Chapter 19: Seven Stars: Female Corpse

That look really made my hair stand on end. I stared straight back at him, at a loss for how to react. I was hanging here like a sausage, unable to run, so I could only pray and try my best to break free. But after fifteen minutes, the armored corpse hadn't moved at all, not even its eyeballs. I started to wonder if it was my imagination. Still, having that eerie stare fixed on you would make even a god uncomfortable. I looked away, thinking I had to find a way down quickly. Hanging upside down like this, my brain was about to burst from the blood rush. I strained to lift my head and saw my pathetic state—bruised all over. One of my feet was tangled in a vine. I turned my head and gasped. As far as I could see, corpses of all kinds were hanging everywhere, stretching endlessly. This wasn't a scene formed by dozens or hundreds of bodies—I estimated there were tens of thousands. They swayed in the wind, looking like wind chimes made of bones. It was extremely unsettling. I looked closer and saw both human and animal remains, most completely desiccated, with a few badly decomposed. A foul stench wafted through the air. Corpse-eating beetles, large and small, swarmed over the bodies like flies, gnawing. I felt relieved that I had earlier gotten some of Poker-face's blood from Panzi and smeared it on myself—it seemed to be working. Though it was a bit unethical, it was better than losing a limb.

At that moment, I remembered that Fatty, like me, had also been caught by the ghost-hand vine on his leg, and I worried for him. But when I looked out, all I saw were vines—nothing else. I felt around my body and only found a digital camera, nothing useful. Just as I was getting frustrated, the vine on my leg suddenly loosened. I dropped a bit, almost thinking I was falling, and quickly put my hands down to protect my head. But it only loosened for a moment before stopping again. I opened my eyes and saw my face almost pressed against the female corpse's face—any lower and we'd be lip-to-lip. I quickly pursed my lips and shrank my neck. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a small parrying knife on the armored corpse's waist next to her. Delighted, I thought, "Miss Fairy, my situation forces me to borrow a knife from your friend—he won't mind, right?" With that, I twisted my waist, reached out as far as I could for the knife, swung a couple of times, then suddenly lunged, grabbed the handle, and yanked hard. But the knife was stuck so tight that instead of pulling it out, I tore the whole belt off the armored corpse.

I thought, "Oh no, I just yanked off his belt—he's bound to turn hostile!" I quickly clamped the sheath between my legs, pulled hard, and drew the knife. The blade glinted coldly—I could tell it was a good knife. "Heaven helps me," I thought. Then, using all my strength, I flipped up and sliced the vine in one stroke. I was so focused on cutting the vine that I didn't think about what was below. By the time the vine broke and I fell, it was too late to regret. In a fraction of a second, I was lying flat on top of the female corpse.

To be honest, I was glad I managed to hold back my weight at the last moment of landing; otherwise, I'd have pressed down so hard I'd have squeezed the shit out of the corpse. But the inertia was too great—I couldn't keep any distance from the female corpse. My face pressed right against hers. It was ice-cold, so cold it made my hair stand on end. I froze, already imagining a tongue shooting out of her mouth straight into my throat, sucking out my guts. At that thought, I was even a little relieved—at least it was a female ghost, and not a bad-looking one. A male ghost would have been disgusting.

But after a long pause, no tongue came out. I thought I was lucky to have encountered a reasonable one. Slowly, I lifted my head to try to slip away. But when I was halfway up, a fragrant wind hit me, and the female corpse's two arms suddenly fell onto my shoulders. I froze, terrified stiff. At the same time, the armored corpse next to her let out a clatter. Hearing that, I thought, "Oh no, buddy, it's your wife who won't let me go, not me making a move on her—don't get the wrong idea!"

I turned my head and saw that the belt I had pulled off had caused one of the connecting armor plates to fall. I breathed a sigh of relief. The only thing to be thankful for now was that it was this female corpse holding me, not that monster next to her—otherwise I'd definitely have pissed my pants.

After tens of seconds of this standoff, she made no further move. I thought about slyly ducking out from under her arm. But the moment I moved, her hand followed my neck. If I moved forward, she moved forward; if I pulled back, she pulled back. I steeled myself and jerked my head up, thinking I'd just break free and roll away. But I hadn't expected her grip to be so tight. When I lifted my head, I actually pulled her up into a sitting position. The jarring movement caused the female corpse's mouth to open, revealing something she had been holding in her mouth.