Chapter 53: Veteran Tomb Robber
Du Yunzhang disagreed with Luo Mei's alarmist remarks. "Is your monkey really that important? Could it be that the lives of everyone in our tomb are determined by a monkey?"
"You know shit!" Luo Mei replied harshly, but did not explain much.
"But at least we are all safe and sound now, especially Linlang, who has returned safely. We are very lucky." Yin Chuan said, then bowed to Luo Mei, "Thank you very much, Miss Luo."
"Now is not the time to be polite," Luo Mei said, "Let's think about how to get out."
"Can't you use the door you opened for Fan Zheng to go out?" Du Yunzhang asked.
"No, that tomb passage is most likely not the entrance to life."
"Nine out of ten? What does this mean?" Yin Chuan was a little confused.
"The diagram does show the passageway leading out of the tomb, and it opens just like I did. But what's strange to me is that the door opens and closes in a different direction than I know."
"So what? Isn't it enough as long as it can be opened?" Du Yunzhang was very disapproving.
"Humph, just opening it is enough? You are such a fool." Luo Mei rolled her eyes at him. "A man like Shen Wansan must have built his own tomb with great precision. If you make even the slightest mistake, you could end up in pieces. Even though he threatened me into entering the tomb, I was still extremely cautious. Look at me, if I hadn't been so careful and experienced, I might have died in there without getting hurt."
Linlang seemed to suddenly understand. "Oh! No wonder you knew there was a pit at the bend when you rescued me. That's why your center of gravity was unstable and you accidentally twisted your leg."
Luo Mei smiled, "I didn't explain it to you in detail because I was in a hurry, and I don't think it's necessary."
"Hehe, that Fan Zheng is going to lose his life. He deserves this end." Du Yunzhang said.
Yin Chuan shook his head. "Is it possible for him to fall into the trap so easily? I don't think so."
"Why?"
"This Fan Zheng, on the surface, seems a bit scholarly, claiming to be a film company director, but from what I've observed along the way, he's quite experienced in the underworld, extremely cautious and vigilant in his actions, and appears to be a veteran in the tomb-robbing business. Luo Mei, what do you think?"
Luo Mei nodded slightly. "Yes, although I have never heard of this person in the industry, his words and deeds, every move, all reveal the temperament of a veteran. Especially his attitude towards his two subordinates..."
"Hmph, this just shows that you guys are all heartless and so cold and indifferent to your own accomplices." Du Yunzhang said unhappily.
Luo Mei wasn't angry this time. "Although what you said may be a little harsh, it basically explains the nature of tomb robbers. After all, how can there be any affection between a few people who come together for wealth? They just use each other. That's why I saw through it all later and have been fighting alone."
"But this time you've brought me into the group, does that mean you're just being loyal to me?"
"Du Yunzhang, let me say it again. I didn't come to you because of our old friendship. I know you're a straightforward person and won't play tricks on me. I simply can't find anyone I can trust in this industry, so I had no choice but to come to you."
"So—I have to thank you for your trust?"
Seeing that the two were about to quarrel again, Yin Chuan hurried to smooth things over, "Hey, guys, this is not the place for a quarrel. Miss Luo Mei, I heard that you were in danger in the tomb passage just now, and you escaped because you discovered the trap in advance at the bend. This reminds me of Fan Zheng's two subordinates, one short and one-armed. When they disappeared at the end of the team, it seemed that we discovered them missing after turning the corner. Could it be that the traps in Shen Wansan's tomb are all set at the bends of the tomb passage?"
Linlang also recalled the previous incidents. "Now that you mention it, it's true. It's true that both times, we discovered that the person at the end of the team had an accident after turning a corner. But... it seems like along the way, it seems like something happens every time we turn a corner. The first two times we turned a corner, the trap was triggered. And the people at the end of the team should have been extremely careful afterwards, but why did they keep disappearing?"
"Haha, there are only two possibilities. Either these two were blinded by the huge wealth in front of them and only thought about how to enjoy the fruits of their labor after making a fortune from tomb robbing. Or, these two were just petty thieves on the street and had no experience in tomb robbing, so they fell into a trap and lost their lives." Luo Mei replied.
