Clay Man Zhang glanced at everyone and continued, “In other words, the ratio of the two segments of this underground palace isn’t the same. The first part shows a desert route, while the small section after that circle depicts the structure of the underground palace. After that, it’s another desert route again. Simply put, this map is like a mechanical parts diagram. When certain areas need to be clearly expressed, they use enlarged local views. If this map fell into the hands of someone studying mechanical engineering, it would be very easy to understand.”
Hearing this, Liu Dashao hurriedly stepped forward to examine the map and indeed noticed that the middle section—a winding line—was disconnected from the front and back sections.
“The end point of this map is the Golden Ancient City,” Clay Man Zhang suddenly said.
Hearing this news, Liu Dashao felt a surge of excitement. He hadn’t expected that in the end, it would still be the Golden Ancient City. It seemed this time everyone would have to turn the city upside down.
“Can you understand the structure of this underground palace?” Tiao Shu asked Clay Man Zhang.
It made sense for Tiao Shu to ask this. After all, Clay Man Zhang had claimed it was a structural map of the underground palace, but it didn’t look like one at all. Could it be that the person who drew the map used some kind of graffiti technique?
Clay Man Zhang wasn’t the least bit concerned about Tiao Shu’s skepticism. He swiftly grabbed a flashlight from Liu Dashao, flipped the map over, and pressed the flashlight tightly against its back side, laying it flat in front of everyone. “Look!” he exclaimed.
The three of them found this strange and shifted their gaze to the map. Instantly, they were shocked. The part illuminated by the flashlight revealed an image of the underground palace. It was precisely the place they were in—so clearly drawn that even a three-year-old could recognize it.
Liu Dashao took a closer look and felt somewhat disappointed. “Damn, there’s no way out.”
“Kid, why say that? Isn’t there an exit right there?” Tiao Shu pointed at an exit after seeing Liu Dashao sigh.
Actually, that exit had been blocked by sand after Fan Debiao had tried it. Liu Dashao explained to Tiao Shu, “You don’t remember me telling you that this exit was blocked by sand?”
“This isn’t a problem,” Tiao Shu said confidently. “We can go up through the hole you fell from. We’ve got the equipment now—who cares about a hole?”
Tiao Shu’s suggestion wasn’t bad. Initially, they had been few in number and lacked equipment, so they couldn’t recklessly enter that pitch-black hole—not even a flare could light it. Now, however, things were different. They had more people and better equipment. What was there to fear from a mere hole? Even if there were a dinosaur inside, they could take it down.
All in all, they had already been here for several days. If they didn’t get out in a few more days, the rescue team would have to come in and comb the desert. But if a large group of people crowded into the Golden Ancient City, they wouldn’t be able to get anything done.
“Tiao Shu, our time is tight. How about we get started now? I don’t want to stay in this desert any longer,” Liu Dashao said to Tiao Shu.
“Let’s go then! Hurry, rush, travel across the nine provinces!” Tiao Shu hummed a tune as he called everyone over.
Liu Dashao saw that Tiao Shu, acting as if nothing had happened, could even hum a song. He really was an optimist. The three of them were infected by Tiao Shu’s mood, relaxed their nerves, and followed him slowly.
“Don’t panic! Everyone grab your black donkey hooves!” Suddenly, Fan Debiao’s voice rang out.
Liu Dashao immediately sensed something was wrong. Fan Debiao and the others might have encountered zombies. His nerves tensed instantly. Clay Man Zhang had already rushed off before Fan Debiao even finished speaking. Tiao Shu, being an old hand at such situations, quickly reacted and ran over. Liu Dashao and Wang Feifei followed closely behind.
When they arrived at where Fan Debiao and the others were, they saw everyone leaning against a brick wall, most of them holding black donkey hooves, looking around nervously.
Liu Dashao looked at the female corpse in the feathered robe—it had already turned into a mummy. Someone must have taken the anti-decay pearl from its mouth, triggering some change. He thought to himself that Fan Debiao was definitely the first suspect for taking the pearl.
“Fan Debiao, what the hell is going on?” Liu Dashao shouted furiously at Fan Debiao.
