Chapter 179: A Favor
Everyone at the Archaeological Research Institute was envious. These things couldn't be bought on the market! They must be very effective in replenishing energy!
But they didn't go down to the tomb, so they could only watch.
Adjutant Yang took out another piece of equipment that looked similar to black goggles and handed it to Xu Ying.
"This is a night vision device. Although I can't give it to you directly according to regulations, I can lend it to you first. I'll apply to Chief Qin later, and you don't have to return it."
"The last time we sent you equipment, this night vision device hadn't arrived yet."
Adjutant Yang and others took out their equipment very quickly. In less than ten minutes, Xu Ying was fully armed with a searchlight on his head, night vision goggles in front of his eyes, and a military dagger tied to his calf.
Fortunately, Xu Ying brought a very large mountaineering backpack. The backpack was already stuffed bulging with supplies and various necessary materials by Adjutant Yang. It was almost half a person's height and felt heavy on his back.
Lou Yiqun's eyes turned red when he looked at Xu Ying, who was wearing advanced equipment.
These military equipments were all supplied and developed internally. Their archaeological institute is an unrelated unit and has not been used yet.
Xu Ying adjusted the night vision goggles in front of her and asked Adjutant Yang, "Can I lend this night vision goggles to someone traveling with me?"
Adjutant Yang nodded. "It's fine in this situation, as long as you don't lend it to strangers or sell it on the market."
"But we believe you won't either."
Lou Yiqun's eyes lit up when he heard this. Just as he was about to ask for it, he heard Professor Mo say, "Xiao Xu, this is for you. Just wear it. Don't worry about us old guys."
"It's most convenient for you to wear it, so you don't have to worry about us."
Qi Xiao and Chen Su also agreed.
Lou Yiqun smacked his lips and muttered to himself how a veterinarian could become the core of the tomb-diving team.
But no one paid any attention to him.
Professor Chen Sumo and his three companions arrived at the entrance of the tunnel by car, while Xu Ying drove the reptiles over on a dune scooter.
Chen Su and others arrived first by car.
Xu Ying was just about to bend down to carry the bulging backpack when he suddenly felt a lightness on his shoulders.
She turned around suddenly and met Qi Xiao's eyes.
The man's bony hands were already firmly holding the straps of her backpack, his fingertips brushing against her shoulders and neck inadvertently, bringing with them a burning warmth.
“Leave it to me.”
Qi Xiao said calmly: "Just focus on giving directions."
Xu Ying's ears felt slightly hot. "It's very heavy."
Before he finished speaking, Qi Xiao had already picked up her backpack with one hand and threw it over his shoulder, while the other hand was still holding his equipment steadily.
He looked down at her, his usually stern features tinged with warmth: "With you and the little bug leading the way, I feel much more relaxed."
After a pause, he added, "It's my duty to help you share the burden."
Xu Ying raised her head and gave him a faint smile, two dimples blooming on her cheeks: "Thank you."
The end of her voice rose briskly.
Feeling relieved without the burden of the backpack, she couldn't wait to take the reptiles to see the situation in the tunnel.
Qi Xiao followed calmly, but the earlobes hidden under his hair were slightly red.
Chen Su, who had just locked the car, turned around and saw the interaction between the two. He pursed his lips, and there was a hint of annoyance between his brows that he was not aware of.
Xu Ying first sent a large army of reptiles to crawl into the tunnel to find out the situation.
The Five Poison Army crawled in through the tunnel.
About a quarter of an hour later, Lao Wang's friend, King Cobra No. 2, climbed up to report the situation.
Xu Ying and the other four relayed the situation below the tunnel: "My reptile friends said there are three living people down there, and they were still moving half an hour ago."
"After going down six meters into the tunnel, heading south, you'll find a man-made passage."
Qi Xiao nodded when he heard this, and he already had a rough idea in his mind: "I'll go down first, you guys follow me closely."
He quickly tied the rope to the lower hole.
Professor Mo couldn't wait to follow Qi Xiao into the tunnel.
The tunnel was narrow and damp, and the air was filled with a rotten smell.
As soon as Xu Ying's toes touched the silky bottom of the hole, a cold hand supported her shoulders.
Qi Xiao's headlamp illuminated his angular profile. He whispered, "Be careful, the ground here is uneven and a bit slippery."
Xu Ying was about to thank him when suddenly a cold needle touched her fingertips.
Several desert golden scorpions shouted warnings at her.
[Stationmaster Xiao Xu, there's a scorpion nest around the corner ahead. They're not the same species as us Desert Golden Scorpions. Their tails are much longer than ours, and they're very aggressive. They're telling us to get out of the way.]
[These scorpions were very aggressive, clearly enraged. I saw signs of fire near their nest, as well as several charred scorpion carcasses.]
Xu Ying had a guess in his mind: "It should be a whiptail scorpion."
This kind of scorpion is very poisonous. Its venom can be sprayed one meter away. If the venom gets into the eyes, it can cause blindness. They are also very ferocious and will eat other scorpions.
Xu Ying reminded the others: "There's a whiptail scorpion nest around the corner ahead, everyone be careful."
After hearing Xu Ying's reminder, the other four people stopped.
Lou Yiqun: "How do we get there?"
Professor Mo: "Everyone light torches and march together? Use fire to scare them off."
"No." Xu Ying shook his head. "They were recently burned by tomb robbers. If we march with torches, it will only anger them. They might attack us."
She thought for a moment, took out a tube of aloe vera gel from the medical kit, and said to the group of desert golden scorpions
"Tell the whiptail scorpions from a distance that my medicine can relieve the pain of their burns and can lead them to seek revenge on the people who set the fire."
The aloe vera gel was in a bag. Xu Ying took off the lid and the scorpion squeezed it with its tail to use it.
The leader of the desert golden scorpions wagged his tail to show that he had received it, then he brought his brothers and, carrying the "peace gift" of aloe vera gel, twisted his body and went to negotiate.
About five minutes passed.
A small scorpion slithered over, its tail swishing rapidly, its sting held high. Its tone was filled with excitement: "Stationmaster Xu, the ointment you gave me is really effective! They agreed to let us pass!"
[And…] It paused, the tip of its tail twitching slightly, [They also said they wanted to go with us to settle accounts with those guys.]
Xu Ying's tense shoulders finally relaxed, the corners of his lips curled up slightly, and he waved to the four people behind him: "It's done, follow me."
Professor Mo pushed his glasses up, his face filled with disbelief. "In the past, at archaeological sites, these poisonous little ancestors were the most difficult to deal with. I never thought that a tube of aloe vera gel could make them cooperate so obediently?"
"So," Xu Ying chuckled, "it's not that they're difficult to deal with, it's that we haven't understood what they want—we've just casually stepped on their territory and then blamed them for having a bad temper."
For the first time, Professor Mo felt that the thrilling and exciting activity of archaeological excavation in tombs was so interesting, and he looked at Xu Ying with envy and admiration.
After passing through the scorpion area, the passage gradually widens and eventually connects to an exquisite brick-paved corridor.
Although the murals on the walls have faded, the unique sun god pattern of the Jingjue Kingdom can still be recognized.
"This is the corridor leading to the side hall," Professor Mo excitedly stroked the mural. "Look at the craftsmanship, it's definitely royal grade!"
The king cobra on Xu Ying's shoulder suddenly raised its head and made a rapid hissing sound.
At the same time, several spiders that crawled out of her pockets also crawled quickly on her arms.
"Something's happening," Xu Ying frowned and listened carefully to the sounds made by these small animals.
"A sound up ahead? A vibration?"
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