Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

Daylight broke, and birds were chirping outside.

Wu Xie rolled over, opened his eyes, and stared blankly for a few seconds before realizing where he was. Fatty's house, guest room; the bed was a bit hard. He sat up and rubbed his neck. The red spot was still there, not painful or itchy, but it felt a little hot to the touch.

A fat man's loud voice boomed from outside the window: "Naive! Are you up yet? The sun's already high in the sky!"

Wu Xie put on his slippers and went out the door. Fatty was practicing boxing in the yard, shirtless, his fat jiggling. His movements were powerful and impressive, but they looked a bit comical.

"Who taught you this boxing style?" Wu Xie asked, leaning against the door frame.

"It's a family tradition!" The fat man stopped his stance, wiped his sweat, and said, "My ancestors were legitimate tomb raiders; how could their martial arts skills be lacking?"

"Are tomb raiders practicing martial arts?"

"Absolutely. If you encounter zombies in a tomb, you have to be able to fight them, right?"

"You think you can beat him?"

The fat man choked for a moment, then glared: "If I can't beat them, I can't run? With my incredible build, I can run like a tiger!"

Wu Xie laughed out loud. He walked to the tap, turned it on, and scooped up some cold water to wash his face. The water was very cool, and he felt refreshed.

"Are the others up yet, Brother?" Wu Xie asked.

"I don't know." The fat man came over to wash his face too. "Why don't you go check across the street?"

"Me?"

"Of course, you're familiar with this guy."

Why aren't you going?

"I'm afraid of being glared at."

The two were arguing when there was a knock on the courtyard gate. The knocking was very rhythmic: three knocks, a two-second pause, then three more knocks.

"Who is it?" the fat man shouted.

"It's me." It was Hei Xiazi's voice from outside.

The fat man went to open the door. Black Bear stood in the doorway, wearing sunglasses and carrying a plastic bag. Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu stood behind him, also carrying things.

"Oh, so early?" The fat man made way for him.

"It's getting late." Hei Xiazi walked in and put a plastic bag on the table. "I brought you breakfast: soy milk and fried dough rings."

"Hey, that's nice." The fat man chuckled, opened the bag, and sniffed it. "It's still warm."

Wu Xie also came over: "Boss Xie, Xiuxiu, good morning."

"Good morning." Xie Yuchen nodded.

Huo Xiuxiu smiled and put the steamed buns she was carrying on the table: "I also bought some steamed buns, pork and scallion ones."

"That's great!" the fat man gave a thumbs up.

The group sat down to eat breakfast. The fermented mung bean juice was strong, and Fatty drank it with relish. Wu Xie took a sip, and his face scrunched up.

"Don't like the taste?" Black Bear laughed.

"It's too sour," Wu Xie said.

"Old Beijingers love this." The fat man took another big gulp.

As we were eating, there was another knock at the courtyard gate. This time, the knock was very light, almost inaudible.

"I'll go open it." Wu Xie stood up.

The door opened. Standing outside were Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling". Both were wearing black tracksuits, very clean, as if they had just washed. Their hair was still a little damp.

"Brother?" Wu Xie was taken aback. "You guys... went for a run?"

Zhang Qiling nodded.

Zhang Qiling nodded as well.

The two walked in and sat down at the table. The fat man quickly handed them steamed buns: "Here, eat them while they're hot."

Zhang Qiling took it, broke it open, glanced at the filling, and then ate it quietly. "Zhang Qiling" also took it, broke it open to look at the filling, and then ate it.

"What are you two doing...?" the fat man scratched his head. "What are you looking at?"

"Look at the filling," said Zhang Qiling.

"Afraid it won't taste good?" Black Bear asked.

Zhang Qiling looked up at him, his gaze calm, but Hei Xiazi inexplicably felt a glance directed at him. Beside him, "Zhang Qiling" also glanced over, his lips twitching downwards by a mere 0.1 millimeters.

The meaning is clear: It's none of your business.

"Fine, I told you so." Black Bear raised his hands in surrender.

The group ate quietly. Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" ate quickly but politely, almost without making a sound. After finishing, Zhang Qiling put down his chopsticks and looked at Wu Xie.

"Is something the matter?" Wu Xie asked.

"A map," Zhang Qiling said.

"Oh right," Wu Xie remembered, "It's inside, I'll go get it."

He went inside and took out the leather map from his backpack. When he came out, Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" were already standing up and waiting in the open space in the yard.

