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

After the third box was sealed, the main hall was quiet for a moment.

It wasn't just ordinary quiet.

It was the kind of situation where everything was silenced, even the cracking sounds from the cracks in the rocks stopped.

Lin Ye's ears still hurt.

It hurts like someone is stabbing me with a needle.

Xiaoman held his elbow firmly, not letting go.

"Can you still walk?"

Lin Ye took a breath.

"able."

Xiaoman looked at his face.

"It doesn't look like it."

"Then just take it as me being stubborn."

"You've been stubborn all along."

Lin Ye wanted to reply, but he didn't have the strength.

He looked up at box number three.

The box wasn't big.

It was dusty and unremarkable, placed alongside boxes number one and number two.

But after that "the jade tablet enters the box" sound, the entire main hall felt as if a layer of something had been emptied out.

The water ripple lines on the wall have darkened in color.

The wood ash beside the stone platform floated up gently, then fell back down.

The fixed light at the entrance dimmed twice before slowly stabilizing.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Ye's ears were filled with confusion.

It's not a single sound.

Many voices surged up at once.

Some are nearby.

Some are far away.

There are familiar whispers from the Qingshan Cemetery, old sounds from the Warring States period tombs, and the cold, hard eulogies from the third level.

"Why is it so dark?"

"Qingshan's voice is disordered."

"A breach of etiquette."

"Keido."

"The sacrificial altar is empty."

"Kei enters the box."

The sounds were layered upon each other, like several broken radios turned up to maximum at the same time.

Lin Ye's vision went black, and his legs gave way.

Xiaoman caught him.

This time she didn't ask any more questions, but simply put his arm around her shoulder.

The action is fast.

The right wrist, however, was noticeably slower.

Lin Ye saw it.

He whispered, "Can your hands still be used?"

Xiaoman didn't even look at him.

"able."

"Is your claim of 'ability' exaggerated?"

"Less than the truth you speak."

Lin Ye: "..."

Row.

The fact that he's still teasing him even when he's in so much pain means he's not going to die anytime soon.

Master Lai stood next to box number three, the blood from his nose already wiped away.

But the excitement on his face remained.

The excitement wasn't like the excitement of finding an antique.

It wasn't the excitement of tomb raiders who were greedy for money.

It's more like someone who has been starving for a long time finally getting a bowl of rice.

He looked at box number three and said, "Take it with you."

Xing Shanhe asked, "Are you bringing all three boxes?"

Master Lai looked up.

"Bring all three boxes."

He paused, then added, "Especially number three."

Lin Ye's heart sank upon hearing this.

The old man did indeed sense it.

Xing Shanhe didn't waste any words.

"Number one, number two, number three, all of you, put on your buttons."

The remaining tomb raiders immediately added securing straps to the box.

Box number three was carried by the thin captain and another man.

The first and second boxes were each attached to a carrying frame.

Xing Shanhe glanced at everyone.

"withdraw."

Nobody objected.

Nobody wants to stay in this place any longer, not even for a minute.

The group left the main hall.

Broken Eyebrow is still in a safe position outside the door.

His eyes were unfocused, but when he saw them come out, his lips moved slightly.

"Propriety must not be overlooked..."

Xing Shanhe squatted down to inspect his buckles.

"Can I stand?"

The man with the broken eyebrow didn't answer.

Just as the skinny captain was about to go over to help, Broken Eyebrows suddenly looked up at box number three.

His eyes slowly turned away, and they were frighteningly empty.

"Kyu..."

Lin Ye's heart tightened.

Xing Shanhe reacted quickly and covered his mouth.

"Shut up."

Duanmei struggled for a moment, then went limp again.

Xing Shanhe glanced at Lin Ye.

Lin Ye shook his head.

"What he's saying now may not be what he actually wants to say."

Xing Shanhe's face darkened further.

He had someone drag Duanmei to the back of the line, where two people took turns supporting him, preventing him from leaning against the wall or looking around.

The group retraced their steps.

Things went fairly smoothly at first.

The passageway outside the door is still there.

The light fixtures they installed before are still there.

The arrow markings on the stone wall are still there.

