Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

The passageway extends downwards for nearly 100 meters.

The slope grew steeper, the stone steps became slippery, and water seeping from the walls formed thin streams that flowed along the edges of the steps. The stench of decay in the air faded, replaced by a musty, dusty smell mixed with a very faint metallic rust.

The group walked in silence.

The only sounds were footsteps, breathing, and the scraping of a flashlight beam across the rock face.

Liu Desheng walked in the middle of the group, his eyes fixed on his feet, but everyone could sense his suppressed emotions. Zhou Hao's body remained in the stone chamber above, embedded in the stalagmite. No one mentioned it, but no one could forget it.

Chen Man and Wang Yihan supported each other, their faces pale. Kun Ge's live stream was still running, but he rarely looked at the screen anymore. Xu Jiashu held the book, muttering to himself, his eyes darting around. Jiang Shouyi walked cautiously, testing the waters with each step.

Professor Zhou Xu'an was recording the details of the passageway: the chisel marks on the stone steps, the engravings on the walls, and the occasional symbols. His glasses slid down to the tip of his nose, then he pushed them back up, repeating this process many times.

Lin Guoce walked two steps behind Xie Linyuan.

His gaze mostly lingered on Xie Linyuan's back. The black-gold ancient sword, the sword capable of slicing through the scales of mutated water monsters, was now resting quietly on his back. Xie Linyuan walked with a steady gait, his shoulders and waist remaining perfectly still, like a precise machine.

Lin Guoce had served in the special forces for twelve years and had seen all sorts of experts. But no one had ever given him this kind of oppressive feeling—not hostility, but a bottomless, inhuman calm.

A fork in the road appears ahead.

There were two paths, both the same width, extending downwards. On the left path, a tattered cloth hung on the wall, long since decayed into lint, swaying slightly in the air. On the right path, a bronze lamp was embedded in the wall, its contents still containing dried black grease.

The line stopped.

"Which way?" Lin Guoce asked.

Everyone looked at Xie Linyuan.

Xie Linyuan walked to the fork in the road, squatted down, and pressed his left index and middle fingers together on the ground.

The sensation of the "demonstrating finger" came through.

The floor of the left passage has hollow spaces beneath the stone slabs, containing intricate mechanical mechanisms. The floor of the right passage has thick stone slabs, but a very faint sound of flowing water can be heard from deep within.

He stood up.

"right."

After saying that, he walked into the passage on the right.

The team caught up.

Xu Jiashu stopped and looked towards the left passage. He took out his compass and measured the left side; the compass needle vibrated violently.

"Wait!" he shouted. "Mr. Xie! The compass shows the left path has stronger 'vital energy'! The main chamber of an ancient tomb is usually located where vital energy converges! We should go to the left!"

Xie Linyuan didn't stop walking.

Xu Jiashu panicked and ran a few steps to catch up: "Mr. Xie! This compass of mine is an heirloom! It has never been wrong in predicting auspicious energy! Please trust me this once!"

Xie Linyuan still ignored him.

Xu Jiashu's face flushed red, and he suddenly turned and rushed towards the left passage: "If you're not leaving! I'll leave by myself! You'll regret it when I find the main burial chamber!"

He ran very fast, and in a few steps he rushed into the depths of the left passage.

"Xu Jiashu!" Lin Guoce shouted, "Come back!"

It's too late.

Xu Jiashu's footsteps disappeared into the left passage.

Lin Guoce looked at Xie Linyuan.

Xie Linyuan stopped, turned around, and looked at the passage on the left.

He heard the sound of the mechanism turning.

It was very slight, but it did start.

He pushed off with his feet and lunged forward.

It wasn't running, it was leaping. His footsteps tapped rapidly on the stone steps, moving with incredible speed, creating a whooshing sound. In three seconds, he had already rushed twenty meters into the left passage.

Xu Jiashu was squatting on the ground, shining a flashlight on a protruding stone slab. The slab was carved with a beast's head pattern, and there were two movable stone buttons at the beast's eyes.

"This is a mechanism..." Xu Jiashu reached out to press it, "Pressing it might open the door..."

His hand was still an inch away from the stone button.

Xie Linyuan has arrived.

A right side kick landed squarely on Xu Jiashu's waist.

The force was controlled with precision—enough to send a person flying, but not to break bones.

Xu Jiashu was sent flying, crashing into a rock wall three meters away before sliding to the ground, curling up in pain.

The protruding stone slab where he had just been squatting suddenly sprang up.

Three bronze short arrows shot out from beneath the stone slab.

The short arrow was embedded in the opposite rock wall; the arrowhead was blackened, clearly indicating it had been poisoned.

If Xu Jiashu were still crouching there, the short arrow would have pierced his neck and chest.

Xu Jiashu lay on the ground, clutching his waist, his face deathly pale. He stared at the three short arrows, his lips trembling, unable to utter a word.

Xie Linyuan walked over and looked down at him.

"Want to die?"

Two words, spoken in an icy voice.

Xu Jiashu shook his head, tears and snot streaming down his face.

