Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

As dawn broke, a faint light shone down from the cave ceiling, coming from glowing moss that barely illuminated the surroundings.

Zhang Qiling opened his eyes, and "Zhang Qiling" beside him opened his eyes at the same time. The two looked at each other and got up. The others were still asleep, breathing evenly. The fire on the opposite bank had gone out, but voices could be heard; the official team had also gotten up.

Zhang Qiling walked to the water's edge. The river was calmer than the night before, as black as ink. The stone piers looked slippery in the morning light. "Zhang Qiling" walked over and stood side by side with him.

"The water has receded a bit," Zhang Qiling said.

"It's possible," said Zhang Qiling.

The two returned to camp. The others gradually woke up as well. The fat man yawned, sat up, and rubbed his eyes: "What time is it?"

"It's time to go." Xie Yuchen said, packing his backpack.

After a simple breakfast, we checked our equipment. We heard the clanging of metal from the opposite bank; the official team seemed to be setting up something.

"What are they doing?" Wu Xie asked.

"Build a bridge." Black Bear glanced at it. "We have enough people and materials. Let's build a simple pontoon bridge."

"And what about us?"

"As planned," Zhang Qiling said.

He walked up to Fatty Wang, who was squatting down tying his shoelaces. Zhang Qiling reached out, grabbed the shoulder strap of Fatty's backpack, and lifted him up. Fatty cried out "Ouch!" before he could even stand up straight.

"Hey buddy, be gentle!" the fat man cried.

Zhang Qiling didn't say anything, picked up the fat man's backpack like it was a large suitcase, and walked to the riverbank. The fat man's feet left the ground, and he kicked wildly with his hands and feet.

Zhang Qiling walked to Wu Xie's side, saying nothing, only looking at him. Wu Xie swallowed and nodded: "I'm ready."

Zhang Qiling wrapped one arm around Wu Xie's waist and grabbed his backpack with the other. Wu Xie felt a sudden lightness as he was lifted up.

On the opposite bank, the official team members stopped what they were doing upon seeing the commotion. Wen Jingshan stood by the river, squinting as he watched. Lin Guoce frowned. Jiang Xun Gu grinned and waved. Kun Ge was taking pictures with his phone.

A live-streaming sphere flew over from the other side of the river, hovering in mid-air, with the camera pointed at this side.

Zhang Qiling came to life.

He lifted the fat man, gave a light tap of his foot, and leaped off. The first stone pier was three meters from the shore; he lightly touched it with his toes, barely stopping, and used the momentum to leap again, landing on the second stone pier. The fat man dangled in his hand, terrified, and closed his eyes.

A breeze stirred the river, ruffling Zhang Qiling's clothes. His figure was as steady as a mountain; with a few leaps, he reached the middle of the river. The last stone pier was more than four meters from the opposite bank, with no foothold in between. Zhang Qiling paused briefly on the pier, then leaped out, this time higher, like a large black bird, gliding across the river and landing steadily on the opposite bank.

Put the fat man down. The fat man's feet touched the ground, his legs went weak, and he sat down on the ground, panting: "I... damn... I've never been this excited in my life."

On the opposite bank, "Zhang Qiling" also moved. He carried Wu Xie and leaped towards the first stone pier. His movements were even lighter than Zhang Qiling's, like a leaf. Wu Xie gripped "Zhang Qiling's" clothes tightly, his eyes wide, staring at the black water below.

"Zhang Qiling" zigzags among the stone piers, each step precise. When he reaches the middle of the river, he suddenly turns, not stepping on the last stone pier, but lightly touching the water with his foot—just a light touch, really. A ripple spreads across the water, and he uses the momentum to leap up again, soaring through the air over the last stretch of water and landing on the opposite bank.

He put Wu Xie down. Wu Xie steadied himself, his face pale, but his eyes bright: "Brother, you just...stepped in water?"

Zhang Qiling nodded: "Leverage their strength."

The entire game was streamed live with the racket suspended in the background. Comments scrolled across the screen:

Prophet: That lightness skill is amazing!

This is a tactic to silence the so-called experts: "It's illogical that someone can float like that while being carried."

The male fan club: Our husbands are so handsome!

On the opposite bank, Hei Xiazi, Xie Yuchen, Huo Xiuxiu, and A Ning were also preparing to cross the river. Hei Xiazi led the way, taking a few running steps and leaping towards the first stone pier. Agile and nimble, he weaved between the piers and crossed the river steadily. Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu leaped together, their movements nimble and their coordination perfect, arriving almost simultaneously. A Ning was the last; her leap was slightly more strenuous, but she still landed safely.

Everyone crossed the river without anyone falling into the water.

The official team on the other side watched in silence. Wen Jingshan's face was grim. Lin Guoce sighed. Jiang Xungu whistled.

"I'm leaving," Zhang Qiling said.

Zhang Qiling nodded.

The group shouldered their bags and headed towards the underground palace. Behind them, the official team began constructing a pontoon bridge, the clanging and banging sounds echoing through the air.

The underground palace wasn't far from the river, but the path was difficult to traverse. The ground was covered with rubble and weeds, along with collapsed stone pillars. The building was quite dilapidated; half the eaves had collapsed, and the pillars were rotten. But it was indeed large in scale; the front hall alone was the size of a basketball court.

