Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

[P.S. Before you start reading, let me clarify that this book focuses on brotherly love, there is no romantic pairing. The younger brother and Wu Xiaogou get a little closer here, but it's a brotherly relationship, not a romantic one.]

Behind the stone gate is a downward-sloping tomb passage.

It was very narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time, with a steep slope and slippery stone slabs underfoot. Zhang Qiling walked in front, his flashlight beam piercing into the depths, cutting a path through the darkness. "Zhang Qiling" followed closely behind, the two walking in unison at a leisurely pace.

Wu Xie followed behind, using the wall for support as he moved down. Water seeped from the cracks in the stone slabs, making the musty smell in the air even stronger, mixed with an indescribable fishy odor.

"Why did they build this tomb passage so steep?" Fatty Wang panted. "Isn't that old man, King Xian, afraid his coffin will slip and fall?"

"It might be a drainage channel," Xie Yuchen said from behind. "Judging from the direction it goes, it goes straight down and should lead to a deeper tomb chamber."

"How deep must it be?" Huo Xiuxiu asked softly.

"The tomb of King Xian is known for its depth," A Ning said, walking behind Huo Xiuxiu. "Ancient records say that his tomb is deep inside the mountain, and there is a saying that it is the 'Nine Springs'."

"Nine floors?" Wu Xie turned around.

"It might just be a description of depth," Black Bear said.

After walking for about half an hour, the tomb passage began to spiral. It was no longer a straight downward path, but a spiral, winding its way towards the center of the earth. There were traces of human carving on the stone walls, as well as simple wall lamp stands, but the lamps had long since gone out.

The air was getting increasingly humid, and the temperature was dropping. A flashlight beam swept across the stone walls, revealing water droplets condensing on them.

"Something's not right." Zhang Qiling suddenly stopped.

Zhang Qiling also stopped and listened intently.

A rustling sound came from deep within the tomb passage, very dense, like countless feet crawling on the stone slabs. The sound grew louder and louder as it approached.

"What's that sound?" Fatty Wang pricked up his ears.

Zhang Qiling aimed his flashlight beam deep into the spiral tomb passage below. At the end of the beam, a dark mass was surging upwards. The size of a fist, with glossy black carapaces, they were densely packed, filling the entire passage. They were corpse beetles, their numbers terrifying, like a black tide, spreading upwards along the spiral tomb passage.

"Holy crap!" Fatty Wang's face changed. "How many are there?"

"Tens of thousands," said Zhang Qiling.

The swarm of corpse beetles moved very quickly, reaching a distance of over ten meters below in the blink of an eye. Their mouthparts could be clearly seen opening and closing, producing a "clicking" friction sound.

"Retreat!" Xie Yuchen shouted.

But it was too late to retreat. The swarm of corpse beetles surged in from below, and the tomb passage above was also blocked—sometime earlier, a dark mass had appeared above as well.

"I've been trapped!" Black Bear cursed, drawing his short knife.

Wu Xie's face turned pale, and he gripped his entrenching tool tightly. Huo Xiuxiu and A Ning stood back to back, with Xie Yuchen protecting them in front. Fatty Wang moved closer to Zhang Qiling.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" didn't move. They exchanged a glance, took a deep breath at the same time, and made a strange sound from their throats.

"Giggle...giggle..."

It wasn't speaking, nor singing; it was a highly rhythmic sound, like the grinding of bones. The sound wasn't loud, but it echoed through the narrow tomb passage, carrying a certain ancient penetrating power.

Ghost whistle.

The swarm of corpse beetles paused instantly upon hearing the sound. The beetles at the front pace paced anxiously in circles, hesitant to advance. The beetles behind tried to push forward, but as soon as they got close to the sound's range, they retreated as if encountering an invisible wall.

The sound continued. Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" stood side by side, their lips moving slightly, the "clucking" sound never ceasing. The swarm of corpse beetles piled up three meters away from them, growing higher and higher, but they dared not cross that line.

"It worked!" Wu Xie breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't stop! Don't stop!" Fatty Wang said quickly.

