Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

The dark shape surged up from the water, creating a large splash. As the water subsided, the creature's true form was revealed.

It was a monster. It resembled a giant fish, but had four short, thick, webbed legs. Its body was covered in thick, black scales, the gaps between which grew seaweed and silt. Its head was like an enlarged catfish head, with an exceptionally large mouth that almost stretched to its gills, filled with countless barbed teeth. Its eyes were a murky yellow, glowing eerily in the darkness.

It leaped out of the water and rushed straight at "Zhang Qiling" on the bridge.

Zhang Qiling moved the instant it moved. Instead of retreating, he charged towards the monster, and at the very moment the monster reached its highest point and was about to fall, he shifted his body to the side, avoiding a direct confrontation. The monster swept past him, the foul wind it stirred up stinging his face.

The monster fell back into the water, splashing up a huge spray. It turned around, its yellow eyes locking onto "Zhang Qiling," and pounced again, this time even faster.

Zhang Qiling stood by the bridge, watching the monster pounce. When it was almost upon him, he pushed off with his feet and leaped forward, not backward, but towards the monster's open mouth.

The monster seemed to pause for a moment, its movements slightly hesitant.

In that brief moment of hesitation, Zhang Qiling was already in front of it. He reached out with his left hand, grabbed a protruding bone spike on the monster's upper jaw, and used the momentum to swing, flipping his body onto the monster's head. His right hand drew his black gold ancient sword, and with a flash of light, he thrust it downwards.

The blade pierced the gap in the monster's scales on its head, all the way down to the hilt.

The monster let out a mournful roar, frantically shaking its head, trying to throw "Zhang Qiling" off. "Zhang Qiling" gripped the bone spike tightly with its left hand, its body seemingly nailed to the monster's head, while its right hand held the knife and twisted it with force.

The blade churned inside the monster's skull.

Driven mad by pain, the monster rammed into the stone bridge. The bridge shook violently, and rubble rained down. Just before the impact, Zhang Qiling released his grip and landed on his back. The monster crashed headfirst into a bridge pier, its head bleeding profusely, but it was not yet dead.

It turned around, its yellow eyes bloodshot, staring at "Zhang Qiling," and let out a low growl. Then it took a deep breath, its body swelled, and it opened its mouth, spitting out a stream of dark green mucus.

The slime, carrying a pungent, sour smell, shot towards "Zhang Qiling".

Instead of retreating, Zhang Qiling charged forward. Just before the slime reached him, he pushed off with his feet, leaping into the air and flipping over it. He landed beside the monster, his blade flashing again, striking the monster's neck.

Scales shattered, black blood splattered. The monster, in pain, swung its tail, creating a whistling sound.

Zhang Qiling crouched down, his tail sweeping over his head. He rolled forward, close to the monster's belly, thrusting his knife upwards into the soft part of its abdomen, and then pulled downwards.

wow-

A gaping wound was ripped open in the monster's abdomen, and its internal organs, mixed with black blood, gushed out, spilling onto the ground. The monster screamed in agony, its body convulsing and writhing violently, churning the river water into a murky mess.

Zhang Qiling stepped back a few paces, watching the monster struggle in the pool of blood. A few seconds later, the monster stopped moving, floating on the surface of the water, belly up.

The battle is over.

From the moment the monster appeared to its death, less than two minutes had passed.

Zhang Qiling shook the blood off his sword and sheathed it. His face was expressionless, but his breathing was slightly heavier.

On this side of the bridge, everyone was stunned.

"Holy crap..." The fat man swallowed hard. "This guy... he's even more formidable than me?"

Wu Xie was also stunned. He knew that "Zhang Qiling" was strong, but he didn't expect him to be so efficient. That monster looked difficult to deal with, with thick scales, great strength, and the ability to spray acid, but it didn't last two minutes in "Zhang Qiling's" hands.

Black Bear whistled: "Mute Zhang No. 2, you're good."

Xie Yuchen's gaze deepened. Huo Xiuxiu let out a soft sigh.

Kun Ge, Chen Man, and Wang Yihan stared, speechless for a long time. Professor Zhou Xu'an and Jiang Shouyi were also dumbfounded. Lin Guoce and the soldiers gripped their guns tightly, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

A floating live-streaming sphere flew over, filming the monster's corpse on the water's surface and "Zhang Qiling" standing by the bridge.

