Chapter 12: Is Someone Dead?
Mount Meng!
“Damn it!”
“Didn’t they say they guaranteed entry into the main burial chamber?”
“Where on earth have they brought us?”
Terry shone his flashlight around; they were inside a cave, facing a massive stone wall. He turned to Zhou Ze Yi, “Third Master, those two have talked a big game, but their skills aren’t impressive!”
Zhou Ze Yi’s face remained stern. Entering a tomb was a perilous venture—one wrong step could ruin the plan, or worse, cost lives.
The tall man waved dismissively, unconcerned, “There’s a layer of earth sealed with stone slabs above; the usual tunnel can’t break through.”
“Getting this far is already quite good!”
“Third Master, you don’t doubt our abilities, do you?”
Zhou Ze Yi stayed silent and glanced at the tall and short men. “What’s your next move?”
The tall man pointed at the enormous stone wall behind them. “Simple.”
“This wall is obviously the burial chamber’s barrier. If we can breach it, we’ll enter the chamber.”
“Though troublesome, this is the fastest way.”
After a moment’s thought, Zhou Ze Yi said, “We’ll proceed as you suggest.”
“Use explosives?”
The tall man shook his head, gesturing to the cramped space behind them. “The space is too tight.”
“We can’t just set off explosives directly.”
“If we’re careless, we’ll all perish together!”
Zhou Cheng immediately asked, “Then what do we do?”
The short, stout man pulled a hammer head from his bag, assembling it onto a wooden handle. He then took out a thick, threaded iron nail and placed it against the stone wall, rubbing his hands together, “First, we hammer a hole. Then we stuff explosives inside and blow it open!”
Zhou Cheng looked surprised. “Isn’t that a mining technique?”
The tall man had already taken out a detonator. “Exactly!”
The stout man called out and began hammering the threaded nail relentlessly. His arm swung in full arcs without easing.
Their teamwork was seamless. The tall man only relaxed his grip when half the nail was embedded in the wall.
After seven or eight strikes, the nail was fully driven in.
Once pulled out, the hole would be large enough to fit a detonator.
The ancient tomb’s walls could not withstand modern explosives.
They were experienced and had no intention of making a second hole.
The stout man then pulled out a tool resembling an octopus from his bag, fitting it over the nail and began pressing the iron handles on either side with great force.
Zhou Cheng understood immediately.
It was like a screw extractor, but modified to be more direct and brutal.
The side handles acted as levers, allowing them to pull the embedded nail out.
However, it required great strength.
The stout man’s arms were thick and powerful.
With a strong push, the nail slowly came free from the wall.
The tall man prepared the detonator’s fuse, waiting for the nail to be fully extracted.
“Fsshh!”
Unexpectedly, as the nail came out, a stream of bright red liquid emitting white vapor sprayed from the hole.
The stout man was caught off guard, drenched in the corrosive fluid.
His body ignited like a fireball; white smoke rose from his flesh, accompanied by terrifying sizzling sounds.
“Trouble!”
Terry’s face changed dramatically as he hurriedly pulled Zhou Ze Yi and Zhou Cheng back.
The tall man tried to rush to the man’s aid but couldn’t get close, forced to watch helplessly as the stout man was burned to a charred husk.
“There’s acid inside the wall!” the tall man exclaimed in shock.
Zhou Ze Yi pulled the tall man aside, staring grimly at the acid-corroded, unrecognizable body of the stout man. “He’s beyond help.”
“When we get out, his share is yours. I’ll give you an additional half a million.”
The tall man sighed deeply.
They had worked together for over a decade, always taking jobs as a team. Losing his partner meant it would be hard to find such a compatible ally again.
But given the circumstances, they had no choice but to accept.
Zhou Cheng took a cloth from his bag and covered the stout man’s body, giving him a measure of dignity.
The acid inside the wall seemed to have drained.
Zhou Ze Yi looked at the tall man, who had recovered from his grief, and said, “We still need to find a way inside.”
The tall man pulled out the detonator. “I’ll do it.”
But just as he was about to insert the detonator, Zhou Cheng suddenly stopped him. “Wait! We can’t blow it up!”
The tall man looked at him in surprise.
Zhou Ze Yi frowned.
Terry smirked, “Chicken?”
But Zhou Cheng shook his head, his expression unusually serious.
“No.”
“The amount of acid that leaked out doesn’t add up.”
