Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

On the platform in front of the palace, two groups of people faced each other.

Wen Jingshan stood at the front, his face ashen, staring at Zhang Qiling. Behind him were Lin Guoce, Jiang Xungu, Kun Ge's group, and dozens of soldiers, all carrying guns. Zhang Qiling's side had fewer people, but no one retreated.

"We meet again," Wen Jingshan said, his voice cold.

Zhang Qiling didn't speak, just looked at him.

"This underground palace," Wen Jingshan continued, "was discovered by us first. According to the rules, you should leave."

Zhang Qiling took half a step forward, standing next to Zhang Qiling, and uttered two words: "Why should I?"

"Just because we outnumber each other," Wen Jingshan said.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Qiling became lively.

He didn't speak or show any expression, but suddenly he moved. He took a step in front of Wen Jingshan, raised his leg, and kicked him in the chest.

The movement was clean and powerful. Wen Jingshan didn't even have time to react before he was lifted off the ground and sent flying backward. He traced an arc, crashed into a stone pillar twenty meters away, bounced off, rolled a few times, and came to a stop.

The entire room fell silent.

The soldiers' hands were on their guns, but no one dared to move. Lin Guoce opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Jiang Xun Gu's eyes widened, and Kun Ge almost dropped his phone.

Zhang Qiling withdrew his leg as if nothing had happened, and turned to walk towards the palace gate.

"Zhang Qiling" followed.

Hei Xiazi grinned, Xie Yuchen shook his head, Wu Xie swallowed, and Wang Pangzi whispered, "Damn..."

The group walked towards the palace gate. The officials behind them were still standing there, stunned, and no one stopped them.

A levitating live-streaming ball flew over from the other side—it was the first one issued to Zhang Qiling, used in the Zhou Tomb in Qinling, and had been with the official team ever since; now it had flown back. It hovered above Zhang Qiling's head, the camera pointed at him.

The comments scrolled by:

Prophet: That kick was absolutely awesome!

Specialist to those who disagree with experts: That guy surnamed Wen deserves it.

Brother's fan club: My husband is awesome!

Zhang Qiling ignored the live broadcast ball and reached out to push open the palace door. The door was cast in bronze and very heavy, but it wasn't locked. He pushed it open a crack, revealing darkness inside. He stepped inside, "Zhang Qiling," the second name on the list.

The main hall was spacious. It was the front hall of the main hall, about ten meters high and twenty meters wide, its depth seemingly endless. The floor was paved with bluestone slabs, covered with a thick layer of dust. Stone pillars stood on both sides, their surfaces carved with snake patterns. At the deepest part was a high platform, upon which was the throne, but it was empty.

"Nobody here?" Fatty Wang whispered.

"It's rotten already," Xie Yuchen said.

A flashlight beam swept across the hall. Dust swirled in the beam. The air smelled of aged spices mixed with a musty odor.

"Look there." Huo Xiuxiu pointed to the left.

Against the left wall, there was a row of things. They were terracotta figurines, human-shaped, wearing armor and holding weapons. But the faces of the terracotta figurines were strange; they weren't human, but snake heads.

"Snake soldiers," Aning said.

"Don't touch it," Zhang Qiling said.

Zhang Qiling had walked up to a terracotta figurine and squatted down to look at it. There were characters at the feet of the figurine, written in ancient Dian script.

"It's for guarding the tomb," he said.

"Go around it," Zhang Qiling said.

The group walked along the right side of the main hall. The hall was quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps. When they were halfway through the hall, they heard a sound behind them.

It was the official team; they came in too. Wen Jingshan was being supported by two men, blood at the corner of his mouth, his face deathly pale, but he could still walk. He stared at Zhang Qiling's back, his eyes filled with resentment, but he didn't say anything more.

Lin Guoce ordered the soldiers to spread out and maintain a perimeter. Jiang Xun Gu walked up to the snake-soldier terracotta warriors, looked at them, and shook his head. Kun Ge was still filming, but his hands were shaking a little.

