I work as a security guard at a cemetery, and I overhear the dead chatting about getting rich quick.

The two characters "Do Not Open" on the stone gate looked particularly glaring when illuminated by the light.

Lin Ye stared at those two words for a few seconds.

The more I looked, the less this place seemed like a tomb.

It's more like someone carved a warning on the door a long time ago, just waiting for later generations to ignore the advice.

Xing Shanhe stood in front of the stone gate, not giving an order immediately.

He checked the crack in the door first.

Then look at the soil beneath the gate.

Finally, he squatted down and gently tapped the door a few times with his fingers.

The voice was deep.

It's not an empty door.

Luo Xiaohu stood at the back, his face looking rather grim.

"Brother Shan, is the door really open?"

Xing Shanhe did not turn back.

"Do you think we've come all this way just to visit the gate?"

Luo Xiaohu choked for a moment.

That's not what I meant.

"Then talk less."

Luo Xiaohu shut up.

Two seconds later, she added quietly, "I just think the 'Do Not Open' sign on the door is pretty straightforward."

Lin Ye glanced at him.

"You got a perfect score on your reading comprehension."

Luo Xiaohu gave a wry smile.

"I would rather I were illiterate."

Master Lai stood beside the stone gate, his fingers gently tracing the engravings on it.

His condition was even stranger than before.

His eyes were frighteningly bright.

The drowsy look on his face, like that of an old charlatan, was completely gone.

On the ground, he's like a retired old man hugging a thermos and enjoying the air conditioning.

Now, it's like he's finally found what he's been looking for.

He came back to life.

Standing behind, Su Tinglan asked in a low voice, "Master Lai, can it be opened?"

Master Lai closed his eyes, as if sensing something.

After a while, he opened his eyes.

"able."

After he finished speaking, he added, "But be very careful once you're inside."

Master Lai glanced at the stone gate.

"In some places, people are killed not only by machines."

Luo Xiaohu felt a chill run down his spine.

"Mr. Lai, could you say something about the living?"

Master Lai smiled.

"This place is not a sunroom."

Lin Ye felt no comfort whatsoever after hearing this.

Xing Shanhe had someone install the equipment.

They didn't use brute force to break down the door.

First, supports were erected on both sides of the stone door. Then, two thin steel plates were used to probe into the door gap to confirm that there were no stone bolts blocking it.

The two then wedged the miniature jack under the door.

The movements are very slow.

Stop after pushing a little bit.

It's like defusing a landmine that could explode at any time.

Lin Ye stood behind, watching the crack in the door gradually widen.

Darkness emerged from within.

When the cool white light shone on it, the light seemed to be suppressed.

First, it was dark.

It will recover slowly.

Luo Xiaohu immediately looked at the light fixtures.

"The battery is fine."

The technician also glanced at the screen.

"Gas level is normal."

Xing Shanhe remained silent.

He stared at the stone gate.

When the door is opened to about half a person's width, there is no wind inside.

There wasn't a breath of wind.

But all the lights went out for a second at the same time.

Including the small light next to the spare mechanical buckle on Lin Ye's chest.

Even though it doesn't rely on batteries, it's as if the light is gently covered by something.

Su Tinglan's expression changed slightly.

Chen Jin and Bai Yuan both took a step closer to her side.

Xiaoman also reached out and pressed down on Lin Ye's wrist.

Her hands were cold.

He is very strong.

The forest didn't move.

Because he heard it.

Behind the stone gate, the sound of drums was no longer just a simple sound.

Those lingering sounds seemed to be squeezed out from a very deep place, one sentence at a time, as low as a dream.

The door opened.

"A living person has entered."

"I will not respond to being heard of."

Lin Ye stopped breathing.

Master Lai immediately looked at him.

"Did you hear that?"

Lin Ye didn't joke around this time.

He lowered his voice.

"Don't answer."

Master Lai's eyes brightened a little more.

But he didn't ask any further questions.

Xing Shanhe had already raised his hand.

"First group, come in."

Zhao He was the first to enter.

He was in his thirties, tall and thin, and didn't talk much. He had always been by Xing Shanhe's side.

He had a safety rope around his waist, a lamp in his left hand, and a probe in his right.

Another person followed behind, responsible for watching his rope.

The moment Zhao He stepped through the stone gate, the stone slab beneath his feet made a very soft sound.

Heh.

Everyone stopped.

Zhao He also stopped.

Xing Shanhe asked in a low voice, "How's your footing?"

Zhao He looked down.

"Stone slabs can bear weight."

"Don't step on the edge."

"clear."

He took two steps forward.

As the light shone in, everyone was able to see what the third floor looked like.

It wasn't the tomb chamber I had imagined.

It's more like a low-lying stone path.

The walls on both sides of the stone path are made of dark gray stone, with many blurred lines carved on the surface.