The main rope extends out from the entrance of the main ceremonial room, neatly following the base of the wall.

Everything looks fine.

But not long after they started walking, a problem arose.

An arrow appears ahead.

It is engraved on the base of the left wall.

Next to the arrow is a short horizontal line, which is a numbering mark made by Xing Shanhe's people beforehand.

The skinny captain walked there and suddenly stopped.

"Team Leader Xing."

Xing Shanhe raised his hand.

The line stopped.

The thin captain pointed at the arrow on the wall, his face pale.

"Isn't that the one we just passed?"

Xing Shanhe squatted down and shone the light on him.

The arrowhead is newly engraved.

Below the short horizontal line, there are some broken stone fragments.

He reached out and touched the ground.

The stone chips are still there.

Xing Shanhe's face darkened.

"Yes."

The skinny captain's Adam's apple bobbed.

"But we've been moving forward all along."

No one spoke.

That statement itself is frightening enough.

They kept walking forward.

The result was that they walked back to the previous marker.

Master Lai looked at Lin Ye.

Before he could ask, Lin Ye said, "Don't look at me, I don't want to experience the underground loop dungeon either."

Xing Shanhe raised his hand.

"Check the rope."

One of the tomb raiders immediately went to check the main rope.

The main rope is still in place.

It extended from behind them and then forward.

In theory, as long as you follow the rope, you will definitely be able to get back outside the door.

But after the captain took two steps along the rope, his expression suddenly changed.

"Team Leader Xing."

"explain."

"The rope... has come full circle."

Xing Shanhe walked over.

Lin Ye also glanced at it.

The main rope came from behind them, went around the stone buckle in front, and then turned back from the other side, attaching itself to the fixed point below the arrow.

It looked like someone had twisted the entire passageway into a circle.

But this circle wasn't there when they arrived.

No one touched the rope.

No one went around the stone buckle.

The thin captain's voice was dry.

"This thing can tie itself?"

Lin Ye stared at the circle of rope, the noise around him still swirling.

He whispered, "It's not that the rope is wrong."

Xing Shanhe looked at him.

"What is that?"

"The road is wrong."

Upon hearing this, the expressions on everyone's faces changed.

The road is wrong.

It's even more troublesome than having the wrong rope.

A rope can be spliced ​​if it breaks.

If the markings get messed up, they can be redone.

But if the path is wrong, who knows which step is the right one and which is a trap?

Xing Shanhe suppressed the fire.

Stop right there.

The group immediately stopped.

"Check the light fixtures, check the shadows, check the air quality, check the heart rate."

The orders were issued one by one.

Everyone did it like a machine.

Everyone knows now that the more panicked you are, the faster you'll die.

The lights are working properly.

The shadows were all behind them.

The gas is normal.

My heart rate is a bit high, but it's still manageable.

Xing Shanhe picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Number One outside the door, respond."

He didn't call out his name.

Along the way, everyone was taught to behave themselves by those rules.

The walkie-talkie first crackled with static.

Then a very soft sound came.

"There's light up ahead..."

The skinny captain's face turned pale instantly.

This phrase is all too familiar.

Luo Xiaohu said this before he died.

There is light ahead.

There really is light.

Xing Shanhe's fingers tightened so much that he almost crushed the walkie-talkie.

Lin Ye immediately spoke up.

Don't believe it.

Xing Shanhe looked at him.

Lin Ye stared at the walkie-talkie.

"Those coming out of there now may not be alive."

The walkie-talkie crackled twice.

The voice changed again.

It's like being separated by very deep water.

"Don't come back..."

"Front……"

"There's light..."

Xing Shanhe immediately turned off the intercom.

The passageway fell silent.

Luo Xiaohu's body is still in the array of lights behind.

They had originally planned to go back and take the person with them.

Now we can't even find our way back.

Master Lai stood to the side, holding a thermos.

He looked at Lin Ye and spoke very softly.

"It's your turn."

Lin Ye raised his eyes.

"Is it my turn again?"

Master Lai said, "You can hear me."

I heard a pot of porridge.

"Then pick rice from the porridge."

Lin Ye stared at him.

