Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

[P.S. Leave your brain here before you read this, I'll give it back to you after you're done, thank you. I promise I won't eat it.]

It smells so good!

Xie Linyuan stood in the shadows on the east side of Kyoto's central square.

The eight o'clock morning sunlight cut through the autumn mist and fell on the marble pavement of the square. The October wind carried a chill, swirling a few withered sycamore leaves. He raised his right hand, his fingers spreading and then clenching, feeling the power flowing within him.

I traveled to the blue planet, and it lasted for a whole month.

For the first twenty-nine days, he was an ordinary twenty-five-year-old youth, making a living by setting up a stall in Panjiayuan with his rudimentary knowledge of antiques. Yesterday morning, the system activated in his dream.

[Role-playing system binding complete]

[First draw...received character: Zhang Qiling]

[Current role-playing level: 5%]

[Rewards: Zhang Qiling 10% increase in combat power, Zhang Family Feng Shui Secret Technique (Intermediate), Black Gold Ancient Blade]

The moment power surged into his limbs, Xie Linyuan sprang from the bed. Muscle memory was etched into his body, and his joints made a slight clicking sound. He walked to the bathroom mirror and saw a face that was both strange and familiar.

Short, straight black hair with side-swept bangs covering half of her right eye. Fair skin and deep features. The outline of a dark blue-black Qilin tattoo is faintly visible on her shoulder blade—system notification: it will become fully visible when her body temperature rises.

The face in the mirror resembled Yang Yang's version of Zhang Qiling from his memory, about 80% similar.

Xie Linyuan grinned, but the person in the mirror remained expressionless. He quickly suppressed his smile. The system had warned him not to break character during the role-playing period. Zhang Qiling didn't smile, at least not to outsiders.

He recalled the days in his past life when he stayed up all night watching "The Lost Tomb". Yang Yang's portrayal of Zhang Qiling was the pinnacle in his mind. He had posted the phrase "There will be no Zhang Qiling after Yang Yang" countless times in the comments.

Now, he wants to become that person.

The outfit gifted by the system appeared beside the bed. It was a black matte leather hooded jacket, thick and with a structured hood. Black cargo pants were tucked into high-top Doc Martens. The three-centimeter heels made him appear to grow from 1.77 meters to 1.8 meters tall.

Xie Linyuan put on his clothes and slung the black-gold ancient sword, wrapped tightly in thick cloth, over his back. The sword was heavy, but his shoulders adapted to the weight.

At this moment, voices began to rise in the square.

---

"Manman! Look here!"

"Brother Kun! Ahhh—!"

"Sister Yihan looks so beautiful today!"

Screams from fans echoed from the west side of the square. Three black vans pulled up; the celebrity group had arrived.

Chen Man got out of the car first. Twenty-six years old, a second-tier actress, recently had a minor hit web series. She was wearing khaki adventure gear, her long hair tied in a high ponytail, waving and smiling at fans. Her smile was perfect, but Xie Linyuan noticed that her knuckles were white as she gripped the backpack strap.

The second one is Brother Kun.

Twenty-seven years old, a top-tier celebrity. As he got out of the car, he made a wrist-twisting motion, then conjured a dribbling pose in mid-air. His assistant quickly handed him a basketball—brownish-red, with a worn-out surface. Kun Ge took the ball, twirled it between his fingers, then performed a crossover dribble, followed by a side-shoulder thrust dance move.

"Iron Mountain Lean! Brother's Iron Mountain Lean!"

"The originator of the basketball dance! Haters, shut up!"

The screams of the fans rose higher. A few passersby holding up their phones to livestream curled their lip in disapproval. The comments section was already scrolling in the virtual livestream room—a fist-sized silver sphere hovered a meter above each person's head. Those were the official holographic livestreaming devices, ten in total, corresponding to ten livestream rooms.

Xie Linyuan looked up at the live broadcast ball above his head. The indicator light was green.

He pulled his hood down.

The third celebrity was Wang Yihan. Thirty years old, a top-tier film actress, known for her acting skills. She wore a simple dark blue windbreaker, her short hair neatly styled. After getting out of the car, she nodded to the fans, made no further moves, and walked directly to the assembly point in the center of the square.

---

The official team members got out of another car.

Lin Guoce, thirty-five years old, a retired special forces soldier, currently serves as a security consultant for the Archaeological Bureau. He has a buzz cut, wears a black jacket, and stands ramrod straight. He scans the square, his gaze lingering on Xie Linyuan for two seconds before shifting away.

Professor Zhou Xu'an followed behind. Forty-six years old, a top historian in the country, he wore gold-rimmed glasses and carried a tablet computer under his arm. He was looking down at some documents when he nearly bumped into a lamppost, but Lin Guoce reached out and stopped him.

