Chapter 980: Tomb Village
Table after table was set up in the center of the village, many villagers had arrived early, everyone cheerfully imagining a bright future, with smiles beaming on every face.
Indeed, the people of Tomb Village love to smile.
"The village chief is here!"
"Quick, quick! Applaud!"
"Wait, wait, he hasn’t spoken yet!"
"Wonderful!"
"Are you foolish?! You should wait for the village chief to speak before shouting!"
The old, white-haired village chief was respected by all the villagers, he had devoted his entire life to this village.
Walking up to the makeshift simple stage, the village chief looked at those familiar faces below; he was reluctant to meet their eyes, his gaze gradually drifting into the distance.
Tomb Village was built inside a massive sinkhole; it served as the garbage disposal center for those outside cities. The people living on the ground constantly threw all kinds of garbage and waste into the deep pit.
Perhaps due to the poor living environment, almost no villager in Tomb Village appeared normal; each had varying degrees of deformity. Their minds might still be like ordinary people’s, but from an appearance standpoint, they were no longer regarded as the same by those outside the village.
Looking up, the old village chief felt as if he were in the Abyss, with the garbage sent from outside increasing, and Tomb Village being buried deeper and deeper, estimating that the people of this village would never climb out.
The air was filled with a stench, but the villagers of Tomb Village didn’t mind. For them, the garbage thrown into the deep pit was a treasure they could make money from. Only by continuously processing the junk could they change their dire situation and have enough money to buy medicine, to prolong their miserable lives.
The world under the sun generates garbage, people throw the garbage into the deep pit, paying Tomb Village residents to handle it. This seemed justifiable, but it was not what the village chief pursued.
Beneath Tomb Village lay a ghost; the village couldn’t be relocated, so the village chief hoped that outsiders would stop throwing garbage into the deep pit, and instead, truly come down to help, change, and build up the deep pit.
Tomb Village didn’t need those dirty, negative things; he wanted some positive things to come in.
The old village chief had good intentions, but he severely underestimated human greed and the terrifying madness of ghosts.
"Under Village Chief Old Fu’s leadership, everyone in Tomb Village lives a good life. Now, let’s invite the village chief to speak!" A young man in a suit shouted loudly beside the stage. His personality was lively and cheerful, his voice particularly pleasant, clashing with Tomb Village’s overall atmosphere, more like a rich second-generation from a big city coming to experience life.
The villagers all quieted down, everyone watching the old village chief on stage.
The old, white-haired village chief’s lips moved slightly, inside, a struggle ensued, but he didn’t reveal the truth, forcing a smile: "I’ve been tirelessly maintaining Tomb Village’s communication with the surface cities, successfully securing the third rescue funding for everyone. In the future, as we strive together, we will surely live better lives!"
The villagers didn’t need reminding, spontaneously applauding. The village chief had busied himself till his hair turned white for the village, so all villagers trusted him.
"Everyone eat and drink well, once we are full, gather strength, tonight we’ll open the grave and worship the Ghosts and Gods!"
After finishing his speech, the old village chief stepped down from the stage. He did not eat with the villagers but instead led the young man in the suit back to his own home.
Glancing at the clock inside, the old village chief frowned: "Third Son, go call your two brothers, tell them I have something important to discuss with them."
"It’s eight o’clock at night now, only four hours are left before opening the grave for sacrifices. Big Brother and Second Brother must be busy..."
"I told you to go, so just go! Hurry up!" The old village chief suddenly turned more severe than usual, exceptionally stern today.
After he watched the young man leave, he took out a piece of paper from a drawer and very carefully wrote a few sentences.
At 8:20, the door to the village chief’s home was pushed open by a tall, burly middle-aged man, carrying a bamboo basket as he entered the room.
He was covered in various paints, yet still very handsome, and if outside Tomb Village, just his looks would be enough to become a celebrity.
"Dad, you wanted to see me?"
"Why did you come so late?"
