Infinite Hunter

Liu Moutao and the young girl Tian Mou were probably even more skilled at this than Cheng Yijiu, so they gathered in front of the mural to examine it carefully. After a few words, they recorded it on their phones—taking a twenty-minute photo shoot. They continued along the road for about a hundred meters. The light was still quite bright, and a man-made structure appeared ahead. "Flying beams and brackets? Sorry, I don't quite understand. Let's leave it to an expert," Cheng Yijiu said, his voice hushed.

It would be great if there was a signal, so we could have an entire external logistics support team. Unfortunately, there must be a mine in the mountain here, so there is no signal after entering the cave. Liu Moutao said that this is the style of a tomb. "Then why haven't those weird things appeared yet?" Cheng Yijiu had just finished speaking when strange humming and friction sounds came from both sides, and human figures in armor walked towards them.

"What a crow's mouth!" This is what Xiaotian said. Cheng Yijiu just smiled and said, "Well, it was in the dark 'tombs' on both sides before. No wonder I didn't see it at first."

Xiao Zhang opened fire, switching to single-shot and firing at the approaching unknown thing. A piece of armor shattered, sending up a cloud of dust. There was no blood from the pierced body, and of course the figure didn't fall. There were six figures surrounding them, so Xiao Zhang fired another shot into its head. "Wow, is this a mummy or a dried corpse?" Cheng Yijiu smiled as he watched the figure's helmet and visor being knocked off.

The face below was indeed that of a mummy. "Their eyes are definitely useless, and they don't look like they're breathing. How exactly do they lock onto their 'enemy'?" Cheng Yijiu was curious, so he moved, pulling out the hunting knife from his chest. With a flick of his arm, he dropped his backpack to the ground and dashed out. They had all been doing filter adaptation training before, and thankfully, the powered exoskeleton was set to its lowest output, effectively ignoring it, so he wouldn't be leaping over ten meters with a single kick.

This wasn't a combat-grade powered exoskeleton—that would absolutely fail without constant training and calibration. The intelligent powered exoskeleton they were using was simply designed to share the load and reduce the physical strain of walking and climbing. It also provided strong support when carrying objects. Combat-grade powered exoskeletons were similar—improving a soldier's load-bearing capacity and reducing their physical exertion.

"But it can be activated when drawing a bow, making it easy to draw a strong bow." Thinking of this, Cheng Yijiu had already rushed to such a mummy. The weapon wielded by the other party was a long-handled spear - an ancient weapon that had been unused for a long time. It was a miracle that it had not decayed. Cheng Yijiu took a blow to test the other party's strength. "How should I put it, it seems to be about the same as a normal person? Can these dried muscles still exert strength?"

Since it wasn't some incredibly powerful zombie, that made it easy. Cheng Yijiu kicked the emaciated corpse, sending the tens of kilograms flying. But it seemed resilient, as the one that was kicked back up and closed in again. Cheng Yijiu executed a trick, twisting his fingers and shifting his hunting knife into a reverse grip, the blade pointed forward. The next moment, he charged again, swinging his arm and wrist, the sharp blade slicing through the gap in the opponent's armor.

This time, Cheng Yijiu aimed at the corpse's neck. "Damn! It's so tough!" he cursed. The blade felt tougher than old cowhide. Although it was still cut open by Cheng Yijiu's strength, the trachea, larynx, and blood vessels inside felt like beef tendon. The bone wasn't brittle, but felt like metal. Fortunately, it wasn't metal after all. Cheng Yijiu twisted his wrist and pulled, directly slicing the neck in half.

The man then pressed the corpse's helmet with his left hand, his right hand once again grasping the hunting knife. This time, he stabbed it from behind, then cut with the blade, the tip of the knife not moving. With a final thrust, he dislocated the cervical vertebrae, and with his left hand, he removed the corpse's head. All this took only seconds, lightning-fast. "If your file weren't so clear, I'd have thought you were a prisoner-captor," Liu Tao exclaimed.

The headless corpses were still able to move, seemingly unaffected—the same thing happened to the one Xiao Zhang had previously blasted in the head. Fortunately, these corpses moved at the speed of ordinary humans, so Liu Moutao and Xiao Tian were still able to hold their own. "So I think your choice of an assault rifle was a mistake," Cheng Yijiu muttered. He had actually quickly dispatched the headless corpse—it was simple. He severed the vertebrae at the waist and the connecting ligaments of the psoas major and latissimus dorsi muscles. The corpse immediately lost the support of its upper body and its ability to attack.

