Tomb Raiding: My Family's Last Clan Chief is Little Brother

Such a sudden statement startled everyone.

The fat man reflexively turned around to look behind him, lowering his voice, "Are you sure it's a person? Could it be that monster that specializes in taking heads, or that monster that takes internal organs, but just looks like a human?"

“It is indeed a person.” Zhang Wuxun was very certain of this.

As he spoke, Zhang Wuxun quietly released the plowshare nose that he had developed after evolving in the ancestral land of the snake-worshipping clan, specifically designed to capture information-gathering entities.

In this "different" world, he controlled the information molecules he emitted, passing through four familiar scents around him, sweeping past countless mixed scents, and stretching back along the path he came from, extending to a kilometer away.

There were twenty-three living people there, all exuding an unfamiliar aura, which meant that they had never appeared in Zhang Wuxun's sight before.

Zhang Wuxun also smelled the chilling scent of firearms on these people, as well as trace amounts of volatile components unique to C4.

“There are quite a few of them, and they are currently about a kilometer away, approaching us. They are well-trained and carry a large number of highly lethal firearms,” Zhang Wuxun said succinctly. “I’m afraid they are up to no good.”

Zhang Haike couldn't understand who would follow them here at this time. All their enemies, both overt and covert, had been eliminated on the way. Only a handful of people knew that they had come out from the depths of the snow-capped mountains, and the news would definitely not be leaked.

"Could it be that the Khampa people couldn't contact us for a long time and were afraid something had happened to us, so they followed us?" he guessed.

Dan immediately retorted, "It definitely wouldn't be someone from the clan. Even if someone were curious and wanted to enter Golden Sphere Valley, Uncle Gombu would stop them."

Zhang Wuxun shook his head and said, "I didn't sense any Khampa people's presence among them. They are definitely outsiders. Do you remember the skeleton that the giant jellyfish spat out when we went to rescue Wu Xie? I suspect that these people are in cahoots with the person who was eaten."

"If I'm not mistaken, these people must have somehow bypassed the Khampa people's patrols and entered Golden Ball Valley almost at the same time as us, which is why they ran into the monster hunt."

When Wu Xie woke up, he heard Zhang Wuxun and the others tell him about how he almost got eaten by the giant jellyfish. Now, he thought of more things. "If that's true, then there must be more than twenty people who came in this time. Based on the casualty ratio of Zhang Qishan's special team, at least half of them must have died in the giant jellyfish's mouth."

The only people who could mobilize such a massive budget, practically risking human lives for the mission, and relentlessly pursue the secrets deep within the snow-capped mountains with such fervor and dedication, are...

"They're from Anjing Company!" everyone exclaimed in unison.

"What a quiet company!" the fat man cursed. "With so many people like Feng dead, they're still not satisfied. They even dare to send people to sneak in. These foreigners don't know what fear is, do they?"

“The way mercenaries are hired is different from how we lamas are hired. For short-term, targeted missions with absolute danger to life, the employers pay the full amount in one lump sum before the team sets off. Once their families receive the money, they have no worries, so the mercenaries are naturally not afraid of losing their lives,” Zhang Haike said.

Some of his Zhang family members traveled overseas year-round and were naturally aware of these things.

"Furthermore, given the nature of Quiet Company, which is large and powerful, the families of those who perish in the mission will receive a large sum of compensation. With such excellent logistical support and sophisticated weaponry, they really have nothing to fear."

The fat man had a look on his face that said, "This is fucking awful, these foreigners are like a modern-day Expendables."

"Moyu, what do you suggest?" Fatty rubbed his hands together angrily. "Anyway, we still have to go into the snake's den later. If you ask me, we might as well get a few foreigners as bait and let the snakes taste the foreign flavor. That would be considered rent for the years that Brother has kept his stuff here."

Zhang Wuxun withdrew his invisible information tentacles, recalled the last scene he sensed, frowned slightly, and said, "Something's not right."

Wu Xie hurriedly asked him, "What do you mean?"

“Those outsiders were behaving too casually.” Zhang Wuxun’s face gradually darkened. “Especially one of the leaders, who strolled around as if he were visiting his own backyard, which means he has been here more than once.”

Since someone had entered this place more than once, Zhang Wuxun looked up at the markings on the stone wall in front of him. This person probably knew more than he thought, and these markings were likely a trap to lure them in.

Upon hearing Zhang Wuxun's words, Wu Xie couldn't help but gasp. "So, those headless fake Wu Xies were probably brought here by these people too."

Zhang Haike's face also darkened. "It seems that this leader knows the Zhang family very well. The Zhang family's markings contain very secret details. If one has not studied them orthodoxly, it is impossible to imitate them so flawlessly."

"Could it be barking?" The fat man pondered for a few seconds, then slapped his thigh and said decisively, "If it's not barking, then there really is something fishy going on within your overseas Zhang family."

"There are three leaders in total. The two at the very front have a special feeling to me. They have a steady breathing, agile steps, and are not too big, but they are outstanding in martial arts and skilled in cold weapons. They are not ordinary people."