"This King Xian is quite wealthy," Fatty Wang remarked, looking at the remaining carved stone pillars.

"This small country in Yunnan devoted all its resources to building its mausoleum," Xie Yuchen said. "Judging from the scale, it is modeled after the palaces of the Central Plains, but with the addition of local totems."

Indeed, in addition to dragon patterns, the pillars also feature snake patterns. In the wall reliefs, the figures are dressed in Central Plains attire, but they are holding snake-shaped objects in their hands.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" walked around the front hall and stopped in front of a wall. On the wall was a complete relief sculpture of a person dressed in royal robes sitting on a high platform, with many people kneeling below. The person in royal robes held a jade object shaped like an eye, with a vortex in the center of the jade object.

"It's that symbol again," Wu Xie said.

"The King of Xian also possesses exquisite jade eyes," said Aning.

"The two places are connected," Huo Xiuxiu said softly.

"They may all come from the same source," Xie Yuchen analyzed.

Zhang Qiling reached out and touched the jade eye symbol on the relief. The moment his finger touched it, the relief suddenly moved—not actually, but an illusion caused by the change in light. But where Zhang Qiling's finger pressed, the stone brick dented.

"Click".

The sound of a mechanism came from inside the wall. Immediately afterwards, the wall next to the relief slid open, revealing an opening. The opening was small, only wide enough for one person to bend over and pass through, and it was pitch black inside.

"A secret passage," said Zhang Qiling.

"Go in," Zhang Qiling said.

He was the first to bend down and go in. "Zhang Qiling" was the second. The others followed one after another.

The passageway was narrow, poorly ventilated, and had a musty, earthy smell. After walking several dozen meters, a light appeared ahead. It wasn't a flashlight beam, but a ghostly green light shining down from above.

Looking up, there were some glowing stones on the cave ceiling, just like those in the caves outside.

At the end of the secret passage was a small stone chamber. The chamber was empty, except for a stone platform in the center. On the platform was a groove, shaped like a jade eye, but the size was wrong.

"We're missing something again," said Fatty Wang.

"The one that Prince Quexian had," Xie Yuchen said.

"Deep inside," said Zhang Qiling.

"Keep going," Zhang Qiling said.

At the other end of the stone chamber was a small wooden door, ajar. Pushing it open, one could see a steep, dusty stone staircase leading upwards.

"Up?" Wu Xie asked.

"Mm," Zhang Qiling said.

Zhang Qiling nodded.

The group climbed the steps. After about a hundred steps, they reached the top. Ahead was a platform, beyond which lay a cliff—not a real cliff, but a huge void inside the underground palace. Looking down, there was no bottom; only darkness. The outlines of buildings were vaguely visible on the opposite side, but they were more than thirty meters away.

"We can't get through." Fatty Wang peeked out for a moment, then withdrew.

"There's a bridge," Zhang Qiling pointed to the left.

On the left side of the cliff, there is a stone bridge. The bridge is very narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass at a time, and has no railings. The stone slabs on the bridge surface are severely damaged, and in some places only a few stone beams remain.

"Can this be walked on?" Fatty Wang's face turned pale.

"Yes," said Zhang Qiling.

"I'll go first." Zhang Qiling walked onto the bridge.

The bridge swayed, and loose stones fell in a rustling sound. Zhang Qiling walked steadily, not fast, but each step was firm. Reaching the middle of the bridge, a stone slab loosened; he lightly touched the ground with his toes, leaped over the gap, and continued onward. He quickly reached the other side.

Zhang Qiling was the second to cross the bridge. He walked faster than Zhang Qiling, his figure more ethereal, as if weightless. He crossed with ease.

"It's our turn," said Black Bear.

"I...I need to calm down first." Fatty Wang swallowed hard.

"I'll go first," Xie Yuchen said, stepping onto the bridge. He walked carefully but steadily. Huo Xiuxiu followed behind, and the two of them crossed safely, one after the other.

A Ning looked at Wu Xie: "Together?"

Wu Xie looked at the bridge, then at Fatty Wang, and gritted his teeth: "Let's go."

The two went onto the bridge. The bridge was swaying violently, and Wu Xie held onto the stone wall, moving step by step. When they reached the gap in the middle, A Ning jumped across first, then turned back and reached out her hand. Wu Xie used the momentum to jump across as well.

"Fatty, it's your turn!" Black Bear shouted from the other side.

Fatty Wang looked at the bridge, his legs going weak. Black Bear walked back and patted him on the shoulder: "I'll take you."

"How should I bring it?"

"Stay close to me and step where I've stepped."

Black Bear went up the bridge, with Fatty Wang following behind. The two moved slowly. When they reached the gap, Black Bear went across first, then turned back to pull Fatty Wang up. Fatty Wang jumped with his eyes closed, almost falling, but Black Bear caught him.

Everyone crossed the bridge. On the other side was a larger platform, behind which lay the main hall of the underground palace. The hall's doors were tall, the vermilion paint peeling off, but its imposing presence remained.

"We've arrived," Xie Yuchen said.

"Go in," Zhang Qiling said.

Just as he was about to push open the door, he heard a sound behind him. It was the official team; they had also crossed the bridge and were gathering on the platform. Wen Jingshan was walking at the front, and his eyes turned cold when he saw them.

The two teams met again.

But this time, no one spoke.