Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 791 More money is needed!
"call"

The long-dormant phantom of the dragon and phoenix bloodline returned to calm, its supernatural power hidden deep within the bloodline of his body. Hu Ming leisurely lit a cigarette and exhaled a long puff of smoke.

No matter how bizarre the opponent may be, before auspicious beasts like dragons and phoenixes, and before Hu Ming's incredibly powerful bloodline tattoos, they are ultimately nothing more than the despicable and cunning tricks of a clown.

The majestic and imposing phantoms of dragons and phoenixes are least afraid of such petty tricks that rely on sinister and treacherous methods to harm people.

No matter how many tricks you use, I will sweep them all away!
A suffocating sound came from the air, and the black tentacles seemed to feel fear, slowly twisting their bodies, trying their best to leave this dangerous place and this dangerous humanoid monster as quickly as possible without attracting Hu Ming's attention.

laugh!
Hu Ming made a move.

His figure flashed like lightning, arriving in front of the black tentacles in the blink of an eye. He held the swords high with both hands and swung them down.

"Eek!!"

A sharp, infantile cry rang out from the three-lobed mouth of the black tentacles; it was in fear, it was screaming!
As the precious sword fell, its indestructible blade, amplified by Hu Ming's terrifying strength, easily cleaved the black tentacles' shell, which was almost as hard as steel.

Tentacles as thick as an a4 waist were easily severed.

Just like a real living creature being beheaded, large spurts of black blood sprayed out, and its three-lobed mouth fell to the ground, still screaming and struggling wildly. The sharp sound put an enormous strain on a person's mental will.

Beside him, Gu Ziqing, protected by the blind man, was pale-faced and crouched on the spot, covering her ears. There was a faint trace of blood between her fingers.

This eerie sound was too much of a burden for an ordinary person; blood was slowly dripping from their nostrils and ears.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the mercenaries and Okitajima had already stopped fighting and, just like Gu Ziqing, were covering their ears and twitching on the spot.

The ghost claws that were besieging them did not take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack, but instead silently submerged into the water and disappeared.

Before leaving, it also took away the spoils of its trip—several fresh corpses, and an unfortunate soul who was too badly injured to dodge and was forcibly taken away.

Hu Ming remained unmoved, stomped on the three-lobed mouth to death, gripped the knife handle with both hands, and pinned it to the spot.

The baby's cries stopped abruptly as the mysterious, destructive power of the ancient bronze within the reforged blade, which was heading towards its end, instantly extinguished the remaining life force within the three-lobed mouth.

The black tentacles, having lost their heads, seemed to have been stripped of their upgrade, remaining stiff in place, their color turning grayish-brown, and within a few breaths they turned into a pile of blackish-gray ashes.

……

……

After doing all this, Hu Ming casually found a rock to sit on and quietly waited for everyone to recover.

It is worth mentioning that the blind man who was taking care of Gu Ziqing disappeared without a trace, leaving Gu Ziqing lying in the pool.

Fortunately, the water was shallow enough that even if someone lay in it, the water level wouldn't be high enough to cover their mouth and nose; otherwise, Gu Ziqing might have drowned in frustration.

Hu Ming glanced sideways at the beam to the side and curled his lip.

Therefore, the blind man knew very well that Hu Ming's hearing was extraordinary. What difference was there between whispering to that lucky person over a mere ten meters away and speaking loudly in Hu Ming's ear?
Hu Ming heard every word they said clearly.

A moment later, the blind man returned, whistling a cheerful tune.

"Old consultant, are you really human? Or some kind of giant zombie in human skin? You didn't see his expression; his worldview has been shattered to pieces."

The blind man moved closer to Hu Ming and said with a teasing laugh.

Gu Huaisheng did not die. He discovered some secrets about the Buddha statue and did not want to hand it over to Okitajima. At the same time, he also understood that Okitajima would never give up the Buddha statue that could save his life.

Therefore, during this time, Gu Huaisheng remained hidden here, quietly waiting for Okita Island to arrive, and the blind man was his external helper.

"It's no wonder he thinks that way. Your second master's reputation in the underworld is legendary, but very few people have actually seen you in action. Any normal person would question their life the first time they see you in action."

The blind man nudged Hu Ming with his elbow and winked.

To be honest, if he hadn't been an old friend of Hu Ming, even a blind man would have doubted whether Hu Ming was even human.

After all, judging by Hu Ming's methods, some people would believe he was a deity from a mythological story, right?
To be fair, even among guys of similar stature to Hu Ming, none have ever had such an eye-catching display of bloodline tattoos. These guys mostly kill their enemies with simple, straightforward swordplay, one strike at a time. This flashy thing...
Anyway, I've never seen a blind man on this guy.

