Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

Hoo-ho-ho

Seven or eight distorted "zongzi" lay on the ground, their dark eye sockets staring at the crowd, emitting a mixed hissing sound like a broken bellows.

The pulsating, dark red tumors in their chest cavities glowed intermittently, subtly echoing the pulsation of the central giant cocoon and the veins in the ground and walls.

The air was so thick it seemed to solidify, and the sweet, fishy smell was mixed with the putrid stench of corpses and some indescribable burnt odor.

"Watch out for those veins! They might move!" Xie Yuchen shouted, a specially made short stick already in his hand, his sharp eyes scanning the faintly glowing dark red "roots" on the ground.

Hei Xiazi twirled his short knife, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips: "Tsk, a human wave tactic, huh? But they're all defective."

Ah Ning and Jiang Xun Gu lowered their gun barrels slightly, aiming at the two nearest "zombies," but did not fire immediately. They knew that with these things, a bullet hitting the body might not be effective unless it hit the core tumor, but the targets were too small and moving quickly, making it difficult to hit them.

Wang Cen's face was ashen. He gripped the remote control in one hand, while his other hand slowly reached behind his waist, where a bulge clearly concealed another weapon. His remaining three men also nervously raised their guns, their fingers trembling slightly on the triggers.

The levitating live-streaming sphere, suspended in mid-air above the cave, clearly transmitted the tense standoff.

The live chat has exploded:

Holy crap! So many!

The previous one was gone in two cuts, but this one is much bigger!

The tumors on their chests glow!

Those vein-like things on the ground are moving!

The legs of those people from the Wang family were shaking!

Zhang the Mute! Spirit Awakener! Go!

Protect our innocent and Xiuxiu!

The standoff lasted only a few seconds.

Perhaps stimulated by the presence of a living person, or perhaps receiving some kind of command, the "zombie" closest to "Zhang Qiling" moved first! It stomped its limbs on the ground, its dark purple body like a giant, twisted spider, bringing a foul stench as it pounced through the air! Its target was "Zhang Qiling's" throat!

Almost at the same time as it moved, "Zhang Qiling" also moved.

He didn't parry, nor did he even look at the lunging "zongzi" (a type of Chinese rice dumpling). The instant the "zongzi" leaped, he pivoted on his left foot, leaning back slightly, narrowly missing the sharp, black claws. At the same time, his right hand, which had been resting on the hilt of his knife, moved.

The glint of the blade was not dazzling; it was merely a cold, almost straight black line that flashed upwards and disappeared in an instant.

The "zongzi" (rice dumpling) that was pouncing in mid-air suddenly froze, remaining in its pouncing posture, before splitting in two along its midline and falling to the left and right. A viscous, dark red liquid and a small amount of black, dried internal organs spilled out. The tumor in its chest cavity was also precisely split in two, its light dimming instantly, and its pulsation ceasing.

After splitting open the first "zongzi," Zhang Qiling's figure didn't pause for a moment, nor did he even glance at the split corpse. He slid his foot as if stepping on ice, moving three steps to the side with lightness and swiftness, just avoiding the bite of another "zongzi" that pounced from the side.

The "zongzi" missed its target, but its forward momentum did not stop. "Zhang Qiling" flipped his wrist and slapped the "zongzi" horizontally with the blade, not the edge, but the thick spine of the blade, striking it solidly at the temple.

With a muffled "bang," it sounded like rotten wood being smashed.

The "zongzi's" head twisted at a bizarre angle, and its entire body was slapped and sent flying horizontally. It crashed into the cave wall and slid down softly. Although the tumor in its chest cavity was still throbbing, its body was already limp and motionless.

The third and fourth "zongzi" came at the same time from the left and right, blocking his space to dodge.

Zhang Qiling did not withdraw this time.

His body suddenly sank, almost touching the ground, his ancient sword slicing a semicircle. As the blade flashed, the two "zongzi's" protruding claws were severed at the wrist, their dark fingernails flying upwards. Before they could even howl in pain (though they probably wouldn't have),...

