As Liu Dashao shouted, the few people who had been mesmerized suddenly seemed to awaken from a dream. They shivered involuntarily and then charged straight toward the group.
As the situation calmed down, Liu Dashao recalled that the whole mess had been caused by Fan Debiao. He turned to Fan and asked, “What the hell just happened? Why did the trap suddenly activate?”
Still shaken from the previous danger, Fan Debiao hesitated, perhaps still reeling from the suddenness of the event. After a moment, he replied, “That trap must have had a pressure limit setting. I hadn’t even taken a few steps when I heard a ‘crack’ beneath my feet. That’s why I asked if weight would affect the trap. But before anyone could answer, the trap just activated on me!”
After hearing Fan’s explanation, Liu Dashao was momentarily speechless. It seemed Fan really wasn’t suited for tomb raiding. Liu resolved not to bring this fatso along on any future expeditions—if there even was a next time…
Fan looked around the burial passage and said curiously, “Could this trap just be for show? It doesn’t actually do anything real?”
“Real? If it had been ‘real,’ you wouldn’t be talking to me right now,” Liu shot back sarcastically.
As his words faded, a deep, muffled groan suddenly echoed from deeper within the passage, followed by silence. Everyone was startled and quickly stepped back.
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances. Liu Dashao wondered, what the hell was going on with these traps? Now they were pulling sudden scares? Was the person who designed this tomb an idiot?
“Too old,” said Master Diao, brushing dust off his clothes. “The traps probably don’t work anymore due to age.”
The traps were malfunctioning! Liu Dashao should have thought of this earlier. He must be getting slow-witted lately. He’d have to take some brain-enhancing supplements when he got back.
Hearing Master Diao’s explanation that the traps were outdated, Liu Dashao exhaled in relief, thanking all the gods in heaven for their protection. If the traps were still functional, the situation would be unimaginable. The thought alone made Liu Dashao reluctant to even look back down the passage.
“Damn! Where did such huge trumpet flowers come from?” Fan suddenly shouted in astonishment.
Everyone turned toward Fan’s voice and saw several flowers resembling trumpets—but definitely not trumpet flowers. Each was over a person’s height. Such large flowers must have originated from ancient times. Liu Dashao didn’t recognize them, but they looked oddly familiar. Perhaps they were once common flowers he had seen in books or on TV.
With such massive flowers standing there, it was no wonder everyone’s curiosity was piqued. They all gathered around Fan, eager to examine the flowers thoroughly.
“Come back! Don’t get close to those flowers!” Master Diao suddenly shouted loudly.
The tomb chamber wasn’t large, and Diao’s voice reverberated inside, startling everyone. Without understanding why, several people quickly stepped back to Diao’s side, others following suit.
“Are those man-eating plants?” Liu asked Diao, puzzled.
“Man-eating flowers? No,” Diao replied tensely. “This flower is called Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus. It’s the most toxic flower in the world.”
“Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus!” Liu Dashao shuddered involuntarily at Diao’s words, as did others who understood its reputation.
Liu had once been curious about this flower. Today, people call it Titan Arum, also known as the corpse flower. It had many other names: Ghost Head, Devil’s Yam, Flower Stem Lotus, Numb Yam, Snake Head Grass, and countless others.
This flower is the largest “flower” in the world today. Unlike other flowers, it doesn’t emit a pleasant fragrance but instead releases a foul, corpse-like stench. They were all grateful for the gas masks. Otherwise, the Titan Arum would have knocked them all out. Diao must have been worried about this, hence his warning.
In Liu Dashao’s memory, the flower wasn’t particularly dangerous, but Fan, unaware of the details, raised his weapon toward the Titan Arum, as if expecting zombies to emerge.
It was time for Liu Dashao to enlighten Fan. He explained the nature of the Titan Arum, emphasizing that it posed no danger. Hearing this, Fan finally relaxed.
“You understand airplanes!” Diao’s tone remained serious.
“What?” Liu Dashao didn’t understand.
“This isn’t Titan Arum. It’s Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus,” Diao said, his tone growing more tense.
“Isn’t Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus the same as Titan Arum?” Liu looked at Diao’s eyes behind the gas mask, puzzled and uneasy.
“No. Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus is Titan Arum’s ancestor,” Diao tightened his gas mask. “Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus is a flower species extinct for over a thousand years. It’s a legendary devil’s flower. With its dazzling colors and unique fragrance, it deceives the nerves of humans and animals, causing terrifying hallucinations that lead to death.”
Hearing Diao’s words, Liu Dashao felt a chill. Could the flower be responsible for his earlier state? Instantly, he felt a subconscious fear toward the flower.
“How could a flower extinct for over a thousand years exist here? And how could it survive?” Liu raised these questions.
Diao continued, “This flower survives by absorbing the essence of corpses. Haven’t you noticed the strange atmosphere here? With these Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus blooming so well, this place is likely the Golden Queen’s burial chamber. We’re standing on a pile of white bones.”
Hearing this, Liu Dashao felt uneasy. Standing on a pile of corpses was common for archaeologists, but in such an environment, it was hard not to feel a chill.
