Tomb Raider Forbidden Area 51 Zone 0015 Tomb Passage

  At this time, Hei Shu saw the cinnabar on the mud and revealed a relaxed expression. Then he inserted the Luoyang shovel into the ground and said, "It's right here."

  We all let out a big sigh of relief, but this was only a brief respite, because we all knew that the tasks ahead would be many times more dangerous than before.

  I stood by and watched Qī Xié. This guy gave me the most mysterious feeling. Now, with just one move, he has located the tomb. This is really amazing.

  Then everyone started taking out various tools from their backpacks to prepare, Bai Sheng took a shovel and began digging at the marked spot on the cinnabar mud, Zhang Lao and Xiao Shou Hou were in charge of dispersing the soil, Hei Shu and Lao Wang were making the final Feng Shui positioning.

  I just blinked and saw the shadow of Qi Xie. I'm used to this kind of thing happening, and I naturally don't dare to provoke Qi Xie.

  While Bai Shou was digging at the bottom, Xiao Shou Hou hastily pulled me aside and said with a puzzled expression: "Do you know what this cinnabar is used for? This tomb is too ominous, why would they choose to dig here? I think there must be traps below."

  Zongzi, that is the most difficult thing to deal with in the underworld. Generally, people would rather take fewer burial treasures and not provoke the zongzi, lest they lose their lives, which is hard to say.

  I heard this and my face also looked a bit ugly, so I scolded him saying: "You little brat, stop being suspicious all the time, if you're afraid just say it."

  "Vermilion is used to ward off evil spirits, you don't know that's normal, I didn't expect you to know either. The way things are going now, it's still a question whether we can survive or not. I just want to tell you one thing: when you encounter a zongzi, throw the donkey hoof at it and give it a few shots. If you can't handle it, don't be stubborn, escaping with your life is what matters." Xiao Shou Hou's face was solemn as he spoke, not looking like he was trying to deceive me at all.

  I certainly know that cinnabar is used to ward off evil spirits, although I learned that from TV, but at least I'm not someone who knows nothing about it. However, when it comes to zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings), I really don't believe in them, all I've heard are others talking about them, and I've never seen one before.

  The little monkey looked at me and then ran back to scatter soil.

  Several hours later, the voice of Bai Shousheng came over, saying that the cave had been dug and there was indeed a large tomb chamber below. We also started preparing, masks, mirrors, flashlights, headlamps, ropes, donkey hooves, talismans, candles, etc., almost everything that could be used to protect our lives was brought along, although we were not orthodox grave robbers, but this had always been the case, of course, this only refers to them, because it was my first time going underground.

  Hei Shu went down first, I was in the middle, and Xiao Shou Hou followed behind me. The thief's den dug by Bai Shou Sheng could only hold one person at a time, and it was about 20 meters long. Bai Shou Sheng was an expert at digging thief dens, and it was said that his speed was several times faster than ordinary people.

  After we went in, we found that this was a tunnel, only one meter high, and we could only crawl in on all fours. Hei Shu used the flashlight to shine both ends, but neither end was visible. After thinking for a moment, he started crawling towards one end, and I followed closely behind him. It was very stuffy inside, but not to the point of lacking oxygen. You could tell that this tomb had an air vent connected to the outside to ventilate it. But then I thought about it some more and realized that didn't make sense - most tombs are supposed to be sealed off, and having airflow would affect the humidity inside the tomb, causing the corpse to rot easily. However, I figured that if I could think of this, Hei Shu and Bai Shou Sheng must have already considered it thoroughly, so I stopped thinking about the issue.

  This tunnel is very long, Hei Shu and Bai Shou Sheng have been climbing for a while, and they don't seem to be getting impatient at all. I didn't dare ask anything either, after all, they are both old hands. Finally, Bai Shou Sheng said: "I think we're almost there, we've already climbed down several circles."

  It's extremely crowded in here, I'm already drenched in sweat all over my body, and there's still a backpack weighing me down. This is really not a job for humans, just climbing the thief cave is so exhausting, let alone what comes next.

  But now is not the time to think about these things. Hyakushiki stopped crawling in front of me and asked, "Is Nanao behind us?"

  I turned back to look, but heard Zhang Lao's voice coming from behind, saying that he hadn't seen Qi Xie.

  Then, Hyakushobu let out a sigh and said, "Kuro-uncle, shall we wait for him?"

  I saw Hei Shu's face looked a bit unsightly and said, "He'll catch up later, let's keep moving forward."

  I shuddered and was very curious, where would Qi Xie run to at this critical moment? Bai Shou Sheng hoped that Qi Xie would follow behind, while Hei Shu had an attitude of not caring, as if it didn't matter whether he was there or not.

  The thin monkey pulled my leg and whispered to me, "Don't you think it's weird here? Where else would a thief's den be opened, and there's even a tomb passage here. Could someone have beaten us to it?"

  His voice wasn't very soft, it seemed like he wasn't specifically talking to me, the black uncle in front also heard it, turned his head and glanced at us, but didn't say anything, and continued to climb forward.