Zhang Qiling sprang up like a spring, his sword flashing out from both sides, the hilt and the end of the scabbard striking almost simultaneously, precisely hitting the chests of the two "zongzi"—the location of their dark red tumors.

Two soft "pop" sounds, like a water-filled balloon being popped.

The tumors in the chest cavities of the two "zongzi" suddenly caved in, then burst open with a small ball of dark red fluid, and the light went out completely. They froze in place, then fell straight backward.

In just a few breaths, the four "zongzi" were either dismembered, had their limbs severed, or had their cores destroyed, rendering them unable to move.

Zhang Qiling's movements were clean, crisp, and efficient, without a single superfluous movement. Every move, every strike, was perfectly timed, as if he had already calculated the trajectory of every "zongzi" (rice dumpling).

The black gold ancient sword in his hand could be a sharp blade for disemboweling, a heavy hammer for striking mountains and intimidating tigers, or a sharp cone for striking pressure points and breaking qi. Its skillful use depended entirely on his mind.

He didn't even stray too far from his initial position before easily deflecting attacks from several directions and casually taking out four enemies.

Wang Cen and his men were dumbfounded, their hands gripping their guns trembling. What the hell was that skill? Was he even human?

The live stream chat exploded with comments instantly:

What did I just see? Four people instantly killed?

I didn't even get a good look at the knife!

That movement was as slippery as an eel!

Slap, tap, slice, chop... it's all-around amazing!

Qi Ling is awesome!

This combat power is top-tier!

The remaining three or four "zongzi" seemed to be intimidated by Zhang Qiling's thunderous methods, lowering their bodies and hissing, but not immediately attacking again. The fleshy tumors on their chests flashed rapidly, as if they were communicating.

Zhang Qiling stood holding his sword, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground, a few drops of viscous, dark red liquid sliding down the blood groove. He tilted his head slightly.

His gaze swept over the temporarily paused "zongzi" (rice dumpling), then glanced at the giant cocoon in the center that was still pulsating and cracking, and finally looked at Zhang Qiling.

Zhang Qiling remained standing still, but his gaze passed over the "zombies" and landed deep within the giant cocoon. He seemed unsurprised by the outcome of "Zhang Qiling's" battle, focusing instead on the "source" that was constantly oozing a viscous liquid and throbbing more violently.

"The cocoon is changing," said Zhang Qiling.

"Hmm." Zhang Qiling responded, his gaze never leaving the giant cocoon. "The core is about to emerge."

Their conversation was brief, yet it made Wu Xie's heart tighten. The core issue? Was it the origin of these "zongzi"? Or something else, more troublesome?

Taking advantage of the fact that the "Zongzi" was temporarily intimidated by "Zhang Qiling," Wu Xie forced himself to look away from the dangerous battle and return his gaze to the murals on the rock wall. Huo Xiuxiu also came over, and the two of them shone their flashlights on each other, carefully examining the murals.

"Look here," Wu Xie pointed to a smaller mural in the corner. The painting did not depict a sacrificial scene, but rather a group of people performing some kind of ritual around a glowing, egg-shaped object (similar to the central giant cocoon).

They held bone-like needles in their hands, piercing their own chests and dripping their blood onto the glowing "eggs." Blurry human faces then appeared on the surface of the "eggs."

"They're not simply sacrificing outsiders..." Huo Xiuxiu's voice was a little dry. "They're actively 'feeding' this thing with their own blood, trying to... merge with it? Or exchange it for something?"

"And here," Wu Xie pointed to another picture, which depicted several figures crawling out of a glowing "egg," no longer monsters, but people whose figures were blurry but could be vaguely seen wearing similar clothes.

These people were being worshipped by the crowd, seemingly possessing some kind of power or status. "Could it be... that they believe, after being 'modified' by this thing, they can gain... 'immortality'? Or some other power?"

This conjecture sent a chill down Wu Xie's spine. If these "zongzi" were indeed the ancient people who performed the ritual back then, then they weren't forced.

