Chapter 59: Blocked at Both Ends
A group of six people, plus a monkey, slowly made their way through the dark cave. It's unknown what the monkey was thinking, but everyone in the group was undoubtedly filled with anxiety, unsure of the fate of the road ahead. Perhaps their only hope was to catch up with Fan Zheng, the "Yeducheng Film Company Director," who had vanished before them. Because both the secret treasure and the truth lay with him!
After walking for more than ten minutes, suddenly there was a "bang" sound coming from the dark end of the cave. The sound was quite dull and long, as if it was very far away, and it seemed like the sound of something heavy falling to the ground.
"Listen! What's that sound in front?" Luo Mei stopped and the monkey also stepped back.
"I heard it, is Fan Zheng in front?" Du Yunzhang said in a low voice.
"Very likely." Luo Mei replied, "Not good! We have to speed up and catch up with him as soon as possible, otherwise..."
"Otherwise what?"
"If it's really Fan Zheng up there, then this sound might mean he's found the exit. If he seals it off before we catch up, then we're completely lost."
"Hey! Son of a bitch, if he dares to do this, I will smash his head!" Du Yunzhang said fiercely.
"Okay, now is not the time to be ruthless. It's more important for us to catch up quickly."
Everyone quickened their pace. Linlang and the Fifth Concubine, supporting the Fourth Concubine, followed closely in front with Yin Chuan's help, so they didn't fall too far behind. Luo Mei, who was at the front, told the monkey leading the way not to go too fast and not to go beyond the range of the lantern's light, or else she would throw a stone to stop it. This also prevented those behind from falling behind.
After walking for another ten minutes, the monkey stopped and stood in front of a stone wall. Luo Mei went forward to investigate, his expression gradually becoming gloomy.
"Why don't you leave?" Du Yunzhang caught up and asked.
"The worst has happened," Luo Mei replied in a low voice. "That sound just now was indeed Fan Zheng using the giant stone mechanism to seal the exit. We're stuck here."
"What?" Du Yunzhang was furious. He walked over to the boulder and pushed hard with both hands. As expected, the stone wall did not budge at all. "Damn it! That bastard!" Du Yunzhang cursed.
At this time, the other people behind followed, and when they saw the huge rock blocking the road ahead, they were all dumbfounded and felt a little desperate.
"Sister Linlang, there is no way back. Are we going to be trapped to death here?" The fifth concubine asked weakly.
"It's okay, it's okay. We won't die." Linlang hurriedly comforted, "Look, we have Brother Yin, Brother Du, and the experienced Luo Mei here. We will definitely find a way out. Don't worry." After hearing what Linlang said, the fifth concubine felt a little relieved.
"Luo Mei, do you have any ideas?" Du Yunzhang asked.
Luo Mei bit her lip and was silent for a moment before shaking her head and saying, "Fan Zheng has set a plan to wipe us out! The mechanism on this boulder must be outside. Unless we use explosives, it will be difficult to open it with our current strength."
Although the voice was low, everyone could still hear it clearly. The fifth concubine suddenly burst into tears. Linlang wanted to comfort her but didn't know how to start.
"Don't panic, everyone!" Yin Chuan suddenly shouted, "Maybe we still have a chance!" As he said that, he looked at the few flickering lights in the cave not far away.
Inside the tomb, Fan Zheng was illuminating his surroundings with his electric flashlight. He'd searched everywhere, up and down, left and right. Where could the mechanism to open the box be? He pondered in his mind.
He recalled how he had previously kidnapped Ou Yelinlang and forced Luo Mei to follow him into the tunnel. Under duress, Luo Mei not only handed over the secret treasure box but also revealed the method to open it—it was in the tomb at the end of the tunnel. But he had searched everywhere, high and low, and still found no clues.
Fortunately, after entering the tomb, he immediately closed the tomb door and kept the people following him out. In this way, he could crack the mechanism of the secret treasure box at will without having to confront them.
Luo Mei hinted that the mechanism needed to unlock the secret treasure box must be within the coffin in the tomb where it was found, which should be right here. In other words, the tunnel he had previously entered, followed by the others, had actually turned a corner and returned to its starting point. As for the cave collapse, it was simply the collapse of rocks from the surrounding low-lying terrain. If they didn't enter the cave, they would be buried, certain death. This blockade, from front to back, trapped everyone in the tunnel, undoubtedly their doom.
He couldn't help but sneer, then calmed his mind and focused on finding the mechanism to open the secret treasure box. Of the original five coffins in the tomb, only three remained, the two at the bottom already buried under the rubble. Fan Zheng spotted the top coffin; it was there the secret treasure box had been taken, and he figured the mechanism must also be inside.
He climbed step by step to the highest point, inching closer to the coffin. He knew that the coffin lid was concealed with a spring-loaded blade. As soon as the coffin was opened, the blade would instantly decapitate the victim, as had happened to Master Lan. However, he had witnessed firsthand how Luo Mei had cracked the mechanism and knew the details. However, considering Luo Mei had the assistance of Yin Chuan, Du Yunzhang, and others, while he was alone, and all his helpers were gone, what was he supposed to do?