"You sound quite appetizing."

Master Lai did not laugh.

Stop being so cheeky.

Xiaoman took half a step to stand beside Lin Ye.

With her right hand injured, she switched to using her left hand to fasten the bag strap.

Master Lai saw it, but didn't touch her again.

Lin Ye took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

The sound became even more chaotic when I closed my eyes.

The lingering sounds of the dead in Qingshan Cemetery, the old rituals of the Warring States period tombs, the rules of the third sacrificial site, and the words "there is light ahead" from the walkie-talkie just now—all of these were mixed together.

He endured the pain and tried to make his voice heard.

Don't go to Qingshan Cemetery.

Do not echo the old tunes of the Warring States period.

Do not offer a eulogy.

Looking for voices.

Look for sounds that are wheezing, smelling of mud, and filled with fear.

A few seconds later, he actually heard it.

It's very far.

Very scattered.

It sounded like it was coming from behind a damp wall.

"Old Yao, don't go towards the light."

"That was over there just now."

"We're back."

Lin Ye suddenly opened his eyes.

Ma Changshun.

Yao Guanggen.

Ning Zhi found the two workers whose names had been erased.

People who went missing during the construction of Qingshan.

Of course, they couldn't possibly know where the exit was.

If they had truly gone out, they wouldn't have become a lingering echo buried underground for so many years.

They are not helping Lin Ye.

However, after Xuan Gui was placed in the box, the underground field became chaotic, and many old voices that were originally suppressed deep inside were brought to the surface.

Those were the words they left behind when they were trapped.

Lin Ye held his breath and continued listening.

"Touch the wall."

"Wherever it's damp, that's where the water is."

Don't look at the light.

"The lantern festival led us astray."

Another sound was panting.

"Where's the sound of water?"

"Behind the drumbeats."

"Listen to the sound of water, not the drum."

Lin Ye opened his eyes.

"Turn off the headlights."

The skinny captain was taken aback.

"what?"

Lin Ye said, "Turn off the lights in front, leave the low lights on, shine them on your feet, not on the walls."

Xing Shanhe looked at him.

"reason."

"The lantern festival led us astray."

The thin captain's face turned even paler.

"Who said that?"

Lin Ye didn't answer.

Xing Shanhe stared at him for two seconds, then raised his hand.

Do as instructed.

The tomb raiders turned off the bright lights in front of them, leaving only the low-level lights at their feet.

The passageway suddenly became much darker.

The shadow on the wall faded.

Instead, the damp patches underfoot became clearer.

Lin Ye squatted down and touched the ground.

My fingertips were cold and damp.

He then touched the base of the wall on the right side.

Dry.

There's a bit of dampness at the base of the wall on the left.

"Go to the left."

Master Lai looked at him.

Are you sure?

"uncertain."

Lin Ye stood up.

"But keep following the rope, we've already run the dungeon three times. If you want to keep checking in, I won't stop you."

Su Tinglan suddenly spoke up: "Listen to him."

Everyone looked at her.

She looked at the damp patches on the left wall.

"Qingshan was formerly known as Fengfeng Ridge. There is a line in the local chronicle that says, 'There is a cave at the foot of the ridge, which has become a canal over the years.'"

Lin Ye glanced at her.

Su Tinglan continued, "The old drainage ditch was originally in this area. If the roads are messed up, the sound of water might be more reliable than the markings."

She spoke very steadily.

It looks like an analysis.

I'm not speaking up for Lin Ye.

Master Lai glanced at her.

"Miss Su is very good at responding today."

Su Tinglan did not dodge.

"I was just referring to the information."

Lin Ye said in a low voice, "The data center staff are indeed highly skilled."

Su Tinglan glanced at him.

Stop being so sarcastic.

The voice was very soft.

So quiet that only he could hear it.

Lin Ye felt a slight relaxation inexplicably.

Xing Shanhe interrupted them.

"formation."

The team got moving again.

With the headlights off, the passageway became even darker.

The low-level light only illuminates a small area around the feet.

The patterns, shadows, and traces of black water on the wall all receded into the darkness.

Instead, the noise around me decreased.

Lin Ye walked at the very front.

