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

Chapter 378 Changing the Ending
Huo Zhixing even disguised himself as Huo Zhizhi to get close to Wu Xiaoxie and the others to gather information.

Because the jade ring that was on Old Mrs. Huo's body was gone.

That ring was practically a family seal; it was a key, and the Huo family's most central secrets were hidden somewhere.

There were only two keys. One was in Huo Xiuxiu's hands, but Huo Xiuxiu herself had hidden it under Huo Xiangu's arrangement. They couldn't find it, so they had no way to get it. The other key was the one in Huo Laotai's hands, but it had already disappeared.

Huo Youxue and the others felt that the disappearance of the ring must be related to Wu Xiaoxie and Xie Yuchen, but without evidence, they did not dare to openly question Xie Yuchen. They did not have the guts, and Xie Yuchen was not someone they could easily manipulate.

Furthermore, Huo Zhixing also mentioned that a few days after arriving in Banna, the ring on Huo Xiangu's hand disappeared, so they could only start with Wu Xiaoxie and the others.

However, as soon as Huo Zhixing got close, no matter how well he disguised himself, the young man still saw through his disguise.

Xie Yuchen kept Zhang Wuxun's last warning in mind, so he cooperated with Xiao Ge to secretly switch and destroy Old Madam Huo's body.

The missing Huo Xiaojiu left Banna with his men, carrying Huo Laotai's ashes, to find Huo Xiuxiu.

After all the water in the cave was drained, Wu Xiaoxie and his team worked almost non-stop throughout the night to dig a road.

It wasn't practical to remove all the rubble inside, so they could only temporarily dig out a passage and use tools to prop it up.

The young man told Wu Xiaoxie and the other man to stay outside while he went into the passage to find someone.

But once inside, he found nothing except for a few traces of blood that had been washed away by water on the ground.

Large areas of the cave pool were buried by collapsed rocks. The pool was connected to an underground river in the mountain. He searched for a long time but could not find Zhang Wuxun. There was no trace of him, no body, nothing at all.

They believed it was highly likely that the cave collapsed and was washed away by water to other places. The underground rivers in Banna are interconnected, making it impossible to find.

Wu Xiaoxie and his group were plunged into despair once again. They couldn't find Muyu's body, and they couldn't even do the most basic thing of collecting the body.

Meanwhile, Wu Xiaoxie put on the mask of Third Master Wu again, temporarily stabilizing the henchmen on the surface.

Under the cover of Xie Yuchen and others, those who were gathering information could not confirm whether the Wu Sansheng who came out of Zhangjia Ancient Building was real. Therefore, Wang Baqiu and his gang in Changsha were still in the stage of preparing to make their move.

Unable to find any trace of Third Master in the ancient building, Pan Zi had no choice but to immediately lead his men back to Changsha to temporarily stabilize the gang under the name of "Third Master Wu." Xie Yuchen also sent his men to assist him.

Wu Xiaoxie once asked Xie Yuchen if he had had his subordinates impersonate "Wu Xie" and cooperate with Qiu Dekao.

However, Xie Yuchen said that he only stayed in Wushan with a masked person, so the identity of "Wu Xie" who played tricks on Wu Xiaoxie and Fatty on the mountain is still unknown.

Because none of the teams that Jude Kao sent in were able to come out, Huo Youxue and Huo Daofu also sent people in through the sealed gate, but they were all trapped and died inside. Several bodies were eventually found in the exposed jade veins between the rocks.

Why did the subordinate who escaped from the ancient building show such astonishment and even fear when he saw his mask? Could it be that Uncle Three was also in the ancient building at that time?
This was even the key reason why Pan Zi broke away from the plan and traveled alone through the jade vein.

"Third Uncle, Third Uncle," Wu Xiaoxie thought to himself, "It would be a lie to say I didn't resent you. You've really done a lot of harm to people."

You tricked your nephew and Pan Zi, and now look what's happened, you've even tricked your nephew's good brother.

After waiting for a long time in disappointment and anxiety, the Xie family's helper hurriedly and finally delivered the box up the mountain.

"Quickly open it and see what's inside!" the fat man said anxiously.

The box was about one and a half palm-lengths long and half the length in width. It was made of pure Brazilian white wood, and the carved pattern on it was a very delicate combination of five-petaled flowers and carp. Judging from the craftsmanship, the box was carved by Muyu himself at some point in time.

Upon seeing the box, a strange emotion flashed across the young man's eyes, but he said nothing.

The edge of the box lid is inlaid with a combination lock, which is a combination of a combination lock and a mechanism.