Next, Cheng Yijiu swiftly kicked the mummies to the ground. With the help of Liu Moutao and Xiao Zhang, he stripped off their armor and severed their spines and muscles, rendering them completely incapable of fighting. "Should we take a few away for research? I think the second expedition team should be arriving soon," Cheng Yijiu said, winking. He knew this was a national agency, and it wouldn't be just one team like in the movies. There would undoubtedly be support teams arriving later.

Not only will there be follow-up teams, but even setting up a simple camp at the nearest location should be planned, and then laying 5G signals all the way into the cave...

Chapter 12: The Beast

"Don't open it yet," Liu said. He explained that the first wave of the plan ended here. The door ahead didn't need to be opened, but they could explore the previous passage several times and drag the mummies out to see if they could. "Leave most of them inside, and drag one out to see," he said.

Cheng Yijiu also thought this was a good idea, so he and Xiao Zhang teamed up to drag the corpse outside. Surprisingly, as soon as it saw the sunlight, it quickly turned to ashes. "What a miraculous situation," Cheng Yijiu muttered, and the next second he grabbed the bow, "There's something!"

As a seasoned hunter, his instincts kept ringing, and he saw the beast suddenly leap out from the back of the cave, on the other side of the mountain. "What the hell is that?" Even Cheng Yijiu, a man of experience, sighed in amazement. The creature before him had sparse reddish-brown fur and was larger than a human, roughly the size of a Tibetan brown bear.

It was just much thinner than a bear, and its hind legs were different from a bear's, with their reverse joints. Its tail was very short, and its forelimbs were well-developed, resulting in a higher front and lower back, a bit like a hyena. Its head looked like a cross between a human and a dog, quite ugly. Cheng Yijiu had a sense of déjà vu about this kind of head. "Oh, right, that substandard, low-level werewolf looked like that."

The lower-level werewolf's limbs were misshapen, not as symmetrical as the monster before him. However, there was definitely more than one monster. Within just two or three seconds, three more of these beasts leaped out from behind. "Fire," Cheng Yijiu drew his bow and arrow.

Xiao Zhang raised his assault rifle and opened fire. The four monsters leaped with a speed and agility comparable to that of a cat, and their dynamic reactions were extremely fast. Xiao Zhang had probably never faced beasts so agile—these creatures had such powerful legs that they could even leap from walls and ceilings. Therefore, Xiao Zhang's first burst of fire missed.

Cheng Yijiu, on the other hand, steadily drew his bow and arrow, releasing it from the half-drawn position. This was the only advantage of a recurve bow; compound bows also had to consider the pulley system. The arrow struck the first beast directly. The monster had a face resembling a human, and its mouth was filled with fangs. It looked like it was not a good thing.

The arrow struck the monster directly, its sharp, three-edged tip piercing through to a depth of about ten centimeters. "This thing's flesh is quite strong!" Cheng Yijiu thought. What kind of power does a hundred-pound bow and arrow have? It could easily punch a hole through a tree as thick as a bowl, even more powerful than most pistols.

Now, the arrow could only penetrate ten centimeters, even with a half-drawn bow... This beast seemed quite special, able to move freely even with an arrow. Xiao Zhang reacted quickly, and with his next few shots, he hit the creature that had been shot with an arrow. Liu Moutao and the other two, who followed, fired at the other three monsters with their pistols, halting their advance.

The pistol bullets were effective, causing only minor wounds. Cheng Yijiu's second arrow, drawn from his bow, was also quite accurate, piercing the eye of the second attacking monster. The arrow pierced the skull and emerged from behind, sending the monster crashing to the ground. The first monster also collapsed to the ground, dead under Xiao Zhang's continuous fire.

"Good, finally there's a reasonable beast." Cheng Yijiu sighed. As long as modern weapons are still useful, there's no problem. The other two beasts quickly slipped away. "I think I should notify the support team behind to remember to capture a few for research. It's a miracle that large carnivores can still be found on land in this day and age." Cheng Yijiu said.

Cheng Yijiu squatted in front of the two corpses and turned the head over and over with the pulled arrow. "It looks a bit like a human face but it's not. What kind of animal is this thing?" He turned over the beast's front paws, which looked more like the "hands" of primates. Judging from the pads and calluses, this monster should have used the knuckles of its forelimbs to ground when running on all fours, which is very similar to gorillas and chimpanzees.

