Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

"under."

Two words. They came out simultaneously from Zhang Qiling's and "Zhang Qiling's" mouths.

The voice wasn't loud, but in the deathly silent tomb, everyone heard it.

under?

People looked down at their feet. The seven coffins arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper, illuminated by the green fire in the corner, made the stone slabs appear somewhat different in color. They were darker, with a damp sheen, as if they had been seeping water for years.

Professor Zhou Xu'an, panting, took a few steps closer with Jiang Shouyi's support, examining the stone slabs carefully. "This...this is black jade? No, it's stone soaked in some kind of mineral. Look at this arrangement, the seven stars are pointing in the direction..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

Zhang Qiling walked to the "Tian Shu" position of the Seven Stars pattern—the original location of the leftmost coffin. The coffin had been knocked askew by the blood corpse, revealing the stone slab underneath. He squatted down, joined his right index and middle fingers together, and tapped the surface of the stone slab.

Click, click, click.

The voice was hollow.

"It's empty below." Zhang Qiling, standing at the Tianxuan position, made the same gesture and reached the same conclusion. He stood up, his gaze sweeping across the entire seven-star pattern. "The seven fake coffins are a decoy. The real main burial chamber is below. This stone slab is movable; you need to trigger all seven points simultaneously, or... find the correct one."

"Seven points triggered simultaneously?" Lin Guoce's face darkened. "Where are we going to find enough people to stand in seven positions?"

"No one needs to stand here." Zhang Qiling stood up and walked to the "Tianquan" position in the center of the seven-star pattern. He lifted his foot and stomped down hard on an inconspicuous indentation on the edge of the stone slab.

"Click."

A soft sound. The dented area sank about half an inch.

Almost simultaneously, Zhang Qiling found a similar indentation at the Yuheng position and stepped on it as well.

"Click."

Another sound.

The two exchanged a glance and then walked towards the remaining three locations: "Tianji," "Kaiyang," and "Yaoguang." Each time they found a depression, they stepped into it. Once all five points were triggered, the entire seven-star patterned stone slab began to emit a low "humming" sound, as if some mechanism had been activated.

"Two more are needed." Black Bear squinted. "Tian Shu and Tian Xuan."

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" returned to their original two positions. They both simultaneously raised their feet and stepped down.

"Click! Click!"

The last two points are now in place.

"BOOM—!!"

The entire tomb floor shook violently! Centered on the seven-star pattern, the ground, about ten meters in diameter, began to slowly sink! Dust and gravel fell in a flurry, and people lost their footing, screaming as they retreated to the edge.

The sinking lasted for about ten seconds.

A huge, bottomless black hole appeared in the center of the tomb chamber. The edge of the black hole was neat, a vertical shaft dug by human hands. Cold air, carrying a strong earthy smell and strange spices, surged up from below, making people's clothes flutter.

The flashlight beam shone downwards. The beam disappeared into the darkness, unable to reach the bottom. Only faint footprints carved into the well wall could be seen, leading downwards.

"How...how deep is this?" Kun's voice trembled.

"I don't know." Lin Guoce's face was ashen. "But this is the only way."

Zhang Qiling walked to the well, looked down, and then looked at "Zhang Qiling".

Zhang Qiling nodded. Neither of them spoke, but the meaning was clear: "Go."

Zhang Qiling turned around first, his back to the well opening, grabbed the edge with his hands, and reached his feet into the foothold below. He moved swiftly and quickly slid down, his figure swallowed by the darkness.

"Zhang Qiling" followed closely behind.

The people above looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Down!" Lin Guoce gritted his teeth. "One after another! Hold on tight! Don't look down!"

The team began their arduous climb down the well. The well walls were slippery, and the footholds were narrow and steep, making the ascent extremely difficult. The wounded suffered even more; Ma Tiedan, wounded in the shoulder, was sweating profusely with every movement, and was being lowered down little by little by those above, who had ropes tied around his waist.

