《Love Apartment: Tomb Raiding System》


 Chapter 1 - The Second Mysterious Figure in the Love Apartment!

    Chapter 1: The Second Mysterious Figure in the Love Apartment!


    A certain foolish young man stared helplessly at the ceiling. How should he explain this? It was a long, complicated story. To put it simply, this guy had traveled through time!


    Yes, it was a ridiculously long and troublesome tale. The young man¡¯s name was Chen Yuze, the same as before his transmigration. His elders had named him ¡°Yuze¡± (Rain of Blessings), hoping he would bring prosperity to future generations. Unfortunately, his family hadn¡¯t exactly been virtuous¡ªwell, to put it bluntly, they were a bunch of tomb raiders. After sorting through his memories, he finally pieced everything together.


    The Chen Yuze who had traveled here was originally just an ordinary rich second-generation heir. His parents had been too busy chasing cars, houses, and money to pay him any attention. It wasn¡¯t until their deaths that they even remembered they had a son. Ridiculous, right? His existence had been practically negligible. So, honestly, transmigrating here didn¡¯t bother him at all.


    After merging memories, he realized this world¡¯s Chen Yuze wasn¡¯t ordinary either¡ªhe was also filthy rich. For example, he owned several buildings in Shanghai. And most importantly, today, he had officially renamed one of his apartment complexes: Love Apartment.


    Yup. He was now the goofy landlord of Love Apartment, the only thing his family had left him. Tomb raiding was a dangerous business, after all, so even before Chen Yuze transmigrated, the original owner had already become a loner with no living relatives. But that was fine¡ªless chance of anyone exposing his secret.


    The phone rang, and Chen Yuze instinctively picked it up.


    ¡°Landlord, the wedding is about to start. Aren¡¯t you coming?¡± A voice came through the receiver.


    Chen Yuze remembered¡ªtoday was Wang Tiezhu and Tian Erniu¡¯s wedding. As the landlord, he should attend. But the original landlord had been a shut-in who hated crowded events. Having grown up surrounded by flattery, he avoided such gatherings.


    But the current Chen Yuze was different. He wanted to see Love Apartment¡¯s bunch of oddballs. Still, he decided to sneak in quietly. After all, he needed to keep his landlord¡¯s identity hidden. Nobody had seen him before, so blending in would be easy.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be coming. Have fun without me!¡± Chen Yuze replied, then added an excuse: ¡°The other building¡¯s under renovation, and I¡¯m swamped with paperwork for the name change. Since the rebranding is their wedding gift, you know how complicated it is.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. You should¡¯ve mentioned it earlier. I¡¯ll handle things here then!¡± The other person hesitated but agreed¡ªafter all, the couple had only brought this up yesterday. There really wasn¡¯t enough time.


    After hanging up, Chen Yuze rummaged for some casual clothes, threw them on, and admired himself in the mirror.


    ¡°How can someone as handsome as me even exist? Look at this face, this physique!¡±


    Pfft. As if that explained why he¡¯d never had a girlfriend. A narcissist like him deserved a good beating¡ªenough to turn his face into a pig¡¯s head. Sadly, no one was around to do the honors.


    He drove to the apartment in an ordinary SUV. Though he owned plenty of luxury cars, he¡¯d lent them all out for the wedding. This SUV was something he¡¯d bought with his first month¡¯s rent money.


    At the entrance, someone was keeping track of gift money. Chen Yuze patted his pockets¡ªa few cards, but no POS machine in sight. After more searching, he finally dug out 1,000 yuan in cash. (Probably the original owner¡¯s habit.)


    Why carry so much cash? Isn¡¯t that dumb? What about WeChat Pay or Alipay?


    Well, bad news¡ªthis was a time before smartphones, let alone mobile payment. Surprise!


    Chen Yuze knew this and that developing those apps early could make him rich. But he was rich already. Plus, it¡¯d take too much effort, and he had zero tech skills. No point dreaming of fortunes. For all he knew, the future ¡°tech dads¡± were already working on them.


    He walked up to the gift registrar, who glanced at him.


    ¡°Name and amount.¡±


    So blunt. Chen Yuze pulled out seven red bills.


    ¡°666. Give me change.¡±


    The registrar froze. Who gave odd amounts for wedding gifts? It was always whole numbers! After a long stare, Chen Yuze added another bill.


    ¡°Fine, 800.¡±


    The man gave him a ¡°That¡¯s more like it¡± look, wrote down Chen Yuze¡¯s name, and shooed him away. Chen Yuze briefly considered raising this guy¡¯s rent but decided against it. The future policy was ¡°rent halved, utilities free¡± for couples. With that attitude, this guy would probably stay single forever.