"But these hind legs clearly have the structure of a cat and a dog, and they walk with their toes. This thing seems like a hybrid." Cheng Yijiu gave his opinion, "The next expedition team should have biologists, so let them worry about it."

The four men quickly gathered their weapons. Liu Moutao pulled out his walkie-talkie and began to chatter, while Cheng Yijiu, curiously, tried to follow the monsters' tracks to find their source. He put down his bow and arrow and used his hands and feet to traverse the mountain. "This place is a bit eerie. It turns out they crawled out from small holes in the mountain." Looking at the humming black caves—there were at least a dozen like them in the mountain—even Cheng Yijiu didn't want to go in to take a look.

These caves are barely a meter tall, and soon there's no light. Barging in like that would be suicidal. Normally, tracked robots should be sent in to explore the path; using humans to do so is completely irresponsible. Cheng Yijiu climbed down the mountain, and Liu Moutao had made his calls. "Support will arrive before tonight," he said.

There was no need to wait until night. Half an hour later, the sound of helicopter rotors breaking through the air was heard. "Oh? When did our country import Chinook?" Cheng Yijiu was very curious. What he saw was a tandem twin-rotor helicopter with a large box hanging underneath.

This was a fleet of six helicopters, each dropping off its equipment. The first group of professionals directed the remaining helicopters to begin unloading their cargo in an orderly manner. Before long, they had even established a landing spot. These people were clearly military personnel, so Cheng Yijiu didn't approach them to speak. This kind of thing was the job of Liu Moutao, the head of the relevant department.

Helicopters come so frequently, I guess the country has directly assigned a military helicopter regiment to transport equipment here. It's difficult for large vehicles to pass through this place, so isn't it just relying on helicopters for supplies? As for the future, Cheng Yijiu believes that the country will definitely open a road - as long as this place proves to be valuable.

The first group to arrive were likely professional engineers, as they had already connected multiple "containers" before nightfall, even connecting water and electricity. Cheng Yijiu also noticed a cell phone signal. These containers formed the basis of a base. Afterward, with the exception of a few armed officers and soldiers who remained, most of the engineers departed by helicopter.

"The main force will arrive tomorrow. Let's take a rest first." said Liu Moutao.

How did Chapter 13 become archaeology?

This time, there was no need for tents. Each member of their team would be given a room in one of the linked containers. The container rooms, insulated internally, had water and electricity connections, and thanks to a specially designed kerosene heater, they could enjoy a room temperature around 20 degrees Celsius at night. Hot water was also provided for showers, and the relatively sturdy exterior provided a good level of safety.

The star-shaped linked containers were surrounded by concertina wire to prevent nighttime monster attacks. Professional sentries would monitor the rooms with surveillance cameras and remote-controlled machine guns. Cheng Yijiu and his team only needed to rest. Liu Moutao had already mentioned the upcoming expedition in the conference room. It would be conducted in several small teams, and a large number of researchers and equipment would be brought in.

Nothing much happened during the night; those strange animals didn't attack at all. However, there were sounds like avalanches and occasional tremors in the ground. The next morning, the helicopters arrived again. This time, they spent a day completing the initial construction of a camp, and the staffing was almost complete. Comrade Liu Moutao was no longer the top leader; he was only the leader of a small expedition team. Someone else was in charge of this place now—someone like someone in the military.

Many researchers arrived and dragged the previously killed monsters away for dissection. They also set up an airtight laboratory on the spot to study the mummies inside. They didn't seem surprised by anything, likely because they had studied similar things before. Before the new investigation began—in fact, by this point, Cheng Yijiu already felt like he was redundant. He had never been part of the relevant department, at best a temporary outsourced worker. He wanted to go back.

There was no other way, and he estimated he'd be stuck here for at least two weeks—though he'd also called Miss Tang to have his vacation extended to another two weeks... A new meeting began on the third day of their arrival, with just the four of them. The projector beamed a rather disgusting image onto the screen. "After dissection, we can confirm these things are actually human," Liu said.

The screen showed the two monsters they had killed. "You said these are humans? I had the same feeling when I was doing it," Cheng Yijiu said, and Liu Moutao nodded. "Or they might be humans—at least that's what the technicians said. We still have to wait for DNA comparison to confirm the concrete evidence. However, the internal organs and skeletal structure found during the autopsy still make us think they are human."