Wu Xie and Fatty followed behind Xie Yuchen and Hei Xiazi. Fatty, a large man, grimaced as he crawled, muttering, "Damn it... are these footholds designed for kids? My feet are killing me..."

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up." Black Bear's voice came from the darkness below him.

Huo Xiuxiu moved nimbly above Wu Xie. Xie Yuchen, on the other hand, maintained a position where he could provide support from both the front and rear at any time.

The ten "vulture" members were scattered in the middle and back of the group, silently climbing down.

The suspended live-streaming sphere descended, its camera capturing the wet moss on the well wall and the figures of people struggling to move.

Bullet comments:

[ID Prophet: This is a bottomless pit!]

[ID: How long will this climb take to quell the dissent of so-called experts?]

[ID Guy Fan Club: The husbands have already left]

[ID user with acrophobia: I'm dizzy]

We climbed down for about thirty minutes.

The depth exceeded one hundred meters. The air grew colder and colder, carrying a biting chill. Frost began to appear on the well walls. People's hands were stiff with cold, and their breath turned white.

"We've reached the bottom!" came Zhang Qiling's calm voice from below.

Everyone perked up and sped up.

After descending another ten meters or so, my feet finally touched solid ground.

This is a vast space transformed from a natural cave, more than ten times larger than the Seven Star Tomb Chamber above. The cave ceiling is so high that the top is invisible, with countless enormous stalactites hanging down, some of which are dripping water from their tips, forming small puddles on the ground. The cave is extremely dark, with only some luminous moss and fungi providing a faint, eerie blue glow.

In the center of the cave stands a massive pyramid-shaped altar, entirely constructed of black stone. The altar is approximately twenty meters high, with steps leading to its top on all four sides. At the top platform, a huge, metallic-looking coffin is faintly visible.

Around the altar stood seven thick bronze pillars, each with a giant bronze serpent coiled around it, its head raised, pointing towards the top of the altar.

"This is... the true tomb chamber of the Seven Star Lu King's Palace." Professor Zhou Xu'an's voice trembled with excitement as his flashlight beam swept across the altar and bronze pillars. "Look at the style of that coffin... it's at the level of a Warring States period feudal lord! And those bronze pillars, this is the layout for worshipping Heaven and Earth!"

People stared in awe at the scene before them. The previous tomb passage, the burial pits, and the seven-star false coffins were merely a prelude. This was the final destination.

"The jade figurine...is it in that coffin?" Kun murmured.

Zhang Qiling's gaze, however, fell upon the steps below the altar. There, scattered were some things: human skeletons. There were quite a few, at least several dozen. The skeletons were contorted in posture, some still in a crawling position, others piled together. Scattered among the skeletons were rusted weapons and broken jade pieces.

"Many people have come here before," he said.

"They're all dead," Zhang Qiling replied.

His gaze swept over the skeletons, then fixed on the top of the altar. A distinct burning sensation emanated from the tattoo on his shoulder blade. It wasn't a warning, but rather a kind of… resonance. The thing in the coffin was somehow connected to him, and to "Zhang Qiling."

"Let's go up and take a look." Lin Guoce took a deep breath and gripped the gun in his hand tightly.

The procession cautiously approached the altar. The ground beneath their feet was slippery and covered in moss. The surroundings were eerily silent, save for the sounds of dripping water, breathing, and footsteps.

Just as the procession reached the bottom of the altar and was about to step onto the first step...

"Shhh..."

A dense, chilling sound came from all directions. The sound came from the dark corners of the cave, from behind the rocks covered with glowing moss, and from the puddles on the ground.

The flashlight beam quickly swept towards the source of the sound.

What the beam of light shone on made everyone gasp.

They were insects. But completely different from carrion beetles. These insects were the size of a fist, with dark golden bodies, glossy carapaces, and intricate patterns. They had six pairs of limbs and moved extremely fast. Most terrifying of all were their mouthparts—not chewing mouthparts, but needle-like, sharp, and gleaming with a cold light.