Wu Xie handed over the map. Zhang Qiling took it, unfolded it, and looked at it together with "Zhang Qiling". The two were very close, their heads almost touching, but they didn't actually touch.

"Shepan Mountain is in southern Yunnan." Xie Yuchen also came over. "It's near the border, and the area is tropical rainforest, so the roads are difficult to travel. Besides... there are some local legends about it."

"What legend?" the fat man asked.

"They say a snake god lives in the mountains and eats people every year," Huo Xiuxiu said softly. "Those who go in rarely come out."

"Really?" the fat man asked, his eyes wide.

"It's just a legend," Xie Yuchen said. "But there's no smoke without fire."

Zhang Qiling put away the map and looked at "Zhang Qiling". "Zhang Qiling" nodded.

"Going?" Zhang Qiling asked.

"Mm," Zhang Qiling replied.

"When?" the fat man asked.

"In a few days," Zhang Qiling said.

"So fast?" Wu Xie was stunned.

"A curse." Zhang Qiling added two words.

The meaning is clear: the curse waits for no one.

Wu Xie touched his neck and nodded: "Yes, we need to hurry."

"Then we need to prepare some things," the fat man said. "There are a lot of mosquitoes in the rainforest, and we also need to be careful of snakes. Oh, and we should bring some medicine to prevent miasma."

"I'll get it done," Xie Yuchen said.

"I'll help too," Huo Xiuxiu said.

"Alright, let's divide the tasks." Black Bear clapped his hands. "The mute Zhangs will be in charge of fighting, and we'll handle the logistics."

Zhang Qiling glanced at him but didn't say anything. But his gaze flickered again.

Zhang Qiling also glanced at it.

Black Bear grinned and then fell silent.

As they were talking, they heard the sound of a car outside the gate. The sound was very close, and it stopped right at the gate. Then someone knocked on the door.

This time the knocking was very formal, thump, thump, thump.

"Who is it this time?" the fat man frowned.

Wu Xie went to open the door. Two people stood outside, both dressed in casual clothes, but standing ramrod straight. One was middle-aged, and the other young. The middle-aged man was carrying a briefcase.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Wu Xie?" the middle-aged man asked.

"It's me," Wu Xie said.

"Hello, my surname is Chen, and I'm from the Special Affairs Office." The middle-aged man handed over a business card. "This is Xiao Li. Our leader would like to meet Mr. Zhang Qiling, and... another Mr. Zhang."

Wu Xie didn't take the business card and turned to look into the courtyard. Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" were already looking over, their expressions unchanged.

"What is it?" Wu Xie asked.

"Regarding some follow-up matters concerning the ancient city of Jingjue," said the official surnamed Chen, "and... the matter of Director Wang Jizong and his team."

The courtyard quieted down.

The fat man walked over and blocked Wu Xie's path: "Wang Jizong? Didn't that old bastard die in the desert? He died in a sandstorm, what does that have to do with us?"

"We didn't say it was your business," said Official Chen. "We just need to understand some things. Also, our leaders would like to talk to Mr. Zhang and his colleagues about... cooperation."

"Cooperation?" the fat man scoffed. "Last time we cooperated, we almost lost our lives. Cooperation again?"

"Last time, it was Director Wang and his group acting on their own, and it doesn't represent the office's stance," said Official Chen. "Our leaders value Mr. Zhang's abilities and hope to build a good relationship. After all... we're all under a curse, and we share the same goal."

Wu Xie looked at Zhang Qiling. Zhang Qiling walked over, stood at the door, and looked at the two officials.

When Official Chen saw him, his expression became noticeably more respectful: "Mr. Zhang, our leader genuinely wants to talk to you. No pressure, just a few words. You decide the place, you decide the time."

Zhang Qiling was silent for a few seconds before speaking, "I won't see you."

"Mr. Zhang..."

Zhang Qiling also walked over, stood next to Zhang Qiling, and coldly uttered two words: "Not familiar."

Official Chen choked. Little Li, standing nearby, tried to say something, but was stopped by Official Chen.

"Well... sorry to bother you." Official Chen put away the business card. "If Mr. Zhang changes his mind, please contact us anytime. I'll leave the business card here."

He placed his business card on the stone bench by the door, then he and Xiao Li turned and got into the car. The car drove away.

The fat man picked up the business card, glanced at it, and scoffed, "Special Affairs Office, Deputy Director, Chen Jianguo. Not a low-ranking official."

"It's no use," Black Bear said. "The mute Zhangs won't fall for that."