"I won't ask how these people became like this. Perhaps they've been here for a long time, just like the mummies," Cheng Yijiu lazily said, leaning back in his chair. Liu Moutao didn't mention a single word about why the mummies were still moving, or even chasing people and attacking them. He hesitated a bit as he pulled out a stack of yellow paper from a box, covered in red scribbles. "These can effectively suppress those 'unidentified objects.'"

Cheng Yijiu smiled and nodded. He didn't really care; he already had alchemy, didn't he? And he was also blessed by Apollo, so he had advantages against these things. These advantages certainly weren't limited to long-range shooting. And think about it—could Apollo really stand up to Mount Kunlun? Mount Olympus was just a mere mass; it couldn't possibly compare to the grandest of all mountains, Kunlun, right?

Anyway, Apollo is the Mediterranean God of Light, so he should have no problem dealing with a mere zombie - no matter where they are from.

After the meeting, Cheng Yijiu put away his bow and arrows—they wouldn't be necessary in the cave. He switched to a specially made baton, which, combined with a hunting knife, should be enough for close combat. This time, they weren't the only team going into the cave. With two armed teams and a scientific expedition team, there were four teams investigating the area. "Special Treatment Team," Cheng Yijiu muttered, watching as the expedition team controlled the tracked robot remotely to begin processing the underground palace's gate.

There were more than one robot, some responsible for sonar, some for radar, and some for exploring with a drill and a flexible camera. This place wasn't sealed, so there was no need to worry about the outside gas causing damage. Cheng Yijiu watched it all and said, "This is a proper national archaeological excavation. The ones in movies, TV shows, and novels are called tomb robbers. Dr. Indiana Jones is actually a cultural relic destroyer. Screw the archaeologists!"

After over an hour, the situation inside was displayed on the team leaders' tablets. "There are murals in the corridor, but there are niches where we're not sure if there are any guards," Liu said. "After we open the door, let the robots go first."

The door was self-locking with an L-shaped bronze component. A robot reached in with its mechanical arm and pushed it open. The door was finally opened after at least two thousand years. "Is it really two thousand years?" Cheng Yijiu was still skeptical at the time, but the armor on the mummy gave him the answer. "The armor is made of stone and bronze, and the bronze spears and halberds. According to analysis, it is at least from the early Western Zhou Dynasty."

Cheng Yijiu looked at the images sent back by the robot after it entered, "Bronze artifact." He exclaimed in admiration. When the robot drove inside, it actually found that there was a guard in the niche who was the same as the mummy in front. "How to deal with it? Lure it out and cut off the spine like last time? I don't think the robot can take talismans, right?" Cheng Yijiu didn't say anything, but was thinking about this problem.

The robot quickly reached the end of the corridor, where thirty-two guards were found. Cheng Yijiu and a soldier from another squad were given a stack of talismans. "Walk slowly and find an opportunity to smack them on the head," Liu Tao said. "Is this what a hunter should do?" Cheng Yijiu silently grumbled inwardly, but he didn't slow down. He and the soldier, one on each side, rushed to the first pair of guards and affixed a talisman to them.

This thing didn't have any glue. When it came into contact with the mummy, the entire red pattern flashed, and it stuck securely. The mummy, which had initially begun to stir after sensing the life force, froze. "The country's research on these things seems to be yielding results," Cheng Yijiu muttered as he moved slowly towards it. "Perhaps the reason they're not allowing robots to activate is because they lack 'yang energy'?"

Chapter 14: The trouble is not limited to our country

Cheng Yijiu had no problems, but the soldier's was a sluggish one—he was slow and made a mistake. "Are you losing your nerve? That shouldn't be the case. People on missions should be used to this kind of thing." Cheng Yijiu leaped over, pulling the man away while applying a talisman directly to the moving corpse's head. He conveniently pulled out the bronze sword clutched at the corpse's waist. "It's still so bright and sharp. His skills are truly superb."

This sword is only about 30 centimeters long. It is definitely not suitable for chopping people, but it is very powerful for stabbing. However, both the soldier and Cheng Yijiu himself are wearing stab-proof clothing. Everyone has also studied these mummies. It is impossible to pierce the stab-proof clothing with a dagger based on the strength of these mummies. At most, it will leave a bruise.