"Thank you." The professor adjusted his glasses.

"Watch your step," Lin Guoce said.

---

The door of the third car opened, and two young men got out.

Liu Desheng, 23 years old, was wearing limited-edition sportswear and had his hair dyed silver-gray. As soon as he got out of the car, he gave a peace sign to the live broadcast ball, then took out sunglasses from his pocket and put them on.

"Hey everyone, did you see that? This time, I'm taking you tomb raiding!"

He was talking to the live stream ball. The chat was scrolling through his personal live stream.

[ID: Young Master Liu of Beijing Fan Club: Young Master is awesome!]

[ID: Bystander A: Even spoiled brats can do archaeology?]

[ID Archaeology Enthusiast: It's said his dad donated five million to the project...]

Zhou Hao followed behind Liu Desheng. He was twenty-four years old, wearing an ordinary jacket, and his eyes darted around. He saw a sculpture in the square and leaned over to touch the patterns on it.

"Haozi, don't touch it!" Liu Desheng shouted.

"This carving technique seems to be from the Ming Dynasty..." Zhou Hao muttered.

"Forget about generations, just get over here!"

---

The last group to arrive was the civilian group.

Xu Jiashu, thirty-nine years old, dressed in an antique-style Tang suit, held two walnuts in his hands. His chin was slightly raised, and his shoulders swayed dramatically as he walked. (Comments scrolled by)

[ID Feng Shui Apprentice: Master Xu is here!]

[ID Truth Man: Don't flatter me, upstairs. This person said there was a dragon vein in Xishan last year, but they dug up an air-raid shelter instead.]

Master Jiang—whose real name is Jiang Shouyi, is thirty years old, dressed in a gray cloth coat and carrying an old canvas bag. After getting off the car, he first looked at the sky, then surveyed the buildings around the square, his brow slightly furrowed.

Xie Linyuan's gaze fell on Jiang Shouyi.

This person knows a little.

But only a little bit.

---

"Is everyone here?"

Lin Guoce glanced at his watch. 8:20. He took out the list and began calling roll.

"Chen Man".

"arrive."

"Brother Kun."

"Here." Kun was still spinning the basketball.

"Wang Yihan".

nod.

Professor Zhou Xu'an.

"exist."

"Liu Desheng".

"Here you are! Brother Lin's hairstyle looks really cool today."

Lin Guoce ignored him and continued, "Zhou Hao."

"Yes, yes."

"Mr. Xu Jiashu."

"Hmm," Xu Jiashu replied, his hands behind his back.

"Mr. Jiang Shouyi."

"arrive."

Finally, Lin Guoce looked into the shadows.

"Xie Linyuan."

Xie Linyuan emerged from the shadows.

Sunlight shone on him. His black leather jacket absorbed the light, making his figure appear even thinner and more upright. The hood covered most of his head, revealing only the lower half of his face and a bit of his chin. The long, rectangular package on his back was quite eye-catching.

All ten people's eyes were on him.

The live streamer adjusted the angle to give him a close-up of his upper body.

The chat exploded:

[A hardcore fan of good looks: Holy crap, who is this? A newbie?]

[ID Detective Meow: What's in the package? A weapon?]

[ID Archaeology Little Bee: Xie Linyuan, 25 years old, listed as "Special Consultant from the Civil Society"]

[ID Cold Noodles Guy: I'm in awe! This aura... is amazing!]

[ID Kun Family Army: What are you pretending for? You're definitely trying to steal our brother's thunder.]

Liu Desheng whistled.

"Dude, are you cosplaying? Wearing all black in the dark, aren't you hot?"

Xie Linyuan did not answer.

He walked to the edge of the assembly circle and stood still. Lin Guoce glanced at him a couple more times, then put away the list.

"Listen up, everyone. This archaeological project is codenamed 'Azure Dragon,' and our destination is deep in the Qinling Mountains. According to fragments of ancient texts, there may be an undiscovered Zhou Dynasty tomb there. But I'm warning you—" Lin Guoce's gaze swept over everyone, "The previous five archaeological expeditions were all low-risk tomb excavations, but this one is different. Although experts assess that the danger level is still manageable, the Qinling Mountains have complex terrain, and everyone must follow instructions."

"Understood!" Liu Desheng answered quickly.

The others nodded in agreement.

Xie Linyuan stood still.

Lin Guoce looked at him: "Mr. Xie, is there a problem?"

Xie Linyuan shook his head.

The movements were very small, and the shadow of the hood swayed.

"Alright." Lin Guoce pointed to the north side of the square. "The helicopter will arrive in ten minutes. Now check your equipment. The live broadcast is already on; viewers across the country can see your every move. Remember, you represent the image of the national archaeological project."