Throughout his hundred-year life, the blind man had witnessed countless extraordinary people and events, but only Hu Ming had acted so inhumanly.

"I'm cheating, unlike you ordinary people. This game called Life Online is for VIP members, the kind with dedicated customer service."

Hu Ming glanced at the blind man sideways and said irritably.

However.
"I believe you! So, where is the recharge portal for the game 'Life Online'? I want to be as cool as you; all you're missing now is background music."

The blind man spoke in a half-truthful tone.

You could tell from the envious look on his face that even after living for a hundred years, a restless, mischievous child still lurked in the man's heart.

No, no, the desire to show off in front of others is the most fundamental and primal human desire, and even the blind are no exception.

"...I'll tailor-make a lighting team and atmosphere group for you later."

Hu Ming had no choice. Although the Dogecoin system had become incredibly inactive and the rewards it gave out weren't as generous as before!

Are we supposed to kill the blind man and gamble on whether he'll be able to transmigrate after death and acquire a system?
Making trouble!
The blind man shrugged and didn't answer. He understood that Hu Ming's methods were too mysterious and were mostly unreplicable miracles, which were not very realistic. Therefore, he didn't have much hope and was just chatting to pass the time while waiting for the others to wake up.

The roar from the black tentacles just now had a great impact on mental health.

Hu Ming and the blind man waited quietly for nearly half an hour before the group of people who had been unconscious slowly woke up.

Upon waking up, Song Qing counted the number of people and her face instantly turned ashen.

In this unexpected encounter alone, his mercenary team lost half of its members!
The remaining survivors all bore scars, more or less.

Looking back at Hu Ming and the blind man, who seemed unharmed, and Gu Ziqing, who was well protected by the blind man and had no injuries except for being a little disheveled, Song felt a strong contrast.

Song understood that the black tentacles they had just found with Hu Ming and the blind man were far more dangerous than the ghost claws they were facing, in terms of size, strangeness, and so on.

That eerie roar, seemingly the fusion of countless living beings, was enough to instantly shatter the will of everyone on their side, leaving them unconscious on the ground.

But Hu Ming's side
It goes without saying that Gu Ziqing is a crow, but Hu Ming and the blind man...
In the last moment before Song lost consciousness, he saw Hu Ming and the blind man ignoring the eerie roar and still fighting the black tentacles with clear minds.

Clearly, these two advisors invited by Okitajima were not as simple as the information suggested; they were likely highly skilled.

Okitajima, who had some minor abrasions, was also aware of this.

"Mr. Hu, Mr. Qi, things have come to this point, and retreating now is absolutely out of the question. We can only move forward and try to survive in this dangerous place..."

Okitajima tidied his appearance, walked slowly to Hu Ming and the blind man, and spoke.

"It's you who has no way out, not us. It's too dangerous here. At worst, we can just forgo the final payment. After all, life is more important than money, isn't it?"

Hu Ming interrupted Okitajima with a smile.

Just as Hu Ming said, now that there is no way to retreat, only Okitajima has no choice but to risk going deeper into this ruin!
"Hey"

Gu Ziqing hesitated and raised her hand, wanting to say something.

However, recalling the dangerous situation they had been in, Gu Ziqing could not convince herself to morally blackmail others into helping her at the cost of their lives, just for money and for her father whose fate was unknown.

"never mind..…"

After agonizing for a long time, Gu Ziqing sighed and gave up.

"what"

Seeing this, the blind man's eyes behind his sunglasses were full of smiles.

The blind man was a shrewd man; he had already figured out the psychological changes behind Gu Ziqing's changing expressions.

"Mr. Hu, Mr. Qi, I understand one thing very well: many people and things in this world are unreliable and untrustworthy, but there is one thing that is a universal truth!"

"Money! You two have been incredibly helpful in getting the pagoda, so for that, the commission is doubled—four million each. Once I've safely obtained the pagoda and left, the remaining three million will definitely be transferred to your accounts within three days!"

Instead of trying to persuade Hu Ming the blind with morality or integrity, Okitajima pondered for a moment and then decisively offered more money.

There's nothing in this world that can't be achieved by burning money; if there is, it's just that you haven't burned enough money!
At least, burning money can solve 99% of the problems in this world. In Okitajima's view, perhaps burning money is enough to provide Hu Ming and the blind man's significant assistance!
The information collected by Okitajima regarding Hu Ming and the blind man clearly states that both were highly skilled explorers—well, freelance tomb raiders.