The two groups of people walked separately, one on the left and one on the right, separated by the center line of the main hall. Neither looked at the other.

Zhang Qiling and his group walked deeper into the main hall, to the foot of a high platform. The platform had nine steps, and the throne on it was a magnificent stone carving, but covered in cracks. Behind the throne was a wall with a dark, gaping doorway.

"Go in?" Wu Xie asked.

Zhang Qiling nodded and was about to go up the steps.

Something suddenly stood up behind the throne.

It was humanoid, but very tall, over two meters. It wore tattered bronze armor, rusted and greenish. Its face was adorned with a bronze mask, the mask depicting a snake, with two black holes where the eyes should be. It carried a long-handled bronze axe, the blade rusted, but it looked heavy.

"The tomb guardian," Xie Yuchen said in a low voice.

Zhang Qiling took a step forward and stood in front of the crowd.

The tomb guardian moved. It descended the steps, its movements stiff but heavy, causing the ground to tremble slightly. The black hole beneath the bronze mask "looked" at "Zhang Qiling," then raised its axe.

Before the axe could strike, Zhang Qiling moved first. He rushed forward, sidestepping just before it fell, the blade grazing his shoulder and striking the ground, sending shards of stone flying. He then clenched his right fist and slammed it into the chest of the tomb guardian.

"clang!"

The sound of metal clashing rang out. The tomb guardian staggered but didn't retreat. It swung its axe horizontally with a backhand swing, and "Zhang Qiling" ducked to dodge, kicking it in the back of the knee with his left foot. The tomb guardian knelt on one knee, and "Zhang Qiling" seized the opportunity to leap up, slamming his right elbow into the back of its neck.

"Bang!"

The tomb guardian's head lurched forward, but it quickly lifted itself. It turned and swung its axe upwards. "Zhang Qiling" leaned back, the axe tip grazing his chin. The moment he landed, he pushed off with his feet, crashing into the tomb guardian's arms, grabbing its axe-wielding wrists with both hands and twisting them forcefully.

"Click."

A cracking sound of wrist bones breaking. The axe slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. The tomb guardian grabbed at it with his other hand, but "Zhang Qiling" let go and retreated. In the instant it missed its grip, he kicked it in the stomach.

The tomb guardian stumbled back two steps, bumping into the steps. It steadied itself, looked down at its severed wrist, then looked up again. From beneath the bronze mask, it emitted a hoarse, panting sound.

Then it took off the mask from its face.

Beneath the mask was a gaunt face, skin clinging to bone, eyes sunken in, devoid of pupils, instead resembling two eerie green flames. The mouth was open, revealing blackish-yellow teeth.

"A bronze-skinned, iron-boned corpse general," Black Bear said.

"Zhang Qiling" didn't stop. He rushed forward, and the corpse threw a punch to meet him. Fist to fist, head to head.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud. "Zhang Qiling" took a step back, while the corpse general took two steps back. A dent appeared in the bronze armor on the corpse general's fist.

Zhang Qiling shook his hand and charged again. This time, he didn't fight head-on. He dodged the fist by sidestepping, his hand forming a blade as he slashed at the corpse general's neck. The bronze armor shattered, revealing the dark flesh beneath. His fingers, like hooks, dug into the crack and tore it apart with force.

"Sizzle—"

A chunk of the bronze armor was torn open along with the flesh, and black blood gushed out. The corpse roared and reached out with its other hand. "Zhang Qiling" did not retreat, but raised his knee and thrust it into its ribs, while at the same time grabbing its head with his other hand and twisting it forcefully.

"Gaba".

The sound of a neck bone breaking. The corpse tilted its head to one side, but didn't fall. It grabbed "Zhang Qiling" with both hands, trying to strangle him.

Zhang Qiling spread his arms, pushed off with his feet, spun around, and slammed the corpse general to the ground. The instant he landed, he flipped over and pressed down on it, his knees pressing against the corpse general's chest, grabbing its tilted head with both hands, and pulling it out with force.

"Pfft—"

The head separated from the body. Black blood gushed out, splattering all over the ground. The corpse twitched a few times, then remained still.

