"Fatty, did you find anything over there?"
For a moment, Wu Tianzhen even suspected his eyes were playing tricks on him. He searched again, even getting close to examine every inch, but still found nothing.
The much-anticipated Fatty, after flipping over the corner of the wall with his rear end in the air, decisively gave up. "Fatty here thinks that unless Hua Er Ye has a peculiar sense of humor and flew up to carve the marks on the ceiling, then this place probably has no markings."
Hearing this, Wu Tianzhen instinctively looked up. The stone ceiling was far above, and he couldn't see it clearly from this angle.
He initially thought Fatty's idea was preposterous and was about to deny it when a figure suddenly flashed in his mind.
Wu Tianzhen: ...Is there a possibility that the markings here were made by that scoundrel Hei Jing?"
...Thinking about it, it was entirely possible for him to put the marks on the ceiling!
After a moment of silence, the two looked at each other and, with extreme decisiveness, prepared to create a human pyramid to take a look.
Fatty was at the bottom, with Wu Tianzhen standing on his shoulders. The two of them shakily got to their feet.
The waterlogged but resilient flashlight cast its beam diligently on the ground, projecting two vertical shadows onto the side wall.
Wu Tianzhen didn't realize there was a problem at first glance. He held his breath and strained to reach upwards, his hands already touching the stone relief at the top.
And at that moment, a sliver of doubt crossed his mind—
He and Fatty were stacked together, so there should only be one vertical shadow.
...So, what was that second shadow?
The fleeting impression he had just caught resurfaced in his mind. The second shadow was hunched over, its arms unusually long, almost reaching its feet. It was impossible for it to be human.
In an instant, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck Wu Tianzhen's head. A shiver coursed through his entire body from head to toe.
He abruptly turned his head, the immense force causing Fatty, who was gripping his ankles below, to yelp.
"Damn it, Tianzhen, what are you doing up there? Dancing the plaza dance?!"
Just as Fatty was about to look up and see what Wu Tianzhen was up to, Wu Tianzhen's warning suddenly exploded in his ears:
"Fatty, there's something here, quickly put me down!"
What followed was a deafening gunshot. The moment Wu Tianzhen turned, he had already pulled his gun from his weapon bag.
His mind raced. The instant he disengaged the safety, he had calculated the location of the shadow's owner.
Everything happened in a flash. By the time he reacted, the bullet had already shot out. A heart-wrenching cry of pain echoed from the dark corner, almost piercing eardrums.
Meanwhile, Fatty had quickly retreated, letting Wu Tianzhen down. With the sound of a zipper, explosives were already in his hand.
"Holy crap!" Fatty felt the familiar grip in his hand and exclaimed, "Hua Er Ye's prepared bag is really awesome! It went through water seven times and didn't get a drop inside. Comfortable!"
"Wait, Fatty, don't act yet," Wu Tianzhen said softly, looking at the dark mass. "The situation here is unclear. If it's not absolutely necessary, it's best not to throw explosives."
The two reached an understanding, and just then, the dark mass suddenly trembled violently!
The hoarse, sharp sound continued incessantly but gradually softened, eventually transforming into something resembling a human voice!
The sound of liquid dripping onto the ground was continuous, it was the creature's blood hitting the floor.
Fatty listened intently for a moment, then couldn't resist a teasing remark. "Good heavens, this thing sounds quite human. Did it learn a second language?"
"Then Fatty will have to listen carefully later. Who knows, maybe this is a foreign friend~"
The remark was a bit cheeky, and Wu Tianzhen twitched his lips, about to smile. But at that moment, the creature actually spoke a sentence!
"Wu Tianzhen!" The shrill human voice rang out, accurately stating Wu Tianzhen's name.
And in the next second, the creature finally poked its head out, entering the beam of the flashlight.
The first thing that caught his eye was a thick layer of black fur, covered in gray dust. Countless dry hairs were tangled into knots, looking like a rag.
Its sharp claws revealed its non-human identity. Its physique and fur color made it look more like a monkey, but as Wu Tianzhen looked closely, he discovered that amidst the black fur was the face of an old woman!
Pale wrinkles were piled layer upon layer, resembling a soggy mille-feuille. While that might be an insult to mille-feuille, Wu Tianzhen couldn't think of a better description for the moment.
...This was a black ape with a human face?!
The black ape had called out his name, but Wu Tianzhen didn't know whether to respond. He took a small step back, raising his gun again.
The black ape raised its head higher, revealing a bloody hole in its body. However, it showed no signs of aggression. Instead, it contorted its face into a grotesque smile.
"Wu Tianzhen," its voice was mixed with a strange cackling sound, as if it were laughing, "Look at me, do I look more like a human or a monkey now!"
"Look at me, am I human or monkey now!!!"
Hearing this, Wu Tianzhen instantly understood the situation—
This was an old ape seeking validation!
It was said that monkeys who cultivated to become spirits would intercept passersby and ask them whether they looked more like a human or a monkey. If the passerby said they looked like a human, the spirit could achieve enlightenment and transform into human form. But if the passerby said they looked like a monkey, the spirit would fail and have to continue cultivating.
...Legend had it that if one said it looked like a monkey and ruined its cultivation, it would seek revenge.
Wu Tianzhen wasn't sure if this was true, but being in a forbidden land, he didn't want to attract trouble or make an enemy for no reason. So, he opened his mouth, intending to comply with the monkey's wish and say it looked like a human.
But just then, several gunshots rang out, and the black ape fell to the ground, a pool of foul blood slowly flowing out from beneath it.
Before Wu Tianzhen could speak, Fatty had decisively acted, killing the ape.
"Seeking validation from an ape?! It's not even certain if it's a real ape!"
"Tianzhen, in this forbidden land, don't let the strange phenomena lead you astray!"
Fatty's stern shout jolted Wu Tianzhen back to his senses, realizing he had been deceived by the black ape just moments ago.
He looked over with lingering fear, only to see that in the swaying beam of the flashlight, the ape, which had met a violent end, wore a sinister smile.