Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 664 Reencounter with Wu Xie and His Companion
Leaving aside the "funeral" of Xiaohua in the capital, on the other side of the desert, back in the white sand sea, Hu Ming casually tossed the soaking wet Li Cu and Liang Wan aside.

He casually took out solid fuel from his personal storage space and lit a campfire to keep warm.

Mixing the white powder into the white desert, Hu Ming thought for a moment, then pulled out a signal gun from his hand and fired a shot into the sky.

It is now nighttime, the sky is pitch black, there is no industrial pollution, no dark clouds, and the bright stars are dotting the dark night sky.

Even further afield, the aurora borealis, like a dreamlike ribbon, stretches across the sky.

Putting aside the hidden dangers, the scenery alone is truly dreamlike and enchanting, making one linger and reluctant to leave.

With his hands behind his head, Hu Ming lay on the white sand, humming a light, cheerful tune.

"You're awake? You woke up pretty quickly. Come and warm yourself by the fire. It's too cold in the desert at night, and you're all wet. Be careful not to catch a cold."

Hu Ming knew from the sound that Liang Wan had woken up first. Without turning her head, she said indifferently.

The firelight was the only source of illumination in this white desert.

"...Is this the ancient city of Tongjing?"

Liang Wan frowned, pinched her still-dripping coat, glanced at Hu Ming, thought for a moment, and then boldly took off her coat.

Inside, Liang Wan was only wearing a women's vest.
"...Put them on!"

This woman can be quite uninhibited and even frightening at times...

Hu Ming sighed and took out a women's thermal trench coat belonging to Yin Nanfeng from his personal space, tossing it to her.

"Oh? I didn't expect you to be such a gentleman! I thought you'd be staring at me for ages!"

Liang Wan put on her clothes and looked at Hu Ming with a surprised expression.

"You're not my type. I don't like someone like you, so don't worry."

"Let's wake up Li Chu too."

Hu Ming pursed his lips, feeling that his reputation had been damaged.

"No need, I'm already awake."

Reaching out, Li Cu's soft voice rang out.

Ming still felt a slight sense of nostalgia and regret.

"...See? I'm still pretty charming. This is how you men should react after seeing what just happened!"

Seeing Li Cu ponder for a moment, Liang Wan proudly said with an air of "I knew it!"

Damn, what's so great about that?
You're a married woman, you bastard!
Hu Ming's lips twitched, and he felt a pang of sympathy for Zhang Yueshan for three seconds.

I don't know how big Zhang Yueshan's heart is, but one thing is for sure, Hu Ming himself couldn't handle something like this!
"Hu Ming, there's something very important. There's something terrifying beneath this desert. Wu Xie and Hei Xiazi said..."

Suddenly, Li Cu recalled some of his experiences from his last trip deep into the underground structures and subconsciously lowered his voice.

"Seven Fingers, which is the Nine-Headed Hydra Cypress, right? Don't worry, I know more about that thing than you do."

"Before you woke up, I had already taken some necessary precautions. Look for yourselves, is there anything else mixed in with the sand around us?"

Hu Ming nodded, indicating that he understood, and pointed to a circle of sand next to him.

Upon closer inspection with a flashlight, one could see that the fine white sand contained many even finer white powders.

"It's Heavenly Heart Rock Powder? So, the last time you and Wu Xie were captured by the Nine-Headed Hydra Cypress was something you did on purpose?"

Li Chu's face darkened as he began to think of many things.

Sure enough, his series of miserable misfortunes were all secretly orchestrated by those two bastards. "Hmm, that's right, we did it!"

Hu Ming readily admitted it.

They've already come this far... Li Chu still wants to run? Dream on! It's too late to regret it now!
"What are you talking about? What nine-headed cypress? What Tianxin rock powder?"

Liang Wan asked questions when she didn't understand, her face full of confusion.

"As for what exactly it is, I think it's more important to be specific than to give a dry, verbal explanation."

Hu Ming thought for a moment, then drew his pistol from his waist and casually pointed it into the distance.

"Wait, Hu Ming, you're not going to...."

Li Chu was startled, cursing inwardly. Who in this world would go looking for trouble for no reason?
boom!
However, Hu Ming had already fired a shot.

The muffled gunshots echoed far and wide across the vast white desert, shattering the silence of this sea of ​​sand.

Before they could wait any longer, a rumbling sound, similar to a low-intensity earthquake, suddenly came from the depths of the desert!
The next moment, the desert began to shake.

Suddenly, a thick tentacle with seven fingers shot up from the sand, baring its fangs and claws, appearing even more ferocious under the firelight, starlight, and moonlight.

"Aaaaaaah!!!"

Driven by the instinct for survival, and seeing such a terrifying thing for the first time, Liang Wan screamed in agony as his head exploded.

Hu Ming silently covered his ears.

For someone with such exceptionally sensitive hearing as him, such a high-decibel, shrill sound was truly torturous.

"Ahhh...wait, these ghostly claws, won't they come near us?"

A full half minute passed before Liang Wan finally mustered the courage to open her eyes. Looking at the multiple ghostly claws baring their fangs and claws surrounding them, she asked in confusion.

"As I said, I have already taken precautions."

"This stuff is the tentacles of the Nine-Headed Hydra Cypress. The Heavenly Heart Rock Powder is used to defend against them. Also, let me tell you a little something..."

Hu Ming shrugged and answered casually, pointing to a narrow passage that had suddenly split open in one of the tentacles.

"You son of a bitch, Hu Ming, were you trying to send me to my death with that shot just now?"

“Unlike you and Little Brother, who are two bastards, I, Blackie, may have lived a long time, but I still have a lifespan limit. You wouldn't be dreaming of attending my funeral, would you?”

Two dark figures slowly walked out of the passage, one of them cursing.

Li Chu was all too familiar with that voice!

He rubbed his eyes, carefully examined the two dark figures, and exclaimed in surprise, "Wu Xie, it's Blackie!!"

"I'm so glad you're all alright, but where's Wang Meng... could she be...?"

Not finding a third figure, Li Cu's heart sank, and he said with a touch of genuine sadness.

"...No, are we that fragile in your eyes? Wang Meng is not dead, there are some things I need him to handle."

"Not long after you left last time, I let him leave too."

Under the firelight, the two dark figures finally revealed their true identities: Wu Xie and Hei Xiazi, who were covered in soot and dirt.

"...Let's stop with the reminiscing for now, Hu Ming, get some fresh food. Damn it, all we've been eating in this godforsaken place lately is decades-old military canned food..."

Black Bear tenderly fiddled with the strand of black hair that Hu Ming had shot off, and reached out to Hu Ming with annoyance.

"Hmm, some fresh fruit would be best. I need to replenish my Vitamin C!"