Original subtitles

People who always dwell in the light

only believe in things bathed in light.

Few people would believe

that this mountain devours souls.

The unforeseen calamity

always starts like this.

This mountain is eerily quiet.

What exactly are we hunting for this time?

Silence.

Move.

Botao.

Distance.

Eight hundred.

Five hundred.

One hundred.

What is that thing so fast?

Why is there no movement?

Attack!

Yan!

It's coming to attack!

Lock Dragon Pass!

Shock!

We've caught a big one!

There's another one.

The monkey is broken!

[SNAKE]

You've offended the mountain deity.

There are three taboos when hunting snakes.

First: never catch a gravid female snake.

Second: never catch an aged snake beneath a tomb.

Third: never catch a newly hatched snakelet.

You've violated the rules.

Disasters will befall your descendants.

We've already eaten it.

Esteemed sirs,

is there a way to lift this curse?

It won't be easy.

Understood, understood.

The tea leaves haven't fully steeped yet.

What are you doing?

That's enough.

Shu.

Shu. Shu.

Shu.

The baby is crying again, crying again.

Awakening of Insects has come.

There are many cases.

You can understand, right?

Just say something.

Let's get to work.

Every time we listen outside, there's noise inside this room.

But when we go in, there's nothing there.

It's really strange.

Behind the cabinet.

Don't come closer.

Honey!

Sirs!

I'll give it.

You have to save my wife!

Qiao.

The kitchen.

It's all here.

Is this your first time doing this?

Honey.

Honey. Honey.

You have children,

and snakes have children too.

You like eating snake soup so much.

Beware of a fiercer snake showing up.

No.

However, as long as you don't break the rules, you'll be fine.

Learn a lesson.

Let's go.

Go. Go. Go.

Stop eating.

I'm not eating anymore.

What's going on with this village?

It's like everyone has lost their souls.

Several decades ago,

for a few copper coins,

the villagers here killed living snakes

to extract their gallbladders.

As a result, none of the men in the village

lived past fifty years old.

The elders all said that

it was a curse inflicted by the mountain deity.

Could it be that

it's truly retribution?

Don't speak recklessly.

The rain is getting heavier.

I keep feeling a chill down my back.

That family has some guts.

They caught so many young snakes,

and even ran into a gravid female snake.

Lucky you showed up in time.

But this deal

should cover our earnings for three months.

Come on. Seriously,

that old lunatic,

you're treating him like your real father.

Don't put it that way.

Everyone has their tough times.

We agreed on a 70-30 split, didn't we?

Take it to pay off your debts and stop gambling.

Rest assured.

Shu, you know my character.

When I get the chance in the future,

I'll definitely pay you back in full.

May the mountain deity lead the way.

Gentle breeze clears the path.

All evils disperse.

Rest the souls of the departed.

Who is that man?

I heard he just came here recently.

Locals call him She Ye.

Last night, he brought people from the Four Great Clans to the mountain.

I don't know what they caught.

That led to this tragic result.

But he has powerful backers.

Don't meddle.

He's the leader of the Five Great Clans,

Young Mountain Deity of the Tingshan Clan,

the only heir to the Tingshan Technique.

He can discern all things with his ears.

Brother!

You go ahead first.

Bury him properly.

Okay.

Young Mountain Deity, right?

I've told you not to meddle.

Let's play a game.

Guess if there are bullets?

It's just a kid's trick.

Go play at home.

What a heavy rain!

Qiao, let's go.

There's stench in the rain.

Something must have happened in the mountain these days.

Warn the villagers not to go up the mountain for now.

Brother, the mountain seems to be speaking.

You're just hungry again, aren't you?

Could there really be monsters in the mountain?

I promised your parents

to take good care of you.

Don't worry.

If there's really a monster, I'll kill it!

Brother, there's a sound coming from there.

Don't be afraid. We're here to help you.

Don't be scared. It's herbs.

Brother, something's wrong with her!

It's the Mountain Ghost Woman!

Get away!

Brother!

Brother.

I will definitely find that monster

and avenge you.

It's been so long since your brother's death.

How can you still not let go?

Are you sure

it was that thing in the mountain that killed your brother?

I've asked around.

Those who went up the mountain last night

include Tie Haitang from Zangshan,

Lao Yangan from Guanshan,

Shou Hou from Lieshan,

and Chen Botao from Xingshan.

They're all top experts from the Four Great Clans.

They're all outstanding

and exceptional elites.

But none of them came back.

Are you sure

we are really going to get involved with She Ye in this mess?

Isn't that the old cripple from the village entrance?

What's he doing here?

Most of the Gurkha regiment members hired this time

are from remote frontier tribes.

Additionally,

I've also arranged for the Young Mountain Deity of the Tingshan Clan to go up the mountain.

