Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

The stone steps came to an end.

The ground beneath my feet was solid and flat, with a slightly cool touch, similar to the black stone slabs above.

The flashlight beam extended forward, illuminating a space that was even more spacious and strange than the stone chamber above.

It resembles a huge, naturally formed cave hall, meticulously restored.

The dome is high and has many stalactites hanging down.

However, the tips of many stalactites are inlaid with oval beads of varying sizes that emit a soft white light.

Like inverted stars, they illuminated the entire space with a hazy light.

You can see the general outline without a flashlight.

The strange, sweet fragrance in the air becomes richer and clearer here.

It doesn't have a pungent smell; instead, it calms the mind and soothes emotions.

The fragrance seemed to be emanating from those glowing beads.

In the center of the hall, there is a circular pool.

The pool is not large, about three meters in diameter.

The pool water was crystal clear, with a faint blue luminescence, and its source was unknown.

Scattered around the edge of the pool are some polished stone platforms and benches.

The rock walls surrounding the hall were no longer rough stones.

Instead, many flat niches and platforms were carved and polished out.

A large number of items were placed on it.

There are bottles and jars with simple and rustic shapes and various materials.

Some were pottery, some were jade, and some were some kind of black, horn-like substance.

There are finely polished stone tools.

There are bone plates and tortoise shells covered with symbols.

There are also many dried, unidentifiable plant and mineral specimens.

Most notably, deep within the hall, against the rock wall, lies a spot.

There is a large stone bed carved from a single piece of warm, white jade.

On the stone bed, a person lay quietly.

Or rather, an extremely well-preserved corpse.

The person was dressed in clothing similar to, but more elaborate and exquisite than, the jade figurine above.

His face was covered by a simple, ancient-looking gold mask with intricate patterns, obscuring his features.

He placed his hands, folded over his abdomen.

He held in his hand a short staff about a foot long, entirely black, with only a line of dark gold luster on the blade.

At the top of the short staff is a strange gem the size of a pigeon egg, which constantly shimmers with a seven-colored halo.

The entire hall was clean, orderly, and quiet.

It was filled with an indescribable atmosphere, like that of an old library or research room.

Compared to the eerie and bloody atmosphere of the cave above and the solemnity of the stone chamber, this creates a third, completely different feeling.

"Could this place... be the... laboratory of those ancient people? Or their library?"

Wu Xie looked around in surprise, his gaze lingering on the artifacts and bone symbols.

The items here appear to be for research and record-keeping rather than for ritual purposes.

Huo Xiuxiu was also shocked by the scene before her.

She walked to a niche and carefully picked up a bone plate.

It is covered with runes similar to those on jade cong.

"These symbols... are more systematic than those on the jade cong, more like a written record!"

"Look, this seems to describe the cultivation of some kind of plant, and... um... the steps of 'fusion'?"

Xie Yuchen cautiously observed his surroundings.

Especially the white jade bed and the person on it.

"Be careful, this place may look peaceful, but it might not be safe."

"Those rice dumplings up there, and that giant cocoon monster, are probably all connected to this place."

Fatty Wang sniffed.

"This fragrance smells quite nice and is refreshing."

"But who is this gentleman lying down?"

The levitating live-streaming sphere slowly flew through the hall, clearly displaying the scene of this underground secret place.

The comments section became active again:

Wow! What a hidden gem!

This place looks nice...is that normal?

Like the house of ancient scientists?

What are those glowing beads? Luminous pearls?

Is the guy in bed the ultimate boss?

There are words on the bone plate! Translate them quickly!

Is the fragrance poisonous?

As soon as Wang Cen entered, his eyes widened.

He first greedily scanned the bone plates and objects on the niches.

Finally, his gaze locked onto the black short staff in the hand of the person on the white jade bed.

Especially the gem at the top that shimmers with iridescent light.

"Found it...finally found it!"

Wang Cen's voice trembled with excitement.

He pushed aside his men who were blocking his way and strode toward the stone bed.

"The legendary 'Scepter of Source'! A supreme artifact capable of communicating with, guiding, and even controlling 'Source Matter'!"

"And there's the 'Myriad Stones'! The records were indeed true!"

He saw no one else but the short staff and the jewel.

It was as if I had seen the key to immortality and the power to control it.

"Mr. Wang, please calm down!"

