Infinite Hunter

Cheng Yijiu didn't chase the wild boars. Instead, he led the guy back to the forest after collecting some mushrooms and wild fruits along the way, digging up a few yams and polygonatum. Li Ergou divided up a bunch of mushrooms and returned somewhat dejected—he was embarrassed by his poor marksmanship. But once home, Cheng Yijiu immediately pulled him back to the brigade headquarters and told him everything they had found.

That wasn't a problem the brigade could handle, so everyone had to report the incident to the forest district office. Even the county was alerted, notifying the garrison, and presumably even reaching the provincial level. So, two days later, Cheng Yijiu led a large group of what looked like intellectuals, bureaucrats, and, most notably, the military, to the gate. "I think this place is extremely dangerous. Without external power and lighting, I personally don't recommend rushing in."

Cheng Yijiu said, "The things in here eat people, or they are carnivorous. We don't know how big and how many there are, but we can probably publish a paper saying that we have discovered a brand new species - among the phylum, class, order, family, genus and species, I suspect it is very likely that we have discovered a new order, at least..." His words surprised others, but since he was an educated youth from Shanghai, they understood. The educated youth from these places did have more knowledge than the average educated youth.

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The iron gate at the entrance had been removed, replaced by three sandbagged machine gun emplacements. Lighting and cables had been installed, and the diesel generator set was churning away, suddenly illuminating the interior. Cheng Yijiu was, of course, outside; there was no need for him to go in; his mission had already been completed. However, he couldn't leave until his superiors spoke. "It's best to let us go soon. If we get involved in classified information, it'll be troublesome," Cheng Yijiu muttered.

He wasn't actually curious about the creatures that might be inside. Having already experienced Resident Evil, he didn't really care. Judging from the remaining traces, Cheng Yijiu suspected it was some kind of large worm, or something similar. "A worm that can grow to the size of a grass dog, isn't it extremely rare?" This was Cheng Yijiu's opinion, but he wasn't sure, so he didn't say anything.

There must be a ton of them; if there were only one or two, they wouldn't have been able to kill so many people. Cheng Yijiu suspected they were probably congregating deep within. He just hoped they didn't open the wormhole by then... As for why, given the Japanese's ruthlessness, they didn't use the stuff in there as a doomsday weapon? Cheng Yijiu thought it was most likely because these creatures had very high environmental requirements for survival.

"If I'm not careful, I'll die if I see the sun..." Cheng Yijiu thought as he looked at the sun above his head.

The corpses were brought out one by one, and middle-aged and elderly men who looked like experts were carefully examining the dried bones. Cheng Yijiu finally couldn't help himself and pulled Li Ergou aside, asking, "Can we go back now? I don't think we're needed here." The result was that each of them received a medal to be awarded—if they actually gained anything—and a five-yuan reward.

They were released first, and on their way back, they were lucky enough to encounter a black bear—the largest subspecies of the Asian black bear, the Manchurian black bear, standing over 1.8 meters tall and weighing nearly 300 kilograms. It was unbelievable that a black bear didn't flee, even approaching them, amidst the shouting and neighing of the soldiers. It was truly bizarre. Li Ergou raised his gun and fired, but unfortunately, the bullet missed.

By this time, they had been walking back from the gate for three hours and were nearing the edge of the forest. Suddenly, a sleek, black man burst out from the bushes ahead, standing up. Li Ergou, naturally, became nervous and shot him away. Cheng Yijiu, on the other hand, rushed forward like a reckless man, sword drawn. At this distance, a guy like Li Ergou simply couldn't pull the trigger and fire. He was so flustered that he couldn't do anything.

Cheng Yijiu charged forward, his hunting knife in reverse grip, unceremoniously slashing through. The bear in front of him weighed 250-300 jin (250-600 kg), and Cheng Yijiu was slightly taller than the bear, weighing at least 180 jin (280 kg), not a huge difference. The impact of the impact was more than a standing black bear could withstand. When dealing with wild beasts like black bears, humans have a single, unavoidable method: the naked choke. This is a uniquely human technique, and against opponents of similar weight, it's a surefire way to kill them, often with strangulation.

As for its weight? Well, we can only give it a try. Maybe we can strangle it to death. It won't be a problem for herbivores. Against carnivores, it should still be a meaty affair. In rare cases, it might be able to strangle the opponent to unconsciousness, but it will definitely bleed profusely. Cheng Yijiu stabbed the chest and abdomen with a knife. After knocking the black bear down, he kicked away and was almost caught by the bear. The knife didn't penetrate very deeply. The bear's fur and fat blocked most of the blade. Only about five centimeters penetrated the muscle.

