Chapter 9, The Missing Old Horse

However, upon looking again at this moment, it feels off

We have roughly discussed and decided to let Song Ziming and me go in to take a look

The people and objects that should have existed in this tomb chamber seem as if they have never existed at all, leaving us unable to find any traces.

We waited for a full fifteen minutes, yet Lao Ma and the others still had not returned. Logically speaking, since they set off together with Chen Qi and the others, even if the lengths of the stone paths on both sides were somewhat different, the return time should not differ by such a large margin

Chen Qi shook his head; for the first time, I saw a serious expression on his face. He turned around, exchanged a glance with Song Ziming and Bai Zimo, and said in a low voice: "Prepare the equipment"

Next came the handgun. Chen Qi stated that it was a real gun, and an imported one at that. It is unclear how they managed to acquire it. Even Xu Lei mentioned that he had only seen shotguns during his childhood, and had never encountered a real gun, let alone used one.

This bizarre structure is, after all, an ancient tomb or a monster that devours everything

I briefly described the situation in the room to others, and even Shi Lan frowned. Xu Lei, still in disbelief, personally walked in to take a look, but of course, he found nothing as well

However, an unexpected event occurred

The direction in which Lao Ma and the others left was shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to discern the presence of any light source ahead. However, this could also be attributed to the insufficient brightness of the flashlight, as it was difficult to see clearly from a distance. Initially, none of us paid much attention to it

Up to this point, we still had not discovered any trace of Lao Ma and his group of four, nor did we sense any activity apart from our own.

Are you so sure that they haven't abandoned us? I find it somewhat strange; although I also think this statement may not be very likely, it shouldn't be so certain, should it www.hetushu.com.com

Old Ma and the others, they wouldn't have already left this stone path, would they

There is no road in the direction where Chen Qi and the others went

As I suspected, Chen Qi and the others did not hold back; whether it was flashlights, knives, or even those questionable handguns on the ground, each person had their share. I, Xu Lei, and Shi Lan did not forget this

Originally, under these circumstances, barring any unforeseen events, the six of us should be waiting at the designated spot for Lao Ma, after which we will proceed together to explore the main burial chamber

After taking five or six steps inside, I began to shine my flashlight around. I looked around thoroughly, and I was so shocked that I almost wanted to curse!

The entire room consists solely of stone walls, and apart from that, there is truly nothing else to be found. Not to mention any burial items like coffins, not even a fragment is visible

Chen Qi neither directly affirmed nor denied Xu Lei; he merely glanced in the direction where Lao Ma had left, shook his head, and said, "Wait a little longer"

Xu Lei is overflowing with curiosity, and he probably hasn't considered whether he would actually use it. In any case, he accepted that handgun without hesitation. I am somewhat worried that in a dangerous situation, he might accidentally injure a teammate, and I am thinking whether I should keep my distance from him later on

Since Chen Qi and his team did not find the main burial chamber here, it must certainly be located on Lao Ma's side

Both Song Ziming and I held a knife in one hand and a flashlight in the other, and after selecting the room on the left, I followed Song Ziming as we stepped inside cautiously

Xu Lei said that my luck is bad, and I must not have washed my hands after using the restroom. This time, he insisted on being the first to go in. I don't know where he found the courage, but this time he really did go in first

"What are you two doing?" Xu Lei looked at us with confusion, not understanding what we were up to.

It feels as if the entire tomb has been completely emptied. Could it be that Lao Ma and the other three were truly able to clear out this tomb in such a short time

What? I was taken aback, not quite understanding his meaning. However, it was evident that Song Ziming and Bai Zimo understood, as they found their respective backpacks on the ground and began taking items out one by one.

Neither of these two rooms has any light; it is pitch dark and nothing can be seen. We stand in the stone passageway, shining our flashlights inside, and can only vaguely make out the walls made of the same material as the passage. To see what specific items such as coffins or treasures are inside, it seems we must go in to take a look.

Strange, this is indeed somewhat strange

Out of goodwill, Chen Qi said a few words to him, but the woman probably grew impatient and replied, "I have something for self-defense"

After all, Lao Ma and the others were merely going to check the location of the main tomb chamber, rather than retrieving the treasures themselves. If it were just a matter of walking, the round trip would not take that long at all

That's right, it is astonished, not frightened

Finally, we have arrived at the first corner of the structure resembling the character "圭". As indicated by the map in Chen Qi's hand, there are two symmetrically arranged rooms.

I thought about it and felt that this thing has too high a level of danger, so I am afraid I cannot engage with it. Instead, I simply exchanged for an extra saber from Song Ziming, which can be considered as "completing" my equipment.

There are no coffins, no burial items, and even the traces of Lao Ma and others have not yet been discovered

As for Shi Lan, this woman is much better prepared than we are; she has items such as flashlights and fire starters. However, I did not see any self-defense tools like knives, and firearms are out of the question.

