After I shouted that there was a fire dragon top here, the Tianjin youth above was the first to raise a question: "I've heard of fire dragon tops. Such mechanisms are only set above the main burial chamber. I've never heard of an entire tomb being covered by a fire dragon top. This kid is bluffing us!"
"Once the Fire Dragon Peak collapses, the white phosphorus will burn everything it touches. Our only way to escape now is to dive into the water as soon as possible!"
Although I was anxious, I was also wary that these people would kill me during their escape, so I made up a lie: "Actually, there is another way out here, and the passage is underwater. Without me leading the way, you will definitely not be able to escape! Killing me is the same as committing suicide!"
There was no reply from the person above, and for a moment they were hesitant.
I saw the flashing light outside growing faster and faster. After hesitating for a moment, I stepped out from behind the pillar and came into their sight. I shouted at the stage, "Jiang Man! Our goal is to find Duan Jinyan, but he's gone now. We have no enmity, and neither of us has achieved our goal. It would be such a pity if we died here together. What do you think?"
Jiang Man was a smart woman. She didn't mention that we had abandoned them below the courtyard, nor did she mention that she had cornered us in the side room: "Okay, as long as you get us out of here safely, I promise to forgive and forget what happened before, and we'll pretend that none of this ever happened!"
Seeing that Jiang Man had already spoken, I quickly walked up the steps: "Let's go back to the back mountain first, I need to find my companions!"
"Your companion didn't come out with us!"
The burly man beside Jiang Man said, "After the tomb was flooded, we returned the way we came. We didn't see any of your people during the whole process. In fact, I saw one of your companions leave through the hole in the main burial chamber!"
That's when I realized that the person they were talking about earlier wasn't me. In other words, one of Monkey and Song Laosan had already left.
Even so, I insisted, "I'm cooperating with you because I'm looking for my people, and there's no room for negotiation on that!"
"Listen to him!"
Jiang Man glanced at me, took out a diving mask from her backpack, put it on, and then screwed on a three-minute portable oxygen tank.
I knew time was of the essence, so I didn't waste any more time and quickly ran along the passage behind me toward the back of the mountain.
As we left the Underworld Palace, the sky outside had brightened, and fire dragons circled continuously above the dome.
This is a sign that the white phosphorus has started to burn, causing the high temperature to change the color of the tiles. Once the temperature reaches the threshold of the flame, this dome will collapse instantly. If the white phosphorus gets on our bodies, it will continue to burn until our bones are burned dry.
Jiang Man was also shocked when she saw the shape of the dome. She then looked at the empty back mountain and said, "You saw it too. Your friend didn't escape at all. When the tomb was blown open, the water flow was extremely rapid. Your friend is probably in grave danger."
Without saying a word, I made a gesture and walked toward the shaft leading to the tomb.
Seeing that I was determined to go my own way, Jiang Man's bodyguard said in a deep voice, "Hey! Didn't you hear what Miss said? Your friend hasn't shown up here yet, which means he's dead! We've been ashore for so long, and you didn't bring any diving equipment, there's no hope for him!"
"Even if my friend has met with some misfortune, I must see him alive or dead!"
I was already seething with anger because of Duan Jinyan's situation, and the thought of losing my brother because of this made me even angrier, so I stubbornly continued my preparations.
"Forget it, let's not waste any more time. Do as he says!"
Jiang Man rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed: "Give him my spare equipment, go down with him to take a look, and then leave through the passage at the bottom."
Upon hearing this, the burly man took out a diving mask from his bag and handed it to me, looking at me very seriously: "If we really find your friend's body underwater, we absolutely cannot take him away. You know how difficult it is to move a body while diving!"
These words touched a raw nerve, and I ignored him, walking a few steps to the edge of the shaft.
"Ding-dong!"
Just as I was about to enter the shaft, I suddenly heard a metallic clanging sound from above.
"Ding-dong!"
"Thump!"
The sounds of bells and tripods resonate, like the tinkling of metal and jade.
The continuous sound was like a musical movement, reverberating in the empty cave.
Jiang Man's men turned on their tactical flashlights and shone them upwards, focusing on a row of chime bells at the edge.
When I first arrived at this place, I focused all my attention on the island in the middle of the lake and didn't turn on my flashlight to avoid being spotted.
Whether those chime bells had always been hanging there or had fallen from a height, they were all suspended in mid-air. After the mechanism was triggered, the first chime bell collided with the second due to inertia, and then the motion continued to spread into the distance.
I heard the bell tolling more and more urgently, so I snatched the man's flashlight and shone it behind me.
At the very back of this row of musical instruments is a large cauldron, which should be the core of these mechanisms. Once it is triggered, the entire mechanism will complete its closed loop.
Fortunately, the chime bells next to this large cauldron were broken, leaving only a single iron chain hanging forlornly in place.
"Buzz!"
The third-to-last chime bell was struck, producing a dull, low sound. It swayed toward its intended direction but missed its target beneath the iron chain.
Worried about the safety of my men, and seeing that the mechanism had not been triggered, I prepared to go down into the shaft.
Before they could even look away, they saw a dark shadow appear on the wall next to the giant cauldron.
I turned up the power of my tactical flashlight and shone it over, and the dark figure startled me.
It was Zhou Peng, whom we hadn't seen in a long time!
Although the distance made it difficult for me to see his face clearly, I still recognized him by his clothing.
This guy...
After he went mad, he dared to confront the ancient giant salamander head-on. Not only did he not die, but he miraculously survived until now!
Zhou Peng squatted awkwardly on the rock in mid-air. When the flashlight shone on him, he let out a sharp shriek and then jumped toward the giant cauldron.
"when!"
Zhou Peng's movements caused the giant cauldron to vibrate, and the sound spread.
He grabbed the giant cauldron as if trying to steady himself, but after struggling with his hands and feet for a long time, it was all in vain, and he fell straight down from the sky.
Immediately afterwards, the giant cauldron shook a few times and fell into the water from the sky, splashing water several meters high.
"Splash!"
As the giant cauldron fell, the mountain wall on that side collapsed with a roar, and the underground river behind it surged out and poured into the cave.
Not only that, but the dome over there also began to crumble inch by inch after losing its support. The white phosphorus inside, upon contact with the air, roared towards us like a waterfall of flames.
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