The roaring bear lunged forward, but Cheng Yijiu dodged the direct attack and moved to the side—human bipedalism being one of its strengths: rapid lateral maneuverability. Cheng Yijiu's maneuverability was particularly rapid, and he could move laterally and pounce on the black bear's flank with the speed of a large cat, pouncing on its back like lightning. If Cheng Yijiu dared to confront the massive mutant bear head-on, what would a mere ordinary Asian black bear be?

As Li Ergou watched in amazement, Cheng Yijiu leaped onto the bear's back, gripping its neck with his left arm before exerting force. With a clattering sound, the bear's head reared high. Then, without hesitation, Cheng Yijiu's right hand stabbed the bear through its temple, finishing it off. Li Ergou was completely stunned. Wasn't this man a true warrior? A man capable of hand-to-hand combat with a black bear could only be found in legends, but he'd seen one before his very eyes.

What did this fierce man seem to be shouting? Li Ergou, with his head filled with gongs and drums, took a long time to hear clearly, "I'm calling you? Where has your soul gone? Help peel the skin! And drain the blood, otherwise the bear meat will be inedible and rot if we take it back." Cheng Yijiu shouted. The only offal from this bear is the heart, gallbladder and liver; the rest is useless at the moment. When Li Ergou ran over to help, he looked at Cheng Yijiu as if he were a god, and Cheng Yijiu took the opportunity to brag.

"Black bears are nothing. The black bears in Asia are just so-so. The black bears in North America are really powerful, and they are much larger... Forget it, you don't even know about North America? The American bears!" Li Ergou obviously didn't understand what Cheng Yijiu said. He only knew that American bears were bigger. "Want to deal with me? You have to use a brown bear, ah, a human bear, hahaha. Otherwise, a tiger will do." Cheng Yijiu looked arrogant.

The bear was skinned—skinned while hot—and Li Ergou carefully tucked away the gallbladder and other belongings. The skinless bear was then wrapped in the skin, and Cheng Yijiu easily carried the 200-pound (approximately 600-pound) of meat on his shoulders, heading towards the village as if nothing had happened. "I don't know how much work points the brigade will spend on the bear meat and gallbladder. I'll take the skin. I'll give you 30% of the money from the sale. Go back and practice your poor marksmanship."

The village was bustling with activity. Because of the army's presence, a lot of vegetables and other items were purchased from the village, boosting the economy. Everyone was less surprised when they saw Cheng Yijiu and Li Ergou, the two who led the way, actually brought back a bear. Especially since Cheng Yijiu had carried it all by himself, they weren't too surprised anymore—everyone knew how tough this man was. Young women even openly surrounded him and chattered.

The educated youth were envious, but they didn't dare hate him. This ruthless man, according to Li Ergou, boasted that he had single-handedly killed the black bear with a knife. How could a normal human being do this? Don't mess with a dragon or a tiger, but don't mess with a man like him.

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Cheng Yijiu left the bear and said, "Who's here? Let's disassemble it. Remember to give me the bear head! I don't want the bear paws, I'll sell them directly. Captain, do you accept bear gall? Please help tan the bear skin." The guy moved his shoulders, and some blood seeped into the tough and wear-resistant fabric of the M65. "I have to take it off and wash it quickly." At this time, he needed some baking soda or salt, and sometimes a little flour.

His clothes were thrown into the cold water and soaked. While the villagers were carving up the bear, Cheng Yijiu went back to his cabin to take a shower. There was nothing more comfortable than a bath after a trip into the mountains. By then, it was already a bit chilly outside. When he and Li Ergou returned, it was already afternoon. By the time the bear was carved up and he had finished his shower, the sun had already set. He simply made a large pot of corn paste and pan-fried a few slices of smoked wild boar meat. Cheng Yijiu quickly filled his stomach.

Because he'd added polygonatum and yam to the cornmeal, it tasted quite good. Sure enough, a child who knows how to hike in the mountains never goes hungry. Cheng Yijiu's nutritional intake was probably the highest in the brigade. He had quite a bit of money in his pocket now—the bear gallbladders fetched a pretty penny, and bear paws weren't cheap either. Of course, the bear skin was soaking in water, and the leatherworker planned to scrape off the scraps of flesh and fascia in a few days.

The tanning process would take at least two months to complete, so Cheng Yijiu could finally get some sleep that night. His life as an educated youth was different from that of the others. Those people toiled in the fields all day, barely getting enough to eat, and meat was even rarer—they only had it when Cheng Yijiu hunted wild boars. Since they had killed a bear this time, they might get some bear meat later.

