Leng Tianxing's notes mentioned a person with the surname Qin; they used to raid tombs together, but I'm not sure if that person and the guy in front of me belong to the same family.
So I wrote: Do you know Qin Yongxian?
The man saw the name, his eyes widened slightly, and said, "He is my elder uncle, he's been missing for almost ten years. Do you know where he is?"
I shook my head and wrote: He owes our boss something.
The man was visibly disappointed, "There's nothing we can do then. We've been looking for him, but unfortunately, haven't found him."
I chuckled to myself; him finding him would be a miracle. According to Leng Tianxing's records, Qin Yongxian was swallowed by a prehistoric giant shark under the sea, not even leaving behind an oxygen tank. To find him, they'd have to capture that shark for a memorial.
I deliberately asked about Qin Yongxian just to make the man believe that I was one of Leng Tianxing's subordinates.
No choice, even in your own tomb, you have to hide your identity. What can you do, these wretched people are obsessed with beating the zongzi.
Throughout history, the Tomb Robbers have always been profit-driven. This guy brought me onboard the moment we met, no doubt wanting to use me.
Which is great because I can also extract some information from him. What exactly is this group doing by taking the road less traveled?
The following time we had a cordial exchange, and under our mutual disguise and feigned friendship, we reached a preliminary understanding.
His Qin Family identity got exposed, and Boss Lu took the opportunity to try and drown him in the lake. He managed to escape, but Boss Lu took his food, water, and other equipment.
I said no wonder his backpack only had ropes; one must admit Boss Lu was kind enough to at least leave him a tool for suicide.
I've seen people in despair crash into walls, slit throats, perform seppuku, or jump onto traps—too gory and prone to attracting bugs. Hanging is undoubtedly the most gentle way to die. He only needs to be careful and not string his tongue; a hanging ghost's horror comes a lot from a foot-long tongue.
Sometimes tomb raiders get scared by the corpses of their peers. Occasionally, I would tidy up those scary corpses, allowing subsequent Tomb Robbers to walk their last journey a bit more peacefully.
However, the area where I operate is very limited; the number of corpses I can collect is limited too. Only once I came out did I realize how vast this tomb is.
"You are lucky, but luck won't get you out. You've made a fatal mistake."
"You shouldn't hide in a safe place. The most dangerous area of this tomb is the exit."
"Lu Yao is wary of me, but her henchman blurted it out."
The man smiled smugly, but I'm full of questions. There are many dangerous places in the tomb, almost tread upon by past Tomb Robbers, but no one has seen the exit.
Either Boss Lu intentionally let his henchman spread word to send him to his death, or... past Tomb Robbers never found that exit.
It's hard to predict human nature, and I can't guarantee the truth of this matter. However, every area I've visited has no exit, which means indeed there's no escape from the "safe" area.
"First, take me to the safe zone, get some food, and then we'll plan further."
This is honestly said; he pulls me in mainly because he knows I can survive here, thanks to having a safe house and food source.
Presently, he only has a backpack full of hanging ropes, and I am likely his only hope for food and shelter.
If he knew I lived in a coffin and survived without eating or drinking for a thousand years, he might just whip out the rope and hang either me or himself.
But that's talk for later; right now, the bigger issue is that something might not want him to leave.
I motioned behind him, where several soft tentacles extended over the lake, one of which had already tapped his neck.
There are many little creatures in the tomb that have fed on each other for years, maintaining an ecological balance. Only two situations can break this balance.
One, when living people enter the tomb, those Tomb Robbers who survive longest are at the top of the food chain, and unless they break down mentally and end themselves, they will eventually eat through the tomb's food chain.
Two, when living people enter, the creatures who have subsisted on monotonous food act as if energized. To them, human flesh is akin to dragon meat. Once they smell human flesh, they'll perform a love story of "you are the wind, I am the sand, together we'll whirl to the ends of the earth."
Seeing me point behind him, the man immediately sprang forward, then rolled to pull away from the tentacle.
Looks like he's heard the legend too. A Tomb Robber once told me that back in the days in the countryside if you feel someone tap your shoulder on a night road, never look back. Keep running forward, and only look back once you've put some distance.
Because the one touching you might not be human, of course, they're not ghosts either. As for what they are, the Tomb Robber left me to guess, and I slapped him against the wall to show him the consequences of keeping secrets.
"Damn! What the hell is this thing?" The man, already two meters away, turned back to see numerous tentacles emerging from the lake, not lagging a bit in speed and rolling toward him.
"Why aren't they attacking you? Is there a restraining method?"
This question is hard to answer; the tomb's creatures have always ignored me, maybe because they don't like eating zongzi.
"Rope, give me the rope!" The man dodged left and right, rolling back and forth on the pebble beach. The tentacles are cunning, keeping him within control and not letting him escape far.
I found it interesting; I'd only ever heard how dangerous it is for them to deal with traps and small creatures—I'd never seen it firsthand.
I tossed the rope from my bag to him, unsure of what he intended to do.
The man caught the rope, quickly forming a loop and first capturing the nearest tentacle.
He moved nimbly, handling the situation skillfully. It looked a bit like the cowboys I'd seen in videos, tying several tentacles together in no time.
"Little punk, daring to challenge me with such skill? Tonight I'll feast on squid sashimi!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than hundreds of tentacles shot up from the lake in an instant.
Is this some summoning spell? I want to learn...
"Damn it, run—" the man, disregarding everything, fled along the path, followed by a thick swarm of tentacles.
I wanted to warn him about the phosphorus toxicity, but unable to vocalize, I tried chasing after him to pull him back, only to be brushed aside by the tentacles.
Not wanting to be a burden, I ran around the tentacles, lucky they couldn't stray too far from the lake, retreating after a hundred meters or so.
Beyond the lake's reach, the phosphorus fireflies seemed to sense a living being nearing, swarming down towards the man.
No need for my warning now; he realized he wasn't wearing a gas mask and, panicked, made a move toward the lake.
Running or not running both lead to death. When the phosphorus fireflies enveloped his body, engulfing him in blue-green flames, I knew he was beyond saving.
"You..." His final expression filled with doubt, his eyes stared fixedly at me.