Discovering the Entrance

The group expended considerable effort to dispatch the ghostly soldier. It was only then that I noticed Zhao Jun's severe injuries. Big Head, clutching a dagger, called out, "Don't just stand there; come over and help."

I quickly got up and jogged over. The situation was worse than I had anticipated. Zhao Jun not only suffered a left arm injury but also had a deep bruise near his scapula. Big Head furrowed his brow and said, "Old Zhao, endure it a bit; I need to bleed you a bit."

A sense of unease crept over me, and I inquired, "What's going on?"

Big Head, with a serious expression, pointed to the bleeding point, saying, "This is a minor issue, but I'm concerned that the sticky rice dumpling might be poisonous." He then said to Zhao Jun, "Old Zhao, this might sting a bit."

Zhao Jun's face turned slightly pale, and he grimaced, "If you're going to do it, do it quickly; why are you acting like a woman?"

Big Head, steady-handed and resolute, made an incision at the bleeding point. A large amount of blood, tinged with a foul odor, gushed out. Simultaneously, I noticed a layer of fibrous material attached to his wound.

Big Head glanced at me, carefully using the dagger to pick at it. However, the fibrous material was entwined with the muscles, and any attempt to separate them caused intense pain for Zhao Jun. He winced, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, cursing, "Damn Big Head, are you embroidering on me?"

"Wait a moment, wait a moment." I rummaged through the medical kit, finding a sterile vial containing morphine. I told him, "This is morphine; endure it for now."

Zhao Jun sensed that something was amiss and nodded, allowing me to administer the morphine. Big Head sterilized the dagger with alcohol, took a deep breath, and signaled me with his eyes. Zhao Min and I held down Zhao Jun, while Big Head, with a swift motion, cut away the piece of flesh.

Almost simultaneously, Zhao Jun beneath my hands suddenly convulsed, the sudden intense pain nearly causing him to lose consciousness. It took him a while to recover. Subsequently, in a hectic manner, Big Head and I hastily bandaged his wound, finally catching our breath.

Zhao Min brought water over, and as I took the water jug, I accidentally touched a blister on my hand, wincing in pain. She frowned and remarked, "Don't you exercise regularly?"

I awkwardly replied, "I occasionally play some ball."

"Playing ball shouldn't make you this fragile," she retorted.

"Table tennis."

She gave me a stern look and said, "Seriously poor choice. Let me pick one for you. Once it scabs over, it won't hurt anymore."

Big Head, overhearing, complained, "Oh, my back hurts. Can anyone give me a massage?"

Zhao Jun, upon hearing this, was about to get up, "Did you get injured just now? Let me take a look."

Big Head waved his hand, saying, "You lie down, Old Zhao. By the way, have you seen Black Panther?"

Zhao Jun recalled, "Marvel, right? I've seen it. Why do you ask?"

"Do you remember what they said about the hardest metal on Earth?"

Zhao Jun pondered for a moment and replied, "It seems like vibranium."

Big Head gave a thumbs-up, saying, "Exactly, you're a vibranium straight guy."

"Huh?" Zhao Jun looked puzzled, but Zhao Min burst into laughter, and I joined in, albeit briefly. However, the next moment, the laughter ceased. From a distance, several coffins, including the one containing the mechanism, emitted a chilling "thud thud" sound. It was a sound we were all too familiar with—the trigger sound of the mechanism coffin. There was no need for speculation; one after another, the coffins were being triggered.

Big Head, rising from the ground, cursed, "Damn it, are these sticky rice dumplings planning a collective dance to 'Little Apple'? Tighten up; let's get out of here."

I asked Zhao Jun about his condition. He said the injuries were minor, and we chose a direction to run into an empty chamber that had been cleared.

I sighed, "As expected."

"What's that supposed to mean? Keep going?" Big Head asked.

I pinched my forehead and said, "Let me get straight to the point. This chamber is empty. The opposite chamber we just left is likely connected to the one with the coffins, and it might lead to an unexplored area."

"We've noticed that all the chambers we've come across so far are empty. That's because the mechanism coffins inside have been taken away by the Imperial Mountain team. Assuming their goal aligns with ours—to find the Fox Tiger King's spiritual platform, and they have found it here—just like the encounter we had earlier, under certain circumstances, ghost soldiers and corpses rise. So, they had no choice but to seal the coffins and transport them out."

