Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

The moment the door closed behind me, all the light disappeared.

Absolute darkness, as thick as ink that cannot be dissolved.

There was no sound, no wind, and even the air seemed to freeze.

Only the sound of my own breathing echoed in my ears, rising and falling, too clearly to be real.

Zhang Qiling stood still.

He's waiting for his eyes to adjust.

No, it's not adaptation—it's the "night vision" ability that's automatically activated.

It was as if someone was slowly lifting a black cloth in the darkness, and the scene before your eyes gradually emerged.

It is a huge space.

It's so big that you can't see the boundaries.

The ground was made of black stone slabs, flat and smooth, reflecting very faint human shadows.

The top of my head was very high, so high that I couldn't see the top; there was only a bottomless expanse of darkness.

And all around...

It's an eye.

Countless eyes are embedded in the rock face, densely packed and layered.

Like the eyes engraved on the bronze door outside, it has vertical pupils with swirling patterns in the pupils.

But these eyes are alive—or at least appear to be alive.

The pupils slowly rotated, like countless bottomless vortexes, staring at the two people in the center of the space.

The eyes emitted a faint, dark red light, casting a blood-red veil over the entire space.

"Zhang Qiling" stood half a step away from "Zhang Qiling," also observing.

His night vision was also working, and the scene in his field of vision was similar to what "Zhang Qiling" saw.

"There's no door," he said.

The sound echoed through the empty space, without a sound, as if swallowed by the darkness.

"Um."

Zhang Qiling turned around and looked behind him.

Where the bronze door should have been is now a complete rock wall.

The rock face was as smooth as a mirror, and the reflections of the two people could be vaguely seen.

The eyes on the door disappeared, as if they had never existed.

"Once you're in, you can't get out."

"Zhang Qiling" said.

"Know."

Zhang Qiling didn't say anything more.

He walked to a rock wall and reached out to touch the eyes.

It was cold and hard; it was stone.

But the moment you touch it, you can feel a very subtle pulse, like a heart beating under the stone.

"Alive?" he asked.

"Half alive."

Zhang Qiling walked to his side and also reached out and pressed his hand against one of his eyes.

Close your eyes and sense it.

A few seconds later, he opened his eyes.

"Part of the seal. Used for guarding, and also for... absorption."

"Absorb what?"

"Everything that broke in."

Zhang Qiling withdrew his hand and looked into the depths of the space.

The light in my eyes stretched far into the distance, and at the end, there seemed to be something.

It was very large and very tall, hidden in the dark red light, and its exact shape was not visible.

"Let's go take a look."

The two walked side by side into the depths.

The footsteps were very light on the stone pavement, but they were still clear in the absolute silence.

After walking for a while, "Zhang Qiling" suddenly stopped.

There's something there.

"Zhang Qiling" has also stopped.

He looked down at the ground.

Something was growing in the cracks of the stone slabs.

It wasn't moss, but some kind of dark red, filamentous substance that looked like blood vessels.

Very fine, densely packed, they seeped out from the cracks and spread along the surface of the stone slab.

Some filamentous things had already crawled up to their feet and were trying to wrap around their boots.

Zhang Qiling lifted his foot and stepped down.

The filamentous material was broken, and a dark red, viscous liquid with a fishy, ​​sweet smell seeped from the broken end.

But more filamentous things poured out from the gap, like a swarm of startled snakes, frantically crawling toward the feet of the two men.

"retreat."

The two retreated simultaneously.

But the filamentous object caught up very quickly, almost touching his heel.

And it wasn't just on the ground; the vortexes in the pupils of the eyes on the rock walls began to spin faster.

From the center of the vortex, similar filamentous structures, like countless red tentacles, extended and coiled towards the two.

Zhang Qiling drew his sword.

The black gold ancient sword was drawn, drawing a deep black arc in the dark red light.

As the blade sliced ​​through, the first few dozen filamentous strands were cleanly severed, and liquid sprayed out.

Zhang Qiling's short sword was also drawn.

His knife was faster and sharper, specifically targeting the root of filamentous objects.

With one cut, a thread-like substance went limp and stopped moving.