Cheng Yijiu himself was not interested in bear meat at all, because it was too smelly and tough to eat. He just hoped that nothing would happen over there, or else he would have to clean up the mess - which was not impossible.

As expected, the brigade cooked bear meat in a large pot that night, and the educated youths rushed to help themselves with large bowls. Cheng Yijiu only smelled a fishy odor, but the eyes of the educated youths and villagers all lit up. He didn't eat, but instead steamed a pot of rice with cabbage, rice, and smoked meat, and devoured it all. He slept soundly until the sun hit his butt—a privilege he now had, since not even the monkeys dared to wake Cheng Yijiu from his sleep.

This guy is a real beast. If he gets angry and hits someone, it would be a big loss.

Cheng Yijiu woke up at dawn because of the sound of gunfire. Although it was far away, he still heard the continuous gunfire. His ears were much more sensitive than those of ordinary people. He got out of bed and quickly put on his clothes. He changed into a smock, washed up a little, grabbed two white flour buns and went out. While eating, he took the water bottle and hunting knife. "Finally, I got them out. I don't know if I can see them."

This time, Cheng Yijiu chose not to take that route, but a more direct, straight mountain road. That required superhuman stamina and the feline ability to climb mountains. The closer he got, the louder the gunfire. "I'm getting close to a machine gun? Is that really that exaggerated?" Cheng Yijiu moved at a breakneck speed, but by the time he got closer, two hours had passed. The gunfire had stopped, replaced by an eerie sound of wind.

"If I'm not mistaken, this sound is probably the sound of compressed air being ejected from a flamethrower?" Cheng Yijiu carefully climbed up the ridge and looked at the valley below with a small monocular telescope.

"Holy crap!" He saw wounded soldiers and a blazing gate. He had no idea if there were any dead inside, but looking through the flames, it seemed there weren't any. Some of the wounded soldiers were still yelling in the sunlight, their bodies hunched over like shrimp before curling up into a ball. "Tongue spasm?" Cheng Yijiu muttered, adjusting his telescope.

The soldiers lying on the ground were being surrounded by the medical team, men and women in white coats. There were probably at least a dozen of them. Cheng Yijiu magnified the images and saw that their faces were covered in dark red veins, which looked terrifying. "It's like an infection like in the movies. It looks scary," Cheng Yijiu thought. These people looked very bad, but due to the angle, Cheng Yijiu could only see their faces and couldn't understand anything more.

The flames died down, and soldiers wearing gas masks cautiously approached the cave again. The struggling soldiers gushed blood from their mouths and noses, their bodies bouncing like fish. The few military doctors and medical staff seemed helpless as they watched their breathing gradually cease. Cheng Yijiu finally saw clearly what was happening—the dead soldier's chest was bulging, and his clothes were torn, revealing a white, unidentified object protruding from it.

Before Cheng Yijiu could get a clear look, the white creature quickly twisted and changed color in the sunlight. Its entire body turned black and shrank as if it had been roasted by charcoal. A large amount of fluid oozed out of its rapidly crumbling skin, and it must have died on the couch. "I finally understand why the Japanese didn't use it as a doomsday weapon - probably because it's too inefficient, and it's afraid of sunlight - I guess it's either strong light or ultraviolet rays that have a strong killing effect on these things."

Isn't that easy? Just drag the UV headlights and kill your way through. Cheng Yijiu didn't linger any longer. He descended the ridge and returned to the reverse slope. After a sip of water, he prepared to return. There were still hundreds of soldiers and officers here, and it looked like there were several scientists too. At least the middle-aged and elderly ones he saw yesterday were all there. No, one seemed to be missing. There were troops stationed not far away, and support was pouring in.

So Cheng Yijiu didn't need to pay much attention. He confirmed one thing: the white thing looked like some kind of large worm. As for its specific appearance, it was probably nothing more than a Mongolian death worm - worms all look similar anyway. Since he knew it was afraid of sunlight, there was probably a solution, so Cheng Yijiu prepared to go back.

He put away his binoculars, quickly descended the slope, and continued walking in a straight line back. On the ridge behind him, he saw a convoy of trucks approaching. They must be reinforcements. Maybe there would be an even bigger scene by then.

Chapter 32

"A parasitic worm? This is very interesting. Does it kill the host directly? But how does it lay eggs? Or do it leave a large number of eggs in the host's body when it bursts out? And then one egg corresponds to one host? This is totally inefficient!" This kind of parasite has only two words to say: extinction in nature. If it doesn't become extinct if it uses the host so extravagantly, who will become extinct?

And it's going to end with the host? Most likely, it's going to end with the host in the end? No parasite would do that.