"They are different from us. Their coffin handling is undoubtedly on a larger scale and planned. The simplest method is to clear one chamber after another. This way, regardless of how many undead soldiers Fox Tiger King has, they will eventually be moved out. However, what we saw just now was different. It looked like they stopped abruptly halfway. We didn't see any signs of a struggle or why they suddenly halted. The result is apparent."

Zhao Min blurted out, "Imperial Mountain found the entrance!"

"Yes!" I said, "However..."

"However what?" Big Head urged.

Zhao Min glanced at me, "However, the entrance is probably in that chamber we just left."

I rubbed my forehead, admitting, "Yes, that's the unfortunate part. Although I didn't get a close look, I suspect the entrance is there. But going back is not an option."

Big Head squatted on the ground, patting the back of his head, looking up, he asked me, "How confident are you?"

I exclaimed, "Are you risking your life?"

He said, "Can't make this trip for nothing. We have to try. Here's the plan: I'll go attract those undead, and you focus on finding the entrance. If it gets too intense, listen for my signal, and you two retreat. Those things have just awakened; they should be somewhat clever."

I looked at Zhao Min and him, both seemingly agreeing with Big Head's suggestion. I said, "Let's make it clear, don't force it. If things go south, get out quickly. No matter how many treasures we retrieve, it's only a chance to spend if we save our lives."

Despite my unwillingness, I had no choice but to go along with them.

The coffins were already open, and the silent chamber, with several ancient corpses resembling the ghost soldiers we encountered earlier, stood stiffly like tree bark, motionless in front of the stone wall. They seemed to want to move forward, but they were obstructed.

I swallowed saliva and, counting them, there were six. Now my mind was filled with regret, questioning my sanity for coming back

 with them.

Big Head took a deep breath, giving me a pat, "It's up to you now."

Saying that, he and Zhao Min understood our intention, immediately grasping what we were planning to do. However, the ghost soldiers were gradually regaining their mobility, and the two were already in a strenuous situation. If delayed, they would be torn apart.

However, there were no clues to the entrance at the moment. Their lives rested in my hands. Anxious, my palms were covered in sweat, telling Zhao Jun, "Retreat."

Zhao Jun looked at me, "Are you serious?"

With a heart pounding so loudly, I understood the tremendous determination needed for every decision, especially when holding the lives of one's brothers. This feeling was indescribable. Unable to kill Bor Ren, yet having Bor Ren die because of me. I was inherently incapable of being a leader. I even felt that I was inferior to Big Head. He was open-minded, making every decision with determination.

This sentiment frustrated me. I knew that once we withdrew, it would be challenging to return. With our equipment, we couldn't resist these ghost soldiers. I clenched my fists tightly, taking a deep breath, "One more minute. If it doesn't work, signal them to leave immediately."

I raised my eyes and scanned every crevice. Just when I felt that it was impossible, an abnormality caught my eye. I pointed to a hole on the mountain wall and said, "There."

The groove on the mountain wall itself seemed fine, but I noticed that the rocks around the groove were much smoother than the other slots. Clearly, it was artificial. Most likely, it was left by the Imperial Mountain team as they passed through. We carefully approached, and Big Head and Zhao Min, observing our actions, immediately understood our intentions, coming over. However, the ghost soldiers were gradually regaining their momentum, and their mouths emitted low roars. They could rush up at any moment.

Big Head, looking a bit red-eyed, swung an iron rod, pushing away a ghost soldier while shouting, "You guys go first."

Zhao Jun said, "You go first, and I'll save them."

Forcing myself to remain calm, I told him, "Don't be stubborn. I'll go up first to secure the rope, and then we can use the fire to force the ghost soldiers back. Let them retreat first, and you can pull me up using the rope."

Having said that, I climbed up along the mountain wall, finding a suitable iron nail to secure the rope. As I descended, Zhao Jun was already prepared with a pot of fire oil. Zhao Min and I ignited the torches simultaneously, rushing forward.

Big Head had already been pressured to the point of looking miserable, even Zhao Min, who was agile, seemed somewhat distressed. With the addition of Zhao Jun and me, we alleviated some of the pressure. A few ghost soldiers showed signs of fear towards the torches.

Zhao Min and I, back to back, continuously used the torches to scare off the ghost soldiers. I said to Zhao Min, "Support Big Head and go first. As long as you climb up, it'll be safe."

Zhao Min hesitated, saying, "Be careful."

I, my mind racing, kicked over the prepared fire oil. I lit it with the torch, letting the flames grow larger. Anxiously, I said, "It's not the time to show off. You're injured. If we don't leave now, neither of us will make it."