Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

The bronze door was open.

Behind the door lay a pure, all-consuming darkness.

The howling wind and snow outside the door formed a clear, even cruel, boundary at the open doorway.

The wind whipped up snowflakes and poured into the doorway, disappearing without a trace.

It felt like being swallowed up by an invisible behemoth.

Zhang Qiling stood before the boundary, his back to everyone.

His figure was straight, and his hand holding the Ghost Seal was as steady as a rock.

The chill emanating from inside the door was a thousand times more biting than the fiercest snowstorms of Changbai Mountain.

It was a coldness that acted on the soul, a coldness that marked the end of all things.

Wu Xie slumped down in the snow, a few steps away from him.

Tears streamed down his face, mingling with the snow.

His lips were bluish-purple, and his whole body was trembling violently, but he couldn't make a sound.

He just stared intently at that black figure.

It was as if she wanted to nail him to the spot with her gaze.

Immense pain from being pierced by the truth and the panic of impending loss.

It felt like two giant hands were squeezing his heart, almost suffocating him.

Fatty Wang rushed to Wu Xie's side, trying to pull him up.

His own eyes reddened, and he roared at the figure's back.

"Hey buddy! Explain yourself! What do you mean he's doing it for you?! What's going on?! We can't come in through this door! Let's go home! We'll talk about it when we get home!"

Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu were pale-faced and huddled together.

Looking at the door and the people in front of it, their eyes were filled with immense shock and helplessness.

Ah Ning bit her lip, her hand gripping the hilt of the knife at her waist, her knuckles turning white.

Jiang Xun Gu stood slightly in front of the crowd, his body tense, like a fully drawn bow.

But they didn't know where to aim.

Hei Xiazi took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of unfathomable eyes.

The usual lazy smile on his face vanished without a trace.

Only a heavy, almost sorrowful calm remained.

He looked at Zhang Qiling's back, then at Zhang Qiling standing silently beside him.

In the end, he said nothing, only sighed very softly, almost imperceptibly.

The wind and snow howled, but time seemed to stand still before this bronze door.

At this moment, "Zhang Qiling" moved.

He did not walk toward the open door.

Instead, he turned around to face Wu Xie, who was slumped in his seat, and the familiar faces behind him.

His gaze slowly swept over each person.

Wu Xie was heartbroken.

An angry and helpless fat man.

Xiao Hua and Xiu Xiu were shocked beyond words.

Aning and Jiang Xungu were tense.

And there's the silent bear.

His face remained expressionless.

But in those eyes that were always calm and icy, the figures of everyone were now clearly reflected.

It also clearly emanates an extremely rare, almost gentle, faint light.

He spoke, his voice not loud, but exceptionally clear in the wind and snow.

He spoke slowly, word by word.

"These days, the days I spent with you all..."

He paused, seemingly searching for the right word.

It seems that the weight of these words simply settles heavily on everyone's heart.

"...Really, I'm very happy."

Wu Xie suddenly raised his head, and tears welled up in his eyes again.

The fat man was also stunned, his mouth agape.

Zhang Qiling's gaze fell on Wu Xie's face as he continued.

His tone was calm, yet it carried a strange tenderness that transcended the barriers of the world.

"Although you are not from my world, not from the original them."

He looked at the fat man.

He looked at Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu.

He looked at A Ning and Jiang Xun Gu.

Finally, their eyes met briefly in Hei Xiazi's deep gaze.

"But, being with you all—eating, drinking, sunbathing, playing chess, watching you argue, listening to you nag..."

He spoke each word very softly.

But they are like little hammers, striking the softest spot in everyone's heart.

"...And also, together, we'll walk through those tomb passages and deal with those things."

The corners of his mouth curved upwards almost imperceptibly.

It was an extremely subtle yet incredibly real smile that belonged to "Zhang Qiling".

"I'm really happy."

He repeated it.

Then, he looked at everyone very seriously.

In the simplest and most sincere words, this wonderful connection that transcended timelines was finally summarized.

Thank you.

After saying that, he stopped looking at the crowd.

He turned around and walked towards "Zhang Qiling".

Wu Xie finally regained his voice and shouted hoarsely.

"Wait! You...you're leaving too? Where are you going?"

Zhang Qiling stopped in his tracks without turning around.

He simply turned his head to the side, and his voice came through calmly.

"go home."

Come back home.

