Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

I got up before dawn.

At five o'clock, the desert was as cold as an icebox. People crawled out of their sleeping bags, their breath turning into white mist. They ate a quick bite and then packed up their gear.

Lin Guoce counted the number of people. The twenty-five who went into the Black Desert were: himself, ten soldiers, Professor Zhou Xu'an, Jiang Shouyi, Kun Ge, Chen Man, Wang Yihan, Wu Xie, Fatty Wang, Xie Yuchen, Hei Xiazi, Huo Xiuxiu, Zhang Qiling, and Zhang Qiling. The remaining fifteen soldiers and their guide, Old Sadiq, stayed in the oasis to provide support.

The equipment was kept to a minimum. Each person carried a backpack containing water, food, medicine, rope, and tools. As for weapons, the soldiers carried guns, Wu Xie and his group carried daggers and entrenching tools, while Zhang Qiling and Zhang Qiling only carried knives.

"Remember," Lin Guoce's voice was clear in the morning breeze, "once you enter the Black Desert, stay close. Getting separated will be dangerous. Communication equipment may malfunction, so rely on whistles and hand signals. You must find a campsite before sunset."

Everyone nodded.

set off.

Twenty-five people lined up in a row, with Lin Guoce at the head, Zhang Qiling and Zhang Qiling in the middle, Wu Xie and the others following behind, and the soldiers bringing up the rear.

Heading northwest from the oasis, the sand gradually softens. After sunrise, the temperature soars. The sand is scorching hot; you can feel the heat even through your boots.

After walking for two hours, the surrounding scenery began to change.

The sand dunes had become bizarre, some resembling twisted giants, others like crouching monsters. The sky was still blue, but there was an inexplicable sense of oppression in the air. The compass needle spun erratically, and the GPS signal was intermittent.

"This is the Black Desert," Professor Zhou Xu'an said, panting. "It has a unique geology, rich in magnetic minerals, which interfere with instruments."

"And there's quicksand," Jiang Shouyi added, pointing to a seemingly flat patch of sand ahead, "the darker ones might be hollow underneath."

The group moved more carefully.

Zhang Qiling walked a few steps ahead of Wu Xie, his steps steady. He slightly turned his head and glanced at Zhang Qiling. Zhang Qiling was also looking at him; their eyes met, and they stopped simultaneously.

"Stop," Zhang Qiling said.

The voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard it.

Lin Guoce turned around: "What's wrong?"

Zhang Qiling didn't speak. He squatted down and grabbed a handful of sand. The sand flowed between his fingers, and he lowered his head to smell it.

Zhang Qiling also squatted down and did the same.

"There's something here." Zhang Qiling stood up.

"A lot," Zhang Qiling added.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the sand in front of him suddenly moved.

It wasn't the wind that was moving it; it was the sand churning, like boiling water. A black mass emerged from beneath the sand, spreading rapidly and rushing towards the group.

They are ants. But much larger than ordinary ants, each about the size of a thumb, completely black and shiny. Their mouthparts are large and sharp, gleaming coldly.

"Desert army ants!" Jiang Shouyi's expression changed drastically. "Run!"

But it was too late. The ant swarm surged out from all directions at incredible speed, instantly forming an encirclement. The black tide submerged the sand and rushed towards the group.

The soldiers fired, bullets hitting the ant colony, splashing up a few black waves, but they were instantly replaced. There were too many ants, countless, and impossible to kill them all.

"Fire! Use fire!" Lin Guoce roared.

Several soldiers lit incendiary sticks and threw them out. Flames shot up, and the ants flinched, but those behind them continued to surge forward, stepping over the corpses of their brethren. The incendiary sticks were finite, but the ant colony was endless.

Kun was so frightened that his legs went weak, and Chen Man and Wang Yihan screamed and backed away, almost falling over.

An army ant crawled onto the soldier's leg, snapped its mandibles shut, and bit through his trousers. The soldier screamed in agony, blood streaming down his face. More ants crawled onto it.

The scene was chaotic.

Zhang Qiling came to life.

He didn't run; instead, he walked towards the direction where the ant colony was most concentrated. His black-gold ancient sword was drawn, a flash of light as it struck the ground. Not to cut the ants, but to draw an arc, the blade digging half a foot into the sand, then lifting it up.

A swathe of sand mixed with ants was flung into the air and scattered. With a flick of his wrist, he slapped the blade horizontally, flattening another swarm of ants that surged forward.

The movements are simple, yet extremely efficient. Each cut clears a section of land, scattering ant carcasses and sand everywhere.