The number... was countless. Like a dark golden tide, it surged from every corner of the darkness, converging towards the altar.

"What the hell is this?!" the fat man's voice trembled.

"Golden-Armored Marrow-Eating Cockroach." Xie Yuchen's voice rang out, carrying an unusual solemnity. "Ancient texts record that it lives in extremely yin places and craves bone marrow and brain marrow. Its carapace is hard, impervious to swords and spears. Its mouthparts can pierce the skull."

As soon as he finished speaking, the first wave of golden beetles had already rushed to the edge of the column!

A soldier tried to smash it with his rifle butt. The butt struck the insect's back with a crisp "clang," but the insect only swayed slightly before continuing its charge. It leaped up, its needle-like mouthparts aimed straight at the soldier's face!

The soldier screamed and retreated, a bloody hole already pierced in his face.

"Retreat! Retreat to the altar steps!" Lin Guoce roared.

People hurriedly retreated up the steps. But there were too many insects, leaping from the ground and through the air, swarming towards them wildly.

Black Bear swung his military dagger, striking a golden beetle with a metallic clang. The dagger only penetrated halfway before becoming stuck. The beetle turned its head, its mandibles lunging towards Black Bear's wrist. Black Bear released the dagger, slapping the beetle away with a backhand, but his hand was slashed by the beetle's leg, drawing blood.

Jie Yuchen used his short daggers to precisely pierce the joints of several insects, barely managing to repel them, but more insects swarmed in.

Huo Xiuxiu brandished her dagger, striking the insect's back and sending sparks flying, but the effect was minimal.

Wu Xie and Fatty stood back to back. Fatty was swatting wildly with an entrenching tool, but the insects were too fast, and he almost got stabbed by their mouthparts several times.

Kun Ge protected Chen Man and Wang Yihan as they retreated up the steps. He had already been stung twice by insects on his legs, and blood was flowing freely.

Wang Lei, Liu Min, and Zhou Ting were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground, about to be overwhelmed by the swarm of insects.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" moved at the same time.

Instead of retreating, the two headed towards the direction where the insect swarm was most concentrated.

Zhang Qiling reached out with his left hand and grabbed a golden beetle that was lunging at Wu Xie's face. He squeezed the beetle's body with all his might, making a "crack" sound as its shell shattered and juices splattered. He shook off the dead beetle, raised his right foot, and stomped down hard, crushing three beetles on the ground.

Zhang Qiling charged towards Wang Lei and the other two. He swept his right leg horizontally, the force of the kick sending five or six insects flying, crashing into the rocks and shattering. His left hand formed a claw, catching an insect that jumped towards Liu Min, and with a pinch of two fingers, the insect's body was severed in two.

But there were just too many insects. They killed a few, and dozens more immediately took their place. The dark golden tide nearly engulfed the two of them.

"Light it!" Black Bear roared. "This thing is afraid of fire!"

Several soldiers hurriedly pulled out incendiary sticks, pulled the pins, and threw them at the swarm of insects. Flames shot up, and the insects, as expected, recoiled and retreated in droves. But the incendiary sticks were limited, and the insects continued to swarm in from the unlit areas.

"Go up to the altar! The steps are narrow, and only a limited number of insects can climb up at a time!" Xie Yuchen shouted.

People desperately rushed up the steps. The steps were carved from a single piece of black stone, about two meters wide, enough for four or five people to walk side by side. Insects swarmed up the steps, but due to the limited width, they could not form a circle around the insects.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" covered the rear. The two guarded the middle of the steps, one on the left and one on the right, constantly knocking away and crushing the insects that rushed up. The insect corpses piled up on the steps, and viscous juice flowed all over the ground.

"This won't do!" Lin Guoce shouted from the top of the steps. "We can't kill all the bugs! We need to find their nests or find a way to drive them away!"