Fan Debiao looked at Liu Dashao with terror in his eyes, not saying a word, but continuously pointing upward. Seeing this, Liu Dashao held his breath and looked up. He saw that the surrounding coffins were shaking nonstop, and from inside came a faint “clinking” sound.
The “clinking” sound gradually became more intense and frequent. Seeing this, Liu Dashao’s hair stood on end. He inhaled sharply and quickly led Wang Feifei toward Fan Debiao, where the group was gathered, seeking a sense of safety in numbers.
There were thousands of coffins here, all shaking. Even if each coffin contained only one zombie, there would be hundreds. This was turning into a zombie apocalypse.
Liu Dashao, seeing that the coffins hadn’t yet released their contents, quickly asked Fan Debiao what had happened. The events had unfolded too quickly for Fan Debiao to explain immediately. After collecting his thoughts, he recounted the entire incident to Liu Dashao.
Fan Debiao explained that after everyone had left, they had eaten and drunk their fill and were resting. He, Jackson, and Lao Wu were still chatting, having run out of alcohol, and began sharing stories of their experiences.
Lao Wu had experienced more than Fan Debiao and Jackson combined, so he began boasting about how glorious his tomb-robbing days had been and how many treasures he had seen.
After glancing at everyone, Clayman Zhang continued, “In other words, the proportions of the two segments of this underground palace’s journey are not the same. The front part is a map of the desert route, while the small section after the circle represents the structure of this underground palace. Beyond that, it’s back to the desert route. Simply put, this map is like a mechanical parts diagram, where certain areas that need detailed expression are shown with enlarged views. If this map fell into the hands of someone studying mechanical engineering, it would be easy to decipher.”
Hearing this, Liu Dashao quickly leaned in to examine the map and indeed noticed a wavy line in the middle that was disconnected from the front and back sections.
“The endpoint of this map is the Golden Ancient City,” Clayman Zhang suddenly declared.
Upon hearing this news, Liu Dashao’s heart raced. He hadn’t expected the final destination to still be the Golden Ancient City. It seemed they would have to turn the place upside down this time.
“Can you understand the structure of this underground palace?” Uncle Diao asked Clayman Zhang.
Hearing Uncle Diao’s question, it made sense. Clayman Zhang had said it was a structural diagram of the underground palace, but it didn’t look like one at all. Could the person who drew it have used a graffiti-like technique?
Unfazed by Uncle Diao’s skepticism, Clayman Zhang snatched the flashlight from Liu Dashao’s hand, flipped the map over, and pressed the flashlight tightly against it, laying it flat in front of everyone. “Look!” he said.
The three of them found it strange but shifted their gaze to the map. Instantly, they were stunned. The area illuminated by the flashlight revealed a diagram of the underground palace—the very place they were standing in. The drawing was so straightforward that even a three-year-old could recognize it.
Liu Dashao took a closer look and felt a pang of disappointment. “Damn it, there’s no way out.”
“Kid, what are you talking about? Isn’t there an exit right there?” Uncle Diao pointed to an exit, noticing Liu Dashao’s sigh.
In reality, that exit was where Fan Debiao had been blocked by something. Liu Dashao reminded Uncle Diao, “Don’t you remember? I told you that exit was blocked by sand.”
“That’s not a problem,” Uncle Diao said confidently. “We can go up from where you fell. We have equipment; what’s there to fear?”
Uncle Diao’s suggestion was a good one. Initially, with fewer people and no equipment, they naturally didn’t dare venture into the pitch-black hole where even a flare couldn’t light up. But now, with more people and better equipment, they had nothing to fear. Even if there was a dinosaur inside, they could handle it.
They had been here for several days already. If they didn’t get out soon, the rescue team would have to start plowing through the desert. But with so many people swarming the Golden Ancient City, their mission would be compromised.
“Uncle Diao, we’re pressed for time. Let’s get started now. I don’t want to stay in this desert any longer,” Liu Dashao said to Uncle Diao.
“Let’s go then, charging through the nine provinces with fiery determination…” Uncle Diao hummed a tune, calling everyone over.
Liu Dashao saw that Uncle Diao, seemingly unaffected by his memory loss, could still hum a song. He was truly an optimist. The three of them, infected by Uncle Diao’s mood, relaxed their nerves and followed along.
