Chapter 3: In the Unseen Scheme

　　Section 1: A Close Call　　"Get away!" The point man kicked out hard, sending the mud-man sprawling. The figure that rose again moved noticeably slower, the fleshy threads from its neck stretching out in all directions, looking like countless bloodthirsty worms.　　"It's looking for its head!" A soldier nearby grasped the situation.　　In desperation, the point man raised his rifle, about to unleash a burst, but Old Zhang stopped him.　　"Don't shoot, we're behind enemy lines!" Although the earlier accidental discharge might have already given away their position, Old Zhang cautiously held him back.　　"Then what do we do?"　　"Run!" At Old Zhang's order, everyone immediately withdrew towards the high ground.　　By then, the mud-man had already pressed its head back onto its neck and gave chase like the wind.　　Sensing something behind him, Old Zhang threw himself to the ground. The mud-man missed its target, smashing headfirst into a rock and knocking its own head clean off again. The roundish head rolled right to Old Zhang's feet, numerous threads clawing their way out.　　Seeing this thing was like a haunting ghost, Old Zhang decisively ordered his men to withdraw first. He himself planted his rear end firmly on the head, determined not to let the headless body retrieve it.　　But this left him tangled with the threads. The seemingly soft threads had hard tips. They easily pierced Old Zhang's trousers, burrowing straight towards his crotch.　　"Damn it! Targeting a man's crotch!" Old Zhang, terrified by these "lewd" things, jumped a meter high. The threads in his groin rapidly retracted, slinking back into the desiccated head.　　"Huh? Scared off by my virgin's piss?" Old Zhang thought he'd wet himself in fright and subconsciously checked his pants. "Huh, not wet?"　　"Squad Leader, look out!"　　Somehow, the headless mud-man had closed in on Old Zhang, countless bloody threads reaching for his chest. In the emergency, Old Zhang lashed out with a kick, sending the body flying far away, then scrambled up the slope in a few quick strides.　　For some reason, the headless body abandoned its own head. In moments, countless red threads scattered from its form, vanishing into the undergrowth, never to be seen again. The mud-man's body, as if hollowed out, collapsed lightly to the ground.　　"What happened then?" Big Liu asked.　　"Then? We got out! Mission accomplished. Even captured a few prisoners. It was from a prisoner's mouth that we learned what that thing was."　　"What was it?" Big Liu pressed.　　"Let me think... I think it was called... something like... skin worms..."　　"The Molting Red Worms!" Maomao enunciated each word clearly.　　"Right! That's it! Said the thing could eat a person's flesh and blood empty, leaving nothing but skin and bones."　　Hearing this, everyone present turned pale.　　Xiaocheng swallowed hard and asked softly, "And how did you know the gun oil worked?"　　"Heard that from a prisoner too." Old Zhang glanced at Lao Qiao by the door and sighed heavily. "If that prisoner hadn't mentioned the gun oil, I'd never have guessed in a million years that the gun oil on my inner thighs saved my life!"　　"Yeah!" Maomao gave a dry laugh. "Good thing you didn't let me go over. I hadn't rubbed any gun oil in mycrotch!"　　"Oh? That rookie was you?" As she said this, Sister Molly's complexion had returned to normal, not looking the least bit frightened.　　"Mm-hmm." Maomao responded a bit sheepishly. "I'm a discharged veteran now too."　　Section 2: Internal Friction　　"Old Zhang, could you tell us more about your time in the war?" Xiaocheng shifted closer to Old Zhang, half of his body overlapping with Ji An's translucent form.　　"Hey, don't!" Sister Molly tried to stop him, but Xiaocheng's shoulder had already pressed against the fluorescent stone. When he finally noticed the strange pressure, the stone, which he had just pushed in, slowly protruded another segment.　　"Watch for traps!" Sister Molly frantically ducked, covering her head. Old Zhang and Maomao immediately dropped into prone positions with their rifles, trying to cover the group.　　Ji An frowned. "Hinson, they're not actually in danger, are they?"　　"No, that mechanism..." I stopped halfway. This guy, Ji An, was clearly fishing for information!　　"What about the mechanism?" Ji An smiled slightly, putting his hands in his pockets.　　"That mechanism... doesn't seem dangerous."　　"Oh? What makes you say that?"　　"Intuition."　　"Intuition? Or have you been here before?" He raised an eyebro