Book 3: Chapter 64


    I had no way to hide, so I reflexively stretched out my hand to push it away. But that ck face evaded my hand and met me face to face. That actionno creature except a snake could do it.


    I noticed that this ck thing had a very long neck, which was very simr to a snake.


    But not only its neck, its hands and feet were very long, too. The proportions of this things limbs were extremely deformed.


    Moreover, the ck color on its body wasnt from paint but appeared to be the natural color of its skin.


    It had a human face, but it wasnt very normal since it was a bit too small and narrow. From the front, it looked like it probably had a small brain capacity since there wasnt a forehead above its eyebrows.


    I looked at it and it looked at me, the distance so close that I could see that its eyes were asymmetrical.


    My knife was stuck in my belt at my lower back. This ce was too narrow, so before I initially crawled in, I calcted whether I could pull it out as quickly as possible. I had determined that it would be fine for either the front or the back, but I just didn''t expect to find myself in this position. The opponent came at me too fast, so I really couldn''t pull it out.


    The only thing I could do now was to grip the opponents neck with one hand, but if I did that, Id have to drop my shlight. It was very difficult to strangle a person with one hand, so it would be better to hold onto my shlight and use it as a hammer.


    But that thing didn''t attack me and just continued to look at me like this.


    I gradually recovered from my extreme panic and slowly withdrew, trying to give myself room to draw my knife. But at this time, that thing opened its mouth and repeated the phrase it had said at the pool.


    Well, it just sounded like gibberish to me, but I thought that it was talking to me. Then, it pushed its whole body towards me. <em>This thing is like a mollusk</em>, I thought to myself as I immediately moved back. That thing squeezed its whole body through the extremely narrow gap between me and the tunnel wall.


    No one could physically squeeze through that gap, but that thing managed to squeeze through like it didnt have any bones.


    When it arrived right in front of me, it turned its head, looked back at me, and then looked at Poker-Faces mark.


    I was surprised to find that the way it looked at the mark was almost the exact same way I looked at the mark. Even the small details were very simr.


    <em>What''s this thing doing? First, why is it looking at the marks? Second, why is it trying to be like me?</em>


    Then, I saw a particrly frightening schat things facial features suddenly twisted and it instantly took on my appearance.


    Although that face had changed immediately, I could tell right away that this thing was learning from me.


    The two of us continued to stare at each other. "What the hell are you?" I eventually asked it.


    It just smiled at me, which caused all of my hair to stand on end. This smile was very true to my essence and looked just like me.


    Then, as if it had melted, it squeezed directly into the gap between the outer coffins timber on the side and disappeared.


    I sat therepletely stupefied for a moment, but after thinking about it, I took my shlight and looked into the gap. <em>Fuck, this thing doesn''t follow the rules at all!</em><em>If its in the gap like this, then it must not have a single bone in its whole body!</em>


    When I looked into the gap, I found that the things head was stretched into a slender strip and only one eye could face the outside. This eye was still looking at me from inside the gap.


    <em>ording to physics, this things brain must be in the shape of a cucumber right now.</em>


    I finally pulled my knife out, but slowly pointed my shlight at another gap on a whim.


    After a quick nce, I felt all my hair stand on end.


    In this other gap, there was also a "person" who had their whole body squeezed into the gap, just like a rag. When I saw it, it rolled its eye at me.


    I continued to look around, feeling cold all over as I realized that all of the gaps in this outer coffins wooden structure were crowded with ck people. These gaps were only about as thick as a palm, but these people were curled up inside of them. And every single one of them had an eye squeezed out from the gap, looking right at me.


    ****


    <strong><em>I''ll say it again:</em></strong>