Terry looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”
Zhou Ze Yi stepped forward, pointing at the wall. “The wall is ten meters long and three meters high.”
“That’s thirty square meters.”
“Assuming the acid layer inside is ten centimeters thick, or 0.1 meters.”
“Then the total volume of acid inside the wall would be three cubic meters.”
“But what just sprayed out was at most half a cubic meter.”
“The numbers just don’t match!”
The tall man was astonished. “You mean there’s still acid inside that hasn’t leaked?”
Zhou Cheng nodded.
“If there’s still acid inside, when the detonator explodes, the remaining acid will scatter everywhere.”
“We’ll all be burned to death!”
The tall man looked at Zhou Ze Yi in disbelief. “Third Master, your nephew is the real expert here.”
Zhou Ze Yi’s expression darkened further as he fixed his gaze on Zhou Cheng. “So what do you suggest?”
All three stared at him, but he shook his head.
“Should we try hammering it open?”
After a pause, Terry couldn’t help but ask.
The tall man shook his head. “No.”
“This tomb wall is at least half a meter thick. The layers are filled with a mixture of wood ash and glutinous rice glue, making it far more solid than you’d imagine.”
“Even if we took turns, it would take days to break through.”
Terry looked frustrated. “Nothing works, then what will?”
He looked at Zhou Ze Yi, who remained silent, and sighed, lighting a cigarette.
After a moment, Zhou Cheng said suddenly, “Why don’t we ask Brother Xuan? Maybe he has a way!”
Terry looked surprised. “Brother Xuan? That streamer?”
Zhou Cheng nodded.
Terry squinted, hesitatingly looking at Zhou Ze Yi. “Third Master, what do you think?”
After a moment’s thought, Zhou Ze Yi said, “I think it’s worth a try.”
The tall man was stunned. “A streamer? I don’t get what you’re talking about.”
Terry explained, “He’s a treasure appraisal streamer, seems to know a lot. He helped us escape from the Corpse Pit before.”
“He’s pretty amazing.”
The tall man was even more confused, then suddenly said, “Isn’t that just grasping at straws?”
“He’s a streamer; his live broadcast is monitored by the system. If they find out we’re tomb robbers, we’ll be locked up the moment we leave the tomb!”
“No way, no way!”
Terry waved his hand. “Don’t worry, he’s got connections.”
“The police can’t catch us!”
The tall man stared at Zhou Cheng in disbelief, and seeing Zhou Cheng’s confident expression, he gasped.
After working in this line for over ten years, this was the first time they’d called a streamer for help.
...................................................................
“Captain... are you staying late with us tonight?”
Xiao Lu looked oddly at Fang Youcai, who was intently watching the livestream.
Liang Jingyi asked, “Does your wife mind?”
Fang Youcai sighed, “You think I want to stay late with you all?”
“Someone just won’t let me go home, nowhere to go!”
Xiao Lu’s expression turned gossiping. “What’s wrong? Is your wife complaining you don’t pay your share?”
Liang Jingyi chuckled.
Fang Youcai glared at him fiercely, “Stop talking nonsense!”
“Or I’ll beat you up!”
Xiao Lu finally quieted down.
Fang Youcai turned back to Zhang Xuan’s livestream. “This kid’s being pretty obedient tonight.”
“Probably won’t find anything new.”
“I won’t hang around with you two much longer.”
Xiao Lu breathed a sigh of relief. “Captain, you should head back soon.”
“Couples don’t hold grudges overnight.”
“Heh heh!”
Liang Jingyi added, “It’s late; maybe you should go now?”
“I’ll let you know if anything happens!”
Fang Youcai finally stood.
“Carnival?”
“Snowy long legs just sent a carnival gift!”
Xiao Lu suddenly exclaimed.
Fang Youcai turned, surprised to see a romantic castle appear in the livestream.
“Who?”
He looked astonished.
Xiao Lu excitedly said, “That tomb robber again! He’s gone live!”
Fang Youcai was shocked. “Quick, find his location!”
.....................................................
Livestream!
The viewers, excitedly watching, erupted upon seeing a familiar name.
Zhang Xuan covered his face, “Brothers!”
“It’s finally happening!”
“Sigh!”
“Thanks to Snowy Long Legs for the carnival gift!”
“Looks like you want to connect with me!”
Zhang Xuan rubbed his temples. Though the connection hadn’t started, he already guessed what the other side intended.
