Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

Behind the crack was a downward-sloping passageway.

It was very narrow, barely allowing one person to bend over and pass through. The walls of the passageway were rough, marked with chisels, and covered with slippery moss. The air was stagnant, and the smells of mildew, earth, and an indescribable metallic rust mingled together, pressing heavily on the chest.

Zhang Qiling walked at the very front.

He was slightly bent over, but his steps were steady. Occasionally, his black gloves brushed against the slippery wall, the touch cold and sticky against his fingertips. He wasn't using any light, but his night vision allowed him to see clearly several meters ahead. The passageway descended steeply, its depths shrouded in darkness.

Zhang Qiling followed half a step behind him, also without any lighting. He was thinner, making him appear more agile in the narrow space. There was still no communication between the two, only the soft sound of footsteps and the rustling of clothes against the stone wall.

The rest of the team was in a much worse state.

The flashlight beams darted about, casting swaying and distorted shadows on the rough stone wall. People moved down the slope one after another, almost chest to back. Their feet slipped, and cries of alarm rang out as they were pulled back by those in front and behind them.

"Slow down! Slow down! Step carefully!" Lin Guoce's voice sounded muffled in the passageway.

Kun was covered in sweat, one hand gripping the cold, damp stone wall, the other keeping an eye on Chen Man and Wang Yihan behind him. "Watch your step... What the hell is this place? It's incredibly slippery..."

Chen Man's face was deathly pale, and she clung tightly to Kun Ge's clothes. Wang Yihan bit her lip, trying hard not to look down into the bottomless darkness.

Wu Xie and Fatty followed behind Xie Yuchen and Hei Xiazi. Fatty, being a large man, grimaced as he walked through the narrow passage. "Damn it, is this path meant for rats? With my size, this is going to be a nightmare!"

Wu Xie was also struggling to walk, his glasses fogged up. He took them off, wiped them, and put them back on, his gaze constantly trying to see past the people in front of him, focusing on the two figures almost blending into the darkness at the very front. "Fatty, do you think these two guys... don't they need to watch where they're going? It's so dark."

"What do you know? The realm of masters." The fat man panted, "They call it Night Vision! But naive, you mean... they really don't remember us? I'm getting a little uneasy about this."

Wu Xie remained silent. He stared ahead, a strange feeling stirring within him. Even though it should have been their first meeting, a vague sense of familiarity and closeness lingered. Especially when he saw their silent, side-by-side figures.

The suspended live-streaming sphere barely managed to weave through the gaps in the crowd, transmitting back images of the oppressive and cramped passageway and the people struggling to move forward.

The comments section was flooded with messages:

[ID Prophet: This atmosphere is suffocating...]

[ID: The Expert Who Definitely Disagrees with Experts: Where's Expert Sun? Is he dizzy yet?]

[ID Guy Fan Club: My husbands look like they're walking a runway even in dark conditions!]

[ID: Did Fatty Lose Weight Today?: Fatty's stuck! Help me out!]

[ID: Innocent and Unfettered: This slope is too steep, it's so hard to walk.]

[ID Blackie's Sunglasses: Something's off in the air, there's something there.]

After walking for about ten minutes, the slope became slightly gentler. The path also widened slightly, allowing two people to walk side by side with difficulty, but the overhead pressure was lower, requiring one to bend over constantly.

Zhang Qiling, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped.

He raised his hand in a gesture.

The people behind immediately stopped, not daring to breathe.

Zhang Qiling crouched down, and in the flashlight beam, he could see some inconspicuous pebbles scattered on the ground a few steps ahead. The pebbles were a slightly different color from the surrounding stones and were arranged in a seemingly random manner, but upon closer inspection, they revealed a certain pattern.

"A rubble maze." Zhang Qiling spoke softly behind him, his voice exceptionally clear in the silent passageway. "If you step on the wrong step, it will collapse."

Zhang Qiling didn't turn around, but simply hummed in response. His gaze swept over the pebbles, and the knowledge of the Zhang Family Ancient Building Mechanism Diagram (Advanced) automatically surfaced in his mind. Combining this with the distribution of the pebbles before him, he instantly deduced a safe path.

