We walked a certain distance, and we could no longer hear the sound of insects hitting the Vajra Umbrella. Losing a living target, those insects must have gone back to sleep.
"Ha-ha—" Shunfeng let out two laughs, expressing the joy of surviving the ordeal, only to have Wen Jing cover his mouth.
"What do you want to attract?"
Shunfeng blinked and swallowed back his laughter.
The two had an unspoken understanding, holding in their laughter, making gurgling sounds.
Wen Jing gave a thumbs up, "I didn't expect your secret weapon to actually be quite effective."
Shunfeng raised his chin, "Of course, do you even know who invented it?"
It was rare that these two weren't bickering. I glanced at Qinghan's arm; the wound had been washed with clean water, disinfected with iodine, and wrapped, but he could still develop a fever.
No matter his motives for saving me, I should say thank you.
"Thank you, Professor Chen."
"Eh? You're only thanking him, not me? I threw the umbrella, and I spread the pesticide. You can't only care about Professor Chen~"
"Thanks, of course, but it won't be just verbal gratitude. When we reach the main tomb chamber, I have a gift for you."
"Really? Great, a senior's gift must be something rare and good~"
"What gift are you giving Professor Chen? Look at his arm, corroded with several holes; this gift must be substantial!"
"Alright, we're a team of companions; helping each other is the right thing to do. What gifts? Stop teasing her," Chen Qinghan gave them a glare, but his tone was still gentle.
Wen Jing and Shunfeng immediately quieted down, just in time for Miss Scream to wake up. They started to exaggerate the story of their recent dangerous encounter to her.
"Wait." I interrupted them, carefully sensing, "There's a group of snakes ahead, and the treasure chamber is just behind them."
"Little Fu, can you negotiate with them to let us pass?"
"Yeah, elder, I really can't run anymore; could you negotiate with them?"
The snake group is guarding the treasure chamber. They don't just live here; in their limited brain capacity, 'guarding' is deeply embedded in their bones and blood, a duty passed down for generations.
I communicated with them for a while; they'd let us through, but we couldn't take anything from the treasure chamber.
In other words, we could visit, but not take anything away.
Though the number of snakes wasn't as many as the corrosive insects, there were still quite a few, and we had no chance if we tried to fight them.
In my own tomb, I can't even take my own grave goods, my status as the tomb owner is lower than that of a tomb robber.
I relayed the snakes' message to Qinghan and the others. Shunfeng agreed fastest. He came in to prove his skills, so he said that not being able to take treasures was fine as long as he could take a photo.
Wen Jing asked, "Didn't Boss Lu and the others pass through? Didn't they take the treasure?"
Miss Scream impatiently said, "Well, who cares about that money? I've had enough of this ghost place; I just want to grab the items and go."
They mentioned looking for something more than once, and judging by the way they spoke, it wasn't valuable antique.
I couldn't suppress my curiosity any longer and asked, "What are you looking for?"
"The Power Source of this tomb."
Chen Qinghan ignored Miss Scream's warning gaze. I stared blankly at him, waiting for further explanation.
A tomb is just a tomb; what's this Power Source?
"It's the power, the energy that keeps the mechanisms running."
"Oh..." Hearing Chen Qinghan's explanation, I felt a surge of excitement internally. If they could take away the power source of the tomb mechanisms, wouldn't this tomb become a dummy?!
With no traps and mechanisms, I'd be out in no time, and my wish of a thousand years would finally come true. I couldn't contain my excitement and pulled out a small plastic horn, giving it two blows.
This horn was brought down by a tomb robber. On the day he descended into the tomb, there was a live broadcast of the international football finals, but since he had to go into the tomb, he brought the horn along to cheer for his beloved team.
"What's wrong with Little Fu? Is she startled?"
"Nonsense, this must be the elder's secret move. Look, the snake group dispersed~"
Shunfeng shined his flashlight ahead, and sure enough, the snake group scattered, but it wasn't the plastic horn that scared them off.
"Someone's coming, and they have something on them that scares the snake group." I warned them, then habitually found a large stone to hide behind.
People that animals fear often represent danger. Chen Qinghan didn't stop me, but the others didn't move.
The newcomers wore miners' lamps. They had already seen the light from Shunfeng's flashlight, and I suppose Chen Qinghan and the others didn't hide because they knew they were exposed.
Chen Qinghan knocked Miss Scream out before the newcomers could approach. In a way, I did feel a bit sorry for her.
I watched from behind a stone as four people approached. There were infrared sights on their weapons, and four red dots landed on each of Qinghan's group.
Even the unconscious Miss Scream wasn't spared. I guiltily tucked away the small horn.
"Professor Chen is indeed resourceful, managing to bring a group of deadweights here. No wonder Boss Lu admires you so much."
"Tsk, you're the deadweight!"
"Boss Lu's little dog is barking again; make sure not to miss your shots~"
Maybe they're accustomed to bickering; hearing the taunts from the others, Wen Jing and Shunfeng immediately retorted. I was nervous for the two of them, as Boss Lu might value Chen Qinghan, but he wouldn't spare them.
Even with guns pointed at their heads, they dared to talk back.
"Professor Chen, Boss Lu invites you." The newcomers ignored Wen Jing and Shunfeng, keeping their focus on Chen Qinghan.
The four men sent by Boss Lu were the familiar type of tomb robber to me. They wore smiles, but their eyes were devoid of emotion.
Their eyes revealed a kind of thieving gleam that's hard to describe with words, much like thugs in movies.
Worried for them, I quietly followed behind, Chen Qinghan not stopping me from hiding, which probably meant he hoped I would be their backup.
With the snake group gone, the path was clear; they were pushed through an arched stone door by Boss Lu's men.
Inside the stone door, there was light shining through; the light was especially bright, and I didn't dare enter, fearing I'd be discovered if I peeked out.
The door didn't have the sound of footsteps, but there was the noise of moving items, and someone directing others.
It seemed they wanted to set up camp here. I heard the sound of a generator. Other tomb robbers had brought modern equipment into tombs before, but there were never so many people, nor was it so lively.
I liked the liveliness, as long as they didn't harm Qinghan's group. Rarely do people want to be my friend, and I hope they stick around a few more years.
I had only been standing outside the door for a moment when two men came out to guard it. I had no choice but to climb onto the stone wall and crouch on a protruding rock.
From this spot, I could still hear sounds inside the door. If they couldn't come to an agreement, I'd have to think of a way to get them out.