As Zhang Qiling kicked an insect away, he quickly scanned his surroundings. His gaze fell on the seven bronze pillars. The bronze serpents on the pillars had their mouths wide open, pointing towards the top of the altar.

"Pillar," he uttered.

Zhang Qiling instantly understood. He had noticed it too. The arrangement of these bronze pillars corresponded to the Seven Stars. The location where the insect swarm appeared also seemed to be subtly centered around the pillars.

"I'll go for the three on the left," Zhang Qiling said.

"The three on the right," Zhang Qiling continued.

"The middle one, together."

As soon as they finished speaking, the two of them jumped off the steps at the same time and fell into the sea of ​​insects below!

"Brother!" Wu Xie exclaimed.

The swarm of insects instantly engulfed the two figures.

But the next second, two black storms burst open in the sea of ​​insects.

The moment Zhang Qiling landed, he pivoted on his right foot, spinning his body and sweeping his left leg like a steel whip, sending a ring of insects flying. He stepped on the insect corpses, using the momentum to lunge forward, heading straight for the first bronze pillar on the left. Insects swarmed him along the way, but he countered with punches, elbows, palms, and fingers—each strike precise and ruthless, the sound of shattering insect armor ringing out. Approaching the bronze pillar, he leaped into the air, grabbing the raised snake scale patterns on the pillar with his left hand, using the momentum to flip upwards, while simultaneously kicking his right foot hard at the junction of the bronze snake's head and the pillar!

"clang--!!"

A tremendous metallic clang echoed. The bronze pillar trembled violently, and the snake's head tilted to one side.

Almost simultaneously, Zhang Qiling replicated the same move on the right. His movements were even more forceful, as he slammed himself into the second bronze pillar, his shoulder striking the pillar with a thunderous thud. The pillar swayed, and he grabbed the snake's body with both hands, twisting it with all his might!

"Crunch—" A sickening metallic creaking sound.

Without stopping, the two lunged at the second and third insects respectively. The swarm of insects surged towards them, but the two fought their way through the insect tide, leaving a trail of insect corpses in their wake.

After the three bronze pillars on the left and three on the right were struck, the entire cavern began to tremble. The remaining insects became restless and their attack slowed down.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling," covered in the slime and juices of insects, merged in the sea of ​​insects and rushed toward the last one—the central bronze pillar directly opposite the altar steps.

The swarm of insects seemed to realize something and frantically gathered towards the center in an attempt to stop it.

The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously sped up.

When he was five meters away from the bronze pillar, Zhang Qiling leaped up and stepped on the raised palm of "Zhang Qiling" with his toes. "Zhang Qiling" then exerted force to lift him up!

Zhang Qiling moved like an arrow, shooting straight for the top of the bronze pillar. While still in mid-air, his black-gold ancient sword was already drawn. Gripping it with both hands, tip pointing downwards, he used the force of his descent to fiercely stab at the gap connecting the bronze snake's head to the pillar!

Zhang Qiling leaped up from the ground and punched the middle of the pillar!

"boom--!!!!"

A deafening roar erupted. A crack appeared in the center of the bronze pillar! The entire pillar shook violently, and the bronze serpent head at the top snapped off with a "crack" and fell downwards!

Just as the snake's head hit the ground.

"hiss--!!!"

A piercing scream, so sharp it seemed to shatter eardrums, emanated from the metal coffin atop the altar!

The swarm of insects instantly froze.

Then, like the receding tide, all the golden-armored marrow-devouring cockroaches turned around and frantically retreated to the dark corners around the cave, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

All that remained were the corpses of insects scattered on the ground, and two black figures standing under the central bronze pillar, panting slightly.

At the top of the altar, the lid of the metal coffin began to slowly slide open.

An intensely rich and strange fragrance, mixed with an extreme chill, wafted from the coffin.