The ghostly whistle lasted for about a minute. The swarm of corpse beetles began to stir; some tried to climb up the side of the stone wall, but turned back as soon as they got close to the sound. They pressed against each other, making a piercing friction sound.

"We can't stay any longer." Zhang Qiling stopped blowing his whistle and said four words.

"Go," Zhang Qiling said.

"Down?" Wu Xie looked down at the dense swarm of corpse beetles. "How do we get down?"

Zhang Qiling looked at him: "I'll take you."

"what?"

Zhang Qiling looked at Fatty Wang, then at Hei Xiazi and the others. Hei Xiazi grinned, "Dumb Zhang, you guys take care of yourselves, we can manage."

Xie Yuchen nodded: "We can keep up."

Zhang Qiling said no more. He walked to the edge of the tomb passage and looked down. The center of the spiral tomb passage was empty, like a huge atrium, bottomless. The nearest spiral platform below was about seven or eight meters away.

Zhang Qiling walked to Wu Xie's side and said, "Close your eyes."

Before Wu Xie could react, "Zhang Qiling" had already wrapped one arm around his waist and grabbed his backpack strap with the other. Wu Xie felt a sudden lightness as he was lifted off the ground.

Zhang Qiling pushed off the edge of the tomb passage and leaped out. While in mid-air, he gently pressed his right hand against the stone wall, using the momentum to turn and land steadily on the platform below. His knees were slightly bent upon landing to dissipate the impact, making almost no sound.

Wu Xie's feet touched the ground, his legs felt a little weak, but he steadied himself. He looked up, and the figure above was blurry in the darkness.

Next was Zhang Qiling. He grabbed Fatty Wang and leaped off as well. Fatty Wang was quite heavy, but Zhang Qiling's movements were clean and swift; with a few leaps, he landed steadily on the platform. Fatty Wang cried out "Ouch!" when he landed, but he was unharmed.

Hei Xiazi, Xie Yuchen, Huo Xiuxiu, and A Ning jumped down one after another. Hei Xiazi and Xie Yuchen were agile, and Huo Xiuxiu and A Ning were no less so, all landing steadily.

The swarm of corpse beetles above, no longer suppressed by the ghost whistle, began to surge downwards. However, with a vertical distance of seven or eight meters between them, they couldn't descend immediately and could only pile up at the upper edge. Some fell down and crashed onto the platform, where they were crushed by the black bear's foot.

"Continue," Zhang Qiling said.

Below were countless spiral platforms, each spaced seven or eight meters to over ten meters apart. "Zhang Qiling" once again embraced Wu Xie and leaped to the next platform. This time, Wu Xie was prepared, but his heart still raced in mid-air. He could feel that "Zhang Qiling's" arm was steady and his breathing even, as if carrying someone down seven or eight meters was a perfectly normal thing.

After landing, Wu Xie whispered, "Thank you, Brother."

Zhang Qiling didn't speak, released his grip, and looked upwards. Zhang Qiling followed Wang Pangzi down, and this time Pangzi landed more steadily.

Looking at Zhang Qiling's profile, Wu Xie suddenly felt a strange... warmth towards that aloof face. He scratched his head, trying to make conversation: "Um, Brother, what do you usually... like to eat?"

Zhang Qiling glanced at him, her expression a little strange, as if she didn't understand why he asked that. A few seconds later, she uttered two words: "Anything is fine."

"Oh..." Wu Xie nodded, "Then... I'll treat you to roast chicken next time? I know a really good place."

Zhang Qiling turned his head away, no longer looking at him. But Wu Xie noticed that the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch, as if he wanted to say something, but then held it back.

"You're too naive," Fatty Wang sidled up, "You think you can flirt with this guy?"

"I didn't flirt at all!" Wu Xie's face flushed.

Zhang Qiling was already looking at the next platform, preparing to jump down again.

The group jumped down, one level at a time. After descending about a dozen levels, the rustling of the corpse beetles above could no longer be heard. They could hear the sound of water below, along with faint human voices.

It's the official team.

