Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

Chapter 27 Traps in the Passage

The passage behind the stone gate was narrower than before, allowing only sideways passage.

The moss on the walls was thick and damp, slippery to the touch. There was a musty smell in the air, tinged with a hint of rust. The flashlight beam flickered in the darkness, cutting through the limited space.

Lin Guoce led the way, walking very slowly, testing the waters with each step.

Wu Sanxing followed behind him, leaning to the side, his old hat nearly being scraped off the rock face. He adjusted his hat with his hand, his movements clumsy, like a middle-aged man unaccustomed to walking on this kind of path.

One person after another followed.

Kun walked with great difficulty; he was taller than the average person, making it even harder for him to walk sideways. His assistant pushed him from behind, while the makeup artist, pale-faced, followed further back.

"This road is so narrow..." Kun complained. "If I had known it would be this difficult to walk, I wouldn't have come."

Liu Changfu chimed in from behind, "Brother Kun, hang in there! Archaeological work is just this tough!"

Sun Shuanzhu, who was further back, said as he walked, "Everyone, be careful not to touch the moss on the wall; it might be a valuable sample of ancient microorganisms..."

Wu Sansheng frowned slightly upon hearing these words.

But he didn't turn around.

Keep going.

After walking about thirty meters, the passage widened slightly, allowing for normal walking. A corner appeared ahead.

Lin Guoce stopped at the corner and shone his flashlight around.

Behind the corner is a larger space.

It resembles a converted natural cave, with a high ceiling and many stalactites hanging down. The ground is paved with bluestone slabs, and there is water on the slabs, making a splashing sound when you step on them.

In the center of the cave, several stone pillars stand.

The stone pillars are carved with reliefs depicting scenes of war—soldiers on horseback, wielding spears, charging into battle.

Professor Zhou Xu'an walked over excitedly: "Han Dynasty cavalry! This carving technique is definitely from the Han Dynasty!"

He started taking pictures.

The others also went into the cave.

Wu Sansheng stood at the cave entrance, not in a hurry to go in.

He was looking at the ground.

The water on the bluestone slabs was unevenly distributed. Some areas had more water, while others had less. Moreover, the slabs with less water were a darker color, as if they had been frequently trampled on.

He looked up at the top of the cave again.

The location of the stalactites also follows a pattern. Several particularly thick stalactites are suspended directly above the slabs of stone with little water.

He got it.

"Don't step on the dark paving stones," he said.

The sound wasn't loud, but the cave was quiet, and everyone heard it.

Lin Guoce turned to look at him: "Why?"

"There's a mechanism," Wu Sansheng said. "The dark stone slab is hollow underneath; if you step on it, the stalactites on top will fall down."

Kun had already walked to a stone pillar and was about to step onto a dark stone slab. Upon hearing this, he quickly pulled his foot back.

"Really?" he asked.

Wu Sansheng didn't explain. He picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the dark stone slab.

The stone fell onto the stone slab.

Click.

The stone slab has sunk about half an inch.

The thick stalactite on the cave ceiling has become loose.

But it didn't fall.

"See?" Wu Sansheng said, "If you step on it lightly, it won't trigger. But if you step on it hard, or if many people step on it, it will fall."

Everyone stepped back, avoiding the dark stone slabs.

Liu Changfu asked, "Uncle Wu, how do you know all this? Have you been here before?"

Wu Sansheng shook his head: "I've never been here before. I could tell."

"You figured it out?" Liu Changfu asked incredulously. "Is it that easy to figure out?"

Wu Sansheng glanced at him.

That look seemed to say: You're stupid if you can't tell.

Liu Changfu was speechless, taken aback by that look.

Bullet comments:

[ID Uncle's Daily Disdain]

[ID Liu Changfu: I got disliked again]

[ID Analysis: This guy's got some skills]

Following Wu Sansheng's instructions, Lin Guoce led everyone around the dark stone slabs to the other end of the cave.

There is another passageway there.

This passage leads upwards and has stone steps.

The stone steps were very steep, each step was very high, and you had to lift your legs with effort. Moreover, the surface of the stone steps was very slippery and covered with slimy algae.

"Be careful," Lin Guoce said. "One at a time, don't rush."

He started climbing.

Wu Sansheng followed behind.

After climbing about twenty levels, a platform appeared ahead.

The platform was small, about ten square meters. In the center of the platform, there was a bronze coffin.

The coffin was not large, about two meters long and one meter wide. The body of the coffin was severely rusted and covered with green rust. The coffin lid was engraved with cloud patterns and several ancient seal characters.

After Professor Zhou Xu'an climbed up, he immediately rushed to the coffin: "This...this is a Han Dynasty noble's coffin! It's so well preserved, it's extremely rare!"

He tried to reach out and touch it, but Lin Guoce stopped him.

"Professor, don't touch it yet."

"I'll just take a look..." the professor said excitedly.

Wu Sansheng stood at the edge of the platform, looking at the coffin.

The coffin's location is strange.

It's not in the center of the platform, but slightly to the left. Moreover, there are several stones under the coffin, and the stones are of different heights, causing the coffin to tilt slightly.

This was intentional.

There's something in the coffin.

He looked at the coffin lid.

The coffin lid was not sealed tightly; there was a gap.

It's a very thin gap, but you can see that it's empty inside.

"Don't open the coffin," he said.

Everyone looked at him.

"Why?" Liu Changfu asked. "Isn't archaeology just about opening coffins and studying them?"

"This coffin is a trap," Wu Sansheng said. "Opening it will trigger something else."

How did you know?

Wu Sansheng didn't answer, but pointed to the stones under the coffin: "See? The stones aren't level. If it were a proper burial, it wouldn't be like this. This was deliberately arranged like this to make it easier for the coffin lid to slide open."