“Don’t panic, everyone. Get out the black donkey hooves,” Fan Debiao’s voice suddenly rang out as they walked.
Liu Dashao sensed trouble. Fan Debiao and the others might have encountered a “zongzi” (a reanimated corpse). His nerves immediately tightened. Clayman Zhang, reacting to Fan Debiao’s voice, had already dashed off and disappeared. Uncle Diao, a seasoned veteran, had seen this situation many times and quickly ran over. Liu Dashao and Wang Feifei followed suit.
When they reached where Fan Debiao and the others were, they saw everyone pressed against the brick wall, each holding a black donkey hoof, looking around in panic.
Liu Dashao glanced at the female corpse dressed in a feathered robe, now a desiccated mummy. Someone must have taken the preservation bead from her mouth, causing some kind of disturbance. He thought to himself that the first suspect would undoubtedly be Fan Debiao.
“Fan Debiao, what the hell is going on?” Liu Dashao shouted at him in frustration.
Fan Debiao looked at Liu Dashao in terror, not saying a word, just pointing upwards repeatedly. Seeing this, Liu Dashao held his breath and looked up. The coffins around them were shaking incessantly, emitting a subtle creaking sound.
The creaking grew louder and more frequent. Seeing this, Liu Dashao’s hair stood on end, and he took a deep breath before leading Wang Feifei towards Fan Debiao, where the crowd offered a sense of security.
There were thousands of coffins here, each shaking. If each coffin corresponded to one zongzi, there would be over a thousand of them. This was turning into a biohazard crisis.
Seeing that the things inside the coffins hadn’t emerged yet, Liu Dashao quickly asked Fan Debiao what had happened. The events had unfolded too quickly, and Fan Debiao struggled to explain at first. After organizing his thoughts, he recounted the incident to Liu Dashao.
Fan Debiao said that after everyone had left, they had all eaten and drunk their fill and were resting. Fan Debiao, Jackson, and Old Wu, still not satisfied, started talking about their experiences since they had run out of alcohol.
Old Wu had more experiences than Fan Debiao and Jackson combined, so he boasted to them about how impressive his tomb-raiding exploits had been and how many treasures he had seen.
Fan Debiao, feeling competitive, started making up stories. He claimed that a couple of years ago, he had organized a group to raid tombs in Henan. Everyone knew that Henan was rich in imperial tombs.
He said that through his dragon-searching and tomb-locating techniques, he had found the tomb of a Ming dynasty emperor. The group had even retrieved a dragon robe.
Old Wu was so impressed that he nearly called Fan Debiao his senior. Then it was Jackson’s turn to speak. Jackson had only been in one ancient Chinese tomb in his life—the tomb of Zhang Jiao at Bodhisattva Mountain—and hadn’t found anything valuable. Struggling to come up with something, he ended up telling Fan Debiao and Old Wu about the preservation bead in the female corpse’s mouth.
Fan Debiao and Old Wu, both seasoned tomb raiders, had only encountered skeletons or mummies. They had never seen a well-preserved corpse and didn’t believe in the existence of preservation beads. Jackson, unable to convince them, led them to the female corpse.
The two of them were dumbfounded. The corpse, aside from being a bit pale, was perfectly preserved and quite beautiful.
Fan Debiao and Old Wu, seeing this for the first time, were so excited they jumped up. The three of them decided to take out the preservation bead for further study. Curiosity drove them to remove the bead.
They placed the bead in front of them, staring at it excitedly, not noticing any changes in the female corpse. As they were examining it closely, a creaking sound suddenly emerged.
At first, Fan Debiao thought the tomb had undergone a corpse transformation. He grabbed a black donkey hoof and stuffed it into the female corpse’s mouth, but upon closer inspection, the corpse showed no abnormalities. However, the creaking sound persisted.
Jackson, sharp-eyed, quickly noticed the coffin shaking and called Fan Debiao and Old Wu to look. Both of them, being experienced tomb raiders, immediately thought of one thing—mass corpse transformation.
By then, the others had also been awakened by the subtle sound and were preparing to attack the surrounding coffins with their weapons. Fan Debiao, realizing this wouldn’t work, called for everyone with black donkey hooves to take them out and stand guard against the brick wall. Then everyone rushed over.
