Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 229 Entering the Cave
"coming!"

Just as the group was gathered together, smoking, chatting, and joking, the young man suddenly called out softly.

As always, unsociable and concise.

As everyone looked ahead, two flat-bottomed boats emerged from behind the mountain, one after the other.

A middle-aged man was standing on the boat ahead, punting and shouting as he rowed.

It appears that the two flatboats are sufficient to accommodate a group of five people and their heavy equipment.

"Everyone, you don't need to take your luggage down. I'll pull the ox and cart onto the second boat together, and we'll sit in the first boat."

The old man put away his pipe and greeted everyone with a smile.

"Be careful of this old man and this ferryman!"

"Hu Ming, if anything happens later, please keep an eye on Wu Xie for me. He's the only son left in our Wu family."

Before boarding the ship, Wu Sansheng whispered some words of advice to Wu Xie out of concern.

"Don't worry, I've already cast a divination for both of us."

"This trip was narrowly safe, but the ferryman is in the same situation as the dog, surrounded by death energy. He's probably facing imminent disaster and may never return."

Hu Ming squinted, his dragon eyes hidden beneath his eyelids looking at the ferryman with a half-smile.

As for Wu Xie?
As long as he's not the stubborn Wu Xie who wants to hand over the treasure to the country, then everything is negotiable...

Hu Ming and his group of five.

Hu Ming and Xiao Ge need no introduction, while Pan Zi is a ruthless character who has fought on the battlefield.

Wu Sansheng is a seasoned veteran, and a ruthless man at heart.

Only Wu Xie
Hmm, is he a naive and innocent comrade? Besides, he's still just a scholar.

No offense intended, but a scholar is utterly useless.

Wu Sansheng couldn't help but worry that he had been careless and that Wu Xie had inadvertently fallen into a trap.

And these ferryman and the old guide didn't seem like good people at all.

Hu Ming and his group did not follow the guide's instructions completely, but instead carried some important equipment with them.

"Once inside the cave, everyone must speak in hushed tones and not disturb the river god and the snake spirit."

The ferryman said, "Especially, don't speak ill of the river god."

At this point, they had already flowed downstream into the mountain river channel.

It was pitch black all around, and the surrounding environment was only illuminated by searchlights.

The cave was extremely narrow, less than ten centimeters wider than a flat-bottomed boat.

The height is excessive; even sitting down, one cannot pass through. One can only barely get through by bending over and crouching low.

Seeing this, Wu Sansheng gave Panzi a look.

"Damn, this hole is way too small! If someone robs us in here, we won't be able to escape!"

Panzi immediately understood Wu Sansheng's meaning and let out a strange cry, speaking in an exaggerated manner.

As soon as he said this, Hu Ming saw the ferryman make a subtle hand gesture.

The old guide behind them suddenly changed his expression.

To be honest, apart from Wu Xie, the rest of this group are all extremely shrewd and capable individuals.

The ferryman and the guide's cryptic exchange, which they thought was perfectly illogical, was laid bare before the group.

These two are definitely suspicious!
The group exchanged glances, reached a consensus, and quietly slipped the weapons they found most convenient into their hands.

"Third Master, this hole is unusual. It looks like a tomb raider's tunnel to me."

Just then, Panzi, who was vigilantly observing his surroundings, suddenly spoke in a low voice.

"This is the Water Thief's Cave. It's round but almost square. This cave is quite old, and there's definitely more to it than meets the eye. Be careful."

Wu Sansheng nodded and said loudly.

"Yes, the boss has a good eye!"

"This entire mountain is an ancient tomb. There are quite a few water-damaged tombs of all sizes around here, but this one is the largest and deepest."

"As you can see, the water level probably wasn't this high back then; it was probably still a dry cave."

The ferryman didn't respond to that at all, but just chuckled and said, "Oh, looks like the boat captain's an expert too!"

Wu Sansheng closed the distance between the two and offered him a cigarette.

"I'm not an expert at all; I just heard it from others."

The group huddled together, chatting and laughing, but their hands were on their knives and spears, ready to strike at any moment.

The atmosphere seemed harmonious, but beneath that harmony lay a chilling murderous intent.

Although Wu Xie is said to be innocent and naive, it's just that he hasn't experienced much and doesn't understand these things. He's not some hopeless idiot.

At this moment, Wu Xie realized that something was wrong, and he nervously gripped the military dagger that Wu Sansheng had forced on him.

Wu Xie was already starting to regret it.

He knew nothing about knife fighting or anything like that; he should have just brought a gun with him.

"Relax, nothing will happen. They're just insignificant nobodys, it's just a farce."

Seeing this, Hu Ming gently patted Wu Xie's shoulder and comforted him with a smile.

"Yes, thank you... Uncle Ming."

The young yet composed voice seemed to possess a magical power, dispelling Wu Xie's anxiety and tension, and he couldn't help but gratefully thank Hu Ming.

He knew that, for now, he was just a burden to them.

"Shh! Don't talk, listen carefully, there's a sound!" *2.

Suddenly, Hu Ming and the young man waved their hands in unison and called out in a low voice.

As soon as he finished speaking, the two of them paused, exchanged a glance, nodded, and then looked ahead warily.

The conversation fell silent, and only Cici Konglian's voice could be heard coming from the darkness ahead.

"Bang bang bang!!"

"Hey guys, are you just going to abandon us and run away like that? That's a bit much, isn't it?"

Just then, muffled gunshots suddenly rang out from the ship.

The confined space caused the gunshots to echo continuously, making my eardrums feel painful...

Everyone was startled and, without thinking twice, quickly turned around to look in the direction from which the gunshot had come.

Hu Ming held a Black Star pistol in one hand, wisps of smoke rising from the muzzle, and looked up at the cave ceiling with a half-smile.

It was obvious that Hu Ming had fired those two shots.

Hu Ming's gun was aimed at the cave ceiling, where the ferryman and guide were hanging!
Upon closer inspection, the ceiling above the cave is covered with circular openings, revealing numerous traces of human intervention.

It looks like traces left by tomb raiders a long time ago.

While everyone was distracted by the commotion inside the cave, the two of them quietly slipped away.

"Damn it, I knew it! Those two bastards were up to no good. They were just using this strategic location to commit robbery and murder!"

"What good stuff could a bastard who eats human flesh have?"

Upon seeing this, Wu Sansheng spat and said with a sinister grin.

He's a seasoned veteran, but he never expected to be caught off guard today and almost get tricked by two petty thieves!
Wu Sansheng was immediately filled with rage.

If this got out, people in the underworld would laugh themselves to death!
"Ah ah ah ah ah!!"

Just as everyone was about to drag the two down to settle accounts, the ferryman suddenly let out a series of screams.

next second.

Half of the bloodied body fell from the cave ceiling into the water and was swept away by the current in the blink of an eye, leaving only the smell of blood lingering in the air.

"That's!? A corpse beetle? How could this be! Where would you find a corpse beetle that big? Has that thing become a spirit?"

Panzi stared at the ferryman's upper body hanging in mid-air, his pupils contracted sharply, and he couldn't help but scream in alarm.

Under the spotlight, the ferryman's upper body was gripped tightly by a huge insect-like creature.

In the ferryman's despairing gaze, the enormous maw easily chewed up his head.

On the ferryman's waist, a huge black and red pincer was opening and closing arrogantly.

The answer is obvious: the ferryman was cut in half by the claws of the giant corpse beetle!
(End of this chapter)