Rest assured.

This time,

I will definitely bring that thing back.

You've grown up in a blink of an eye.

Remember. Age is illusory,

but the body is the most real.

For us,

time is meaningless.

Do you think I'm old?

Of course not.

You're just as beautiful

as you were 20 years ago.

I would do anything for you.

Boss, he's here.

It's him?

He looks like a monkey.

The Young Mountain Deity came after all.

I didn't misjudge him.

Shu,

don't misunderstand. Our cooperation is only temporary.

I need to figure out

what killed my brother.

Shu, I don't think it's that simple.

We need to be careful.

Let's head up the mountain.

The wound is fresh.

It doesn’t look like a hunting injury.

It's not a hunt.

It's a warning.

We need to take a detour.

Keep moving forward.

The age of this mountain

is older than all of us combined.

The rules of the mountain guardians must not be broken.

Otherwise, you and your men won't make it back.

I'll make sure you can't go back right now.

Sir, he didn't mean it.

Sorry, sorry.

Let's go.

Let’s go.

Shu, don't say too much.

What's wrong, Shu?

Nothing.

Let's go.

What's going on?

It sounds like wailing at a grave.

Boss.

It's hot, right?

We're almost at the designated area.

High-tech stuff.

The mountain is alive.

This ancient mountain

seems to be trying to tell us something.

The soil where dragons dwell

is usually as smooth as jade or fat.

It's dry but not parched.

The soil here is turbid and foul-smelling,

with decades of pent-up resentment lingering.

If I'm not mistaken,

there must be

an extremely dangerous area nearby.

What era are we even living in?

Still clinging to these backward beliefs.

Young Mountain Deity, right?

If ghosts are real,

bring one out and let's see it!

Captain...

Is it really a ghost?

Holy crap!

You can't kill the old snake under the tomb.

Nonsense!

The mountain has its rules.

Break them,

- and the mountain will devour you. - Enough of this crap!

I'll devour you right now!

Why's the wind picking up?

We've got company.

Take positions.

Careful!

Positions!

Target locked.

Three o'clock.

Suppressing fire.

Target has broken free, initiating search.

Target reacquired.

[Anomalous Vibrations Detected]

Ten o'clock.

Empty the clip.

Damn it.

That's one massive snake.

Did we really piss off the mountain deity?

What do you think, Shu?

Shu.

Shu?

Shu!

He was just here.

How did he disappear in a blink of an eye!

I bet he chickened out

and ran.

You call that guy a Young Mountain Deity?

No way.

Shu must've run into something.

Search the area.

Move.

Long ago,

some already knew of her existence

and called her by many names:

Mountain Ghost, Demon, Monster...

There was a reason the mountain deity blocked the path.

But by the time they understood, it was far too late.

Damn, look at this giant snake skin.

Where did this hair come from in a place like this?

Shu.

There you are.

I've been looking for you everywhere.

What are you looking at?

There was someone

in the water just now.

Are you kidding me?

I'm about to burst!

Let's go.

Come on.

I just started pissing!

Boss.

What's that sound?

On alert!

Target's moving too fast.

Can't get a lock!

Right side!

Deputy's under attack!

Hold your fire.

Watch for friendly fire!

Deputy!

Hold on.

You telling me this thing is our target?

What the hell is it—a ghost or a monster?

Normal tactics won't work on it.

Follow mountain rules

when dealing with mountain matters.

Do as he says.

Fan out and hold positions.

- Yes, sir. - Copy that.

Qiao, get ready.

Shu! She's coming straight for you!

Shu.

Deploy all the chains

Tie him up

Focus on the target

Deploy the Serpent Shackles!

Lock her down.

Target codename SNAKE

contained in B07 Armored Transport.

Initiate Level-4 protocols. No stops permitted.

Roger that.

Since when did this storm hit?

Brother, something's wrong with her.

Step aside.

Brother...

Where is this?

Where are you taking me?

Where's Qiao?

Where is Qiao?

The anti-aging protein you were injected with before

took a thousand snakes to extract only 0.01 milligrams.

Now, with just a bit of

her blood and bone marrow,

we can produce 107 milligrams.

Eternal youth is no longer a dream.

We've got clients lining up for it.

What's wrong, Director?

Zoom in on the main screen.

Yes.

Focus on her face.

Okay.

Hold it there.

She Ye! She Ye!

I told you we shouldn't have gotten involved in this mess.

She Ye.

You can't just kill us like this!

Who'll dare do business with you again?

This must be a misunderstanding, right?

Shu.

Shu, say something!

Brother.

Brother?

So you two are brothers!

Family shouldn't fight like this!

I've been looking for you.

You are alive. Why didn't you come back?

Brother, you're twenty years too late.

Brother...

I'm here...