The thirty-six mummies didn't cause much trouble, with only one being accidentally released. After the mummies were posted, people came up and used robotic trolleys to pile them up and haul them off for separate processing. After clearing the corridor, the expedition's technicians began to work on the process. Several middle-aged archaeologists, in particular, practically covered the walls, diligently studying the murals.

Cheng Yijiu didn't notice anything unusual. At the end of the corridor was another door. Soldiers stood guard at the door, while Cheng Yijiu shone his flashlight upwards, trying to see if anything was happening above. "They don't have any decorations on the top?" Above him were rocks formed over millions of years, and they were incredibly high, at least thirty or forty meters high. The trimmed walls and paintings ended at about three meters from the ground.

A strange voice rang out. "Get out! Everyone, get out of the hallway!" the person in charge shouted. The researchers were also very decisive, running directly to the door, while the soldiers were dragged behind, weapons raised and ready. Cheng Yijiu also saw the source of the sound. It was a dozen strange creatures rushing out of the cave above their heads. "Isn't this the so-called mutant human?"

Compared to the monsters Cheng Yijiu had encountered and killed before, these monsters were smaller, but appeared to move faster. In just over ten seconds, they attacked from overhead, likely leaping from a height of four or five meters. Not surprisingly, they were shot down by the soldiers' accurate fire, leaving no one injured. "They're just 'wild animals' after all."

Structurally, these things weren't bulletproof; their "mystery" wasn't enough to justify their invulnerability to modern weaponry. The bullets accurately struck them, knocking them to the ground. As the soldiers retreated to the door, the monsters didn't rush out, but instead screamed back upstairs. The hallway reeked of blood. After several minutes, robots began to move in to clean up the mess—dragging out the bodies, tranquilizing the injured with tranquilizers or electric shocks, and finally hosing the floor with high-pressure water cannons.

The day's adventure is over.

Cheng Yijiu was fine, but the biologists and archaeologists who had arrived were working furiously, especially examining the mummies and monsters. So far, no modern scientific theory could explain how mummies moved, even though they had obtained zombie samples much earlier. It could only be said that the vast majority of Taoist talismans handed down through the ages were useless, but a few were quite effective.

However, these talismans were quite complex to manufacture and use—simply printed ones were useless, and the same was true for handwritten ones. They needed to be written all at once, accompanied by a special ritual, for them to be effective. Of course, the underlying principle remains unclear, but it likely has nothing to do with any so-called deities. After numerous experiments, it was discovered that simply placing them on an altar would increase their effectiveness the more people who sincerely believed in their usefulness.

Cheng Yijiu listened to them from the side—this wasn't a secret, but his presence alone meant he was already involved in a classified event. "Anyone who puts this on needs to have strong blood and courage. Look at that little guy today. He lost his courage even a little bit, and he immediately got into trouble," said the middle-aged man who seemed to be in charge of researching the talismans. Cheng Yijiu also saw that he was running a mathematical analysis program on his laptop, apparently intending to analyze the talismans.

Cheng Yijiu, bored, went to listen to Liu Moutao's nonsense again. He asked if there were similar situations abroad. Liu Moutao smiled mysteriously and said, "How could there not be? I tell you four words: 'dire straits!'" Then he flung out a large notebook and said, "Look, look, no one will admit it once you get out. I tell you, if you look around here, the Eight-Nation Alliance will be unable to escape."

Cheng Yijiu was quite interested in this kind of gossip. He picked it up and flipped through it. "Ha, this is indeed the intelligence obtained by the relevant departments." He muttered, and then prepared to read it.

But before he started, he made a bowl of instant noodles, grabbed a dozen skewers of grilled lamb, and even a roasted lamb chop. He sat down to eat while he read—it's okay, the materials are all sealed in plastic, so you can just rinse them. This is definitely something interesting, so he had to eat the instant noodles. "Hahaha, as expected, Mongolia is in trouble with the white monster. This white disaster is completely unscientific." The first thing Cheng Yijiu saw was his neighbor's misfortune.

Those nameless white-haired winds brought with them terrifying low temperatures and violent snowstorms. They usually lasted no more than twenty-four hours, but the damage they caused was quite horrific. It happened suddenly and unscientifically, and the affected area was only two or three square kilometers. However, all the livestock within this area would die, and so far only three herders have survived, and two of them had their limbs frozen off.