And what are tomb raiders? They are people who risk their lives for wealth. Clearly, no matter how skilled these two are, they are mad dogs who will fight tooth and nail for money!
In that case, adding more money is a very effective and straightforward way to deal with this kind of person.

The inability to reach a consensus simply means the price wasn't right.

"Huh? You want to pay extra for residency?"

"Double commission sounds tempting, but money you can't actually get is completely meaningless. Besides, if I may be so bold, the danger here is beyond your imagination."

"In our view, most of the people in the team that came here this time will stay here, including you."

Hu Ming chuckled lightly, his expression unchanged.

To be honest, money alone is no longer enough to attract Hu Ming these days. To him, money is nothing more than a string of meaningless numbers.

If it weren't for the blind man's plea for help, Hu Ming might not have ended up here.

The blind man nodded, indicating that Hu Ming was right.

All of this is predicated on Okita Island obtaining the pagoda and returning safely.

Although the blind man likes money, he is concerned about the safety of Okita Island... The blind man had just had a brief exchange with Gu Huaisheng, who had rushed over after hearing the news, and roughly learned about the situation of this ruin and what dangers it contained.

He had no hope for Okitajima. Moreover, according to Gu Huaisheng, the pagoda was very important and could not be taken away easily, otherwise there would be big problems.

But judging from Okitajima's demeanor, he's clearly determined to achieve his goal at all costs.
Besides, the blind man is quite aware of his own situation; it's been a hundred years!
It's been a full hundred years!
The blind man has accepted many jobs over the years, but in the past hundred years, he has never...
I received the final payment once!
In every dangerous expedition, the employer always dies from some unexpected situation. It's strange, as if he's been cursed.

"...This card has five million on it, and that's all I have on me. It's yours now."

"Clearly, I underestimated you both. You are both extraordinary individuals with remarkable abilities. I apologize for my previous doubts and underestimation."

"My request is simple: you two guarantee my safety and that I will retrieve the pagoda. In addition to the five million, I will also pay the agreed-upon balance upon my safe return!"

Okitajima still felt that he didn't have enough money. He frowned, thought for a moment, took out a black bank card from his pocket, and handed it over at a ninety-degree angle.

"...Truly worthy of being called Japanese."

Hu Ming didn't even glance at the bank card. He squinted at Okitajima, who was bowing at a ninety-degree angle to show his apology and respect, and spoke in a detached tone, devoid of any emotion.

Hu Ming had read the book "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword." Although some parts were not entirely accurate, it did vividly depict certain contradictory aspects of the Japanese character.

Moreover, over the years, Hu Ming has also come into contact with some Japanese people and knows their character well.

For someone like Okitajima, the contradictory tradition of being both arrogant and humble, respectful and contemptuous, and both revering the strong and defying superiors is vividly portrayed.

If Okitajima manages to retrieve the pagoda and return safely, his attitude towards Hu Ming the Blind will likely undergo a complete 180-degree change.

In just a few days, Hu Ming had already figured out Okitajima's personality quite well and knew what kind of person he was.

Hu Ming understood that such people were mostly not to be trusted.

But
"Okay, that's settled."

Hu Ming narrowed his eyes slightly, as if considering the gains and losses, and then unexpectedly smiled and agreed after a moment.

Hu Ming's smile was strange.

The blind man rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath; no one knew what he was thinking.

To be honest, the blind man sometimes felt that he had much more professional ethics than Hu Ming.

While the blind man might at most watch coldly as his employer faced danger, Hu Ming's resume was far more impressive.
but
A blind man is still a blind man. Even if he is never short of money, he often identifies as poor. How could he possibly remain unmoved by money offered to him?
"Okay, boss, we're professionals. As long as the money's right, everything's negotiable!"

The blind man scurried up to Okitajima with a fawning expression, snatched the bank card from his hand, and stroked it carefully, smiling like a chrysanthemum.

As for the even more generous final payment promised by Okitajima, the blind man had absolutely no interest in it.

This ruin is too eerie!
Both what we've seen so far and the information we just obtained from our secret meeting with Gu Huaisheng indicate that there are many strange things happening in the very heart of this land.

To be honest, before coming here, the blind man had a bad feeling, and now it seems that his sixth sense has proven true as always.

If Hu Ming hadn't come to help, the blind man really doubted that he could have escaped unscathed on his own.

"What are you doing?"

Gu Ziqing, who witnessed this scene firsthand, muttered to herself.