As for being a predatory worm? That made sense. Burrowing into their prey to feed and reproduce was perfectly normal. Perhaps the eggs actually hatched inside their victims, feeding on their flesh and growing? Then, they would lurk around, ready to prey on their next victim. Cheng Yijiu even considered the possibility that after hatching, they matured quickly and then fertilized, leaving their belly full of eggs ready for prey.

He probably hadn't penetrated the area where the worm eggs were last time—it was unlikely that mature worms could live for decades. Most likely, after touching the eggs, the larvae inside would quickly break out of their shells and burrow into the human body. Judging by the speed at which these things grow, their lifespan is definitely not long.

"Such a rapid metabolism..." Cheng Yijiu muttered, "If it weren't for the fear of ultraviolet rays or sunlight, this thing would be enough to destroy the ecosystem of a place - I don't believe these worms only attack humans."

It seems like no other creature in this world exists, otherwise it would have been exposed long ago. There are many legends of similar large carnivorous worms, such as the Mongolian worm, but all of them are unconfirmed. If this thing quickly dies and degrades under ultraviolet light, it would be difficult to preserve the specimen.

Cheng Yijiu recalled that those so-called adventurers of the 18th and 19th centuries had recorded many similar creatures in their notes, but to date no specimens had been found to confirm their records. It seemed very likely that this was the case. The vast majority of people were bragging, while a few people probably actually saw such creatures.

Living within an ancient tomb, I wonder how the ancients managed to build it despite being surrounded by these worms. As for whether this is an alien tomb? Don't be ridiculous. Would aliens use civil and military figures and stone beasts to guard the sacred path? It's even impossible that this is a tomb built by a so-called super-ancient civilization.

Cheng Yijiu knew that China's history was definitely more than 5,000 years old, perhaps even 10,000 years, making it no less impressive than Egypt or the Mesopotamian region. Considering the size and timing of the Nile Delta, the evaporation and rainfall in the lower reaches of the Mesopotamian region, and the saline-alkali land over ten meters deep, perhaps only China could have a civilization spanning tens of thousands of years.

It's also possible these worms were introduced later. As for what exactly happened, Cheng Yijiu decided it was best not to dwell on it. Curiosity is welcome, but this isn't a classified matter; it'll likely be declassified. Later that evening, trucks drove past the village's dirt road, and no one knew what was in their cargo boxes.

Cheng Yijiu knew that the remains inside contained the remains of fallen soldiers, likely sent directly to the military hospital stationed for autopsy—the roof of the truck bed was open, letting in sunlight. It seemed the doctors and medical personnel present had also figured out how to kill the worms. The Japanese were poor and couldn't afford to deploy UV lamps en masse, and since they were hardly a viable weapon, they didn't invest heavily. But now, at least the UV lamps in the autopsy room were sufficient.

Cheng Yijiu was so sure the truck contained a corpse because he could smell blood. He stood aside, watching the trucks drive by one after another. Finally, a GAZ truck stopped in front of him. Li Ergou quietly approached Cheng Yijiu and looked at the stopped GAZ truck curiously. He even envied the jeep, as he had never ridden in a car before.

A middle-aged man in military uniform got out of the car. He looked at Cheng Yijiu, who was more than half a head taller than him, and his gaze lingered on Cheng Yijiu's shoulders, waist, and arms. "I heard you can hunt wild boars alone..." Li Ergou immediately interrupted, "Not only that, Chief, he can even kill a big blind bear in a single fight."

This time the man was really surprised and shocked, "Bare-handed?" He raised his voice and asked with a bit of disbelief in his words, "With a hunting knife, how is it possible with bare hands." Cheng Yijiu took the initiative to explain, "I'm not going to wrestle with a blind bear." It's not good to say judo, so let's say wrestling.

Two more people got out of the car. One was young and probably a guard, and the other was also middle-aged. "You are amazing, young man. Do you want to join the army?" The middle-aged man, who was shorter, was quite strong. He patted Cheng Yijiu's arms and shoulders. "What a strong physique you have. It's true that only city dwellers with adequate nutrition can maintain such a strong physique." The man also sighed.

Indeed, without adequate protein intake in rural areas, it's impossible to develop such muscle mass—perhaps one can still be very strong, but this is completely harmful to the body. It's true that only the wealthy practice martial arts. Without adequate nutritional intake in rural areas, the greater the strength, the faster the bones wear out, and the slower the recovery, leading to the person becoming useless by middle age.

The current army really needs soldiers like Cheng Yijiu, who are strong and powerful. "Can you shoot a gun?" asked the commander. It was hard to tell without military rank. Cheng Yijiu nodded. "I should be a good shooter." He turned his head and looked at the main body of the wooden bow drying in the shade. "Oh, you can make bows and shoot arrows." The two commanders also saw the bow blank.

