Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 79 Entering the Ancient City of Jingjue
As everyone started cooking, Uncle Anliman said to them, "I can only accompany you this far, as we agreed before."

Hu Bayi nodded upon hearing this, but still said, "Grandpa Anliman, you can wait for us here, but the important thing is that you must wait for us. I think Hu Da doesn't like people who lie and break their promises!"

Anliman nodded upon hearing this and solemnly said, "I will wait for you, but if you don't come out within a week, I will have to leave!"

If we don't leave within a week, that's really asking too much, so Hu Bayi nodded, "Don't worry, we'll definitely be out within a week."

Their main purpose is to search for the Queen of Jingjue; they should be out in a day or two. Hu Ming then instructed, "I'll say it again: the Ghost Eye Curse isn't just a fabrication. Anyone who wants to go in will bear the consequences."

"Furthermore, the journey has been fraught with danger, and going inside might result in more deaths."

"You guys figure it out yourselves. If you want to court death, then go in."

It wasn't that Hu Ming was being long-winded, but rather that he felt there was no need to go in and die.

But his current situation is somewhat unavoidable, as both of his brothers want to go in.

"Hey, Comrade Hu Ming, don't say anything. We'll take full responsibility for whatever happens," Professor Chen said decisively. He turned his head and looked at Sa Dipeng, Ye Yixin, and Chu Jian. After a long while, he said, "After you find the water source, come back."

"No, Professor."

Ye Yixin shook her head. "Our dream is to do archaeology, to go to the ancient city of Jingjue. We've faced many difficulties along the way, and our teacher even sacrificed his life. I won't give up halfway. I must go in and see for myself. Even if I die, it will be worth it."

Chu Jian and the other two beside him nodded firmly.

Ugh.

Hu Ming shook his head speechlessly at Ye Yixin and the other two. What was so interesting about this? Was it more important than life itself?
Unlike Professor Chen, who is still young and has plenty of time to serve his country...

Hu Ming sighed, then instructed the people around him, "Once the operation begins, unless instructed by me or Lao Hu, I hope none of you will touch anything. Especially you, Fatty, absolutely, absolutely do not touch anything, it could kill someone..."

"No, Mingzi, what do you mean by specifically targeting me? Do I, Fatty Wang, look like that kind of person?"

He seemed about it, but Hu Ming didn't respond. Instead, he instructed Hu Bayi, "Old Hu, you keep an eye on Fatty. His life is at stake." "Okay, I'll definitely keep a close eye on Fatty!"

Hey, Lao Hu

"Xiao Sa, Xiao Chu, you two keep an eye on each other!"

"Okay, Ming-ge!"

After finishing their meal, everyone set off again. The distance from the mountain pass to the ancient city was very short, and they arrived at the city gate in the time it takes to eat a meal. By then, the city gate had already collapsed beyond recognition, so everyone entered the city through the ruins.

The surroundings were deathly silent. What looked like a rather imposing building from a distance turned out to be nothing more than a dilapidated house up close. The contrast was truly disheartening!
Seeing the archaeological teams stopping and starting along the way, curious about everything, Hu Ming couldn't help but say, "Let's go, we don't have much time. If there's anything of value left in Jingjue, there are probably only three places: the Black Tower, the Temple, and the Royal Palace, with the Royal Palace being the most important one!"

This isn't to say that other parts of Jingjue have no research value, but rather that most of those areas are covered by sand. Searching through them one by one would be an enormous undertaking.
"Xiao Ming is right. We don't have much time to waste around here this time. Let's go to the Black Tower first. The Black Tower is so prominent, it must contain some information."

Hu Ming knew what was inside the black tower, but he didn't say anything. Besides, he couldn't rely solely on the original story anymore; there might be other unforeseen circumstances. It was best to be fully prepared.

After walking for more than half an hour, they arrived at the slightly tilted black tower. There were no decent houses nearby, only weathered earthen walls.

"The palace here might be built underground. There's too much sand in the city. Let's go up to the Black Tower and see if we can find the entrance to the underground palace."

The base of the tower and most of the arched stone gate are buried in the sand. The black tower itself is carved entirely from the large stones of the Zagrama Mountains and has six stories.

At that moment, Professor Chen suddenly muttered to himself, "That's right, how come I didn't think of that?"

As Professor Chen spoke, he suddenly went into the tower. After glancing at the things on the first floor, he immediately ran to the second floor.

Seeing Professor Chen suddenly 'go crazy', Hu Bayi became anxious and hurriedly said to the others, "Fatty, come with me. Mingzi, you take the men and follow behind."

(End of this chapter)