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墨書 Inktalez
The abrupt exclamation from Fat Ma caught us off guard, but when our gaze shifted to the Mud Man, we were all stunned. Could this really be the legendary two-finger Zen?
We watched as the Mud Man's fingers pulled themselves from the ground.
We had always known that the Mud Man was skilled, but we never expected his abilities to reach such heights.
"The ground is mud; we can dig a tunnel," the Mud Man said almost nonchalantly. We responded with a dazed acknowledgment.
Noticing our bewilderment, the Mud Man added, "If there are no questions, let's get to work."
It was only then that we snapped back to reality. The Mud Man drew a circle the size of a plate on the ground, instructing us to dig within that area.
Fatty expressed his dissatisfaction upon seeing this; it seemed he hadn’t considered his feelings at all.
When we finally started digging, the entrance expanded several times over.
We didn’t approach the Quicksand Area for excavation but instead worked near the wall. The Mud Man advised us to dig at an angle, emphasizing that we needed to maintain the right slope—too steep would waste effort, while too shallow could lead to a collapse.
Finally, under the Mud Man's guidance, we began our work.
The Mud Man took the lead while the four of us men formed the main force, with Zhang Tong bringing up the rear.
The digging went smoothly at first. When we encountered stones along the way, we selectively avoided them. However, after what felt like an eternity of digging, we still hadn’t reached an exit; the mud in the tomb had piled up like a mountain.
We sat in the tunnel, replenishing our water and energy.
"Mud Man, are you sure about this? At this rate, when will it end?" Fat Ma asked.
The Mud Man did not respond but instead pressed against the mud to listen. Suddenly, a look of joy spread across his face. "I heard it."
Our previously exhausted spirits were instantly revitalized, as if injected with a stimulant, and we widened our eyes to gaze at the Mud Man.
His expression was serious, but the joy on his face grew stronger. "I can hear the sound of air flowing." As soon as he finished speaking, I understood what this meant; the exit might be just ahead.
We were all as tired as dogs, and the narrow tunnel could barely accommodate one person moving at a time. Fat Ma, in his excitement, bumped his head against the top of the tunnel and cursed, dragging the Mud Man into his complaint.
The Mud Man shot an angry glare at Fat Ma before using his shovel to break through the not-so-thick layer of soil. The sound of dirt falling echoed hollowly, reverberating in the air.
The Mud Man inhaled sharply and quickly withdrew his hand, stumbling backward. Fat Ma was quick to support him.
"What happened?" I asked anxiously.
"It seems like there's a cliff outside," the Mud Man said, still shaken.
"A cliff? That's impossible; we dug the tunnel in the opposite direction of any cliff."
The Mud Man steadied himself, grasped the flashlight, and looked outside again. We all waited nervously for his answer. After a moment, he sighed in relief. "It was a false alarm; it's a tomb chamber with a drop."
Our hearts, which had been in our throats, finally settled down. If it had been a cliff, we would have been in trouble.
"How high is the drop?"
"Not high, only about two meters. I'll go down first." With that, the Mud Man jumped down. Fat Ma followed without hesitation, then it was our turn, and finally Zhang Tong.
Once on the ground, Fat Ma exclaimed, "Isn't this the tomb chamber I fell into before? Damn it, what a narrow path for enemies!"
As soon as Fat Ma finished speaking, I was taken aback. I had been to this tomb before, but I had never encountered Fat Ma. Moreover, I knew that being in this tomb would not be any better than being in the Quicksand tomb earlier, because the exit was a winding maze. Previously, we might have had a rope to help us escape safely, but now there was no rope.
I felt my face flush slightly as I looked around, feeling as if I had fallen into a dream again.
I quickly scanned the situation in the tomb. The Coffin Lid had been flipped over and lay on the ground next to a skeleton. Yes, it seemed that this was all the work of me and the mud man.
Fat Ma then spoke up, "Old Sun, you see this Coffin Lid? I flipped it over."
I stared blankly for a moment. "You did this?"
Fat Ma replied confidently, "Of course! Only Fat Master has such professional skills."
Looking at Fat Ma's tone and expression, it didn't seem like he was lying. I slapped my forehead twice to clear my mind, but suddenly felt a rush of heat and couldn't help but spit out blood.
"What’s wrong?" "Are you okay?"
A series of concerned questions flooded my mind, making me feel like my head was about to explode. For some reason, a memory from when I was hospitalized in Beijing suddenly surfaced. One night, someone fed me a pill, and I saw her. It felt like I could almost make out her features, but who exactly was she?
As I turned to pretend to sleep, I remembered her hand—no, her warmth—no, it should be her silhouette and her eyes.
Could she be... No, it felt like I was about to see her face clearly as the light gradually illuminated that figure.
Suddenly, pain shot through my neck, and clarity returned to my mind. The person before me vanished; Fat Ma stood right in front of me.
"Are you alright, Old Sun?"
I felt pale and weak all over. Seeing the strange looks everyone gave me, I asked, "What just happened?"
I glanced at Fat Ma.
"Old Sun," he said, "that's something you need to ask yourself. After you spat out blood earlier, you started acting all strange, almost like you wanted to die. If it weren't for my sense of justice..."
Fat Ma was getting more ridiculous by the minute.
