Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

The bronze door is at the end of the stairs.

The door was five meters high and three meters wide, entirely dark blue-black, its surface covered with a thick layer of rust. The door was tightly shut, without any handles or keyholes. Countless fine runes were engraved on the door, their faint glow in the darkness flickering like breath.

Xie Linyuan stood in front of the door.

He held a complete black stone disc in his hand—the four thin slices and two rings were perfectly assembled. All four points on the disc were lit, the light much stronger than before, illuminating half of his face.

His shoulder wound was still bleeding, and the wound on his left arm was so deep that the bone was visible, but he stood very steadily.

Lin Guoce and the others followed behind him, stopping on the steps, not daring to approach.

The space was quiet, save for the crackling of the torches and heavy breathing. There was an old, musty smell in the air, like a study sealed for a thousand years suddenly opened.

Xie Linyuan raised the disc and aimed it at the center of the bronze door.

There is a circular indentation there, the size and shape of which perfectly match the disc.

His hand paused in mid-air.

Then press it.

The disc fits perfectly into the recess the instant it is inserted.

A series of mechanical sounds emanated from inside the bronze door, rising in pitch and speed, finally culminating in a deep rumble. The runes on the door lit up sequentially, like electricity flowing through a circuit board, spreading from the edges to the center.

After all the runes lit up, the bronze door slowly opened inward.

There was no dust raised, no harsh friction sound, and the door opened exceptionally smoothly, as if it had just been oiled yesterday.

Behind the door, it was pitch black.

But that darkness was different from the darkness outside—it was pure, thick, and seemed to absorb all light. When a flashlight beam shone in, it was swallowed up, revealing nothing.

Xie Linyuan stepped inside.

The moment he stepped inside, the Qilin tattoo on his shoulder blade suddenly burned intensely, as if a branding iron had been pressed directly onto his skin. He gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Lin Guoce, who was behind him, wanted to follow in, but Xie Linyuan raised his hand to stop him.

"Don't come in."

The voice was cold.

Lin Guoce stopped.

Xie Linyuan walked into the darkness alone.

He took about ten steps, and the door behind him slowly closed. The last glimmer of light from the outside world vanished, and he was plunged into absolute darkness.

But his night vision allows him to see clearly.

Behind the door was a small, circular stone chamber, about ten meters in diameter. In the center of the chamber was a stone platform, on which sat a bronze box.

The box was plain, without any decoration.

Xie Linyuan walked to the stone platform and opened the box.

There were no treasures or secret manuals inside, only four black stones—the same material as the thin slice in his hand, but thicker, each about the size of a fist.

Four stones floated up automatically and hovered in the air.

Then they started to glow.

The dark red light resembled congealed blood.

The light grew brighter and brighter, eventually converging into four beams that simultaneously shot towards Xie Linyuan's forehead.

He tried to dodge, but his body froze.

The beam of light pierced his forehead.

In an instant, countless images exploded in my mind.

—A baby was born, covered in blood, with a Qilin birthmark on his shoulder. The clansmen knelt and worshipped him, calling him "Qiling".

—The young man practiced swordsmanship, using the Black Gold Ancient Sword technique. He swung the sword three thousand times a day for ten years without interruption.

—His first time entering a tomb was at the age of seventeen. There was a zombie in the tomb, he killed it, and his blood splattered all over him.

—I met a young man named Wu Xie, who was a bit silly and always asked questions. There was also a fat guy who was greedy but loyal.

Standing before the bronze door, he glanced back, then went inside. The door closed behind him.

—A long period of guardianship. Ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years. Watching their people die one by one, watching the world change, watching themselves remain immortal.

—The final mission: Enter a parallel world that merges all the ancient tombs. Memories are sealed, awaiting awakening.

The images were too numerous, flooding his mind like a torrent. He clutched his head, knelt on the ground, and gritted his teeth.

The light from the four stones gradually dimmed, eventually turning into powder and scattering in the air.

The stone chamber returned to darkness.

