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墨書 Inktalez
The archaeological team was not like the Tomb Raiders, who would grab whatever they wanted and leave everything else behind. The first priority for the archaeological team was to protect the site.
In essence, there was no real difference; both were engaged in grave digging and disrupting the resting places of the dead. The only distinction was that the archaeological team operated under the banner of the government, while the Tomb Raiders acted purely for personal gain.
The entire archaeological team continued to push forward, getting closer to their destination. However, due to the fact that these young people from the city were not accustomed to hardship, coupled with a few Old Scholars among them, they were exhausted after climbing just a short distance. They had taken several breaks along the way.
The sun hung high in the sky, nearing its descent. His Second Uncle sighed and thought to himself, "I had hoped today would be a good day, and that things would go smoothly."
Sitting on a rock in the mountains, covered in dead Green Vines and newly sprouted ones, His Second Uncle pulled out a Pipe from his waist and took a puff.
He inhaled too much at once and began to cough violently. Suddenly, he jumped up, muttering, "No, no." With that, he dashed into the mountains.
The others were taken aback, watching as His Second Uncle swiftly disappeared into the depths of the forest.
Seeing this, the team leader quickly chased after him, shouting, "Stay here and wait for me to return!"
Everyone stood frozen in place, exchanging puzzled glances. What had just happened?
The group below began chattering among themselves. The young man who had previously cursed the Mountain Deity exclaimed, "I told you that old man couldn't be trusted! Now he's left us here; what are we supposed to do?"
Night gradually descended upon them, casting a dim red glow over the mountain peaks. Occasionally, a few calls of Partridges echoed through the air—cooing softly.
Surrounded by dense trees, everyone leaned against them to rest.
This was an untouched forest with thick vegetation; various plants grew wildly and intertwined with one another. It was clear that these individuals lacked outdoor survival experience.
As darkness enveloped them completely, stars scattered across the sky. A cold wind blew through, causing them to huddle closer together.
They had all brought tents with them, but there was no flat ground available for setting them up.
His Second Uncle looked at the group of young people whose voices trembled as they spoke. He sighed and called out, "A few of you come with me to gather some firewood."
There were plenty of dead branches and fallen wood in the mountains; it wouldn't take more than a few steps to find enough firewood for their needs.
The campfire quickly blazed to life, drawing everyone closer. With so many people gathered, one fire was clearly not enough, so another was soon lit.
A few Old Scholars took advantage of the firelight to pull out a book and began studying.
The wind continued to blow, causing the flames to flicker and dance, making a soft whooshing sound.
"Why haven't they come back yet?" a girl asked, referring to His Second Uncle and the team leader, who had gone out and hadn't returned.
Without their leader, a sense of unease settled over them. Each person wore a different expression; this was their first time conducting field archaeology.
Initially, they had come to determine whether there was a Tomb on the mountain. If there was, a follow-up team would come later; they were just the advance party.
As more wood was added to the fire, the flames leaped higher. Though hunger gnawed at their stomachs, they didn’t want to eat cold leftovers and had no choice but to endure it.
Second reminded them to take out their Rations and heat them up before eating. It was as if they had just awakened from a dream.
They hurriedly pulled out their prepared Rations and began to heat them. One young man had just taken a bite of his flatbread when he suddenly clutched his stomach and said, "I need to use the restroom." He turned to the person sitting next to him and asked, "Can you come with me?"
The other person replied, "Are you scared?"
The young man quickly denied it. "Who’s scared? Are you going or not?"
The other person chuckled and said, "Alright, I'll go with you," grabbing a flashlight as they set off. When the flashlight flickered on, Third glanced over and noticed that its beam illuminated much farther than when they had entered the mountain last time; it was like night and day.
This could be a Powerful Spotlight, Third thought. Suddenly, he noticed something move in the farthest reach of the light. Third strained to see clearly, but as the person holding the flashlight swung it around, that spot fell into darkness while another area lit up, returning to calmness.
Still feeling uneasy, Third stood up and called out to the two who were about to leave, "Don’t wander too far."
The young man waved him off dismissively. "I know; no need for your reminder."
The two of them walked into the woods with their bright flashlight. The glow of the fire could no longer reach them as their figures gradually disappeared into the darkness, leaving only the strong beam of light visible.
As they walked and chatted, the young man holding his stomach felt his face change slightly in color and urged, "Can you walk a bit faster?"
The person accompanying him was enjoying the spectacle, walking at a leisurely pace.
The other man grew anxious and said, "Forget it, I'll do it right here." With that, he pulled down his pants. The man who had come with him immediately covered his nose with his hand and complained, "What have you eaten! Take your time; I'll wait for you outside."
