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墨書 Inktalez
I scanned the walls with my eyes, but I couldn't find any way out. The four walls seemed like a solid whole, tightly sealed.
"Look for any mechanisms," the Mud Man reminded.
Fat Ma seemed lost in thought and didn't react.
I shouted in his ear.
Fat Ma jumped, cursing, "Old Sun, what are you shouting about?"
I laughed, "Just trying to wake you up! You look like you're in a daze." Fat Ma scoffed at me, saying, "You've interrupted my train of thought!"
"Oh! What were you thinking about?" I asked playfully.
Fat Ma replied seriously, "Generally speaking, the Ear Chamber shouldn't be sealed if it's meant for storage! I've been down here so many times and have never encountered this situation."
Hearing Fat Ma say this, the Mud Man added, "I've never come across this either."
Just as the Mud Man finished speaking, a glint flashed in his eyes. He said to us, "There's a strange smell; cover your noses quickly."
"What?" Fat Ma and I asked in unison, both of us oblivious to it.
However, seeing the Mud Man's actions made us realize what was happening, and we quickly covered our noses.
The Mud Man looked around intently and suddenly ran over to blow out the lit oil lamp. Then he said, "We might be poisoned."
Fat Ma and I exchanged surprised glances. "What’s going on?" Fat Ma pressed for answers.
The Mud Man sighed quietly and said, "We've been tricked!"
"What's going on? Can you just say it clearly all at once?" Fat Ma urged.
The gas released by the lamp was toxic, and my heart sank at the words of the clay man. He continued, "I was careless!"
"It's not your fault!" I replied.
Fat Ma mocked, "Look at your little courage, I'm still alive and kicking! My body is just fine, no worries!"
I thought Fat Ma was right; there were no immediate reactions from his body.
"It's a chronic toxin. It might be triggered at a specific moment, and then it could lead to poisoning and death."
At this, we all fell silent.
"Can it be cured?" Fat Ma asked.
I suddenly recalled the poison gas used by the enemy during the Anti-Japanese War, where survival was nearly impossible. Just as I was about to speak,
the clay man said, "It can be cured."
Hearing this, I breathed a sigh of relief and swallowed back the words I had intended to say.
Fat Ma's heart lightened as he said, "Since it can be cured, what’s there to fear!" He chuckled a few times.
Seeing us so optimistic, the clay man couldn't help but remind us, "Right now, it's like we have a time bomb buried in our bodies."
Fat Ma brushed off his concerns and placed a hand on the clay man's shoulder. "Don't say such gloomy things!"
"Shall we find an exit?" I suggested.
However, at that moment, the tomb was shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to discern the specific shapes of objects.
We had very few flares left and could not afford to waste them carelessly.
Fat Ma pulled out a lighter, flicking it on and off. The brief flashes of light became our greatest reliance. Fortunately, the tomb had excellent light-gathering properties.
The three of us spread out, each busy with our own tasks. Suddenly, I thought I heard a sound coming from behind the wall.
I called the other two over and said, "It seems like there's a noise." Fat Ma hurriedly pressed his ear against the wall, listening intently. "No way! Old Sun, you must be mistaken."
"Really?" I leaned in again, but it seemed like there was indeed nothing!
"There is," at that moment, the Mud Man interrupted us.
He gestured for us to be quiet and leaned his ear against the wall to listen. After a while, I grew a bit impatient and listened myself. The sound was a rustling, like mice gnawing on something; it was unsettling and grating.
"There really is a sound," Fat Ma exclaimed in surprise.
The noise grew louder, and the Mud Man and I quickly stepped away from the wall.
The rustling sound transformed into a thudding noise. Just as we exchanged astonished glances, a crack appeared in the wall.
Light streamed in.
"Not good! We need to hide," the Mud Man whispered.
The crack widened, and the light intensified. Fat Ma could hardly contain his impatience and wanted to step out, but I quickly held him back.
At that moment, someone said, "Second Brother, it's already opened."
"Second Brother?" The name echoed in our ears, inevitably reminding us of Brother Jiang.
"Could it be that bastard?" Fat Ma whispered. Ever since Brother Jiang had snatched Fat Ma's armor piece last time, Fat Ma had held a grudge against him.