Instead, they actively offer themselves as sacrifices, attempting to merge with this bizarre existence in order to obtain the kind of "transformation" depicted in the murals... Then the danger level of this "cocoon" and what is inside will be raised several levels further.

"Fatty, look at the tattered clothes of those 'zongzi' (rice dumplings). Don't you think they look a bit like the clothes of the people in the murals?" Wu Xie asked Fatty Wang in a low voice.

Fatty Wang was staring intently at the "zongzi" and the giant cocoon when he heard this, and glanced at the corpse on the ground that had been split open by "Zhang Qiling".

He looked at the mural again, clicked his tongue, and said, "You know what, it really does have that feel to it... It's all made of that rough, coarse material, and the patterns are simple. Damn, were these ancient people out of their minds, coming up with this weird stuff?"

Wang Cen was also listening intently to Wu Xie and the others' analysis. When he heard the words "active fusion," "exchanging power," and "immortality," the greed in his eyes almost burned.

He stared intently at the pulsating cocoon, his breathing becoming heavy. What he wanted seemed to be inside! That "core," that key that could bring about "transformation"!

Just then, perhaps stimulated by "Zhang Qiling" killing his own kind, or perhaps the pulsation of the giant cocoon reached a certain critical point.

The remaining three or four "zongzi" suddenly let out an even sharper and more ear-piercing shriek, no longer attacking separately, but instead rushing frantically towards "Zhang Qiling" from different directions at the same time!

At the same time, the giant cocoon in the center emitted a muffled, loud sound, like a heartbeat!

"Plop—!"

The largest cracks on the cocoon's surface suddenly widened, and more viscous, dark red liquid gushed out like a fountain. A shadow, larger and more twisted than any of the previous "zongzi" (rice dumplings), slowly wriggled deep within the cracks, seemingly about to emerge!

"Watch out!" Zhang Qiling shouted in a low voice. This time, he didn't stay where he was and instead took the initiative to meet the oncoming "zombies." He had to deal with these few as soon as possible before he could deal with what was about to emerge from the giant cocoon.

The blade flashed again, like a black lotus blooming under the cold moon, instantly engulfing the "zongzi" (a type of Chinese rice dumpling) that was charging at the front. This time, he showed no mercy. As the blade swept past, the "zongzi's" head flew off, and the fleshy tumor in its chest cavity was pierced open by the tip of the blade.

The other two "zongzi" seized the opportunity to attack from both sides, moving so fast that they left afterimages.

Zhang Qiling shifted his feet, tilting his body to the left at an incredible angle, almost parallel to the ground, dodging the claw attack from the "Zongzi" on the right. At the same time, he braced his left hand on the ground and lashed out his right leg like a whip, kicking the side of the "Zongzi's" knee hard.

"Crack!" A clear sound of bone breaking.

The "zongzi" (a type of rice dumpling) suddenly went weak and fell forward. Zhang Qiling braced himself with his left hand, and his body sprang back to its upright position like a spring. With a flash of light, he slashed down, cutting the "zongzi" diagonally from shoulder to hip!

The last "zongzi" pounced from behind, the stench already reaching my head.

Without turning his head, Zhang Qiling listened to the wind to determine his location, leaned forward slightly, and thrust the ancient sword in his right hand backward from under his ribs!

"Pfft!"

The knife tip pierced precisely into the wide-open mouth of the "zongzi" (a type of rice dumpling), exiting through the back of its head and pinning it in mid-air. Dark red liquid overflowed from its mouth and nose. The "zongzi" twitched a few times and then remained still.

With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Qiling tossed the corpse on his knife aside with a clean and swift motion. He was slightly out of breath, sweat beading on his forehead, the result of a series of high-intensity, precise kills.

It was also draining his energy. But his hand holding the knife remained steady, his gaze cold as he looked at the violently throbbing, increasingly cracked giant cocoon.

Zhang Qiling, who had remained motionless until now, finally took a step forward.

He walked to Zhang Qiling's side, stood shoulder to shoulder with him, looked at the giant cocoon about to burst, and slowly spoke, his voice calm yet carrying an invisible pressure:

"They're here."