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

Chapter 330 The Trump Card: Zhong Ling
Wu Xiaoxie shook his head. This method wouldn't work. First, the bronze sphere was a sealed whole, impossible to open, and even if it could be opened, whether it could be put back in was another matter. Second, it was underwater, which posed too many restrictions; they didn't have time to take the risk.

After much thought, I decided I had to go into the water and take a closer look.

Wu Xiaoxie tried his best to dive down, with Xie Yuchen shining a light on him. They circled the module several times, but found that there were no flaws from the outside, and none of the chains had been used frequently.

The two surfaced to breathe, and Wu Xiaoxie already had his own ideas.

He looked at the dozen or so thinner chains extending from the honeycomb. If he pulled on the thicker chains, some of these thinner chains would definitely move in tandem. But what if he did the opposite?

There were five main iron chains in total, but he counted twenty-three of them; the thinnest ones were the other twenty-three.

Since the main chain controls the smaller chains, the smaller chains are the key to controlling right and wrong punishments. If all the smaller chains were cut, they could experiment endlessly.

Most attempts will result in an incorrect traction order. Even if they cannot immediately find the correct one, once they know the incorrect traction order, they will be able to immediately detect the correct traction when it occurs.

He immediately told Xie Yuchen his idea, which, although complicated to try, was very feasible.

Xie Yuchen gave him a thumbs up and patted him on the shoulder, "Let's get started without delay."

The two first numbered the main chain and all the thin chains, then carefully cut them with a hacksaw, marking both ends to prevent confusion.

Next came the physical and meticulous work. Wu Xiaoxie went to pull the main chain, while Xie Yuchen observed from the side of the thin chains, trying them one by one in order.

Just as Wu Xiaoxie had thought, most of the time the thin iron chain was pulled in the same order, which was obviously wrong.

After finishing the explanation, Wu Xiaoxie wiped the water off his face and asked Xie Yuchen how it went.

Xie Yuchen stared at the numbers recorded in the notebook and said, "Judging from the order in which they were pulled, the order in which the chains that will lead to punishment are four, five, eight, twelve, and twenty-one."

Wu Xiaoxie took a breath and said, "Again."

What followed was another round of experiments, with Wu Xiaoxie diving into the water again and again until his face turned pale.

After an unknown amount of time, Xie Yuchen suddenly stopped him, "Wait, this was it just now, yes, that's right, it was this one."

Xie Yuchen circled the string of numbers in his notebook, pulled Wu Xiaoxie out of the water, let him rest on the side, and then used a carabiner to reconnect the thin iron chains.

Wu Xiaoxie wrung out the water from his clothes and stood up to help him.

Xie Yuchen waved his hand and told him to rest well, then went into the water to pull the corresponding main iron chains.

The moment Wu Xiaoxie saw the thin iron chain tighten, his heart jumped into his throat. Then he heard the sound of ancient mechanisms moving from the surrounding cave walls.

The sound lasted for a good five or six minutes. The two looked at each other, both with expressions of joy on their faces.

"We succeeded! Let's go up and take a look!" Wu Xiaoxie said happily.

The two immediately packed their things, climbed back up the rope, and returned to the top with Xiao Ba.

Sure enough, strange changes appeared on the relief walls in the stone chamber. Some holes were filled with reliefs, while others remained empty, turning the entire stone wall into a very strange jigsaw puzzle.

Wu Xiaoxie murmured absentmindedly, "This is the correct answer?"

Xie Yuchen sat down on the ground, unscrewed the water bottle and took a few sips. "All that effort we put in was for nothing. The answer seems surprisingly simple."

The two sat down and carefully reviewed the entire process.

After confirming there were no problems, Wu Xiaoxie breathed a sigh of relief, took out his camera and photographed the stone wall, not missing even the smallest details. "This is the best we can do. We'll hand the clues over to Banna and now it's up to them."

﹉﹉﹉

The photos quickly spread to the remote mountains of Banna, and everyone was thrilled.

Lunch had just ended, and the fat man, holding a bowl of mung bean soup, sighed, "I'm lazy by nature and only want to be at ease. Being caught up in the mundane world makes me restless."

After saying that, he lifted his eyelids and pointed to a spot not far away with his hand-knitted Teletubbies straw hat, "Look, Cao Cao is here."

Zhang Wuxun was still holding a half-finished straw hat in his hand. Hearing this, he raised his eyelids indifferently and glanced in the direction the fat man was pointing. Huo Zhizhi was walking towards them with a serious face.

He picked up another straw hat from the side, put it on his head, stood up, and brushed the straw off his clothes. "Let's go and see what Tianzhen wrote in the letter she gave us."

