Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

The sound of the underground river gradually faded into the distance behind us.

As you ascend the man-made, slippery, moss-covered stone steps and emerge from the cave hidden behind vines, the dazzling sunlight and the fresh scent of grass and trees rush towards you, giving everyone a feeling of being in another world.

They stood on an inconspicuous hillside, with a dense, unremarkable primeval forest behind them. In the distance, rolling green hills and swirling clouds rose. The sunlight was warm, the birdsong was crisp, and everything seemed so… normal. So normal that it was almost unreal, as if everything they had experienced in the dark underground, among the bronze pillars, the eerie monsters, and the mad babbling was just a long and absurd nightmare.

"It's out...it's really out..." Fatty Wang plopped down on the ground, not caring about the damp dirt, and breathed in the fresh air. His face was covered in dirt and blood, and his expression was a mix of crying and laughing.

Wu Xie, supporting himself on his knees, bent over and coughed violently a few times. The stale, oppressive underground air in his lungs seemed not to have completely dissipated. He looked up, squinting to adjust to the sunlight, and gazed at the familiar outline of the Qinling Mountains in the distance. The heavy weight in his heart finally began to ease a little.

Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu supported each other, their faces pale, but their eyes held a sense of relief. A Ning cautiously looked around, making sure there was no danger before relaxing her tense shoulders, leaning against a rock, and silently munching on compressed biscuits from her backpack. Jiang Xun Gu and Hei Xiazi were also exhausted, each finding a place to sit and rest, tending to their new abrasions and scratches.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" stood a little distance from the cave entrance. They stood ramrod straight, but their faces betrayed their weariness. Their bandaged hands hung at their sides, and the wounds exposed by their torn clothing, though simply treated, still looked gruesome in the sunlight. They didn't speak, only silently gazing at the forest, their eyes seemingly still holding onto the endless darkness and eerie blue glow of the underground.

After a brief silence, Xie Yuchen mustered his strength and took out his satellite phone—luckily, it was in a specially made waterproof and shockproof box and hadn't been damaged in the fighting or the turbulence. He tried to contact the support personnel stationed on the outskirts of the Qinling Mountains. The signal was intermittent, but he finally got through. He reported his approximate location and situation (omitting the terrifying details), and agreed on a meeting point and time.

"The people who will be there to meet us won't arrive in this area until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest," Xie Yuchen said, hanging up the phone. "We need to find a relatively safe place near a water source to rest for the night. Everyone needs to treat their wounds and replenish their strength."

"I know this area well," Black Bear said, wiping his face. His sunglasses gleamed in the sunlight. "Go about two miles east. There's an abandoned hunter's cabin. It's dilapidated, but it'll keep you out of the wind and rain. There's a stream right next to it."

"Okay, let's go there." Xie Yuchen made the decision.

The group set off again, exhausted but with their return journey in sight, their steps were lighter. Black Bear led the way, traversing the dense forest. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns, and the air was filled with the scent of earth and decaying leaves. Occasionally, startled small animals darted through the undergrowth. This vibrant scene contrasted sharply with the deathly, eerie world underground, filled with the rust of metal and the stench of blood, creating an unreal atmosphere.

The abandoned cabin was more dilapidated than expected, but the main structure was still relatively intact. After clearing away the accumulated dust and cobwebs, a small campfire was lit, and stream water was boiled. Finally, everyone was able to completely relax and tend to their various wounds.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" were the most seriously injured. Xie Yuchen took out a spare medical kit and, together with A Ning, carefully cleaned, disinfected, applied medicine, and bandaged them again. Charred arms, claw marks deep enough to expose bone, corroded and festering flesh... every wound was shocking. The two remained silent throughout, only occasionally their muscles would involuntarily tense slightly when stimulated by the disinfectant.

Wu Xie and Fatty Wang helped out, handing out gauze and medicine. Looking at the wounds, Wu Xie felt a pang of unease. Fatty Wang also dropped his joking grin and muttered under his breath, "Damn it... next time I definitely need to get some sturdier gear..."

After treating their wounds, everyone gathered around the campfire and ate some heated food and energy bars. The hot food finally warmed them up a bit. Exhaustion washed over them like a tide, and after eating, almost no one had the energy to speak. Huo Xiuxiu leaned against a pillar and fell into a deep sleep, while Xie Yuchen, unable to stay awake any longer, closed his eyes to rest. A Ning and Jiang Xun Gu took turns keeping watch. Hei Xiazi, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, stared blankly at the flickering flames.