The comments scrolled by:

[Prophet: It ended too quickly!]

[A cue for the experts' disbelief: This monster looks pretty fierce!]

[The male lead's fan club: Each and every one of our husbands is incredibly handsome!]

Zhang Qiling walked over to "Zhang Qiling" and glanced at him. "Zhang Qiling" nodded, indicating that he was alright.

"Cross the bridge," Zhang Qiling said.

The group regrouped and quickly crossed the stone bridge. Passing the monster's corpse, the stench was nauseating. Professor Zhou Xu'an wanted to stop to take samples, but Jiang Shouyi forcibly pulled him away.

On the opposite bank was a platform, wider than the one over there. At the end of the platform were two enormous stone gates. The gates were tightly closed, their surfaces carved with eye patterns, but these eyes were more intricate, with swirling eddies carved around the pupils.

Zhang Qiling walked to the stone gate and placed his hand on it. The stone gate was cold, and the carvings were deep. He pressed his finger on a swirling pattern, but there was no reaction.

Zhang Qiling also tried the other door, but there was no response.

"Do you need a key?" Wu Xie asked.

Zhang Qiling didn't answer. He took a few steps back and examined the entire door. The stone door was about five meters high and three meters wide, incredibly heavy. Besides the swirling eye pattern, there were also some small characters along the edges, resembling ancient seal script.

Professor Zhou Xu'an leaned closer to examine the text, then adjusted his glasses: "This...this is the Jingjue script. I can't understand it all, but the general meaning is...'Only witnesses may enter the gate.'"

"A witness?" The fat man scratched his head. "Who?"

"Perhaps..." The professor looked at Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling," "The two Mr. Zhangs?"

Zhang Qiling didn't speak. He walked to the door and stared at a vortex pattern for a long time. The vortex was deeply carved, as if it would suck a person in. As he stared at it, he suddenly felt a little dizzy.

It wasn't the dizziness from exhaustion, but the kind of dizziness caused by memories churning inside.

Some images flashed before my eyes.

—A snow-capped mountain. A massive bronze door. He stood before it, his hand resting on the door. The door was cool, with intricate patterns on it.

The door opened a crack, revealing endless darkness inside. He went in.

There were voices in the darkness, many voices, talking, but I couldn't hear them clearly.

He turned around and saw a person standing outside the door. The person was dressed in black, and he couldn't see their face, but they seemed... very familiar.

My head hurts even more.

Zhang Qiling pressed his fingers to his temples.

The person next to him, "Zhang Qiling," also smacked his head. He stared at another swirling pattern, his eyes somewhat vacant.

He saw something too.

—It was a snow-capped mountain, and a bronze gate. But he stood outside the gate and didn't go in.

A man dressed in black and carrying a knife walked out of the door. He glanced at him, said nothing, and left.

He chased after him, wanting to say something, but no sound came out.

—And then came darkness, a long, long darkness.

Both of them swayed at the same time.

"Brother?" Wu Xie noticed something was wrong.

Zhang Qiling waved his hand, indicating that he was alright. But his face was a little pale.

Zhang Qiling also took a few deep breaths to steady himself.

"There's something wrong with this pattern," Black Bear said, squinting. "It makes me dizzy if I look at it for too long."

"It could be some kind of psychological suggestion," Xie Yuchen said, "or... a memory trigger."

"Memory trigger?" Huo Xiuxiu asked.

"Hmm," Xie Yuchen looked at the vortexes, "The Jingjue people worship eyes and vortexes. Eyes represent 'seeing,' and vortexes represent 'reincarnation' or 'memory.' The patterns on this stone gate may not be ordinary decorations, but rather... a mechanism that triggers specific memories for specific people."

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" both heard it, but didn't speak. They were still in that dizzy state.

Zhang Qiling shook his head, forcing himself to clear his mind. He looked at the stone door again, this time not at the vortex, but at the whole thing. The door was tightly sealed, with no keyhole and no handle. He reached out and pushed it, but it wouldn't budge.

"It was locked from the inside," Zhang Qiling said.

"Is someone inside?" the fat man asked, his eyes wide.

"He might be dead," Zhang Qiling added.

