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Before Wang Er Gou could finish his words, Second urged impatiently, "Hurry up, we have important matters to attend to." Seven had already circled the stone coffin several times.
Wang Er Gou fell silent and began examining the coffin. After a while, he discovered the "trick." It wasn't about the effort spent on the sealing area between the lid and the coffin; rather, it was around the upper edge of the lid that needed attention.
Second widened his eyes and pulled out his gun, ready for any emergency. Seven also noticed that Wang Er Gou had found something and stopped his own futile attempts, joining Wang Er Gou's side instead.
"Damn it, turns out that part isn't the coffin lid," Second cursed. "Even after death, there are so many tricks."
The real lid of the stone coffin was a smaller section at the top.
The three of them discussed among themselves and each took out their tools. After much effort, they finally managed to flip the coffin lid. The dust stirred up by the lid made it hard for them to open their eyes.
Once the dust settled, they finally had a clear view. The three of them leaned over the edge of the coffin to look inside, their expressions varying. Finally, Second couldn't hold back any longer and exclaimed, "Damn it, the corpse has been stolen!"
The other two were momentarily at a loss for words. "Wasn't it said that tomb raiders only steal burial goods? How come they've even taken the body? They must have some peculiar hobby," Seven muttered.
Wang Er Gou replied, "It's indeed rare for thieves to steal corpses unless there was never a body stored here in the first place!"
Seven stated seriously, "The most likely scenario is that this stone coffin never contained a body."
Second added, "Why would anyone bury a coffin here without a body?"
The two were momentarily speechless. They continued to gaze into the empty coffin, which was just as vacant as the stone chamber outside. The entire depth of the coffin was about one meter!
It was now clear that this stone coffin was a single block of stone with a hole carved out from the middle, presumably used for burial.
"All this effort, and the dead would stink!" Second remarked.
"Maybe that's true; perhaps this coffin wasn't finished before someone died," Seven responded.
Second suggested, "Why don't we just open that other coffin as well?" Seven had no objections and looked at Wang Er Gou, who also remained silent.
The three of them shared an understanding and moved towards another coffin. As they worked on it, they noticed that this coffin's lid was different from the previous one. The lid was perfectly aligned with its base.
The three of them pried open the stone coffin. As the lid fell to the ground, their expressions varied, but they all shared a common reaction: shock!
Inside the coffin lay two bodies, or rather, skeletons, entwined together. It was clear that they were a couple.
"Why cram two bodies into one coffin when there are two available?" Second muttered. "And why are there two coffins here?" he asked again.
"Probably too lazy to deal with it. This one coffin must weigh at least seven or eight hundred pounds," Seven replied. It wasn't impossible.
Wang Er Gou stared at the coffin and suddenly remarked, "In life and death like this, what more can a husband ask for?"
Upon hearing this, Second and Seven looked at him simultaneously. Wang Er Gou felt a bit embarrassed under their gaze and said, "Such sorrowful words are better left unsaid."
Suddenly, Second and Seven burst into laughter. They had realized that both skeletons were male.
Seeing their amusement, Wang Er Gou took a closer look at the skeletons and confirmed they were indeed both male; the Adam's apples were quite prominent.
Unable to hold back any longer, Wang Er Gou reverted to his streetwise demeanor and exclaimed, "Damn! What a disgusting sight—two big men buried together!" He spat on the ground after saying this.
The laughter of the other two grew louder, echoing in the enclosed room.
Wang Er Gou's face turned red from embarrassment, and he fell silent, staring intently at the coffin. Suddenly, he called out, "Stop laughing! Come over here and take a look; there's something valuable!"
Seven's eyes lit up as he leaned closer. "What treasure?" he asked. Wang Er Gou had already reached into the coffin and pulled out a bead.
Second also came over to take a look and said, "Could this be the legendary Night Pearl?"
"Night Pearl?" Seven questioned. In such an ordinary place, could there really be a Night Pearl? The three quickly extinguished their light. To their disappointment, the so-called "Night Pearl" didn't glow at all! In other words, it wasn't a Night Pearl!
As they reignited their light, Seven took the bead from Wang Er Gou's hand and examined it closely. The material appeared to be finely polished jade. Regardless of what it was, it looked valuable enough; he decided to keep it for now and placed it in his backpack.
The other two had no objections. After experiencing great ups and downs in life, Wang Er Gou had become indifferent to wealth. As for Second, there was no need to mention it; they were brothers after all—what was mine was yours.
After putting away the beads, Seven said with great interest, "Let's see if there are any other treasures here."