Drawing on her rich adult experience, she had a vague idea that Hu Ming and the blind man were probably up to something completely opposite to the purpose of their sugar daddy, Okitajima.

……

……

The team moved on.

It's worth mentioning that along the way, we could see some subtle traces left by humans intermittently.

Before long, the group passed through the bluestone passageway and arrived at a more primitive natural passage in the underground rock strata.

This place is a maze of roads, with almost every intersection having several forks, each leading in a different direction to a different, dark depth!
Fortunately, the clues that led us along the way still remain here.

"This must be the mark that Gu Huaisheng left behind to prevent getting lost on the way back."

Looking at the increasingly close location on the tablet, Okitajima said confidently.

Hu Ming glanced calmly at the back of the line, pursed his lips, and said nothing.

The traces were indeed left by Gu Huaisheng, but not to prevent getting lost. After all, the environment here had already been mapped out in Hu Ming's mind.

Although this place seems to have many interconnected paths, all the forks in the road eventually converge at the same end, leading to the same place, only the time taken to travel each path varies.

In retrospect, it seems that more than a month ago, after Gu Huaisheng encountered danger here, his first thought was not to leave, but to find a way to swindle this Japanese boss.

God knows what he was really thinking.

Was it simply because the things here were too dangerous, and he feared that if Okitajima obtained them, it would pose a fatal threat to this land?
However, this ancient land is sparsely populated, and no one has settled here for many years; it is clearly a no-man's land.

……

……

"Mr. Hu, is there any danger behind us?"

Seven or Eight instinctively gripped their guns tighter, looked warily behind them, and asked in a low voice.

"Ha, it's nothing."

Hu Ming glanced at Qi and Ba, whose faces were still quite pretty, smiled slightly, and said nothing.

It has to be said that this girl is quite lucky in some ways.

She was rescued by Hu Ming in the swamp earlier, and in the attack just now, the other female mercenary who was closest to her was the unlucky guy who was seriously injured and dragged away.

Currently, most of the mercenaries are injured, but Seven and Eight are the only exceptions. Apart from their two strong and powerful long legs covered with many bandages, they have no other injuries.

These bandages were for the wounds caused by leech bites in the swamp.

This girl must have maxed out her luck stat, right?
"You're pretty good, I mean in terms of vigilance. If you're lucky enough to survive this time, I'll recommend a good place to you."

Hu Ming thought for a moment, then suddenly patted Qi Ba on the shoulder and said something that left Qi Ba completely baffled.

Hu Ming recalled the mercenary group that operated in the Triangle Region under the leadership of Aning and Huo Sha.

Speaking of which, Aning had complained to Hu Ming many times that although things had become much easier after Huo Sha came, the mercenary team was full of rough men, leaving Aning with no one to confide in.

"what…"

She opened her mouth seven or eight times, but didn't know what to say. She couldn't understand what Hu Ming meant by "luckily surviving".

It sounded as if Hu Ming was certain that everyone here would die.

A chill suddenly ran through Qi Ba's heart, and his scalp tingled.

"In short, don't think too much about it now. Just make sure you survive."

Hu Ming didn't explain much, just smiled and said no more.

"This is!"

"Damn it, it's Poly!!"

Ahead, the mercenaries suddenly began to mutter curses.

Upon closer inspection, the path ahead forked, and the new path was wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

On one side, there was an extremely narrow passage, barely wide enough for a child to pass through.

However, the area around this narrow passage was now covered with traces of blood, broken steps, flesh and bone fragments.

Upon closer inspection, these marks are still quite fresh.

Song stepped forward, picked up a piece of cloth with his fingers, and identified its owner.

Judging from the traces in the surrounding rock strata, it's clear that the unfortunate female mercenary was dragged and squeezed through such a narrow space, resulting in her entire body being compressed, most of her bones being broken, and her skin and flesh being torn off.

It's hard to imagine just how painful that must have been.

Keep in mind that Ghost Claw was still alive when he kidnapped the mercenary!

Hu Ming stepped forward without changing his expression, put on disposable rubber gloves, and crushed a piece of flesh with an obviously off color.

After a moment, Hu Ming said softly, "There are traces of corrosion from strong acid again. It seems we are very close to our destination, the place where the pagoda is located, and the place where that mutated monster has taken root."

"You mean, besides its countless ghostly claws and tentacles, this monster can also secrete highly acidic digestive fluids?"

Song's expression changed as he realized a terrifying possibility.

"Song, the road ahead is blocked. It's an underground cliff face. The boss said we have to go down. We need to prepare for a rapid descent."

At this moment, Song's most trusted subordinate ran over and whispered.