The bones on the ground showed no abnormal reaction at all, which was clearly different from Director Hugo's expectations. However, after taking a deep breath, Hugo grit his teeth and poured all the holy water in the bottle onto the black bones in one go. Steam instantly rose again. But as Hugo continuously poured holy water over the black bones, the surface of the bones finally started to change. A dense layer of black bubbles appeared on the bone surface. That wasn't all — as Hugo kept pouring, the black bubbles did not wash away but instead began to seep inward into the bones. Eventually, Hugo finished the entire bottle of holy water. The once smooth, pitch-black bones were now covered with a dense honeycomb pattern of bubbles.
The holy water worked! Seeing this, not only Hugo's eyes lit up, but also mine and Sun Fatty's. "Director Hugo, didn't expect your holy water to pack such a punch. How about giving me and Lazi a few bottles each for protection?"
"Few bottles? Sun, my dear friend, do you think this is mineral water? I'm here for a wedding, not to carry a bunch of holy water around," Hugo rolled his eyes at Sun Fatty. "This is just an experiment. It won't solve anything. You really think a demon would stand there letting you pour holy water all over it?"
Ever since Hugo put his identity in order, his demeanor as director became more obvious. After scolding Sun Fatty, Hugo picked up the black bones full of honeycomb holes and placed them in an empty glass bottle. He wrapped another piece of black bone in a handkerchief, and after securing both items, he turned back to me and Sun Fatty and said, "Alright, gentlemen, let's keep moving forward. Hopefully, even more wondrous things await us ahead."
We continued on. After passing through the area of bones, the humidity grew heavier, and a shallow pool of water appeared on the ground. Our feet were soaked in the ice-cold water. In the distance, faint sounds of flowing water could be heard — it sounded like a waterfall ahead. We walked on for more than half an hour; no waterfall appeared, but instead we saw seven or eight monster corpses lying haphazardly.
Half of these monsters' bodies were submerged in the water, and the surrounding water surface was stained black by their uniquely colored blood. Even Hugo didn't dare to approach rashly this time. Sun Fatty and I picked up a few stones and threw them at the monsters from a distance. Seeing no reaction, we confirmed these creatures were definitely dead. Only then did we carefully approach for a closer look.
These corpses were different from the monsters I had seen before. Each was a different shape — some with horns on their heads, others with hooves for limbs — clearly different species. Yet they shared some common traits with the monsters I'd encountered previously. Like before, the monsters lying on the ground were black from head to tail, their skin peeled away as if stripped, leaving the muscles, blood vessels, and nerves fully exposed. Also, each had a large hole in their chest.
After confirming none would suddenly open their eyes to startle me, I examined one corpse carefully. Aside from a fatal wound on the heart, there was no other visible external injury. Hugo also inspected several corpses but seemed to find nothing of value. Among the three of us, Sun Fatty was the least interested. He lingered behind me and after a bored glance at the corpses, he wandered around the area, more intrigued by the environment than the dead monsters.
"Shen, the wounds on the monsters' hearts are the same as the burned corpse from before. If your theory is correct, these seven corpses must be Crow's doing," Hugo said. Then, whistling toward the end of the path, he revealed a strange smile and shifted his tone. "Who would have thought this guy who usually keeps silent is so fast when he acts."
Hugo's words reminded me — Crow had followed Hao Zhengyi like a shadow. For a long time, except for the moment he hit me from behind earlier, I had almost ignored his presence. Yet it turned out he single-handedly took down these seven monsters.
"I say, Director Yu, just take a quick look. These monsters aren't coming back to life. Not to mention, there are still at least three healthy people ahead. Even if we don't intervene with Hao Zhengyi and Crow, for Director Wu's sake, since we've come this far, if anything happens to Yang Jun, there's no explaining it."
"Yu… Director?" Sun Fatty said, then after a few seconds, Hugo finally realized Sun Fatty was referring to him. Sun Fatty chuckled, "Calling you Director Hugo feels awkward — like we're not tight enough. Let's keep it casual like this, it's more friendly."
"Luckily, I never made you call me by my full name before." Director Hugo wasn't particularly interested in names or titles. He just let it go when Sun Fatty gave him the nickname Director Yu. But after hearing Sun Fatty's reminder, he thought it made some sense. After taking a few photos of the monster's corpse with his phone, he led Sun Fatty and me forward.
As we continued, the puddles underfoot grew deeper, and the sound of flowing water ahead grew louder. After walking for about fifteen or sixteen minutes, we turned another corner. Suddenly, a white arc of light flashed ahead. The white light appeared so suddenly, flashing just once before vanishing without a trace. The sudden flash startled us. Right after it disappeared, Sun Fatty and I pressed ourselves against the wall, backs flat against it. Director Hugo, stunned for a moment, imitated us and also leaned against the wall. The three of us stood still, staring at where the white light had flashed.
After a while, Sun Fatty couldn't hold back and whispered to me, "Lazi, was that light just now from Hao Zhengyi's flashlight?"
"No!" I replied firmly. "Hao Zhengyi has a flashlight, not a spotlight. It wouldn't be that bright." Director Hugo whispered sharply, "Stop talking!" No sooner had he spoken than another white arc flashed ahead, followed immediately by a second.
In the brief moments the white arcs flashed, the path ahead was illuminated clearly. Taking advantage of the dazzling light, I saw a huge black bat hanging upside down from the ceiling over a hundred meters away. This bat was over a person tall, completely black. Like the previous monster, its skin was completely missing. Thanks to the last two bright flashes, I could clearly see the black innards writhing inside its abdomen.
The bat hung on the ceiling, blending perfectly with the surrounding scenery. If not for the sudden white light, we would have never noticed this giant bat. However, the bat was startled by the light as well. At the second flash, it spread its black wings. At the third, it was already lunging toward us.
