Tomb raiding: A mere 20 is nothing!

Time passed quickly amidst their busy schedules, so quickly that Shen Mingchao lost track of how much time had gone by.

Time passed very slowly.

These boring days are always particularly hard to endure.

Shen Mingchao thought it would continue like this day after day, until the day the door opened.

Unexpectedly, before the door was even opened, Zhang Qilin had an accident.

Zhang Qilin is a person with a very regular lifestyle.

Leaving early and returning late, a single trip takes up a whole day.

It's practically a personal clock.

When they returned, they would bring wild mushrooms with them. To lighten Zhang Qiyu's burden, Shen Mingchao would light the fire and heat the water every night in advance, which saved time and effort.

The accident happened on a very ordinary day.

Shen Mingchao and the others waited anxiously, watching helplessly as the water in the pot almost evaporated, but Zhang Qilin still hadn't returned.

This is clearly not normal.

Shen Mingchao didn't want to be overly suspicious, so he reassured himself that Zhang Qilin might have been delayed by something.

Wait a minute.

After an unknown amount of time, long enough for the fire to go out, Zhang Qiling still hadn't appeared.

She had no more reason to deceive herself.

Zhang Qilin did not return on time.

When a person faces unfathomable darkness, their fear is amplified infinitely. The longer Shen Mingchao waited, the stronger his heart pounded.

At this moment, she finally understood a sentence that Shen Mingyue had once sighed in her ear.

The sense of security this guy provides is unmatched by anyone else.

Shen Mingchao took a deep breath to steady himself.

Spending time with Zhang Qilan made her very certain of one thing: given Zhang Qilan's character, he would never abandon her without a reason.

Then Zhang Qilu must have encountered some trouble that prevented him from returning on time.

Could it be that he was injured while fighting the monster?

What kind of monster could someone as powerful as Zhang Qilan not defeat?

If she goes to save him, won't it be like the Calabash Brothers trying to save their grandfather—unable to help and only causing more trouble?

A monster that even Zhang Qilu couldn't defeat, let alone her?

No, no, she couldn't just rush over on a whim; she had to trust Zhang Qilan.

Shen Mingchao packed a bag overnight, took all the remaining dry food with him, changed the batteries in the searchlight, and went to stake out the edge of the dense fog that Zhang Qilin had said was dangerous.

She thought that if Zhang Qilan was really injured, she could meet him here immediately. Her bag was stuffed with gauze and herbs, which would be enough.

Climbing onto a large rock, Shen Mingchao pointed the searchlight at the thick fog.

Then Shen Mingchao took out his phone, which had been switched off, hesitated for a moment, and then turned it on.

Although there is no signal, the timer still works.

She set a time and switched her phone to super power-saving mode.

Let's wait another day.

If Zhang Qilan hasn't come out by a day...

Shen Mingchao clenched his clothes, staring intently into the void, and made a decision in his heart.

At that point, whether she'll be a burden or not, she'll have to go in and take the gamble.

They provide food, lodging, and training; we can't let them be alone when they encounter danger.

At times like these, time is the hardest to endure.

Shen Mingchao couldn't help but start to have wild thoughts. The more he thought about it, the more puzzled he became. Every protagonist in a transmigration novel has a system, so why didn't she have one?

Who knows how many times she secretly called upon the system when she first arrived at the Bronze Gate?

He also received a few indifferent glances from Zhang Qilin.

Tsk, Zhang Qilin must have thought he was crazy back then.

Shen Mingchao suddenly felt a little embarrassed. She had completely let loose inside the bronze door, losing all sense of decorum. Would it be too late for her to act demure after they left?

As I pondered these thoughts, drowsiness overwhelmed me.

No, I can't sleep.

Shen Mingchao forced himself to stay awake and counted several hundred sheep until his eyelids were drooping.

Then, as expected, she saw a whole roasted lamb.

The whole lamb was roasted to a golden-brown, glistening color, with an enticing sheen on its skin. Some parts even bore the marks of charcoal roasting, and oil droplets sizzled and danced on the skin.

Shen Mingchao swallowed hard. A person who had been forced to be vegetarian for several months could not withstand the test of meat.

Before they could even think about what was going on, they had already rushed towards the roasted whole lamb without a care in the world.

Just one step away.

Suddenly, the whole roasted lamb started bubbling up black smoke like boiling water.

As the smoke billowed, a pair of enormous red eyes appeared.

It was like a blood moon in the sky.

An atmosphere of impending doom instantly enveloped everything.

Under the gaze of the red eyes, Shen Mingchao's eyes widened, his heart filled with the beauty of the Chinese classics.

Her survival instinct made her immediately turn around and run back.

That chilling aura, however, remained ever-present.

Shen Mingchao felt a chill run down his spine and kept running with his head down, not daring to look back at all.

Several more anxious roars came from behind.

Upon hearing this, Shen Mingchao moved his legs even faster.

Stop rushing me! I'm running, I'm running!

"Aaaaaah, Mom! I saw a monster!"

The distant point of light continued to grow larger.

She crashed headfirst into the white light.

Startled, Shen Mingchao opened his eyes, still not fully awake, only to discover something even more unbelievable.

Thick fog enveloped him.

Huh? What's going on?

Wasn't she waiting for Zhang Qilan to come out? Even if she was asleep, she shouldn't have come in as soon as she opened her eyes.

Was she sleepwalking?

Shen Mingchao pondered for a while and then realized that something was even more wrong.

No, why does she feel such a strong push-back sensation?

Turning around, Shen Mingchao was horrified. The person who pushed her from behind... no, it shouldn't be called a person. To be precise, it was an almost transparent humanoid ghost.

More than one.

Several figures surrounded her, seemingly eager to drag her deeper into the area.

Shen Mingchao was completely stunned. He quickly grabbed his backpack and used it as a weapon, then started swinging the sledgehammer.

"Get out of here! Get out of here!"

After swinging the backpack around for a while, Shen Mingchao watched helplessly as all the figures slowly drifted away from her.

Huh? Is she that intimidating?

Shen Mingchao calmed himself down. Now that he was already inside, it was more important to find Zhang Qiyu first.

Just as she was thinking this, a cold light pierced through the air and instantly struck the person closest to her.

"Clatter" is the sound of an object falling to the ground.

Shen Mingchao immediately recognized it as the short knife Zhang Qilin used.

Overjoyed, she picked up the knife and ran in that direction.

Not long after they started running, a familiar figure came into view: a young man in black leaning quietly against the cliff face.

Surrounding it were several menacing figures, their sharp claws outstretched, baring their teeth and growling.

It looks like they're preparing to attack Zhang Qilan.

"Zhang Qilin!"

Shen Mingchao rushed over, ready to use the same trick again. Unexpectedly, before she could even get close, the terrifying figures scattered and fled in all directions like birds and beasts.

and many more!

Shen Mingchao seemed to be deep in thought.

Even the slowest person should have realized it by now.

These figures seem to be avoiding me?

That's strange. How could something that could hurt Zhang Qilu not dare to approach her?

After much thought, Shen Mingchao concluded that there was only one possibility.

Her long-awaited cheat code has finally been activated!