    Once inside, Chen Yuze felt hungry and sneaked into a corner to snack. Why was he, a rich guy, acting like a thief? Who knew?


    Munching happily (the food was delicious), he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Hey, buddy. That hungry?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Came straight here without eating.¡± Chen Yuze replied without turning.


    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re dedicated. Skipping meals just for free food? As deputy head of the Tenant Subcommittee, I arrest you! The wedding hasn¡¯t even started!¡± The man sounded annoyed.


    ¡°Hello, Madam Chairperson. Food¡¯s food. I¡¯ve been busy all morning!¡± Chen Yuze answered casually, though internally, he was cursing.

 Chapter 2 - I Got the Wrong System!

    Chapter 2: I Got the Wrong System!


    Why was Chen Yuze cursing? The reason was simple¡ªwhile that guy was rattling off names, another voice suddenly echoed in his mind, loud and clear:


    ¡°Ding! Congratulations, Host, for triggering the main storyline! The Tomb Raiding System is now officially activated! We hope you dedicate yourself to completing tasks. Our goal: a world without tombs!¡±


    Chen Yuze was so frustrated he could cry. Why is it that when others transmigrate, they get entertainment, godhood, or wealth systems, but mine seems infected with a virus? Tomb raiding? What kind of nonsense is this? Since when does the Love Apartment have ancient tombs? And it¡¯s illegal! I¡¯m no official tomb-raiding expert!


    Worse, the system didn¡¯t even give him a chance to refuse¡ªit immediately started spouting random tasks like a madman.


    ¡°Binding successful. Distributing beginner¡¯s gift pack. Host, please check as soon as possible: one low-level tomb-raiding talisman. Generating beginner¡¯s mission: Tremble, Graves! Raid one tomb!¡±


    After that, the system went dead silent.


    Chen Yuze¡¯s earlier response had stunned Zeng Xiaoxian, but now Chen Yuze himself snapped back to reality. He looked up at the sky¡ªHeavens, how cruel can you be?!


    ¡°Little bro, I sympathize, but can you wait a bit before eating? Also, it¡¯s the vice chair, not women¡¯s chair!¡± Zeng Xiaoxian pondered for a moment before realizing the guy had a point.


    Chen Yuze finally regained his senses and handed what he was holding to Zeng Xiaoxian. ¡°Oh, got it. Here, take it all. But it really is delicious!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Zeng Xiaoxian smirked, carefully picking up a small cake and popping it into his mouth. ¡°Mmm¡­ so good!¡±


    Zeng Xiaoxian closed his eyes, savoring the cake, his expression growing even more shameless. Chen Yuze noticed that the Zeng Xiaoxian from the TV show wasn¡¯t nearly as ridiculous as this one. Still, he slowly took a step back, sensing something was off.


    ¡°Jian¡ªRen¡ªZeng!!!¡± A thunderous roar, like a Buddhist lion¡¯s roar, stunned everyone present. Zeng Xiaoxian snapped out of his daze, nearly crying at the sight before him.


    Fumbling with the plate, Zeng Xiaoxian stared at the beauty in front of him. ¡°Hu¡­ Hu Yifei, let me explain! I didn¡¯t eat this! It was that guy¡ªhuh? Where¡¯d he go?¡±


    When he turned around, the guy had vanished. Meanwhile, Hu Yifei¡¯s eyes burned with fury. From a safe distance, Chen Yuze exhaled in relief. ¡°Phew! I knew something felt off. Thank goodness I dodged that bullet! The pressure just now¡ªof course, it¡¯s Hu Yifei. That explains everything!¡±


    Wiping imaginary sweat from his brow, Chen Yuze studied Hu Yifei and Zeng Xiaoxian. Now I get why Zeng Xiaoxian likes her so much. She¡¯s stunning, even if her personality is more manly than most men. But her presence is something else.


    Meanwhile, Hu Yifei wasn¡¯t about to go easy on Zeng Xiaoxian. ¡°You shameless scoundrel! I thought you¡¯d changed after lying low for so long, but no¡ªyou¡¯re still the same old jerk!¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯ve known better than to trust you. But this? This is beyond low! Good thing I came to check¡ªlook at all this food you stuffed into your greedy mouth! If I¡¯d been any later, you¡¯d have devoured everything! And you call yourself the vice chair? Have some dignity!¡± Her booming voice drew everyone¡¯s attention, leaving Chen Yuze trembling in his hiding spot.


