Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

Chapter 199 Things in the Stone Path and Inscriptions - A Chat

The moment that thing came out of the passage.

The temperature in the entire cave seemed to drop by several degrees.

It's not cold.

It was that eerie, damp, and chilling feeling that crept up my spine.

The flashlight beam shone over.

The first thing you see is a hand.

A deathly pale human hand with abnormally long and thin fingers.

The nails are black, sharp, and long.

It made a "scratching" sound as it scraped against the rocky ground.

That hand was gripping the edge of the passageway.

Then, his entire body emerged from the darkness.

That thing's posture was very strange.

It was neither standing nor crawling.

It's a half-squatting, half-lying position with all four limbs on the ground.

However, the angle of joint bending completely violates human anatomy.

Knees roll back, elbows bend outwards.

Its entire body twisted into a spider-like shape.

He was still wearing tattered strips of cloth.

It looks like it was originally a piece of clothing.

But now it has been torn down to just a few strands, barely covering part of the body.

And its face...

Wu Xie's hand trembled slightly.

That face had no eyes.

It wasn't dug up.

It simply lacks the structure that an eye socket should have.

His entire face was flat.

There are only two tiny holes in what should be the nose area.

Below is a mouth stretched to its ears.

There are no teeth in the mouth.

There were only spiral-shaped, dark red folds of flesh.

It is contracting, opening and closing.

He let out that low, panting sound.

"What...is this?"

Wang Pangzi's voice was strained.

"Gu people".

Xie Yuchen's voice was even colder than before.

"A living person who was poisoned by Gu, but not completely dead, and then became what the Gu worms parasitized and controlled."

"Judging from this, it's been parasitized for at least several decades."

The thing's "head" turned around.

Although it has no eyes.

But it was facing precisely in the direction where everyone was.

The flesh folds in that gaping mouth contracted more frequently.

The breathing became more rapid and excited.

Then, it moved.

All four limbs exert force simultaneously.

His entire body bounced up from the ground like a spring.

They rushed straight towards the young man from the Wang family with the missing arm who was closest to the entrance of the passage.

The young man was terrified.

They stood there, frozen in place, forgetting even to dodge.

The thing was about to pounce on him—

A dark figure cut in from the side.

It is "Zhang Qiling".

He did not use a knife.

They didn't even adopt any fighting stance.

Just as that thing took to the air.

He took half a step forward with his right foot.

Follow with a left-foot spin and side kick.

A clean and crisp high sweeping kick.

He kicked it squarely in the side ribs.

A muffled "bang" was heard.

The thing was kicked and sent flying.

It crashed into the rock wall on the other side of the cave.

The impact was quite powerful.

The rock wall trembled, and several pieces of rock fell down.

But when it landed, it braced itself with its four limbs.

He actually stood up again immediately.

The movements were not slow at all.

"The bones are very hard."

Black Bear squinted.

"After the parasites infest the host, the host's bones will be strengthened."

Xie Yuchen said quickly.

"Normal attacks are useless; we need to find weaknesses."

"Zhang Qiling" has already moved.

At the same time that "Zhang Qiling" kicked that thing away.

He had already gone around to the other side.

His movements were very still.

There was almost no sound.

Like a shadow gliding along the ground.

Wait until that thing regains its footing.

He was already three steps behind it.

That thing seemed to have noticed.

It turned around abruptly.

That wide-open mouth was aimed at "Zhang Qiling".

The flesh folds contracted wildly.

It emitted a series of sharp, hissing sounds, like scratching glass with a fingernail.

Then it pounced.

It's even faster than before.

But Zhang Qiling didn't dodge.

He didn't even draw his sword.

Just as that thing lunged at me.

His body sank down.

Using the left foot as the axis, the right foot drew a half-circle outward.

He narrowly missed the trajectory of the attack.

At the same time, he raised his right hand.

Bring your index and middle fingers together.

A precise stab.

It was poked right in the back of that thing's neck.

A very soft "poof".

It's like popping a water-filled balloon.

The thing's movements suddenly froze.

Then, it started to twitch.

Violent, uncontrolled convulsions.

His limbs were shaking violently.

His body rolled on the ground.

An even sharper, more piercing hiss came from that open mouth.

And the location where it was stabbed in the back of the neck.

Something is wriggling wildly under the skin.

They swelled up into fist-sized lumps.

It deflated quickly again.

Finally, everything came to a stop.

The thing lay sprawled on the ground, motionless.

Only the back of the neck.

A small pool of dark green, thick liquid slowly seeped out.

"Resolved?"

Fatty Wang peeked around curiously.

"Resolved."