The ground was paved with stone slabs.

The gaps between the stone slabs are so deep that you can't see what's underneath.

The air was still, yet it made my chest feel tight.

When Zhao He took the third step, he suddenly stopped.

It's not the kind of stop that happens when you step on a switch.

As if he had heard something, his neck stiffened slightly.

Xing Shanhe frowned.

"Zhao He?"

Zhao He did not turn around.

His headlamp shone ahead, the light falling on the wall, casting a slightly trembling shadow.

Luo Xiaohu lowered his voice: "Brother Zhao?"

Zhao He's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

His eyes became somewhat vacant.

It's as if I didn't hear the sounds from outside.

Instead, something from the deepest part of his mind unearthed an old memory.

Lin Ye's heart sank when he saw that expression.

wrong.

Xiaoman also frowned.

She didn't hear a sound, but she saw Zhao He's reaction.

It's like someone suddenly finding themselves in a strange place and hearing the sound they should never have heard in their life.

Master Lai's expression changed.

"Don't answer!"

late.

Zhao He's lips moved slightly.

The sound was very soft.

"mom?"

The moment that word was uttered, the lingering sounds in Lin Ye's ears suddenly became chaotic.

"I agree."

"Enter the sacrifice."

Zhao He seemed to be pulled by someone and took a step to the left.

That step wasn't big.

Half of my foot touched the edge of the stone slab.

Master Lai whispered, "Grab him!"

Xing Shanhe has already made a move.

He grabbed the safety rope behind Zhao He.

The rope tightened instantly.

Zhao He was pulled so hard that his body stiffened and his shoulders jerked back.

But suddenly the stone slab under his feet tilted to the side.

It's not collapsing.

It was like a stone tongue that had been waiting to open and close, tilting it to send people into the dark crevice beside it.

The safety rope could have held him up.

However, Zhao He landed at too extreme an angle.

The rope got caught at the same time by the edge of the overturned stone slab and the sharp stones in the cracks.

As soon as Xing Shanhe exerted his strength, the rope spun out a screeching sound.

The spare buckle was also in the wrong direction, and the person was half-hanging at the edge of the hole, only lasting for less than half a second.

Click.

The second button popped open.

The outer layer of the main rope was cut open by a crack in the rock, and the inner core wire snapped immediately.

Xing Shanhe lunged forward and grabbed the end of the rope.

My finger brushed against the broken edge.

They didn't catch it.

Zhao He didn't even get to let out a complete scream.

The person disappeared into that dark crevice.

A muffled thud came from below.

It's very far.

It also feels very close.

The tomb passage was deathly quiet.

The color drained from Luo Xiaohu's face instantly.

"Brother Shan..."

Snapped.

Xing Shanhe slapped him on the back of the head with his backhand.

not heavy.

But it was very loud.

"Shut up."

Luo Xiaohu's lips trembled, and he swallowed back the rest of his words.

Xing Shanhe lay prone at the edge of the collapse, shining a lamp down on the ground.

The light doesn't reach the bottom.

This is not an ordinary pit.

It is a narrow and deep vertical hole.

The stone walls on both sides were shiny black, as if they had been washed by water for a long time, or as if they had been polished by something.

Zhao He did not respond.

The broken end of the safety rope was still hanging on the edge of the stone slab, swaying slowly.

The veins on the back of Xing Shanhe's hand bulged.

He stared down for a few seconds, his voice very low.

"Reel in the rope."

No one dared to speak.

One of the tomb raiders slowly pulled the broken rope back in.

The fracture surface was roughened, and the outer layer was almost shaved off.

Luo Xiaohu glanced at it, and his face turned even paler.

"This rope..."

Xing Shanhe said coldly, "I told you, shut up."

Master Lai stood outside the stone gate, his face also darkening.

He stopped laughing.

The excitement from before was still there, but now there was a layer of apprehension.

"It's not an ordinary agency."

Su Tinglan looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

Master Lai looked up at the stone slab where Zhao He had disappeared.

"No normal organization would entice people to talk."

Lin Ye felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing these words.

The ancient echoes slowly resurfaced in his ears.

It wasn't said to him.

It wasn't about explaining it to him.

It's more like this place already had some kind of established rules, which were completely disrupted by what just happened.

"I will not respond to being heard of."

"Those who respond shall enter the sacrifice."

"Receiving a name through sacrificial rites."

Lin Ye's fingers slowly tightened.

He wasn't sure what the last sentence meant.

But at least for now, after Zhao He died, the low tremor inside the stone gate stopped for a moment.

This place received what it needed.

Xiaoman asked in a low voice, "What did you hear?"

Lin Ye glanced at Xing Shanhe, then looked at Master Lai.

Finally, he lowered his voice and said to Xiaoman, "You can't agree to a name you hear."