The young man also got up and adjusted his straw hat.

Zhang Wuxun couldn't help but laugh when he saw it. When he was weaving this straw hat for the young man, he suddenly had the idea to add two straw ears to it.

After wearing it, the guy's originally aloof temperament was unexpectedly transformed into something quite endearing.

The young man, with a blank expression, looked at Zhang Wuxun laughing so happily and pursed his lips helplessly.

Fatty made his own straw hat. Seeing that Zhang Wuxun had made two ears for Xiao Ge, he also wanted to decorate his own straw hat. However, he felt that the ears were not imposing enough and did not suit his temperament, so he decided to create one himself.

The final product, when placed on his head, looked like a giant bird's nest with an antenna stuck in it, and the crucial point was that he had tied a loop of straw around the top of the antenna.

The fat man didn't think he looked bad at all; on the contrary, he stood with his hands on his hips, smugly calling himself "Fat Thunderbolt Hero."

As soon as the three of them stood up, Huo Zhizhi thought they were about to run off somewhere else, so he quickly walked over and said, "The three of you, our patriarch invites you to come over."

The fat man finished the rest of the mung bean soup in one gulp, shoved the bowl into Huo Zhizhi's hands, and beckoned to Zhang Wuxun and the other man, "Let's go see what's going on."

Huo Zhizhi had been so tormented by the fat man these past few days that he had lost all will to live and had become used to it. He casually put the bowl on the table and led the three of them to another tent.

"Master, the person has arrived." Huo Zhizhi bowed to the old lady Huo, who was seated in the main seat.

Huo Xiangu was leaning back in her chair, resting with her eyes closed. Upon hearing this, she waved her hand dismissively.

Huo Zhizhi nodded slightly and bowed slightly to Zhang Wuxun and the other two, saying, "Please sit down." Then he withdrew.

Zhang Wuxun and the other two found chairs and sat down, taking off their straw hats.

Huo Xiangu then pushed a piece of paper and several photos from the table in front of her over.

"These are photos from Mount Siguniang, take a look." The fat man took the photos, looked at them, and muttered, "Why do they seem a little different from the sealing stones inside?"

Zhang Wuxun slowly flipped through the photos one by one, allowing both of them to see them clearly. "It's normal. There's something pasted on the surface of that sealing stone."

"Something burnt? What is it?" the fat man asked, puzzled.

“Horse manure,” Zhang Wuxun said in a nonchalant tone.

"Damn it!" the fat man yelled. "No wonder you refused to touch it even when you were dead, and you even tricked me into touching it, saying that you could get some of the magical energy from your Zhang family."

Zhang Wuxun's eyes crinkled into a smile as he said in a serious tone, "Tell me, you've been fishing in the river these past few days, haven't you had some good luck? Last time you even caught a big bluefish that was over a meter long, right?"

The fat man scoffed, "You have the nerve to say that? That damn fish flicked its tail and almost capsized my little raft. It dragged me and the boat two miles away, and even broke my fishing rod."

He then added with a hint of smugness, "But in the end, I, Fatty, narrowly won. Strong fish taste really good; they're all meaty."

Sitting at the head of the table, Huo Xiangu noticed that their conversation was getting increasingly off-topic, so she couldn't help but cough to bring their attention back.

Seeing that Zhang Wuxun had finished flipping through the photos in his hand, he turned to the young man and asked, "What do you think?"

The young man nodded slightly, "It's worth a try."

Huo Xiangu breathed a slight sigh of relief, a smile on her face. "Alright, then let's get ready. The three of you can set off with the advance team."

Zhang Wuxun gave an OK sign, then casually asked, "Grandma, I don't think I've seen Huo Zhongling next to you these past few days."

Huo Xiangu's relaxed expression froze instantly, then she casually took a sip of tea. "Zhong Ling went down the mountain to handle some matters in the village. Why did you suddenly think of asking this?"

Zhang Wuxun smiled and put away the photo and letter. "It's nothing, I just thought that person looked quite unique."

"You should get some rest." After saying that, Zhang Wuxun picked up his straw hat, stood up, and left the tent with the young man.

The fat man hesitated to speak the whole way, but once he got back to his tent, he couldn't help but ask, "Muyu, who is this Huo Zhongling you mentioned? I don't think I've ever seen him before."

Zhang Wuxun unfolded the letter and said as he read it, "It's normal that you don't remember seeing him. That person has a very low profile. If I hadn't observed Huo Xiuxiu carefully, I would have overlooked him."

The fat man was even more confused. "How is this related to Huo Xiuxiu again?"

"Didn't you notice?" Zhang Wuxun lowered his voice, "The Huo Xiuxiu who was in charge of logistics at the camp this morning was a fake."

