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墨書 Inktalez
My Tenant is a Female Ghost
The lead ball rolled down the slightly sloped ground, making a clattering sound. From a distance, Bai Zhuo could hear the sounds of various mechanisms being triggered. "How did you know there would be traps here?" Bai Zhuo asked, still feeling uneasy as it was his first encounter with such things.
Wang Tao smiled lightly. "Watch your step. The stones here are slightly different from those over there; years of experience tell me that. Let's turn back; this is a dead end. No one could get through unless there’s a secret passage. I've checked, and these walls are solid."
Bai Zhuo nodded skeptically. "Alright, maybe the cave next door has a way out."
Wang Tao and Bai Zhuo turned around and returned to the fork in the path. There were nine paths, and Bai Zhuo carefully observed the strange patterns above, resembling graffiti or some clues.
"Stop looking at those; they are escape markings left by the tomb builders. We can't decipher them. Those builders knew they were going to be buried with the dead, so they must have left themselves a way out. Let’s keep moving," Wang Tao said, pointing to an opening. "This entrance has a draft; it might lead somewhere."
So that was it. Bai Zhuo nodded and peered into the opening. Indeed, there was a breeze coming from inside, feeling somewhat warm, and the two cautiously set off again.
Incredibly, there was hot air inside the cave, and it grew warmer as they ventured deeper. "This might be where they heated mercury; let’s see if we can find any clues," Wang Tao speculated.
"Mercury vaporizes at temperatures between five hundred to one thousand degrees Celsius. Would anyone really be adding fuel here year-round?" Bai Zhuo wondered.
"Looks like you know quite a bit; graduated from a prestigious university?" Wang Tao asked.
Wearing a gas mask made it hard to hear clearly, but Bai Zhuo shrugged noncommittally. "Seems like your line of work is pretty dangerous."
Wang Tao shone his oil lamp around before continuing forward. "Hey, who isn’t? We’re risking our lives for money here. The dangers of these large ancient tombs are immense; if we get caught, just being charged with tomb robbery is enough to ruin us... My master was sentenced to death for it."
“Is it that serious?” Bai Zhuo asked in surprise. “What about you?”
“I’m fine, just an accomplice. I’ll be out in ten years or so. Plus, if this mission is completed, I might get a reduced sentence. If I can earn some commendation from your Commander, I could be out in no time... Brother, it seems like you have a good relationship with that Commander. Do you think... heh heh, could you put in a good word for me?”
“Letting you out would be a disaster,” Bai Zhuo joked.
“Come on, brother, I’ve had enough of prison food. I promise I won’t make any more mistakes. If we make it back alive, just help me out a little.”
“You definitely won’t mess up again. You probably have a stash hidden away outside that could last you a lifetime. Anyone who gets caught again is just foolish,” Bai Zhuo said nonchalantly. “I’m just curious about that Curse Seal you showed me earlier. Since you helped me out, if we run into danger, I’ll help you too.”
Wang Tao scratched his head but felt the cold surface of his gas mask instead. He laughed, “At that moment, I just instinctively pulled... As long as everyone is okay, let’s go. It’s getting hotter in here.”
The two continued deeper into the cave. The blue stone floor beneath them became increasingly sloped, with many areas approaching a near ninety-degree incline!
“It’s too hot; let’s turn back. I’m worried the gas masks won’t hold up,” Wang Tao said.
Bai Zhuo took out his phone to check the time; it had been about forty minutes. “Let’s go another five minutes; if we don’t find anything, we’ll head back.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Tao took off a piece of clothing and lifted the oil lamp in his hand, continuing deeper into the cave.
After five minutes, Wang Tao took off another piece of clothing. “No way, it’s too hot; we should turn back!” Bai Zhuo was also struggling; it was unbearably hot inside, and he had no idea what was burning. “Forget it; let’s go back. No one can handle this much longer.”
As they prepared to turn around, Wang Tao suddenly grabbed Bai Zhuo’s arm. “Look over there! What is that?”
In the distance, a gray garment lay on the ground. The cave was dimly lit, and if one did not look closely, it would be hard to notice. Someone was inside! Bai Zhuo and Wang Tao exchanged a glance and nodded before continuing deeper into the cave. At a bend in the cave, Wang Tao suddenly let out a scream, dropping the oil lamp in his hand and stumbling backward.
The oil from the lamp spilled everywhere and ignited instantly, red powder raining down from the flames. Normally, someone like Wang Tao, a seasoned Tomb Raider, would have seen all sorts of bizarre things, yet here he was, terrified enough to drop his lamp.
Bai Zhuo pushed past Wang Tao, and what lay before them was shocking! The ground was littered with skulls and corpses, many of which were still quite fresh. A few gas masks had fallen to the ground, and the skulls were smeared with hair and bits of flesh; the eyeballs had been crushed beyond recognition. It was a gruesome sight. If Bai Zhuo hadn’t encountered such scenes while battling the Nanyang Sorcerer, he might have vomited right there. What would it be like to throw up inside a gas mask?
Wang Tao trembled at the sight, nervously pulling out a red inkstone wrapped in thick strands of thread stained with chicken blood. "F-friend, we should go back. There must be powerful zombies inside."
Bai Zhuo understood that this was likely the work of zombies. He tightened his grip on the Thunderwood Sword. "To save someone is to extinguish a fire. Since we have a lead, we should continue deeper. Even if we can’t defeat that zombie, I believe I can help us escape."
Wang Tao swallowed hard, unable to look at the corpses on the ground. Bai Zhuo stepped over the dense pile of bones and picked up an intact gas mask from the ground. "Let’s go; there might still be someone alive in there!" As if to validate Bai Zhuo's words, a sharp scream echoed from within the cave!
It was a woman! It must be Cai Wenwu's cousin! Bai Zhuo wanted to rush inside, but he noticed Wang Tao standing frozen in place, hesitating.
Bai Zhuo cursed, "Are you really going to make me help you? That woman inside is your Commander's cousin! If you save her, you won’t need my help; you might even have a chance to get out of your prison sentence after all these years!"
Those words jolted Wang Tao awake; who would want to spend over ten years in prison?
"Damn it! People die but birds fly; if I’m dead alone, what’s there to fear? Let’s do this!" After cursing, Wang Tao turned on his tactical flashlight and stepped over the pile of corpses, entering the cave ahead of Bai Zhuo. (To be continued.)
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