Xiaoman's face darkened.

She turned to look at Bai Yuan.

"The person who told you."

Bai Yuan did not move immediately.

She looked at Su Tinglan.

Su Tinglan nodded.

Bai Yuan immediately whispered a message.

"No one should answer when they hear anyone call their name."

Luo Xiaohu's face was frighteningly pale.

"What if it's one of our own people calling it?"

Xing Shanhe looked at him.

"Use hand gestures."

"What if it's an emergency?"

Xing Shanhe's voice was as cold as stone.

"No matter how urgent it is, don't respond."

Luo Xiaohu's lips moved slightly.

Finally, he nodded.

"clear."

Chen Jin walked to the stone gate and threw a cold light stick into the spot where Zhao He had just fallen.

The light stick fell down.

one second.

two seconds.

three seconds.

It's still falling.

Finally, the light became very small, and then it flickered gently.

There was no echo.

There were no bodies.

I can't see anything.

Lin Ye felt a tightness in his stomach as he read this.

The first time he saw a living person, he saw them just vanish right before his eyes.

There were no long monologues from the villains before their deaths.

There were no heroic sacrifices.

He simply responded with a sound of agreement.

One wrong step.

The person is gone.

Su Tinglan's face turned pale.

She subconsciously looked at Lin Ye.

Lin Ye didn't look at her.

He looked down at the dark slit, his fingers clenched tightly.

Xiaoman moved a little closer to him.

This time, Bai Yuan did not stop her.

Because everyone knows that Lin Ye cannot afford to get into trouble right now.

At least we can't have something happen like Zhao He's.

Master Lai finally spoke.

"continue."

Luo Xiaohu suddenly looked up.

"Shall we continue?"

Xing Shanhe glanced at him.

Luo Xiaohu lowered his voice.

"I mean... Brother Zhao just passed away."

Xing Shanhe remained silent for two seconds.

"I know."

"That……"

"That's how it is when you go into a tomb," Xing Shanhe said in a low voice. "He's not the first, and he won't be the last."

The moment those words were spoken, the tomb passage grew even colder.

Master Lai looked inside the stone gate.

"Did you hear anything else?"

Lin Ye didn't answer.

Master Lai didn't force him.

He simply said, "Then you'd better listen carefully."

Lin Ye gritted his teeth.

"Master Lai, have you no shame?"

Master Lai looked at him.

Lin Ye lowered his voice.

"Someone just died, and your first reaction is to tell me to listen carefully?"

Master Lai did not smile.

"Lin Ye, I only brought you in because I thought you were useful. If you don't prove yourself, I don't mind leaving you here forever."

Lin Ye stared at him.

After a long pause, he gave a cold laugh.

"OK."

"Then I'll try my best to make it useful."

Xiaoman whispered, "Don't let him lead you astray."

Lin Ye hummed in agreement.

He knew that Master Lai was provoking him.

I also know that I can't act rashly right now.

The further down you go, the less you need to panic.

Xing Shanhe rearranged the formation.

Zhao He's position has been filled.

No one mentioned his body.

Because it's pointless to bring it up.

The road inside the stone gate is still there.

Beside the dark crevice, only half of the stone path was passable.

Xing Shanhe had someone re-establish the fixed point.

Tap the probe three times for each step.

Make sure the stone slab is okay before proceeding.

When the team started moving again, Luo Xiaohu passed by the spot where Zhao He had fallen, his face as white as paper.

He dared not look down.

Xing Shanhe whispered from behind, "Watch where you're going."

Luo Xiaohu's voice was a little hoarse.

"Um."

As Lin Ye walked through the stone gate, he heard a faint echo again.

"Open the door."

"Offering sacrifice."

"Lu Xian".

He paused in his steps.

This time he didn't remain silent.

He looked up at Xing Shanhe.

"Don't step on the one on the left."

Xing Shanhe stopped.

"reason."

Lin Ye looked at a slightly darker-colored stone slab on the left side of the stone path.

"intuition."

Luo Xiaohu almost burst into tears.

"Brother, you're talking about intuition in a place like this? I'm starting to panic."

Xing Shanhe tapped the stone slab with the probe.

The first time, the sound was normal.

The second time, it was normal.

On the third strike, a little black water suddenly seeped from the edge of the stone slab.

Luo Xiaohu took half a step back.

"Holy crap."

Xing Shanhe stared at Lin Ye for two seconds.

Then raise your hand.

"Mark it, and avoid it."

Master Lai looked at Lin Ye.

His gaze deepened.

Lin Ye didn't look at him.

He just stared into the darkness ahead.

He finally understood.

From this point onward, the dead are no longer offering clues to getting rich.

Rather, it's a rule for survival.

Those who cannot hear may perish if they take one wrong step.

And he became the ear for this group of people as they descended.