He then pointed to the walls around the platform: "See those holes in the walls? They're not natural. Once the coffin is opened, something will come out of those holes."

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing.

There were indeed holes in the wall, very small, densely packed, like a honeycomb.

Lin Guoce asked, "What will happen?"

"I don't know," Wu Sansheng said. "It could be an arrow, it could be poison gas, or it could be something else."

Sun Shuanzhu said seriously, "Even if there is danger, we have to open the coffin. This is archaeological work, and there may be important cultural relics inside."

"Is life more important or cultural relics?" Wu Sansheng asked.

"Both are important!" Sun Shuanzhu said, "but cultural relics belong to the country and the people, and we have a responsibility to protect and study them."

Wu Sansheng looked at him and sighed.

That expression seemed to say: There's no hope.

Bullet comments:

[ID Uncle: I'm exhausted]

[ID Teacher Sun: Adhere to Principles]

[Viewer ID: The uncle is right, life is more important]

Lin Guoce thought for a moment and said, "Don't open the coffin yet. Keep exploring. If there's no way forward, then we'll come back and reconsider."

Everyone agrees.

There is indeed another road on the other side of the platform.

A downward staircase.

However, there are some rubble piled up at the entrance to the stairs, which need to be cleared.

Lin Guoce arranged for special forces to clear the rocks.

Wu Sansheng sat on the edge of the platform, took out a water bottle from his tattered canvas bag, and drank some water.

Kun came over and sat down next to him.

"Uncle, you know so much," Kun said. "Who taught you that?"

"It's an heirloom," Wu Sansheng said.

"What did your ancestors do?"

"A feng shui master."

Kun Ge said "Oh," and then asked, "So, do you think Xie Linyuan will come to this tomb?"

Wu Sansheng glanced at him: "You want him to come?"

"I kind of want to," Kun said. "With him here, we'll be safer. But I also kind of don't want to... With him here, I won't be the center of attention anymore."

That's a very honest statement.

Wu Sansheng did not respond.

Kun Ge added, "Actually, I really admire him. He's so strong, and he's not afraid of anything. I want to be like that too, but I can't."

Wu Sansheng took a sip of water and said slowly, "Everyone has their own way of living."

"And what about you? Why did you come to do archaeology?" Kun asked. "For money? For fame?"

Wu Sansheng thought for a moment and said, "To see the old things."

"What's so interesting about things from the past?"

"Look at how people lived and died in the past," Wu Sansheng said. "Look at what they left behind and what they took with them."

Kun nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

At this moment, Liu Changfu came over again.

"Brother Kun, Uncle Wu, what are you talking about?" he said with a smile. "If you ask me, a master like Xie Linyuan should take the initiative to help us. His not coming is selfish..."

Wu Sansheng raised his head and looked at him.

His eyes were cold.

It was as cold as ice.

Liu Changfu felt uneasy under that gaze, gave a dry laugh, and left.

Bullet comments:

[ID: Killer Gaze: The Uncle is Angry]

[ID Liu Changfu: I was wrong]

[ID First Time: This Uncle Showed This Kind of Look]

The stones have been mostly cleared away.

The steps are exposed, very steep, extending downwards, with no bottom in sight.

Lin Guoce went first.

Wu Sansheng followed.

This staircase is more dangerous than the previous ones. Not only is it steep, but many of the steps are also broken and loose when stepped on.

After walking about thirty steps, the person in front of us suddenly stopped.

"There's something there," Lin Guoce said.

The flashlight beam shone over.

In the middle of the steps, there was a skeleton lying across the ground.

The skeleton was dressed in tattered clothes, the style of which was ancient, not modern. In its hand, it held a rusty knife.

"People who came before," Wu Sansheng said.

"Tomb raiders?" Lin Guoce asked.

"may be."

Scattered around the skeleton were some tools: a shovel, a hammer, and several empty bags.

Professor Zhou Xu'an squatted down to examine it: "This clothing... is it from the Ming Dynasty? No, it's earlier..."

Wu Sansheng didn't look at the skeletons; he looked at the wall next to them.

There are several scratches on the wall.

The scratches were deep, as if carved with a knife. Several words were carved, but they were blurred and illegible.

He leaned closer to take a look.

I could barely make out a few words: "...Do not...open...the...coffin..."

Do not open the coffin.

He got it.

This person opened the coffin above.

Then die here.

He glanced back at the way he had come.

That coffin, as expected, could not be opened.

"Keep going," Lin Guoce said.

The group bypassed the skeletons and continued downwards.

The steps became steeper and more dangerous.

To get to the back, you need to grab onto the protrusions on the wall to keep your balance.

Kun struggled the most, nearly slipping several times. His assistant followed closely behind, but couldn't offer much help.

As Liu Changfu walked, he complained, "Xie Linyuan would definitely walk on this kind of road as if it were flat ground..."

Wu Sansheng, who was walking ahead, paused upon hearing this.

But he didn't turn around.

keep going.

After climbing about fifty more steps, the stairs finally came to a stop.

Below is a stone chamber.

The stone chamber was enormous, larger than any I had seen before. In the center was a pool of black water that emitted a foul stench. Around the pool lay piles of white bones.

Not just one or two.

There were dozens of them.

They were piled up into a small mountain.

Everyone gasped.

"This...this is a burial pit?" Professor Zhou Xu'an's voice trembled.

Wu Sansheng walked to the edge of the pool, squatted down, and looked at the water.

The water was very dark and thick, like ink. Something was moving at the bottom, but I couldn't see what it was.

He picked up a stone and threw it into the pond.

The stone sank.

No sound.

It felt like it had been swallowed by something.

He stood up and stepped back.