Zhang Qiling stood up and shook the blood off his hands. He looked at himself; there was some black blood splattered on him, but he was unharmed.

The battle ended in less than two minutes, from start to finish.

The opposing official team was stunned. Jiang Xun Gu's eyes lit up, and Kun Ge almost dropped his phone again. Wen Jing Shan's face turned even paler.

Zhang Qiling walked over and glanced at "Zhang Qiling". "Zhang Qiling" nodded, indicating that everything was alright.

"Let's go," Zhang Qiling said.

The group walked around the corpse of the Corpse General, ascended the steps, and headed towards the doorway behind the throne. On the official side, Lin Guoce directed his soldiers to examine the Corpse General's body. Jiang Xun Gu squatted down, looked at it, and shook his head.

"His skin was as tough as copper and his bones as strong as iron, impervious to swords and spears," Jiang Xun Gu said. "That guy... snapped his neck with his bare hands."

"Monster." Wen Jingshan gritted his teeth.

Inside the doorway were downward-facing stairs. Zhang Qiling led the way, followed by the others. The stairs were long and descended continuously, the temperature dropping lower and lower. After about ten minutes, light appeared ahead.

A pale green light emanated from the walls. At the bottom of the stairs lay a vast underground space.

It's a natural cave, but it's been modified. Glowing stalactites hang from the ceiling, and the floor is flat. The most striking feature is a stone platform in the center of the cave, on which sits a coffin.

It wasn't a wooden coffin, nor a stone coffin, but a jade coffin. It was entirely white and semi-transparent, and a human figure could be vaguely seen inside.

Around the jade coffin stood eight stone pillars, each carved with patterns of eyes and snakes.

"The coffin of the King of Xian?" Fatty Wang whispered.

"Maybe," Xie Yuchen said.

"Look there." Huo Xiuxiu pointed to the top of the jade coffin.

Embedded in the ceiling directly above the jade coffin was a piece of jade, shaped like an eye, about the size of a palm, gleaming faintly in the eerie green light.

"The Muchen Pearl?" Wu Xie exclaimed excitedly.

"It doesn't look like it," Zhang Qiling said.

"Too small," Zhang Qiling said.

Indeed, that jade eye was much smaller than the one in Jingjue, and didn't seem like a sacred object that could break the curse.

"It's a fake," Ah Ning said. "The real one might be underneath."

"What's next?" Fatty Wang looked at the jade coffin.

Zhang Qiling walked to the jade coffin and examined it closely. The jade coffin wasn't fully closed, leaving a crack. He reached out and gently pushed open the lid.

There lay a person inside. He wore royal robes and a crown, but he was shriveled up. His skin clung to his bones, and his face was bluish-black. Most strangely, there was a hole in his chest, the size of a fist, with charred edges, as if something had ripped out his heart.

"My heart has been ripped out," Black Bear said.

"Sacrifice," said Zhang Qiling.

"Look at his hands," Xie Yuchen said.

The corpse's hands were folded over its abdomen, holding something in its hands. It was a piece of jade, shaped like an eye, the same as the one on the cave ceiling, but larger and smoother.

Zhang Qiling reached out and gently took out the jade. The jade felt warm and smooth to the touch, shimmering with a soft luster under the light. In the center of the jade's eye was a tiny swirling symbol.

"This... looks a bit like it," Wu Xie said.

"But not yet," Zhang Qiling said.

Zhang Qiling also looked at it and shook his head.

Suddenly, the jade coffin trembled. Immediately afterwards, the stone slab at the bottom of the coffin slid open to both sides, revealing an opening below. The opening was not large, with steps leading downwards, its depth unknown.

"There's still a way," Xie Yuchen said.

"Go," Zhang Qiling said.

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

The official team also arrived at the cave hall and saw the jade coffin open. Wen Jingshan wanted to rush over, but Lin Guoce held him back. Jiang Xungu looked at the cave entrance, lost in thought.

The levitating live-streaming ball followed Zhang Qiling and the others down to capture the scene of the cave entrance closing.

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