    ¡°One more time¡ªit¡¯s the vice chair of the residents¡¯ committee, not the women¡¯s chair! And I didn¡¯t eat this!¡± Zeng Xiaoxian was practically in tears, scanning the crowd for the guy who¡¯d set him up.


    ¡°Oh? Not you? Then maybe wipe the cream off your face before lying to me!¡± Hu Yifei crossed her arms, her glare practically daring him to keep digging his own grave.


    ¡°Huh? Really? I was careful!¡± Zeng Xiaoxian instinctively wiped his cheek¡ªthen froze under Hu Yifei¡¯s murderous aura.


    ¡°Go on, keep talking. Want me to fetch a mirror for you?¡± Hu Yifei sneered. Zeng Xiaoxian felt his life darkening.


    Just then, he spotted the culprit in the crowd. Without thinking, he dragged Chen Yuze forward. Chen Yuze, still confused, noticed a girl nearby pointing at her chin. He touched his own¡ªOh no, I missed some cream too! S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Hu Yifei, he ate it! I saw him!¡± Zeng Xiaoxian shoved Chen Yuze forward. Faced with Hu Yifei¡¯s full wrath, Chen Yuze wisely chose surrender.


    ¡°Alright, I admit it. I skipped breakfast to make it to the wedding and grabbed a cake. I¡¯ll make it up to you however I can.¡± His apologetic tone pleased Hu Yifei.


    She smiled warmly. ¡°No worries! You must¡¯ve rushed here. The food¡¯s meant to be eaten anyway¡ªtiming doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll have the kitchen bring more later.¡±


    ¡°See? I told you it wasn¡¯t me!¡± Zeng Xiaoxian cheered, jumping in triumph¡ªuntil Hu Yifei¡¯s glare returned.


    ¡°Oh? Not you? Then explain the cream on your face and the plate in your hand.¡±


    ¡°He gave it to me!¡± Zeng Xiaoxian pointed at Chen Yuze, who played dumb.


    ¡°Enough! Still lying? Now you¡¯re blaming a guest? I can¡¯t believe the bride and groom even let you in!¡± Hu Yifei¡¯s anger flared.


    Knowing resistance was futile, Zeng Xiaoxian slumped. ¡°Fine, I admit it. What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Good. Go fix the red carpet, wash the empty plates, and help serve food later.¡± She listed task after task, leaving Zeng Xiaoxian utterly defeated.

 Chapter 3 - A System for Dummies

    Chapter 3: A System for Dummies


    ¡°This isn¡¯t fair! We both stole food, so why does he get off scot-free while I have to do all this work?¡± Zeng Xiaoxian glared at Chen Yuze, who was playing innocent. His first thought was to give the guy a good beating, what a massive troublemaker! Did he think he could just screw people over without consequences?


    Hu Yifei turned her head sharply, her expression dark as she stared at Teacher Zeng. ¡°Oh, you have the nerve to complain? He¡¯s a guest, what¡¯s wrong with him eating a little? But you, what¡¯s your excuse? Do we really need to spell it out for you?¡±


    ¡°As part of the bride¡¯s family, can¡¯t you at least try to save some face for them? Hurry up and go!!!¡± Without giving Zeng a chance to argue, Hu Yifei verbally pummeled him into submission. Left with no choice, Teacher Zeng could only rush out to help.


    Watching this scene unfold, Chen Yuze shrank back and quickly slipped away. Who knew if Hu Yifei would fly into a rage next?


    But Chen Yuze was overthinking it¡ªHu Yifei had no time to deal with him. She grabbed a communicator and started barking orders, throwing the whole place into chaos. Honestly, Chen Yuze suspected things might actually go smoother without her so-called ¡°leadership.¡± Her commands only made everything worse! But voicing that thought was out of the question, unless he had a death wish.


    Chen Yuze found another quiet corner and finally remembered his system. Earlier, it had gone completely silent, and with the tense atmosphere, he hadn¡¯t had the chance to check it. If Hu Yifei noticed and hit him with her infamous Lion¡¯s Roar, he¡¯d be done for!


    ¡°System! System! Tomb Raiding System!¡± After calling out several times, he realized he¡¯d been using the wrong name. Worse, his system wasn¡¯t even intelligent, just a dumb, bare-bones interface with no AI assistant or system spirit. It looked like some cheap knockoff!


    Checking the system notifications, he found three things: a Newbie Gift Pack, a Low-Grade Tomb Raiding Talisman, and a newly issued mission.


