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墨書 Inktalez
Mu Xuanche and I swam for a while, and through the diving mask, all I could see was a glowing green surface above.
Bai Qiling and Yan Shengwei were swimming nearby, with Yan Shengwei occasionally giving me a thumbs-up, clearly at ease in the water.
Suddenly, the water surface rushed past me like bubbles, and the pressure dropped sharply. Mu Xuanche suddenly felt around and grabbed a bronze post, pulling my hand as his feet landed firmly on what turned out to be solid ground.
Yan Shengwei and Bai Qiling gestured towards us and also descended to touch the bronze post at the riverbed.
Looking around, it resembled an endless corridor with varying depths.
The surroundings were made of bronze, covered in dark green substances that looked like algae.
Branches lay scattered across the ground, making a crunching sound underfoot.
Mu Xuanche paused and suddenly removed his oxygen mask.
He walked forward two steps without any hindrance, took a deep breath, glanced at me with a hint of impatience, and pulled off my oxygen mask.
"What’s going on? I can’t feel the pressure anymore," I asked in confusion. The pressure had been pressing against my chest underwater, but now it felt as if I were walking on solid ground.
"I don’t know," Mu Xuanche shook his head. "But clearly, the air here is breathable."
He took off his oxygen tank.
Behind us, Yan Shengwei looked at us with suspicion but kept his oxygen mask tightly on. Bai Qiling followed suit and removed her oxygen tank, joining Mu Xuanche as they moved forward to explore.
"This place is littered with dead wood. It must have sunk down from somewhere above," Bai Qiling said as she picked up a stick but soon tossed it aside when she found no clues.
"How can this place be breathable?" I couldn’t help but ask.
"It might be connected to some unknown passage leading to the outside world," Yan Shengwei suddenly approached us and lowered his oxygen mask. "For example, there was once an ancient tomb excavated in the East China Sea. The tomb was buried deep underwater, accessible only through a passage that opened during a sea whirlpool. The internal environment of that tomb was similar to this one; although seawater couldn’t enter, air could flow in through the whirlpool."
"Stop talking nonsense and take off your oxygen tank so we can move forward," Mu Xuanche shot Yan Shengwei an annoyed look and stepped onto the dead wood as he advanced deeper into the corridor.
I followed closely behind, standing next to Mu Xuanche. The surroundings gradually brightened, revealing that this long corridor resembled a closed tunnel, with only the exit we had entered from. Shadows accompanied by flickering blue flames danced along the walls, and I felt a sudden chill as I heard a soft "puff." The blue lights hanging on either side of the wall dimmed again as the shadows passed by. Yan Shengwei, curious, fiddled with the candle-like flames, attempting to touch the blue fire with his hand. His fingers brushed against it without any unusual sensation, not even a hint of heat.
"This must be Will-o'-the-Wisp," Yan Shengwei chuckled, playing with the flickering blue flames and murmuring to himself.
Feeling slightly bored, Yan Shengwei touched the bronze walls on either side, seemingly examining the patterns above. Bai Qiling remained solemnly focused ahead, just like Mu Xuanche. In the tranquil corridor, only the blue flames flickered intermittently, accompanied by Yan Shengwei's occasional low murmurs.
I lost track of time in this place where day and night blurred together. All I could see were the suddenly brightening and dimming blue flames. I tried to relax and communicate with Mu Xuanche to break the silence, but he didn’t even glance my way and continued walking straight ahead. With no other option, I approached Yan Shengwei. "What’s on this wall? You’ve been studying it for quite a while."
"I'm looking for a mechanism," Yan Shengwei replied with a smile. "Every tomb has its mechanisms. Don't worry; in my opinion, we should reach the end of this passage soon."
"Why do you think so?"
"Look closely at this layer of dirt covering the wall," Yan Shengwei said, scraping off some sand with his finger and showing it to me. "This place might have been washed over by mud and sand before. From when we first entered until now, I've noticed that the dirt on this wall has become thicker. When a mudslide occurs, naturally, the closer you get to the source, the thicker the layer of soil will be. This layer of mud is already starting to cover the patterns on the wall itself. So we should find an exit soon."
