PCJ – Chapter 536 Trump Card

Zeng Lei shone his mining lamp in the direction of the sound and immediately saw the culprit behind it—a hulking, massive figure hunched forward as it moved. The tunnel was quite spacious, nearly two meters tall, yet this bulky creature had to stoop to avoid hitting the ceiling. Its massive body nearly filled the tunnel, and it was so heavy that each step it took made the ground tremble. No wonder it had scared off the horde of rats in panic.

Although it looked clumsy and slow, it wasn’t actually slow at all. Because of its enormous height and long legs, each stride it took was equal to three or four steps of a regular person. So while it appeared to move slowly, it was actually advancing rapidly.

“My God!” Zeng Lei had never seen such a terrifying creature before.

Ma Fusong also saw the monstrous figure.

“Brother Ma, what should we do?” a guy next to Ma Fusong asked shakily.

Ma Fusong gritted his teeth. “Retreat!”

The group turned and ran.

Seeing them flee, Zeng Lei quickly chased after them.

“Bang! Bang!”

As Zeng Lei caught up, Ma Fusong suddenly fired two shots at him, forcing Zeng Lei to dodge in shock. The hulking figure behind them was closing in. It was clear Ma Fusong intended to use the monster to trap Zeng Lei in the tunnel.

Even the leopard, sensing the danger, barked at the giant, but to no effect. The monster marched forward like a robot, crushing anything in its path.

Zeng Lei stumbled over a giant rat corpse and nearly fell. He quickly got up and continued running, all while staying alert for any more shots from Ma Fusong. It was an extremely dangerous situation.

Zhang Jiaohua also had to retreat quickly. He was wary of Ma Fusong’s weapon—flesh and blood couldn’t stop bullets.

Zhang Jiaohua retreated to the tunnel entrance and climbed into the courtyard above. Old Qi and the other two guards were still unconscious. He quickly tied them up and dragged them aside. Just as he finished, Ma Fusong’s voice echoed from the tunnel:

“Old Qi! Give me a hand!”

A hand reached out from the tunnel. Zhang Jiaohua didn’t hesitate—he grabbed it and pulled, then knocked the person out before they could adjust to the light.

“Old Qi! Old Zhou! Hurry up, there’s a big guy down here!”

Another hand reached out. Zhang Jiaohua repeated the trick and took that person down too.

Ma Fusong sensed something was wrong. There hadn’t been a single sound from above—very suspicious.

“Wait.”

He held back the next guy and glanced cautiously up.

“What is it, Brother Ma? That big guy’s catching up!” the man said anxiously.

“Something happened to Old Qi. The cops might’ve taken control up there,” Ma Fusong said grimly.

“What should we do then?” the man asked.

Ma Fusong glanced back at Zeng Lei and the approaching monster. “Crouch down. I’ll go up first.”

The man hesitated but obeyed. Ma Fusong fired two more shots at Zeng Lei, forcing him to press against the tunnel wall.

Ma Fusong then stepped on his subordinate’s shoulders and began climbing the wall, gun in hand, calling out, “Old Qi! Give me a hand!”

Bang!

But it wasn’t a gunshot—a massive rock came crashing down and struck Ma Fusong on the head. It was too sudden. Of course Zhang Jiaohua had overheard Ma Fusong’s plan and wouldn’t let him succeed.

Ma Fusong collapsed, knocking over his subordinate too. Zhang Jiaohua jumped down and knocked out the struggling man.

“Zeng Lei! Hurry up!” Zhang Jiaohua waved at him.

Seeing Zhang Jiaohua, Zeng Lei was overjoyed and ran over.

The giant was now very close.

Zhang Jiaohua jumped out of the exit first, pulled Zeng Lei out, and the leopard followed with a leap.

But the giant wasn’t far behind.

Ma Fusong regained consciousness just in time to see the giant approach.

“Ah!” he cried and groped for his gun, firing wildly. But the bullets had no effect—they bounced off the giant like they hit a steel wall.