Zhang Qiling withdrew his hand.

He wiped his fingers on the rock face next to him.

"The core of the Gu worm at the back of the neck."

Xie Yuchen walked over, squatted down, and took a look.

"Killed in one blow."

"This kind of Gu person, the Gu worm will parasitize near the host's central nervous system and control the entire body."

"Destroy the core, and the Gu worms will die."

"The host... will then be completely free."

In the live stream, the chat started scrolling again.

"That skill is amazing!"

"How did you manage that finger strike?"

"That thing looks disgusting."

"Those people in the Wang family really brought this on themselves."

Zhang Qiling didn't read the comments.

He walked up to the fourth brother, who was still slumped against the wall.

Squat down.

The fourth brother was still vomiting blood.

Upon seeing "Zhang Qiling," a look of terror appeared in his eyes.

He wanted to back away.

But any movement caused him to wince in pain.

"Next...below..."

He spoke with difficulty.

"And...more..."

"What is it?"

"Zhang Qiling" asked.

Two words, spoken in a very flat tone.

"There are many Gu people..."

The fourth brother coughed up blood.

"We...we want to get out through that path down there..."

"The result alerted them..."

"Old Chen was dragged away...and so was Little Zhao..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

Suddenly, his eyes widened as he looked towards the entrance of the passage.

The sound of panting could be heard again from inside the passageway.

And there's more than one.

Two, three...

There were at least four or five different voices.

The sound came from deep within the passage, approaching from afar.

"They...they're coming after us..."

The fourth brother's voice was trembling.

Zhang Qiling stood up and looked towards the passageway.

"Zhang Qiling" has reached the entrance of the passage.

I listened intently.

Then he turned to look at "Zhang Qiling".

"kill."

One word.

Zhang Qiling nodded.

He walked up to the young man from the Wang family who had lost an arm.

The young man was still sitting on the ground.

His face was deathly pale, and he was trembling all over.

"Can you walk?"

he asks.

The young man was taken aback.

Then he nodded vigorously.

"I can...I can walk..."

"Keep up."

After saying this, Zhang Qiling turned and walked towards the group.

Black Bear had already drawn his gun.

Xie Yuchen and Jiang Xungu also gripped their weapons tightly.

Huo Xiuxiu pulled Wu Xie and Wang Pangzi back a little.

Let them stand in a relatively safe position.

"There might be more of that stuff down there."

Xie Yuchen said in a deep voice.

"We need to get out of here as soon as possible."

"But going back the way we came is too far."

"If the Wang family members came from the lower classes."

"This indicates that there may be other exits below."

"Then let's go down."

"Zhang Qiling" said.

He was the first to walk towards the passageway.

"Zhang Qiling" followed beside him.

The passageway is very narrow.

It's even narrower than the one we just came down from.

The rock face was wet.

There was a sticky liquid on the ground.

It makes a "smack smack" sound when you step on it.

The cloying, bloody smell was less pronounced here.

Instead, there was a more unpleasant stench, like rotting meat mixed with mold.

I walked about twenty meters.

The passageway began to slope downwards.

The slope is very steep.

The ground was slippery.

He had to hold onto the rock face to barely stand.

The panting grew closer.

At the edge of the range that the flashlight beam can reach.

Several swaying figures appeared.

No, it's not a human figure.

It's that kind of bewitching person.

Four.

Get on all fours.

In that contorted spider-like posture.

They are climbing up from below.

They climb very fast.

The rock face seemed to pose no obstacle to them.

Use both hands and feet.

In the blink of an eye, they rushed over.

"Zhang Qiling" and "Zhang Qiling" attacked at the same time.

This time, the two did not separate.

"Zhang Qiling" comes first.

The black gold ancient sword was drawn.

The blade traced a dark arc in the darkness.

There were no frills, no probing.

It's the simplest and most direct horizontal slash.

The first Gu-man had just pounced.

The blade sliced ​​in from the side of its neck.

Slanted upwards.

It's a chop from the other shoulder.

His entire upper body was split diagonally in two.

Dark green liquid splattered out.

But before it splashed onto "Zhang Qiling".

He had already dodged to the side.

At the same time, lift your right foot.

A side kick landed on the second Gu person's chest.

The Gu-wielding creature was kicked backward and sent flying.

It bumped into the third one.

The two rolled together in a ball.

"Zhang Qiling" had already passed by "Zhang Qiling".

He didn't use his legs.

Instead, he drew the short sword from his waist.

The blade is half the length of the Black Gold Ancient Sword.

But it's brighter.

It gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen in the darkness.

He lunged at the two Gu people rolling together.

