Tomb raiders: You stole my little Qilin?

After Aning and her group finished shopping, the convoy drove for another two hours before finally stopping at a place that resembled a small dock.

It was called a dock, but it was really just a simple platform made of a few pieces of wood pieced together.

Three or four fishing boats were moored nearby, their paint peeling off, and the fishing nets hanging on their hulls were still covered with seaweed that hadn't been cleaned properly.

Wu Wei got out of the car, stretched, and loosened his stiff back. He then looked around at the desolate coastline in front of him.

Aning walked to the dock and started talking to a young man who was squatting on the dock smoking.

The man frowned and shook his head as he listened to what Ah Ning said.

Without changing her expression, Ah Ning took out two stacks of cash from her bag and handed them over.

The man looked at the two stacks of money, his hesitation turning into confusion, before finally grinning and nodding.

He reached out and took the money, then stuffed it into his pocket and patted it.

The man jumped off the dock, jogged to the crowd, and greeted them with a warm smile.

"Hello, bosses, my name is Whistle. My dad is an old boatman in this area, and my family has a boat that can take you there."

"But my dad has set sail today. If you gentlemen don't mind, please stay at my house for the night. I'll be setting sail tomorrow."

Wang Cunxi frowned as he looked around at the desolate beach and the dilapidated dock, which was considered an admission of his consent.

Ah Ning nodded, and the whistle happily trotted ahead, leading everyone toward the shore.

The group parked their car in a relatively flat spot by the dock, and followed the whistle along a gravel path for about ten minutes before turning into a village right next to the coastline.

Dozens of households are scattered on the hillside. The houses are low and sturdy, built of stone, with seashell fragments embedded in the cracks in the walls.

The whistle's yard was spacious, with several brick and tile houses arranged in a semi-circle, and fishing nets and dried fish drying in the yard.

Whistle's mother had already tidied up the two rooms quickly. Although the brick houses were simple, the beds were clean and the bedding smelled of sunshine.

Wu Wei didn't know how Wang Cunhai and the other four divided the tasks among themselves, but in any case, the three of them shared a room.

Zhang Qiling threw his backpack on the innermost bed, Hei Xiazi put his bag on the outermost bed, and Wu Wei had no choice but to take the middle bed.

After quickly eating some fish soup noodles cooked by the mother of the whistle, everyone went back to their rooms.

Wu Wei lay on the hard bed, using his coat as a pillow, listening to the sound of waves crashing against the rocks outside the window, his breathing gradually becoming steady.

There is no moon tonight, and the room is pitch black; you can't see your hand in front of your face.

The sea breeze seeped in through the crack in the door, carrying a salty, damp smell.

Hei Xiazi opened his eyes in the darkness, turned his head, and his gaze fell on Wu Wei's face.

He raised his hand and traced the outline of that profile in the air, from the forehead to the bridge of the nose, and from the bridge of the nose to the chin.

He moved his lips silently: Sweet dreams.

As soon as it was light, the Indian man knocked on the door.

After a quick wash, the whistle's father, Old Jiang, led everyone toward the dock.

Old Jiang was even darker and thinner than the whistle, but his eyes were full of energy; he was clearly an old sea wolf.

Ah San and Ah Si carried the diving equipment they brought onto the boat, and Ah Ning confirmed the location of the destination with Lao Jiang again.

Old Jiang pointed at the map with his rough fingers and said with some difficulty, "There are many reefs in that place, and large ships cannot pass through."

He pointed to the spot next to him and said, "The boat can only stop here. You'll have to walk the rest of the way yourself."

Ah Ning looked at the spot Lao Jiang pointed to, thought for a few seconds, and said, "Okay."

After confirming, Aning untied the cable and started the engine.

The weather is much better today than yesterday.

The sky is high and the sea is wide, stretching to the horizon, with the seawater shimmering with a deep blue luster in the morning light.

The sea was so calm it didn't look like a trip to raid tombs, but more like a leisurely sea excursion.

Wu Wei leaned against the gunwale, looking at the distant horizon where the water met the sky, and felt completely relaxed.

Wu Wei and the other two gathered at the bow of the boat. Wang Cunxi came over with Wang Cunhai and A Ning and handed them a waterproof paper.

The paper looked like a photocopy, and some parts were not clear.

I simply marked some routes and circled the locations of a few side chambers in red pen, the handwriting was messy.

While they were looking at the route, Aning explained the origin of the story:

"Jude Kao once sent people to explore this tomb. These marked routes and side chambers are relatively safe places, but nothing was found."

Black Bear leaned against the gunwale, arms crossed, and asked, "What exactly are you looking for? We're almost there, you should at least give us a heads-up."

Wang Cunxi looked at A Ning, and then finally spoke up:

"A blank token."

This deviates from the known plot.

Wu Wei's mind raced, unable to guess where the token was.

He deliberately spoke to Wang Cunhai in a dismissive tone:

"With such a grand display, I thought they were looking for some valuable treasure, but it turns out they just wanted to find a token?"

Wang Cunhai was indeed provoked. He raised his chin and blurted out, "What do you know! This token is—"

"Big Brother!" Wang Cunxi suddenly interrupted.

Wang Cunhai swallowed the rest of his words, his face flushed red, and he turned away without saying another word.

Wang Cunxi gave Wu Wei a polite smile: "The last wish of my elders must be fulfilled. I would be grateful if you could help me find it."

Black Bear put his sunglasses back on and a half-smile appeared on his face: "No problem."

After sailing for more than an hour, the boat arrived at a spot near the reefs.

Old Jiang threw down the anchor, pointed to the area full of reefs ahead, and said to the group, "There are too many hidden reefs ahead, this is the best we can do."

Aning asked Ah San to distribute the diving equipment to everyone, giving each person a set of oxygen cylinders and masks, all of which were professional-grade.

She then pulled out several stacks of cash from the waterproof bag and handed them to Lao Jiang, telling him to wait where he was and that he would receive a reward when he returned.

Old Jiang was pleasantly surprised when he received the money.

He encountered nothing strange along the way, and the weather was exceptionally good, so he readily agreed.

He patted his chest and assured them, "Don't worry, bosses, I'll just stay here and wait; I won't go anywhere else."

Ah Ning nodded indifferently, turned around and put on her gear.

Wu Wei called 999 again, but there was still no response.

Is this guy hibernating or in a state of hibernation?

Zhang Qiling said to Wu Wei, "Be careful, stay with me."

After Wu Wei nodded, he followed A Ning and jumped down.

Everyone jumped over the ship's side and into the sea.

The cool seawater washed over his head. Wu Wei adjusted his breathing and looked through his mask at the deep blue underwater world.

Sunlight streamed through the water, casting shimmering spots of light on the sandy seabed. A group of unidentified small fish were startled by these uninvited guests and scattered in all directions.

Several people headed downstream in the direction Aning had indicated.