He didn't move, but instead stepped aside, making room for him.

Zhang Qiling took a half step forward and squatted down beside him. He stretched out his right hand, his slender fingers tracing the surface of the pebbles, his fingertips seemingly able to sense extremely subtle changes in the airflow. He was also doing mental calculations.

The two pointed almost simultaneously to the same winding path that required twisting their hips to pass through.

"Three steps to the left, one step to the right, two steps diagonally forward, then one step to the left again," Zhang Qiling whispered, announcing the steps.

Zhang Qiling nodded and took the first step, landing precisely on the designated spot. The ground remained completely still.

He walked over, turned around, and looked at Zhang Qiling.

Zhang Qiling followed, her steps equally precise.

Those behind watched in terror. Lin Guoce memorized the steps, turned around, and growled, "Watch carefully! Follow the steps of the two gentlemen in front! Don't make a single mistake!"

The group began cautiously navigating the rubble maze. Everyone was on edge, afraid of making a wrong step. When it was Fatty's turn, his large frame caused him to twist and turn, sweating profusely, muttering, "Three to the left... one to the right... two to the left... ouch, my old back..."

Wu Xie followed closely behind him, his palms sweating with nervousness.

When it was the turn of the ten "vulture" team members, they exchanged glances and obediently followed the steps, not daring to make any small moves.

Sun Shuanzhu was half-dragged, half-carried over by a soldier, muttering unconsciously, "Protect the cultural relics... Be careful..."

Everyone passed safely through the rubble. They breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ah!" Zhou Ting (the one whose younger brother is paralyzed), who was walking at the back of the group, suddenly cried out in surprise. Her foot slipped, her body tilted to the side, and her hand instinctively grabbed wildly, pressing against a slightly protruding stone on the wall of the passageway.

"Don't move!" Zhang Qiling's cold voice suddenly rang out.

But it was too late.

"Click".

A slight mechanical sound came from inside the stone wall.

Immediately afterwards, a teeth-grinding "crunch" sound came from above everyone's heads.

"Above! Get out of the way!" Black Bear shouted.

At the top of the passageway, several seemingly solid stone slabs suddenly contracted inward, revealing dark holes behind them.

"Whoosh whoosh-!"

Dozens of rusty short arrows shot out from the hole, covering an area below!

The crowd erupted into chaos, screams filling the air.

Zhang Qiling and Zhang Qiling moved almost the instant the mechanism clicked.

Zhang Qiling shoved Wu Xie and Wang Pangzi, who were closest to him, back away. At the same time, he swung his black gold ancient sword, still sheathed, creating a burst of dark light that deflected the short arrows aimed at him and the people behind him.

Zhang Qiling then flashed to Zhou Ting and Liu Min's side, grabbing one of them with each hand and pulling the two terrified women back. At the same time, he slapped the wall with his left hand, using the momentum to flip to the side, and swept out with his right leg, kicking away several arrows that were aimed at Wang Lei.

Hei Xiazi moved swiftly, his military knife in hand, deflecting the arrows aimed at Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu. Xie Yuchen himself moved with agility, pulling Huo Xiuxiu to a ditch. Lin Guoce and the soldiers either used their shields to block or tackled those nearby.

The rain of arrows came quickly and went quickly, lasting only about three seconds.

The passageway fell silent again, save for heavy breathing and suppressed sobs.

On the ground lay scattered broken arrows that had been knocked away, and... a few muffled groans.

A soldier was shot in the thigh with an arrow, blood gushing out. Zhou Gousheng suffered a graze to his arm and collapsed to the ground in terror. Ma Tiedan was unlucky; an arrow struck his shoulder, and he screamed in agony.

Zhou Ting slumped to the ground, looking at the stone she had just pressed, then at the injured person on the ground, her face ashen and her whole body trembling.

"Medic! Quick!" Lin Guoce roared.

The team's medics rushed forward to treat the wounded. Fortunately, the arrow was badly rusted but not poisoned, but the wound needed immediate cleaning and bandaging.