As soon as he finished speaking, Mu Xuanche suddenly stopped.
Indeed, a tall gray wall stood before us. Instead of ordinary oil lamps hanging on either side of the door, there were two palace maidens holding lamps while seated gracefully. The flames were no longer ghostly blue but rather bright and vibrant red. The door was deep green in color, with two circular rings embedded in its center. Yan Shengwei approached the door carefully, examining it closely while touching the protruding circular holes on either side.
Yan Shengwei was cautious; Mu Xuanche and Bai Qiling remained still.
In Yan Shengwei's mind was a spirit turtle that could foresee fortune and misfortune, warning him of potential dangers when necessary.
Yan Shengwei looked around and stood up. "This door can't be opened in a conventional way. These holes have strange shapes; there might be a swarm of Black Insects inside that can burrow into human skin. If we pull on those rings directly, they’ll all come rushing out and bite us to death."
"What should we do?" I widened my eyes at the thought of a swarm of black insects crawling over me.
"There must be some mechanism," Yan Shengwei said. "You all check around this door; feel if there are any buttons that aren't level with the surrounding wall. If you find one, don’t press it right away—let me take a look first."
"Okay." I nodded. Bai Qiling and Mu Xuanche remained silent as well. We split into three groups along both sides, gently running our fingers over the surface while Yan Shengwei stood by the door observing everything.
At that moment, Mu Xuanche suddenly exclaimed, "Is it here?"
He released his finger from a spot where Yan Shengwei stepped forward cautiously to clear away some surrounding mud. Sure enough, he noticed that this section of wall was slightly shallower than its surroundings. As he brushed aside more dirt with his fingers, he saw faint characters drawn beside the dark layer—almost invisible at first glance. Tilting his head in confusion, he had no idea what these characters meant. Bai Qiling stepped forward for a closer look; suddenly closing her eyes, she pressed her palm against it and softly whispered, "Open." Instantly, what had appeared complex transformed like an illusion into a solitary protruding handle remaining visible on the wall.
“Illusion?” Yan Shengwei smiled, a hint of helplessness as he scratched his head and casually pushed the handle. Suddenly, the door made a creaking sound, but instead of opening inward, the door panel slowly lifted. A thick, murky air wafted out from inside. I covered my mouth and nose, squinting my eyes, when Yan Shengwei suddenly shouted, “Hurry up and rush in! This smoke will only be effective outside the door!”
I instinctively followed Mu Xuanche into the room, lowering my head. As soon as I stepped inside, I felt a rush of relief in my chest, but before I could raise my eyes, a mass of black mist enveloped us.
“Mu Xuanche!” I shouted into the darkness ahead.
The door behind us, which had been raised, suddenly made a clattering sound like gears turning. Without even looking, I knew the door had slammed shut behind us. In the dim space, I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. I groped around, but suddenly my fingers got tangled in a mass of threads. More and more fine strands quickly wrapped around my ankles; it was eerily quiet, and I couldn’t hear anyone else’s voice. It felt as if I were trapped alone in a dark room. I couldn’t help but hold my breath as that delicate tangle continued to constrict around me, climbing up to my neck and creeping onto my face.
A chill ran down my spine. I reached out to feel the threads carefully and gradually realized what they were. My body stiffened instantly, cold sweat breaking out on my back. These were damp strands of hair that were tightening painfully around me, with finer hairs burrowing into my back and pushing into my mouth and nose.
Just when I felt like I was going to suffocate from the hair filling my throat, a pair of large hands suddenly wrapped around me from below. Before I could scream, those hands pierced into my arm with a sharp object. A surge of blood flowed out, and at that moment, the mass of hair seemed to recoil in fear. The strands that had filled my mouth and nose quickly retreated as if they were fleeing from something terrifying. Without needing to look, I knew my face had turned pale; it felt like everything I had eaten was about to come back up. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would end up swallowing hair; it felt like there was still so much fur stuck in my mouth.
(End of Chapter)
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