Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

The air seemed to freeze in the dark gold-colored secret room.

The words "broken pillar" are like two cold awls, chiseling into everyone's heart. Mutual destruction, to eliminate future troubles forever. This is the last resort when despair reaches its extreme, the "path to survival" left behind by that Elder Ji on the verge of pollution and collapse, stained with blood and tears, which is not a path to survival at all.

The "three-way eyehole," the "pure blood," and the inexplicable "residual traces" on Wu Xie's body laid bare this final, cruel choice before them.

Wu Xie's face was pale. He subconsciously took a half step back, his lips moved, but no sound came out. His mind was in turmoil. The mystery of his third uncle's disappearance, the inexplicable "marks" on his own body, and the terrible choice before him that concerned the lives of everyone, and possibly even more people... The amount of information was too much, and the impact was too strong.

"Don't panic." Zhang Qiling's voice rang out, still calm, like a bucket of ice water poured over Wu Xie's chaotic thoughts. "It hasn't come to that yet."

He shifted his gaze from the hole beneath the metal platform and refocused on the three items under the crystal dome. "Let's see. Only after we know what they are will we know if they're worth it, or... if we can even get them."

Zhang Qiling nodded, his gaze fixed on the crystal dome, seemingly studying its structure. "The dome can be opened. Be careful, only open a crack."

"Open the shield?" Fatty Wang exclaimed in surprise. "What about the warning..."

"The warning is 'touch it and the door will open,'" Xie Yuchen forced himself to analyze calmly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the cover and the items inside. "If we don't touch the items themselves, but just open the cover and observe them remotely with tools, or even take pictures and records... theoretically, as long as we don't 'match the key' or make direct contact, the risk of triggering the 'door opening' might be manageable."

"Furthermore," Zhang Qiling added, pointing to the extremely fine gap where the edge of the cover connects to the metal platform, "there's a mechanism connecting it, but... it's not deep. If you open a small gap, use tweezers to retrieve items, and don't put them back, it shouldn't trigger the deeper mechanism."

Black Bear stroked his chin: "Sounds like defusing a bomb. Dumb Zhang, are you confident?"

Zhang Qiling didn't answer. He had already taken out several items from his backpack: a set of extremely fine alloy probes with hooks and gripping functions, a roll of insulating tape, and a small bottle of colorless and odorless lubricant spray. He walked to the side of the metal platform, knelt on one knee, and began to carefully examine the connection between the crystal cover and the platform, his movements focused and steady.

Zhang Qiling also took out his tools and inspected the other side. The two worked together seamlessly, without needing to say a word, and quickly identified several key stress points and possible mechanism linkages.

"Blood is needed." After a moment, Zhang Qiling looked up at Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu. "The initial verification of opening the shield may also require activation by a specific bloodline. Look here," he pointed to an inconspicuous, rice-grain-sized dark red crystal on the edge of the shield, "sensing point. Three."

Three more. The same number of holes as the "broken pillar" below the stage.

Xie Yuchen took a deep breath: "Wu Xie, you..."

Wu Xie looked at Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling," then at the small, dark red crystal, his heart pounding. He knew what this meant. If his blood really worked, then he was completely drawn into the heart of this terrifying vortex about the "door" and the "gatekeeper." But it was too late to back down now.

"What...what do I need to do?" His voice was a little hoarse.

"Drop one drop on a crystal point." Zhang Qiling pointed to one of the crystal points. He then looked at Zhang Qiling and himself, "One for each of us."

The three walked to the three corners of the metal platform, each corresponding to a dark red crystal point. Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" acted decisively, gently pricking their fingertips with the tip of their daggers, squeezing out rice-grain-sized beads of blood that dripped onto the crystal points.

Wu Xie followed his example, enduring the pain, and squeezed out a drop of blood, which he then dripped onto the crystal in front of him.

The moment the three drops of blood fell, the dark red crystal point glowed slightly, as if it had been activated. Immediately afterwards, three extremely thin, almost invisible red rays of light appeared near the edge of the crystal dome, quickly circled the inner wall of the dome, and then disappeared.