Fan Zheng looked around the cemetery aimlessly again, and suddenly an idea struck him - weren't there two other coffins that hadn't been buried? Wouldn't it be possible to use them as his "helpers"?
Thinking of this, Fan Zheng couldn't help but secretly rejoice, thinking to himself, "Luo Mei, Luo Mei, you are still unworthy of being called a veteran in the tomb-robbing business. Didn't you fall into my hands today? Once I get the secret treasure and leave, everyone in the martial arts world will only recognize me, Fan Zheng. Who will still remember you?"
He briefly considered the situation and devised a method for opening the top coffin lid. He secured two ropes to the top corners of the middle coffin, and connected the other ends to the two lower coffin lids, tightening each end. Then, he reached the lid of the middle coffin, hooked his hands and feet around the ropes at each end, and dropped down hard. Using the combined force of his own weight, he pulled the lid forward. Before the lid could move far, he heard the snap of a spring, and a flash of cold light passed over the tip of Fan Zheng's nose. In that instant, Fan Zheng quickly stood up and placed the long stone he had prepared underneath the lid to prevent the spring from retracting and injuring him.
After everything was done, Fan Zheng carefully walked to the open coffin and shone his electric flashlight inside. He saw that there was nothing inside except some gold and silver.
Nothing? Fan Zheng was suspicious. It shouldn't be like this. Since the secret treasure box was taken out from here, the clue to unlocking it would most likely be hidden here too. But where exactly was it?
Just as he was wondering, a bigger question suddenly occurred to him—this wasn't right! Master Lan's head was right here. When Luo Mei took it out, the blood hadn't dried yet, but now, why was there no trace of blood inside? There wasn't even a trace of blood inside the coffin.
Fan Zheng frowned, increasingly convinced that this was something unusual. If Master Lan's body, along with the head Luo Mei had removed from the coffin, had been buried beneath the rubble that had collapsed from the top, why hadn't there been a trace of blood since returning to the tomb? It was as if Master Lan's death by the mechanism within the coffin had never occurred.
This is too bizarre! Fan Zheng was so disturbed by this bizarre scene, he didn't know what to do for a moment. But he soon calmed down and muttered to himself, "This isn't a big deal. As long as I find a way to open the secret treasure box and escape according to the pre-planned escape route, I'll be done! Wait..." At this point, he suddenly had another thought in his mind - "pre-planned escape route"... Could there be some changes?
Fan Zheng ignored his intention to search for the secret treasure and the secret method in the coffin. He turned around and went down to the side of the layer where the coffins were located on both sides. He used both hands to dig left and right. After a few times, he was horrified to find that the exit that was supposed to be hidden here was gone!
Did he remember it wrong? He turned to the other side of the mound and dug hard, but still found nothing. He was completely dumbfounded and sat down on the ground.
Doesn't this mean that you are already in a desperate situation, and any secret treasure you get will be like scrap metal!
What should he do? After all his meticulous planning, would he end up like those people, trapped and dying in the tomb? Wait! Perhaps the way he came here before could lead to an escape? He lowered his head to search the lowest part, which had been buried by the fallen rocks. The entrance to the cave he had come from should be right under the coffin on the left side of the second floor... He hurried over to check. Fortunately, there weren't many fallen rocks there, so he could dig it out in a few strokes. That's right! Right there! Fan Zheng dug a few times with his shovel, and soon the entrance to the tomb appeared. There was finally hope!
It seems that all we need to do is crack the secret treasure mechanism and then return from here to escape. Haha, there is always a way out!
Fan Zheng seemed to have regained his fighting spirit and returned to the coffin in the center. This time, he simply crawled in, lying straight inside and carefully searching from top to bottom, left to right, front to back, and finally found something strange at the bottom of the pulled-out coffin board. It was a hexagonal groove with a side length of five centimeters, which seemed to fit the size of the secret treasure box perfectly. Fan Zheng suppressed his inner ecstasy, took out the secret treasure box, and put it into the groove. Sure enough, the box was inserted into the groove tightly. When he applied more force, he heard a "click" from the box - haha, the secret treasure box was opened!
Fan Zheng, now in the coffin, was eager to open the box immediately to see what the secret treasure inside looked like. However, the coffin was too narrow and cramped to stretch out. With no other options, Fan Zheng could only curl up and scramble towards the outside of the coffin. He only straightened up and poked his head out after reaching the lid.
But when he grabbed the coffin door with both hands and was about to stand up, suddenly a big hand grabbed his wrist with a "bang". He was so scared that his heart tightened and he almost fell back into the coffin again.
"Director Fan, Director Fan, you've directed a brilliant play that's a perfect match! I'm in awe of you!"
Fan Zheng rubbed his eyes and saw Du Yunzhang appear in front of him with a forced smile in the dazzling light.
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