The password was easy to guess: 0912. The first layer of locks opened, but the mechanism inside stumped Wu Xiaoxie. It was a thumb-sized sphere with a strange pattern of octagonal star grooves. The key was that the inward-facing patterns inside were difficult to replicate.

The fat man comforted him, "Think about it carefully. Since the wooden fish left the box for you, it must have thought you could open it."

“But apart from this box, Muyu has never given me anything else…” Wu Xiaoxie said, then suddenly remembered something.

He immediately pulled a chain from around his neck, with an octagonal silver dart-shaped pendant hanging from it.

This pendant was in a package that was sent to Muyu before he went to the Heavenly Palace in the Clouds, and it was in the same package that was sent to him.

This thing is essentially a small bomb, but its power is not as great as other octagonal silver darts.

Wu Xiaoxie took off the pendant, compared it to the groove, and found that it was a size too big. He was immediately disappointed, "This isn't it either."

The young man next to him suddenly took the pendant from his hand and twisted it a few times with his fingers.

Before Wu Xiaoxie and the others could even see how it was done, the eight horns, along with the outer shell of the silver dart, had already opened, flipped and folded to the back, revealing the intricate patterns inside, and the small explosive pellets inside were poured out and placed separately.

The young man then picked up the box, brought the folded octagonal silver dart back to the groove, and inserted it in one go.

"Holy crap, it's open! This guy's got a knack for it. Let's see what's inside!"

With a click, the box lid popped open, revealing the contents inside.

In the top compartment was a silver-cased USB flash drive.

Wu Xiaoxie hesitated. Now, seeing similar storage devices made him feel uneasy. He was afraid to see the last words Mu Yu had left for them inside.

The fat man couldn't wait any longer. He reached out and took out the USB drive, saying to Xie Yuchen, "Dahua, can I borrow your computer for a moment?"

"What is meant to be will be. Since this is the last thing the wooden fish left us, we must look at it. Perhaps we can find out the reason why the wooden fish had an accident."

The fat man calmly said, "I don't believe that Muyu would drown in the water because of excessive blood loss. Hasn't he lost too much blood many times? Xiao Ge also said that the Zhang family's training methods include bloodletting. We need to find him alive or dead. Until we find his body, I won't believe it even if the King of Heaven himself comes."

Xie Yuchen stepped out of the tent and spoke to the waiter guarding the door. The waiter immediately brought back a spare computer.

Xie Yuchen ordered his men to guard outside the tent and not allow anyone to approach during this time.

The man acknowledged the order and withdrew, while the Xie family's trusted men surrounded the tent, ensuring that not even a fly could get in.

The fat man plugged in the USB drive, and Wu Xiaoxie used the mouse to quickly bring up the video files inside.

The first video I clicked on had very clear visuals. Judging from the room's layout, it was Muyu's house in Hangzhou. The first thing I saw in Muyu's room was a row of shelves displaying various wooden figurines. Muyu usually enjoys making these little things, carving all sorts of flowers, plants, and small animals. The four figurines he carves most often are the four of them, and their expressions are sculpted very lifelike.

The camera quickly panned down and focused on the desk.

When Mu Yu's familiar figure appeared, Wu Xiaoxie almost burst into tears. Turning his head to look at Fatty, he found that he was also secretly wiping his eyes.

Mu Yu was sitting at his desk, holding a small carving knife, carving patterns on a box—the very box that Wu Xiaoxie and the others were carving.

Fine wood shavings kept falling onto the table as he meticulously carved the wooden fish. The afternoon sunset shone through the window lattice onto his profile and body, casting a warm, misty glow, as if time had instantly returned to those peaceful and serene days.

After carving for about half a minute, the wooden fish raised its head and smiled slightly at the camera.

"...I thought I had a lot to say, but when it came time to actually leave a message, I didn't know where to begin."

"Let me start with the old-fashioned opening: Hey buddy, naive, fatso, when you actually receive this box, it means something has happened to me."

"I don't know how to describe this incident."

"Perhaps it was death, perhaps it was taken somewhere, or perhaps it was complete disappearance."

"This is because I attempted to change some predetermined, very bad outcomes and to fight against some... unknown forces."

"Before you tell me what's next, you need to think carefully about whether you really want to know these things."

"Because once you find out about these things, you will also be targeted."

"This will put you in endless danger, and the result will be that you end up like me."

The first video ended, and the computer screen went dark.

Wu Xiaoxie's hands, which were gripping the mouse, felt a little cold. He pulled his hands back and squeezed them together. He looked at Xiao Ge and Fatty, both of whom looked rather unwell.

"It is now confirmed that Muyu has indeed gotten into trouble, and that he premeditated this incident."