Second cursed, "You really can't change that disgusting habit of yours, always attracted to dead things."
Seven replied, "Second, you just don't understand. You'll realize how important they are later."
Wang Er Gou chimed in, "There's nothing inside except for two corpses."
"That can't be! Just two dead men and this little bit of burial goods?" Seven asked.
"It’s possible that this wasn’t even meant to contain these two bodies!" Wang Er Gou analyzed. Upon hearing this, Seven calmed down. His fondness for antiques had led him to read a lot about this subject before.
It was unheard of for two large men to be buried in one coffin. "Could it be that these two were murdered and then discarded in the stone coffin?"
"That possibility can't be ruled out!"
Second looked at the skeletons and said, "But their positions look voluntary." The two leaned in closer to observe, and indeed, the postures of the skeletons appeared quite natural, showing no signs of coercion.
Seven leaned in further and remarked, "And their skeletons show no significant trauma! But what could have led these two large men to willingly bury themselves in one coffin?"
"And there’s another skeleton beside them; why didn’t they lie apart?" Wang Er Gou added.
At that moment, Second said, "Don’t tell me I guessed right; they really had some sort of special preference." After Second made this remark, all three felt uneasy discussing such matters about three dead men.
"Whatever it is! They’re dead now; it’s none of our business," Second shouted. The other two agreed with him.
Should we cover them up again? Seven asked. Just as Second was about to respond, another voice suddenly answered, "Don’t cover them!"
Everyone immediately became alert. Both Seven and Second had military training and quickly drew their guns to prepare for defense, while Wang Er Gou was a beat slower but ready nonetheless.
They glanced uneasily into the coffin at the still skeletons and breathed a sigh of relief; as long as it wasn’t the dead speaking, they were fine. If it was a living person, there was still a chance!
"Stop playing tricks! If you're a real man, come out and face us!" shouted Second.
The other two scanned the surroundings, ready to fire at the first sign of an enemy, determined to turn anyone who appeared into a sieve.
After a long wait, there was still no response; it was as if the voice had never existed!
Unable to resist, the three glanced back at the two skeletons in the coffin. They turned their guns toward the bones, all three breaking into a cold sweat. Second wiped his brow and said, "Could it be that they’re just faking it?"
Wang Er Gou replied, "With them looking like this, there's no way they could be faking!"
Seven nodded in agreement; after all, how could there be ghosts in this world? The three began to comfort each other.
They formed a defensive line; one principle of being a soldier is never to turn your back on the enemy. With their backs pressed together, they dared not relax their vigilance, keeping their eyes peeled in all directions.
It was truly torturous! They knew there was an enemy out there but had no idea where they were hiding.
After a while, another stone coffin began to stir! It made a noise, and Second and Seven quickly rolled over to surround it, guns raised toward the coffin.
They saw that the bottom of the coffin had opened up, revealing a dark underground passage where nothing could be seen.
Second shouted into the darkness, "If you know what's good for you, come out quickly!"
A voice came from within, saying, "You all step back." The two took a step back just as Wang Er Gou rushed over.
Second suddenly remarked, "That voice sounds familiar. Could it be someone we know?"
Seven asked, "Could it be that imposter?"
Second considered this possibility and raised his gun, preparing for whatever might come next.
Moments later, someone crawled out from inside—it was Third.
Several people immediately surrounded them, and Seven shouted, "Third!" Third turned around and, seeing the familiar faces, let out a sigh of relief. He climbed up and took a few deep breaths.
The three gathered closer, and when Third noticed Wang Er Gou's presence, he showed no reaction, as if he had expected it all along.
Second handed a water bottle to Third. "Let him have a drink," he said. Third took the bottle and gulped down several mouthfuls.
Second asked, "Third, how did you crawl out of the stone coffin?"
Third wiped his mouth and replied, "That coffin is a passage that leads below."
After a moment of silence, Seven said, "Third, that guy is a fraud!" Third wasn't surprised at all; after a while, he responded, "I already knew that!"
"Huh?" Second and Third reacted simultaneously. Second continued, "Third, if you knew earlier, why didn't you tell us?"
Third replied calmly, "The timing wasn't right back then. I was afraid that revealing it would alert him; he has his own agenda."
At this moment, Wang Er Gou, as an outsider, felt it inappropriate to interject and remained silent.
Looking at the two of them, Third continued, "That guy was probably replaced in the Underground Swamp, maybe even earlier!"
"Do you remember? We had a few run-ins with thieves at that old man's place. I later investigated and found out it was First. From that moment on, I suspected he was a fake."
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