"I was dealing with hazardous materials in the garbage pile, and then I found him..." The middle-aged man gently set down the bamboo basket and brought out a small baby from it. "This child wasn’t born in Tomb Village; he was probably abandoned by his biological parents, thrown into the deep pit like trash by people."
The middle-aged man was very gentle, as if afraid of waking the baby, he spoke very softly: "His will to survive is incredibly strong, able to hold on alone in the deep pit until now, truly a miracle."
"Bringing this child into Tomb Village, you might as well let him fend for himself." The old village chief said somewhat pessimistically.
"Why? Isn’t Lao San also an orphan you adopted? You’ve always taught us to give back the beauty to this world, to fill the dark world with color..." The middle-aged man felt there was something on his father’s mind.
"I did teach you that, but many times, not only can we not fill the world with color, we might even have our own colors erased by the dark world." The Old Village Chief sighed, "Today, the Crisis Joint Response Center finally reached a breaking point with me."
"What did they say?"
"Tomb Village has spread large amounts of plague and unknown ailments outside. To curb this from the source, the Crisis Joint Response Center wants to abandon Tomb Village, completely bury this Big Grave, and cut off all passages between Tomb Village and the outside world." The Old Village Chief’s arm tensed. Tomb Village was his life’s work, and he didn’t expect such an end.
"Are those people blind?! The plagues and diseases in Tomb Village were caused because they dumped all negative emotions and trash here! Instead of thinking of ways to heal the villagers and clear the trash, they want to bury us alive?!" The middle-aged man’s voice grew louder, filled with anger, "Even if they cut off all the connections to the outside world, as long as the trash keeps accumulating, the ghosts beneath the village will eventually rise! By then, it will be too late for them to remedy the situation!"
Perhaps startled by the middle-aged man’s voice, the baby in the bamboo basket woke up and began to cry.
"People never learn lessons; they only unite when crisis hits. Once the crisis passes, mutual destruction becomes the norm." The Old Village Chief, feeling old, wasn’t angry, just unwilling, "Now we have two choices: accept help from those above, completely side with them, destroy the Deep Pit, and find a way to kill or seriously harm the ghosts in the Grave; or release the ghosts, become ghosts in the Grave, and with all of them, swallow the buildings on the surface, turning the surface cities into new ’Tomb Villages’."
Hearing the Old Village Chief’s words, the anger on the middle-aged man’s face slowly disappeared, and he calmed down, "Tomb Village is our home. I know how filthy and unbearable this place is, but why..."
"Either help others or become a ghost." The Old Village Chief waved his hand, stopping the middle-aged man from continuing, "Tell me your choice."
"I..." The middle-aged man’s gaze slowly moved to the bamboo basket, looking at the abandoned orphan, and never made a decision in the end.
When a person is swept by fate, it’s hard to make the perfect choice; most of the time, they’re already in the middle of the situation before they have a chance to choose.
The old house’s door was opened again, and a young man in a suit entered with a carpenter. The carpenter’s face was distorted and ugly, carrying a wooden box filled with various tools. Many buildings and pieces of furniture in Tomb Village were crafted by him.
"Dad, I brought Second Brother." The young man had a good nature and hadn’t yet noticed the heavy atmosphere in the house. Seeing the abandoned baby in the bamboo basket crying, he immediately went over and softly hummed a lullaby to lull the infant to sleep.
"Although you don’t share my bloodline, I’ve always treated you as my own children. You are the ones I trust most in Tomb Village." The Old Village Chief took out an envelope from a drawer and handed it to the young man in the suit, "This is my will. You must wait until you’ve left the Deep Pit to open it."
"A, a will?" The young man stood up immediately, afraid to take it, "Dad, you’re fine, why are you giving this to me?"
"I’ve tried very hard to delay, but now the conflicts between both sides are irreconcilable." The Old Village Chief looked out the window. Towering trash mountains filled the surroundings of Tomb Village, pushing the village further from the surface.