Tonight’s livestream had stabilized over ten thousand viewers.
The recent livestream incident had gone viral online, even trending.
Tomb robbers and female corpses—such matters would surely attract official attention.
The lack of action until now was likely due to evidence gathering or the calm before the storm.
He sensed that opening the connection now could make the show even more explosive than before.
The stream might surpass twenty thousand viewers.
Seeing Zhang Xuan hesitate, the chat flooded with urging messages.
“Xuan, don’t chicken out! You’re not the one robbing the tomb, why be scared!”
“Xuan, I’m a lawyer. You’re just a streamer. Even if they dug up Qin Shi Huang, it’s not your legal problem!”
“Xuan, they even sent cigarettes, hurry up!!!”
“Streamer, hurry!”
............................
Reading the barrage of messages, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath. “Alright, connect! I’m not scared!”
“But I must repeat the disclaimer!”
“I’m a treasure appraisal streamer, purely for entertainment, bearing no legal responsibility!”
He smiled grimly and accepted the connection.
A familiar voice greeted, “Hello, Xuan!”
Zhang Xuan closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. “Echo...”
“Enclosed space!”
“About five hundred cubic meters in volume!”
“Brother, did you go exploring again, or are you still trapped?”
Zhou Cheng replied, “Alas, Xuan, you guessed right. To be frank, we’re trapped again.”
The camera showed a massive stone wall. “Xuan, look!”
“We’re blocked by a wall again!”
“Could it be something unclean this time?”
Zhang Xuan opened his eyes, staring at the green-brick wall, his expression froze.
“Xuan?”
“Xuan, what’s wrong?”
The chat was stunned.
The lighting made the wall shine, and the damp ancient atmosphere radiated from the screen.
“Damn, this must be over a thousand years old!”
“Amazing!”
“This brother’s really brave!”
“That’s an ancient tomb wall, right?”
“Xuan’s stunned. This guy’s a demon!”
“Seems like what had to happen, has to happen!”
.........................
Zhang Xuan: “.............”
“Brother, just a heads-up, thanks to you, my stream now has over ten thousand viewers!”
“Plus, I’m trending. Some people are already watching my stream.”
“Do you get what I mean?”
Zhou Cheng: “I do!”
“But no worries!”
Zhang Xuan took a deep breath. “OK!”
On the screen, an arrow pointed to the wall with several lines of text.
“Live annotation feature?”
Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled unlocking this function last night and wondered if this was it.
He focused on the text:
[Name: Western Zhou Green Brick Wall]
[Dimensions: 1100*325*50 cm]
[Description: Hollow inside containing alum acid; grid frames mark acid storage areas, divided into eight sections!]
The description was very clear, even marking the distribution of alum acid.
One section showed a gray shadow with a label “drainage.”
Seeing the small holes in the wall, he immediately understood.
“Brother, this is a Western Zhou green brick wall, eleven meters long, three meters high, half a meter thick!”
“Containing alum acid inside—very dangerous!”
Inside the ancient tomb.
The tall, thin man’s eyes nearly popped out upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s voice. “How does he know everything?”
“Has he been here before?”
Terry shook his head, giving him a shocked look.
Zhou Ze Yi said, “Not necessarily. A true expert can look at a map and determine the tomb’s location, era, and structure, inferring almost everything!”
The tall man was stunned. “Really?”
“I’ve been in this line for over ten years but never seen such a genius!”
Zhou Ze Yi said nothing.
Zhou Cheng’s phone transmitted Zhang Xuan’s voice again: “There are holes in the wall but no acid drainage system.”
“Looks like you didn’t know about the alum acid inside the wall’s cavity.”
“Did someone get hurt?”
Those words made even Zhou Cheng suddenly look up, eyes wide, staring at Zhou Ze Yi and the others.
The tall man gasped, horrified, glancing at the charred body of the stout man moved to the back.
....................................................................
The livestream atmosphere grew tense.
Zhou Cheng’s voice sounded again: “Yes.”
Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes. “Is it serious?”
Zhou Cheng sighed. “Xuan, it’s too detailed to explain. Let’s just say, he’s not going to make it.”
Zhang Xuan’s heart sank slightly. “I see.”
“Not going to make it???”
“What do you mean??”
“Dead??”
“Damn, that’s terrifying!”
“Why did the streamer suddenly get so scary?”
“Can’t be true, right???”