Xie Linyuan knelt there, remaining motionless for a long time.

The system's voice sounded in my mind:

[The fusion of the four memory stones is complete]

Zhang Qiling's memory recovery: 40%

[Current character compatibility: 75%]

[Playing the role has been increased to 20%]

[Rewards: Zhang Qiling 30% increased attack power (cumulative), Qilin blood concentration increase (basic), Zhang Family Ancient Building Mechanism Blueprint (intermediate)]

Current Capabilities Overview:

Zhang Qiling's combat power increased by 30%.

Zhang Family Feng Shui Secrets (Intermediate Level)

Black Gold Ancient Sword

Night vision capability (beginner level)

• Basic mechanism identification (beginner)

• Tomb Raider (Elementary Level)

• Disguise (Beginner)

• Kirin Blood (Primary Concentration)

• Zhangjia Ancient Building Mechanism Diagram (Intermediate)

Power surged into my body like a tidal wave.

He could feel his muscles were stronger, his bones more resilient, and his reflexes faster. The wound on his shoulder began to itch—a sign of healing. The wound on his left arm was also scabbing over quickly.

The Qilin blood flowed in his blood vessels, its temperature higher and concentration greater than before. He could control it now, concentrating it in whichever part he wanted.

Some of his memories returned, but much was still blurry. Wu Xie's face, Wang Pangzi's laughter, Hei Xiazi's sunglasses... these images were clear, but lacked detail. He knew these people were important to him, but he couldn't recall the specifics of what had happened.

He slowly stood up.

His body was brimming with strength, and his injuries had mostly healed. But the emptiness in his heart had grown even greater.

He knew who he was.

Zhang Qiling.

Gatekeeper.

The immortal.

In this world, there is no Wu Xie, no Fatty Wang, and no Hei Xiazi.

He was all alone.

He stood there for a long time, then walked toward the stone platform.

Beneath the stone platform was a hidden compartment. He opened it, and inside were several items: a jade disc, about the size of a palm, engraved with cloud patterns; a bronze short sword with the character "镇" (zhen, meaning "to suppress") on its blade; and a scroll of bamboo slips bound with gold thread.

He picked up the jade disc and the short sword, and stuffed them into his backpack. He opened the bamboo scroll and glanced at it; it recorded the history of the gatekeeper clan, from the first generation to the last.

The last line reads: "Zhang Qiling, the last gatekeeper of the Zhang family, enters this gate to guard the netherworld."

He put away the bamboo slips.

Then he turned and walked toward the bronze door.

The door opened automatically.

Outside the door, Lin Guoce and the others were still waiting anxiously. Seeing Xie Linyuan emerge, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Xie, you..." Lin Guoce stopped midway through his sentence.

He sensed that Xie Linyuan was different.

It wasn't his appearance that changed, but his demeanor. He was colder, more composed, and his eyes were deeper, like an ancient well, bottomless. Although the wounds on his body were still there, his posture was more upright, like a drawn sword.

"It's nothing," Xie Linyuan said.

His voice was even fainter than before, with almost no emotional fluctuation.

Professor Zhou Xu'an stepped forward excitedly: "Mr. Xie, what's inside? What's the historical truth?"

Xie Linyuan glanced at him.

"The history of the gatekeeper family," he said. "The Zhang family has guarded the bronze gate for generations, preventing anything behind it from coming out."

What's behind the door?

"Things that cannot be said."

The professor wanted to ask more questions, but seeing Xie Linyuan's gaze, he swallowed his words.

Jiang Shouyi asked in a low voice, "So...can we get out now?"

Xie Linyuan looked at the bronze door.

The door slowly closed behind him, then began to sink—not sink, but melt. The bronze flowed into the ground like water and disappeared. Only a flat stone slab remained, without a trace.

"The exit is up there," Xie Linyuan said.

He led the way back.

The group followed him, passing through the stone pillar forest, crossing the high platform, climbing the steps, and returning to the stone tablet corridor.