Zhang Qiling attacked simultaneously from the other side. His swordsmanship was even more powerful; he plunged his blade into the sand, churning it violently, sending sand flying and disrupting the ant nest below. Ants swarmed out, and he swept his blade horizontally, the wind from the blade sharp and fierce, shredding swarms of ants to pieces.

The two figures, one on the left and one on the right, acted like two black barriers, forcefully blocking the ant swarm's fiercest attack.

But there were too many ants, so they came around from the side. Several crawled towards Wu Xie, who used an entrenching tool to swat them, but for every few that he killed, dozens more immediately took their place.

Hei Xiazi drew his military knife, and with a swift stroke, several ants were severed in two. Xie Yuchen used his short dagger to precisely pierce the ants' heads. Huo Xiuxiu brandished her dagger, protecting Chen Man and Wang Yihan.

The fat man slapped wildly with his entrenching tool, cursing, "Damn it! So many!"

Lin Guoce and his soldiers tried to smash the ants with their rifle butts and stomp on them, but there were just too many ants, and people kept getting bitten, with screams echoing everywhere.

Zhang Qiling glanced back, his brows furrowing slightly. He suddenly sheathed his sword, ran his left hand across the blade, and blood gushed out.

He flung the blood at the ant colony.

A drop of bright red blood fell into the swarm of black ants, making a soft "sizzle" sound. From the point where the blood fell, ants within a two-meter radius retreated frantically as if they had been scalded, trampling each other.

Qilin blood.

Seeing this, Zhang Qiling also pricked his finger and flicked out a bead of blood. With the same effect, the ant colony on his side also began to retreat.

The two flicked out beads of blood, creating a broken line of blood around the group. Ants gathered outside the line, crawling restlessly, but dared not cross it.

The pressure decreased sharply.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lin Guoce directed the wounded to treat their injuries and reorganize the team.

The ant colony lingered outside the bloodline for a while, seemingly realizing they wouldn't gain any advantage, and began to slowly retreat, like a black tide receding into the sand. A few minutes later, the sand returned to calm, leaving only the ground littered with dead ants and bloodstains.

People were panting heavily, still shaken.

Kun Ge collapsed to the ground, while Chen Man and Wang Yihan huddled together, trembling. Several soldiers had been badly bitten, their wounds turning black, and the medic quickly cleaned and applied medicine.

Wu Xie looked at Zhang Qiling and Zhang Qiling. The wounds on their hands had stopped bleeding, and they were wiping away the ant remains and bloodstains from their knives with cloths. Their faces were expressionless, as if they had just casually shooed away a swarm of flies.

Just then, the system's voice calmly sounded in Zhang Qiling's mind:

【Ding】

[Host behavior detected is highly consistent with the character "Zhang Qiling"]

[In a perilous situation, remain calm, act decisively, fight back with blood, and protect your team.]

[Decisive and ruthless, always seeking revenge, the three threatening targets, Wang Jizong, have been eliminated.]

[Playing Experience Increased: 3%]

[Current role-playing level: 40%]

[Character compatibility increased: 5%]

[Current character compatibility: 100%]

[Reward: Zhang Qiling's combat power increased to 50%]

[Current Abilities List:]

Zhang Qiling's combat strength: 50%

[- Kirin Blood Concentration: Medium]

Night vision capability: Intermediate

[- Basic Mechanism Identification: Intermediate]

[- Tomb Raider: Intermediate]

Disguise: Intermediate

[- Bone Shrinking Technique: Beginner]

[- Zhang Family Feng Shui Secrets: Advanced]

【- Zhangjia Ancient Building Mechanism Diagram: Advanced】

[- Ghost Whistle: Intermediate]

[Warning: The Soul Loss syndrome has reached an advanced level]

[Completeness of memories related to the original identity "Xie Linyuan": 3%]

[Memory anchors have been completely broken, and identity perception has been transformed.]

[Hint: Xie Linyuan is a thing of the past; you are Zhang Qiling.]

The system's voice was cold and clear.

Role-playing ability improved. Combat prowess increased. Compatibility maxed out.

But the name Xie Linyuan, and all the memories associated with it, are rapidly blurring and fading away. The confusion when he first arrived in this world, the surprise when he obtained the system, the awkwardness when he first went into a tomb... these images are like ink soaked in water, completely blurred, and the details can no longer be seen.

I am Zhang Qiling.

Gatekeeper.

He silently repeated it to himself. This time, the dam was completely stable, the tide receded, and all that remained was this identity, this mission.

