Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

The minibus swayed and bumped until the afternoon, when it stopped at a bus station in a small town.

Zhang Qiling got off the car.

There weren't many people in the square in front of the station. A few motorcycle taxi drivers who were soliciting passengers were squatting by the roadside smoking. When they saw him get off, they looked up at him, then looked down again. His attire and demeanor didn't seem like that of someone who rides a motorcycle taxi.

He walked out of the station and down the street.

The street was narrow, lined with small shops selling hardware, building materials, and mini-supermarkets. The air was thick with the mixed smells of dust and food.

He walked two blocks and saw a noodle shop.

The storefront was old, the plastic signboard faded, and it read "Old Chen's Beef Noodles". There were four or five tables inside, but not many people were there at this hour.

He went inside.

The shop owner was dozing behind the counter when he heard the noise, looked up, saw him, and paused in surprise.

"Want some noodles?"

"Um."

"Beef noodles, spare rib noodles, and zha jiang noodles."

"Beef noodles."

"fifteen."

Zhang Qiling paid and sat down at a table further inside. The table was greasy, so he took off his gloves and put them aside.

The sound of steam rising from the kitchen could be heard. A small TV on the wall was playing local news, but the volume was low.

"Recently, the police in our city cracked a case of tomb raiding, arrested three suspects, and seized cultural relics..."

The scene cuts to several handcuffed people being escorted into a police car.

Zhang Qiling glanced at it and then looked away.

The noodles were served. A large bowl, the broth clear and bright, topped with thin slices of beef and sprinkled with chopped scallions. He picked up his chopsticks and lowered his head to eat.

After the news on TV finished, they started broadcasting the midday news briefing.

The female news anchor's voice was clear and articulate: "This is an urgent investigation notice. Last night, a heinous crime occurred in Pingjiang County, resulting in the tragic deaths of ten field workers. Preliminary investigation indicates the suspect is a young male, approximately 180 centimeters tall, of slender build, wearing a black coat, and carrying a long, suspicious object. This person is extremely dangerous. If anyone has any information about him, please immediately call the number below the screen and do not approach him..."

Screen switch.

A screenshot from a surveillance camera.

It's very blurry, like it was captured from a surveillance camera at a distant intersection. In the darkness, a figure dressed in black stands by the roadside, facing the camera sideways, with a hood covering their head, revealing only a clear jawline and tightly pursed lips.

Although it's blurry, its outline and its overall feel are instantly recognizable.

It's Zhang Qiling.

The image freezes, with the text displayed next to it: Suspect, codename "Black Kirin", extremely dangerous, reward of 200,000 for clues.

The noodle shop was very quiet.

The shop owner, standing behind the counter, also looked up at the television, muttering, "Ten people... how ruthless must they be..."

Zhang Qiling paused, his chopsticks still.

Then continue eating.

A mouthful of noodles, a sip of soup—eating slowly, but steadily.

Other news began playing on television. He finished his last bite, put down his chopsticks, and picked up his gloves to put them back on.

I paid, got up, and left the noodle shop.

The sunlight outside was blinding.

He pulled his hat down low and continued walking down the street.

Behind me, the television in the noodle shop was still playing.

On the other side of the city, in a rented room.

The computer screen was playing a recording of the midday news, currently frozen on a screenshot of the wanted poster.

Fatty Wang leaned close to the screen, his small eyes wide open.

"Holy crap..." the fat guy said, "Look at this picture, that profile, that jawline...tsk tsk, no wonder he's a guy, even his wanted poster photo is this handsome. If those girls saw this, wouldn't they go crazy?"

Wu Xie, standing next to him, pushed up his glasses, staring at the screen with a furrowed brow.

"Fatty, this is a wanted poster! Ten people are dead! And you're still here looking at how handsome he is?"

"Nonsense, of course he's handsome!" the fat man said matter-of-factly. "And what were those ten guys doing there? Trying to catch the young man! Fully armed to arrest someone, they got killed instead, who's to blame? Useless! Didn't the official report say they were 'fieldwork personnel'? Pshaw, who are they trying to fool! Anyone who knows the inside story can see through it!"

He pointed to the screenshot: "Look at this guy's posture, his aura, it's obvious those people started it! This guy was defending himself!"

Wu Xie fell silent. He too sensed something was amiss. The official wording was vague, only stating it was a heinous crime, without mentioning the specific reasons for the conflict. Ten against one, all dead—this in itself was abnormal.

He opened the live streaming platform. Kun Ge wasn't streaming, but the comment section exploded. The screenshot of that wanted poster was being circulated everywhere.

Comment area:

[Wow, this guy's wanted! He's a fugitive!]

[Your ID photo is so cool!]

What's the use of having a cool ID if you've killed ten people?!

[To the person upstairs in the ID section: Do you even know what those ten people were doing? Arresting people! Whose fault is it that you're useless?]

[Even the official ID team has said we should be on good terms, but some people just won't give up!]

[Commanders Wang, Li, and Zhao, I'm talking about the three of you!]

[A 200,000 RMB bounty on my ID... Even if I knew where this guy is, I wouldn't tell!]

[Followers, this profile, this chin, I'm done for!]

[I've already taken a screenshot of the ID and set it as my screensaver!]

Sure enough, a group of girls were flooding the screen with comments like "handsome," "screensaver," and "I'm done for."

Wu Xie was both amused and exasperated.