"Didn't you encounter anything unusual the last time you went in?" The person who came down first must have finally gotten down to business. Cheng Yijiu and Li Ergou both shook their heads, "Aside from those dead bodies, I didn't see anything unusual." Cheng Yijiu added, "There must be some special carnivorous beast in there, right? I saw some very unusual marks on those bones."

"It's just like it was filed with a file. I've never seen any wild animal leave such marks on human bones." Cheng Yijiu said, "And the corpse's sternum is broken and facing outward. The cause of death is probably something pushing out from his chest and abdominal cavity..." As soon as he said this, the eyes of the two leaders immediately became very serious.

"What happened?" Cheng Yijiu decided to pretend he didn't know. He just looked at the other person's serious face and asked. Li Ergou also looked very curious...

Chapter 33

"You have excellent observation and knowledge, young comrade. Honestly, I suggest you join the army." The two leaders surprisingly agreed and wanted to recruit Cheng Yijiu to join the army. "I came to the countryside to work in the fields, and I never thought about joining the army." Cheng Yijiu decided to play dumb. "Did you encounter those strange things in there? How can these things live that long? It's been at least 20 years."

"Comrade, don't you want to see that strange thing?" Although more than ten soldiers had died - this was what Cheng Yijiu saw, and it was estimated that there might be more than ten soldiers who died in the deep cave and failed to bring out their bodies, the two leaders were still able to remain calm and wanted to bring the original discoverer over there, maybe it would have some effect - if nothing else, at least there would be some luck. Before Cheng Yijiu could say anything, Li Ergou shouted, "I want to see it, I want to see it. I want to see what kind of dangerous strange thing it is."

This guy doesn't even know that a lot of people have died.

"Let's go and take a look." This time they stopped a truck carrying supplies. Cheng Yijiu and Li Ergou got into the truck bed and followed the jeep towards the cave. Li Ergou was very excited because he had never ridden in a car in his life.

As the car approached the cave, Li Ergou was startled by the stench of blood. Cheng Yijiu had already jumped out and was using his hunting knife to pick up a bloody mess from the ground. "Although it's festering, at least it has a relatively intact outer layer." He examined the festering worm—as he had seen before, if it were alive and fully grown, it would have been roughly the size of a Chinese tabby cat, a truly enormous worm.

"How did this creature develop a respiratory system so large? Is its entire body covered in moist skin for gas exchange?" Cheng Yijiu decided not to dwell on the question. He carefully observed the remains of the creature and collected all the debris he could for comparative analysis. "Sure enough, this thing is similar to the likes of lampreys, with a ring of disc-shaped teeth, and even scarier and seemingly more efficient. No wonder it devours meat so quickly."

There might be other factors, like enzymes that dissolve muscle and fat, but there's no way to test them right now. These festering, shrunken corpses also helped Cheng Yijiu figure out how this thing moved inside the human body. There seemed to be suction cups on the tail, and bristles on the front that could be raised and lowered—if they were already inside and eating, why bother considering the victim's pain?

The cave entrance was charred black. "Is this an ancient tomb? How deep do we go?" Cheng Yijiu asked. An elderly professor was in charge. He looked at the two discoverers. "We've just entered the tomb, and we've encountered these strange worms." Cheng Yijiu asked curiously, "Which dynasty is this tomb from? This place didn't produce any notable figures in ancient times. Building this thing must have taken a lot of manpower. Where can we find so much manpower in such a cold and bitter place?"

The professor looked at Cheng Yijiu with admiration. He must have never expected such talent among the educated youth sent to the countryside—this level of knowledge was beyond the reach of a typical student who only studied up to the ninth or ninth grade of high school. "I don't know, I just don't know. I originally thought it might have been Bohai or Goguryeo, but there's no solid evidence. We couldn't even get past the tomb passage. Luckily, the Japanese didn't either."

Because the tomb passage is blocked by bones...and scattered among these bones are countless eggs.

Just as Cheng Yijiu suspected, these eggs hatched instantly upon contact with nearby heat—perhaps also due to a specific frequency of sound, such as a heartbeat. In short, the larvae hatched from these sago-sized eggs were approximately two to three centimeters long, with sharp heads that could easily penetrate a human body and then retract. These wire-like larvae would bounce, sensing heat and heartbeats.

After entering the human body, they feed and grow rapidly, reproducing with any of their kind they encounter, filling their stomachs with eggs. Finally, when mature, they burst forth from the body—normally, there would be more than one, and the victim's death would be horrific. Cheng Yijiu discussed the situation with Professor Tian and more or less confirmed the situation. The tomb itself appeared to date from at least the Tang Dynasty, but whether it dated to the Northern and Southern Dynasties or the Han Dynasty remains to be determined.