He returned to the world he knew, a world perhaps also waiting for him, with Wu Xie, Fatty, Xie Yuchen, and Hei Xiazi.

He returned to his destined path as "Zhang Qiling".

This unexpected journey, this heartwarming interlude, is finally coming to an end.

He walked up to "Zhang Qiling".

The two stood side by side, facing the open bronze door.

They also face an unknown and completely different path home behind the door.

"Zhang Qiling" turned to "Zhang Qiling", and their eyes met.

No words are needed; a thousand words are conveyed in a single glance.

It is the tacit understanding among companions, and the comprehension of those who watch over each other.

It was a brief companionship that transcended loneliness and fate.

"Zhang Qiling" spoke first, uttering only two words, yet they carried immense weight.

"Take care of yourself."

Zhang Qiling looked at him, nodded, and replied with the same two words.

"treasure."

One must step inside the door to guard the "end" of this world.

A "starting point" to cross the door and return to the other world.

The same black clothes, the same silence, the same burden.

But they went on to different eternities.

Zhang Qiling took one last look at the snow-covered world.

I glanced at the people behind me, their faces streaked with tears and their eyes filled with reluctance.

Then, he gave a very slight nod to "Zhang Qiling".

He turned around without any hesitation.

With one step, he entered the pure darkness behind the bronze door.

His figure was instantly swallowed by darkness.

No trace was left.

It was as if a drop of water had merged into an endless sea of ​​ink.

The door remained open.

It was as if what I had just stepped into was just an illusion.

"Zhang Qiling" stared silently in the direction where "Zhang Qiling" had disappeared for a few seconds.

Then, he slowly turned around.

They faced the people in the wind and snow outside the door once again.

This time, he finally met Wu Xie's eyes, which were filled with despair, pain, confusion, and the last glimmer of hope.

He took two steps forward and squatted down in front of Wu Xie.

Look at him directly.

This subtle movement sent a shiver down Wu Xie's spine, and his tears flowed even more fiercely.

Zhang Qiling looked at Wu Xie intently.

It was as if they wanted to imprint this face one last time, clearly, deep into their souls.

Then, he raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears mixed with ice crystals from Wu Xie's face with his fingertips.

The movements were light and slow, with an almost clumsy gentleness.

"Wu Xie," he began, his voice softer than the wind and snow, yet each word clear and distinct, reaching everyone's ears.

"I've thought a lot during these ten years on the island."

"I miss the sunshine outside, I miss the braised pork that Fatty made, I miss the smell of ink in Jie Yuchen's study, I miss Hei Xiazi's unlit cigarette, I miss the way A Ning wiped her knife, I miss Jiang Xun Gu's back as he stood guard..."

He looked at that person after each sentence he spoke.

His gaze was calm, yet carried a heavy weight.

Those whose gaze swept over him involuntarily held their breath.

"But what I think about most," he looked at Wu Xie again, his fingertips still lingering on his cold cheek.

"It's the way you carve wood, the way you nag, the way you're anxious, the way you... wait for me."

Wu Xie burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Zhang Qiling" continued speaking, as if he wanted to finish saying what he hadn't said in his entire life in this final moment.

"Those ten years weren't lonely. Because I knew you were out there."

"These past six months have been very happy. Because I've truly been with you all."

He paused, his voice becoming lower and slower.

Yet it carries a gentle decisiveness that cuts off all hesitation.

So, don't cry.

"I'm going in to do what I'm supposed to do. To... complete what 'Zhang Qiling' is supposed to do."

"It's not disappearing, it's going to a place to keep a promise. Just like the past ten years."

"However, this time the location is a bit far, and the time... is a bit long."

He looked into Wu Xie's eyes as if trying to see into the depths of his soul.

Every word was a final and only promise.

"Wu Xie, take the Ghost Seal and live on. Live well."

"Live happily and relaxed, just like you have for the past six months."

"If...if a long time from now, you are still willing, still remember, and feel...that's enough."

He gently placed the Ghost Seal in his hand again into Wu Xie's cold, trembling palm.

Then, he used his own hand to close Wu Xie's fingers together.

Let him hold that warm yet cool jade seal tightly.

"Take it with you, and come back here to take another look."

"I might still be here. Or I might... be gone."

"But it's okay."

He slowly stood up and took a step back.

His gaze swept over everyone again.