Xie Linyuan turned and walked back.

Xu Jiashu struggled to his feet and limped after him.

Back at the fork in the road, everyone in the group was waiting.

Lin Guoce looked at Xu Jiashu's disheveled appearance, then at Xie Linyuan: "A trap?"

"Poisoned arrows," Xie Linyuan said.

Xu Jiashu kept his head down, not daring to look at anyone.

Live stream chat:

[ID: Master of Self-Destruction: This guy surnamed Xu is a professional at courting death]

[ID Analysis Master: This guy's kick was absolutely masterful in terms of power control]

[ID still shaken: Poison arrows... the traps in this tomb are all deadly]

[ID Realist: Without the guy, this team would have been wiped out long ago]

The procession continued forward.

The passage on the right extends downwards for about fifty meters, ending at a stone gate.

The stone door was tightly closed, and patterns of the sun, moon, and stars were carved on it. In the center of the door was a circular groove with finely serrated edges.

Xie Linyuan took out three thin pieces of black stone and pieced them together according to the groove shape.

Three thin pieces are pieced together to form an incomplete circle; one piece is still missing.

He pressed the assembled parts into the groove.

Perfectly fitted.

The sound of gears turning came from inside the stone door, and then it slowly slid open to one side.

Behind the door was a square stone chamber.

The stone chamber was small, about ten square meters. In the center was a stone table with a bronze box on it. The four walls were covered with inscriptions, not in seal script, but in a more ancient pictographic script.

Professor Zhou Xu'an immediately rushed to the wall: "This script...this is a form before oracle bone script! It might be from the Xia Dynasty or even earlier!"

He was so excited that his hands were shaking.

Xie Linyuan walked to the stone table.

The bronze box was unlocked. He opened the lid.

Inside is the third thin slice of black stone.

The thinner slice was smaller than the previous two, irregularly shaped, and had finer serrations on its edges. He took this slice out and pieced it together with the previous two.

Three thin pieces, plus two rings, are pieced together to form a disc with a quarter of a fan missing.

The pattern on the disc is clearer: at the intersection of the mountain lines, there are three points. One point is where they are now. The other two points are one above (already visited) and one deeper in.

"We're missing just one piece." Jiang Shouyi leaned closer to look. "The missing piece should be in the main burial chamber."

Xie Linyuan put away the thin slice and the ring.

He walked to a corner of the stone chamber, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

Silently repeat in your mind: "System".

A semi-transparent panel appeared before my eyes.

[Role-playing System]

Character: Zhang Qiling

Current role-playing level: 13%

Acquired abilities:

Zhang Qiling's combat power increased by 20%.

Zhang Family Feng Shui Secrets (Intermediate Level)

Black Gold Ancient Sword

Night vision capability (beginner level)

• Basic mechanism identification (beginner)

• Tomb Raider (Elementary Level)

Role compatibility: 71%

(Note: Reaching 80% compatibility unlocks deep memory fragments, and reaching 100% will fully fuse the character.)

Mission Clues:

• Collect four black stone shards (3/4)

• Searching for the Bronze Gate of the Gatekeeper Clan

• Protect secrets from being leaked

The panel is very simple.

Xie Linyuan focused his attention on "role fit".

71%.

Less than five days have passed since he transmigrated. His portrayal accuracy has increased to 13%, and his compatibility has reached 71%. This means that he is not only gaining abilities, but also transforming into Zhang Qiling in terms of thinking, habits, and memories.

He recalled the kick he had given Xu Jiashu earlier.

If it were the original Xie Linyuan, he might have given a warning first, or used a gentler method to stop him.

But just now, he kicked directly.

Decisive, resolute, and without leaving any room for compromise.

This is Zhang Qiling's way.

The system is changing him.

And he actively accepted this change.

Because he knew that in this world, only by becoming Zhang Qiling could he survive, uncover the secrets, and protect what needed to be protected.

He opened his eyes.

Inside the stone chamber, everyone else was resting.

Lin Guoce was inspecting equipment. Professor Zhou Xu'an was taking photos and making notes. Chen Man and Wang Yihan were huddled together, resting with their eyes closed. Kun Ge was fiddling with his phone, but there was no signal. Liu Desheng sat in a corner, staring at the ground. Xu Jiashu huddled on the other side, rubbing his back, not daring to look at Xie Linyuan. Jiang Shouyi was studying the writing on the wall.

Xie Linyuan stood up.

Everyone looked over.

"I've had enough rest," he said.

Lin Guoce put away the water bottle: "Where to next?"

Xie Linyuan pointed to the other end of the stone chamber.

There is a downward-facing vertical shaft there.

The well opening is about one meter in diameter, with smooth walls that obscure the bottom. A bronze chain is fixed to the edge of the well opening, extending down into the well.

"Down there?" Lin Guoce walked to the well and shone his flashlight down.

The beam of light shone down for twenty meters, yet the bottom was still invisible. There were footholds carved into the well wall, but the gaps between them were too large for an ordinary person to climb.

"I'll go first," Xie Linyuan said.