But there were too many filamentous substances.

It surged forth continuously from the ground, from the rock walls, and from the unseen darkness above.

Soon a dark red net formed around the two of them, tightening ever tighter.

Zhang Qiling's sword-wielding speed increased.

The blade flashed, weaving a black curtain of light in front of him, shredding any filamentous objects that came near.

But he could sense that these things were impossible to eradicate completely.

Moreover, for every few cut off, more sprout up from elsewhere.

"core."

"Zhang Qiling" said that he cut through more than a dozen filamentous things that came rushing from the side with one stroke.

"Deep inside."

"Walk."

The two ceased their fighting and retreated, moving deeper into the space.

The filamentous creatures pursued relentlessly, but their speed couldn't keep up with the two of them.

They quickly created distance, leaving the dark red net behind.

After running about 100 meters, the filamentous object stopped chasing me.

They stopped outside some unseen boundary, dancing wildly like a pack of starving beasts, but dared not cross the line.

The two stopped and caught their breath.

"There is a domain."

"Zhang Qiling" said.

"Um."

Zhang Qiling looked behind him.

The filamentous things were still wriggling outside the boundary, but they certainly didn't dare to come over.

On this side of the boundary, the ground is clean, the eyes on the rock wall are quiet, and the pupils are rotating at a normal speed.

"It's safe here."

"temporary."

The two continued walking forward.

The deeper you go, the larger the space becomes.

The dark red light intensified, staining everything blood-red.

Now I can see clearly what that enormous thing deep inside is—

It is a stone pillar.

The stone pillars, enormous beyond description, are at least thirty meters in diameter, stretching upwards into the darkness above and downwards into the depths of the earth.

The pillar was covered with the same sacrificial texts as the outside, as well as those eye patterns.

But the eyes here are bigger, and the swirls in the pupils are spinning faster.

There are things embedded in the surface of the stone pillar.

It's not a bone.

are people.

A living, breathing person—or rather, someone who was once a living, breathing person.

They were sealed inside pillars in a translucent, amber-like substance, preserving their postures from when they were alive.

Some were kneeling, some were standing, and some had their arms outstretched as if embracing something.

His expression was calm, even somewhat relieved.

There were seven people in total, evenly distributed at different heights along the pillar.

"Human Pillar."

"Zhang Qiling" said.

"core."

Zhang Qiling walked to the stone pillar and placed his hand on it.

A strong, steady pulse emanated from the pillar.

Like a giant heart, beating slowly.

With each jump, the light in the entire space brightens and dims once.

"The core of the seal is maintained by the lives and will of these seven people."

Zhang Qiling also placed his hand on it.

He closed his eyes and sensed.

A few seconds later, he opened his eyes, his expression darkening.

"It's loosened by 30%."

"How much longer can we hold out?"

"ten years."

"It's the same as our calculation."

Zhang Qiling withdrew his hand and looked at the people inside the pillar.

Their eyes were closed, their expressions peaceful, as if they were asleep.

But Zhang Qiling could sense that their consciousness was still awake, guarding the seal and the door in the pillar and in the darkness.

How long have you been waiting?

Decades? Centuries?

do not know.

But in the next decade, it will be their turn.

Zhang Qiling walked to the stone pillar and sat down cross-legged.

Zhang Qiling sat down next to him.

Neither of them spoke; they just sat quietly, looking at the huge stone pillar and the people inside it.

Time loses its meaning here.

Only the stone pillar pulsed, one beat after another, like a heartbeat, or a countdown.

Outside.

In front of the bronze gate.

Wu Xie was still kneeling on the ground, his hand pressed against the cold door.

The eyes on the door were all closed, and there was no more light.

The door transformed into an ordinary, heavy bronze door, silent and lifeless.

"Brother..."

He murmured, tears falling onto the stone slab, splashing into tiny droplets.

Fatty Wang stood behind him, his eyes red-rimmed, but he didn't cry.

He gritted his teeth, his cheeks taut.

Xie Yuchen supported Huo Xiuxiu, who was sobbing softly.

Ah Ning turned her back, her shoulders shaking.