"Verification passed," said Zhang Qiling. "You can try to open it. But you only have one chance. The gap can't be too big, and the time can't be too long. The cover has a self-repair mechanism, or... a second verification."

Zhang Qiling nodded, signaling Wu Xie to step back. He and "Zhang Qiling" each held two specially made probes, inserting them into the tiny gap between the cover and the table from either side. The probes seemed to have special sensors at their tips. With their eyes closed, they relied entirely on the feel of their fingers and some inexplicable intuition to slowly probe and probe.

The sealed room was so quiet that only breathing could be heard, along with the barely audible hissing sound of probes rubbing against crystals and metal. The levitating live-streaming sphere hovered a short distance away; the camera zoomed in for a close-up of the tense operation. The chat room held its breath once more.

Prophet: A real bomb disposal scene!

This method is a professional way to silence dissent!

The male fan club: Husbands, watch out!

Wu Xie is my favorite character: The Evil Emperor's blood really works! So heartbreaking!

Fatty, don't blink: Fatty didn't make a sound this time, was he scared out of his wits?

Time ticked by. Fine beads of sweat appeared on Zhang Qiling's forehead, and "Zhang Qiling's" arms were taut. This was clearly an extremely meticulous and mentally taxing task.

Suddenly, the two opened their eyes at the same time, and with a certain rhythm and angle, they gently flicked the probes in their hands!

"Click."

A very faint, crisp sound, like ice cracking.

Near one edge of the crystal dome, a tiny, hair-thin slit quietly rose up! The slit lasted for less than two seconds before slowly closing under the influence of an invisible force!

In that split second, Zhang Qiling's left hand moved like lightning, and another probe with a tiny suction cup at the tip had already slipped through the gap and precisely attached itself to the rolled-up dark yellow sheet, then gently pulled it out!

Zhang Qiling's movements were almost synchronized; his probe hooked onto a small ring on the edge of the bronze compass, which was also a band!

Two items were safely removed just before the gap completely closed!

The gap closed perfectly, as if it had never been opened. Inside the crystal cover, only the jade box with closed eyes remained, lying quietly in place.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" simultaneously took a step back and let out a long sigh of relief. They exchanged a glance, both with a subtle ripple of relief in their eyes.

Successful.

The levitating live-streaming ball immediately flew closer, giving a close-up of the two items that had been retrieved. The chat instantly erupted in excitement.

Prophet: Got it! Awesome!

Definitely a deterrent to societal skepticism: They actually only opened a tiny crack! Such control!

Archaeologists are overjoyed: Quick, let's see what it is!

First come, first served: The jade box wasn't taken? Is this a trap?

Zhang Qiling gently placed the probe, which was covered with a thin, dark yellow film, on the clean ground next to the metal platform. "Zhang Qiling" also put down the bronze compass. The two did not immediately touch the objects themselves, but waited a few more minutes to confirm that there were no abnormal triggers before carefully removing the probe.

Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu immediately stepped forward, put on gloves, and prepared to examine the area. Wu Xie, Wang Pangzi, and the others also gathered around, both excited and nervous.

The thin, dark yellow sheet was neither silk nor leather; it was supple yet brittle to the touch, with some brittleness at the edges. Huo Xiuxiu gently brushed away non-existent dust with a soft brush, revealing densely packed, extremely ancient vermilion characters and several simple line drawings on the sheet under the bright flashlight.

"It's a jade tablet," Xie Yuchen identified the material and handwriting. "A specially treated jade tablet, capable of remaining intact for a thousand years. The writing is made of cinnabar mixed with... something else. The content... is a detailed record of the 'transfer' experiment, and... observational data on the 'door'!"

He skimmed through the pages, his voice growing increasingly agitated and grave: "As expected! They've been trying to transfer that 'mark,' attempting to find a stable way to contain it without contamination. But all the experiments have failed; the transfer can only delay, not eradicate. Moreover, each failed transfer causes the experimental subject to collapse, the 'mark' to dissipate, exacerbating the contamination of the 'Core of the Pillar' and intensifying the fluctuations of the 'Gate'..."

