The Labyrinth of the Monsters

A few minutes later, the five of them walked out of the small forest. In front of them was the side of the mountain, like a sleeping giant. The sky was a depressing grayish-blue color, and the dark night was about to envelop the quiet valley.

In front of the five of them was a dried-up pond, with a vegetable garden built with bamboo fences on the left side. The vegetable garden had been abandoned for a long time, with weeds growing everywhere.

Behind the pond and vegetable garden was a small village, with a dozen houses scattered in a terraced shape at the foot of the mountain. They were all old earthen houses made of yellow bricks.

A small stone path ran through the front yards of the dozen or so households, winding its way to the slope. At the top of the slope was a black-brick and white-tiled house, vaguely recognizable as an old ancestral hall.

The five of them walked through the vegetable garden along the small dirt road next to the pond and arrived at the entrance of the village.

It was completely dark now, and there was not a single person in the village. The only sounds around were the cold wind, faint insect chirping, and some unidentifiable strange noises.

Officer Wu took out a flashlight and illuminated a cracked stone tablet on the ground. The character "ancient" on it also cracked, which was very eerie.

"Wait, wait a minute..." Chubby Jun's face turned pale, his throat tightened. "Um... I suddenly feel unwell, I might be getting sick. Maybe I should go back to the basement of the villa and tie myself up and stay there."

To be honest, Gao Yang also felt a bit creepy. After all, this was an uninhabited village where a tragedy and mass disappearance had occurred. But since they had come this far, considering the sunk cost, they had to go on even if it meant bracing themselves.

Wang Zikai had one hand in his pocket and the other holding a flashlight. He walked with an indifferent stride, kicking over a bamboo basket on the side of the road, completely unaware of fear.

Qing Ling had no expression, but her demeanor and actions revealed vigilance.

"Are you really that scared?" Officer Huang asked Chubby Jun.

"Officer Huang, this place is really eerie," Chubby Jun, like a startled bird, looked around nervously. "I've consulted a fortune teller before, and he said that my constitution is prone to attracting unclean things, and that I should avoid places with heavy Yin energy. This place looks really gloomy and makes people uncomfortable..."

"I'm an atheist. If you're scared, you can go back by yourself." Officer Huang didn't force him.

Chubby Jun looked back at the way they came. The sky had already turned completely dark, and in the darkness seemed to lurk countless dangers. He hesitated, but the other four had already started walking forward. Feeling the air around him getting colder, Chubby Jun shivered and hurriedly caught up. "Hey, wait for me..."

The five of them quickly climbed up a small hill and arrived at the ancestral hall at the end of the village.

The ancestral hall was built against a cliff, with two ferocious stone lions in front of the door. The wall made of green bricks was covered with damp moss, and the black lacquer on the door was peeling off. There was a dusty spider web-covered plaque hanging above the door, with the four traditional characters "Ancient Clan Ancestral Hall" faintly visible from right to left.

Officer Huang walked up to the black gate and grabbed the lion-shaped door knocker, lightly knocking three times.

"Bang, bang, bang." The gate made an old and deep sound, echoing in the pitch-black darkness.

"The gate has been knocked, we can go in now." Officer Huang turned around and looked at Chubby Jun.

Chubby Jun's bulky figure shrank behind Gao Yang, revealing a round head. "Don't ask me... How would I know?"

Officer Huang inserted the brass key into the lock. "That's right, it's this lock, it matches."

He took a deep breath, turned the brass lock, and heard a crisp "click".

Gao Yang had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Officer Huang forced a smile. "It seems like the key broke."

"Move aside! You guys are too slow!" Wang Zikai had long been eager to try. He rushed forward and kicked the door open with one kick.

"Boom!" Due to excessive force, half of the door fell off and landed on the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.

"You bastards! Your grandpa is here!" Wang Zikai rushed in first.

Everyone looked at each other and quickly followed.

Inside the gate was a square courtyard, with two-story houses on three sides, exuding an ancient charm. Above their heads was a skylight, and a dim light shone down, falling directly on a dry well in the center of the courtyard.

