Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

The gap was narrow and steep.

People were stuck inside, their chests and backs rubbing against the cold, wet stones, inching their way down. The flashlight beams swayed back and forth, illuminating sweaty, pale faces. Gasps, suppressed sobs, and the muffled groans of the injured echoed through the cracks in the rocks.

The stench of the corpse beetles still lingered in my nose. The image of that dark mass surging forward, and the screams of Zhou Gousheng and Ma Tiedan being instantly buried, still echoed in my mind. If it weren't for those two at the very front… we'd all be bones by now.

Zhang Qiling was the first one.

He stood sideways, his steps steady. His black gloves pressed against the stone, his fingertips able to feel the subtle vibrations and coolness emanating from the cracks. Night vision allowed him to see the winding road ahead. The Qilin tattoo on the back of his shoulder remained warm.

Just then, that emotionless voice in my head rang out:

【Ding】

[Host behavior detected closely matches the character "Zhang Qiling"]

[Using the Ghost Whistle to repel insects in dire straits, and cooperating with Zhang Qiling to force back the sea of ​​corpse beetles, thus protecting the team.]

Calm, decisive, strong, and reliable.

[Playing Experience Increased: 5%]

[Current role-playing level: 35%]

[Character compatibility: 95%]

[Reward: Ghost Whistle skill upgraded to intermediate level (increased range, enhanced interference)]

[Current Ability List Updated:]

Zhang Qiling's combat strength: 40% (cumulative)

[- Kirin Blood Concentration: Medium]

Night vision capability: Intermediate

[- Basic Mechanism Identification: Intermediate]

[- Tomb Raider: Intermediate]

Disguise: Intermediate

[- Bone Shrinking Technique: Beginner]

[- Zhang Family Feng Shui Secrets: Advanced]

【- Zhangjia Ancient Building Mechanism Diagram: Advanced】

[- Ghost Whistle: Intermediate]

[Warning: The loss of consciousness persists, and memory anchors are weakening]

[Completeness of memories related to the original identity "Xie Linyuan": 8%]

[Note: Memory is continuously fading]

His voice was very measured and methodical.

The acting skills have improved. The abilities have increased. The Ghost Whistle has become stronger.

Zhang Qiling felt nothing. These powers seemed to have grown from within his own body; he was simply regaining a little more. Performance quality and compatibility—these numbers were meaningless.

Interestingly, the name "Xie Linyuan," and all the things associated with it, are rapidly fading away. The bewilderment when he first arrived in this world, the shock when he received the system, the first time he went into a tomb... these scenes are like a painting soaked in water, the edges blurring and becoming indistinct.

I am Zhang Qiling.

Gatekeeper.

He repeated it to himself. It was like building an earthen wall that was about to be washed away by water.

My shoulder was lightly touched.

It was "Zhang Qiling" following behind. The gap was too narrow, so it was inevitable that they would rub against each other.

Zhang Qiling turned his head to the side.

Zhang Qiling happened to be looking over as well. In the dim light, his face was expressionless, but in his deep eyes, there seemed to be a very faint hint of confusion. Under his left sleeve, the dark blue edge of the Qilin tattoo was clearer than before, and it felt slightly hot to the touch.

Zhang Qiling quickly turned back and continued walking forward. But his fingers almost imperceptibly brushed against his temple.

Zhang Qiling's gaze lingered.

He has it too.

That feeling of having your memories gnawed away. Your bloodline awakens, your abilities return, but at the cost of losing some important things.

Neither of them uttered a sound. Silence spread through the narrow gap, yet there was an unspoken understanding between them. One after the other, like two knives sharpening each other, they carved a path to survival for the group of people behind them who were on the verge of collapse amidst the darkness and death.

The group stumbled and shuffled through the gaps for about twenty minutes.

The slope became gentler, and the gap wider, allowing me to go from turning sideways to bending over, and finally, I was able to stand up straight.

There is light ahead.

It wasn't a flashlight; it was a soft, greenish, cold light.

People quickened their pace, squeezing through the gaps.

It's another big cave.

It was smaller than the cave of the corpse beetle, but neater. The stone walls on all four sides were worn smooth and covered with densely packed old characters and pictures. The cave was round, with a stone platform in the center, on which sat several long-extinguished copper lamps. The eerie green light emanated from some shiny minerals in the surrounding stone walls, like a bunch of ghostly eyes.

The air was much drier, with a musty smell of old ash and stone. It seemed more airtight here; the stench of the carrion beetles was gone.

"It's safe for now," Lin Guoce said in a hoarse voice, sliding down against the wall with a blank expression on his face.

People slumped down, panting heavily, looking at their wounds, counting the dead. Two more were missing. Zhou Gousheng and Ma Tiedan were left among the corpse beetles. Wang Lei, Liu Min, and Zhou Ting hugged each other and cried. Kun Ge lay sprawled on the ground, Chen Man and Wang Yihan beside him. Sun Shuanzhu lay unconscious in a corner.

The ten "Vulture" team members squatted on the other side, silently crushing the tiny carrion beetles that had crawled into their clothes, their eyes filled with fear.

Xie Yuchen, Hei Xiazi, Huo Xiuxiu, Wu Xie, and Fatty sat back-to-back against the wall. Hei Xiazi took off his sunglasses and rubbed his face. Xie Yuchen closed his eyes to catch his breath. Huo Xiuxiu took out a water bottle, carefully took a sip, and handed it to Wu Xie. Wu Xie shook his head, looking at the people in front.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" did not sit.