“No good!” Wang Feifei suddenly cried out.
Everyone thought she was in trouble and turned to her. “What’s wrong?”
“The others are still outside. They don’t know about these flowers. If they come in without gas masks, they’ll be in danger,” Wang explained their shared concern.
This was a serious issue. If a dozen people without gas masks rushed in and were affected by the Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus, mistaking everyone for zombies and attacking, the situation would be uncontrollable.
Master Diao immediately realized the severity and quickly instructed everyone to go out and meet the others. A bit more walking wouldn’t kill anyone.
Everyone nodded, as they had no desire to stay longer, and turned toward the passage. Unexpectedly, as they turned, there was a loud boom. A stone slab suddenly sealed the passage. Fan Debiao had just reached the edge and barely avoided being trapped. He cursed furiously.
Everyone was stunned. Had the Golden Queen designed this place to trap and suffocate intruders forever?
Everyone was at a loss. After a long silence, they finally decided not to stand around helplessly. Since they had come this far, they had to continue forward and find the Golden Queen’s coffin.
No one wanted to stay longer. On one side of the chamber was a stone door. If it wasn’t the Golden Queen’s main tomb, it must be close. They quickly entered through the door.
It was just as they had imagined. Behind the door was another short passage. As soon as they entered, they could see the other end. The passage’s ceiling was arched. They were nearly at the main tomb. Usually, traps wouldn’t be placed here, but after their previous carelessness, they walked cautiously. Finally, without any issues, they reached the next chamber.
As they arrived, everyone was stunned. The scene before them was breathtaking and terrifying.
Before them was a tomb chamber the size of a football field, resembling a grand palace, opulent and magnificent. Artifacts were scattered everywhere—gold items in abundance, so much that they were astonished.
But they weren’t excited; instead, they felt tension, fear, and cold sweat. Before them was a sea of flowers—a sea of Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus.
The colorful sea of flowers stunned everyone present. Though they couldn’t see each other’s expressions, they could feel their nerves tightening. The atmosphere reached a suffocating peak.
They hadn’t experienced any hallucinations, indicating they hadn’t been affected yet. Perhaps the gas masks were protecting them.
Everyone was silent, perhaps overwhelmed by the atmosphere. Looking at the surrounding artifacts helped them recover slightly. Fan Debiao was the first to speak, “Damn, how come there are so many Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus here? Didn’t the Golden Queen fear hallucinations?”
“Who knows,” Liu Dashao replied, regaining composure.
“Is this the main tomb?” Old Wu asked the crucial question.
“This probably isn’t the main tomb yet,” Master Diao said grimly. “These flowers are harmful to corpses. There shouldn’t be such flowers in the main tomb.”
As Diao spoke, Liu Dashao thought of something terrifying. Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus survives on corpses. There were so many here; it must have taken countless corpses to cultivate them. Their feet were standing on a mass grave. It was hard to imagine how cruel the Golden Queen must have been, killing so many people for this sea of flowers.
“Planting flowers in a tomb doesn’t make sense in feng shui,” Liu Dashao finally said after a pause.
“This is a remote frontier area. Who cares about feng shui?” Fan Debiao replied.
“What the hell is the Golden Queen up to? Planting so many Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus here—does she want to turn this ancient city into a hallucinatory city?” Liu continued.
“Never mind what she’s up to. We can’t stay here long. Let’s quickly look for other chambers,” Master Diao waved his hand.
After giving instructions, Old Wu took out a pair of binoculars and began examining the surroundings. Liu Dashao found it hard to believe—bringing binoculars into a tomb?
Old Wu looked for a while and shook his head. The Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus was too tall; the binoculars were useless.
Liu Dashao felt disappointed. It seemed they had to search separately, a thought that made him queasy.
But Master Diao and the others weren’t so tense. Master Diao looked at Mouse and said, “Mouse, it’s your time to shine.”
Mouse immediately jumped and stuck to the wall. With his whole body tense, he climbed up the smooth wall for a meter or two. Seeing this, Liu Dashao couldn’t help but be amazed. Earlier in the cave, he had used the same method to climb up.
“Damn, this is the legendary Yanzi Li San’s wall-walking skill, the lost art of lightness kung fu on water plants. I thought it was lost after the Republic of China era. Never thought someone could still do it today,” Fan Debiao marveled beside Liu Dashao.
“Chinese kung fu is great!” Jackson, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly exclaimed.
Liu Dashao had already figured out Mouse’s trick. He had special climbing tools on his hands and feet, nothing like the lightness kung fu Fan Debiao described, which only existed in martial arts novels. But to reach Mouse’s level, one still needed years of practice. It was a special skill indeed.
Mouse clung to the wall like a monkey, looking around. With the gas mask on, no one could see his facial expression, so they didn’t know if he had found anything. Everyone silently watched him, waiting for his answer like anticipating the ending of a mystery novel.
“OL!” Mouse shouted and quickly jumped down. “Found it, over there.” He pointed in a direction.