Zhang Qiling walked to the door, pressed his ear against it, and listened. It was very quiet inside, but there was a faint sound of wind, indicating that there was space behind it.

"Can it be opened?" Lin Guoce asked.

Zhang Qiling didn't answer. He took a few steps back, looking at the stone gate and then at the platform's surroundings. Several stone pillars stood along the edge of the platform, each carved with a swirling eye pattern.

He walked up to a stone pillar and examined it closely. The swirling pattern on the pillar was very similar to that on the stone gate, but in the opposite direction—the swirling pattern on the stone gate was clockwise, while that on the pillar was counterclockwise.

He then looked at the other pillars, all of which were counterclockwise.

"Zhang Qiling," he called out.

Zhang Qiling walked over, looked at the pillar, and then at the stone gate. The two exchanged a glance and understood.

"We need to rotate at the same time," Zhang Qiling said.

"Switch what?" Wu Xie asked.

"Pillar." Zhang Qiling walked to another pillar.

The two stood beside two pillars, their hands resting on the swirling patterns on the pillars. Zhang Qiling looked at "Zhang Qiling" and nodded.

The two of them exerted force simultaneously, rotating the pillar clockwise.

The pillar was heavy, but the two men were strong enough to make it slowly rotate. As it rotated, the swirling pattern on the pillar began to glow, a ghostly green that grew brighter and brighter.

The other pillars seemed to be affected and began to glow as well, their light flowing even though no one was turning them.

The swirling patterns on the stone gate also began to glow, echoing the light on the pillars. As the light flowed, the heavy sound of machinery turning came from inside the stone gate.

"Click...click...caw caw..."

The stone gate slowly opened inward.

Behind the door was a huge hall, even larger than the previous one. In the center of the hall, instead of a coffin, was a stone tablet.

The stone tablet is about three meters high and one meter wide, entirely black, with a smooth, mirror-like surface. On the tablet is carved a huge eye, with a deep vortex at the pupil's position, carved with extreme realism; looking at it for too long seems to draw you in.

The walls of the hall are lined with many statues, all human figures dressed in ancient clothing, kneeling in worship, facing the stone tablet. The statues have no facial features, only a single, enormous eye.

"This is... a sacrificial hall?" Professor Zhou Xu'an asked excitedly.

"Look at that stone tablet," Jiang Shouyi pointed, "those eyes... they're so lifelike."

People entered the hall. The hall was spacious, and the sound of footsteps echoed. Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" walked at the front, heading straight for the stone tablet.

When they reached about three meters in front of the stone tablet, the two stopped at the same time.

My head is starting to hurt again.

The eye on the stone tablet stared at them, as if it were alive. Deep within its swirling pupil, something seemed to be spinning, calling out.

Zhang Qiling stared at the vortex, and images began to flash before his eyes again.

—A bronze door. He stood outside the door, holding something in his hand—a jade cicada. He pressed the jade cicada into a groove on the door.

The door opened, and he went in. Inside was boundless darkness, but there was light, a ghostly green light, shining through the depths.

He walked on, for a long time. A voice in the darkness called his name. Not "Zhang Qiling," but another name. Thank...thank you for what? He couldn't remember.

He turned around and saw someone following him. The person was also dressed in black, and stood very straight. Was it "Zhang Qiling"?

My head is throbbing with pain.

Zhang Qiling groaned, knelt on one knee, and pressed his head down tightly with his hand.

The "Zhang Qiling" beside him also swayed, only managing to steady himself by holding onto the stone tablet. He stared at the vortex, his eyes filled with confusion.

He also saw the bronze door. But he didn't go in; he stood outside, looking into the darkness within.

—Someone came out of the door; it was Zhang Qiling. Zhang Qiling glanced at him, said nothing, and left.

He tried to chase after it, but the door was closed. He pounded on the door, but it was no use.

Then came darkness. He walked for a long time in the darkness until he reached a place. Was it the ancient city of Jingjue? No, it was much older.

Fragments of memory surged forth, chaotic and disordered, but all pointed to the same place—the bronze door.

Both of them were panting, and sweat was dripping from their foreheads.

"Brother!" Wu Xie wanted to come over.

"Don't come any closer!" Zhang Qiling hissed.

Wu Xie stopped.

