Tomb Raiding: My Family's Last Clan Chief is Little Brother

Chapter 217 Signal Red Smoke
After a while, the sky brightened completely, and the swamp during the day was not as terrifying and oppressive as it was at night. The rain stopped, and all that could be heard was the gurgling sound of flowing water.

A night passed, and Zhang Wuxun and Xiao Ge still hadn't returned.

The dense forest not far away was quiet, without the slightest sound.

Wu Xiaoxie grew increasingly worried. "A Ning's" death seemed to be a harbinger, and he was afraid that Zhang Wuxun and the other person, who hadn't returned home all night, would also follow in "A Ning's" footsteps.

After a quick breakfast, Panzi waded through the water and collected some branches from the mouth of the canyon. He lit a fire, and once the fire was burning brightly, he took out a small yellow dumpling that looked a lot like Baohe Pills from his backpack and threw it into the fire.

Wu Xiaoxie asked him what he was doing.

Pan Zi explained, "These are distress signals for shipwrecks. I had someone specially procure them for military purposes. Just a few of these small balls can keep the smoke going for three or four hours."

“If Third Master sees the signal smoke I send, he will definitely light one in response.” Pan Zi pointed to the thick yellow smoke that was rising quickly above the fire and said, “Different smoke colors mean different things. Yellow smoke means there is danger ahead and we should proceed with caution.”

"Third Master and the others are in a higher position than us. As long as we pay attention to the exit of the canyon or see smoke coming from the walls, it means Third Master is sending us a message."

Wu Xiaoxie hurriedly asked, "Then could you tell my third uncle that there are poisonous snakes in this canyon, and ask them to bring more antidote serum?"

Pan Zi shook his head. "More complex information can only be conveyed after Third Master responds."

The fat man chuckled, "This method is damn effective."

As the thick smoke rose higher and higher, Wu Xiaoxie felt a little relieved. Perhaps Muyu and Xiaoge hadn't returned yet because they had wandered around aimlessly last night and lost their way. Once they saw the signal smoke, they would definitely find a way to come over. Then, when they joined up with Uncle San's men, there would be more people and more strength. Those strange snakes would be more wary, and at least Wu Xiaoxie could sleep more peacefully.

Pan Zi tended the fire, adding smoke bombs every now and then. Seeing that Wu Xiaoxie was a bit tired, he told him and Fatty to take a break.

The fat man waved his hand, "I don't need it, I'm full of energy. Tianzhen, you look terrible, you should get some sleep."

Whether it was from being caught in the rain and getting chilled or something else, coupled with staying up late last night, Wu Xiaoxie's head was throbbing. Without even looking in the mirror, he knew his complexion wasn't good.

So he didn't refuse, pulled over a backpack and leaned against it, and soon fell into a drowsy sleep.

I don't know how much time passed before I was suddenly woken up by someone tapping me.

Perhaps because he was too tired before, Wu Xiaoxie felt that he slept exceptionally well this time.

"Tianzhen, wake up! Don't sleep! Something might have happened to your third uncle and the others."

The fat man's voice boomed into Wu Xiaoxie's ears like a thunderclap, startling him so much that his heart skipped a beat.

She hurriedly rolled over and sat up, asking, "What happened?"

Panzi stared intently at the thick red smoke rising from the center of the swamp, his face grim.

"Third Master is in danger, I have to get there quickly. Young Third Master, you stay here and wait for Muyu and the others to return."

After saying that, Pan Zi immediately turned back to pack his equipment. Wu Xiaoxie was completely confused and hurriedly asked Fatty, "What's going on? Why is smoke coming out of the swamp?"

The fat man said, "Old Pan said that red smoke means extreme danger. I don't know why your third uncle and the others went ahead of us. Old Pan is worried that something happened to your third uncle."

Wu Xiaoxie became anxious upon hearing this, but reason told him that he couldn't act rashly now. He quickly stopped Pan Zi, saying, "The place where the smoke is coming from is so far away from us. Even if you rush there now, it won't help. Mu Yu and Xiao Ge haven't returned yet. We already don't have many people left. The forest is so dangerous. If something happens to you, we're completely finished this time."

As she spoke, she winked at the fat man, hoping he would help persuade him as well.

Turning around, I saw that the fat guy was also packing up his gear.

"Damn it, why are you going too?" Wu Xiaoxie cursed inwardly at the fat man for being so disloyal, getting involved at a time like this.

Fatty zipped up his backpack, stood up, and patted Wu Xiaoxie on the shoulder. "It's not just the two of us who have to go; you have to go too. We don't have much food left, so we have to hurry and meet up with your third uncle's main force. Otherwise, we'll be trapped in this jungle sooner or later. Even if we eventually get out of the canyon, without Muyu, we still won't be able to get out of the desert."

"Staying here is just waiting to die. Who knows if those sons of bitches will come to attack again tonight? If the three of us go in together, at least we can help each other out. If we go in together and retreat together, our chances of success will be greater."

Fatty's analysis made a lot of sense, and Wu Xiaoxie was already somewhat tempted, but still hesitated, "If we leave, what if Muyu and Xiaoge come back here and can't find us?"

The fat man chuckled, "Don't worry about it. The two of them are stronger than the three of us combined. If they're really that difficult to handle, you'll just be a sitting duck if you join in. Besides, I reckon they probably won't come back here. They might already be here when we meet up with your third uncle."

"Damn it!" Wu Xiaoxie wiped his face. He had to admit that the fat man was right, so he nodded in agreement.

The three packed up their equipment, left some supplies, and zipped up the sleeping bag that had contained "A Ning's" body, leaving it where it was. With Mu Yu and the others' intelligence, seeing the empty sleeping bag and the marks inside, combined with what had happened before, they could definitely guess that something had gone wrong.

Panzi smothered the campfire to make it burn longer, but still not entirely sure, he left a message with his knife on the side.

The red smoke rising from the center of the swamp was not as intense as before. The three dared not delay any longer. They aligned their compasses with the direction and quickly waded into the water, heading towards the signal smoke.

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On the other side, Zhang Wuxun was walking along the canyon when he suddenly saw two different colored smokes rising from two far apart places ahead. Knowing that Wu Xiaoxie and the others were worried that something had happened to Wu Sansheng, they would not stay in one place and wait. He immediately adjusted his compass and quickened his pace towards the direction of the red smoke.

Stepping into the deeper, dense forest, it was eerily quiet, without even the slightest bird call. All around were bushes and vines, devoid of any sign of life, making it incredibly eerie.

After walking for nearly an hour, some gray-white ancient building ruins appeared ahead, protruding above the water.

Countless emerald green vines entwine the ruins, almost completely covering the buildings.

These tower-like structures are arranged in a staggered and orderly manner, and although they are old, they are still very sturdy. However, each of them has a square hole on it.

Zhang Wuxun took a few steps forward, when he suddenly kicked something, making a "clang" sound.

Looking down, I saw that it was a tin can with small holes punched in both sides and tied with a rope.

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(End of this chapter)