No one knows where the white disaster came from, and no one knows how to prevent it. It just hasn't appeared in Ulaanbaatar yet. This country has been seeking help everywhere, but its two major neighbors are too busy to pay attention. Then there's South Korea. South Korea's problem is the same as in the little notebook. "A Hundred Demons Night Parade," Cheng Yijiu said gravely, looking at the last four words. "I wonder if this is what I mean by a Hundred Demons Night Parade?"

When I flipped through the pages, I realized it wasn't the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons as described in ancient books, but more like the Night Parade of Monsters. Various monsters kept appearing, but fortunately, there were no monsters that were tens of meters tall, and the largest ones were similar to hippos and elephants.

Chapter 15: Taking pleasure in others' misfortunes is the basis of happiness

These monsters are essentially the same as the Japanese legends of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, except that some of the "demons" have become more realistic, small but quite ferocious, and some even have completely unscientific organs—like those for breathing fire. These monsters are like the zombies that appear in China: they are difficult to find during the day, but they run rampant at night.

Today's Japan is filled with useless people. Neither the police nor the Self-Defense Forces are any match for these monsters. South Korea is similarly egregiously useless—who can expect soldiers who eat kimchi all day to maintain much combat effectiveness? South Korea truly has my own unique tradition. The food they feed military households is worse than what prisoners eat. They're truly just bastards raised by dogs.

Fortunately, both countries are capital-based, especially South Korea, where the vast majority of the population lives in Seoul. Most of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons takes place in rural areas, so the damage isn't too severe, and the news can be suppressed to a certain extent. For now, these are still considered "ghost stories." But how could these little tricks possibly be hidden from their current fathers and past grandfathers?

Behind them were the monkey colonies to the south. They didn't have any demonic night parades, but instead were full of strange miasmas and poisons. These so-called miasmas were harmless to most birds, beasts, and fish, but were extremely hostile to humans. These miasmas could cause serious illnesses, and with the monkeys' medical expertise, most people were beyond help. Worst of all, these strange miasmas were erratic, appearing everywhere. While they were common in the dark woods, they could also be found in the sunny rice paddies.

Many monkey countries in the south are like this. "Alas, there are so many miasma in the south..." Cheng Yijiu also sighed with compassion, "Who says it's not?" Liu Moutao also agreed. If he didn't have a smile on his face, Cheng Yijiu would really believe that he was truly compassionate - just like himself...

As for Saner and Pakistan - although these are two "irreconcilable" countries, their national characteristics are not too different from those of Bangladesh, and what happened is also similar - it is nothing more than those diseases that had long disappeared in Europe and East Asia becoming more violent, repeatedly reaping lives on the South Asian subcontinent, and therefore those terrifying beliefs in various sects, such as the Black Mother Goddess, are prevalent.

These beliefs have, of course, given rise to many bizarre things, but they deserve sympathy. Since the world began to change, the death rate in these countries has risen by several percentage points, which means at least a few million deaths, though the exact number is unknown. "With the Himalayas between us, sympathy doesn't mean aid. I really sympathize, hahahahahaha." Cheng Yijiu laughed, trying to sound serious.

Next up are Europe and America. These regions are similar to the mainland, primarily plagued by corpses, sometimes with strange, possibly ghostly creatures, and unidentified creatures killing people. The key is that these creatures are difficult to find, and even harder to kill once they're found—unless they're armed with white phosphorus or napalm, ordinary civilians' guns are useless.

Ordinary civilians, or even the police special forces, would be doomed to die if they faced such creatures. The weapons in their hands could not kill these monsters at all, and instead they would be killed by the monsters and become one of them. Cheng Yijiu still expressed sympathy for all this, but he had no choice...

All in all, it was a lot of fun to watch.

North America and mainland China are both places where monsters appear in large numbers, and there are quite a few records that make Cheng Yijiu excited.

The next day, the expedition resumed. This time, the engineers had already cleared the corridors and installed spotlights and electrical grids, while the archaeologists had already begun work on the entrance gate. "If it has no archaeological value, for example, my personal suggestion is to blow it open with explosives," Cheng Yijiu suggested. He considered the gate to be quite large—almost ten meters high and nearly ten meters wide.

Both doors were constructed from a single piece of wood, a feat considered grand for the era. Thick, at least thirty centimeters, they were ultimately opened by lifting the latch from the center. "After scanning, I discovered the latch at the back is also a solid piece of wood? So impressive!" The latches were a single block of square wood, secured by bronze latches. The wood must have weighed several tons, and within an hour, it was removed.