As for the room he mentioned, it should refer to the several prominent corners within the structure of the words "圭和图书". According to Chen Qi's description, these areas are all related to the existence of ear chambers or something similar. At the time, I wasn't paying close attention, so I don't remember it very clearly.

However, regardless of who enters, the outcome will remain unchanged. These two rooms, like the previous two, contain no items; nothing can be found inside except for dust

The length of this stone path is somewhat longer than I had anticipated, but it is not to the extent that it becomes daunting. Calculating the time, we have walked for about 5 minutes. Although we deliberately slowed our pace due to concerns about traps, it can be concluded that this tomb is indeed quite large.

They have not returned yet; either something unexpected has happened, or they have abandoned us to explore the tomb alone

We, these individuals, are blocking the theft hole. Logically speaking, the likelihood of the latter is low, yet in the current circumstances, we still cannot help but contemplate this direction

We dared not separate too far, following closely behind him in parallel, all wearing expressions as if facing a formidable enemy

Xu Lei is somewhat apprehensive about this place, and since he came here with me, I naturally cannot let him take risks. As for Shi Lan, although she seems quite formidable, she is after all a woman, and such matters should not be left to her. More importantly, this woman herself lacks the awareness, as she has been staring at the wall and completely ignoring us

However, regardless of what tricks Shi Lan has up his sleeve, now is not the time to delve into details. After distributing the equipment, Chen Qi told me to be careful and then led the way deeper into the stone path

I curiously scrutinized the woman, finding nothing that appeared to be a self-defense item. Finally, I glanced at her long nails and thought to myself, I have heard that the nails of zongzi are not short; could it be that this woman intends to engage in a physical confrontation with zongzi?

It just so happens that m.hetushu.com has been generously shared by Chen Qi and others, and we should take advantage of it. However, neither Xu Lei nor I took that so-called donkey hoof, as we had no idea how to use it; taking it would have been pointless.

The items brought out by Song Ziming and the other person each amounted to more than three portions, totaling exactly six portions, which could not be clearer.

I glanced back at the path I had taken, and the darkness that seemed endless gave me a very unsettling feeling

I find nothing strange about this, as the stone path is a straight one, with one side leading to the main burial chamber and the other leading to the entrance of the tomb

We continue to move forward, undeterred by superstition. This tomb chamber, characterized by the structure of the character "圭", contains not only these two rooms; there should be several more ahead. After walking for about two more minutes, we finally encountered another two symmetrical rooms.

Chen Qi waved his hand to signal us to gather around and said, "Something is wrong; there must have been an incident ahead!"

Song Ziming did not believe, and I did not believe in the supernatural either. The two of us directly walked out of this room and rushed into the room opposite. After another careful search, the result was the same as before; nothing was left here either

According to the map, the entire tomb chamber should consist of nine rooms, including the main tomb chamber at the end directly ahead, as well as four side chambers on each side.

In the end, I hesitated for a moment and thought that among the three of us, there should be at least one person to go in, and that unfortunate individual turned out to be me

Why haven't those old ghosts returned yet? Look ahead, there's not even a glimmer of light. They wouldn't have just ignored us and gone into the room, would they? As expected, Xu Lei was the first to lose his composure. He directly concluded that Lao Ma and his group had abandoned us, without considering the possibility that something might have gone wrong.

There is no need for me to mention that Xu Lei and I only brought a flashlight among these "essentials" on the ground, and we did not bring anything else like maps or books. I was quite worried beforehand; if we really encountered the legendary zongzi or something, would I have to use the flashlight to hit the other party on the head

Song Ziming is undoubtedly the representative nominated by Chen Qi's side. As for Xu Lei and me, along with Shi Lan, I have been thinking that the three of us have just been idly standing by since earlier. Although this is indeed our "duty," it seems rather inappropriate to do absolutely nothing.

There is nothing frightening in this room, or to be more precise, there is absolutely nothing in this room. What was that curse word again? Not a single hair!

Old Ma and the others have not returned

Another five minutes passed, and the entire stone path remained silent. Lao Ma and his group had still not returned, but there were no sounds of screams or anything of that nature.

I have thoroughly examined this room; it is quite spacious, measuring at least the size of two living rooms, yet I cannot find anything inside.

I leaned over to take a look and saw that the floor was lined with a variety of items, including several types of things such as military knives, flashlights, fire starters... and even donkey hooves? And what the hell, there are guns too!

We proceeded forward until we had visited all the tomb chambers except for the main burial chamber, and we found nothing of value. No, to be precise, we found absolutely nothing

Even if they want to go solo, now is not the time. Old Ma is not a fool; he is very clear about the relationship between us. We cannot foolishly wait here for him for too long. In such a short time, the four of them cannot accomplish much; they cannot dig another escape tunnel. In the end, they will still have to cooperate with us.

However, unlike us, when Chen Qi offered a military knife and a pistol to the woman, she did not accept either of them, seemingly indifferent to these good self-defense items