Throughout the journey, Professor Zhou Xu'an kept taking notes: the runes on the stone pillars, the structure of the high platform, the names on the stone tablets... His hands were trembling, but his eyes shone like stars.

"These discoveries... are enough to rewrite the entire history of the pre-Qin period! The gatekeeper clan, the bronze gate, the secret of immortality... these are all completely unrecorded in historical texts!"

The chat room was flooded with comments.

[The truth about the ID revealed: The gatekeepers! The Zhang family!]

[ID: The Secret to Immortality: Is this guy really an immortal?!]

[ID History Rewritten: This live stream is going to go down in history!]

[ID: I feel sorry for this guy: He looks so lonely]

Back in the stone tablet corridor, Xie Linyuan stopped.

He looked at the last blank stone tablet.

The words "To be continued" stood out starkly in the dim light.

He took the bronze short sword out of his backpack and walked to the stone tablet.

Carve two characters on the stone tablet with the tip of the sword:

"Rise of the Spirits".

After finishing the carving, he sheathed the sword.

"Let's go."

Keep going.

They retraced their steps, passing the blood pool (the blood had dried up), the sacrificial temple (the fire pit was extinguished), the underground lake (the black serpent was nowhere to be seen), the spiral staircase, the bronze door (the door had disappeared), the front hall (the remains of the corpse puppets were still there), and the chained rift valley (the chains were broken)...

Keep moving upwards.

It took a full eight hours to walk.

Finally, natural light appeared ahead.

It was not the light of torches, nor the light of moss, but the light of sunlight.

Although very faint, it was indeed sunlight.

They emerged from a cave.

It was evening outside, the sun was setting, and the sky was a deep red. A breeze blew by, carrying the scent of trees and earth—they hadn't smelled such fresh air in a long time.

Everyone collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

They made it out alive.

Chen Man cried, and Wang Yihan cried too. Kun Ge knelt on the ground and kissed the soil. Jiang Shouyi looked up at the sky, tears streaming down his face. Professor Zhou Xu'an held his backpack, which was filled with records and photos.

Lin Guoce leaned against the stone wall, watching the sunset, and let out a long breath.

Xie Linyuan stood at the cave entrance, looking into the distance.

The mountains are layered upon each other, shrouded in clouds and mist.

This world is beautiful.

But it's unfamiliar.

He remembered what Wu Xie had said: "Brother, let's travel together sometime and see the world."

He recalled what Fatty Wang had said: "Naive, don't talk nonsense. How could a god-like figure like Brother Xiaoge mingle with us mere mortals?"

He remembered what Hei Xiazi had said: "Mute Zhang, it's good that you're alive."

These people do not exist in this world.

He was all alone.

longevity.

lonely.

He stood there for a long time, then turned around and looked at Lin Guoce.

"I'm leaving."

Lin Guoce stood up: "Mr. Xie, where are you going?"

"have no idea."

"Come back with us, the country will thank you and will make arrangements for you..."

Xie Linyuan shook his head.

"Need not."

He slung his backpack over his shoulder, a black and gold ancient sword across his back. The setting sun cast a long shadow on him.

He walked down the mountain.

His steps were steady, and his back was straight.

Watching his retreating figure, Lin Guoce suddenly called out, "Mr. Xie! Will we ever see each other again?"

Xie Linyuan stopped but didn't turn around.

"We'll meet again if fate allows."

Then keep walking.

They walked further and further away until they disappeared into the woods.

Professor Zhou Xu'an walked to Lin Guoce's side and said softly, "He took the jade disc and the short sword with him."

Lin Guoce nodded: "He deserves it."

"Those cultural relics..."

"He will keep it safe," Lin Guoze said. "It's safer than keeping it in a museum."

The sun had completely set.

it's dark.

Xie Linyuan walked along the mountain path, the moonlight casting a long shadow over him.

He touched the jade disc and short sword in his backpack.

He touched the bamboo scroll in his arms again.

Then keep walking.

Heading towards an unknown, distant place.

In this unfamiliar world.

A person.