"Look here," Huo Xiuxiu pointed to a line drawing. It depicted a huge, multi-layered eye symbol, with a swirling vortex at its center. Deep within the vortex, drawn with trembling strokes, was a...slit. "They observed that the essence of the 'door' might not be a 'door' at all, but rather a...slit, or a 'hole,' connecting to a dimension we cannot comprehend, a dimension filled with 'contamination.' The 'mark' is the 'radiation' or 'information' from that dimension. Gaining power while also being marked with coordinates, it will gradually be pulled towards that slit..."

"What about the jade eye and the bone fragment?" Wu Xie asked.

"It might be... a beacon, or a filter," Xie Yuchen said, flipping through the records at the back. "The term 'key' is probably a misunderstanding by later generations. They are more like devices used to stabilize contact or temporarily shield against the effects of 'gaps.' But 'unity'... could very well mean actively strengthening the connection, or even... attempting to widen the gap, and the consequences of that..."

He put down the jade tablet, his face grim. The information in the record was more specific and more desperate than the warning on the jade disc.

Zhang Qiling then picked up the bronze compass. The compass was no bigger than a palm, but its structure was exquisite. The two black pointers in the center were no longer trembling wildly, but were swaying slightly. One pointer was pointing steadily at the abyss below them (presumably in the direction of the "Core of the Pillar"), while the other was pointing diagonally upwards... in the direction they had come from.

"It points to the 'core,' and..." Zhang Qiling looked at the direction the compass was pointing, his brow furrowing slightly, "...the exit? Or... another 'node'?"

Zhang Qiling glanced at the compass, his gaze deep. "It's useful."

Having learned of the dangers of the "key combination," obtained the crucial records, and acquired a compass that might provide direction, the primary objective of this trip seems to have been achieved.

So, what's left is... that jade box lying quietly inside the crystal dome, with its eyes closed.

"That box..." Fatty Wang stared at the jade box, then looked at the large characters on the wall that read "Touch it and the door will open," and shrank back. "Should we still take it? It sounds eerie."

"Both the jade disc and the records warn that 'key merging' will open the door," Xie Yuchen said in a deep voice. "This jade box is very likely the other part of the 'key.' We don't know exactly how it 'merges' with the jade eye and bone fragment, but the risk is too great. I suggest... abandoning it. The records and compass are enough."

"But if we don't take it," Zhang Qiling said slowly, looking at the jade box, "if someone else finds it later, unaware of the danger, they might try to merge with it..."

"Take it away and seal it up." Zhang Qiling made his decision, his voice resolute. "It's safer than leaving it here."

Take it away? How? Opening the cover to retrieve it is too risky.

"Use that," Hei Xiazi suddenly pointed to the probe with suction cups that Zhang Qiling had just used, "Since it can open the gap to take things out, could we... use the suction cups to hold the box along with it, and then we can lift the cover a little more and quickly take it out? As long as we don't touch the box itself?"

"We can give it a try," Zhang Qiling assessed the strength of the crystal shield and the force of the suction cups, "but the operation needs to be faster and the risk is greater."

Zhang Qiling was silent for a few seconds, looked at everyone, and finally his gaze fell on "Zhang Qiling".

Zhang Qiling nodded.

The two picked up their tools again and approached the crystal dome. This time, the atmosphere was even more tense. Because what they were about to move was something that might be directly related to the "gap in the door."

Repeat the previous steps, including the blood test. Then, the instant the gap opened, Zhang Qiling's suction cup probes precisely adhered to the top of the jade box. "Zhang Qiling" then used two specially made thin-bladed probes to wedge into the edges of the cover from both sides, simultaneously applying force to pry the gap open to about half a finger's width!

"rise!"

Zhang Qiling gave a low shout, and the suction cup probe, carrying the jade box, instantly pulled it out of the gap! Almost at the same time the jade box left the cover, "Zhang Qiling" released his grip, the thin blade was pulled out, and the gap closed with a "click"!

The jade box landed steadily in Zhang Qiling's hands. It was cold and heavy.

No abnormalities occurred.

But the instant the jade box was taken out, from the bottomless abyss of darkness beneath their feet, came a clearer and heavier sound once more—

"Thump!"

It was as if some enormous thing, disturbed, slowly turned over in the deepest part of the world.

The entire bronze pillar seemed to tremble very slightly.