Wu Xie weeps bitterly.

The fat man, tears streaming down his face, tightly covering his mouth.

Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu support each other, silently shedding tears.

Ah Ning stood up straight, but her eyes were red with tears.

Jiang Xun Gu's jaw was taut and his eyes were intense.

And the black bear standing quietly, its gaze as deep as the sea.

He spoke to everyone, very softly, but with unparalleled clarity.

"It's good to know you all."

"These days have been good."

"Thanks."

After saying that, he didn't linger or look back.

He turned around decisively, facing the wide-open bronze gate that seemed to lead to the end of time.

【Ding. 】

The system's voice rang in his mind, gentler than ever before.

Like a snowflake falling on the tip of my heart.

[Host, have you finished saying your last words?]

"Hmm," he replied in his mind.

[Well said. Better than any line from an art film in my archives.]

The system seemed to chuckle softly, with a slight nasal tone.

So, are you ready? This is the last leg of the journey.

"alright."

I'll stay here. Even though there might be no signal behind this door.

The system paused, its voice becoming extremely solemn and filled with immense pride.

[Host, Zhang Qiling, it is my honor to travel with you. I am very happy on this journey.]

Zhang Qiling's lips were hidden in the shadow of his hat brim, unseen by anyone.

It curves upwards in a barely perceptible, yet incredibly real, arc.

"Me too."

He said softly to himself.

Then, he took a step.

Cross that boundary between darkness and light.

The figure, resolute and without hesitation, plunged into the all-encompassing, eternal silence and darkness behind the bronze door.

The instant his figure completely disappeared.

The massive, incomparably heavy bronze gate emitted a long, desolate, and sigh-like roar.

It begins to slowly and irreversibly close inward.

"No—!!! Bro—!!!"

Wu Xie let out a heart-wrenching cry, as if his soul had been torn apart.

He struggled to lunge forward, but was held tightly by Fatty Wang and Xie Yuchen.

Huo Xiuxiu and A Ning turned their faces away, tears streaming down their faces.

Jiang Xun Gu closed his eyes.

Black Bear put his sunglasses back on, tilted his head back, and taut his jawline.

The suspended live-streaming sphere trembled slightly in the wind and snow.

The camera was fixed on the slowly closing giant door.

Until the last ray of sunlight was completely cut off by the thick bronze.

"boom!"

The door closed.

It fits perfectly, as if it had never been opened.

The wind and snow continued to howl, pounding against the cold bronze doors, emitting hollow wails.

The mottled patina and engravings on the door remain.

Silently guarding the mountainside, and also guarding the long, unknown watch and farewell behind the gate.

Wu Xie collapsed in the snow.

He clutched the dark, ghostly seal tightly in his hand.

The jade seal was pressed against his chest, retaining a faint, almost illusory warmth.

He stared at the massive, now silent gate.

Tears flowed silently, but the screams ceased.

He just stared intently, intently.

It was as if it wanted to reveal this door, the darkness behind it, and the person behind it.

Etched forever in life with your gaze.

Fatty Wang knelt beside him and put his arm around his shoulder tightly.

Her own tears fell in large drops onto the snow.

Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu stood embracing, silently shedding tears.

Ah Ning wiped away her tears and straightened her back again.

Jiang Xun Gu opened his eyes, his gaze becoming sharp and resolute once again.

Black Bear stood there, gazing at the door for a long time.

Finally, he said it very softly, almost inaudibly.

"Take care, Zhang the mute."

Snowflakes filled the sky, and Changbai Mountain stood silent.

The bronze door closed its eyes.

A story spanning ten years on an isolated island, the warmth of human connection, and ultimately, the trials and tribulations of life.

Here, a long, silent period, filled with endless lingering charm, was drawn...

Period (full stop).

[Performance Ratio: 100% (Final Perfection)]

[Character compatibility: 100% (I am Zhang Qiling)]

[Current Location: Inside the Bronze Gate (Overwatch Begins)]

[System Status: Silent Companionship (Until Eternity)]

[Final Note: Host, the door is closed. But the story never ends. In your world, in their world, and in the hearts of all who remember you, this grand and tender adventure will forever remain vivid.]

Goodbye, Zhang Qiling. Goodbye, host. May you, in the time behind the door, occasionally recall the sunlight outside, Fatty's braised pork, and those... people waiting for you to come home. (The End)