Jiang Xun Gu stood ramrod straight, but his hand holding the gun was trembling slightly.

Black Bear leaned against the rock wall, looking up at the cave ceiling, his face expressionless.

But those who know him well can see that there's something burning in his eyes.

The levitating live-streaming sphere floated silently in front of the door, the camera pointed at the door and the group of people in front of it.

The live stream chat was sparse with comments.

"They really went in..."

"ten years……"

"I can't accept it."

"You two guys must stay alive!"

"I will wait ten years from now."

After an unknown amount of time, Wu Xie stood up.

He wiped away his tears, turned around, and looked at the others.

"Let's go."

His voice was very hoarse, but very steady.

"Walk?"

Fatty Wang looked at him and asked, "Where are you going?"

"go back."

Wu Xie looked down at the Ghost Seal in his hand.

The black jade seal gleamed with a cold, eerie light in the dim red glow, and the qilin on it seemed to be alive, staring at him.

"The young man said ten years. Then we'll wait ten years. Ten years later, we'll come back with the Ghost Seal to open the door."

"Ten years...that's too long."

Huo Xiuxiu said in a low voice.

"Not long."

Xie Yuchen spoke, his voice hoarse but firm.

"Ten years is just a year. I can wait that long."

"I can wait."

Ah Ning turned around, her eyes still red, but her gaze had calmed down.

"Ten years. I'll prepare for you. Equipment, supplies, routes, everything. We'll definitely come back in ten years."

Jiang Xun Gu nodded.

Count me in.

Hei Xiazi straightened up from the rock wall, walked up to Wu Xie, and patted him on the shoulder.

Ten years, it goes by so fast. It'll be over in the blink of an eye.

Wu Xie looked at them, examining each one of them.

Fatty, Xiaohua, Xiuxiu, Aning, Jiang Xungu, Heixiazi.

These are people who have gone through thick and thin together.

We'll wait another ten years together, come back together, and open the door together.

"Thank you," he said.

"Thank me my ass."

Fatty Wang put his arm around his neck.

"We're all brothers, no need to talk about these things."

The group took one last look at the bronze gate, then turned and walked back the way they came.

The levitating live-streaming ball followed behind, and the camera finally panned across the door.

The door stood silent, like a tombstone.

But buried under the tombstone is not a dead person.

There are two living people.

In the darkness, I stand guard at the door, waiting for someone to come and awaken me ten years from now.

The process of leaving the tomb went smoothly.

The shadow disappeared; the Wang and Luo families were all dead, and they encountered no further danger along the way.

Back in the stone chamber, the kneeling corpses were still kneeling quietly, and the stone pillars were still emitting a ghostly green light.

But Zhang Qiling said that the seal could last for another ten years, and these human pillars could hold out for another ten years.

As he passed by, Wu Xie bowed to the kneeling corpses.

The others followed suit and bowed.

Then continue upwards.

Climb out of the passageway, return to the platform, pass through the stone gate, and walk up the stone steps.

The stone steps were long and steep, but no one spoke.

There were only footsteps, breathing sounds, and the occasional sob.

Finally, the light at the cave entrance appeared.

The moonlight shone in, making it feel cold and desolate.

Climb out of the cave and stand on the rocks below the cliff.

The tide hasn't risen yet, but it's already slowly receding.

The seawater lapped against the rocks, splashing and gurgling like a sigh.

The fishing boat remained stationary, with Captain Chen standing at the bow, looking in this direction.

Seeing them come out, he visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Board the ship, set sail, and leave.

The ship sailed out of the reef area and into the open sea.

Looking back, the eye-shaped island lay quietly in the moonlight, like a closed eye.

There are two people trapped inside that eye.

He'll be imprisoned for ten years.

Wu Xie stood at the stern, watching the island grow smaller and smaller, becoming increasingly blurry.

Finally, it became a black dot on the horizon, and then disappeared.

He gripped the Ghost Seal tightly in his hand.

The imperial seal was cold, but after he held it for a long time, it slowly warmed up.

"ten years."

He said in a low voice.

"I will definitely come back."

The ship sailed at sea for three days before returning to Donghai Port.