By then, I had already drawn my pistol and dagger. Just as I raised the gun, aiming for the bat's exposed heart, the white light vanished, plunging us into complete darkness. Even with the faint lamps Hao Zhengyi and Crow had left behind, the bat disappeared into the endless black above. "Bang bang bang…" I fired several shots toward the bat's last visible position, shouting, "Dasheng, shoot it with the crossbow!"
My bullets seemed to hit nothing but air, as expected. Unless the bullets hit the bat's heart, they had no effect. Looks like luck wasn't on my side this time. Sun Fatty raised his crossbow toward the bat's disappearance point, but he didn't dare fire recklessly. If he missed, the bat might come back furious, and there would be no time for him to reload.
I shouted to Sun Fatty, "Dasheng, hand me your crossbow…"
Before I could finish, a shadow suddenly appeared above Sun Fatty's head. It was the giant bat! Without hesitation, Sun Fatty pulled the trigger. I heard a sharp "whoosh," followed by the bat's miserable scream, "Gah!" Unfortunately, in the dark, Sun Fatty misjudged the shot — the arrow only pierced one of the bat's wings. The bat's strength was undiminished and it knocked Sun Fatty to the ground. It seemed to want to glide away with him, but underestimated Sun Fatty's weight. The bat's claws grasped his shoulders, and its wings twisted, but it failed to lift him. Instead, Sun Fatty grabbed both claws with all his strength and pulled downwards. The bat couldn't fly or escape and, injured on its wing, it fell with him.
Sun Fatty stumbled backward, rolling on the ground with the huge bat in tow. "Lazi, Old Yu! Are you two just watching?" he called out, about to curse.
Just then, I gripped my dagger and rushed over. The blade was so sharp that I was afraid to strike wildly and accidentally hurt Sun Fatty. I hesitated.
At that moment, Hugo darted past me, leapt onto the bat's back, and grabbed its wings tightly. His move was quick and precise. He and Sun Fatty pressed the bat like two slices of bread squeezing a sandwich.
The bat struggled violently between them, trying desperately to throw Hugo off. Although it shook him back and forth, it couldn't fully shake him off. But this made things harder for Sun Fatty. Together, the bat and Hugo weighed over 300 jin (about 150 kg). I stood nearby, ready to strike if Hugo fell, but it seemed unnecessary — after struggling for a while, the bat began to tire.
Seizing the moment, Hugo freed one hand, pulled a small glass vial filled with holy water from his pocket, bit off the stopper, and poured the entire bottle onto the bat's back.
With a sizzling sound, the bat's exposed muscles blistered instantly. As the blisters burst, a large wound burned into the bat's back, eating through the wing membranes. The wounds looked like two big holes in the sides of a giant rat's ribs, but in this scene, there was nothing funny about it.
The bat let out a horrible scream and thrashed violently. Hugo jumped off its back. Without his weight holding it down, the bat ignored Sun Fatty beneath it, bouncing around wildly before collapsing on the ground, twitching. It stretched its claws toward the wounds on its back, but due to its body structure, it couldn't reach them. The acid-like burn continued spreading, and even if we didn't interfere, the bat wouldn't survive much longer.
I quickly helped Sun Fatty to his feet. He was exhausted and could barely walk, so I supported him and moved him away to a corner far from the bat. Since he was soaked through, Sun Fatty just sat down, panting heavily. "Why… why does it always come after me? How does it know I'm the easiest to pick on?" I looked him up and down, noticing the many lamp bulbs stuck to him, and said, "Dasheng, look at yourself — you're like a walking beacon. If it's not attacking you, who else could it go for?"
Sun Fatty frowned. "But isn't the bat blind? It uses sonar or something to navigate, right? What's with the lights on me? How does that bother it?"
I gave him a once-over. "Sonar? Dasheng, with your size, you'd be the first thing to show up on any radar."
"Damn it! You really think I'm the easiest target? I…" Sun Fatty cursed, then raised his hands, gesturing toward the bat. Suddenly, he froze, eyes darting around the spot where he and the bat had fallen. Then he pointed toward the water puddle a few meters away. "Lazi, my crossbow fell there. Can you get it for me?"
In the puddle he pointed to lay a small crossbow quietly resting. About five or six meters away, the injured bat was lying on the ground, wailing in pain. Nearby, a blond foreigner was holding a crucifix, repeating Latin prayers over the bat. As Hugo's prayers increased in number, the bat weakened but still occasionally roared at him. Going to fetch the crossbow now might provoke the bat's final attack — definitely not worth the risk.
Seeing the situation clearly, I refused immediately. "Dasheng, that's not an easy task for me? Wait a bit longer. The bat's about done. I'll get your crossbow once it's dead."
"How can I avenge myself after it dies? If it dies as soon as it closes its eyes, that's way too cheap!" Sun Fatty just finished speaking when his coat suddenly bulged. A black cat's head poked out from his coat seam. Despite being pinned down by the bat and Hugo for so long, the cat was unharmed. After spending this time with Sun Fatty, the cat was much calmer, no longer as terrified as when it was stuck in Yang Jun's backpack. It peeked around, eyes darting everywhere. I started to envy Sun Fatty — what kind of magic does this fatty have?
The black cat's eyes scanned the area before settling on the bat. It arched its back in Sun Fatty's arms, then sprang out in a straight line toward the bat.
The bat, already weakened, let out a sharp "Ow!" and struggled to escape. Sun Fatty lunged forward and blocked its path. The bat shrank into a tight ball, clearly terrified by the cat. The cat seized the opportunity and jumped onto the bat's back, moving only a few steps before settling on the bat's neck.
As the cat landed on the bat, the bat froze but dared not throw the cat off. Then, a strange scene unfolded.