The mountain has been inspected, and no robbery holes have been found so far—which is quite normal, as this is a natural mountain, not a built-up one. Therefore, digging a hole directly through the top of the treasure is completely impossible—no one would be that lucky, and the workload is simply too huge. This is a rocky mountain. Despite the several-meter-thick layer of soil, the mountain is actually made of rock. Drilling a hole without explosives is absolutely impossible.

This mountain is over 700 meters high and covers a considerable area. It's covered in old pine and oak forests. The ancient tomb within the caverns is indeed of great interest, but it's not of primary importance—they're all about revolution and movement these days, so who cares about ancient tombs? If it weren't for the earlier reports of a Japanese base, fearing the presence of biological or chemical weapons, the troops wouldn't have even arrived, and at most, a county record would have been made.

The troops arrived, but instead of finding biological or chemical weapons, they discovered bizarre creatures they had never seen before, causing considerable damage. These creatures were dangerous, and they needed to confirm their spread. Now the commanders could rest assured. This creature was afraid of sunlight, and nothing could hide in it—whether it was an adult, an egg, or a larva, it would be quickly killed in the sun.

"Keep away from light, or you'll die. Why does this thing remind me of a Western vampire? It goes 'Ah, I'm dead!' when it sees sunlight. Why not call it the Wallachian carnivorous worm?" Now it was the professor and the two leaders' turn to be confused. "What is the Wallachian carnivorous worm?"

"Alas, the vampire Dracula in Western novels takes place in Transylvania, Romania, but the real place where the characters are actually from is Wallachia, Romania, and the prototype is Vlad III the Impaler of Wallachia." Cheng Yijiu spoke a series of words proudly, "So since this thing dies in the light like a vampire, let's call it Wallachia."

Cheng Yijiu touched his head. "After all, in Chinese zombie legends, these zombies seem to suck essence instead of blood, right? And zombies don't die immediately when exposed to sunlight. They can only be killed with Luban ink, sticky rice and fire."

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Seeing the looks in their eyes, Cheng Yijiu's heart beat faster. "I just read a lot of miscellaneous books. It's a pity that they all ended up in the recycling bin." This person was trying to fix the loophole. "It's pretty simple to investigate. Are there any high-powered UV lamps in China?" Cheng Yijiu said, "Put on your protective suit and push a portable high-powered UV lamp all the way over." Of course, he himself must be one of them.

It was the 1970s, not the 1950s and 1960s, when everything was lacking. In fact, by then, China had already completed its full industrialization. While the technology wasn't great and the products were crude, it was a truly comprehensive industrial system. Therefore, everything Cheng Yijiu proposed was readily available—especially in the three northeastern provinces, a crucial component of China's industrial system.

Soon, trucks arrived with UV headlights, more wiring, and fuel, along with full-body protective suits for chemical defense soldiers. Cheng Yijiu, donning the rubber suit, pushed a UV headlight with a makeshift wheel. He was accompanied by three other soldiers and a young volunteer researcher, also pushing a UV headlight. There were three UV headlights in total, along with a soldier checking the wiring at all times, and the researcher carrying a backpack.

Each of them carried their own equipment, the UV headlight covering a 180-degree angle in front of them. Of course, they also each carried a powerful spotlight, hanging just below the UV light.

"Excellent results!" Cheng Yijiu exclaimed. He saw living worms—puffy, white, wriggling on the ground, their heads moving in circles, presumably detecting the heat and heartbeats in the air. Then, under the ultraviolet light, they quickly darkened, leaked, and shrank, eventually becoming a pool of unidentified black and gray residue on the ground. This artificial ultraviolet light was far more intense than the sun.

Ultraviolet light is highly effective at killing worms, essentially killing them within ten seconds of exposure. Even a single second of exposure can cause significant, almost irreparable damage. Cheng Yijiu had tried this before. After a single second of exposure, he removed the worm and used a flashlight to illuminate it. He discovered the worm was festering, writhing in agony. It looked like it was unlikely to heal. So Cheng Yijiu applied the light for a few more seconds to completely euthanize it.

As they advanced, they discovered the remains of the victims, bones that had been almost gnawed away, and transparent, bubble-like insect eggs among them. Fortunately, these things could not block ultraviolet rays, and after being exposed to them, they quickly shriveled and turned black, completely losing their life, much faster than adult insects.