Du Yunzhang pondered for a moment. "If Fan Zheng was a veteran tomb raider, why would he recruit two amateurs to help him? Furthermore, one of them has one arm and the other is a dwarf. If they didn't have special abilities, they wouldn't have caught Fan Zheng's eye. Luo Mei, your second possibility is untenable."
"In that case, the first possibility is actually quite far-fetched," Yin Chuan added. "Even if the two were really blinded by the overwhelming wealth as you said, why didn't they rush forward, but were content to follow at the back of the group? And Fan Zheng also said that being at the back should be the safest position for them in the entire group. Judging from this, they still value whether they can reach their destination safely, and won't be careless and reckless."
Luo Mei lowered his head. "Since what I said is wrong, what are your opinions?"
Seeing Luo Mei's defeat, Du Yunzhang felt a surge of gloating joy in his heart and glanced up at Yin Chuan. Yin Chuan ignored his gaze and, biting his lip, hesitantly expressed his judgment: "Do you think there is another possibility? Those two men of Fan Zheng's—the one-armed man and the short man—were not struck by a natural disaster caused by the mechanism in the tomb, but by a man-made one?"
"Man-made disaster? What does that mean?" Luo Mei didn't understand Yin Chuan's words for a moment.
"That is to say... someone attacked them repeatedly in the tomb passage, using the traps within the tomb as cover to conceal their actions. Or perhaps there's a third possibility: these two aren't dead at all, but are hiding somewhere within the tomb for some purpose or other. After all, we only know these two are missing, unlike Master Lan, whose bodies are right in front of us."
Luo Mei shook her head. "According to my tomb map, they had no place to hide. Lao Du and I went back to investigate, and although we didn't find their bodies, we also didn't find any hiding places. I think they're most likely dead. As for you saying they were murdered... you don't suspect the murderer is lurking among our group of ten, do you?"
Yin Chuan chuckled coldly, deliberately lowering his voice. "It's not a suspicion. If it's really as I said, the first possibility, that the two of them didn't hide intentionally but have been killed, then the murderer must be among us."
"Do you think it's possible... that the murderer is Master Lan?" Du Yunzhang speculated. "Judging from how he released the smoke to knock everyone out and then went off on his own to retrieve the treasure, it's very likely he had already planned to find an opportunity to eliminate those two first, to avoid any additional risks once he got there."
"But with his size..." Luo Mei glanced at Master Lan's headless corpse lying aside, "It would be so difficult for him to maneuver in the tomb passage! Not to mention there's Fan Zheng blocking the way."
Yin Chuan pondered for a moment and said, "Speaking of Master Lan... committing a crime in the tomb passage is not impossible. Although he is stout, don't forget that the places where Yuan Lao Er and Tan Zhuozi disappeared were all around the bend. You can imagine that a bend with a large enough angle has more room for maneuvering than a straight passage. If Master Lan wanted to take action, he only needed to hide in the dim light outside the corner, wait for Fan Zheng to pass, and then wait for an opportunity to attack the last person. As for why you didn't find any trace of the missing person when you returned, it may be because you didn't investigate carefully enough. Maybe he hid the body at the top of the tomb passage or in the mechanism outside."
Luo Mei thought about it carefully and said, "Now that you mention it, I really didn't pay attention to the space above my head. Lao Du, have you checked the top of the tomb passage?"
Du Yunzhang shook his head.
"If that's the case, then there is indeed such a possibility. But now that Master Lan is dead, there is no evidence from his mouth. It's also impossible to take the risk of going back to look for him, so we can only let this matter go." Luo Mei sighed and said.
"I'm only citing a possibility; I can't offer any solid evidence. And there's only one thing that doesn't make sense. With Fan Zheng's acumen, how could he not have noticed that Master Lan had stopped and hidden in the shadows around the corner in the tomb passage?"
"Maybe he just thought that Mr. Lan stopped to pee because he had to, so he didn't ask?" Du Yunzhang guessed.
"But the men behind him have been in trouble and disappeared one after another. I don't believe he won't suspect Master Lan." Linlang retorted.
Yin Chuan nodded. "Yes, I think if that were the case, he would definitely have some suspicions. But judging by his cunning and ruthless attitude towards his subordinates, perhaps there is another purpose for him to hide his suspicions in his heart and endure it."
"Then what is he afraid of? What could be so strange that he wouldn't point it out when he knows clearly that someone is plotting against his men?" Luo Mei asked.
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