Merchant of the Underworld

Li Mazi screamed and immediately fell to the ground, covering his fingers with a painful expression and rolling on the ground.

I breathed a sigh of relief, finally woke up...

At this time, the door of the antique shop was pushed open, and the old beggar couple rushed in. Seeing the miserable scene in front of them, they couldn't help but scream, and then looked at me blankly.

I said angrily: "What are you looking at? Why don't you come up and help?"

Only then did they react, hurriedly subdued the big fat man, and then asked me what happened?

"The thing in the wrench is too powerful and I can't deal with it. Everyone is injured and we need to send them to the hospital as soon as possible." I finished.

He picked up Erkui and took Li Mazi into the car.

Then he told the old beggar to stay in the shop and watch the big fat man, and the old beggar tremblingly agreed.

When he arrived at the hospital, Erkui had already woken up and found that his fingers were missing. He was yelling like crazy.

The doctor injected him with a sedative, and he finally calmed down and was pushed into the operating room.

Li Mazi's injury was okay, just a few stitches and it was no big deal.

I sat on the bench in the hospital with a sullen face. I really couldn't bear such a blow!

Unexpectedly, my careful preparations ended up with one injured and one disabled.

What is hidden in that wrench that is so powerful?

Thinking of this, I suddenly felt anxious. Would it be too dangerous to leave the old beggar couple alone in the store looking at the big fat man? If there are any more casualties, how should I explain to their families?

The more I thought about it, the more anxious I became, and finally decided to rush back to the store.

Originally, I wanted Li Mazi to stay in the hospital for one night to get rid of the inflammation before leaving. However, Li Mazi didn't trust me and insisted on going back with me.

When we returned to the antique store, we discovered that something had indeed happened!

The lights in the antique store were still on, but the store was quiet and there was no sound at all. I looked in from outside the door and couldn't find the old beggar couple.

Strange, where are they?

Logically speaking, when the big fat man looks like this, the old beggar cannot leave casually.

I had an ominous premonition in my heart, so I stood at the door and shouted: "Old man, are you in there?"

What answered me was deathly silence.

I glanced at Li Mazi, who was also scared. After thinking for a while, he said, "Will this old couple go to the hospital to find us?"

"The big fat man will go crazy at any time. Have they gone to the hospital?"

"What if we take a taxi?" Li Mazi still didn't believe in evil: "I think we might as well go back to the hospital!"

"No." I refused without hesitation. What if the old beggar was in danger? I can't just ignore it.

So I took a deep breath, took out the key and opened the store door.

But the moment I opened the door, my hair stood on end, and my whole back was wet with fear.

The living room was empty, and there was no sign of the family of three. And in the center of the living room, on the coffee table where the wrenches were placed, there was a large ball of sticky liquid that covered the entire table. It was very disgusting.

The slime seemed to have a corrosive effect, corroding many small holes in the fiberglass coffee table.

My first reaction was, could this mucus be sulfuric acid?

But the faint, fish-like smell reminded me that this was not sulfuric acid.

I walked over cautiously, carried a bucket of water, and washed away the mucus on the coffee table bit by bit. I found that the mucus was like snot, and I couldn't wash it away no matter how hard I rinsed it.

Damn it, what the hell is this slime? Why did you come to my store?

And where are the old beggar and his family? Could it be... that they were digested by this mass of mucus?

This thought made my scalp numb with shock, and I accidentally thought of Erkui who was still undergoing surgery in the hospital. No, Erkui is in danger!

Thinking of this possibility, my face suddenly turned pale, and I immediately told Li Mazi to wait for me here while I hurried to the hospital.

Fortunately, the doctor told me that Erkui was receiving treatment in the intensive care unit and that his injury was under control and was not life-threatening.

I breathed a sigh of relief and was about to go back to investigate the origin of the slime.

But at this time, a little nurse ran out of the intensive care unit with a panicked expression and stammered to tell us that the patient with a broken finger just now had disappeared.

A living person would disappear in the intensive care unit in broad daylight?

I was shocked and quickly asked the nurse to take me to the intensive care unit for a look.

Sure enough, the bed where Erkui was lying was empty.

"What is going on in your hospital? My friend disappeared in front of everyone. How do you treat patients?" I felt very depressed and vented all my anger on the doctor.

The doctors and nurses were also confused. After all, the intensive care unit was strictly isolated from the outside world. There were no windows, only an iron door, and you couldn't enter without swiping your card.

I asked them to hurry up and find someone, and I returned to the antique store exhausted both physically and mentally.

As soon as I entered the door, Li Mazi came up to me. Looking at his crying face, I knew something must have happened again!

"Brother Zhang, the table was eaten..." Li Mazi stammered when he saw me.

"What?" I was stunned, thinking I heard wrong.

When Li Mazi told me that the fiberglass coffee table in the living room was corroded by mucus, there was no trace left, I was dumbfounded.

What is the origin of that slime?

How could such a big coffee table be eaten?

The big fat man's appetite suddenly doubled and he wanted to eat everything he saw. Could it be related to this mass of mucus?

This family appears in strange ways and disappears mysteriously. But during this process, I couldn't do anything to help and watched them being killed, which made me feel very guilty.

I'm very confused and don't know if I should continue the investigation?

At this moment, I know better than anyone else that if I give up the investigation, this matter will have nothing to do with me. No one will be seen alive, no body will be seen dead, and the police will not find me.

But if I really just ignore it, am I worthy of kneeling down like the old beggar?

Can you live up to your original promise?

After thinking about it, I still couldn't make up my mind, so I just sat in the living room in despair, staring at the disgusting mucus in a daze.

I asked Li Mazi, what should we do, ignore it, or get to the bottom of it?

Li Mazi hesitated for a moment and asked me: "Don't you have a rule for femininity merchants? Either you don't get involved, or once you get involved, you have to deal with it for the rest of your life."

I looked at Li Mazi: "You mean... let's continue?"

Li Mazi nodded.

"Okay." I nodded immediately, strengthening the belief in my heart.

But what to do next?

So all the parties involved are missing, and even the jade ring is missing. We have no clue and no way to investigate.

In the end, Li Mazi gave me an idea, saying that it would be better to find out the identity of this family and chase them to their hometown!

I suddenly remembered that the old beggar had booked a room in a nearby hotel. Since he had booked a room, the hotel must have registered their ID cards.

I quickly took Li Mazi to the hotel, asked for the address on my ID card, and then drove there.

The old beggar's home is not far from our place, only four or five hours' drive. After crossing a long muddy field, we finally came to a small town along the river.

This town has been around for a while, and there are billboards advertising stinky dried tofu and farm eggs everywhere.

Although it was broad daylight, there was no one on the only passable road. I seemed to feel that the whole town was filled with a damp atmosphere.

This anger makes me feel even more uneasy...