After I threw the rope ladder down, the people below completely panicked. The burly man who fired the gun roared, "Listen up, you bastards up there! Lower the rope ladder right now, or I'll kill you all when I get up here!"
While pulling on the rope ladder, the monkey roared defiantly, "Do you think I'm easily scared? If you're so capable, grow wings and fly up here, then I'll consider you a birdman!"
"Put-put-put!"
The gunfire below continued, accompanied by a shout: "Those monsters are everywhere outside! They're charging in!"
"Use explosives to collapse this passage!"
"Our rope ladder has been removed; defend up there!"
"...!"
Gunfire erupted below, and chaos reigned.
After the rope ladder was pulled up, we finally breathed a sigh of relief and were able to observe the room.
The space we are in is a square dome, a tomb chamber symbolizing the ancient Chinese concept of a round heaven and a square earth. There are countless stone sculptures of human figures in the room. These sculptures are all painted, but they are arranged in a messy manner, and their bodies are all facing different directions.
Looking at the entrance, it was blocked by a stone.
Looking at the limited space, Song Laosan was a little worried: "This is troublesome. Although we climbed up, we are still trapped inside. We've just switched places with the people below."
The monkey could always find something to comfort itself in a desperate situation: "This is a good thing, at least we're up here and don't have to worry about those giant salamanders attacking us. Haven't you heard? Those giant salamanders are almost here! If we stay up here, we'll just starve to death. If we stay down here, we'll become food for the giant salamanders."
"The situation isn't that bad! Most Jin tombs use imitation wood structures for their burial chambers, but the room we're in is too simple and doesn't match the specifications of Hu Shahu's tomb. If nothing unexpected happens, it was probably only built to seal the entrance to the underground transport passage. The construction of a mausoleum often takes several years, or even decades."
I shared my thoughts: "This means that this underground passage was in use during the construction of the mausoleum. To prevent people from escaping through these passages or entering the tomb to steal, the stone doors here had to be kept openable. So I think this door is very likely to be able to be opened."
The monkey questioned, "Even if what you say is true, what if Ashiyi seals up the tomb after it's been built?"
"That's unlikely!"
Old Song found the loophole: "Now we can conclude that the underground river is a transportation channel, and you have seen the attack power of those giant salamanders. In the absence of firearms, it would have been even more difficult for the ancients to deal with them. So I analyze that these giant salamanders were deliberately put in after the tomb was completed! This shows that they also used this space as a mechanism to mislead tomb raiders. As for the consequences, just look at those people down there."
"Boom!"
As we were talking, a muffled thud came from below, and the ground beneath my feet trembled. The shock of the explosion made me fall flat on my backside.
Ten seconds later, a shout came from below: "The passage has been blown up, blocking those monsters!"
"Hey buddy up here, let's have a chat!"
The woman then spoke up: "We have no intention of being your enemies, and we didn't come here to search for treasure. We have no conflict of interest, so there's no need for us to fight to the death!"
The monkey scoffed and retorted, "What a joke! If you didn't go down into the tomb to find treasure, what were you doing there? Digging a well?"
"You've really misunderstood. We're from the geological expedition team of Yannan University! As you probably know, Russia has been inviting our country to develop the Far East region. Our purpose in coming here is simply to understand the geological structure of the Far East and to produce a report. We entered this ancient tomb by accident!"
The woman responded loudly, "Geological surveyors inevitably have to deal with you tomb raiders, so I know a bit about the rules of the trade! Although there's no way out up here either, it's still safer than down here. As long as you're willing to lower the rope ladder, we can go our separate ways and leave this place immediately!"
Yannan University.
Upon hearing those four words, I frowned slightly.
In the world of antique collecting, Yannan University is known as the "Whampoa Military Academy" of the industry.
Although it is a private college, it does not affect its status as a top-tier university in China, especially in majors such as archaeology, cultural relic restoration, appraisal, and geology, which are among the top five in the country.
Before I could say anything, Song Laosan responded for me: "Friend, since we're all crows in the sky, don't show off your white feathers! If you really are a scientific expedition team, how come the team is all Chinese and there isn't even a single Russian scholar? And the way those people around you reacted when they encountered danger, they were obviously from the military. I've never heard of scientific expedition team members being mercenaries!"
"Exactly! I've never heard of expedition teams being insane, opening fire as soon as they come up!"
The monkey then shouted, "We heard your conversation earlier. You brought two feng shui masters with you. Tell me this isn't for tomb raiding?"
"Da da da!"
Someone below, unable to contain his impatience, pulled the trigger towards the courtyard. The bullets struck the ceiling with a clanging sound: "You bastards! I don't want to waste my breath on you. Throw down the rope ladder right now! Otherwise, if I catch you, I'll skin you alive!"
"Enough!"
The woman scolded the man, shouting, "I'm not lying to you, we really are a scientific expedition team! If you don't believe me, you can lower a rope down, and I'll show you my credentials and relevant documents!"
Seeing that the monkey was about to retort, I waved him off and shouted towards the well, "No need! Even if your identities are real, it's just a disguise. We can lower the rope ladder if you want, but there are a few conditions!"
The woman readily agreed: "Go ahead!"
I replied, "First, you need to tell me your true purpose for coming here!"
The woman was silent for about ten seconds before saying, "We came here to find someone."
My spirits lifted: "Who are you looking for?"
The woman's voice came again: "A group of missing companions arrived here a day earlier than us, but Gps disappeared without a trace. I suspect they entered this ancient tomb, which is why I came after them!"
We've been on the mountain for the past few days and haven't seen anyone else. There are two things we can be sure of right now.
First, Duan Jinyan's team has already entered the Zewang Tomb. Second, we heard gunshots before entering the Zewang Tomb. Could it be that the teammate the woman mentioned was the group that fired the shots?
Thinking of this, I asked loudly, "Is there anyone in the group you're looking for surnamed Duan?"
The woman was somewhat surprised: "You mean Duan Jinyan?"
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