In front of the dry well was the ancestral hall with the open door.

"Is this it? Where are the enemies? Where are the lizard monsters?" Wang Zikai stood under the skylight, one foot stepping on the well platform of the dry well, looking disappointed.

Officer Huang glanced at Gao Yang. "Can you use a gun?"@@novelbin@@

Gao Yang shook his head, then thought of something. "I have the Copy talent."

"Okay." Officer Huang took out a handgun and handed it to Gao Yang.

Gao Yang took it and also held the other person's hand.

One second later, he successfully copied Officer Huang's level 3 Gun God talent, and his mind immediately filled with corresponding knowledge of firearms, shooting experience, and various muscle memories.

Gao Yang held the gun in his right hand, pointed the muzzle downwards, disassembled the magazine, checked the condition of the bullets, and then reloaded them, performing a set of actions smoothly.

"M92, 15 rounds, effective range of 50 meters, use them sparingly," Officer Huang said.

"In reality... my Copy talent only lasts for three seconds." Gao Yang smiled bitterly.

"You... are too fast." Officer Huang was surprised.

"That's right! How can a man be a quick shooter!" Wang Zikai laughed loudly on the side.

Gao Yang rolled his eyes. This idiot shouldn't have been saved in the first place!"Let's hope we won't encounter any formidable enemies," Officer Huang said, glancing at Chubby Jun, "or any supernatural beings."

A quick look at " will leave you more fulfilled.

Gao Yang and Qing Ling each held their weapons, covering Officer Huang as he entered the Ancestral Hall.

The interior of the Ancestral Hall was quite ordinary, with an inlaid wall cabinet covered by a thin white sand curtain. Inside, it was filled with spirit tablets. Above the tablets hung a plaque with four large characters: Ancestors' Virtues Live On.

In front of the spirit tablets was an altar, on which were half-burned candles, some remnants of incense, and a few empty plates that had held offerings.

"Gu Hua Wen, Gu Hua Wu... Gu Rong Jie... Gu Chang Xue..." Wang Zikai shone his flashlight on the spirit tablets, reading the names from bottom to top.

"Stop reading! Stop it now!" Chubby Jun quickly ran out of the Spirit Hall.

"Look at you, such a coward!" Wang Zikai sneered.

"Brother Kai! A massacre happened here!" Chubby Jun was both scared and excited, "Then all the villagers disappeared, who knows what happened! These are all wronged souls, you call their names, are you trying to summon them?!"

"Now that you mention it, it reminds me of a movie I watched before," Wang Zikai stroked his chin, "Something about a vengeful ghost that slaughtered an entire village..."

"Enough, stop talking," Gao Yang stopped Wang Zikai. If he continued, not only Chubby Jun, but Gao Yang himself would feel his scalp tingling.

In fact, from the moment he entered the Ancestral Hall, Gao Yang felt something was off, as if something was lurking in the darkness, watching him. But when he opened the System, the earnings from the Lucky Point didn't double, indicating that there was no imminent danger.

Gao Yang looked at Officer Huang, "What's next?"

"What did White Rabbit say about the assessment content?"

"Find the door this key opens and take a look inside," Qing Ling repeated White Rabbit's words.

"Well, we've done that, what are we waiting for, let's get out of here..." Chubby Jun's words trailed off, his face turning pale, "What's that noise?!"

"Rustle—rustle—rustle—"

Suddenly, everyone heard the eerie sound, as if countless tiny snakes were moving at high speed in the darkness of the Ancestral Hall.

"Mommy! Ghost..." Chubby Jun clutched his head and ran out of the Ancestral Hall.

"Stop!" Gao Yang shouted, but it was too late.

"Rustle—rustle—rustle—" Countless black hair strands burst out from the Dry Well in the middle of the courtyard. Under the dim moonlight, they spread out like dense underwater plants, filling the entire courtyard of the Ancestral Hall. A second later, they rushed towards Chubby Jun, instantly wrapping him into a black "human dumpling".

"Help..." Chubby Jun's pupils dilated, reaching out his hand in desperation towards Gao Yang.

But it was too late.