The suspended live-streaming racket captured this thrilling moment.

Bullet comments:

[ID Prophet: I knew something bad was going to happen!]

[ID to shut up experts: Reckless experimentation! You're asking for trouble!]

[ID Guy Fan Club: My husbands were so cool saving people!]

[ID: Did Fatty Lose Weight Today?: Fatty owes this guy another life!]

[ID: Innocent and Unfettered: Thank you, bro...]

[ID: Blackie's Sunglasses: This is just the beginning.]

Zhang Qiling sheathed his sword, glanced at the injured man, and finally his gaze fell on Zhou Ting, whose face was pale. His eyes remained indifferent, without any reproach, but the oppressive silence made Zhou Ting bury her head deeply.

Zhang Qiling didn't speak, but walked to the protruding rock, pressed his finger on it, observed the position of the arrow hole, and then shook his head almost imperceptibly at Zhang Qiling. This meant the mechanism had been triggered once, and it was safe for the time being.

After treating the wounded, Lin Guoce walked up to Zhou Ting with a livid face. He wanted to yell at her, but seeing her expression, he held back. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Keep your hands to yourself! If you touch anything again, no one can save you!"

Zhou Ting nodded through her tears.

The group regrouped, and the atmosphere became even more tense. Everyone looked at the surrounding stone walls with fear in their eyes, as if deadly projectiles could be shot out from them at any moment.

Keep going.

This time we walked slower and more carefully.

Wu Xie and Fatty followed behind Zhang Qiling and Zhang Qiling, keeping a small distance between them. Fatty, still shaken, patted his chest and said to Wu Xie, "Tianzhen, if it weren't for Xiao Ge pulling me up just now, my fat body would have turned into a porcupine."

Wu Xie was still shaken. He looked at the two silent figures in front of him, mustered his courage, quickened his pace, and moved a little closer. He whispered, "Um... Brother, thank you."

Zhang Qiling didn't stop walking, nor did he turn around.

Zhang Qiling glanced at him sideways, her gaze cool and aloof, but Wu Xie inexplicably felt that there was no impatience in it.

The fat man chimed in, chuckling, "Hey guys, thanks a lot this time! Our teamwork was absolutely brilliant! Look, with you two clearing the way and breaking through the traps, and me and Tianzhen recording, analyzing, and filling in the gaps, this combination makes taking down the Lu Palace a piece of cake! The tomb-raiding trio... no, now it's the iron quadrilateral!"

Wu Xie pulled him a little embarrassedly.

Zhang Qiling, who was walking in front, paused almost imperceptibly.

Zhang Qiling's gaze also shifted slightly.

The Iron Triangle... The Iron Quadrant...

A very unfamiliar word.

But somewhere deep inside, I was gently touched. It felt like a long time ago, someone else had said something similar, and someone else had followed along, making a racket, yet somehow it didn't feel... annoying.

Zhang Qiling remained silent, but his originally straight back, as straight as a javelin, seemed to relax slightly with an almost imperceptible curve.

Zhang Qiling's lips seemed to curve upwards by a mere 0.01 degrees, almost inaudibly, almost imperceptibly, almost invisible, almost imperceptibly, and almost undetectable.

Then, he turned back and continued to look at the bottomless dark tunnel ahead.

The fat man continued his incessant chatter: "Seriously, you two young men, think it over! I, Fatty, am a tomb raider, my skills are unparalleled! Tianzhen, the third young master of the Wu family, is a living encyclopedia of history! If the four of us join forces, we can absolutely sweep through all ancient tombs!"

Wu Xie's face turned red as he pulled the fat man hard.

In the passageway, only the fat man's chatter remained, along with the suppressed breathing and footsteps of the others.

But in that heavy darkness and fear, the noise seemed to dispel a little bit of the coldness and bring a faint but real...life.

The two black figures walking ahead remained silent.

But in the light and shadow of the narrow passageway, the distance between them seemed to have invisibly narrowed by an insignificant little bit.