    Clicking on the gift pack notification, a spatial backpack popped up, the kind seen in low-budget MMOs. It was embarrassingly basic, with only two slots: one holding the gift pack, the other containing a strange jade talisman (the so-called Low-Grade Tomb Raiding Talisman).


    Ignoring the gift pack for now (it wasn¡¯t going anywhere), Chen Yuze tapped the jade talisman. A description window popped up, and he nearly facepalmed.


    ¡°You went through the trouble of making a system, but couldn¡¯t even design a decent interface? How hard is it to hire a UI artist? This is way easier than coding the system itself! What¡¯s with this cheap MMO-style item description?!¡±


    ¡°A low-tier system is one thing, but did the aesthetic have to be this bad? At least the special effects aren¡¯t terrible¡ªoh wait, there are no special effects!¡± Chen Yuze silently roasted the system in his mind. What kind of garbage is this?! For some reason, he suddenly felt zero confidence in his so-called ¡°system.¡±


    Still, he forced himself to read the pop-up. The explanation was simple, followed by a long backstory about some ancient master forging the talisman¡ªall of which he skipped. Useless fluff.


    The key details were this: S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The jade talisman acted like a ticket, granting access to a Tomb Raiding Elevator.


    Entering the elevator would transport him to a tomb¡ªbut which tomb? Pure luck.


    Low-grade talismans typically led to low-grade tombs (no surprises there).


    Probably not even a single zombie inside, and the burial artifacts would be mediocre at best.


    But there was more. Since it was a ¡°ticket,¡± he could bring others, specifically, people from this world who gained the system¡¯s approval. Any loot they stole could be brought back and sold here, either to the system or to people in the Love Apartment world.


    The most surprising part? Despite being called a Tomb Raiding System, it felt more like an adventure system. Some tombs might¡¯ve crumbled to dust over time, leaving no undead¡ªjust ruins ripe for exploration.


    Most importantly, after each raid, they¡¯d earn points based on performance, exchangeable for rewards: Body Enhancement Pills, Youth Elixirs, and more.


    Completing a mission allowed him to request the next one (i.e., a new talisman). Talismans could also be bought with points, with higher-grade ones unlockable later (details still unknown).


    Now, Chen Yuze had one burning question: Where the hell is this Tomb Raiding Elevator? An elevator? Really? Shouldn¡¯t it be something cooler, like crushing the talisman to teleport?


    Shaking off the thought, he opened the Newbie Gift Pack¡ªtime to see if the system lived up to its claims. If this pack was full of junk, he¡¯d know exactly what kind of scam he¡¯d gotten into.


    He opened it manually (yes, manually). The only redeeming feature? The tiny box expanded to coffin-size upon opening. At least that was a decent effect.


    Peering inside, Chen Yuze¡¯s curiosity piqued. The contents weren¡¯t overwhelming, but they weren¡¯t shabby either.


    Flying Tiger Claws


    Whirlwind Shovel


    Military Shovel


    A pile of other junk (all stuff he could¡¯ve bought himself). Still, he tossed them into his backpack.


    In one corner, he found a Mojin Talisman¡ªfinally something useful.


    A tattered book titled ¡°Feng Shui Secrets¡± (a damaged copy, but ancient-looking). Into the backpack it went.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Chen Yuze¡¯s eyes lit up at the next finds:


    Two silver M1911 pistols (with holsters).


    Two AK-47 rifles.


    Several ammo boxes.


    A sleek black leather trench coat (men¡¯s style, undeniably cool).


    Four daggers, two longswords, a small box of antidote pills, and a Diamond-Thread Umbrella.


    All in all, not bad for a starter pack.

 Chapter 4 - Gathering at Love Apartment

    Chapter 4: Gathering at Love Apartment


    However, there was still one glowing orb-like object left. Chen Yuze couldn¡¯t quite figure out what it was. After a moment¡¯s thought, he reached out and picked it up. The orb immediately projected another panel! The message indicated that it contained basic tomb-raiding knowledge, specifically, the memories of an unnamed tomb raider, and could be fused with his own mind.


    ¡°Hey, handsome!¡± Just as Chen Yuze was considering whether to merge with it, a voice interrupted his thoughts.


    Chen Yuze turned to see the person in front of him, the same cute girl who had reminded him earlier. She smiled slightly at him and said, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Chen Meijia! I saw you standing still for a long time. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thanks for earlier! I just zoned out for a second.¡± Chen Yuze smiled back at Chen Meijia. She was a bit slim, even slightly frail-looking, but that didn¡¯t detract from her overall charm. With her doll-like face and two adorable dimples when she smiled, she was incredibly cute.