The man responded with a grunt, and after a moment, he finally resolved a troublesome matter.
Third felt something was off and glanced in the direction the two had left. The beam of the flashlight was still visible. Third turned back to look at the campfire.
Second had taken Seven and Wang Er Gou to gather bird eggs.
Second said, "Nighttime is the best time to collect bird eggs; you might even catch a big one."
Third stared at the fire, an inexplicable sense of anxiety igniting within him. Xin Shui Su approached from another fire pit and silently sat down.
Xin Shui Su sat quietly beside him. The two were gathered around the fire, with several young people nearby.
One young man had been chatting intermittently with Xin Shui Su during their journey. Earlier, when Xin Shui Su was sitting with a group of girls, he hadn't found it easy to join in.
Now that they were together, it was a perfect opportunity to talk.
The young man began by complaining, "This trip has been unlucky; I wonder why a girl would come out here to do such hard work." Just as he finished speaking, a scream pierced the air.
Third quickly pinpointed the direction and dashed over. The young man hadn’t even had time to react when Xin Shui Su stood up and followed suit.
At the source of the scream, Second had just fallen from a tree, cursing, "Damn it, that hurt like hell." He handed the bird eggs he was holding to Wang Er Gou.
Second asked, " Er Gou, how many do we have?"
Wang Er Gou replied, "Enough for all four of us."
Second muttered to himself; it seemed they would all need to gather more.
Meanwhile, Seven was still hanging from a tree. With the flashlight clenched in his mouth, he managed to free his hands and shouted, "Second, there's a big one!"
Upon hearing this, Second rushed over, and Wang Er Gou stumbled after him.
The two looked up at Seven, who was holding a bird in his hands. It was hard to tell what kind of bird it was, but it seemed quite large. The excitement spread to the two below.
Second shouted, "Quick, knock the bird down and throw it down!" After receiving the command, Seven was about to act when he suddenly noticed the bushes shaking nearby. "Something's moving," he said urgently, and as he spoke, he lost his grip, allowing the duck to fly away.
The bird let out a couple of mournful cries before disappearing into the sky.
It all happened too suddenly. Second yelled, "Seven, come down!"
Seven slid down from the tree in response. The three stood together, drawing their guns from their waists. Second exclaimed, "Whoever it is, I’ll make sure to take them down."
Watching the rustling bushes, they knew something was approaching, and all three prepared themselves.
Soon enough, the bushes parted, and a figure emerged.
Just as Second was about to fire, Seven pressed down on Second's hand and said, "It's Third." Second quickly called out, "Third, is that you?"
Standing on the ground, Third looked at the three of them awkwardly climbing down from the tree and immediately felt relieved. Calmly, he replied, "It's me."
The group put their guns away.
After a moment, another figure appeared, breathing slightly heavier but saying nothing.
However, the three recognized him at a glance. Second asked, "What are you doing here?" Third replied, "I heard the scream earlier..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Seven jumped in to answer, "That was just Second falling from the tree while trying to get bird eggs."
Second smacked Seven on the head and scolded him, "You brat, stop talking nonsense."
Seven chuckled awkwardly and fell silent.
In Wang Er Gou's arms were already stuffed with bird eggs. Second sighed and said, "It's a pity that big bird got away earlier!"
The five of them formed a team and began retracing their steps. Third felt relieved; it had all been a false alarm. Xin Shui Su also felt a sense of calm settle within.
When they returned to the original spot, the flames were still burning brightly. Second was busy preparing roasted bird eggs and said, "Seven, how do we do this?"
Seven chuckled and replied, "Wrap them in mud and toss them directly into the fire. When they come out, they'll be bursting with aroma."
As he spoke, he gestured for Wang Er Gou to get started.
Third had just settled down when he noticed something was off with the expressions on their faces. He leaned in and asked quietly, "What's wrong with you all?"
Concern was etched on their faces as they pointed toward the direction where two people had gone to relieve themselves. Following their gaze, Seven looked over.
The flashlight was still shining brightly, but there was no movement.
Third stared in that direction as one person continued, "They've been gone for a long time and haven't returned. Is something wrong?"
Before Third could even warm his seat, he stood up again and said to the person, "I'll go check." The person promptly handed Third a flashlight.
Taking it, Third prepared to head out when the other person stood up to follow. Third stopped him, saying, "You stay here."
Third moved toward that direction; the light was still bright and the location was clear. As he passed by Second, who was fanning the fire because he had just added more wood, Second called out to him. After learning Third's intention, he briefed the two who remained behind before joining Third on his way.
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