Not at the very front.

Xing Shanhe would never actually let him take the lead.

But now the direction is up to him.

He would stop every few steps, touch the base of the wall, and listen to the sound of water.

Xiaoman stayed close to him.

His left hand was holding the bag strap, while his right hand hung down.

She didn't cry out in pain.

Lin Ye could see that the tips of her right fingers were turning white.

"Say it if it hurts."

Xiaoman didn't even glance at him.

"How can it not hurt if I tell you?"

"cannot."

"Then what should I say?"

Lin Ye choked for a moment.

"Your logic is quite closed-loop."

"I learned it from you."

Lin Ye: "..."

They can shift the blame back to them.

It took about ten minutes to walk.

Another arrow appears ahead.

The skinny captain's expression changed.

"here we go again?"

Lin Ye squatted down and took a look.

There were no newly broken rock fragments next to the arrow this time.

And the ground is damper.

He shook his head.

"Not the same one."

Xing Shanhe asked, "How do you determine that?"

Lin Ye pointed to the base of the wall.

"That place was dry, but this place is damp."

Master Lai suddenly said from behind, "Continue."

He did not refute it.

This is even stranger than him offering his support.

Lin Ye knew, and Master Lai sensed it too.

Although the old man couldn't hear any specific voices, he could sense the breath moving in a certain direction.

The group continued along the tide tracks.

The walkie-talkie suddenly crackled again.

sizzle.

sizzle.

This time it's not "there's light ahead".

Instead, it was a fragmented, living voice.

"...Captain Xing..."

Everyone stopped at the same time.

Xing Shanhe picked up the walkie-talkie.

There was no immediate reply.

The sound from the other end was cut off badly.

"Outside……"

"Signal……"

"Don't..."

The sound was suddenly swallowed up by the electric current.

Then came another burst of static.

Xing Shanhe's face darkened.

The thin captain asked in a low voice, "Are they one of ours?"

Lin Ye listened intently.

This time, no lingering sound was attached.

There was no old, lingering echo either.

He whispered, "Like a living thing."

Xing Shanhe looked at the walkie-talkie.

"Call again."

He pressed the call button.

"Number one outside the door, repeat."

A surge of electrical noise.

No one responded.

After a while, another sentence came out.

"Someone..."

"Stay and watch over..."

Snapped.

Communication was completely cut off.

No one spoke in the passageway.

This sentence contains too little information.

But it's enough to make one feel heavy-hearted.

There are people outside.

whose people?

Or something else?

Lin Ye suddenly remembered the unit that Ning Zhi had found.

National Cultural Relics Safety Emergency Protection Center.

My heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Could it be them?

He didn't say.

There's no point in saying it now.

Moreover, Master Lai was right next to them.

If Master Lai knew that the outside world might be under control, he would likely change course immediately, or even use him and Xiaoman as bargaining chips.

But Master Lai had already turned his gaze to Xing Shanhe.

"Something's happened outside."

Xing Shanhe did not deny it.

He put the walkie-talkie away.

"Find the exit first."

That's a very solid statement.

But he didn't look well.

He also knew that the people outside the exit might no longer be his own.

After walking for a while, the sound of water finally appeared.

It's very light.

It wasn't a rushing stream of water.

It's more like water dripping down from a narrow crack.

Tick.

Tick.

Lin Ye stopped.

The lingering sound returned.

This time it's clearer.

"Old Yao, don't speak too openly."

"That was just a boast."

"We're back."

Another voice was breathing heavily.

"Which way should we go?"

"Touch the wall."

"Wherever it's damp, that's where the water is."

"This side...this side looks like the old canal."

"Wasn't the old canal sealed off?"

"I don't know. Let's look for the sound of water first."

The sound stopped abruptly here.

After a few seconds, the man called Lao Yao whispered again:

"Old Ma, there's wind coming from the shortest spot."

Don't look at the light.

"Listen to the water."

Lin Ye slowly opened his eyes.

This time, he didn't say it immediately.

Ma Changshun and Yao Guanggen didn't know where the exit was.

They simply know which path will lead people back to where they started.

That's enough.