Arriving at the same spot Cheng Yijiu had last visited, the cavern above them suddenly rose higher. "Shine your UV light upwards, because if you're not careful, hatched insects might fall from above." Although Cheng Yijiu thought it unlikely, he had to rule out any danger. About a hundred meters further, Cheng Yijiu and his companions saw the entrance to the tomb. Bones were scattered across the entrance, suggesting it had been blocked, and then, in a process known as the "Case Study," the remaining active eggs had hatched...

"That's really lucky! The corpses we found in the hall ahead didn't have any eggs on them. I don't know why they didn't lay any eggs. Otherwise, they would have been dead long ago." Cheng Yijiu sighed, shining a powerful ultraviolet light on the tomb passage, and at the same time, he took out an iron hook and began to clean the corpses. The clothes on the corpses showed that many of them were Japanese soldiers, and some were probably ordinary people.

Only two meters of the tomb passage had been cleared before the excavation was halted due to insect infestation. After contact was established with the outside world, several more soldiers arrived, bringing more UV lamps. Of course, according to the professor, they hoped to avoid using UV lamps once inside the tomb, as this would severely damage the murals and artifacts. Cheng Yijiu immediately offered a suggestion, "Why not seal it off and wait until the technology improves and the country has more money to excavate it? Perhaps after the 21st century?"

After all, this tomb has been here for at least 1,200 or even 1,500 years; a few more decades wouldn't be a problem. There will surely be better ways to solve this problem in the future. Currently, the researcher pulled out several black glass bottles and began collecting worm egg samples. "Don't shine ultraviolet light on me; I have a small flashlight." They're probably still going to be used to study these carnivorous worms, but unfortunately, they have to be cultivated in a darkroom.

It now appeared that even ordinary bright light was somewhat lethal to these worms—if ultraviolet light only took a few seconds, then searchlight-level light would take about ten minutes, and sunlight without UV light would only take about three minutes to kill these worms. "So they hide in dark, dark places to hunt and reproduce?" Cheng Yijiu now fully understood the ecology of these monsters.

How did something like this spread? With their ridiculous resistance, how could they possibly spread? Perhaps there really is an intermediate "host" that can carry the eggs everywhere, though it's likely extinct now. In short, despite the exaggerated casualties these worms have caused, they are, in reality, just a dying species lingering on.

Cheng Yijiu watched as a researcher carefully used a large, long-handled spoon to scoop up the eggs that had spilled onto the ground, still quite active, into a black glass bottle and take it to the lab. These labs must also be newly built, and they should all be illuminated by UV-free lamps. As for how to breed this creature—at least a large number of rats or larger creatures would be needed as petri dishes.

But Cheng Yijiu didn't think it was necessary to use cats or dogs to breed them. He didn't think it was necessary. There was no need to take these worms so seriously. You know, those lawless guys in the compound are willing to get into trouble. They might actually get the worms out. Fortunately, Zhou Huida believed that doing so would cause endless trouble. Ultraviolet rays can't be isolated by simply wrapping them in cloth.

If these idiots from the compound were to get their hands on this thing, it would cause a biological catastrophe in a matter of minutes. The first to die would be the leader of the group. A horrible death is their only fate, even if their father is a marshal. In Cheng Yijiu's opinion, it's useless in this era. There might be a way to save it in the 21st century—cryogenic surgery. However, this requires further research on the worm itself. Does it lose its activity at low temperatures? If so, there is a solution.

Of course, it is also possible that the opposite is true, and when the temperature is high, the activity will decrease or even stop feeding...

Chapter 35

After exiting the cave, everyone was sweating profusely. They quickly took off their protective suits to get some fresh air and drink some water, while the protective suits were rinsed - otherwise, the smell in here would be unbearable. The chief and the professor were seriously discussing the suggestion Cheng Yijiu had made earlier. If you think about it carefully, his suggestion is really very reasonable.

We could just let future generations excavate it. After all, an ancient tomb, discovered by the Japanese and then excavated, wasn't important to the nation's economy or people's livelihood. The next step was to contact the relevant departments via radio, and everyone held a meeting to discuss the matter. Cheng Yijiu left first, as it seemed unnecessary for him to continue the expedition.

The leaders felt that such people would be better suited to join the army—many specialized departments, such as exploration, needed such specialized personnel with strong wilderness survival skills. Cheng Yijiu naturally refused to join the army. "I've thought about returning to the Magic City in two years. Who knows when I can return and get married after serving in the army."

This was the general attitude of citizens in developed southern cities; it was just the way it was for the common people. Even though Cheng Yijiu was incredibly tough, he still felt the same way. In this day and age, he had little desire to join the army—he was just an ordinary person. There was no such thing as forced conscription these days; a forced melon wouldn't be sweet. But the commanders didn't want to give up, especially after seeing the pelt of the bear he had killed and the skull he had carved out according to Cheng Yijiu's request.