Wu Xie looked at Zhang Qiling: "Brother, you really won't see him?"

"There's no need," Zhang Qiling said.

"Will they cause trouble?"

Zhang Qiling spoke: "I'm not afraid."

Zhang Qiling nodded.

The two turned and went back into the courtyard to continue looking at the map. It was as if nothing had happened.

Wu Xie and Fatty exchanged a glance, and Fatty shrugged: "Alright, the two of you decide."

Xie Yuchen walked over and said in a low voice, "The official system isn't monolithic either. Wang Jizong is dead; some want to take over, while others want to ease tensions. But whatever the case, we just need to keep that in mind."

"Mm." Wu Xie nodded.

Huo Xiuxiu said softly, "But they're right. The authorities will probably send people to investigate the curse. They might run into it near Snake Coil Mountain."

"If we run into each other, we run into each other," the fat man said. "Let's go our separate ways. If they dare to cause trouble, you two guys aren't going to take it lying down."

The group discussed their next steps in the courtyard. Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" rarely interrupted, but they listened attentively. When confirmation was needed, they would nod or shake their heads.

After discussing it, Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu left first to prepare medicine and equipment. Hei Xiazi stayed behind, saying he had nothing better to do, and helped tidy up the yard.

Fatty started rummaging through drawers and cabinets, looking for old items he used when tomb raiding. Wu Xie was organizing his notes, recording his experiences in the Jingjue Ancient City.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" sat on a stone bench in the corner of the courtyard, one wiping his knife, the other resting with his eyes closed. There was a fist's distance between them, like two silent guardian deities.

As the sunlight shone down, dust particles danced in the beams of light in the courtyard.

It was a very peaceful morning.

The official live stream isn't running. But rumors are circulating online that the Special Affairs Office was turned away, and the two "Black Kirin" figures didn't give them any face.

A prophet posted: "The authorities want to ease tensions, but the mute Zhangs won't buy it."

The expert, unconvinced, replied: "If it were me, I wouldn't eat it either; I almost got ripped off last time."

The male model's fan club flooded the screen with comments like, "Well done, husbands!"

Around noon, the gate rang again.

This time the banging was very urgent, bang bang bang.

The fat man frowned: "Who is it? Is this never going to end?"

He went to open the door. A deliveryman was standing outside, carrying a large box.

"Mr. Wang, is this your package?" the courier said.

"I didn't buy anything." The fat man was stunned.

"You're the recipient, and this is the address too." The deliveryman handed over the box. "Please sign for it."

The fat man signed the papers and returned carrying the box. The box wasn't heavy, but it was quite large. He opened it; inside was a styrofoam box. Inside the styrofoam box were ice packs, and in the middle of the ice packs were two vacuum-packed roast chickens.

"This..." The fat man took it out; the roast chicken was still steaming.

There was a note in the box with the words: "A small token of my appreciation. Chen."

"Is it Chen Jianguo again?" Wu Xie leaned over to take a look.

"That's persistent enough," Black Bear laughed.

Zhang Qiling walked over, glanced at the roast chicken, then at the note, and said nothing. But the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, as if... he was speechless.

Zhang Qiling glanced at it too, his brows furrowing slightly, his expression clearly saying: How annoying!

"What should we do?" the fat man asked.

"I ate it," Zhang Qiling said.

"what?"

"It's a waste not to eat it," Zhang Qiling added.

"Alright!" the fat man chuckled, "An extra treat for lunch!"

At noon, the group heated up the roast chicken and cooked a few other dishes, then set up a small table in the courtyard to eat. The roast chicken was indeed delicious, with crispy skin and tender meat. Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" ate quite a bit, but remained quiet.

After finishing his meal, Zhang Qiling stood up and looked at "Zhang Qiling".

"Let's go," said Zhang Qiling.

The two walked outside.

"Where to?" Wu Xie asked.

"Buy clothes," Zhang Qiling said.

"what?"

"We need to change clothes before entering the rainforest," Zhang Qiling explained.

After saying that, the two went out the door and walked across the street. Their backs were straight, and their steps were in sync.

As the fat man watched them walk away, he sighed, "Those two gentlemen are truly... unlike ordinary people."

"It wasn't originally like that," Black Bear said.

"That's true." The fat man nodded.

As Wu Xie cleared the dishes, his mind was preoccupied with the events of Snake Coil Mountain. The tropical rainforest, the legend of the snake god, and the Muchen Pearl.

Three years is neither a long nor a short time.

But with his buddies around, he felt at ease.