Before they even got up.

The dagger had already pierced through.

It wasn't a random stabbing.

It was a precise, fatal stab.

A knife.

It was pierced from the back of the neck of the first Gu-wielder.

The tip of the knife pierced through the Adam's apple.

He drew his sword and turned around.

Second knife.

It was stabbed into the same spot on the side of the neck of the second Gu-person.

Both Gu practitioners froze simultaneously.

Then it convulsed and went limp.

The whole process took less than three seconds.

And the fourth Gu person.

They have already been bypassed.

It lunged at the group behind it.

But it didn't pounce on anyone.

Because Jiang Xun Gu had already gone to meet him.

The moment the Gu-wielder pounced.

His body sank down.

The right leg sweeps out.

A low sweeping kick landed squarely on the joint of the Gu man's forelimb.

A crisp "snap" sounded.

The forelimbs of the Gu person were bent at an unnatural angle.

My whole body lost its balance and fell forward.

And Hei Xiazi's gun.

It was already pressed against the back of its neck.

"Bang."

A very soft gunshot rang out.

A muffler was installed.

A small hole exploded in the back of the Gu person's neck.

Dark green liquid splashed out.

It twitched a few times and then stopped moving.

"Done."

Hei Xiazi blew on non-existent smoke from the muzzle of his gun.

All four Gu people were dealt with.

From the moment the battle began until its end.

It took less than ten seconds in total.

There was a moment of silence in the live stream.

Then the comments section exploded.

"This coordination..."

"Flowing clouds and running water"

"I didn't even see what happened."

"Those two guys are killing these like it's nothing."

"That soldier behind him is pretty good too."

【Ding. 】

The system's voice.

At this moment, it suddenly rang in Zhang Qiling's mind.

His tone carried a relaxed air of... enjoying the spectacle.

[Host, your brother's got something!]

Those two cuts were clean and swift, without a single unnecessary movement.

Not bad, not bad. You have the flair you had back then... oh no, I mean, you have the style you have now.

Zhang Qiling did not respond.

He shook the liquid off the knife.

Keep going down.

However, on the other hand,

The system's voice continued to chatter.

This place is really eerie.

[A living person raises a Gu worm, which then parasitizes the creature, creating something that is neither human nor ghost.]

Judging from this, the person who buried this tomb must have caused quite a stir back then.

[Host, keep going, you might uncover even more dark secrets.]

Zhang Qiling remained silent.

But I increased my speed.

The passage continues downwards.

The further down you go, the more marks there are on the rock face.

It is not naturally formed.

It was carved out by hand.

The chisel marks are neat and evenly spaced.

It looks like it was dug out bit by bit using some kind of professional tool.

Moreover, some scratches began to appear on the surface of the rock wall.

It's very shallow and very fine.

It looks like it was carved with a fingernail or a knife.

Zhang Qiling stopped in his tracks.

I shone a flashlight on it.

The engravings are characters.

A very ancient, winding script.

It is not Chinese characters.

It is not any known minority language.

It does look a bit like... oracle bone script.

But they are not quite the same.

"This is……"

Xie Yuchen also came over.

I looked at it carefully.

"Sacrificial text".

"A special script used by some ancient tribes to record sacrificial rituals."

"I can't understand everything, but I can roughly recognize a few words..."

He pointed to one of the lines.

"This... should be 'offering'."

"This is 'heart'."

"This... is a 'door'."

Dedication, Heart, Door.

Three words, put together.

The meaning couldn't be clearer.

"Offer your heart as a sacrifice to open the door?"

Wu Xie's voice was a little dry.

"possible."

Xie Yuchen's expression was very serious.

"But what kind of door is it that requires such a... cruel method?"

"Keep going."

"Zhang Qiling" said.

He went down first.

The passage finally came to an end.

At the end, there is a naturally formed stone chamber, about ten meters square.

The stone chamber was very spacious.

There is only one stone tablet standing in the very center.

The stone tablet is about two meters high and one meter wide.

It is grayish-white all over and the surface is polished very smoothly.

The stele is covered with inscriptions.

It was the same kind of winding, curving sacrificial text.

And in front of the stone tablet.

There is a depression in the ground.

The pit was filled with things.

White bones.

Human bones.

At least a dozen bodies were piled up haphazardly in the pit.

Some of the bones have turned black.

Some of them are still quite new.

And at the very top of the pile of bones.

There are a few left...

Jar.

The same jar used to feed the worms that we saw in the cave before.

However, all of these jars were empty.

The jar was wide open, but there was nothing inside.

"This is... the place where the poisonous insects are fed?"

