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墨書 Inktalez
The coffin was surprisingly crimson, an unheard-of color; typically, they were black or bronze, with the most luxurious being jade coffins, not to mention those made from rare woods.
As Zhou Li approached, he quickly determined that this was not a color applied later but rather the natural hue of the wood itself. This meant it was made from a tree with red bark.
The wind gradually lowered its raised hand and looked at Zhou Li. After a moment, Zhou Li said, "Don't open the coffin yet."
The wind had never doubted Zhou Li's words, so it stopped and stood still.
Second turned to Zhou Li and the wind, asking, "What are you waiting for?"
Zhou Li did not respond, and the wind shook its head.
The walls of the tomb chamber were constructed from bricks, and there was only one coffin in the entire room, leaving it feeling empty. Could this truly be the main burial chamber? Zhou Li was puzzled.
The ancient tomb that the archaeological team had excavated might be a false tomb, designed to conceal the real Tomb. However, many Burial Goods had been found in that Tomb as well, which suggested it wasn't entirely fake. Perhaps that place was where the accompanying items were stored. How large must this ancient tomb be! It was hard to imagine.
Zhou Li collected his thoughts.
Third was also gathered around the coffin, examining it intently. Zhou Li asked, "Did you notice anything?"
Third shook his head and replied, "Only by opening the coffin can we uncover the truth."
Zhou Li paused. He was merely afraid that opening the coffin would unleash an Evil Spirit or a zombie, which would be difficult to handle. Although he had brought glutinous rice and donkey hooves and had even sought out several talismans from a temple to ward off spirits.
Zhou Li glanced at Third. There was no emotion on Third's face. Zhou Li understood; in this line of work, fearing ghosts was the greatest taboo. Since there was no point in worrying about it now.
He called out to the wind; when it came to opening coffins, the wind was quite skilled. Second and others gathered around, watching closely as the wind began its task.
The wind did not hesitate; in just a few swift motions, signs of loosening appeared on the coffin lid.
Onlookers internally praised the wind's skill while Zhou Li felt a sense of doubt—how could this coffin be opened so easily?
Dafeng felt uncertain as he proceeded with the task. As soon as he made a move, the coffin lid shifted in response. However, without much hesitation, he continued.
Zhou Li sensed something was off and asked, "Is there a problem?"
Dafeng paused for a moment, looked at Zhou Li, and shook his head. Noticing the unease on Zhou Li's face, he stepped back to let Zhou Li take over. The moment Zhou Li touched it, he realized the lid had already loosened enough to be lifted easily.
Zhou Li signaled for Dafeng to step back. With coffins buried underground for hundreds or even thousands of years, they accumulated a heavy atmosphere of death that could infect anyone who wasn't careful. A single misstep could lead to skin rotting away, and if not handled properly, it could result in severe disability.
If they were to blow directly into it, it would almost certainly be fatal.
Both Dafeng and Zhou Li retreated simultaneously, calling the others to step back as well. Dafeng pulled a gas mask from his backpack and put it on while Zhou Li did the same.
Dafeng warned the others, "Stay far away and don't come close." Just as he was about to approach again, Third called out to him, "Don't move; the coffin seems to have shifted."
Zhou Li halted as well, his eyes fixed on the coffin without daring to blink. Minutes passed in silence, but the coffin remained still.
Dafeng turned to Third and asked, "Was that just your imagination?"
Third shook his head firmly. "No."
Second chimed in, "Could it be that the corpse inside is trying to rise?" It wasn’t impossible; Zhou Li had encountered such situations before.
Upon hearing Second's words, Zhou Li's expression grew serious. Second took out his handgun from his pocket as a precaution.
Meanwhile, Dafeng revealed a submachine gun capable of firing continuously. The group was familiar with firearms and recognized that this was high-quality equipment.
Dafeng looked at Second eyeing his weapon and said, "This submachine gun can fire a full magazine of over twenty rounds with an effective range of about 400 meters."
Second replied, "Let me give it a try." Without hesitation, Dafeng handed the submachine gun over to Second, who then passed his handgun to Dafeng.
As the strong wind approached, they had to open the coffin. Even with such good firearms, it was difficult to maintain control.
After a moment passed, there was still no movement from the coffin. Zhou Li said, "Let's open the coffin!" The wind responded affirmatively. As he stepped forward, he said to Second, "If I uncover a zombie later, just shoot it to pieces."
Second held his gun and assured the wind, "Don't worry! Just watch me!"
The wind didn't waste any more time and followed closely behind Zhou Li. Second kept a vigilant eye on the coffin, his finger resting on the trigger, ready at any moment.
When they reached the side of the coffin, Zhou Li whispered, "Get the glutinous rice and donkey hooves ready."
The wind nodded, both taking a deep breath. Hidden behind their masks, they couldn't see each other's expressions.
"Are we doing it now?" the wind asked.
Zhou Li's hand touched the edge of the coffin lid, and the wind followed suit.
Zhou Li said, "On the count of three, we'll flip the lid." The wind agreed.
As they counted to three, everyone else was tense as well; Second could feel sweat forming in his palms.
Third was also watching but didn’t appear as anxious.
When they reached three, the coffin lid was flipped to the ground. Zhou Li and the wind immediately leaned over to look inside, their faces filled with surprise as they stood frozen in place.
Third rushed over a few steps, followed closely by Second. When they arrived, they too stood still without moving.
Finally, when Wang Er Gou stepped forward, everyone dispersed. Inside the coffin was nothing at all—just an empty shell.
But whether or not there had been a body inside was something no one dared to deny.
Tomb Raiders were rampant, and various tombs had been plundered, leaving only a few that had escaped the thieves. Thus, it was not impossible to speculate that this Tomb had been robbed as well.
Previously, Zhou Li had mentioned that someone had entered, but she would never have desecrated a corpse.
There was another possibility: this could simply be an empty coffin, with no story within.
Zhou Li remarked, "The wood of this coffin is unusual; it is indeed strange not to have a body inside." Even Zhou Li couldn't make sense of it, let alone the others.
Third ran a hand over the coffin, feeling a strange familiarity. A spark of realization crossed Third's mind—wasn't this wood the same as that of the coffin in the Swamp Underground Kingdom? Where had the person inside gone? Third was baffled.
At that moment, Second and Da Feng lifted the coffin lid and placed it back on the coffin.
Second called out, "Third!" Third snapped back to reality and withdrew their hand.
Once the coffin was sealed again, it seemed as if everything had settled. However, the coffin had indeed shifted earlier, only to fall silent afterward.
Was there truly nothing inside the coffin? Could it have all been an illusion?
Da Feng and Zhou Li removed their masks and stored them away, addressing the group, "We need to keep moving forward."
The searchlight was also turned off; while its illumination was strong, it had one major drawback—it consumed a lot of power. The flashlight was switched back on, restoring silence to the area once more.
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