I turned to the clay figure and asked, "Is that true?"
"Pretty much. Just a bit out of it," came the reply.
I nodded, but my mind struggled to recall what had happened before.
"Old Sun, here’s a cigarette to help clear your head."
I accepted it without hesitation, lit it up, and took a couple of puffs. I noticed Zhang Tong covering his mouth and coughing, so I immediately extinguished the cigarette. My mood settled down considerably.
At that moment, the six of us felt like we had stumbled into a dead end. Trying to climb out from where Fat Ma had fallen was unrealistic, and turning back seemed like the worst option.
Looking around the tomb chamber, there was an unused coffin, a pile of bones, and several mounds of earth on the ground. Aside from these, there was nothing else in the chamber.
"If it really comes down to it, we can start digging our way out from this tomb!" Fat Ma declared confidently.
However, everyone clearly hadn’t considered this option yet. If we could find an exit, we certainly wouldn’t want to undertake the exhausting and dangerous task of digging a tunnel.
"Hold on; maybe we can find an exit from here," Zhang Tong chimed in, picking up on Fat Ma's words.
Fat Ma clearly lacked confidence in Zhang Tong: "Are you sure about that?"
Zhang Tong felt a bit embarrassed when Fat Ma asked him a question, his face turning slightly red as he struggled to respond. To ease the awkward atmosphere, I said, "There will always be a way."
Zhang Tong let out a muffled sound and fell silent.
After a moment, he said, "When I was studying archaeology, I also taught myself geography. These mounds of earth on the ground are either caused by animals or due to moisture."
He spoke this with a hint of emotion.
"Moisture causes the ground to form mounds? How does that work?" I asked.
Zhang Tong straightened his expression. "Because the moisture underground evaporates upwards, and since this is a sealed tomb, the moisture cannot dissipate. At this point, the ground will be affected by the moisture and form mounds."
"That makes sense!" I couldn't help but exclaim.
Then I looked down at the small mound of earth; it did seem somewhat damp. I crouched down, scooped up a handful of dirt, and rubbed it between my fingers. Indeed, Zhang Tong's analysis was correct.
"What does the dampness prove?" I inquired.
Zhang Tong smiled gently, her expression returning to normal. She countered, "Do you know about laying foundations for buildings?"
At first, I shook my head but then nodded. "I've never eaten pork, but I've seen pigs run!"
"Really?" Zhang Tong looked at me skeptically.
"Of course I know."
"It’s okay if you don’t," she said with a smile, causing my face to flush.
"When building a house, it is usually necessary to lay a foundation. Laying a foundation involves hollowing out the ground and then filling it with concrete and steel bars to reinforce the surface, ensuring it can support the weight of a multi-story building. If the foundation is solid, there is basically no chance of moisture seeping in. However, if moisture does appear, it may indicate that the ground beneath is hollow."
After hearing Zhang Tong's explanation, I wasn't the only one who was shocked; even the Mud Man and Fat Ma were taken aback.
Fat Ma's attitude suddenly improved as he urged, "Comrade Zhang, please continue."
Zhang Tong shot Fat Ma a glance before continuing, "Look at the mounds of earth on the ground; although they seem chaotic, they are all aligned in a straight line."
"Hey! You’re right," I said.
Before she pointed it out, we hadn't noticed that detail at all.
This meant that there might be a passage underground. After Zhang Tong spoke, Fat Ma asked, "Could we be encountering fellow workers?"
"That shouldn't be the case," Zhang Tong denied.
"If it really is a tunnel, it could very well be one that the workers who built this tomb used for escape."
I had heard of this legend: "It is said that the workers who participated in building the tomb were ultimately trapped inside because they feared leaking information. Later on, these workers would typically dig a route for escape while constructing the tomb."
"Exactly," Zhang Tong nodded in agreement.
Fat Ma could hardly wait any longer and began to clear away the dirt from the mound.
Suddenly, an unexpected event occurred; numerous centipedes of various sizes crawled out from the mound—some as big as a pinky finger and others as small as toothpicks.
Fat Ma let out a shriek and hurriedly stood up.
We had grown accustomed to dealing with sudden changes, so there was no panic. Fortunately, the centipedes did not attack us; instead, they scurried away in all directions.
Zhang Tong looked at the multitude of centipedes and felt a bit uncertain. "Could it be wrong?"
Soon, Fat Ma's voice came through. "It's a wooden board."
Zhang Tong immediately stepped forward, crouching down to reveal a section of wood beneath the mound of dirt that Fat Ma had cleared. With a bit of effort, Fat Ma cleaned it off completely.
A decayed wooden board emerged, and everyone gathered around to take a look.
"Shall we open it?" Fat Ma asked in an inquisitive tone.
"Let's open it!" After receiving an affirmative response, Fat Ma wasted no time. With a bit of force, he lifted the wooden board, and it turned out that Zhang Tong's analysis was correct.
An entrance appeared before our eyes.
At that moment, we were all excited; it felt like finding a way out after being lost in the mountains and rivers.
As we shone a light inside, we encountered another drop-off, but fortunately, there was a ladder.
"Let's go in," Fat Ma said next.
"Wait a moment before we enter; the humidity inside is too heavy. Let's let some of it dissipate first," Zhang Tong suggested. This time, Fat Ma did not argue.
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