Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

"Your Majesty," Meng Zhi arranged the defenses of the valley and came to Qin Ming again, lowering his voice and saying, "Two hours have passed, and there's been no movement inside. Could that Hua Yunhong have already escaped through some other secret passage?"

Qin Ming's eyes remained fixed, his voice steady, "Ying Qi has already led his men to check all known crossroads, and they are all completely blocked from the inside. If he wanted to leave, why would he go to the trouble of activating the trap to trap him here?"

Meng Zhi frowned. "Then... could it be that the mechanism left by Carrigon has fallen into disrepair, or that there were defects in its construction? That loud noise just now was..."

at this time!

Boom...Crack...

A dull, grinding sound, as if coming from deep underground, emanated faintly from behind the stone gate. Unlike the earth-shattering cracking noises before, this one was slower and more nerve-wracking, as if something massive were slowly shifting, squeezing, and deforming within.

All the soldiers who were working stopped and looked at the stone gate in surprise and confusion.

"Back off!" Ying Qi's cold voice rang out. Ting Fengwei immediately protected Qin Ming and retreated several steps. The engineers also retreated quickly, holding their weapons tightly, and staring vigilantly at the huge door that seemed to come alive.

The friction sound lasted for about half a cup of tea, then gradually became quieter and finally returned to silence again.

However, from the gap between the bottom of the stone gate and the ground, an extremely fine stream of dark red water with a strong earthy smell and some strange smell of corruption slowly seeped out!

The water stains spread slowly like sticky plasma, flickering ominously in the light of the torch.

"Is it blood?" a soldier exclaimed in a low voice, but quickly denied it, "No...this color...this smell..."

It's more like some kind of mineral solution, or corrupted things buried deep underground being squeezed out.

Ying Qi stepped forward, dipped the tip of his dagger into the liquid, and sniffed it gently. He then tested it with a specially crafted silver needle. The needle hadn't turned black, but the dark red stain carried a piercing chill.

"Your Majesty, it's not blood, nor is it an unusual poison. It seems to be... cold and rotten water accumulated underground, squeezed out by the movement of the internal rock strata." Ying Qi reported.

Qin Ming nodded slightly. This confirmed a certain suspicion of his—what Hua Yunhong had finally activated wasn't a simple killing device, but rather some kind of mutually assured destruction technique that would destroy the geological structure and cause a partial collapse! Caligon was a master of all sorts of ingenious devices and geological exploration, and since this secret cave had been his foray into business for years, it wasn't surprising that he'd have such a backup plan.

"Keep digging." Qin Ming's voice remained calm. "Be careful."

"Here!"

The engineers moved forward again, more cautiously. They no longer attempted to break the door down violently, but instead began to use tools to carefully clean the cracks around the stone door, searching for any possible mechanism or weak point.

Another hour passed, the sky was completely dark, and the valley was brightly lit by fire.

at last!

"Found it!" An engineer responsible for cleaning the bottom of the stone door suddenly shouted, "Here! There's a hidden wedge! It looks like it's locked from the inside!"

Ying Qi immediately stepped forward and leaned over to investigate. He saw a rusty iron wedge, as thick as a child's arm, wedged deep into a recessed groove at the bottom of the stone door, completely locking the door and its frame.

"It's a mechanism similar to the 'Dragon Breaking Stone,'" Ying Qi judged. "Once it falls, it's extremely difficult to open from the outside. The loud noise and friction inside just now was most likely the sound of it completely falling into place or getting stuck."

"Can it be opened?" Meng Zhi asked anxiously.

Ying Qi observed it carefully for a moment and shook his head. "The rust is too deep, and the slot structure is special. Forcible destruction may cause more mechanisms inside the door to backfire or cause structural collapse." He stood up and looked at Qin Ming. "Your Majesty, perhaps... use gunpowder to carefully blast a hole."

Qin Ming's eyes swept over the solid stone gate and the surrounding rock structures.

"Accurate. Use precise amount. Only breaks the door, no holes."

"Here!"

The blasting expert among the engineers immediately stepped forward, carefully selected several points at the bottom of the stone gate, buried a small amount of carefully calculated gunpowder, and connected the fuse.

Everyone retreated to a safe distance again.

laugh--

The fuse was lit, sparks flew, and quickly burned towards the stone gate.

After a brief silence.

boom! boom! boom!

Several dull but not violent explosions rang out one after another! Gravel flew everywhere, and smoke and dust filled the air!

When the smoke and dust cleared slightly, I saw several irregular gaps blasted across the bottom of the heavy stone door. The largest was wide enough for a person to pass through with a bent waist. From the gaps, an even stronger odor, a mixture of dust, saltpeter, and the dark red smell of rotten water, hit me in the face.

The inside of the cave was pitch black and dead silent.

Ying Qi didn't hesitate, holding a torch and diving in first. Several Tingfeng Guards followed closely behind.

Qin Ming stood there, waiting patiently. Meng Zhi nervously gripped the giant axe, protecting it at his side.

Time seemed to pass very slowly. No sounds of fighting could be heard from the cave, only the subtle footsteps of Ting Fengwei and the occasional sound of something being moved.

About an incense stick later, Ying Qi emerged from the gap again. He still looked haggard and calm, but his clothes were covered in dust, and he seemed to be holding something in his hands.

He walked quickly to Qin Ming, knelt on one knee, and presented the item in his hand.

It was a… badly damaged, dusty, dark green dragon robe. A large patch of dried, crusted dark red blood stained the chest, along with several cuts from sharp blades. The gold embroidery on the robe was torn in several places, giving it a shabby appearance.

On top of the robe lay a dark golden metal token, half the size of a palm, with irregular edges. The token was engraved with intricate patterns of sacred trees, with an ancient seal script in the center: "Shenmu."

"Your Majesty," Ying Qi's voice remained steady, but the content was shocking enough. "The interior of the fortifications...most of it has collapsed, with huge rocks piled up. There are seven corpses in total, all crushed or trapped by heavy objects. Their faces are difficult to distinguish, but their clothing is recognizable. They are all Hua Yunhong's personal guards. We have not seen...we have not seen the body of Hua Yunhong himself."

"In a corner that hadn't been completely crushed, this robe was found covering a corpse with a face completely destroyed and a body similar in shape to Hua Yunhong. This token was attached to a hidden pocket inside the robe."

Ying Qi paused and added, "Indications at the scene indicate that the internal mechanism finally lost control, causing a large-scale collapse. Hua Yunhong... is very likely to have died under the rubble, with no remains left. Or..."

"Or perhaps, escaping from its shell," Qin Ming interjected, his voice as cold as ice. He reached out and picked up the dark gold token, his fingertips stroking the cold sacred wood pattern on it.

No one was found alive, and no one was found dead. Only a blood-stained royal robe and a token of power were left.