At least for now, we can no longer afford to go through the open.

Lin Ye raised his hand.

There's a fork in the road ahead.

The thin captain raised the low-position light.

Sure enough, two cracks appeared at the bottom of the stone wall ahead.

One is taller, so that people have to bend down to get past it.

There was a faint, cool white reflection inside, like there was a light.

The other one is very low.

It was about half a person's height, with damp patches all over the edges. It was dark inside, and a damp, cold wind was blowing out.

The skinny captain's face turned green when he saw the two gashes.

"The advanced level looks normal."

Lin Ye said, "Let's take the low pass."

The thin captain swallowed hard.

"Why don't you leave normally?"

"Because someone just walked by normally."

Lin Ye looked at the tall, cold-white reflective surface.

"Then I didn't go out."

After those words were spoken, the passageway fell silent for a moment.

Xing Shanhe squatted down to look at the low opening.

When you shine a flashlight inside, the light is quickly swallowed up by the dampness.

There are old watermarks on the stone wall.

The edges also show traces of early artificial chiseling, unlike natural cracks.

His expression changed slightly.

"Old drainage ditch".

Su Tinglan also squatted down and took a look.

"It wasn't a water pipe that was added later."

She shone a light on the chisel marks on the edge.

"Even earlier."

Lin Ye looked at the half-person-high crack and felt a slight relief in his chest.

It's not safe anymore.

We finally found a path that wasn't a vicious cycle.

"This one is at least not the roundabout route we just took."

Master Lai, holding his thermos, looked down at him.

"Who told you that?"

Lin Ye turned his head to look at him.

"The lessons learned by the dead who took the wrong path."

Master Lai's eyes flickered.

Lin Ye didn't explain further.

He stared at the damp, cold air coming from the low opening, his voice hushed.

"They didn't get out."

"But they know which road will bring people back."

Master Lai looked at him but didn't laugh.

He knew Lin Ye hadn't told him everything.

But this time they didn't press the issue further.

Because the road is right in front of us.

Moreover, container number three is in their hands.

Xing Shanhe quickly gave the order.

"The boxes go first."

"Passing by in private."

"Re-fasten the rope."

"Don't turn on the bright lights once you're inside; walk with the lights on low."

The skinny captain looked at the short man with a grim expression.

"Captain Xing, this guy is way too short."

Xing Shanhe looked at him.

"Don't you want to drill?"

The skinny captain immediately shook his head.

"I'll crawl through it. I'll crawl through a dog hole if you ask me to now."

Lin Ye added from the side, "Your ideological awareness has improved."

The thin captain had a bitter face.

Xiaoman has already squatted down to examine the edges of the crack.

Since her right hand was not convenient, she used her left hand to feel around.

"Cutting people off the edge."

Lin Ye immediately said, "Then don't be the first one."

Xiaoman looked at him.

"You shouldn't be the first one either."

"I didn't intend to steal this honor."

Xing Shanhe arranged for a tomb raider to go first.

The man fastened the safety rope, lowered his body, and crawled inside.

Half a minute later, the rope was gently tugged twice.

Safety.

Box number three was wrapped in soft padding and slowly lowered in with a rope.

The moment the box entered the low opening, the lingering sound in Lin Ye's ears deepened again.

His expression changed, but he forced himself to remain silent.

Master Lai saw it too.

He didn't say anything, but simply stood closer to box number three.

Just as the second box was about to be sent in, the walkie-talkie suddenly lit up on its own.

No one pressed it.

A very faint electrical current came from inside.

Then, a broken voice came out.

This time it's a little clearer.

"Captain Xing..."

"Outside...something's not right..."

"Someone is guarding it..."

The sound stopped abruptly there.

This time, everyone heard it clearly.

The skinny captain's hand trembled, and he almost dropped the rope knot on the ground.

Xing Shanhe's face darkened completely.

Master Lai raised his eyes and looked into the darkness deep within the low pass.

Su Tinglan also looked up, her expression changing.

Lin Ye stood in front of the crack, listening to the damp sound of water inside, and suddenly realized something.

They found a possible way out.

But the outside was no longer the same outside where they had come down.