The Labyrinth of the Monsters

Inside the shed, there were more than ten black wooden tables, each paired with four long benches. The tables were filled with empty bowls and chopsticks. The tables were arranged on both sides, leaving a central aisle that led directly to the Spirit Hall.

The platform of the Spirit Hall was temporary, separated by hanging white cloth and some yellow runes. In the middle, there was a long table with the deceased's photo and incense on top. Behind the photo, a large coffin could be seen, and several women and children were kneeling on both sides of the coffin, whispering to each other.

Officer Huang approached the Spirit Hall and received a stick of incense from a man. He respectfully bowed three times towards the photo on the table, then knelt on a grass mat and knocked his head three times without touching the ground. Gao Yang and the other young people were not accustomed to this custom, but they still followed suit.

The grassland band on the side started playing drums and trumpets, and firecrackers were set off outside. The women and children in the Spirit Hall seemed to have their tear ducts opened in an instant, crying and wailing, speaking in dialects. The general meaning was "you died so tragically," "what am I going to do without you," "I don't want to live anymore," and so on.

After paying their respects to the deceased, Officer Huang sat down at a table in the corner. At this moment, a middle-aged woman with a sturdy build came over with five cups of hot tea. "Here, have some tea."

The five of them politely took the tea bowls but didn't drink.

Officer Huang smelled the fragrance of the tea and pretended to drink but didn't actually drink it. "Are the people behind the Spirit Hall the relatives of the deceased?" he asked.

"Hmph, what relatives? Hua's family has always been distant from others, with very few relatives. Now that this has happened, which relative or friend would dare to come and pay respects? The people behind are all helpful neighbors. They organized this funeral for Hua together," Sister Fan replied.

"That's thoughtful," Officer Huang said.

"Ah, Hua was a decent and honest person in his lifetime. It's a pity he ended up like this. The villagers feel very sad about it. This is their way of showing their respect and allowing them to leave with dignity and be reincarnated sooner," Sister Fan explained.

Officer Huang nodded. "What should I call you?"

"Just call me Sister Fan."

"Alright, thanks, Sister Fan. You can go and attend to your tasks now."

"No need to be polite. Dinner is about to be served. Officer Huang, why don't you stay and eat before leaving? If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I'm Hua's neighbor, so I know a bit about his family."

After Sister Fan left, the five of them began to chat quietly.

"Did you see the photo on the altar?" Chubby Jun was visibly uneasy.

"Yes, we did," Wang Zikai replied nonchalantly. "What's wrong?"

"Something's not right. Why are there only four people in the photo?" Chubby Jun's voice trembled. "Wasn't it a family of five?"

Gao Yang also noticed that there were only four men in the photo, taken together. In the middle stood a dark-skinned, kind-looking fifty-year-old man. A young man sat in the middle, with two teenagers standing on either side. The four of them were photographed in a black and white photo studio, with a cheap and distorted backdrop depicting the Great Wall.

Officer Huang spoke up, "Before coming to Gu's Village, I specifically looked into this unsolved case. The head of the family was named Gu Huihua, fifty-four years old, a farmer. His wife was also a farmer and died of breast cancer a few years ago. The eldest son, Gu Chunxiu, is twenty-seven years old. One of the younger brothers dropped out of school to work on the farm, and the other is still in junior high."

"Who is the remaining person?" Gao Yang asked.

"Gu's daughter-in-law, Gu Chunxiu's wife. She had just married into the family and they hadn't taken a photo yet. On the night of their wedding, the whole family was dismembered."

"On their wedding night?" Wang Zikai became excited. "That's so sensational!"

"What's her name? What about her family?" Gao Yang asked.

"That's the strange part. We couldn't find any information about the daughter-in-law's identity," Officer Huang said, taking out a cigarette.

Gao Yang fell silent.

"The bodies of the family were dismembered into over a hundred pieces and found in various places in the village. It took the forensic team two days to piece the bodies back together. There were indeed four male bodies and one female body. The female body was missing its head, which still hasn't been found," Officer Huang lit his cigarette.

"Bang bang bang!" Someone started banging drums, and a man shouted loudly, "Dinner is served!"

All the villagers working in the field stopped and rushed into the shed. Soon, all ten tables were filled. Several village women who helped with cooking brought hot dishes to the tables. The table was quickly filled with fish and meat, but everyone looked at each other and no one dared to touch their chopsticks.

In his mind, Gao Yang called out to the system, wanting to observe the dishes on the table. Suddenly, he remembered that he couldn't observe anything here. Gao Yang sighed inwardly and turned his head, only to be startled. He saw Wang Zikai next to him picking up a piece of braised pork and putting it into his mouth.

"Wang Zikai, what are you doing?"

"What's wrong?" Wang Zikai's mouth was already full of oil. "Hey, it's delicious! Why don't you guys have some too?"

"I'm not hungry," Chubby Jun swallowed his saliva, his words contradicting his true feelings.

Although they didn't know how much time had passed, from the moment they entered Gu's Village to the series of events that followed, they had already become hungry, thirsty, and tired. However, in such a dangerous and unfamiliar environment, it was absolutely forbidden to eat randomly. This was common knowledge for any normal person.

Unfortunately, Wang Zikai was not a normal person. He was an idiot.

During this meal, Wang Zikai ate and drank to his heart's content. Not only that, he even struck up a conversation with a drunk villager next to him. Although they didn't understand each other, they seemed to be having a great time, leaning on each other's shoulders and calling each other brothers, finishing two bottles of liquor.

After the meal, the five of them left first.

Gao Yang and Chubby Jun supported the slightly intoxicated Wang Zikai and walked to the entrance of the village.

Officer Huang was at a loss. "Based on the current situation, this Gu's Village should be ten days after the case happened thirty years ago. The police couldn't solve the case, so the villagers decided to hold a funeral for the deceased family. There are records of the case."

"Could it really be a reversal of time?" Chubby Jun was restless, a thought struck him, "Then... when did the villagers disappear all at once?"

"The day after the burial, when my team leader came back to investigate, there was no one in the village." Officer Huang said.

"So, that would be tomorrow." Gao Yang said.

"Damn! So we still have to wait another day?" Wang Zikai, reeking of alcohol, was about to say something when he suddenly vomited. Staggering to the side of the road, he knelt down and continued to retch uncontrollably.

Qing Ling looked at Wang Zikai with a disgusted expression, "Did he drink too much, or is he poisoned?"

Officer Huang shook his head, walked over, and patted Wang Zikai's back. After a couple of pats, his face darkened. He turned around and waved at the others, "Come and take a look."

Gao Yang had a bad feeling. He was the first to walk over, feeling a chill run down his spine.@@novelbin@@

The vomit at Wang Zikai's feet was not undigested food as one would expect, but a pile of earthworms and mudworms, still wriggling.