"Who is it? Come out!"
"What's wrong, Second Brother?" a voice asked.
"If you don't come out, don't blame us for being rude."
I knew I couldn't hide any longer. I whispered, "Let's go out!" Fat Ma could no longer contain himself; as soon as I finished speaking, he charged out, shouting, "Let's see who dares to be rude to me, Fat Master!" His bravado was impressive!
We followed him outside, with Fat Ma's gun pointed upward as he stepped out.
However, as soon as we emerged, we were intimidated by the opposing force.
What the hell are you doing here for a gathering?
Fat Ma's bravado immediately diminished; he seemed outnumbered! There were at least a hundred people densely packed in the main tomb chamber outside.
Fat Ma lowered his gun and casually called out, "Brother Jiang." He continued, "It's quite a surprise to run into you here!"
The people standing nearby looked puzzled. Did they know Second Brother?
I stared at Brother Jiang; it was definitely him, but something felt different.
"I don't know you," Brother Jiang replied coldly.
Fat Ma was taken aback for a moment before cursing, "You little brat stole my stuff and ran off, and now you're pretending not to know me!" Fat Ma unleashed a torrent of insults.
Everyone was taken aback by the sudden outburst, and no one reacted at first.
Once I realized what was happening, I quickly tried to calm Fat Ma down.
Brother Jiang was clearly caught off guard by Fat Ma's tirade as well; a look of surprise flashed across his face as he said, "I've never seen you before."
Fat Ma seemed ready to take action, but someone stopped him.
That person shouted at Fat Ma, "Second Brother, we’ve already said we don’t know you."
I grabbed Fat Ma's hand, urging him not to act impulsively. Then someone asked, "How should we deal with these people?"
Second Brother left us with just a glance over his shoulder and said, "Let them stay for now. We'll decide what to do when the old man returns."
After receiving the order, that person signaled for seven or eight others to come over and tie us up. We didn’t dare resist because they were armed with real guns.
The one tying us up teased, "Hey guys, nice outfits you've got!"
Then someone came to search us, and our valuables were quickly stripped away. Fat Ma squirmed, grumbling under his breath, but he could only watch helplessly as his treasures were taken one by one.
Not only was the searcher constantly commenting on our belongings, but both I and the clay figure also wore expressions of shock.
"Stop searching! This is really the last item!" Fat Ma said with a pained expression. The man clearly didn’t believe him. As it turned out, he pulled two more items from Fat Ma’s possession.
Looking at the pile of assorted items on the ground, I couldn’t help but wonder how Fat Ma had managed to carry all of this. Realizing there was no hope of retrieving his belongings, Fat Ma stopped struggling altogether.
He glanced back at us and saw us glaring at him. Fat Ma chuckled awkwardly to ease the tension in the air, then finally closed his eyes, choosing not to see what was happening. But I could imagine his heart was bleeding inside.
Hundreds of people were gathered, some standing and others sitting, illuminated by a large searchlight.
Seeing this scene for the first time, I had previously thought that Mr. Jiang's group was already quite large, but now I realized what it truly meant to have a crowd.
Earlier, while at the riverbank, I had speculated that there was another group inside the Tomb, and now my guess had been confirmed.
The Mud Man spoke up, "This person is definitely not the same as the one before."
I knew he was referring to Brother Jiang without a doubt. In fact, from the moment I laid eyes on him, I suspected there were two individuals rather than just one.
This added another layer of suspicion: the previous 'Brother Jiang' was an imposter. I didn't voice this thought, but I believed the Mud Man understood.
Fat Ma interjected, clarifying the situation. The Mud Man and I nodded in agreement.
"You all knew about this!" Fat Ma exclaimed. "If you had warned me earlier, I wouldn't have ended up tied up here."
I replied, "We only just confirmed it ourselves." Fat Ma immediately lost his temper.
"Get me some water," Fat Ma shouted.
Soon someone brought water and poured it into Fat Ma's mouth.
Suddenly, the Mud Man seemed to remember something, his expression darkening. Just a second later, after Fat Ma finished drinking, he began to foam at the mouth and convulsed violently.
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