Chapter 38: The Final Decision

The old woman’s appearance was inexplicable, yet not entirely without warning.

When I first encountered her, it was obvious that she was mentally unstable. At the time, she was cradling a white-faced paper doll, muttering incoherently and insisting on calling it "son." Her voice, a jarring mix of laughter and harshness, made both Xian Hongye and me feel a chill crawl up our spines. Furthermore, with the entire village off attending my old squad leader’s wedding feast, she was the only one wandering aimlessly through the empty streets of Zhaojialou. This alone was enough to raise suspicions. At one point, I even questioned whether she was human at all.

So, as I stared at this old woman in black again, my first instinct was to wonder: either she was truly insane, or she was a master of some hidden, extraordinary craft.

But when I saw the way she beckoned to my squad leader’s corpse and heard her tone, I became convinced it was the latter. Because of a single word from her, my squad leader’s corpse actually let out a "cackle." Though the sound was grotesque, he had indeed laughed. And because of another word, the corpse didn't just laugh—it began to follow her beckoning, as if under a spell, walking toward her step by agonizing step!

This old woman had come to the Zhao residence to "lure the corpse," plain and simple.

In the midst of this bizarre spectacle, everyone stood frozen, completely unable to grasp what was happening or why a single word from that pale-faced old woman could make my squad leader’s corpse follow her. However, the moment my squad leader took that first step, my uncle-master, Zhao Haikun, finally snapped out of his shock. After all, that was his own brother. He suddenly let out a gut-wrenching roar: "Second Brother!"

Immediately after, Zhao Haikun urged me urgently, "Bu'er! Stop your master! Don't let him get away!"

His words jolted my chaotic, bewildered mind back to reality. I realized instantly that I could not let my master’s body wander off with a mad old woman. Sentimentality was one thing, but more importantly, this corpse was far too evil and dangerous. Once it stepped out of the Zhao residence, it would be beyond our control. Given its instinct to bite at the scent of blood, there was no telling what kind of carnage would unfold in Zhaojialou village. Though I loathed to admit that my squad leader had become a reanimated corpse prone to violence, it was a bloody, undeniable fact.

In desperation, I watched the corpse inching toward the old woman and bellowed, "What a tragedy!" I steeled my resolve and, "disregarding my own life," lunged forward, wrapping my arms tightly around my squad leader’s right leg and pulling with all my might.

And yet... I couldn't hold him back.

The moment I grabbed his leg, I discovered that it was as stiff and hard as cast iron, offering nothing to grip. After a few failed attempts, I barely managed to snag the hem of his burial clothes. But my squad leader ignored my presence and kept walking. His continued movement made me groan in agony. Though I had been prepared, only then did I fully grasp the immense strength of the corpse. For every step he took, I was dragged half a meter along the ground. My weight slowed him down slightly, but it was futile. In pain, I clung to his leg like a trailing weight, my stomach churning with every step he took. The half-bowl of noodles I had eaten earlier threatened to come back up. The feeling was like being a sled dog—unspeakably miserable. If this continued, I would surely die.

Consequently, by the time the squad leader took his fifth step, I could no longer hold on. My strained arms suddenly gave way, tearing a piece of the burial shroud off in the process. Even so, he showed no signs of stopping.

Soon, the corpse reached the threshold of the Zhao residence. He was less than five meters away from the glowing-eyed old woman. Then, the black-clad, silver-haired crone turned around with a giggle, calling out to the white-faced doll in her arms, "My son..." as she drifted slowly away from the gate.

Once the old woman vanished, my squad leader’s dark, rigid corpse followed, his movements stiff and mechanical. From the end of the alley, the chants of "My son! My son!" echoed back.

I had failed to stop anything.

Amidst the fading sounds, I struggled to my feet and turned to ask Zhao Haikun, "Who is that old woman?"

Zhao Haikun’s reply was simple yet unsettling: "That woman is not from Zhaojialou! I’ve never seen her before!"

Now it was my turn to be stunned. Not from Zhaojialou? Why would she appear here? And how did she know about the "wedding" at my squad leader’s home? Most importantly... why did my squad leader’s reanimated corpse respond to her commands?

"Bu'er!" Zhao Haikun looked at the empty gate and pleaded, "You must bring your master’s body back! If he hurts anyone... what will we do?"

His words pulled me out of my shock and suspicion once more. I absolutely could not let the corpse wander through the dark night. His body was still warm, and yet it was being toyed with time and again; as his disciple, I had to bring him back. Though I didn't know why, I could not watch these "freaks" treat my master’s remains like a chess piece, nor could I allow him to roam the night and harm others. In short, I had to bring him home.

Helpless, I climbed to my feet, stripped off my blood-stained shirt, and instructed Xian Hongye, "I’m going after him! You go to the restroom and get Zhao Hong! Bring rope... rooster blood, sticky rice, donkey hooves! Bring everything the legends say can suppress a corpse!"

As I spoke, Xian Hongye asked worriedly, "What about you? Old Tian! Don't try to be a hero! You can't go alone! You saw the power your squad leader had just now, he’s already..."

Frustrated, I cut her off firmly, "I know! But that is my master’s remains! I cannot sit by and do nothing!"

My words silenced everyone, perhaps due to my persistence. I turned to look at those present: from the worried Hongye to the conflicted Zhao Shuihe, from the expectant Zhao Haikun to the unconscious Gui Yuxiu. Sighing, I thought, to put it bluntly, they were a group of the elderly, the weak, and the women... there was no one else to rely on. I had to go alone.

After a brief moment of reflection, I said calmly to Xian Hongye, "Once you find the squad leader, contact me by phone. I won't act blindly... I'll wait for you."

Hongye opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing. She nodded and turned to head toward the restrooms. Seeing her efficient response, I managed a faint, bitter smile and set off myself. I quickly retrieved my military knife, grabbed a folding chair, and bolted out of the Zhao residence.

By then, the last trace of twilight had silently faded from the sky.

What was waiting for me out there?