Volume Two – The General’s Tomb Chapter Thirty-Three – The Three-Eyed Serpent Man

Sensing something unusual behind me, I suddenly gathered my strength and lunged straight for the coffin before me, landing atop it in an instant.

There was a loud bang as I turned my head sharply to look behind, only for my pupils to contract in shock—what in the world was this monstrous thing in front of me?

The creature before me stood well over two meters tall, clad in what seemed at first glance to be blood-red armor. But on closer inspection, I realized it was not so much wearing armor as having it embedded into its flesh. Its body was covered in bluish-green scales, each about the size of a child’s palm, and atop its head sat a battered bronze helmet, so ruined it barely shielded the crown.

But it was the creature’s face that truly startled me. It fixed me with two unblinking eyes, its mouth flicking out a long, forked tongue, making it resemble an enormous serpent. Above its nose, a third, inverted-triangle-shaped eye spun, staring directly at me.

My skin crawled with dread. Just what the hell was this thing?

At that moment, the monster parted its lips and ran its lengthy tongue across its own face. Then, in a violent motion, it spun around, and a thick tail, as broad as an adult’s thigh, lashed straight at me. If that hit, I’d be dead or crippled for sure.

Swearing loudly, I rolled across to the other side of the coffin just in time, as the creature’s tail crashed down where I’d just been.

A tremendous noise erupted, and I saw the coffin where I’d stood moments before sent flying, bones from its occupant scattering across the floor with a thunderous crash.

I couldn’t help but think, “Sorry, brother, but you can’t blame me for this. It’s all that monster’s doing. If you want revenge, take it out on him—not me.”

The monster, having missed its strike, writhed and charged at me. To my shock, it moved with blinding speed; the five meters between us vanished in the blink of an eye, and before I could react, it was upon me.

Frustration burned within me. I wanted nothing more than to shoot this thing dead, but it gave me no chance. The moment a blow missed, it renewed its attack, clearly intent on killing me.

Gritting my teeth, I shouted, “Damn it, you really think I, Liu, am just a helpless kitten?”

I was crouched as the monster closed in. In one motion, I drew the three-edged bayonet strapped to my leg and charged headlong at the beast.

The monster hesitated for a split second, clearly not expecting me to confront it head-on. Seizing the moment, I drove the bayonet straight at its chest. The creature swung a massive hand at me, but I ducked, changing the direction of my thrust and plunging the blade into its abdomen.

But then something terrifying happened. As the blade struck its belly, sparks flew before my eyes as though I’d stabbed a steel plate. My hand went numb from the impact, blood trickling from my palm.

“Damn it!” I swore. “How are this thing’s scales so tough? I can’t even pierce them!”

No sooner had I steadied myself than the monster’s huge tail swept toward me, striking my back as though I’d been slammed with a tree trunk.

The force hurled me through the air and I crashed hard onto another coffin. Agony shot through my back, and all of this had happened in just a few seconds. Li Kun was still far from me.

I knew I couldn’t count on Li Kun now. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I forced myself upright, grabbed the gun slung at my waist, and was about to chamber a round and fire. But as I aimed, the monster’s massive tail whipped toward me again.

This wasn’t good—earlier, the monster had struck without even facing me and still packed that much power. Now, it was clearly using all its strength.

Bracing myself on the coffin lid, I vaulted to the other side, but my wounded back betrayed me; I lost my balance and crashed to the ground.

As I lay there, the coffin behind me went flying overhead, smashed aside by the monster’s tail with a deafening crash.

Despair flooded my heart. I was completely out of options. The monster loomed over me, raising a giant hand to smash down on my face.

In that moment, I thought of my father’s gentle smile, the way he cooked, the happy times with Gaofeng, and Li Kun.

Li Kun! The thought flashed through my mind.

Right then, a shout rang out behind me: “Damn you! Today, Li is going to end you!”

Before I could react, the staccato of an 87-type assault rifle erupted behind me. Flames burst from the monster’s body as bullets struck home.

Under the barrage, the monster staggered backward, raising its arms to shield its face.

Seizing the chance, I scrambled to my feet and unleashed a hail of bullets at the beast. “You were beating me down just now—let’s see you run now!”

Both Li Kun and I poured fire into the monster. Though its scales and armor shielded it, blood began to spray from its wounds.

The creature retreated until it was pressed against the wall. We were sure it was finished. But then, to our astonishment, the monster hurled itself at the stone wall—and vanished straight into it!

Li Kun and I exchanged incredulous glances. He rubbed his eyes and said, “Liu, did I see that right? Did that three-eyed snake just disappear?”

I was as shocked as he was, but I kept my weapon trained on where the monster had vanished. “Let’s not get too close just yet. There might be something strange about that spot.”

Li Kun nodded. “Yeah, we’d better be careful. We don’t want that three-eyed beast sneaking up on us.”

I said, “Li, you keep watch. I need a moment to rest.”

As I reached to touch my back, a sharp pain stabbed into me, making me gasp.

Li Kun glanced over and asked, “Liu, are you alright?”

I rolled my shoulders and replied, “It’s nothing serious. That last hit wasn’t too bad.”

He came over and said, “Take off your coat. Let me have a look.”

I nodded and shrugged off my padded jacket. Li Kun lifted my shirt and examined my back. “It’s not too bad, just a big bruise—some blood pooling, that’s all.”

I sighed in relief. “Li, there’s some ointment in my coat. Put some on my back for me, would you?”

Li Kun nodded, a little surprised. “Liu, you actually brought ointment into a tomb?”

I replied, “Better safe than sorry, right? See, it came in handy.”

Once the medicine was applied and I was dressed again, I said, “Looks like that monster won’t be back for a while. It’s badly hurt—if it doesn’t want to come out, we probably won’t run into it.”

Li Kun asked, “By the way, Liu, how did that thing suddenly disappear? I didn’t even see what happened.”

I shook my head. “I’m not sure, but it’s probably related to where the monster vanished.”

Li Kun glanced at the spot on the wall. I continued, “When I was checking the stone wall earlier, the monster crept up behind me. Luckily, I reacted quickly, or you wouldn’t be seeing me now.”

Li Kun said, “I was looking at the wall too when I heard a loud crash and figured something happened to you. I ran over and never expected to find a creature like that in this tomb. Hey, Liu, do you think that three-eyed serpent was left here by the tomb’s owner to guard his burial chamber?”