“An unknown force has its eye on him. Whether this force is related to the one that Granny Huo has always been wary of remains to be seen.”

Wu Xiaoxie's eyes became calmer, and the naivety in his eyes completely disappeared at this moment. Wearing that mask, he really looked more and more like Third Master.

A thoughtful look flashed across Xie Yuchen's face. "Do you still want to keep watching? Wu Xie, there's a high chance that what happens next will be something you won't be able to face."

"Even the Zhang family members were powerless to fight back in the face of such danger. Are you sure you want to keep knowing?"

"Watch, of course we'll watch!" Wu Xiaoxie stared intently at the screen. "We need to know what Muyu did and what he meant by 'predetermined ending' so that we can deduce the real reason for his accident."

“That’s right, we must see it. Our brother can’t have died in vain.” The fat man echoed in a low voice. “I know Muyu. He’s not the kind of person who exaggerates or makes alarmist claims. The only thing that could make him make such a sacrifice is related to the three of us.”

"Judging from the current situation, it is even related to Pan Zi. The key to changing that 'predetermined ending' that he mentioned is very likely Pan Zi's life. He cannot let Pan Zi die in the ancient building, so he will do anything to save Pan Zi."

"Or perhaps, the 'very bad' ending he mentioned could very well mean... that something happened to us all inside the ancient building."

"He is risking his life to save ours."

The fat man's words were resounding, striking the hearts of everyone present like a heavy hammer.

Xie Yuchen's expression also changed. "You mean to say that the fate of all of us is likely to be death in the Zhang Family Ancient Building?"

The fat man snorted coldly, "If it weren't for the map given by Muyu, you and your men would never have made it out of the ancient building. The deformed man is right about one thing: because there are too many people being eaten, that demon building has come to life."

"You can't even imagine how much he values ​​his own and Xiao Ge's blood. But just because you are Tianzhen's childhood friend and the head of the Xie family of the Nine Gates, and Third Master is not here, Tianzhen has to deal with those old bastards all by himself. You know how difficult that is."

"That's why he stepped in to save you, drawing away the danger and drawing your blood. Didn't you see what happened to Pan Zi's henchman? Without that blood, you wouldn't even be left with ashes."

Xie Yuchen stared coldly at the fat man, "You mean to tie me to you guys?"

Fatty chuckled and was about to speak when Wu Xiaoxie stopped him, "Fatty, stop talking. The Huo family is in chaos right now, Xiaohua has to take care of Xiuxiu, and the Xie family has a lot of things to do. Let's not involve other innocent people in our affairs."

Xie Yuchen clicked his tongue in annoyance, bent down and tapped the computer's touchpad, and the second video started playing.

"Even if Zhang Wuxun didn't do these things, I couldn't possibly ignore Wu Xie because of Xie Lianhuan."

He glanced at the fat man sideways, "I don't need you to use reverse psychology."

Fatty: "..."

He snorted sullenly. No matter what he said, as long as the goal was achieved, he couldn't let Muyu's sacrifice be in vain.

The second video started playing, still set in the study. Muyu had finished preparing the wooden box and was cleaning the sawdust off the table.

Zhang Wuxun smiled helplessly, "I knew you wouldn't give up."

He then suppressed his smile and became serious. "What I'm about to say is something you must keep in mind. You must not discuss this matter in any place where safety is not absolutely guaranteed."

Wu Xiaoxie suddenly paused the video and asked Xie Yuchen, "Xiaohua, is the computer connected to the internet?"

Xie Yuchen naturally knew what he was thinking. "Don't worry, it's not connected. My electronic devices are all specially customized and there's no possibility of them being eavesdropped on."

The video continued playing, and Zhang Wuxun said, "Tianzhen, do you still remember the time we went to the Qinling Mountains with Xie Ziyang? You even asked me later where I went during the time I was missing."

Upon hearing this, Wu Xiaoxie's heart tightened. He had a premonition that Muyu's message was about to tell him a secret that would unravel the mystery of Muyu's long-standing clandestine operations.

"Actually, what you saw when you were seriously injured and hallucinating was exactly what I was experiencing. It's possible that your physical condition is special, which caused a connection between our mental consciousness."

"It is a kind of sacrifice, a sacrifice that can only be initiated when the body is on the verge of death, almost emptying all the blood in the body."

Thank you to the generous donors [Book Friend 20220720171852837] and [CatCatInsectOnTop] for their generous donations! Sending you lots of love!
[I barely managed to edit a video of Master Pan – dedicated to Pan Zi (it's a bit long and I couldn't upload the bonus chapter, so I posted it in the author's section)]

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(End of this chapter)