“You do… resemble someone a bit like you.” Zhang Wuxun looked at Zhang Haike hesitantly. “Can you guess who it is?”

Zhang Haike's face was ashen, as if he had swallowed a dead fly.

He was completely baffled and couldn't understand it at all. Those few unstable people had already been sent abroad to carry out missions, and he had even sent someone to follow them. How did these two members of the Zhang family get involved with the people from Anjing Company? Why would they betray the Zhang family?

Zhang Wuxun sighed and patted his shoulder, "Don't panic. Right now, the enemy is in the open while we are in the dark. They only know that we are in front, but they don't know that we have already discovered this trap."

“Let’s leave here first.” Zhang Wuxun sensed the distribution of the snakes ahead and pointed to the cave entrance on the right. “Let’s go this way.” The group filed in, and Dan, who was at the back, followed Zhang Wuxun’s instructions and, as before, stuck a glow stick into the crevice of the cave entrance with the special markings, making it appear as if they were following the route planned by the person behind the scenes.

Zhang Wuxun and his group were heading to the very heart of the snake mine. The person behind it all could forge marks and routes, but couldn't control the natural behavior of the large swarms of snakes.

After passing through two tunnels, Zhang Wuxun and his group stopped temporarily, sat down on the ground, and unfolded the map.

“The signs are no longer reliable, but the layout of the snake mine labyrinth will not change much. We need to find a new way.”

Wu Xie recalled the routes and distances he had traveled before and began to redraw the map on a blank sheet of paper.

"Judging from the route we just took and the turns at the cave entrance, the entire snake mine maze is shaped like a regular honeycomb. We've been going downhill without encountering any backtracking, which means this maze is incredibly vast with a huge number of routes. Even if we get lost inside, we're unlikely to encounter any kind of 'ghost wall' situation; we'll simply be unable to find our way out."

Wu Xie compared the old map with the new one and replanned the route, with Fatty shining a light for him.

Zhang Wuxun sensed the location of the uninvited guests behind him and discovered that they had entered the deliberately marked cave entrance. He then instructed Zhang Haike and Dan, "You two be on guard and protect Wu Xie and Fatty. I'm going to see where those people are leading us and prepare a little surprise for them."

This surprise is certainly not a proper surprise.

Zhang Haike only told him to be careful.

He knew that even if they got separated, Zhang Wuxun would have his own way of finding them.

Zhang Wuxun agreed and smiled at Dan, saying, "It's up to you now."

Dan nodded emphatically, "Don't worry, young clan leader."

When Wu Xie came to his senses from the complicated formulas and patterns, he turned around and realized that someone was missing. "Where's the wooden fish man?"

He looked at the fat man, who shrugged. "It seems like Muyu has been a bit angry ever since he discovered that Xiao Ge's mark had been altered. He's probably gone to cause trouble for those people."

Wu Xie was actually feeling a bit frustrated at the time, but he didn't expect Mu Yu to act so quickly. "You didn't go and see what was going on?"

The fat man snorted irritably and said, "You think I don't want to? I only followed for a couple of steps before that kid found me and sent me back. He said we don't need to worry about him after we find the route, he'll catch up on his own."

"It's one thing to send them back, but to assign these two henchmen to guard me is another."

Wu Xie glanced at the two people at the cave entrance. One was leaning against the stone wall with his arms crossed, resting with his eyes closed, while the other was sitting cross-legged on the only way back. He immediately laughed without any sense of decency.

The fat man angrily retorted, "What are you laughing at? You've been drawing routes for ages, have you found them yet?"

Wu Xie stood up, stretched, and let out a long sigh. Then he flicked the paper with his finger. "There's an 85% chance. It all depends on the chemistry between us and Xiao Ge."

The fat man raised an eyebrow and replied, "All these years, have we relied on teamwork to get through the dungeons, or has it all been luck?"

"Then, let's go." Wu Xie laughed.

The fat man laughed heartily, "Let's go."

Zhang Haike and his companion also set off, one in front and one behind, trapping Wu Xie and his companion in the middle to ensure both rapid movement and safety.

……

Zhang Wuxun followed the group of outsiders at a distance, confirming that they were indeed from Anjing Company.

The German leading the group was named Kenga. He had sharp features, a tall and thin build, and was a trained fighter.

From his conversation with the two Zhang family traitors, it was clear that the two sides were in a cooperative relationship, and Anjing Company's goal was still that ugly, pitted stone.

Why? What is so special about this celestial stone?
Zhang Wuxun recalled the photos he had seen before and felt that they were no different from the underground meteorite stones he had seen in the Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West.

This is unreasonable. The leaders behind Anjing Company have spent decades and consumed enormous human and material resources; they would never do something that is thankless and futile.

That celestial stone must hold some crucial secret! That secret is what the leader of Quiet Company has been constantly pursuing and exploring.

The system also mentioned that there was something in the snake mine that could help him evolve steadily. The evolution of snake species requires special energy. Could it be that the celestial stone also contains that special energy?
Zhang Wu pondered, trying to piece together the fragmented clues in his mind, and the two large characters "immortality" suddenly appeared. (End of this chapter)