This was a fierce warrior capable of taking down a full-grown black bear with just a dagger. Just look at that bear hide and skull; this was a male, considered one of the largest Asian black bears. Now the two commanders had a clearer idea of ​​its size—this black bear stood as tall as a man and weighed over 300 pounds. A normal person with a knife would only be giving him meat.

Cheng Yijiu had killed the bear without even getting hurt. He might actually be capable of taking down a bear or tiger, but he could certainly break the record for a human fighting a ferocious beast with bare hands. He felt like he was at home strolling through the woods, and Cheng Yijiu was shown off his marksmanship. He was incredibly accurate, the key to his skill lay in his steady mindset, which resulted in a very high accuracy rate.

Of course, since his bows and arrows were not finished, Cheng Yijiu also borrowed a bow collected by the ancestors of Li Ergou in the village - "Is this the one used by your great-grandfather or great-great-grandfather? This bow will break after being fully drawn a dozen times at most, and that's because it's well maintained." This is a typical Qing Dynasty bow. If you calculate the poundage, it is basically eighty pounds. This force is enough to be used as a combat bow, and it is actually more powerful than enough as a hunting bow.

Although Cheng Yijiu's bow wasn't a success, he could still make arrows. A hand-cranked wooden lathe could easily produce a straight arrow shaft, which he then attached with thin wood feathers and a steel arrowhead. A heavy arrow was ready. Wearing a bone ring, Cheng Yijiu also demonstrated traditional archery techniques for everyone.

At a distance of thirty meters, Cheng Yijiu's powerful bow and arrows were even more powerful than pistol bullets. Killing wild animals weighing two or three hundred kilograms or even more was a piece of cake. He could even penetrate the tightly bound haystacks used to simulate wild animals with a single arrow. Killing a wild boar of the same weight would certainly be no problem. Even if a Ussuri wild boar weighed five hundred kilograms, Cheng Yijiu would dare to kill it with this bow.

Unfortunately, it was about to break. Cheng Yijiu checked it and found that the bow was very old and was about to rot. Cheng Yijiu didn't want it to break suddenly after being fully drawn. It would be bad if he got beaten and bleed. "This thing can only be drawn halfway. If you really draw it to the full, it will break in a few strokes.

So, ultimately, he had to build his own bow. The commander was genuinely pleased with him; his marksmanship was excellent, his survivability was strong, and he was a perfect candidate for combat and adventure. "Think about it again. We await your reply." With that, the two men departed, returning to report. A platoon of soldiers remained at the gate—they would likely be transferred out in due course, and the area would be locked behind a large iron gate and guarded by the local commune.

This used to be the Japanese base, but there are no dangerous military items inside anymore, only dangerous carnivorous worms. Of course, there are ancient tombs deeper in the place, and judging by the entrance to the tomb, the Japanese never went in back then, so they simply left it alone and decided to deal with it when the country has the financial and human resources in the future.

The retrieved samples would definitely be sent to national research institutes and universities for study. Fortunately, they were relatively easy to control. Carnivorous worms, which can be killed by ultraviolet light, weren't a big deal. As long as they were careful not to let one burrow into their bodies, there wouldn't be much of a problem. Everyone really wanted to study these enormous worms. Their terrifying parasitic, carnivorous nature could completely kill their host and even destroy entire ecosystems.

There's also the question of how these creatures breathe on land. Small worms exchange gases through their skin, but worms that large must either get oxygen from the host's blood or live in water, which is impossible unless they have lungs or exposed gills. Of course, there's also the question of how big they can get.

What could be found deep within the tomb? I doubt it would be anything good—there are already so many worm eggs here, and deeper down, there might even be worms still alive today—after all, there's no telling how long they can survive, or whether they'll enter a dormant state. If they find a multi-headed worm bigger than a house, wouldn't that be like a real-life horror movie?

Cheng Yijiu was reminded of the futuristic film Deep Freeze. "It's strange that there's a bug like this in the north. Logically, one that big should be in the south." A few days later, the soldiers evacuated, and the area was handed over to the commune. Of course, the commune's handling of the situation was simple—the forestry brigade simply closed the road and told them to check on it every ten days or half a month. The entrance was reinstalled with a large iron gate and locked.

Cheng Yijiu was also seriously considering whether to join the army. It seemed that if he did, he would not be an ordinary soldier. Perhaps this was the reason why he was sent here? Moreover, before leaving, the two leaders were obviously well-informed. They patted his hat, clothes and pants, and smiled meaningfully.