After hearing Fan Debiao’s account, Liu Dashao really wanted to slap him twice, but now was not the time. In terms of tomb-raiding experience, Uncle Diao and Old Wu were the most knowledgeable.
Liu Dashao looked around and saw that Old Wu and Uncle Diao were already busy nearby.
Each of them carried a treasure bag filled with tools of the tomb-raiding trade. It seemed the two old men intended to solve the problem using traditional methods.
For now, everyone had to trust them. With so many zongzi attacking, and only a dozen or so guns among them, the odds were heavily against them.
Uncle Diao and Old Wu ran to the female corpse, pulling out handfuls of white grains from their bags and scattering them around. Upon closer inspection, the white grains were glutinous rice. Since ancient times, glutinous rice was believed to ward off ghosts and evil spirits, and theoretically, it could work against zongzi.
“What are they doing?” Wang Feifei didn’t understand Uncle Diao’s actions.
Liu Dashao, his nerves on edge, didn’t hear Wang Feifei’s question and didn’t respond.
After scattering the glutinous rice for a while, it proved effective. The coffins stopped shaking, and the creaking sounds ceased.
Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, though they were still on edge.
Uncle Diao quickly ran back to the group and said, “We can’t stay here too long. We need to leave immediately.”
“Where do we go?” Liu Dashao asked Uncle Diao.
“From here,” Uncle Diao pointed to a hole resembling a palace gate behind them.
“That’s not advisable. The mechanisms inside are too dangerous. I’m worried we might not make it out,” Old Wu said nervously beside Uncle Diao.
Uncle Diao pondered for a moment and said, “The mechanisms inside rely on sight and sound to trap people. If we don’t look or listen, we’ll be fine.”
Old Wu shook his head and said, “Only you, Uncle Diao, have that skill. The rest of us don’t. We can’t take that risk.”
Uncle Diao, seeing that neither option was viable, cursed in frustration, while Old Wu stroked his chin, trying to come up with a solution.
“Climb up the statue,” Clayman Zhang suddenly spoke up.
Hearing this, Liu Dashao thought it was a feasible plan. When they were above, he had observed the statue’s head, which could accommodate twenty people. With proper climbing equipment, it was possible. Moreover, the statue’s head was only half a step away from a large rock. Once they reached the top, they could set fire to the coffins and be done with it.
Uncle Diao looked up at the statue and agreed with the plan, instructing everyone to prepare.
After glancing at everyone, Clayman Zhang continued, “In other words, the proportions of the two segments of this underground palace’s journey are not the same. The front part is a map of the desert trek, while the small section after the circle is the structural diagram of this underground palace, followed again by the desert trek map. Simply put, this map is like a mechanical parts diagram, where certain areas that need detailed representation are shown with enlarged views. If this map fell into the hands of someone studying mechanical engineering, it would be easily understood.”
Hearing this, Liu Dashao quickly moved closer to examine the map and indeed noticed a winding line in the middle that was disconnected from the front and back sections.
“The endpoint of this map is the Golden Ancient City,” Clayman Zhang suddenly declared.
Upon hearing this, Liu Dashao’s heart warmed. He hadn’t expected the final destination to still be the Golden Ancient City. It seemed they would have to turn the Golden Ancient City upside down this time.
“Can you understand the structure of this underground palace?” Uncle Diao asked Clayman Zhang.
Hearing Uncle Diao’s question, it made sense. Clayman Zhang had said it was the structural diagram of the underground palace, but it didn’t look like one at all. Could the person who drew it have used a graffiti technique?
Unfazed by Uncle Diao’s skepticism, Clayman Zhang snatched the flashlight from Liu Dashao’s hand, flipped the map over, pressed the flashlight tightly against it, and laid it flat in front of everyone, saying, “Look!”
The three of them found it strange but shifted their gaze to the map. In an instant, they were all stunned. The area illuminated by the flashlight revealed a diagram of the underground palace, which was none other than the place they were currently in. The drawing was so straightforward that even a three-year-old could recognize it.
Liu Dashao took a closer look and was somewhat disappointed: “Damn, there’s no way out.”
“Kid, what are you talking about? Isn’t there an exit right there?” Uncle Diao pointed to an exit upon hearing Liu Dashao’s sigh.