  "This is a passage leading to the tomb, it's probably designed that way on purpose." Zhang Lao, who was behind Xiao Shou Hou, spoke up and explained, guessing he had also heard what Xiao Shou Hou and I were saying.

  "Was it designed on purpose? Is this a way to escape? I didn't think further, then I heard the voice of Hyakushougen rising up: "It seems we've reached the end."

  Then I saw Hyakushobu and Kurosho slowly getting up, I crawled over to find that the front was much more spacious, but it was still a tunnel, only this tunnel was more than twice as large as before, and could stand up and walk without having to crawl like before.

  I found that my whole body was sore and aching, so I moved around a bit to loosen up my muscles. Then I shone the flashlight around me and discovered that it looked like a tunnel that had been dug through the middle of the mountain, but it looked very old and worn out. Moreover, the smell around me also made me feel different.

  Baishou touched the wall of the tunnel and frowned, saying: "It's very damp and strange here."

  Indeed, as soon as I crawled in, I smelled a strong musty smell, just like being in a ditch.

  If a mausoleum were built on top of it, it would definitely accelerate the decay of the corpse. Moreover, such temperatures would also make people feel uncomfortable and inauspicious.

  There is a small stream on top of the cave, and it's normal to be humid. However, why did the tomb owner choose to build his mausoleum here?

  "Everyone be careful, this tunnel is very ominous." Hei Shu said, turning his head to ask me: "Xiao Jiu Ye, what do you think?"

  "When we came, the terrain was already very treacherous. I guess if I'm not wrong, it should be halfway up the mountain. And that small stream, somehow it feels a bit like a dragon's head, just like the Yangtze River, Shanghai is located at the dragon's head, just like this small stream. It won't be too strange, but I can't quite put my finger on what this feeling is."

  Standing here, waves of fear make me want to escape, but I can't. There's a strong urge that makes me want to keep going.

  This is just a question that has been swirling in my mind, and I've finally managed to express it in words.

  The thin monkey gave me a white eye and said, "Who doesn't know this? We all understand each other's hearts, so don't say it out loud. As for things you don't understand, why not show off instead?"

  I didn't even have time to get angry when I heard Little Skinny Monkey say, "This tunnel looks like a sewer."

  "For crying out loud, stop kidding around, this place is like a sewer..."

  My words were not yet finished, when a terrifying voice came from around me, rustling and hissing, just like the precursor to a flood, I secretly cursed in my heart, should I really let this little skinny monkey's crow mouth be right?

  "There's no way forward, there must be a mechanism here, everyone quickly find the mechanism, otherwise we'll be washed away by the water." Baishou Sheng shouted loudly in front.

  The ground beneath my feet, which was just damp with mud, has now become watery and instantly flooded over my shoes. It's freezing cold to be soaked in water on this winter day.

  We split up to find the organs, and I kept feeling my way along the damp walls. As I touched the cold wall, a piercing chill spread from my feet upwards, so cold that I was trembling all over. I looked down and let out a loud scream.

  "What the hell is going on?" Little Skinny Monkey said with a mournful face.

  I looked down and saw that the water had already risen above my knees, no wonder I felt so cold. At this rate, the tunnel will be filled with water soon. The problem is, I'm not a good swimmer, I won't drown, but I'll probably freeze to death.

  The body covered in cold sweat, surrounded by fear, I trembled with both hands ceaselessly feeling the wall of the tunnel for a mechanism.

  Generally, organs are set on walls or protruding places. As long as the hidden compartment is found, it's estimated that you won't drown to death.

  "Found it!" was all I heard before Zhang Lao's excited shout, followed by a loud "Rumble..." as the stone wall suddenly opened, and a hot air burst out from inside. I didn't have time to dodge, and the hot air swept across my face, but I didn't feel anything unusual, just warmth. When I looked at the others, they were all covering their mouths and noses with white cloths, leaning against the wall.

  After the hot air slowly dissipated, Hei Shu cautiously approached, raised his flashlight and shone it inside. The interior was filled with rows of ceramic jars. Zhang Lao, who had entered first, suddenly squatted down.

  "Don't move..." Hei Shu's terrified shout came too late, a terrifying howl echoed through the air, followed by a burst of sobbing. I leaned forward, and in the faint light, I saw that the old man's face had already begun to rot, with reddish-brown fluid oozing out, his flesh blurred, his body twisted and contorted on the ground, his hands clenched into fists, tightly pressed against his own face, he was completely lifeless.

  He's dead.

  It was the first time I had seen someone die, and it was right in front of me. Three of Zhou's men had already died before this, now adding Zhang Lao to the list.

  Zhang Laopeng also respected me, although this time he was ordered by Old Man Zhou to follow us. If I weren't here, he might not have died either. None of the Zhou family's men were left.

  I dare not imagine, originally, seemingly easy tombs, inside are so many dangers.

  Hei Shu's face turned iron-green as he stared inside for a moment.