The Lost Tomb : Extras & Special Stories

(Extra Story: 2017 Chinese New Year Special) Chapter 6: Human Fragility

Little Brother Zhang smiled when he finished speaking, but his eyes were a little dim. He had thought Poker-Face had told me all this information.

I didn't know why he was in this mood. Maybe he had recalled some scenes like I did earlier.

Snakes had poor eyesight, but they had heat-sensitive organs and a keen sense of smell. I asked Little Brother Zhang to elaborate on how the snakes reacted at that time.

"We don't know," he said quietly. "The snake that was released never came back."

Snake tamers controlled snakes by using vibrations, so they couldn't stray too far away from each other. If the snake didn't come back, did that mean its sense of smell and heat-sensitive organs had failed?

Little Brother Zhang shook his head. It seemed they never got an answer. "It all depended on sound in the end. We came out by listening." He said.

"In that case, Black Glasses is useless. He's not some blind hero who can distinguish positions just from listening. He's just really nearsighted," Fatty said. "You're so anxious that you've gone to the wrong guy. Here's what you should do. Go to the 4S shop [1], buy six mid-range cars from different brands, remove all their backup sensors, and install them in all four directions on your belt. Then, put one on top of your head and one on the sole of your foot. After that, you can go in with the battery on your back. It's full-proof."

Little Brother Zhang looked at me and asked, "Is he serious?"

I looked at Fatty's face to make sure he really thought it was feasible and sighed, "The distance the backup sensor can cover is too short. At most, it'll keep you from falling into a pit. It can't really help with anything else. It doesn't matter if the mechanisms are simple. Entering such a place without our sight could be fatal."

I couldn't help but think that humans were really fragile. I had experienced so many things before, but it would all become null and void if I lost my sight one day.

I would become a complete baby.

At this time, Black Glasses finally spoke up, "Those who can see are obviously afraid of not being able to see." He smiled and took off his sunglasses.

His eyes were very dark. Frighteningly dark if I was being honest with myself. The layers of tissue around his eyes had completely disappeared, leaving behind a darkness like that of another world. When he looked at me, I couldn't tell whether he was actually seeing me.

"Are you blind?" I asked, completely shocked.

Black Glasses shook his head, "No, I'm wearing contact lenses."

****

I took a sip of beer and looked into his eyes to see if he was joking.

If it was a joke, then it was really in poor taste. Black Glasses looked at the ceiling, and Fatty went over to look into his eyes.

"Fuck me, you're really wearing them?" Fatty murmured. "You bastard, besides being an express driver, are you also doing live broadcasts?"

I also leaned over, but Fatty stopped me. "Don't look, there's nothing to see. Why are you so attracted to his bullshit whenever he does something weird? I swear, you're bewitched by him."

I didn't push it. Fatty's hands were very strong, and he wasn't joking at all. He put in a lot of effort to keep me from going over and I felt my heart thump when I looked into his eyes. I didn't know if the contact lenses were real, but Fatty must have seen something he didn't want me to see.

I backed down. If Fatty wanted me to see it, he would have definitely let me through.

"People like me must first understand that darkness isn't so terrible. Without this awareness, it would be impossible to live," Black Glasses said with a smile. "He didn't find the wrong person. I may not be the most suitable, but no one is more suitable than me."

"So, what does robbing this tomb have to do with the concrete block?" Fatty asked.

Little Brother Zhang smiled and looked at the back room. "Do you know the Five Ghosts Transportation ritual?"

Fatty and I looked at each other but didn't answer. Little Brother Zhang flipped over a tall glass cup on the tea table and then moved a corner of the tablecloth to cover it. He let go and shouted to the back room, "Qianjun, show them."

I saw the cup under the tablecloth move, and then Little Brother Zhang pulled the tablecloth off. The cup that was originally empty now had a pair of reading glasses inside it.

"Liu Qian [2] ?" Fatty looked at the back room. "Shit, did everyone come to do this job?"

The door of the back room clicked open and a Taoist priest with disheveled hair came out. He looked at us and snorted, "Why are you talking nonsense with them? The Zhang family doesn't need other people's help." 

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Notes:

[1] It's basically like a car dealership. They sell cars, do maintenance, and provide spare parts and information services.

[2] Throwback to a Vol. 6 Note. He's a Taiwanese magician who is credited with being the only Taiwanese magician to perform in Hollywood's Magic Castle. He's commonly referred to as China's most renowned magician. Also goes by Lu "Louis" Chen.