Actually, that exit was where Fan Debiao had been blocked by something. Liu Dashao reminded Uncle Diao, “Don’t you remember I told you that exit was blocked by sand?”
“That’s no problem,” Uncle Diao said confidently. “We can go up from where you fell. We have equipment, so what’s there to fear?”
Uncle Diao’s suggestion was a good one. Initially, with fewer people and no equipment, they naturally didn’t dare venture into the pitch-black cave where even flares wouldn’t light. But now it was different. They had more people and better equipment, so why fear a cave? Even if there was a dinosaur inside, they could skin it.
Counting the days, they had been here for several days. If they didn’t get out soon, the rescue team would have to start plowing the desert. But with so many people swarming inside the Golden Ancient City, their mission would be compromised.
“Uncle Diao, we’re pressed for time. Why don’t we start now? I don’t want to stay in this desert for long,” Liu Dashao said to Uncle Diao.
“Let’s go then, let’s charge through the nine provinces with vigor…” After Liu Dashao finished speaking, Uncle Diao hummed a tune and beckoned everyone to follow.
Seeing that Uncle Diao seemed to have forgotten everything and was humming a song as if nothing had happened, Liu Dashao thought he was quite the optimist. The three of them, infected by Uncle Diao’s mood, relaxed their nerves and followed along.
“Don’t panic, everyone, get out the black donkey hooves,” Fan Debiao’s voice suddenly rang out as they walked.
Hearing this, Liu Dashao sensed something was wrong. Fan Debiao and the others might have encountered zombies. His nerves immediately tensed up. Clayman Zhang, reacting to Fan Debiao’s voice, had already dashed off and disappeared. Uncle Diao, being a seasoned veteran, had seen this situation many times and quickly ran over. Liu Dashao and Wang Feifei followed suit.
Arriving at the spot where Fan Debiao and the others were, they saw everyone pressed against the brick wall, each holding a black donkey hoof, looking around in panic.
Liu Dashao glanced at the female corpse dressed in a feathered robe, which had turned into a mummy. Someone must have taken the preservative bead from her mouth, causing some kind of change. He thought to himself that the first suspect for taking the bead was undoubtedly Fan Debiao.
“Fan Debiao, what the hell is going on?” Liu Dashao shouted angrily at Fan Debiao.
Fan Debiao looked at Liu Dashao in terror, not speaking, just continuously pointing upwards. Seeing Fan Debiao’s gesture, Liu Dashao held his breath and looked up, only to see the surrounding coffins shaking incessantly, emitting a subtle creaking sound.
The creaking sound gradually became more intense, and the frequency increased. Witnessing this scene, Liu Dashao’s hair stood on end, and he took a deep breath before leading Wang Feifei towards Fan Debiao, where there were more people, giving a sense of security.
There were thousands of coffins here, each shaking. If each coffin corresponded to one zombie, there would be thousands of them. This was turning into a biohazard crisis.
Seeing that the things inside the coffins hadn’t emerged yet, Liu Dashao quickly asked Fan Debiao what had happened. The events had unfolded too quickly, and Fan Debiao couldn’t immediately explain. After organizing his thoughts for a moment, he recounted the incident to Liu Dashao.
Fan Debiao said that after everyone had left, they had all eaten and drunk their fill and were resting. Fan Debiao, Jackson, and Old Wu, still not satisfied, had run out of alcohol and started talking about their experiences.
Old Wu had more experiences than Fan Debiao and Jackson combined and began boasting to them about how impressive his past tomb raids had been and how many treasures he had seen.
Fan Debiao, feeling indignant, started fabricating stories. He said that a couple of years ago, he had organized a group to raid tombs in Henan. Everyone knew that Henan had an abundance of imperial tombs.
Fan Debiao claimed that through dragon-searching and his own tomb-locating techniques, he had found the tomb of a Ming dynasty emperor. The group had gone down and even retrieved a dragon robe.
Old Wu was so impressed that his eyes sparkled, almost calling Fan Debiao his senior. Then it was Jackson’s turn to speak. Jackson had only entered a Chinese ancient tomb once, the Zhang Jiao tomb at Bodhisattva Mountain, and hadn’t found anything valuable. At a loss for words, he racked his brains and finally told Fan Debiao and Old Wu about the preservative bead in the female corpse’s mouth.