They didn't take the spiral tomb passage, but another route, yet they seemed to have encountered trouble as well. On the platform below, figures moved about, flashlight beams swept erratically, and there were screams and gunshots.

Zhang Qiling stopped after descending another platform. About twenty meters below was a larger platform where the official team was crammed together. Several skeletons lay on the ground, their clothes still intact, but the flesh had been gnawed clean by corpse beetles. Wen Jingshan, Lin Guoce, Jiang Xungu, Kun Ge, Chen Man, Wang Yihan, Zhou Xu'an, Jiang Shouyi, Meng Qinghe, and A Ning were not there; they were in another team. The remaining dozens of soldiers and some wounded were huddled together, dealing with the corpse beetles swarming out from a small opening on the side.

Chen Wangshan was among them, brandishing a peach wood sword and muttering incantations, his face deathly pale. Several corpse beetles crawled onto his legs; he screamed and swatted at them, but to no avail. More corpse beetles surged up, engulfing him.

The screams lasted for more than ten seconds, then stopped. When the corpse beetles dispersed, only a skeleton and tattered clothes remained on the ground.

"Master Chen!" Jiang Shouyi shouted hoarsely.

"Don't go over there!" Lin Guoce grabbed him.

The soldiers used flamethrowers to burn the corpse beetles, but they continued to pour out of the burrow. Jiang Xun Gu stood at the front of the column, slashing with his short sword. He moved quickly, but there were too many corpse beetles, and he was already wounded.

"Should we save them?" Xie Yuchen asked.

Zhang Qiling looked down without saying a word.

Zhang Qiling didn't say anything either.

A few seconds later, Zhang Qiling shook his head.

Zhang Qiling nodded.

The meaning is clear: no rescue. They chose this path, so they must bear the consequences.

They continued jumping down. After several more levels, the official team's voices disappeared completely. The sound of water below grew louder and louder, and the humidity in the air was so high you could wring water out of it.

Finally, it landed on a wide platform. An underground river flowed along the edge of the platform; the water was pitch black and moved slowly. On the opposite bank, the outline of a massive building, resembling the eaves of a palace, could be vaguely seen.

"We've arrived," Zhang Qiling said.

"The underground palace of King Xian," said Zhang Qiling.

The platform is safe for now. The group sat down to rest and check their equipment. Wu Xie touched the red mark on his neck; it was still there. Fatty Wang took out his water bottle, took a swig, and panted, "Finally, we've reached the bottom. My bones would fall apart if I jumped a few more times."

"You should lose weight," Black Bear laughed.

"Lose weight my ass! This is divine fat, it's for survival!"

Wu Xie looked at Zhang Qiling, who was standing by the river, looking at the opposite bank. Wu Xie walked over and whispered, "Brother, thank you for earlier."

Zhang Qiling turned to look at him, his eyes were indifferent, and he nodded.

"Um... I'm a little afraid of heights," Wu Xie scratched his head, "but when you jumped with me, I wasn't afraid anymore."

Zhang Qiling paused for two seconds, then said, "Trust me?"

"I believe you!" Wu Xie nodded.

Zhang Qiling's lips twitched again, this time more noticeably, as if... he wanted to laugh but held it back. He turned back and continued looking at the opposite bank.

Wu Xie felt a warmth in his heart and looked towards the opposite bank. The underground palace stood silently in the darkness, like a lurking giant beast.

The live stream was on the official team's side, the camera was shaky, showing Jiang Xun Gu fighting a tough battle, Lin Guo Ce directing the attack, and corpses on the ground. The comments scrolled by:

The prophet said: Chen Wangshan is dead.

"Specialist in dealing with those who disagree: He brought it on himself."

The fan club for the male idols: Where are the amateur teams? We really want to see our husbands!

But the live stream ball can't be brought over.

Over here, Zhang Qiling is checking the ropes, preparing to cross the river. "Zhang Qiling" is sharpening his knife. Hei Xiazi is observing the water flow. Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu are distributing medicine. A Ning is organizing her quiver.

The new area is right in front of us.

But the real danger may have only just begun.