"What the hell?" the fat man exclaimed in surprise. "Could it be that Huo Xiuxiu has been switched with a stinky rat?"

Zhang Wuxun looked at him speechlessly. The fat man realized what was happening, scratched his head, and chuckled twice. "I'm just too lazy to use my brain. But according to you, the fake Huo Xiuxiu can only be the old lady's doing. If it really was the rat's doing, the old lady would go crazy. Um, Muyu, you continue your analysis."

Zhang Wuxun handed the letter to the young man and continued, "I suspect that Huo Zhongling is the old lady's trump card left for Huo Xiuxiu. Although his presence is low, his status in the eyes of the Huo family is not low."

“I deliberately stared at him for a while and noticed that Huo Zhizhi would unconsciously shrink a head when talking to him, but Fatty, someone as socially adept as you never noticed him. This can only mean that he is deliberately trying to make himself less noticeable in front of us.”

Zhang Wuxun tapped the table. "Old Madam Huo came here with the determination to die. How could she possibly drag Huo Xiuxiu down with her? So she had to switch the baby. Huo Zhongling must have already been arranged by her to move the real Huo Xiuxiu."

The fat man gradually realized what was going on and cursed inwardly, "That old woman is really cunning; she actually had such a hidden card."

Huo Xiuxiu is too young and lacks the necessary intimidation to keep those wicked and wicked people in check.

Once the old lady is gone, those members of the Huo family's collateral branches will definitely suppress the news of her death for the time being, and then take advantage of this time to stir up trouble and fight for the Huo family's assets. At that time, the entire Huo family will be in chaos.

In the original story, Huo Xiuxiu was gradually forced to retreat abroad by Huo Youxue and others who were undermining her power. Fortunately, Old Madam Huo had the foresight to transfer a portion of the Huo family's assets abroad, leaving Huo Xiuxiu a way out and laying the foundation for her to regain control of the Huo family later.

Zhang Wuxun could understand Old Madam Huo's feelings, but that was not a reason for her to scheme against them again and again.

That's why he suddenly mentioned Huo Zhongling's name just now, as a warning to the old lady.

"Give her a warning, lest she become obsessed and start treating us like pawns," Zhang Wuxun said calmly.

The fat man grinned, "I suddenly have a bad feeling. Let me see what Tianzhen said in the letter."

The young man handed him the letter, and the fat man exclaimed as he read it, "Tianzhen's experience is really quite extraordinary and dangerous! It's much more interesting than us guarding this broken-down cave every day."

The three chatted as they packed their gear.

Huo Zhizhi suddenly rushed over and said to Zhang Wuxun, "The head of the family has urgent business to discuss with you."

Zhang Wuxun's brows furrowed slightly, a hint of displeasure in his expression. What trick was Old Madam Huo up to now?
The fat man tossed his packed backpack onto the cot and put his arm around Zhang Wuxun's shoulder. "I'll go with you."

Muyu had just used Huo Xiuxiu as a raft to warn that old woman, so it was hard to guarantee that the old woman wouldn't use some insidious and despicable means to deal with Muyu.

After all, a secret that has been exposed is no longer a secret.

Huo Zhizhi was a little embarrassed. "The head of the family only invited Master Yu over."

The fat man raised an eyebrow, about to speak, when Zhang Wuxun patted his arm.

"It's alright." Zhang Wuxun knew the fat man was worried, so he gave him and the young man a reassuring look. "I know what I'm doing."

"Alright then." The fat man took a step back, glaring at Huo Zhizhi. "Tell your old lady that our Muyu's time away from the team is only three minutes. If he goes over the time limit, don't blame me for being ruthless."

When Zhang Wu arrived, there was a complete tea set on the table in front of Huo Xiangu, and she was slowly and methodically brewing tea herself.

Seeing Zhang Wuxun enter, he merely gestured to the chair, "Sit down."

"No need to be so polite." Zhang Wuxun smiled faintly, without sitting down, and went straight to the point, "You can just tell me what you need, as long as the money is right."

Seeing that he was standing instead of sitting, Huo Xiangu's eyes flickered slightly, and she slowly said, "As far as I know, you are not short of money."

Zhang Wuxun's smile remained unchanged. "Who would complain about having too much money?"

Seeing that he was so unyielding, Huo Xiangu said helplessly, "You're talking about someone else, not you. Besides, I had someone investigate, and your apparent assets are astonishing. And this is only since you started appearing by Wu Xie's side."

Thank you to [Please complete your profile], [Dali Chen], [Shadow Guy y], and other generous donors! Sending love...*


(End of this chapter)