    ¡°Oh, good! The event¡¯s about to start over there. Weren¡¯t you hungry? Let¡¯s go together!¡± Chen Meijia seemed to be hiding something, her expression slightly awkward, but Chen Yuze didn¡¯t press her. He simply nodded and followed her toward the stage.


    As they walked, Chen Yuze suddenly realized something¡ªthe items from his earlier loot box were clearly meant for two people, not one. Though some were missing, the weapon setup made it obvious. That meant the system¡¯s initial task was either a two-person mission or one with double the difficulty.


    Finally, amid the crowd¡¯s cheers, Zeng Xiaoxian somehow scrambled onto the stage, grabbed the microphone, and began his overly enthusiastic hosting. Chen Meijia walked over to another side, chatting with a priest. Chen Yuze knew that the priest had to be L¨¹ Ziqiao in disguise!


    As soon as Chen Meijia left, the band started playing a strangely haunting melody, and Zeng Xiaoxian grew even more excited. Chen Yuze couldn¡¯t help but twitch at the sight.


    Sure enough, it didn¡¯t take long for Hu Yifei to storm over, yank out the microphone cable without hesitation, and then bring a rock band onstage to perform.


    Furious, Zeng Xiaoxian ran down and shouted back at her, ¡°Get it straight, I¡¯m the wedding host, okay?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the director!¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m the deputy head of the neighborhood committee¡¯s apartment residence branch!¡± As he spoke, Zeng Xiaoxian slammed his hand on the sound system, restarting his prepared music.


    But at this point, the sheer absurdity of the band¡¯s performance had to be acknowledged. Everyone had probably heard the classic folk song Husband and Wife Return Home Together¡ªbut had they ever heard an English version?


    Yes. An English rendition of Husband and Wife Return Home Together.


    ¡°Two birds on the tree, are in pairs¡­¡±


    The effect was¡­ bizarre. It sounded like a cow struggling to give birth. Chen Yuze clenched his teeth, fighting back laughter. What a bunch of clowns! Even Wang Tiezhu and Tian Erniu¡ªthe bride and groom, were nuts to entrust their wedding to these people.


    ¡°Holy crap, where did they even find this band? These guys are next-level ridiculous!¡± Chen Yuze muttered under his breath. The weirdest part? The audience seemed to enjoy it. What kind of taste is this?!


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hu Yifei suddenly appeared beside him.


    Chen Yuze felt he could still salvage the situation and forced a nod. ¡°As expected of the band Yifei-jie picked!¡±


    The moment he said it, he regretted it. He¡¯d slipped up.


    Hu Yifei looked slightly embarrassed. ¡°What does ¡®as expected¡¯ mean? I had no idea they¡¯d be this ridiculous. Wait a minute¡ª¡±


    She narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°How do you know my name? I never introduced myself.¡±


    Damn. She¡¯d caught on. Chen Yuze awkwardly replied, ¡°I heard everyone calling you that. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡± Hu Yifei thought about it and nodded. Plenty of people here called her that, so it wasn¡¯t strange for him to know.


    Chen Yuze quickly changed the subject. ¡°By the way, Yifei-jie, do you have any vacant rooms here? My lease is up, and I¡¯d like to move in. The environment seems great.¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes! Our apartment has an open spot. The bride and groom used to live with us, but now that they¡¯re moving out, there¡¯s a vacancy. Perfect timing!¡± Hu Yifei nodded. They¡¯d been planning to look for new roommates soon anyway.


    ¡°Thanks, Yifei-jie!¡± Chen Yuze smiled. Earlier, the system had mentioned that gaining recognition from certain people would allow him to go tomb raiding with them. He suspected those ¡°certain people¡± were the main characters of Love Apartment, otherwise the system wouldn¡¯t have activated when Zeng Xiaoxian approached him.


    ¡°Yifei-jie, the bride and groom¡¯s car is arriving!¡± someone shouted from the side.


    Hu Yifei immediately grabbed her walkie-talkie. ¡°All teams, standby! The bride and groom are here, cue the music!¡±


    The band switched tunes, and Zeng Xiaoxian directed someone to set off the prearranged firecrackers.


    Soon, the wedding car arrived, but out stepped Lu Zhanbo and Lin Wanyu¡­


    Even an idiot could tell these weren¡¯t the bride and groom. Neither was wearing wedding attire, and they looked completely unprepared.