Fan Debiao and Old Wu, both seasoned tomb raiders, had only encountered skeletons or mummies. They had never seen a well-preserved corpse and didn’t believe in the existence of preservative beads. Jackson, unable to convince them, led Fan Debiao and Old Wu to the female corpse.
The two were dumbfounded. Apart from the skin being a bit pale, the corpse was perfectly preserved and quite beautiful.
Fan Debiao and Old Wu, seeing it for the first time, were so excited they jumped up. The three of them decided to take out the preservative bead for study. Curiosity drove them to remove the bead.
The three of them placed the bead in front of their eyes, staring at it excitedly, not noticing any changes in the female corpse. As they were carefully examining it, a creaking sound suddenly came.
Fan Debiao initially thought it was the tomb’s corpse coming to life and quickly stuffed a black donkey hoof into the female corpse’s mouth. But upon closer inspection, the female corpse showed no abnormalities. However, the creaking sound was indeed present.
Jackson, sharp-eyed, immediately noticed the coffin shaking and quickly called Fan Debiao and Old Wu to look. Fan Debiao and Old Wu, both experienced tomb raiders, immediately thought of one thing upon seeing this… a group of corpses was coming to life.
At this moment, the others were also awakened by the subtle sound and prepared to attack the surrounding coffins with their weapons. Fan Debiao said that wouldn’t work and called for everyone with black donkey hooves to get them out and stand guard against the brick wall. Then everyone rushed over.
After hearing Fan Debiao’s account, Liu Dashao really wanted to slap him twice, but now was not the time. In terms of tomb-raiding experience, Uncle Diao and Old Wu were the most experienced here.
Liu Dashao looked around and saw Old Wu and Uncle Diao already making preparations.
Each of them carried a treasure bag filled with tools of the tomb-raiding trade. It seemed these two old men wanted to use primitive methods to solve the problem.
Now, everyone could only trust them. With so many zombies coming at once, and only a dozen or so guns among them, the odds were too great.
Uncle Diao and Old Wu ran to the female corpse’s side, pulling out handfuls of white grains from their bags and scattering them around. Upon closer inspection, the white grains were glutinous rice. Since ancient times, glutinous rice was believed to ward off ghosts and evil spirits, and theoretically, it should work against zombies.
“What are they doing?” Wang Feifei didn’t understand Uncle Diao’s actions.
Liu Dashao’s nerves were stretched tight, and he didn’t hear Wang Feifei’s question, so he didn’t answer.
Uncle Diao and Old Wu scattered glutinous rice for a while, and it indeed worked. The coffin stopped shaking, and the creaking sound ceased.
Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief but also broke into a cold sweat.
Uncle Diao quickly ran over to everyone and said, “We can’t stay here too long. We need to leave quickly.”
“Where do we go?” Liu Dashao asked Uncle Diao.
“From here,” Uncle Diao pointed to a hole resembling a palace gate behind them.
“That won’t do. The mechanisms inside are too dangerous. I’m worried we’ll get in but not out,” Old Wu nervously said beside Uncle Diao.
Uncle Diao pondered for a moment and said, “The things inside rely on sight and sound to trap people. If we don’t look or listen, we’ll be fine.”
Old Wu shook his head and said, “Only you, Uncle Diao, can do that. The others can’t. We can’t take that risk.”
Uncle Diao, seeing that this wouldn’t work and that wouldn’t work, cursed in frustration, while Old Wu stroked his chin, thinking of a solution.
“Climb up from the Buddha statue,” Clayman Zhang spoke up.
Hearing Clayman Zhang’s suggestion, Liu Dashao thought it was feasible. When they were above, he had observed the Buddha statue’s head, which could accommodate twenty people. With proper climbing equipment, it could be done. Moreover, the Buddha statue’s head was only half a step away from the large rock. Once they reached the top, they could set fire to these coffins and be done with it.
Uncle Diao looked up at the Buddha statue, thought the plan was workable, and called for preparations to be made.