They stood in the middle of the round hole, slightly raising their heads to look at the old characters and paintings on the wall. The green light reflected on their faces; one had deep, serene features, the other had thin, cold lines.

The live broadcast ball squeezed out from the crack and floated in mid-air. The camera panned across the people who had escaped, finally stopping on the two black figures looking up at the painting.

Let the comments roll:

[ID Prophet: We're safe for now...]

[ID: "Another one, but not two. Sigh."]

[ID Guy Fan Club: What are you guys looking at?]

[ID: Chicken You're Too Beautiful: This place is also creepy.]

[ID: Innocent and Unfettered: Those words... seem like I've memorized something.]

Fatty nudged Wu Xie and whispered, "Tianzhen, go take a look, what's drawn on the wall? I'm exhausted."

Wu Xie nodded, propped himself up to stand, and carefully walked a few steps behind Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" to look up.

The paintings are quite elaborate. Some depict battles, with thousands of soldiers and horses, the leader holding a jade tablet. Others show sacrifices, with a high platform ablaze and people kneeling in a sea of ​​kneeling figures. And then there's... a huge, strangely shaped coffin surrounded by seven stars. On top of the coffin, there's a cicada painted.

"This...remembers the tomb owner for a lifetime?" Wu Xie couldn't help but exclaim, pointing to one of the paintings. "Look at this general, it should be King Lu Shang. This one shows him fighting. This one shows him receiving an official title. This one..." He pointed to the coffin and the seven stars, "The Seven Star Suspicious Coffin? And this jade cicada..."

Zhang Qiling withdrew his gaze, glanced at Wu Xie, and said in a clear, crisp voice, "Not only that."

He pointed to another, smaller, more hidden painting. It didn't depict King Lu Shang, but a blurry figure sitting up from a jade figurine. Next to it was another identical jade figurine, its lid open and empty.

"Like a cicada shedding its shell, or a plum being substituted for a peach," Zhang Qiling interjected. He had seen it too.

Wu Xie was stunned, and gasped: "Iron-Faced Sheng? He ended up taking the jade terracotta warrior and replacing King Lu Shang?"

Zhang Qiling didn't answer, but turned to look at the old characters on the wall, scanning them quickly. Zhang Qiling was also looking at them, and both of them were looking very fast.

After a while, "Zhang Qiling" said in a low voice: "King Lu Shang obtained the jade figurine and sought immortality. Iron Face plotted against him and ultimately replaced him. The jade figurine is hidden in the Seven Star Coffin Formation. Only by breaking the formation can the true tomb be seen."

Zhang Qiling nodded: "Seven Stars Suspicious Coffin, a series of seven coffins. One truth, six illusions. Wrong, eternal damnation."

The words were brief but weighty. Wu Xie felt a chill run down his spine. The Seven Star Coffins, the real and fake coffins, the jade figurine, the Iron-Faced Gentleman… the ferocity and mystery within this tomb were beyond imagination.

The fat man chimed in, clicking his tongue, "Wow, that's some fancy stuff. So where are we now? Outside the main tomb?"

"The front hall," Zhang Qiling said, pointing to the other end of the round hole, where there was a sealed bronze door covered in rust. "Behind the door is the passageway, leading to the main burial chamber of the Seven Star Coffin Array."

Zhang Qiling walked to the bronze door and reached out to touch the rust and patterns on it. It was cool and rough. The door was heavy, with something supporting it from behind.

"The door is sealed shut," he said.

Lin Guoce struggled to his feet: "Can it be blown up?"

Zhang Qiling shook his head: "The structure is loose; it will collapse."

"What should we do then?"

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" turned around at the same time, their gazes sweeping across the four walls of the round hole, finally settling on the stone platform in the middle.

The platform was empty.

But Zhang Qiling remembered that in the painting, during the sacrificial ceremony, the chief priest seemed to be holding something in his hands and placing it on a similar platform.

Zhang Qiling had already walked to the edge of the platform, squatted down, and wiped away the thick layer of dust with his fingers. The surface of the platform was engraved with recessed grooves, forming a complex pattern. In the center of the pattern was a palm-sized, cicada-shaped indentation.

"I need the key," he said.

Zhang Qiling walked to his side, looking at the cicada-shaped indentation. He recalled the jade cicada in Huo Yun's tomb that opened the stone box. Could it be...?

Just then, Professor Zhou Xu'an, supported by Jiang Shouyi, walked over. He looked excitedly at the words on the wall, his voice trembling: "This, this is... the construction record of the tomb of King Lu Shang! And... and the jade figurine of immortality... etc. It says here that to open the main tomb passage, a 'token' must be placed on a platform to draw in the earth's energy..."

"A token?" Lin Guoce pressed, "What token?"

The professor pointed to what the priest was holding in the painting: "It looks like... a jade cicada!"

Jade Cicada?

Everyone looked at each other. Who has a jade cicada?

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" exchanged a glance.

Zhang Qiling took out the warm, green jade cicada he had obtained from Huo Yunyu's coffin from his inner pocket.

Almost simultaneously, Zhang Qiling also took out a jade cicada from his pocket. It was almost identical in size and shape to the one in Zhang Qiling's hand, only darker in color and with the luster of age.

Two jade cicadas lay quietly in their palms, bathed in a soft green light.

Everyone was stunned.