    Lin Wanyu, seeing so many people staring at them, assumed it was a welcome, unsurprising, given she was the heiress of Lin¡¯s Bank and probably used to grand receptions.


    Clueless about normal customs, she cheerfully said, ¡°Wow, so extravagant!¡±


    Lu Zhanbo, though usually slow, had enough sense to notice the odd stares. He whispered to her, ¡°Why is everyone looking at us?¡±


    Chen Yuze nudged Hu Yifei. ¡°Yifei, are these the bride and groom? They¡¯re being way too low-key, no wedding dress?¡±


    Hu Yifei blinked, then snapped back to reality. She marched over to the car. ¡°Zhanbo, why are you in the wedding car?¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Curious about Love Apartment¡¯s two most innocent residents, Chen Yuze followed and studied Lu Zhanbo and Lin Wanyu silently.


    Lu Zhanbo grinned. ¡°Sis, it¡¯s a long story, I¡¯ll explain later!¡±


    He gestured to Lin Wanyu. ¡°This is my friend, Wanyu.¡±

 Chapter 5 - A Deadly

    Chapter 5: A Deadly ¡°Brother-in-Law¡±


    Hu Yifei nodded and pointed at Chen Yuze, beginning her introduction: ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°Brother-in-law!¡± Lu Zhanbo blurted out.


    The moment those words left his mouth, Chen Yuze nearly collapsed to his knees. The surrounding crowd stared at him with the awe reserved for a man who had just walked into certain doom. Cold sweat drenched Chen Yuze¡¯s entire body.


    Even Hu Yifei was stunned. She turned to glance at Chen Yuze, only to see him bolt away like a gust of wind. This could get me killed!


    ¡°Get lost! We just met!¡± Hu Yifei tried to explain, but before she could finish, Lu Zhanbo¡¯s imagination was already running wild.


    With a look of pity, Lu Zhanbo gazed at Chen Yuze. ¡°Love at first sight? Seems like you two haven¡¯t gotten to know each other that well yet!¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you thinking? We literally just met, I don¡¯t even know his name yet!¡± Hu Yifei was seriously considering strangling this idiot. What¡¯s with that look? Are you really my brother? And that guy, why are you running? Like you¡¯re the one at a disadvantage here?


    She turned to glare at Chen Yuze, who was keeping a safe distance. ¡°Hey, you! Get over here and introduce yourself properly. We¡¯re going to be roommates, after all!¡±


    ¡°O-okay!¡± Chen Yuze nodded frantically, scurrying over like a frightened chick. Still, he made sure to keep a respectful gap between himself and Yifei. After all, she¡¯s Teacher Zeng¡¯s future woman. Wouldn¡¯t want to make him jealous.


    ¡°My name is Chen Yuze. ¡®Yu¡¯ as in ¡®stormy rain,¡¯ ¡®Ze¡¯ as in ¡®the grace of dew.¡¯ Profession¡­¡± He paused, thinking. The original owner of this body was a lazy bum, and before I transmigrated, so was I. Definitely can¡¯t say that out loud!


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Hard to say?¡± Lu Zhanbo eyed him curiously. Chen Yuze was decently handsome, not angelic or anything¡ªbut he carried a certain charm. It was hard not to let the imagination wander.


    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just¡­ you might not believe me.¡± Chen Yuze hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m an explorer. Or, well, an adventurer. Not many people are familiar with the profession. You could also call me a polar guide.¡±


    ¡°A tour guide? Just say that!¡± Hu Yifei waved it off, completely missing the nuance.


    Chen Yuze sighed. How am I supposed to tell them, ¡®Actually, I¡¯m a rich second-gen heir, and my future job is grave robbing¡¯? Yeah, right. They¡¯d never believe me anyway. This explanation would have to do.


    ¡°Sis, a polar guide is different from a regular tour guide. It¡¯s a newer profession abroad, didn¡¯t expect to see it here too!¡± Lu Zhanbo, ever the well-traveled scholar, spoke with the air of a seasoned returnee.


    ¡°A guide is a guide!¡± Hu Yifei dismissed it entirely before turning away. ¡°The bride and groom are here!¡± She immediately dragged the three of them aside and resumed her role as the wedding¡¯s commanding force. Chaos erupted once more as everyone scrambled into action.


    Finally, Zeng Xiaoxian took the stage and announced the official renaming of the apartment complex to Love Apartment¡ªwith a special offer: couples moving in would get half off rent and free utilities. The crowd cheered, while Lu Zhanbo and Lin WanYu exchanged eager glances.