The door hinges were bronze, surprisingly uncorrupted after thousands of years. Engineers dug beneath the door and built a jack, ready to push it open and hold it there, removing the door panels if possible. This door was definitely not something a normal person could push open, but with the help of a machine, the thick panels slowly swung open. "That's incredible!" It was dark inside, devoid of light, and Cheng Yijiu raised his hand to shine inside, the first thing he saw was a skeleton.

The walkway was lined with skeletons, clearly the remains of animals buried alive—they were arranged on both sides. Cheng Yijiu first spotted horses, then what appeared to be rhinos and elephants. He wasn't the first to enter; robots were the first to enter, and more would follow. They would set up lighting, scan the terrain, and eliminate any dangers.

A national project could certainly afford a variety of specialized robots. These tracked little guys weren't exactly fast, but they were incredibly efficient when working in a routine manner. Cheng Yijiu certainly had no interest in taking any risks; he wasn't Indiana Jones, and this whole thing had nothing to do with his profession. But watching this kind of archaeological expedition was actually quite interesting, wasn't it?

By the afternoon, the door panels had been removed and shipped out. Professionals would inspect and document them; the original two doors were unlikely to remain. Cheng Yijiu had examined the door panels before; they were inlaid with bronze decorations, featuring cloud and animal patterns he didn't quite understand. While the panels were removed, the various lighting fixtures were set up. The air inside wasn't stale; the oxygen content, while low, was free of harmful gases.

"There are things buried underground on both sides. It was a huge project back then. They probably dug out stones here and then brought in soil to fill it in. That's why there are these 'burial pits'." Cheng Yijiu was amazed as he looked at the pictures of the robot exploring the ground.

Chapter 16 Monsters

Cheng Yijiu recalled the stories of moving mountains and removing ridges in tomb-raiding novels he had read in the past. After thinking about it carefully, it was indeed impossible - this strange place was deep in the mountain, and modern engineering would hardly be able to peel off the thousands of meters of mountain layer by layer.

"There are burial pits on both sides of the tomb passage. This is a very large project." Cheng Yijiu is not a key member of the team at the moment. He is in the way and can only watch the on-site monitoring from the container. The archaeologists are now remotely controlling the robot to continue to explore. This place does not look like a tomb.

What kind of place do you think it is? It doesn't look like a tomb, and certainly not like a house—who would live here? And what about burial objects?

The robot advanced deeper, but soon lost signal—after crossing a palace gate. "Even wired transmission isn't working?" Fortunately, everything else was working perfectly. "This is probably less than a quarter of this place. We can't even 'enter' the remaining three quarters." This news made Cheng Yijiu extremely vigilant.

He feared something strange might happen. Currently, only this quarter of the area—the tomb passage and the front half of the palace—had been confirmed to be safe. At least for now, all he could see were bones: bones from horses, rhinoceroses, elephants, cattle, and pigs.

Examination of the soil on both sides of the tomb passage revealed "a thickness of ten meters, with multiple layers of burial pits containing horse, dog, and human bones." Cheng Yijiu looked at the photos. This wasn't his specialty, but archaeologists had already begun removing the covering. Because it hadn't been disturbed for years, the soil was being removed at a rapid rate.

With today's advanced technology, ground-penetrating radar is virtually impossible to miss, so the soil simply needs to be sieved through a sieve. Sure enough, the pit contained dogs, horses, humans, even pandas and tigers. The buried victims included both men and women, and many appeared to have been beheaded before being placed inside.

Some were buried alive, standing upright in armor and holding weapons. All the animals were killed and buried alive. Cheng Yijiu initially worried that these skeletons would "resurrect" like the mummies outside, but that didn't happen at all. Instead, he felt a sense of disconnection.

This place is full of strange things. Inside the palace, there are pools of water on the ground. Three passages lead to the rear hall, but between them are pools of water. The depth of the pools is currently unknown. The robot is currently lowering its sonar to try to figure this out. Cheng Yijiu also wants to know why there are pools of water in this mountain? You have to remember that this place is hundreds of meters higher than the plains outside.

If the mountain contained water, it would have turned into a stream and flowed out, right?

Sonar reported a depth of over 40 meters, and the walkway was supported by dozens of pillars over 40 meters long. The pool below was even larger than the palace above, and there were hidden channels with flowing water. "That's even more exaggerated," Cheng Yijiu muttered, and many technicians agreed with him.