Xie Yuchen stepped forward, standing between Wang Cen and the stone bed, his tone serious.

"The situation here is unclear; please do not act rashly!"

"Get out of here!"

At this moment, Wang Cen no longer cared about pretending.

The gentle smile on his face was replaced by a ferocious eagerness.

"This is a treasure our Wang family has been searching for for hundreds of years! I discovered it! It rightfully belongs to me!"

"You outsiders were nothing more than tools for scouting the way; you're useless now!"

These words are blunt and harsh.

His three men immediately stepped forward, forming a subtle encirclement.

His hands were all on his weapon.

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

"Yo ho."

Black Bear chuckled and slowly walked forward.

He stood in front of Xie Yuchen, his eyes behind sunglasses sweeping over Wang Cen and his men.

"Boss Wang, you change your mind faster than turning the pages of a book."

"You didn't say that up there. Collaboration and sharing? Hmm?"

"shared?"

Wang Cen sneered.

"Why should we share with you? Just because you put in a little effort? What a joke!"

"This 'Scepter of Source Heart' and the secrets of this place are only worthy of being inherited and controlled by our Wang family!"

"If you know what's good for you, leave now, and I might spare your lives. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

Black Bear picked at his ear, looking completely unconcerned.

A cold glint flashed in Wang Cen's eyes, and he gave a wink to one of his subordinates beside him.

The subordinate immediately raised his gun, pointed it at Black Bear, and shouted sternly:

"Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite! Get out of the way!"

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a blur before his eyes!

Black Bear's figure vanished from the spot like a ghost.

The next instant, they were already in front of him!

The speed was far beyond what a normal person could react to!

The subordinate was shocked and was about to pull the trigger.

The wrist holding the gun was gripped by a hand as strong as an iron clamp.

A tremendous, irresistible force came.

He was uncontrollably swung around like a tattered sack.

He slammed it hard into another subordinate standing next to him!

"Bang!"

The two collided and rolled around in a heap, the gun flying out of their hands.

Seeing this, the third henchman drew his sword and stabbed Black Bear in the back.

Without turning his head, the black bear listened to the wind to determine its location.

He slightly shifted his body to the side, dodging the blade.

At the same time, his right elbow slammed backward, striking the man precisely in the ribs.

"Snap!"

A clear cracking sound was accompanied by a muffled groan.

The man was struck as if by a charging rhinoceros.

It flew backward, crashed into the rock wall, and slid down softly.

He was bleeding from his mouth and nose and couldn't get up for a while.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

By the time Wang Cen realized what was happening, all three of his well-trained men had already fallen to the ground, incapacitated.

Black Bear was already standing calmly in front of him.

He patted his hands to remove non-existent dust.

A cold smile curved the corners of his mouth behind the sunglasses.

"Boss Wang, your men don't seem to be very resilient."

Wang Cen's face turned deathly pale, and he took a step back in terror.

His previous arrogance vanished without a trace.

He then realized that he had seriously underestimated the strength of this group.

Especially this seemingly cynical black bear.

"What...what do you want to do? I'm warning you, the Wang family..."

He shouted, his voice filled with bluster but his heart was filled with fear.

"The Wang family?"

Hei Xiazi interrupted him, his smile growing even colder.

"I'm going to take down the Wang family."

Before he finished speaking, his right fist struck out straight out without any fancy moves.

It landed squarely on Wang Cen's lower abdomen.

"vomit--!"

Wang Cen's harsh words came to an abrupt end.

His eyes bulged out, and his body was bent over like a shrimp.

The acid in his stomach mixed with blood gushed out.

He felt as if his intestines had been pierced by that punch.

The excruciating pain instantly drained him of all his strength.

He collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach, curled up in a ball.

He let out a painful groan and couldn't even speak.

Black Bear shook his hand as if he had just swatted a pesky fly.

He squatted down and looked at Wang Cen, who was in tears and looked utterly disheveled.

He said slowly:

"Boss Wang, can you speak properly now?"

"Who decides what's in this place?"

Wang Cen dared not utter a single word of dissent.

He could only nod painfully, his eyes filled with fear and resentment.

The floating live-streaming ball recorded this scene.

The screen was instantly flooded with comments:

Blackie is awesome!

One-Punch Man!

Well played!

Is this all the Wang family has to offer?