The fat man leaned over to read the comments and chuckled: "See? The masses have discerning eyes! Those three old geezers, Wang Jizong, Li Guoliang, and Zhao Yongnian, are messing around because they have some power! Last time they sent ten people to deliver it, I wonder what they're up to this time!"

"How do you know my name?" Wu Xie asked in surprise.

"I have connections, Fatty!" the fat man said smugly, then lowered his voice, "But I heard that the real big shots up there are only three who are willing to 'not make contact with him, and not escalate the conflict.' They're the only ones who're still clinging to the idea that they can control him and get the secret to immortality. Hmph, dream on!"

He patted Wu Xie on the shoulder: "Naive, you're just too naive. In this world, some people are more terrifying than the zombies in the ancient tomb."

Wu Xie remained silent. He stared at the blurry yet undeniably sharp profile screenshot on the screen, a slight clench forming in his heart.

Where is that person now?

Special Affairs Office.

The atmosphere was heavy.

Wang Jizong sat in the main seat, his face ashen. Li Guoliang paced back and forth. Zhao Yongnian stared at the screenshot of the wanted poster projected on the wall, his fingers tapping on the table.

"Ten men! Ten elite soldiers! All dead!" Wang Jizong slammed his fist on the table. "How dare he! How dare he!"

"The on-site investigation results are in." A middle-aged man in uniform stood to the side, his voice calm. "Ten people, all killed with a single blow. The wounds indicate that the murder weapon was a sharp weapon, most likely that ancient sword. The battle lasted no more than a minute. The opponent... was far stronger than anticipated."

"Far beyond expectations?" Li Guoliang stopped and sneered. "The previous report said he was capable, and I believed it. But killing ten special forces soldiers in a minute—is that even possible? What exactly is he?"

"The gatekeeper is Zhang Qiling," the middle-aged man said. "Based on the bamboo slips provided by Professor Zhou Xu'an, as well as the records of the two ancient tomb explorations in Qinling and Huoyun, this person is suspected of possessing extraordinary physical abilities, a special bloodline, and ancient martial arts heritage, and has a deep understanding of ancient tomb mechanisms and feng shui secrets. The danger level is recommended to be adjusted to 'Disaster Level'."

"Catastrophe level?" Zhao Yongnian narrowed his eyes. "You mean, we can't handle it?"

"A direct confrontation would result in heavy casualties, and there's no guarantee of victory." The middle-aged man's tone remained calm. "The General Staff recommends suspending all capture operations and switching to long-range surveillance. Simultaneously, prepare to launch 'Operation Kunlun,' which will explore the forbidden Miao region in the southwest in twenty days. The target... perhaps we can find a way to restrain or communicate there."

"Twenty days..." Wang Jizong gritted his teeth, "Are we just going to let him get away with it like this?"

"Commander Wang," the middle-aged man looked at him calmly, "last night's operation was not formally approved by command; it was a private operation by the three of you. You know who is responsible for the sacrifice of the ten soldiers. The higher-ups have already expressed... dissatisfaction with this matter."

Wang Jizong's face turned pale, and he fell silent.

Li Guoliang and Zhao Yongnian also remained silent.

They knew they'd bitten off more than they could chew this time. A man died, the mission failed, and they'd only gotten themselves into a mess.

"Does the Kunlun Project...require his participation?" Zhao Yongnian asked.

"The plan requires exploring an ancient forbidden area that may be related to 'immortality' and the 'Gatekeeper.' His presence would greatly increase the success rate. But the prerequisite is cooperation, not confrontation," the middle-aged man said. "Kun Ge, Chen Man, Wang Yihan, Jiang Shouyi, and Zhou Xu'an have been notified to assemble in twenty days. Whether to notify Zhang Qiling, and how to do so, is still under discussion."

"Cooperation?" Wang Jizong scoffed. "They killed our people, and you call that cooperation?"

The middle-aged man didn't reply; he just stood there quietly.

Silence fell over the office again.

Only the slight hum of the projector fan and the blurry yet sharp profile of the wanted poster were silently projected onto the wall.

Small town streets.

Zhang Qiling walked into a small supermarket.

I bought a bottle of water and a bag of compressed biscuits. I have a little over a hundred yuan left.

He walked out, stood on the side of the street, turned on the tap, and took a sip of water.

The afternoon sunlight stretched his shadow long.

There was a newsstand nearby, with several newspapers hanging outside. The front page of the local tabloid featured a screenshot of the wanted poster; although blurry, it was very eye-catching.

The old man selling newspapers was dozing off in his recliner.

Occasionally, passersby would glance at the newspaper and comment on it.

"Have you heard? Ten were killed!"

"Really? He looks quite young."

"The arrest warrant has already been issued, how could it be fake? It's worth two hundred thousand!"

"Come on, you might earn that money but not live to spend it..."

Zhang Qiling listened without showing any expression.

After he finished drinking the water, he threw the bottle into the trash can and turned to walk into a nearby alley.

The alley was narrow and quiet.

He reached the end of the alley; it was a dead end. Withered vines climbed the walls.

He leaned against the wall and sat down.

He took the bag of compressed biscuits out of his pocket, opened it, and ate them slowly.

The movements were neither hurried nor slow.

After finishing his meal, he closed his eyes.

The shadow of the hat brim covered the upper half of her face, revealing only her well-defined chin and pale lips.

Like a resting obsidian statue.

Lonely, quiet, and out of place in the world.

The distant noise of the streets could be faintly heard, but it couldn't reach this alley.

It couldn't get into his heart either.