Lao Wu was so impressed by Fan Debiao’s story that his eyes sparkled, nearly calling him “master.” Then it was Jackson’s turn. Jackson had only ever entered one ancient Chinese tomb in his life—the tomb of Zhang Jiao at Boddhisattva Mountain. He hadn’t found anything valuable there, so he struggled to think of something to say. Eventually, he decided to talk about the anti-decay pearl in the female corpse’s mouth.
Fan Debiao and Lao Wu were veteran tomb robbers who had only ever encountered skeletons or mummies. They had never seen a well-preserved body before and didn’t believe in the existence of such an anti-decay pearl. Jackson, unable to convince them with words, directly led Fan Debiao and Lao Wu to the female corpse.
When the two saw the corpse, they were stunned. Except for her unusually pale skin, the body was extremely well preserved—and she was a beauty.
It was their first time seeing something like this. Excited, they jumped up and down. The three of them discussed it and decided to remove the pearl for study. Out of curiosity, they took the anti-decay pearl.
The three of them were excitedly staring at the pearl in their hands, not noticing any changes in the female corpse. Suddenly, they heard the “clinking” sound.
At first, Fan Debiao thought the tomb was becoming haunted. He grabbed a black donkey hoof and stuffed it into the corpse’s mouth. But upon closer inspection, the corpse showed no signs of change. Still, the “clinking” sound was real.
Jackson had sharp eyes and immediately noticed the coffin shaking. He quickly called Fan Debiao and Lao Wu over to see. Being experienced tomb robbers, they immediately realized the same thing—multiple corpses were becoming animated.
At this time, the others were also awakened by the subtle sound. They grabbed their weapons and prepared to attack the surrounding coffins. Fan Debiao realized this wouldn’t work, so he called on everyone who had black donkey hooves to get ready and stand by the brick wall in defense. Then the others arrived.
After hearing Fan Debiao’s explanation, Liu Dashao really wanted to slap him a couple of times, but this wasn’t the time. Among them, the most experienced tomb robbers were Tiao Shu and Lao Wu.
Liu Dashao looked around and saw that Tiao Shu and Lao Wu were already preparing something.
Each of them carried a treasure bag filled with all sorts of tools used by traditional grave robbers. It seemed these two old men wanted to use traditional methods to deal with the situation.
Everyone could only trust them now. With so many zombies attacking at once, they only had about a dozen or so guns—completely insufficient firepower.
Tiao Shu and Lao Wu ran to the female corpse and began scattering white granules from their bags. Upon closer inspection, these white granules were glutinous rice. Since ancient times, glutinous rice has been used to ward off ghosts and evil spirits. Theoretically, it should work against zombies.
“What are they doing?” Wang Feifei didn’t understand their actions.
Liu Dashao’s nerves were too tense to hear Wang Feifei’s question, so he didn’t respond.
Tiao Shu and Lao Wu scattered the glutinous rice for a while, and indeed, the shaking coffins stopped, and the “clinking” sounds ceased.
Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, though they still felt a cold sweat.
Tiao Shu quickly ran back to the group and said, “We can’t stay here too long. We must leave quickly.”
“Which way?” Liu Dashao asked.
“This way,” Tiao Shu pointed to a hole behind them that resembled a palace gate.
“That won’t work! The mechanisms inside are dangerous. I’m afraid we’ll get stuck in there,” Lao Wu said nervously beside Tiao Shu.
Tiao Shu thought for a moment and said, “The mechanisms here rely on vision and sound to detect people. If we don’t look or listen, we’ll be fine.”
Lao Wu shook his head and said, “Only Tiao Shu here has that skill. Others don’t. We can’t take this risk.”
Seeing that neither option was viable, Tiao Shu became anxious and started cursing. Lao Wu stood beside him, stroking his chin, trying to think of a solution.
“Climb up the Buddha statue,” Clay Man Zhang suddenly suggested.
Hearing this, Liu Dashao thought it was feasible. Earlier, he had observed the head of the Buddha statue. It could easily accommodate twenty people. With good climbing equipment, it could be done. Moreover, the head of the statue was only a short distance from a large stone. Once they reached the top, they could set fire to all the coffins below, solving the problem once and for all.
Tiao Shu looked up at the Buddha statue, thought the plan was good, and immediately began preparing.
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