Xie Yuchen nodded to Hei Xiazi.

Then he looked at Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" to ask for their opinions.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" had been observing their surroundings ever since they entered the area.

They seemed unsurprised by the earlier conflict and did not intervene.

Seeing that Wang Cen had been subdued, Zhang Qiling finally spoke:

"Look here first."

His meaning was clear: exploring the secrets of this place was more important.

"Zhang Qiling" had already walked to those niches.

Pick up the different bone plates and objects to examine them.

Wu Xie and Huo Xiuxiu immediately threw themselves into the "research" work.

Xie Yuchen assisted from the side, while keeping a watchful eye on Wang Cen's movements.

A Ning and Jiang Xun Gu kept an eye on the three men who had fallen to the ground.

Fatty Wang curiously touched and looked around, but he was very careful and didn't touch anything indiscriminately.

Black Bear dragged the limp Wang Cen to a corner like a dead dog.

He tied his hands behind his back with his own belt.

They then found a rag and stuffed it into his mouth to stop him from whining and being annoying.

The hall was temporarily calmed down.

The only sounds were the rustling of turning the bone plates and the occasional hushed discussion.

"Look at this bone plate."

Wu Xie pointed to a relatively large scapula.

It is covered with intricate symbols and diagrams.

"This seems to describe the cultivation method for those dark red 'roots'?"

"It requires specific blood, ley line energy, and... something called a 'source seed'?"

"Original species?"

Huo Xiuxiu picked up another piece of tortoise shell.

"The term 'source seed' is also mentioned here."

"It is said to be a 'gift from heaven' and the 'beginning of all things'."

"It can merge with bloodlines and grant power, but it also brings 'chaos' and 'mutation'."

"They seem to be trying different methods to 'purify' or 'control' this fusion."

"So, that giant cocoon and monster outside are their failed experiments?"

Xie Yuchen's summary.

"And this is their research center."

"That jade figurine above might be an important figure, or... a relatively successful 'sample'?"

"They sealed it away in that 'amber' as a record or... a backup?"

Zhang Qiling picked up a black, keratin-like bottle.

He opened it, smelled it, and then handed it to Zhang Qiling.

Zhang Qiling took it, smelled it, and frowned slightly.

"Blood, mixed."

"There are many kinds, including... those 'zongzi' (rice dumplings) mentioned above, and... human ones."

"It's very mixed and chaotic."

"Are they conducting blood experiments?"

Wu Xie felt nauseous.

"more than."

"Zhang Qiling" refers to the masked corpse on the stone bed.

"The one he's holding feels very powerful."

"It's somewhat similar to a jade cong, but more... complete."

All eyes were once again focused on the white jade bed and the black short staff.

"The Staff of Source, the Stone of Myriad Forms..."

Xie Yuchen pondered.

"If the name Wang Cen mentioned is true, this thing may be the core result of their entire research."

"Or... the original prototype."

"Can it communicate with, guide, and even control the power known as the 'Source Species'?"

"Want to give it a try?"

Hei Xiazi raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhang Qiling.

Zhang Qiling paused for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"No rush. Let's finish reading first."

He walked to the stone bed but did not touch the short staff.

Instead, he carefully examined the masked corpse on the bed.

He then examined the stone bed itself and the fine textures on the floor beneath it.

Zhang Qiling also came over and stood on the other side of the bed, his gaze equally sharp.

Both of them seemed to sense something, but neither of them acted immediately.

Wu Xie and Huo Xiuxiu continued to study the bone plates, trying to piece together more information.

Fatty Wang strolled over to the glowing pool and curiously peered inside.

"This water is so clear, and there seems to be something glowing at the bottom?"

He had barely finished speaking.

In the center of the pool, the pale blue fluorescent ripples suddenly moved without any wind.

It slowly began to rotate, forming a small vortex.

At the center of the vortex, tiny, fragmented, pale golden specks of light, like stardust.

It slowly floated to the surface of the water.

It gathers and swirls about a foot above the water's surface.

Gradually, a blurry, ever-changing pattern formed.

The pattern vaguely resembled the outline of an eye.

However, it differs from the eye symbol on the stone tablet, jade platform, and ground above.

These eyes, composed of points of light, are more expressive and more profound.

It seemed as if it was truly "watching" everyone in the hall.