Tomb raiding: Trying to become a little painter

"How is your assessment insufficient? I clearly stated before that the jade slip passed down from my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather... records that the First Emperor's Mausoleum is extremely dangerous. I suggested long ago that we should bring in some powerful weapons, but you wouldn't allow it! Now look what's happened, we're stuck here..."

Another elderly man suddenly retorted angrily to the shorter man who had just spoken. Listening to their conversation, it was easy to tell that the eight people gathered there were all quite old.

"Alright, let's step back for now. This time, we must get the First Emperor's spine. As long as we get this dragon bone that our ancestors passed down, we will surely be able to live forever!!"

At this moment, one of the old men spoke again, his words striking at the heart of everyone's concerns. Instantly, everyone fell silent, turning their attention to the few people in the innermost part of the actual whirlpool tunnel.

However, just as the most advanced equipment was being used to dig a tunnel inside, a square tunnel several levels above was now leading directly into the passageway at the top of the First Emperor's Mausoleum.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh…

The sound of shovels being driven into the wall echoed continuously in the quiet, dark passageway. The sound gradually grew louder until a sharp point suddenly appeared in the center of one of the walls, with gravel and pebbles falling down with a clatter. Just minutes later, the center of the wall finally gave way, and with a loud crash, the passageway was breached. Two beams of white light pierced through the wall, illuminating the pitch-black passageway…

"It's connected! Bring the air quality monitor, I'll test it first!"

After a man's voice fell, a large head wearing a gas mask and a gloved hand emerged from the square tunnel entrance. The hand held a semi-transparent test board, the end of which was covered by a black plastic shell with a flashing red light in the center.

"Reporting to the young clan chief, the air density in the tunnel is fine and can support our entry."

The first person to stick his head out, after a few minutes, saw the light on the plastic shell turn green and then turned to speak into the tunnel.

"Understood, let's go!"

The person in charge inside the tunnel responded to the report and arranged for everyone to enter the passage.

After his team entered the passageway, a man dressed in significantly more advanced protective gear strode to the front, looking out over the passageway and pondering the task His Highness had assigned him: catching mice!

"Everyone, check your weapons to make sure they're loaded, and check your protective suits for any problems. The Lu family's mechanical warriors will go first, followed by the Li family's martial artists. Everyone else, be alert! Report any enemies you see who aren't on our side immediately!"

The team standing in the passageway at this moment is the thirty-first team, commanded by the young patriarch of the Li family, and has begun to carry out the rat-catching operation.

Such dialogues and scenes were also playing out in other parts of this thousand-year-old imperial tomb.

boom! boom! boom!

The Li family's team had just assembled in the tunnel and received their mission when the ground beneath their feet began to shake. The loud noises below told all the trained men that they were out of luck and had met their match.

Just a few levels below where they were, a swarm of giant golden-shelled scorpions was wildly flailing their massive pincers and tails, sweeping away the humans who charged at them time and time again… Their bloodshot eyes were fixed on ants many times their size as they fought. Each time the wooden sticks in the humans' hands flashed, the leading golden-shelled scorpion felt a sharp pain in its abdomen… With each repetition, the scorpion swarm, initially gaining the upper hand, suddenly became ferocious, and the more they died, the more wounded their opponents became…

"Roar!"

"Roar roar roar..."

The swarm of golden-shelled scorpions, smelling the green blood of their kind at their feet, seeing the severed limbs and fragments, and feeling the increasingly thick stench emanating from the humans ahead, gradually began to stir...

After hearing the gunshots, the upper-level Li family members, with the cooperation of the Lu family, began searching for mechanisms in the passageway. With each click, the distance between the two sides grew closer.

Finally, on a high rocky outcrop, a group of people looked through night vision goggles at the flickering light in one of the dozen or so passages across the way.

"That's where the battle is taking place. The ancestor's tomb has a lot of tomb-guarding beasts, and those unlucky guys probably ran into one. Judging from the intensity of the battle, it's probably not one to be trifled with, haha!"

"Xiao Li, should we throw a few grenades down to make things a little more interesting?"

The elder of the Lu family stood next to the young patriarch of the Li family. Listening to the dense gunfire and roars below, his face was full of smiles, and he even started to make his moves while listening to the gunfire.

After thousands of years of cyclical fate, if he didn't deliver a fatal blow to the enemy, he would be letting down countless ancestors in his clan.

“Sure! Uncle Lu, I support your idea. Since the fighting below is so fierce, it’s normal for more people to die. We can help them get back on their feet as soon as possible.”

The current young patriarch of the Li family was also a cunning and wicked man. Upon hearing what the Lu family's uncle said, he instantly conceived a perfect plan to use someone else to do his dirty work.

First, throw in a few low-powered grenades to blast the fish. Then, under the ferocity of the tomb guardian, make the battle between the two sides more intense. Finally, when both sides are exhausted, they go to pick up the scraps. This way, even if some people escape, not many will escape, and it will clear the way for them so that they can go down and sweep people up more safely.

................................

Beneath a silvery, undulating lake, a tranquil and serene atmosphere stretches out, quietly encircling the central main burial complex within the underground level of this tomb.

Boom!

Just outside the stone wall passage closest to this river of water, there was a sudden sound, and a section of the wall at the edge suddenly flipped over, revealing a long stone staircase four or five meters wide inside.

"Have we reached the bottom yet? If it's not down to my feet, it's no longer my feet!"

Wu Xie's voice came from the other side of the wall to this side. After the secret passage door was opened, a blast of cold air came from this side to the other side.

"Never mind your feet, put on your gas mask. We're down to the main tomb complex. Outside the main tomb complex is the Mercury River. Mercury is colorless and odorless, but it's poisonous!"

Qin Henian was already lying on Hei Xiazi's back, his legs dangling and kicking, and he said to Wu Xie with a disgusted look.

Noob!

"He...He Nian! You're just talking without understanding the situation. We've gone down at least a thousand stone steps, countless steps... Who was the kind person who built this tomb so deep?! Our legs are like noodles, and if we have to go back up, that'll be..."

Ugh! I feel terrible.

Wu covered his face, put one hand on the shoulder of the fat man who was already sweating profusely, and supported each other as they shakily walked down one step of stone.

"Tsk tsk... Wu Xie, it's not that your brother doesn't want to help you, but who told you to be all alone without a girlfriend! You have to take things one step at a time, right?"

Qin Henian didn't care how he got down there. If he wasn't afraid of scaring Wu Xie and the other two, he and the three blind men, including the little Qilin, would have already transformed into beasts and run down.

"It hurts my heart!"

Wu Xie felt as if an arrow had suddenly pierced his heart. He glanced up at his younger brother, who was with Black Bear and his family of three. Then he looked at his childhood friend, who, though exhausted, still looked radiant. Then he looked at himself and Fatty…sigh…we all have two legs, so why are they so ridiculously strong?!

"This isn't the first time we've been hurt. Let's hurry down and rest for a bit. We're about to have to rock climb in the interlayer of the Mercury River, otherwise we won't be able to get into the main burial chamber complex."

Qin Henian had made it a habit to tease Wu Xie, and while chatting, he would reveal the rest of the journey.