The Qilin tattoo on his shoulder blade was slightly warm, as if echoing this change.

He looked at Zhang Qiling. Zhang Qiling also happened to be looking over, a very faint fluctuation in his eyes, as if he had sensed something.

Both of them have now recovered to 50% of their strength.

"Keep going," Lin Guoce broke the silence, his voice hoarse. "We can't stop here."

The team set off again. This time, they moved more slowly and cautiously. The wounded were being helped along, each step a struggle.

After walking for another three hours, around noon, a pile of ruins appeared ahead.

These are the remains of a building. Earthen walls have collapsed, stone pillars have fallen, and they are half-buried in the sand. Judging from its size, it was once a sizable settlement.

"We've arrived!" Professor Zhou Xu'an's voice trembled with excitement. "The outer ruins of the ancient city of Jingjue!"

People were invigorated.

The ruins were vast, stretching for miles. Faded murals and inscriptions adorned the weathered earthen walls, though most were illegible. Scattered on the ground were pottery shards, bone fragments, and some rusted metal objects.

Lin Guoce chose a relatively intact section of the building ruins as his campsite. The soldiers cleared the sand and set up makeshift tents.

In the afternoon, Professor Zhou Xu'an, along with Jiang Shouyi and Wu Xie, began to survey and record the ruins. Kun Ge, having recovered, picked up his selfie stick again to film videos—even though the live-streaming ball was broken, he was used to documenting things.

Chen Man and Wang Yihan helped sort the specimens. Fatty Wang rummaged through the ruins, trying to find something valuable, but most of it was junk.

Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu surveyed the terrain around the camp. Hei Xiazi was repairing his tools.

Zhang Qiling and Zhang Qiling sat on a broken wall, looking into the depths of the ruins. There, behind the weathered earthen wall, were the outlines of a denser cluster of buildings, and further back, a tall, pyramid-shaped shadow could be vaguely seen, half-buried in the sand.

"There," Zhang Qiling pointed to the shadow of the pyramid.

"The main hall," Zhang Qiling said.

"Let's go tomorrow."

"Um."

Simple conversation.

As the sun set, Wu Xie walked over with a shard of pottery bearing a strange symbol: "Brother, look at this."

Zhang Qiling took the pottery shard and glanced at it. The symbols were ancient, resembling eyes or whirlpools. He ran his fingers along the edge of the symbols, then suddenly paused.

"Have you seen this symbol before?" he said, handing the pottery shard to Zhang Qiling.

Zhang Qiling took it, looked at it for a few seconds, and nodded: "There are similar ones on the bronze door."

The two exchanged a glance.

Is the Ghost City of Jingjue related to the Bronze Gate?

Night fell.

A campfire was lit at the campsite. After dinner, Professor Zhou Xu'an explained the day's discoveries by the firelight: "Judging from the shape of the pottery and the style of the murals, this is indeed the site of the Jingjue Kingdom in the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty. But what's strange is that some of the architectural structures are clearly earlier, possibly indicating that they were rebuilt using an even older site."

"Even older?" Wu Xie asked.

"It might be from the Yin-Shang period, or even earlier," the professor said. "The Jingjue people worshipped eyes, and there are many eye patterns on the murals. But the pyramid-shaped building at the deepest part has a completely different style, more like... an early sacrificial building from the Central Plains."

"What are we worshipping?" Jiang Shouyi asked.

The professor shook his head: "I don't know. We'll have to go inside to find out."

People were silent. Tomorrow they would be entering that pyramid.

At night, Zhang Qiling was on the first watch. He sat on the broken wall outside the camp, looking at the starry sky.

My mind is blank.

Xie Linyuan's memories were reduced to fragments, like faded photographs, devoid of detail, only blurry shadows. In their place were more fragments of Zhang Qiling's memories—fragmented, disjointed, but real.

Snow-capped mountains, bronze gates, a long journey, and... some blurry faces.

He rubbed his temples.

Zhang Qiling walked over and sat down next to him. Neither of them spoke; they just sat there.

After a long silence, Zhang Qiling suddenly spoke: "You've changed."

Zhang Qiling turned to look at him.

"His eyes," Zhang Qiling said, "have become more somber."

Zhang Qiling was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Mm."

"memory?"

"It's almost gone."

Zhang Qiling didn't ask any more questions. He had the same feeling, just to a different degree.

The night wind blew through the ruins, making a howling sound, like the wailing of ghosts.

The Ghost City of Jingjue lies silent in the night.

Tomorrow, its mystery will be unveiled.