Chapter 110: Taking Over

Even though the man wore a strange opera-mask, the three of them recognized him instantly. It was Ye Tianhua, who had been the first to enter the stone gate. At that moment, Ye Tianhua was locked in a staring contest with the giant serpent; it was precisely his presence that had kept the serpent from allowing the rotting corpses to continue their assault on the trio.

"Brother Tianhua!" Chen Dongfang shouted in excitement.

"Get out! Never come back to this place again. It will spare you," my father, Ye Tianhua, said, ignoring Chen Dongfang’s exclamation.

Although the three of them were burning with questions, they knew this was not the time. Having barely escaped with their lives, "A" took one last deep look at my father before grabbing Chen Dongfang and Tang Renjie, signaling for them to leave.

Just as they were about to move, the stone gate exploded with a thunderous boom. It was undoubtedly an explosion, and had it not been for their quick reflexes, the blast wave would have decimated them. Even so, they were thrown a great distance. As Chen Dongfang looked up, he saw a group of people in hazardous material suits storming in. They were clearly well-trained; upon entering, they immediately began firing water cannons at the corpses. As the liquid hit the bodies, it hissed and bubbled, emitting an unbearable, nauseating stench. It was obvious they were spraying sulfuric acid.

The corpses, which bullets could not kill, were rapidly dissolved by the high-concentration acid, turning into pools of pus that drained into the blood-filled basin. As the men in hazmat suits continued to clear the area, several of them approached "A" and his companions.

The situation was so sudden that even "A" seemed caught off guard. When the leader approached, they removed their masks. A stout, middle-aged man extended his hand to "A," who shook it with a look of dazed hesitation. The middle-aged man smiled and said, "We are taking over Operation A now. You may withdraw."

"Oh?" "A" replied.

The man gestured to a subordinate, who produced a document stamped with a red seal. "Do you see this clearly?"

"A" nodded, offering a bitter smile without a word. Meanwhile, several soldiers with rifles had surrounded my father, Ye Tianhua. They handcuffed him, and for good measure, bound him tightly with rope before finally tearing the mask from his face.

The stout man walked over, patted my father’s shoulder, and remarked, "I knew you were one of those people from the Ghost Path."

My father scanned his surroundings. The soldiers had finished clearing the corpses and were now setting up heavy artillery, the barrels aimed directly at the giant serpent in the water.

"You are going to get everyone killed! Don't touch it! Retreat now, and there is still time!" my father shouted at the man.

"You should worry about yourself," the stout man replied, a confident, unwavering smile fixed on his face.

My father turned to "A," screaming, "Stop him! Stop this fool! He’s going to kill everyone here!"

"A" looked at my father, then walked over to the stout man. After a brief exchange, he returned and shook his head, saying, "He has taken command of this operation under orders from our superiors."

Hardly had "A" finished speaking when the stout man waved his hand. All the artillery pieces fired at the serpent. Massive as it was, the beast had no defense against such concentrated firepower. The man had come prepared, and round after round of shelling rained down. The serpent shrieked—a sound of pure agony. Though those on the bank could not see clearly, they could feel the creature's immense pain.

By the time the third wave of shelling ended, a massive serpent carcass lay floating on the water. Its enormous eyes remained open, staring at the shore with a look of haunting, unyielding resentment.

"So this is what you meant by 'everyone will die'? Besides spreading superstitious nonsense, what else can you do? This isn't the age of cold steel anymore!" the man sneered at my father.

My father remained silent, his eyes fixed on the corpse. Seeing this, the man assumed the beast wasn't dead and prepared to order another strike. Suddenly, the still carcass convulsed. The serpent let out a mournful, wailing cry—not one of pain or intimidation, but one directed toward the giant green stone at the peak of the mountain.

All eyes turned toward the dragon.

Chen Dongfang had a wild, bizarre thought: was the serpent calling for help from the dragon within the green stone?

The answer was immediate.

The giant green stone above the basin emitted a blinding green light, so brilliant that it forced everyone to look away. As they waited for the dragon shadow within the stone to awaken, a sudden, deafening sound of rattling iron chains echoed through the cavern.

The sound seemed to come from everywhere at once, deep and heavy. It was only then that Chen Dongfang grasped the meaning of "A's" words—that my father was one of "those people." While everyone else searched for the source of the noise, he watched my father’s eyes and realized he was looking deep beneath the surface of the water.

The soldiers went silent, and even the stout man fell quiet as the source of the sound became clear: it was underwater.

Following the flash of green light, the battered giant serpent seemed to experience a final surge of life. It thrashed upward, its massive body rising as if to take flight. Finally, everyone saw that the serpent's tail was pierced by several holes, through which massive black iron chains were threaded. The serpent was straining with all its might to drag something up from the depths.

"Run! Everyone run! If you’re too late, you’re all going to die!" my father shouted, his face deathly pale.

The soldiers hesitated, but the stout man fired a shot into the air and pointed his weapon at my father. "Say another word, and I'll end you! Reload! Open fire!"

As the highest-ranking officer, his word was law. The soldiers resumed their bombardment, more fiercely than ever. Yet, the serpent did not stop, even as its body was shredded by the shells. It kept pulling, determined to haul the object from the depths, seemingly intent on mutual destruction.

Finally, with one last whip of its tail, the serpent collapsed onto the water, spent. But that final surge of strength had pulled the chains to the surface.

The chains thrashed, sending cascades of water mixed with the putrid fluids of the corpses into the air. Then, the object attached to the chains slammed against the surface with a heavy crash.

Many thought the serpent was finally dead, but Chen Dongfang saw my father’s face turn white as a sheet. As he looked at the object emerging from the water, he began to tremble uncontrollably.

It was a dragon-headed stele.

A colossal dragon-headed stele.

The design was identical to the one buried in the Feng Shui eye at Fudigou, but compared to this one, that one had been insignificantly small.

"Fire! Blow that stone to pieces!" the stout man yelled, retreating.

By now, many had realized the impossibility of the situation: the stele was made of solid stone, yet it was floating on the surface of the water.

"Untie me, quickly!" my father commanded.

"A" rushed forward. When someone tried to stop him, Chen Dongfang tackled them instantly. As soon as they freed my father, the dragon shadow inside the giant stone overhead suddenly stirred.

The great stone began to sway.

It looked as though it were about to crash down, or as if the dragon inside were about to break free.