Mutated Tao

In the dim underground culvert[1] of the Karez system, Qing Wanglai reached out to catch the dust that gently fell from above due to the vibrations. The unstable structure made everyone feel uneasy.

Qing Wanglai tried to calm Li Huowang, who was hysterically banging his head against the wall. “Li Huowang, you’d better stop. We don’t know how old this Karez system is. If you collapse this culvert, we’ll all get buried here.”

Li Huowang suddenly froze in place like a statue. It wasn’t because of Qing Wanglai’s words. It was because Zhao Shuangdian pressed a finger to her lips.

Zhao Shuangdian hushed him, and the noise gradually died down.

She seemed to have noticed something. His heart started to race as he became confident that she had unearthed something beyond his hallucinations.

Ba Nanxu saw Zhao Shuangdian crouch down silently and immediately threw herself over. She kneeled on the ground and used her back and hips to support the rifle.

Zhao Shuangdian stared into the pitch-black culvert ahead for a long time before suddenly pulling the trigger.

Bang! Blood appeared to seep out from the distant darkness.

Was I right? Could it be that what happened earlier wasn’t entirely my hallucination?

Li Huowang felt a surge of joy at the possibility, motivating him to charge forward. The gunfire behind him didn’t slow him down—it spurred him to move even faster.

When he emerged from the darkness again, he grabbed a terrified black man with both hands. “Can you all see him? Can you see him now? Is this man real or just another of my hallucinations?”

Everyone nodded, acknowledging that they could see the man. Li Huowang burst into laughter before raising his knife and stabbing it into the man’s neck.

As Li Huowang yanked the knife out of the man’s neck, a chunk of his trachea still clinging to it, a powerful force suddenly struck him from behind and sent him flying.

The force was so strong that Li Huowang was launched into the air. He saw the uneven ground below and knew that if he hit the ground, he would sustain serious injuries.

Li Huowang didn’t want to get injured right after finding the enemy. He used all his strength to position the corpse beneath him as he fell.

Thud! Li Huowang landed heavily on the corpse, its face and skin grinding onto the rough ground below.

Li Huowang panted as he stood back up and returned to the side of his comrades. Everyone focused ahead, and more people began to emerge from the darkness.

They were human and primarily black people. They all held various firearms, though many of them were injured, likely from the earlier confrontation.

At the forefront was a towering black man. He looked at the body of his fallen comrade with a hint of restrained anger. Instead of lashing out, he furrowed his brow and looked at Li Huowang. “Nafurahi kukuona[2].”

Qing Wanglai stepped forward past Li Huowang, smiling as he replied, “Jumbo na gomvi maridhawa[3].”

The man’s expression softened slightly since Qing Wanglai could communicate. He stepped closer and continued, “Rafiki, mungu wetu na mfalme wetu[4].”

The next moment, Qing Wanglai raised his hand and shot the man in the head. The element of surprise had allowed him to get rid of their leader.

“Nye[5]!” Furious shouts erupted as the enemy raised their weapons.

Without hesitation, Qing Wanglai turned and hid behind Li Huowang, pushing him forward with both hands.

“Get out of the way!” Li Huowang kicked backward, using the momentum to charge forward with his knife.

Li Huowang’s sharp blade sliced through flesh. Sensing the vibration of the blade, he slid it to the joint and cut off the enemy’s arm with a resounding crack.

As he saw a heavy weapon aimed at him from afar, he roared and used his knives to impale the man. Li Huowang used him as a shield and advanced on the others.

Gunfire erupted, and Li Huowang’s human shield was quickly torn into shreds. He had crouched just in time to dodge the attack.

Li Huowang gripped his knife and hurled it at the shooter, hitting them with pinpoint accuracy.

It wasn’t over yet. He couldn’t let that weapon fall into enemy hands. His bulletproof vest wouldn’t stop that kind of firepower.

As Li Huowang was about to charge forward and clear a path, a dark object rolled to his feet.

A grenade?! Li Huowang lifted his right foot and kicked it away.

Before it could get far, a massive explosion shook the ground.

Li Huowang bore the brunt of the blast since he was the closest to it. If it weren’t for his equipment, he might have died.

Even so, when the dust settled, he found himself buried in debris, with only one hand exposed.

In the darkness, he felt someone pat his hand to signal him to stay calm. After a while, his surroundings lit up as he was rescued from beneath the rubble. He finally felt a sense of camaraderie as he watched his companions work together to clear the debris from him.

“Are you okay? Can you hear me? Li Huowang, how many fingers am I holding up?” Wu Qi’s face swayed before him while his head buzzed.

Li Huowang turned around and looked at the collapsed culvert, now filled with rubble. There were no more enemies in sight.

The buzzing in Li Huowang’s head subsided a bit, and he could hear Qing Wanglai’s voice nearby.

Qing Wanglai said, “They intentionally did this to block our way and prevent us from getting closer.”

He took out a compass from his pocket and shook it briefly. “But it’s fine. This will only delay us. Karez systems are long, with access points at various intervals. If we follow this direction, we’ll find another entrance.

“Alright, let’s not waste any more time. Judging by their reaction, we’ve found the right place.”

Li Huowang, lying on the ground, suddenly reached out and grabbed Qing Wanglai’s ankle tightly. “Three Pure Ones! I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a while. How come you speak their language? Are you close to them?”

1. A structure to channel water past obstacles. ☜

2. Swahili: I’m glad to see you. ☜

3. Swahili: Great and wonderful friends. ☜

4. Swahili: Friend, our God, and our king. ☜

5. Swahili: No ☜

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