"The villagers are happy and increasingly accepting of those on the surface. As long as we keep holding on, we can surely change things!" The young man was somewhat naive.
"The villagers are happy because the people above, to prevent Tomb Village from causing trouble, have continually sent resources to pacify us. But now the Crisis Joint Response Center has decided to stop aiding Tomb Village. Those on the surface don’t want harmony; they see Tomb Village as a ticking time bomb and want to destroy it completely!" The Old Village Chief’s voice was stern, "Also, it’s not just those on the surface pressuring us to choose sides. Have you noticed the villagers in Tomb Village have become increasingly terrifying? Long-term exposure to negative trash has caused distorted transformations, leading to more injuries and loss of control, and the ghosts below are becoming active."
The Old Village Chief’s three children did not argue further because they knew what he said was true.
"We all want harmonious coexistence between the sun-bathed people above and Tomb Village at the bottom of the Deep Pit, but time isn’t on our side." The Old Village Chief’s brows furrowed, "My envisioned coexistence zone isn’t yet established, and the buffer to collect positive emotions from people above is still in testing, so we must try every possible way to buy time!"
"Dad, what do you plan to do?" The silent carpenter finally spoke. He was not talkative, and his body was severely distorted; unlike the Old Village Chief’s other two children, he was more ghost-like than human.
"I have a plan to bet on the future, perhaps delaying disaster by several decades." The Old Village Chief lifted the mattress, revealing several black bundles below, "These are the ’medicines’ provided by the Crisis Joint Response Center for the deformed villagers of Tomb Village, combining the wisdom of all informed people from above. It can flatten the entire village."
"But..." The young man wanted to interrupt.
"No buts, every step I’ve carefully thought through." The Old Village Chief cut off the young man decisively, continuing, "People above currently lack the ability to deal with the ghosts in the Grave; the power gap is significant. If the ghosts emerge, humans will have no chance to resist. So I plan for us four to enter the Grave during this year’s ceremonial tributes, becoming the Unspeakable Ghosts spoken of by the villagers!"
"Become ghosts?" The three children couldn’t believe their revered father would say such a thing.
"We must do our utmost to slaughter the ghosts in the Grave, balancing the power of both sides, so the ghosts inside dare not easily come out." The Old Village Chief’s eyes were slightly red; his children had never seen him like this.
"There are many ghosts in the Grave. With just the four of us, we can’t possibly kill them all; the power gap is too large!" The middle-aged man, having entered the Grave before, knew well the terrors it held.
"I know, which is why I’m prepared for soul scattering." The Old Village Chief lowered his voice, "Long ago, I told you about a special little box in my mind. It’s because of this box that I met you."
The three children nodded, recalling fond memories.
"As the owner of that box, after making the final choice and becoming an Unspeakable Ghost, I can harness the despair of past box owners, granting me fearsome abilities for a short time. After using these abilities, my soul will gradually dissipate." The Old Village Chief didn’t hide anything from his three children, "Once the ceremonial tribute begins, I’ll declare the intent to destroy the Big Grave and kill the ghosts inside. After we enter the Grave, I’ll open the box and first kill or severely injure the most terrifying ghosts. Once those special abilities fade, one of you must kill me yourself!"
The Old Village Chief’s gaze swept over his children, finally resting on the carpenter, "The ghosts in the Grave won’t know my ability is temporary. When they start losing, you killing me not only allows my consciousness to escape but also lets you gain the recognition of the fierce ghosts in the Grave."
"After the soul scattering of an Unspeakable Ghost, all traces of existence in this world are erased, so I can only let you kill me, in a premeditated way, preserving some things before ’death’!"
The Old Village Chief lacked the ability to mediate peace between those on the surface and the ghosts in the Grave, nor could he truly destroy the Big Grave. All his plans required time to perfect, but neither those above the surface nor the ghosts in the Grave were willing to give him that time, and his own time was running short.
For the ideal future in his heart, the Old Village Chief decided to open one side of the box in his mind and make a final choice, wagering everything to buy time for the new era to come.