Kun handed the basketball to his assistant and began tidying his clothes. Wang Yihan checked the emergency supplies in her backpack. Chen Man quietly asked Professor Zhou Xu'an about Zhou Dynasty tombs.

Liu Desheng moved closer to Xie Linyuan.

"Hey, what are you carrying on your back?"

Xie Linyuan turned his head to the side.

Beneath the hood, Liu Desheng saw a pair of eyes. The pupils were dark, devoid of emotion.

"A knife," Xie Linyuan said.

The voice was low and a little hoarse, but the words were clear.

"A knife? Are you kidding me? Carrying a knife on an archaeological excavation?" Liu Desheng laughed. "To chop up rice dumplings?"

This remark elicited a few low chuckles.

Professor Zhou Xu'an frowned: "Xiao Liu, don't talk nonsense. There are no supernatural or bizarre things in the ancient tomb."

"Professor, I was just joking."

Xie Linyuan turned his head away and ignored him.

His right hand hung at his side, and his index finger tapped lightly twice on the seam of his trousers—this was a habitual action instilled in Zhang Qiling by the system, and the rhythm of the tapping corresponded to the calculation of a certain feng shui direction.

He silently recited in his mind: The square is located on the east side of the city's central axis, in the Azure Dragon position. Today, at Chen hour (7-9 AM), auspicious purple energy arrives from the east. It's an auspicious time to depart.

The knowledge of Zhang Family Feng Shui Secrets (Intermediate) flowed through my mind. It was as if I already remembered it, but it was just being awakened.

Jiang Shouyi stopped three meters away from Xie Linyuan.

He stared at Xie Linyuan's back, then looked at the ground beneath Xie Linyuan's feet, hesitating to speak.

Xu Jiashu shouted, "Brother Jiang, what did you see?"

Jiang Shouyi shook his head: "It's nothing."

"I've already calculated it." Xu Jiashu opened his palm, revealing a compass pattern on his hand—it was a phone case. "Today is auspicious for travel, groundbreaking, and starting construction. This trip is going to be a sure thing."

Xie Linyuan didn't even lift his eyelids.

---

The helicopter has arrived.

A military transport helicopter, dark green in color, its rotors whipping up a fierce wind. Fallen leaves in the square were blown into the air.

"Board!" Lin Guoce shouted.

Ten people climbed the gangway one by one. Inside the cabin, there were two rows of seats facing each other, and Xie Linyuan chose the innermost seat by the window. He placed the black gold ancient sword wrapped around his feet, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes.

The others took their seats one after another.

Chen Man sat opposite Xie Linyuan and couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.

Kun Ge sat next to Chen Man, took out his phone to take a selfie: "Family, boarding the plane! Looking forward to this adventure!"

Wang Yihan sat diagonally opposite Xie Linyuan and opened a notebook.

Liu Desheng insisted on sitting by the window, squeezing in with Zhou Hao.

Xu Jiashu and Jiang Shouyi sat near the cabin door.

Professor Zhou Xu'an sat next to Lin Guoce, and the two discussed something in hushed tones.

The hatch closed.

The helicopter takes off.

A feeling of weightlessness washed over him. Xie Linyuan opened his eyes and looked out the window. The buildings of Kyoto shrank to the size of building blocks, and the outline of the mountains stretched across the horizon.

His fingers tapped lightly on his knee.

Once, twice, three times.

Qinling.

A large tomb from the Zhou Dynasty.

People in this world believe that ancient tombs are just riddled with traps and can be solved with modern technology.

They didn't know what was actually in the tomb.

Xie Linyuan clenched his fist. Ten percent of Zhang Qiling's martial prowess flowed within him, like a lurking river. Not enough. Far from enough.

He needs to improve his acting skills.

As for the degree of performance, it is necessary to fit the role in action.

The helicopter flew southwest. Inside the cabin, Kun Ge started humming a song, Liu Desheng told jokes loudly, and Chen Man laughed along.

Xie Linyuan closed his eyes again.

The live stream chat is scrolling:

[ID Observer: The guy in black hasn't said a word.]

[ID Psychology Apprentice: Closed Body Language, Defensive Posture]

[ID Random Person: Just trying to look cool]

[ID Cold Noodles Lover: This is the one I'll have!]

[A long-time fan of ID archaeology: The team composition is too mixed this time, I'm worried]

[ID Prophet: I have a feeling something big is going to happen in this live stream]

Xie Linyuan couldn't see the comments.

He simply reviewed Zhang Qiling's movements, manner of speaking, and fighting instincts in his mind over and over again.

The helicopter passed through the clouds.

The mountains and rivers beneath our feet hold secrets that this world has never touched before.

And the first secret will be revealed by him.