“Any good routes?” Master Diao asked Mouse.
“There’s no path. We have to go through the sea of flowers,” Mouse replied.
Crossing the Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus sea, Liu Dashao’s heart tightened. It was a crazy decision, terrifying even to think about. Still, he had to grit his teeth and go, as if visiting a flower garden.
Mouse led the way, Zhong Kui guarded the rear, and the group headed toward the direction Mouse had pointed.
The Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus in this chamber was much taller than outside. Once they entered the sea of flowers, they completely lost their sense of direction. Fortunately, Mouse had a good memory, so they didn’t need to worry too much. But these flowers still made them uneasy. Occasionally, one had thorns, possibly hundreds of years old. Liu Dashao dared not look and shifted his gaze downward.
It turned out the relics here weren’t just near the walls. Now it seemed those were just fragments. The ground was littered with relics, scattered chaotically.
One could imagine how wealthy the ancient Golden City must have been. The treasures in this chamber alone were incredible. This chamber must have been specially used to store treasures. But why were they placed so carelessly? At least they should have been stored in something. Could these be items the Golden Queen considered not valuable? Wow, the treasures in her coffin would be unimaginable.
But Liu Dashao was now almost certain of one thing: these Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus were here to guard the relics. Any tomb robbers entering would either fight among themselves or be driven mad by the flowers, leading to mutual destruction.
Fan Debiao’s eyes hadn’t left the relics on the ground the entire way, but he didn’t dare to touch them. He was smart enough to know how evil these flowers were. These relics might also be infected. Even if taken out, one might get poisoned before having a chance to sell them, ending up rushing to the police station with a bag of relics. That would be too unfortunate.
Emotionally tense, they didn’t know how long they had wandered through the sea of flowers or how many Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus they had bypassed. This feeling was worse than walking through a desert all night.
As they were on the verge of collapse, Mouse suddenly brought good news: “We’re here.”
Hearing those two words, everyone’s nerves instantly relaxed. They took a deep breath and quickened their pace, soon exiting the cursed sea of Corpse Aroma Amorphophallus.
Before them was a door and an irregular hole. Liu Dashao immediately noticed—the hole was a tomb robber’s tunnel. Was this the tunnel Master Diao had left behind years ago? Why not use the door but choose the tunnel?
Of course, they had to ask Master Diao. Diao shook his head: “I’ve got amnesia, how the hell would I know?”
Diao suggested they split up. Liu Dashao wasn’t too keen. If they separated and encountered another situation like the passage, who knew how long they’d be stuck there.
Diao said, “You pick a path. Can you guarantee it leads to the Golden Queen’s main tomb? If this tunnel was really mine, I wouldn’t have dug it for no reason.”
Hearing Diao’s reasoning, Liu Dashao felt it made sense. So they decided to split into two groups. After a quick discussion, the archaeology team would go through the tunnel, while Diao’s team would go through the door. Since the tunnel was man-made, it posed fewer hidden dangers, while the main path had unknown risks. Thus, it was safer for Liu Dashao’s team to take the tunnel.
After finalizing the plan, everyone split up and headed toward their respective paths. Entering the tunnel, they returned to their original formation, led by Wang Feifei.
The tunnel was dug in haste. Who knew what mood the person was in when digging it. After taking a few steps, Fan Debiao suddenly stopped. Liu Dashao quickly asked what was wrong.
“The tunnel changed direction,” Fan said.
“So what? Just keep going,” Liu Dashao thought it was no big deal.
“This direction change is a bit special,” Fan continued.
Special? Liu Dashao wondered what could be special. He quickly squeezed to the front with Wang Feifei to see what was so special.
Looking ahead, Liu Dashao couldn’t help but be amazed: “Well, this is indeed special.” Somehow, the passage had turned straight downward.
“What’s going on?” Fan had robbed many tombs before, so Liu asked him.
“What’s going on? There’s only one possibility: the main tomb is directly below,” Fan said confidently.
The main tomb was directly below?
Liu Dashao had doubts. Then where were Diao and his team going? But there was no time to think about that now. Since the tunnel hadn’t been fully explored, they had to go down, regardless of where it led. They had no choice but to push forward.
At this moment, Wang Feifei also decided to go all in. Without much hesitation, she ordered everyone to go down. Fan Debiao got excited, shone his flashlight downward, saw only darkness, then threw down a cold firework to observe the situation before descending first.
Fan led the way, Liu Dashao guarded the rear. The tunnel was large; whoever dug it must have spent some time. But it was smooth going, with stable footing.
Soon, the tunnel changed direction again, returning to a horizontal path. Liu Dashao was puzzled. Either the tunnel digger had poor directional sense or was just messing around, making the tunnel like a maze.
However, a horizontal path was much better than a vertical one. They could walk and rest at the same time. They even took this opportunity to eat some dry food and drink some water.
They hadn’t walked far when Fan suddenly shouted that there was light. Liu Dashao turned his head to look. Indeed, not far ahead, there was a faint glow. Could it be Diao and his team? Unexpectedly, they had arrived first.
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