"Don't make a sound!" I pressed down hard on Zhao Jianguo, who was trembling all over, and whispered in his ear.
"Look closely, that thing isn't your father anymore, it's a zombie! Even if you don't know what a zombie is, you must have seen it on TV, right? These things are incredibly dangerous. If one grabs you, your life is over. Then, think about how your wife and your son will live their lives!"
Zhao Jianguo gritted his teeth, tears mixed with cold sweat streaming down his face, but he managed to suppress the urge to rush out.
I know he is indeed a filial son, how could he not be angry to see his father in this state?
If I hadn't mentioned his wife and son, he probably wouldn't have been able to contain his emotions by now.
Zhao Jianguo's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the dark blue figure in the arena, his knuckles clenched so tightly they turned white.
Luo Tianhe squatted down next to me, squinting as he observed: "The coffin lid has been lifted, the formation has been set up, and the temple gate has been opened. What exactly is this old man trying to do? He can't possibly be really going to invite some kind of goddess out, can he?"
I'm completely baffled. This goddess is some kind of evil spirit or monster he worships, so how could she be related to zombies?
As soon as Luo Tianhe finished speaking, another unexpected change occurred in the scene.
After kowtowing, Old Liu stood up unsteadily, his face covered in bright red blood and dirt mixed into his wounds, but he seemed completely unconcerned.
"It would be better if this died than from a bacterial infection!" Li Huai spat and cursed.
"It's not that simple. Do you think this is ancient times? You think a bacterial infection can be fatal? Even in a rural area like this, there are plenty of ways to treat bacterial infections. If all else fails, you can buy some antibiotics in the county town." I scoffed. Li Huai's idea was simple, but how could it be possible?
"Hey, do you think if that zombie scratches the wound on his forehead, he'll get infected and turn into a zombie? That's how it's always portrayed in movies," Li Huai said thoughtfully, stroking his chin.
I glanced at Zhao Jianguo, wanting to say that everything on TV is a lie, but since I had just used that same argument to appease him, I couldn't say anything for a moment.
"Shut up!" I glared at Li Huai, who scratched his head, looking somewhat confused.
I turned my gaze to Old Liu, and saw that after he stood up, he took out something from his pocket. It was a small triangular flag, about the size of a palm, with verdigris on the edges. The flag looked like it was made of human skin, and it had some kind of dark red paint on it, with distorted symbols drawn on it.
"Big Dipper, heed my command! Corpse puppet, return to your place and obey my orders!" Old Liu roared, the triangular flag in his hand fluttering in the wind. Then he threw the flag, which did not fall to the ground, but hovered next to Zhao Laoshuan's corpse.
As the triangular flag spun, Zhao Laoshuan's body jolted violently, and a "hoarse" sound, like a blower leaking air, came out of his throat again.
His pale eyes seemed to be looking at Old Liu.
The seven sharp, black wooden nails on its body began to slowly rotate, drilling even deeper into its flesh!
A dark red, viscous liquid, whether blood or something else, seeped out from the nail hole, mixing with the corpse-nurturing soil, and dripped onto the ground.
Seeing this scene, not only Zhao Jianguo, but even we were stunned. Old Zhao was already dead, yet he still had to suffer this kind of treatment. He must have died with his eyes wide open in disbelief.
"Hiss," Li Huai gasped behind us, his voice trembling slightly, "Brother Yan, that nail is still being driven in!"
My heart sank, and my face turned ashen. Old Liu's mastery of evil magic was even deeper than we had anticipated. These three-legged flags and wooden nails were clearly part of a set of control tools.
Sure enough, Lao Liu's next move confirmed my guess.
He bit his other hand again, smearing the blood on the red-clad wooden puppet on the altar. Then, he held the puppet in both hands, bowed deeply to the red figure inside the temple gate, and chanted even more obscure and difficult-to-understand incantations.
"Damn it, we can't wait any longer!" I whispered to Luo Tianhe. "Once he completely controls the zombies, or that thing in the temple comes out, we're all finished."
Luo Tianhe nodded. Compared to ghosts, he was not so afraid of zombies.
"What do we do? Just rush out and take down that old bastard?" Luo Tianhe pulled out a baton from somewhere and grinned.
I couldn't help but twitch my lips. "We're basically dealing with ghosts and stuff, not fighting a gang fight. Why are you carrying around a baton?"
"Hehe, you don't know this. My baton has cinnabar lines on it and has been soaked in glutinous rice water. It can really inflict real wounds when fighting ghosts!" Luo Tianhe's smile became even more smug, as if he had been prepared all along.
I shook my head, deciding to ignore the matter, and quickly assigned tasks:
"To catch the thief, catch the king first. I'll distract the zombie later. You and Zhao Jianguo find a chance to take down Old Liu, smash the altar, and that puppet. I have a bad feeling about this! Li Huai, just hide well, but use a strong flashlight to shine on the things inside the temple gate and try to keep her from coming out!"
"Brother Yan, the things in that temple are the most eerie. Let me see them!" Li Huai pointed to himself, looking incredulous.
"Then why don't you hold off this zombie, and I'll keep an eye on the matchmaker?"
"Hehe, you should do it. I feel the Matchmaker is more suitable for me." Li Huai chuckled awkwardly. Although the Matchmaker was uncanny, at least she hadn't made a move yet.
But that zombie is real; if it scratches him with one claw, he won't be able to take it!
I glanced at Fatty Wang, who was sprawled on the ground, and didn't assign him any tasks. It would be good enough if the kid didn't cause any trouble.
Luo Tianhe noticed my gaze, squatted down, and poked Fatty Wang with his baton:
"I believe you're not stupid and can figure out the situation. If we win, at least we won't kill you. But if that zombie and the matchmaker win, hehe, you can just wait to die!"
"Don't worry, don't worry, I know the situation, I won't cause any trouble!" Fatty Wang knew that Luo Tianhe was warning him, so he cried and promised, his fat face jiggling, which made me feel nauseous.
“Master Chen, I…” Zhao Jianguo looked at me with a complicated expression.
He knew I was going to deal with his father and wanted to beg me to go easy on him.
But when faced with his father, who had transformed into a terrifying zombie, he simply couldn't bring himself to ask me to hold back.
I knew what he meant, and staring into his eyes, I said:
"Your father's body is controlled by evil magic. The only way to break free is to kill the caster and pull out those wooden nails! If you want revenge and to let your father rest in peace, do as I say!"
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