Wang Pangzi soon started snoring, his voice particularly loud in the quiet forest. Wu Xie was also sleepy, his eyelids drooping, but his mind was still replaying the various images from underground—the empty eye sockets of the bronze terracotta warrior, the warning words on the jade wall, the cruel records on the metal plate, the pulsating vortex on the chest of the Void Core Guardian, and Zhang Qiling's resolute and silent back as he finally pierced the core of the vortex…

He looked to the other side of the fire. Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" sat side by side against the wall, both with their eyes closed, seemingly asleep. But Wu Xie noticed that their breathing was very light, almost inaudible, and their bodies maintained a subtle, almost imperceptible, alert posture, as if they could spring up at any moment. Even in their most relaxed moments of rest, that ingrained vigilance and self-discipline remained.

As night deepened, insects chirped in the woods, occasionally punctuated by the distant howls of wolves. The campfire crackled, its orange glow warming the cabin.

The following afternoon, the waiting team and vehicles arrived at the cabin as agreed. The young men were startled to see the group of people, ragged and battered, yet with an indescribable glint in their eyes. However, they professionally refrained from asking further questions and quickly arranged for them to get into the vehicle and return to the town outside the mountains.

After undergoing a comprehensive examination and wound treatment at the best hospital in town (mainly because Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" needed professional cleaning and infection control), and resting for another day, Xie Yuchen contacted a vehicle and returned directly to his villa.

When the convoy entered the familiar villa area and saw the white building standing quietly surrounded by green trees, everyone finally felt at ease.

Got home.

Aunt Chen had already received the news and prepared hot water, clean clothes, and a sumptuous but light meal in advance. Seeing everyone's appearance, especially Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" covered in layers of bandages, Aunt Chen's eyes reddened, and she hurriedly arranged for everyone to wash up and rest first.

After a long, hot shower, washing away the fatigue, blood, and the chilly atmosphere from the underground, everyone changed into clean, comfortable loungewear and sat back in the bright, warm dining room. Looking at the steaming food on the table, everyone felt reborn.

The dinner table was quiet; no one talked about their experiences underground, they just ate in silence. Even Fatty Wang ate with extra focus, as if trying to replenish the energy he had depleted over the past few days.

After dinner, Xie Yuchen said, "Everyone, don't think about anything. Just get a good night's sleep. We can talk about other things after we've rested."

No one objected. After experiencing such mental and physical torment, everyone was pushed to their limits.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" returned to their respective rooms. Their rooms were next to each other.

Wu Xie lay on the soft, clean bed, expecting to fall asleep immediately. But when he closed his eyes, he seemed to see the writhing reliefs, the flowing dark red liquid, and the swirling vortexes in the darkness. He tossed and turned until late at night, when he finally fell into a deep sleep from extreme exhaustion. His dream was still bizarre and fantastical.

In the next room, Zhang Qiling stood by the window. Night had fallen, and the villa area was silent. He raised his bandaged right hand, gazing at it quietly in the moonlight. His fingertips could almost still feel the cold, chaotic, and malicious touch of piercing the core of that vortex, and the fleeting, even more ancient and heavy fragments of imagery within it.

There was a gentle knock on the door, twice.

Zhang Qiling went to open the door. "Zhang Qiling" was standing outside the door, also still awake. The two looked at each other, said nothing, and walked together to the open-air balcony at the end of the corridor.

The night breeze was cool and carried the fragrance of plants and trees from the garden.

"Those fragments," Zhang Qiling suddenly spoke, gazing at the starry sky, his voice very soft, "you saw them?"

"Hmm," Zhang Qiling responded. In the instant the core of the Ruins Guardian was destroyed, a flood of chaotic information surged forth, but mixed within it were also some clearer fragments—fragments about the Bronze Gate, about some ancient ritual, about…the responsibility of bloodlines. Not only he saw it, but "Zhang Qiling" saw it too.

"There are many things," Zhang Qiling paused, "that I still can't remember. But the feeling... is clearer now."

"The road ahead is long," Zhang Qiling said. This wasn't a sigh, but a statement. The Qinling Divine Tree was just one node, a huge, cautionary question mark. There was much more to come.

"Hmm." Zhang Qiling nodded, paused for a moment, and then said, "They need time to recover."

This refers to Wu Xie, Fatty, Xie Yuchen, and the others. This experience had a huge impact on ordinary people.

"I know." Zhang Qiling's gaze also turned to the quiet garden downstairs.

The two fell silent, standing side by side on the balcony, blending into the tranquil night. Their wounds still throbbed, but compared to the suffocating pressure and madness underground, the peace and gentle breeze of the moment were a luxurious tranquility.

The next day, everyone slept until late morning.

Sunlight streamed through the curtains, warm and bright. The faint sounds of Wang Pangzi and Wu Xie bickering in hushed tones could be heard downstairs, along with the soft rustling of Aunt Chen bustling about in the kitchen.

It seems like everyday life has returned.

But some things have quietly changed.