Fatty Wang swallowed hard.

"more than."

Xie Yuchen walked to the stone tablet.

Shine a flashlight on the text above.

I read it aloud slowly.

"I am the thirty-seventh high priest of the Wuxian tribe."

"Ordered to guard the 'gateway'."

"However, the door was unstable, and evil things would sometimes seep out and corrupt living beings."

"I have read ancient books and learned the method of 'feeding Gu to ward off evil spirits'."

"Take the blood from the heart of a living person, mix it with various herbs, and feed the venomous insects in a jar."

"Once the Gu is complete, it will be implanted into a living person, who will then serve as a vessel to nurture the 'Gu person' as a gatekeeper..."

He paused, then continued reading.

"This method is against the natural order, but it is necessary to protect the gate, so we have no choice but to do it."

"Behind the crack in the door lies great terror; if it is allowed to open, the world will surely suffer a catastrophe."

"Though my sins are grave, I have no regrets."

"If future generations see this stele, they should know where the gap in the gate is, and they must never go near it."

"If there is any unusual activity, the method of feeding the Gu can be continued, using a living person to feed the Gu person, and suppressing it."

"Remember, the door must not be opened."

"When it opens, all things return to nothingness."

The inscription on the stone tablet ends here.

The stone chamber was deathly silent.

Only the flashlight beam flickered on the surface of the stone tablet.

The light illuminated those crooked and winding characters.

Like venomous snakes coiled on rocks.

"The Wuxian tribe..."

Wu Xie murmured.

"I remember... there was indeed a tribe called Wuxian in the ancient Bashu region, who were skilled in witchcraft and sorcery."

"But historical records show that this tribe disappeared as early as the Qin and Han dynasties."

"It didn't disappear."

Xie Yuchen's voice was deep.

"They've gone into hiding."

"Hiding here, using this... cruel method, to guard that so-called 'gap'."

"What exactly is a gap in the doorway?"

Fatty Wang asked.

No one answered.

Because nobody knows.

Zhang Qiling walked to the stone tablet.

He reached out and touched the monument.

A cool touch.

But the moment your fingertips touch the stone tablet.

Fragmented images suddenly flashed through his mind—

A door.

A huge, bronze-cast door.

The door was covered with eye patterns.

Those eyes were densely packed, layer upon layer.

Everyone was watching him.

Behind the door was boundless darkness.

Something is moving in the darkness.

Climbing.

They are pushing outwards.

Then came screams.

The screams of countless people.

The image is shattered.

Zhang Qiling withdrew his hand.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

When she opened her eyes again, something seemed to have sunk down.

"We can't stay here."

He said.

Four words, spoken in a cold voice.

Why?

Wu Xie asked.

The name "Zhang Qiling" was not explained.

He simply turned around and looked at the other side of the stone chamber.

There is an exit there.

It's not a passageway.

It is a square opening that was carved out by human hands.

The opening is about two meters high and one meter wide.

The edges are very neat, clearly indicating that it has been carefully trimmed.

A breeze was blowing out of the cave entrance.

A very faint breeze.

It has a fresh, earthy smell.

"There is an exit."

Black Bear's eyes lit up.

"Walk."

Zhang Qiling was the first to walk towards the cave entrance.

"Zhang Qiling" followed behind him.

Just as everyone was preparing to leave the stone chamber—

The fourth brother who was always slumped in the corner.

Suddenly, he struggled to get up.

He shouted hoarsely.

"Wait...wait a minute!"

"Take me with you!"

"Please... take me with you..."

Zhang Qiling's steps never stopped.

He didn't even turn around.

But the fourth brother wouldn't let it go.

They scrambled after them, stumbling and crawling.

He reached out to grab Zhang Qiling's clothes.

His hand hadn't even touched it yet—

Zhang Qiling turned around.

I kicked him in the shoulder.

It wasn't heavy, but it was enough to make him fall back to the ground.

"Go by yourself."

Three words, devoid of any emotion.

What else did the fourth brother want to say?

But when he met Zhang Qiling's cold eyes...

All the words got stuck in his throat.

He watched helplessly as the group walked into the cave entrance.

Disappeared into the darkness.

He was the only one left in the stone chamber.

There were also bones scattered all over the ground.

And that stone tablet engraved with sins.

The fourth brother collapsed to the ground.

He suddenly burst out laughing.

The laughter was initially very soft.

Then it grew bigger and bigger, and more and more insane.

Finally, it turned into wailing.

And deep inside the cave entrance.

Zhang Qiling's steps did not falter for a moment.

The wind was blowing on my face.

It smells of earth.

and also……

The taste of freedom.