Chapter 51: Test Runs
“Are we really doing this?” Li Yao’s complaints rang out like nectar to Yu Han’s ears. The small shovel Yu Han had given him now hung from his waist belt.
“Shut up and get ready,” Yu Han shouted. He was standing by the donkey cart with Huang Niuniu. “I’m opening the hatch soon.”
“Fuck, it already stinks. At least give me that helmet!” Li Yao shouted. He held one sword horizontally in front of his chest, the other in a reverse grip.
“Brother Yu,” Fang Zhao said, “this one agrees. Even if you want to test our—”
“Beep boop! Can’t hear you.” Yu Han accepted the mental prod from the token. With a low rumble and a cloud of eye-watering stench so thick it was visible, the hatch slid away.
The afternoon light had long shifted to the reddish glow of early evening. A quick glance showed at least ten of the buggers in the entrance.
“Oh my heavens,” Li Yao said. “It stinks—”
The first creature lunged. It spun mid-air like an out-of-control shuriken and aimed a claw at Li Yao’s face.
“Get the motherf—” He cleaved sideways, separating the creature in two. Gore splashed all over his body alongside the black bile. “I’m gonna hurl.”