    L¨¹ Ziqiao (disguised as the priest) and Chen Meijia were equally thrilled, whispering about pretending to be a couple to move in. Chen Yuze knew this was coming, but he didn¡¯t care much. Truthfully, Love Apartment was huge, with plenty of space.


    The setup was simple: each floor had two suites, and each suite contained four individual rooms. Moving in was easy¡ªjust bring your luggage. The rent for each suite was £¤5,000 per room.


    That might sound expensive, but it was actually a steal. The rooms were spacious (just look at Guan Gu¡¯s place), fully furnished, and move-in ready. Essentially, it was a home, not just an apartment.


    A full suite brought in £¤20,000 per month. You could rent individual rooms or the entire suite, it was up to you. If you rented just one room, the others remained available unless you paid for the whole suite yourself (£¤20,000).


    Before, tenants had to cover utilities, but Chen Yuze didn¡¯t mind. Money flowed in effortlessly. Now, with half-rent and free utilities, he still wouldn¡¯t lose out. If two people rented two rooms in a suite, the rent would be £¤5,000 total, and the other two rooms could still be leased, unless someone took the whole suite for £¤10,000.


    As for couples faking it (like L¨¹ Ziqiao and Chen Meijia), Chen Yuze didn¡¯t care. There¡¯d be more of them, but he wasn¡¯t desperate for cash. Even if some rooms stayed empty, it didn¡¯t matter, he¡¯d never operate at a loss.


    Chen Yuze scanned the room: XiaoXian and Yifei, Ziqiao and Meijia, Zhanbo and WanYu, plus himself and Guan Gu. Eight people, perfect. But why do I feel like Guan Gu and I are the pitiful ones here? And when he remembered Guan Gu¡¯s future ¡°aunt¡± in Season 2, he felt even worse.


    Sigh. Transmigrators have no rights. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Sure enough, L¨¹ Ziqiao and Chen Meijia lived up to their troublemaker reputations. Ziqiao, still posing as the priest, completely ignored the bride and groom, turning instead to ¡°confess his love¡± to Meijia in the audience¡ªwho, of course, played along with fake tears.


    Hu Yifei stormed onto the stage. ¡°Hey, priest! You¡¯re stealing the spotlight! What about the actual wedding?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Right, right!¡± Ziqiao snapped back to reality and launched into his officiating duties, in what could only be described as ¡°L¨¹-brand English.¡± Even Chen Yuze, a self-admitted academic slacker, knew his English was at least eight levels above this mess. And that included EQ and IQ.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny? Got a problem with my priest?¡± Hu Yifei glared at Chen Yuze, who was clutching his stomach from laughter.


    ¡°N-no! It¡¯s just¡­ very on-brand for you, Yifei-jie!¡± Chen Yuze shot a glance at Lu Zhanbo, whose overseas education made Ziqiao¡¯s English especially painful to endure.


    Zhanbo straightened up and mimicked Ziqiao¡¯s tone: ¡°Ahem! Tiezhu Wang!¡±


    Chen Yuze immediately chimed in: ¡°Erniu Tian!¡±


    Even Hu Yifei, who had been struggling to keep a straight face, burst out laughing.


    As the wedding wrapped up, Yifei dragged Chen Yuze over to Zeng Xiaoxian. ¡°Xiaoxian, this is Chen Yuze, our future roommate. Don¡¯t you dare bully him!¡±

 Chapter 6 - Moving into Love Apartment

    Chapter 6: Moving into Love Apartment


    No sooner had the introductions finished than Chen Meijia walked over, clutching a small note. She squinted at the words and read haltingly to Zeng Xiaoxian:


    ¡°Um¡­ are you the¡­ uh¡­ Women¡¯s Leader under the Residents¡¯ Committee¡­ or something?¡±


    ¡°Deputy Leader!¡± Zeng Xiaoxian corrected.


    But Meijia was already distracted, staring at Chen Yuze. What a coincidence! She barely registered Xiaoxian¡¯s words. ¡°Right, right, same thing! So, now that he¡¯s not the priest anymore, can we move in?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Yuze is moving in too,¡± Xiaoxian said cheerfully. With the bride and groom gone, only two people remained in Suites 3601 and 3602.


    Meijia¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Half rent, free utilities?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely!¡±


    ¡°Yay! I love you!¡± She squealed, throwing her arms around Zeng Xiaoxian before skipping off to share the news with L¨¹ Ziqiao.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Xiaoxian called after her.


    Meijia froze. Did they figure out we¡¯re faking it?