The giant swung its arms and hurled Ma Fusong like a sack into the tunnel wall. He fell limply to the ground, unable to move.

But the monster didn’t stop there—it grabbed Ma Fusong’s legs and tore him in half. Blood rained down, staining the tunnel red.

Another man who had been playing dead was kicked hard by the giant. The sound of bones shattering filled the air.

“Ahhh!”

The unlucky man screamed in agony, his voice weakening until it disappeared completely.

The giant’s head emerged from the tunnel entrance—another massive rock slammed down, striking it hard.

Boom!

The monster recoiled, letting out a deep, painful growl—it had finally been hurt.

“Jiaohua! Run!” Zeng Lei shouted.

Zhang Jiaohua smiled. “Don’t panic. This guy isn’t as scary as he looks.”

He tossed a few talismans into the tunnel. The previously impervious monster suddenly screamed in pain. It wasn’t afraid of bullets or blades, but these charms were a different story.

The giant tried to climb out, but the entrance was too narrow. It got stuck. Its arms caught on the edge, it couldn’t move up or down—it was trapped and helpless.

Seeing this, Zeng Lei rushed over with a power drill. “Jiaohua, move aside. I’ll drill a hole in this thing’s head!”

“Wait, I’ll immobilize it first,” Zhang Jiaohua warned.

Zeng Lei nodded, prepped the drill, and tested it with a loud whirr.

Oblivious to the threat, the monster kept struggling. Zhang Jiaohua threw a binding talisman—it worked perfectly. The monster froze like a statue.

Zeng Lei drilled into its head. Though tough, it couldn’t resist the drill—a deep hole appeared.

ROAR!

The monster suddenly broke free from the talisman’s hold.

Zeng Lei wisely tossed the drill aside and ran. The monster flung its head, sending the drill flying. Inky-black blood gushed from the hole.

After a moment, the monster tilted its head and fell still.

“Is it dead?” Zeng Lei asked.

“Seems like it. But just in case…” Zhang Jiaohua threw another talisman into the wound.

Boom!

The giant’s head exploded—now it was definitely dead.

“You know where this is?” Zhang Jiaohua asked Zeng Lei.

Zeng Lei shook his head. “No. Where?”

“The haunted house. Remember? This is the tunnel under it. You’re crazy for jumping down here!”

Zeng Lei looked sheepish. “I had no choice. Those tomb raiders saw through me early on. The bastards lured me in here to die. Good thing you showed up.”

“Lucky you.” Zhang Jiaohua said.

“That big guy—was it the powerful thing in the tunnel?” Zeng Lei asked.

Zhang Jiaohua shook his head. “That one shouldn’t be this weak. Without this brute though, the real threat is like a tiger without teeth. Want to go check it out?”

They were close to uncovering the real secret. Zhang Jiaohua was itching with curiosity. After visualizing his Daoist cultivation diagram, his strength had clearly advanced a lot.

“I already died once today. Might as well finish the job.” Zeng Lei was curious about what the tomb raiders had risked so much for.

Since the passage was blocked, they had to dig a new one. The captured tomb raiders were securely tied up, guarded by a black cat and a fat monkey—no escape possible.

Zhang Jiaohua jumped into the tunnel. The leopard followed. Zeng Lei went last.

“Leopard, go find that sneaky guy!” Zhang Jiaohua tapped the leopard’s head. It bolted forward, barking echoed through the tunnel.

“Let’s go!” Zhang Jiaohua picked up the pace.

Corpses littered the tunnel—tomb raiders and giant rats alike. Blood was everywhere, but Zhang Jiaohua and Zeng Lei acted like they didn’t even notice.

Zeng Lei, once a special forces soldier, was used to such carnage. What surprised him was how calm Zhang Jiaohua was—at his age, he couldn’t possibly have seen such brutality before.

Yet here he was, completely unfazed.