Zhang Qiling struggled to his feet, staring at the stone tablet, his eyes slowly clearing. He understood. This stone tablet, this swirling eye, was both a key and a lock. It triggered memories, and it sealed them away. The Jingjue people worshipped this because they had come into contact with the Bronze Gate, or… what lay behind the Bronze Gate.

Zhang Qiling also stood up straight, looking at Zhang Qiling with a complicated expression.

"You remembered?" he asked.

"Some," Zhang Qiling replied.

"Me too."

What's behind the door?

"have no idea."

The two remained silent.

The others dared not approach, watching from afar. The swirling eyes on the stone tablet were still glowing, but gradually dimmed. The hall returned to calm.

After a long while, Zhang Qiling spoke up: "This stone tablet is a road sign."

"Give directions," said Zhang Qiling.

"Which one are you referring to?" Wu Xie asked.

Zhang Qiling pointed behind the stone tablet. There was a small door there, which had been hidden by the tablet and hadn't been noticed before.

The door was open, and it was pitch black inside.

"Keep going," Zhang Qiling said.

He walked towards the small door first. "Zhang Qiling" followed.

Wu Xie and the others looked at each other and followed.

Behind the small door was a narrow passage leading upwards. After walking for about half an hour, light appeared ahead. It wasn't flashlight light, but natural light.

Stepping out of the passage, you'll find yourself in a massive sinkhole.

The sinkhole is circular, with a diameter exceeding 100 meters. It is surrounded by steep, towering rock walls. At the bottom, many strange plants grow, some with fluorescent flowers. A clear stream flows gently through the center.

What's most astonishing is that a building is embedded in the rock wall on one side of the sinkhole. It's a temple, built entirely into the mountainside, mostly hidden in the rock face, with only the facade visible. At the temple entrance stand two enormous statues, with human faces and snake bodies, holding eye patterns in their hands.

"This...this is the real temple of Jingjue Kingdom?" Professor Zhou Xu'an's voice trembled with excitement.

"Perhaps." Jiang Shouyi was also stunned.

As night fell, the light in the sinkhole dimmed. Lin Guoce decided to camp there and rest, and explore the temple again tomorrow.

People cleared a space, pitched tents, and lit a campfire. The sinkhole was relatively safe, with plants and water, much better than the gloomy places below.

After dinner, Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" sat away from the campfire, looking at the temple.

"We'll go in tomorrow," Zhang Qiling said.

"Hmm," Zhang Qiling replied.

"The answer might be inside."

"About the door?"

"Um."

The two fell silent again, gazing quietly at the temple in the night.

Around the campfire, Fatty was boasting about Zhang Qiling's heroic monster-fighting exploits that day, embellishing the story. Kun and the others listened, completely bewildered. Wu Xie, Xie Yuchen, Hei Xiazi, and Huo Xiuxiu were discussing their discoveries. Professor Zhou Xu'an and Jiang Shouyi were organizing their notes. Lin Guoce was arranging the night watch.

Late at night.

The sinkhole was very quiet, with only the chirping of insects and the sound of the stream.

Zhang Qiling closed his eyes. Fragments of memory still floated in his mind, but seemed clearer now. The bronze gate, the snow-capped mountains, the long journey, and… some blurry faces.

He opened his eyes and looked at "Zhang Qiling" beside him. "Zhang Qiling" also had his eyes closed, but his brows were slightly furrowed, as if he was thinking about something.

"Where are you from?" Zhang Qiling suddenly asked.

Zhang Qiling opened his eyes and remained silent for a moment: "Behind the door."

"Me too."

"But the timing is different."

"Um."

"You go first, I go second."

"possible."

The dialogue was brief but packed with information. Both individuals emerged from behind the bronze gate, but likely at different times. Zhang Qiling appeared first, followed by "Zhang Qiling," and the time interval between them is unknown.

"Why did you come out?" Zhang Qiling asked.

Zhang Qiling shook his head: "I forgot."

"Me too."

Then silence.

After a while, "Zhang Qiling" said, "But we have to go back."

"Um."

"Together."

"it is good."

It was settled in just a few words.

A night breeze swept through the sinkhole, carrying the fresh scent of plants. In the distance, the temple stood silently, as if waiting.

Tomorrow, I'll be going in.