicle, with Fatty Bi lying beside him, bandages wrapped around his body and fresh blood seeping through. The deafening snores filling the car were coming from his mouth, interspersed with mumbled words.

Duan Xiaoyu was engrossed in tinkering with the bulky computer, still ignoring Li Tianque, while Wu Miaoran, in the driver’s seat, hummed a tune as she leisurely drove.

Li Tianque, still somewhat dazed, asked dreamily, “Miaoran… did we… did we complete the mission?”

“Of course. But I used up another vial of medicine to save you. When you get the mission reward, you’ll have to pay me back in cash!” Wu Miaoran replied, a trace of dissatisfaction in her voice.

“Alright, alright. As long as that corpse powder is gone, I’ll pay you…” Li Tianque paused. He was about to say he’d even give her his whole month’s salary, but thought better of it and kept silent. It was clear that if he really said that, Wu Miaoran would probably accept without hesitation.

“It’s only right that I pay you,” Li Tianque changed tack.

Wu Miaoran gave him a sideways glance in the rearview mirror, pursed her lips, and snorted, “Hmph, you’re really lucky. If I’d been any later, you’d be dead by now! Tomb raiders are all the same—constantly dealing with corpses, and their hearts are vicious as can be! I’ve told you before, haven’t I? You’re not a kid, can’t you follow orders? I told you not to go down, but you just wouldn’t listen!”

Li Tianque scratched his head, embarrassed. “You can’t really blame me. While I was waiting for you up there, I ran into this fat guy. Then, for some reason, blood started spewing out of the well, and thick fog rose up. Inside the fog were all these thin, lanky, terrifying shadows—have you ever seen the movie ‘Slender Man’? They looked just like those monsters. I was almost caught by them and only jumped into the well because I had no other choice.”

“So? That’s why I gave you those two pieces of equipment—to deal with danger. You see now, don’t you? The dangers down there are far beyond what you can handle with your current strength!” Wu Miaoran said sternly.

Li Tianque acknowledged his mistake and nodded. “You’re right. I really lack experience. I’ll be more careful next time.”

“Good, just keep your wits about you.” Wu Miaoran stuffed another piece of gum into her mouth. “But what exactly are those Slender Shadows? Are they the ghosts of people killed by that core parasite in the cave?” Li Tianque asked.

Before Wu Miaoran could answer, Duan Xiaoyu explained, “No, they’re also derivatives of the Xiehu parasite, just not as fortunate. These Slender Shadows were once ordinary people, but after being parasitized by the evil strain inside Xiehu, their bodies were severely corroded. Their height skyrocketed in a short time, causing them to lose all control. The parasite forcibly stretched and elongated them, gradually turning them to stone, and eventually, their consciousness was completely overtaken, making them puppets. They usually hide in the mountains, but when exposed to vapor containing the parasite’s radioactive elements, they awaken and attack any nearby living beings.”

Li Tianque suddenly recalled another bizarre creature he’d encountered and asked, “By the way, Miaoran mentioned that the Xiehu can affect all creatures within a fifty-meter radius. Those alien-like stones I saw in the cave—are they related? They could leap onto us and use disgusting tentacles to pierce our clothes and suck our blood!”

“That’s right. Those stones were transformed by its influence. I even brought a few back for research,” Duan Xiaoyu said.

“What about the ones left in the cave? If someone wanders in, won’t they be in danger?” Li Tianque asked quickly.

“No need to worry. We took care of all of them before we left. Those bloodthirsty rock creatures will slowly turn back to ordinary stone if they’re not exposed to the radioactive vapor. As for the Slender Shadows embedded in the rock walls, they’re quite pitiful. They’ll never return to their original state. My guess is, since no one’s investigated their disappearances for so long, they were probably homeless people lured here by Wu Liangjin, or they accidentally entered the mountains and fell victim to Xiehu. But to be preserved as stone statues forever—perhaps that’s more meaningful than being buried in a graveyard,” Duan Xiaoyu said nonchalantly.

“Huh? Turning into stone statues is more meaningful?” Li Tianque asked.

“What else—should they turn into sand sculptures instead? Hahaha…” Wu Miaoran laughed.

Li Tianque swallowed hard. He didn’t want to say anything overly sentimental; after all, they were still lives lost, and he hoped their families might eventually find some closure.

Duan Xiaoyu seemed to sense Li Tianque’s thoughts. She pushed her thick glasses up and gazed at him. “Li Tianque, since you’ve chosen to join the Extermination Company, there’s something you need to remember: what we’re doing now has little to do with so-called morality. In fact, sometimes it’s in direct opposition. Still, you can’t deny that we are a form of justice—perhaps an extreme one. If you cling to naïve kindness, you might not belong in this line of work.”

“I—” Li Tianque started, but Duan Xiaoyu cut him off.

“I know you’ll say you had no choice. But if you insist on quitting, I can arrange a painless and dignified death for you.”

A chill ran through Li Tianque. Though Duan Xiaoyu’s words were harsh, he understood well enough—since he’d agreed to join the reconnaissance team at Lu Mou’s invitation, he had already prepared for the worst.

“All right. I understand. I’ll do my best to adapt, but when my contract is up, I may choose to leave.”

“That’s your own business.” Duan Xiaoyu’s eyes drifted back to her computer screen.

Li Tianque had wanted to ask about how to handle Yang Tianshu’s parents, but after hearing Duan Xiaoyu’s words, he knew there was no point.

Looking out the window, he saw the midday sun blazing overhead—it must have been a whole day since everything happened.

“Why did you bring Brother Bi along? Because he knows too much?” Li Tianque asked with a smile.

“Exactly. For someone like him, there are only two options: erasure or recruitment.” Wu Miaoran glanced at the fat man in the back through the rearview mirror.

Li Tianque looked at Bi Youqian with a hint of sympathy, but also felt an odd sense of comfort. After all, having someone else as unlucky as himself joining this organization wasn’t the worst fate.

He still had some unanswered questions: why did the well spew blood? Who was the woman combing her hair by the well, seen by the hikers? Would the children affected by Xiehu’s influence suffer in the future? But none of that seemed to matter now. The most important thing was that he was still alive—and that was already a blessing.

As Li Tianque gazed at the fleeting scenery outside the car window, his feelings were complicated. Anxiety, lingering fear, and—surprisingly—a sense of accomplishment and inexplicable joy at having completed the mission welled up inside him.

Perhaps, this job was not so worthless after all.