As they were disembarking, Captain Chen called out to Xie Yuchen.

"Boss Xie, that boat... is it still there?"

"Keep it."

Xie Yuchen said.

"Regular maintenance ensures it's always ready to use. Ten years from now, we'll be setting sail again."

Captain Chen nodded and said nothing more.

The group traveled back to Lin'an by car.

No one spoke on the road.

The carriage was quiet, with only the roar of the engine and the sound of the wind outside the window.

By the time we got back to the villa, it was already dark.

The osmanthus tree in the yard is still there, its leaves rustling in the night breeze.

The living room lights were on, casting a warm yellow glow through the windows, as if waiting for someone to come home.

But the person we were waiting for will never come back.

They won't be able to come back for at least ten years.

Wu Xie walked into the living room and put down his backpack.

The Ghost Seal sat on the coffee table, its black surface gleaming warmly under the lamplight.

Fatty Wang slumped onto the sofa and let out a long sigh.

"Finally... you're back."

"They're back, but two people are missing."

Huo Xiuxiu said in a low voice.

"No less."

Xie Yuchen walked to the window and looked at the dark night outside.

"They are there, and we are here. But as long as our hearts are together, nothing is missing."

Aning went to the kitchen to boil water and make tea.

Hot tea was served, one cup for each person.

Holding the teacup, the rising steam blurred my vision.

"What do we do next?"

Jiang Xun Gu asked.

"wait."

Wu Xie said.

"Wait ten years. In these ten years, we'll do what we need to do. Life goes on, but don't forget, in ten years, we'll go back."

"How will you get through these ten years?"

Black Bear took a sip of tea and asked.

"I'm going back to Lin'an to continue running my little shop."

Wu Xie said.

"But I will be prepared. Maps, data, equipment, everything I need. Ten years from now, I will go back in top condition."

"I'm going back to the north of the city."

Xie Yuchen said.

"There are still many things to deal with at the Xie family's place. But for the next ten years, I will keep an eye out for all relevant clues. The things behind the door, the principles behind the seal, the methods of reinforcement... I need to figure them out."

"Xiuxiu and I will help you."

Huo Xiuxiu said.

"I'll deal with the Wang and Luo families."

Jiang Xun Gu said.

"Those two families have been severely weakened this time, but they're not completely wiped out. Ten years is enough for me to clean them up completely. Once the young men get out, we can't let them be disturbed again."

"I……"

Ah Ning paused.

"I'll stay here. The villa needs someone to take care of it, and the equipment needs someone to maintain it. I'll stay here and wait for them to come back."

"I'll stay with you."

Wang Pangzi said.

"I don't have anywhere else to go, so I'll just stay here. I'll look after the house, cook, and ten years will pass in the blink of an eye."

Black Bear laughed.

"Okay, then I'll occasionally come over for a meal. Ten years isn't a long time, but it's not short either. But we're all here to make it to that day."

The tea slowly cooled down.

The night deepened.

But the living room lights remained on.

It's like they're waiting for someone to come back.

Although I know it will take ten years.

Inside the bronze door.

Zhang Qiling opened his eyes.

He was meditating, regulating his breath, and sensing the state of the seal.

The stone pillar's pulse is very stable and there shouldn't be any problems within the next ten years.

But ten years from now... it's hard to say.

【Ding. 】

The system's voice rang in my mind.

[Host, have you adapted?]

"Um."

The environment here is a bit poor, but it doesn't matter to you. Ten years will pass quickly.

"Know."

Those people outside... will be waiting for you.

"Know."

The system paused for a moment.

[Host, do you regret it?]

"No."

[Are you really not going to regret it?]

"No, really."

"Zhang Qiling" looked at "Zhang Qiling" next to him.

"Zhang Qiling" was also meditating with his eyes closed, but "Zhang Qiling" knew he was listening.

"With him around, it's not a loss."

The system laughed.

Yes, with a brother by your side, even ten years won't be too hard to get through.

"Um."

Zhang Qiling closed his eyes again.

The stone pillar pulsed, one pulse after another.

Like a heartbeat.

It's like a countdown.

Ten years, the count begins.