Not long after, the sonar line shifted, and before anyone could grab it, it was pulled down into the water, along with the drone. "Damn it! There's something in the water!" Cheng Yijiu immediately prepared to throw explosives in. "Don't do that! It'll get you into trouble." Only after Liu Moutao stopped him did Cheng Yijiu and the others retreat to a place farther away from the pool.

"Why don't we lure this thing up here and let it see?" Cheng Yijiu urged. Everyone wanted to give it a try, and the relevant leaders had approved it. So, when the mountain came down to deliver supplies, pig and cow blood was delivered. It was originally frozen, but Cheng Yijiu thawed it with warm water and threw some directly into the pool. The rest was left on the shore. As it thawed, the blood gradually seeped into the water.

"The steel cable noose and rifles are ready. Catch it if you can. If you can't, there's nothing you can do. Try not to shoot - if it's a protected animal, we'll be in big trouble." Cheng Yijiu had everything arranged. He also installed a very bright spotlight, waiting for the thing to suddenly turn on after it came out of the water. It would at least dazzle the guy's eyes - if it had eyes.

The water surface was churning. The light wasn't bright, but it was enough for the ambushers to see the movements on the water surface. A large head appeared in the water. "An extra-large giant salamander?" Cheng Yijiu saw it clearly at a glance. It was just a weird giant salamander, but its exposed gills gave it away. "A newt? Are there such large newts in the world?" Cheng Yijiu was also shocked.

This creature crawled onto the shore, licking up a mixture of pig and cow blood and ice. Its tail wasn't even out of the water yet, yet it was already at least four and a half meters long, larger than most crocodiles. "Could this thing be extinct?" Cheng Yijiu wasn't sure, so everyone immediately searched online—some people even went straight to Baidu...

"It's a giant newt, right?" The zoologists present were talking at once, and they couldn't say for sure, because after all, there were only fossils of this thing, and not everyone had seen the restoration picture. However, when they compared the pictures they had searched with the fossil photos in the professional database, it seemed to be the case.

This thing has a big, flat head, and a mouth like a toilet lid, but it's probably more suitable for a giant's butt. An ordinary person would definitely fall right into it. "This thing existed before the dinosaurs. The dinosaurs were extinct 65 million years ago, and this thing is still alive? It's unscientific." Cheng Yijiu muttered.

Even large salamanders have a long lifespan, so it's impossible for them to live for more than 200 million years. So there must be a breeding population somewhere in the Kunlun Mountains. Fortunately, this wasn't something Cheng Yijiu had to worry about; he just had to find a way to catch this thing.

"Lasso! On the fishing net!" Cheng Yijiu flicked the switch, and the spotlight immediately illuminated the creature. Even the creature panicked under the bright light, becoming entangled in the lasso again. The mechanical force of the winch gradually pulled the monster up. This amphibious, cold-blooded creature was extremely powerful, but its mobility was limited. After struggling for a while, lactic acid accumulated in its muscles and it was unable to move.

Naturally, this guy's skin was covered with wounds from being squeezed. Scientists sealed its big round mouth with harmless biological glue, and then tied it up to send it away for research. Even if it was not a giant salamander, it was still a large amphibian that had never been seen before, and the chances of humans discovering this new large creature on land were very few.

Chapter 17: Neither Up nor Down

Cheng Yijiu and Liu Moutao's team followed the salamanders—they likely wouldn't have to take over further exploration of the base, unless the palace gates at the back could be opened. As things stood, the relevant authorities wouldn't initiate further exploration until they figured out why the robot had lost its signal. They would simply continue digging deeper into the ruins.

Their haul was already substantial—those moving mummies, those bizarre "humans" that had been shot dead, and captured ancient creatures. Cheng Yijiu wasn't dissatisfied, as his subsidies were substantial, and Liu Moutao had actually discussed it with him, hoping he could apply for a weapons license. "At least get a gun license? Don't worry, it's legally licensed, and there's no sting operation."

The head of the relevant department even drove Cheng Yijiu from the airport to the Public Security Bureau and took him to apply for a gun license. "There's no other way." Cheng Yijiu muttered, but he still insisted on applying for a gun license only for long guns instead of pistols, "Because long guns are not usually carried out." He chose the Winchester he was used to, spending money to buy a replica and then replacing it with his own handmade product.