Bonfires were lit on both sides of the canyon where Jinji Cave is located, with smoke billowing up and the firelight clearly visible from a great distance.

The monkey saw lights in the woods dozens of meters away, its expression instantly hardened, and it picked up the crossbow next to it.

"Don't move!"

I reached out and pressed down on the monkey's weapon: "If these people aren't stupid, they definitely won't all rush over together. If we can't eliminate them all, they'll definitely think we're guarding some secret. Once they've got our eyes on this place, it'll be impossible for us to go back into the cave and get the golden rooster's body back!"

While we were talking, the flares at the cave entrance went out, and the Gu creatures trapped inside, like a flood bursting its banks, all rushed into the canyon, squeaking and chattering.

Just then, the beam of a flashlight shone on us from afar: "We're from the Qingyun Town Forestry Station. What are the people in front of us doing?"

“Friend, if you’re on the same boat, don’t try to swim in two rivers! I’ve seen the equipment at the forestry station; they don’t have your tactical flashlights!”

I stood in the beam of the other person's flashlight, kicked the crossbow at my feet, then took out the flashlight, turned off the safety, and threw it on the ground: "A mountain opens with two beams, red apricots surround high walls, a mouse marries a cat bride! Since ancient times, fish have leaped over the dragon gate and entered the sea, but alas, even a one-eyed strongman cannot ascend to heaven. The ladder to heaven was built by man, wishing to see Yama or become an immortal?"

I'm using coded language here, but the gist is that we've discovered something incredible in this mountain. It's just a pity we overestimated ourselves; with our abilities, even if we lost our lives, it would be very difficult to take it away.

Although there are no instances of two random teams teaming up in the tomb raiding business, the contents of this tomb are far too valuable. If we manage to get our hands on it, it will be an incredible fortune. That's why I'm asking the other party if they'd be willing to make a fortune with us.

As I expected, the other person did understand my coded language. He shone his flashlight on himself to indicate that he wasn't armed: "Friend, may I go over and take a look?"

"certainly!"

I nodded, and deliberately took a few steps away to distance myself from him.

This was a very burly middle-aged man. He stopped five meters away from us, looked past the flames into the canyon, and was startled to see pink-skinned rats crawling all over the ground: "Holy crap, what the hell are these? Did you encounter grave robbers?"

The term "tomb jumpers" used by middle-aged people refers to flowers, birds, fish, and insects that exist only in tombs and are rarely seen outside. Because they cannot be classified, they are all called by this name.

Seeing the middle-aged man's terrified expression, I waved my hand and said, "Uncle, these things just look a bit disgusting, but they're not actually that scary! To be honest, there's a big chamber in the middle of this canyon, and we've already opened the door! It's just that due to improper operation, several teammates are trapped inside. If you're willing to lend a hand and help us rescue them, we'll split the contents of this chamber in half, how about that?"

The middle-aged man scoffed, "Bullshit! If these things weren't capable of attacking, you would have already stormed in. Why would you be here talking about cooperating with us?"

I clasped my hands together and looked earnestly at the middle-aged man: "Three-seven! Two-eight is fine too! As long as you're willing to help, you can have the lion's share... Never mind, you can have everything inside, you just need to agree to help us rescue people! Uncle, you're an insider, you should know how urgent our situation is, please help us, okay?"

The middle-aged man licked his lips: "Are you sure? You're really going to give us everything inside?"

Damn it!

I originally thought I'd use this excuse to get the middle-aged man away, but it turns out this guy, whether out of kindness or greed, actually wants to cooperate with us.

Just as I was about to reply, a scream suddenly came from the canyon behind us. Then, one of the tomb raiders from Dazhuang's side, who had somehow survived until now, rushed out of the cave and ran towards us frantically, shouting: "Help! Help me!"

"Squeak!"

The Gu creatures in the canyon were attracted to him and pounced on him in an instant.

From a distance, the countless pink-skinned rats looked like maggots in a septic tank, huddled together and rolling around. The man struggled for less than three seconds before becoming still.

Seeing this scene, and those swollen and reddened Gu creatures, the middle-aged man's eyes twitched twice: "Damn it! You call this no threat? Aren't you just dragging me to my death with you?"

Seeing the middle-aged man's expression, I was instantly delighted, but my expression became even more urgent: "Uncle, since ancient times, entering a tomb has always been fraught with danger. Who knows, the tomb in this canyon might just be the Miao celestial palace! Don't you think it would be a great pity if we didn't go in and take a look?"

"You little bastard, you think you can brainwash me with your meager skills? This terrain looks like Buddha holding a bead, what kind of great tomb could there be?"

The middle-aged man glanced at the nauseating group of Gu creatures in the canyon and took a step back: "The police have already entered these mountains, and there are so many wandering groups. With all this smoke and fire coming from your side, you might attract even more attention. I'm powerless to help you. Good luck to you!"

Seeing that the middle-aged man was about to leave, I continued to plead, "Uncle, lives are at stake. We can wait, but our friends inside can't!"

This time, he didn't even reply to me. He turned around and left, waving to his companion in the woods, "The grave robbers here are leaking. The risk is too great. Let's get out of here as soon as possible!"

Not long after I sent the middle-aged man away, Jiang Man had already circled around to the other side of the canyon: "I've already contacted the people in Qingyun Town. Even if they have our exact location, it will take them about six hours to get here! Also, the police from Qingyun Town have already withdrawn from this area!"

I was somewhat surprised: "They withdrew? Why?"

Jiang Man responded, "It is said that the murderer was caught in the mountains. I heard that the murderer only admitted to killing someone and provided the murder weapon, but did not say anything else. The police are investigating his identity in Qingyun Town."

"That guy probably isn't a real murderer."

After hearing what Jiang Man said, I thought for a moment and said, "It seems that someone has started clearing the area."

Jiang Man quickly understood what I meant: "You mean, the people from Ping'an Village have arrived and brought out a scapegoat?"

"It might not be Ping'an Village, it could be someone else! There are countless groups in these mountains now. As far as we know, besides Wei Shengnan's group, there are also Duan Jinyan and He Hai. Both of them are wanted criminals by the police. They are the most uncomfortable when the police are active here. But in any case, it is a good thing that the police can shift their attention away from here first."

I glanced at my watch: "Hurry up with your people. Six hours is too long. No matter what method they use, we must compress the time to within three hours. We must get the Golden Rooster's body out before dawn!"