He grasped the bronze chain and tested its sturdiness. The chain was cold and rusted, but the core remained solid.

He rolled over and went down the well.

Using both hands and feet, he slid down the chain. He was fast, but very steady. Five seconds, ten seconds, fifteen seconds.

His voice came from down the well: "Come down."

Lin Guoce was the second to go down.

Then came Professor Zhou Xu'an—Lin Guoce used a safety rope to tie him to the chain and slowly lowered him down.

The others followed in turn.

Xie Linyuan waited at the bottom of the well.

At the bottom of the well is a horizontal tunnel, two meters high and wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The tunnel walls are carved with more hieroglyphs, as well as some simple drawings: human figures, animal figures, and the shape of a door.

He took a few steps forward.

At the end of the tunnel, there was a faint sound of wind.

It's not natural wind.

It is the sound of air flowing in some kind of huge space.

He stopped and waited for the team to assemble.

After everyone came down, Lin Guoce took a headcount.

Ten live-streaming spheres hovered overhead, their indicator lights flashing faintly in the darkness.

The number of viewers in the live stream has exceeded ten million.

The scrolling comments are too fast to read:

[Everyone's watching: This live stream has become a phenomenon]

[ID Archaeology Bureau Insider: An emergency task force has been established by higher-ups]

[ID prays: I hope they all come out alive]

[ID Academic Circle: If those texts could be deciphered, history would have to be rewritten]

Xie Linyuan looked into the depths of the tunnel.

The wind was getting louder and louder.

It smelled of earth, metal, and... a faint smell of blood.

It's faint, but it exists.

He gripped the hilt of the black gold ancient sword tightly.

"Stay close."

After saying that, he walked into the tunnel.

The team caught up.

The tunnel is not long, about thirty meters.

At the end is a huge natural rift valley.

The rift valley is over fifty meters wide and its bottom is unknown. The opposite rock wall is fifty meters away, and there is no bridge in between, only a few thick bronze chains spanning the rift valley, the chains rusted and swaying slightly in the darkness.

Below the chains lies a pitch-black abyss.

The wind surged up from the bottom of the abyss, howling loudly.

On the opposite side of the rift valley, there is a huge opening.

The cave entrance is about five meters high and three meters wide, with traces of axe chisels along its edges. Deep inside the cave, the outline of a building can be vaguely seen—stone pillars, steps, and some kind of enormous shadow.

"The past?" Lin Guoce looked at the swaying chains. "These chains... can they bear any weight?"

Xie Linyuan walked to the edge of the rift valley.

He crouched down to examine the connection between the chain and the rock face. The connection was a bronze casting, already rusted, but the core structure was still relatively intact.

He stood up and took a few steps back.

Take a running start and leap.

He lightly touched the first chain with his foot, lunged forward, and landed on the second chain. The chains swayed, but he adjusted his center of gravity extremely quickly and stood firmly.

Then continue.

After using the force three times, they have reached the center of the rift valley.

The chains swayed more.

He stopped and looked across the street.

There are still 20 meters to go.

The chains creaked and groaned in the wind, as if they might break at any moment.

On this side of the team, everyone held their breath.

Xie Linyuan took a deep breath.

He pushed off with his feet and leaped into the air again.

This time it's not walking, it's running.

Running on chains.

Each step landed precisely in the middle of the chain, the body leaning forward at an extremely fast pace.

Five steps, ten steps.

With his final leap, he landed on the edge of the opposite cave entrance.

He turned around and looked towards the rift valley.

"One at a time," he said. "Use safety ropes."

Lin Guoce went first.

He followed Xie Linyuan's method, but walked much slower, taking each step cautiously. It took him three minutes to reach the other side.

Then it was Kun Ge's turn—he was so scared his legs went weak and he crawled over.

Chen Man and Wang Yihan encouraged each other and slowly walked over.

Professor Zhou Xu'an was pulled over by Lin Guoce with a rope.

Liu Desheng, Jiang Shouyi, and Xu Jiashu, in that order.

After everyone reached the other side, they looked back at the rift valley.

The chains swayed in the wind, like a last resort.

Xie Linyuan had already turned around and walked into the cave.

Inside the cave entrance was the front hall of a huge underground palace.

Stone pillars stood tall, and the ground was paved with jade bricks. The air smelled of dust, and... a very faint fragrance.

It's like sandalwood, but it's not the same.

Xie Linyuan stopped in his tracks.

His gaze fell on the depths of the front hall.

There is a door there.

Bronze door.

The door is five meters high and three meters wide, and it is tightly closed.

There are patterns on the door.

A complete circle.

Inside the circle, mountains intersect, with four points at the center.

Three lights were lit up faintly.

The fourth point is dim.

On either side of the gate stands a bronze statue.

The statue has a human face and an animal body, holds a halberd, and has black gemstone eyes that reflect the light of a flashlight in the darkness.

Xie Linyuan's Qilin tattoo on his shoulder blade was so hot it looked like it was about to burn.

He gripped the knife handle tightly.

found it.

The gatekeepers.

Bronze door.