Brother...

I'm here...

Brother...

If you hadn't insisted on saving that monster,

I wouldn't have been

dragged to this hellhole by her.

Do you even know what I've been through

these past twenty years?

Director, the specimen was released.

Director! It wasn't me that thing escaped!

It wasn't my fault!

It was him!

It was all his fault!

Feed the snake.

Director, Director!

Please spare my life.

Cheer up.

Bad things like that never run far.

Forgive me, She Ye.

Lucky for you, you helped recapture her today.

She is the main attraction, after all.

As a reward,

let's play a game.

Same rules as last time.

His life is still in your hands.

Shu.

Isn't this fun?

Brother.

Zhang Qiao.

Zhang Qiao!

Why?

Why!

Warning. Abnormal activity detected in the specimen.

Release the neural paralyzing gas.

Yes, ma'am.

Emergency protocol activated.

Releasing neural paralyzing gas.

What's going on?

Why is it releasing all of a sudden?

Emergency protocol activated.

Releasing neural paralyzing gas.

Warning. Laboratory system malfunction.

Warning. Laboratory system malfunction.

What's happening?

She let herself get captured.

What are you waiting for? Move!

- Yes, ma'am. - Understood.

Hurry up. What's going on?

What's happening?

The specimen escaped.

Repeat.

The specimen escaped.

The specimen is classified as Level 12 threat.

All teams maintain search perimeter.

Fire at will.

Team Delta is advancing.

Target spotted!

Requesting backup!

Support Team Delta now.

Team Pierce copy.

Team Alpha copy.

Unidentified biological signal detected.

Switch to reverse formation.

She's nearby.

Behind you!

Fire at will.

Under attack! Under attack!

Right flank engaged.

Target lost!

Repeat, target lost!

Sweep the area.

I'll cover you.

Stay put!

Why are you here?

I've got one thing to settle.

Hurry.

Okay.

Let's go.

Wait.

Shu.

Your stuff's all here.

Take it.

This is where we part ways.

Take care.

You've grown up.

Are you here for me?

So I was your target all along, wasn't I?

You...

She can't take it.

Just follow orders.

There's something wrong with her body.

Her lower body is mutating.

That's what I wanted.

help me!

Please.

I need

the serum!

The serum.

Give me the serum.

Help me! Help me!

Give me the serum.

Is this how you treat me as well?

Why? I gave you everything.

I did all this for your own good.

Indeed.

Without you,

I wouldn't be who I am today.

I know

it's all been for my own good.

So today,

I'm giving all that "good"

back to you.

Sister.

Help me.

I love you.

I...

Mrs. Jiang was killed by that bastard.

Get her back.

This new alloy is specially designed for you.

And I prepared a small gift for you.

They call you human,

but you're nothing but a beast.

They say you're a beast,

but you wear a human face.

It must be painful living as a monster like you.

I'm here to end your suffering.

Hong!

You're just some old bastard who can't tell man from beast.

Alright then,

let's see how many bullets you can take.

Brother, let's head up the mountain.

Hurry!

Chen Shan.

After wearing that mask for so long, you don't even know what's real.

I don't owe you anything anymore.

But you'll pay for Qiao's life.

Okay.

I guess your gun is empty this time.

Babe.

Sweetheart.

Don't be afraid.

This is to make you well.

After the shot, you'll be fine,

and Daddy can take you

outside to have fun,

okay?

Don't worry, I'll be gentle.

Inject the No. 4 snake gene,

at maximum dosage.

The vital signs changed,

and the legs started to deform!

I told you something would go wrong!

What did you do to my daughter?

What did you do?

Director.

My daughter came here for treatment.

You promised me you would cure her.

Director!

Why did you lie to me?

Why did you lie?

Baby.

Go now, my dear.

Don't ever come back.

Never.

Where is the specimen?

I'm talking to you!

Director, the specimen escaped!

It was him, he let it go!

It has nothing to do with me!

The incense is out.

The mountain deity refuses to open the path.

Go back.

Let me play you a tune, okay?

I'm sorry.

I failed to protect you.

We're the same, after all.

Just kill me.

Do it fast.

I knew it would end like this.

For twenty years,

I've looked like a damned ghost.

What I've hated most in this life

are women and snakes.

Life was simpler when we were kids.

Brother.

Forget it.

The earth sees,

the trees listen.

I am Chen Shu, keeper of the mountain.

With my life,

I shall guard this land,

and her.

Her temperature and breathing have steadied.

She knows we're on her trail.

A hunt never stops moving,

and movement follows breath.

She won't escape.

Remember, this mission isn't about capturing,

but about a precise kill.

Got it.

Is that how the story ends?

What?

I feel like something's missing.

It happened long ago,

before the village grew like it has now.

A lot

has changed since then.