    She turned back nervously, only for Xiaoxian to beam at her. ¡°Your boyfriend¡¯s English is amazing!¡±


    Chen Yuze muttered under his breath, ¡°Which says a lot about your English level, Teacher Zeng. Maybe he¡¯s your junior or something¡­¡±


    ¡°Really? I do think my English is pretty good,¡± Xiaoxian chuckled, slinging an arm around Yuze¡¯s shoulders. ¡°But why ¡®junior¡¯? Do I look that young?¡±


    ¡°Idiot, he wasn¡¯t complimenting you,¡± Hu Yifei cut in, unable to watch this embarrassment any longer. She dragged Xiaoxian away while Chen Yuze found a seat to eat, he still hadn¡¯t gotten a proper meal.


    Moving Plans


    Once the wedding wrapped up, Yifei and Xiaoxian approached Yuze. ¡°Need help moving? Your place must be far. Xiaoxian can drive you¡ªit¡¯ll save time.¡±


    Yuze shook his head. ¡°No need! I drove here myself. I don¡¯t have much stuff¡ªjust one trip. Besides, you guys must be swamped today with all the new roommates.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but call us if you need anything,¡± Yifei relented.


    ¡°Got it!¡± Yuze hurried off. No way I¡¯m letting them see my villa. That¡¯d blow my cover. He also needed to buy some ¡°adventurer¡± props to back up his earlier lie.


    ¡°Remember, we¡¯re in 3601 and 3602. Call me when you get here,¡± Yifei reminded.


    Yuze nodded, waved goodbye, and climbed into his car¡ªa heavily modified off-roader.


    The group gaped.


    ¡°Is Yuze¡­ rich?¡± Zeng Xiaoxian stared at the taillights, then at his own beat-up Xiali. Why does he get a car like that?


    Yifei shrugged. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s for work? Polar guides need tough vehicles.¡± She¡¯d asked Zhanbo earlier and learned what the job entailed. Who knew this guy had such a dangerous career?


    The Roommate Shuffle


    After packing light (and buying some convincing gear), Yuze returned to Love Apartment. Lu Zhanbo was waiting downstairs, eyeing the car enviously.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Yuze asked. Shouldn¡¯t he be glued to WanYu?


    ¡°My sister¡¯s orders,¡± Zhanbo sighed. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to guide you guys so you don¡¯t get lost.¡±


    As they carried Yuze¡¯s things upstairs, they overheard an argument:


    Yifei: ¡°You¡¯re moving out, now!¡±


    Xiaoxian: ¡°Why me? You¡¯re the one who invited everyone!¡±


    The two had been roommates in one suite, but with new arrivals, Yifei wanted to ¡°look after her brother¡± (and pair Zhanbo with WanYu).


    Zhanbo barged in. ¡°Sis, don¡¯t bother Teacher Zeng. I¡¯ll move instead.¡±


    ¡°Or I can switch,¡± Yuze offered. ¡°It¡¯s just next door.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± Yifei¡¯s roar nearly made them drop their bags. She glared at Xiaoxian. ¡°Jianren Zeng, are you moving or not?¡±


    Xiaoxian wilted under her gaze. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yuze stepped in. ¡°Yifei-jie, really, I don¡¯t mind¡ª¡±


    ¡°No! I promised you this suite. If you move, I lose face!¡± Yifei¡¯s stubbornness was legendary. She¡¯s like a mule, Yuze thought. And Xiaoxian should know better than to argue.

 Chapter 7 - Time to Eat!

    Chapter 7: Time to Eat!


    In the end, Teacher Zeng was the one who backed down, decisively giving up any thought of resistance. As a result, Chen Yuze, Lu Zhanbo, and Lin Wanyu smoothly moved into Apartment 3601, filling it to capacity¡ªtruly a cause for celebration.


    Over in Apartment 3602, there was still one vacancy left, but Ziqiao and Meijia hadn¡¯t moved in yet, they were still hauling their luggage. Of course, the others weren¡¯t the type to just stand by and watch, so they helped the two settle in without a hitch.


    Once everything was moved in, Ziqiao, wanting to thank Teacher Zeng, offered to treat him to a meal. Just then, Chen Yuze and the others arrived at the door. Hu Yifei and the rest rushed in excitedly: ¡°A treat? Great! What are we eating? What?¡±


    L¨¹ Ziqiao was completely dumbstruck by the sudden crowd. He had heard about a nice place called Xiao Nanguo nearby, but it was also pretty expensive. With this many people, wouldn¡¯t it bankrupt him? Thinking fast, he suggested, ¡°How about I treat everyone to hot pot? All-you-can-eat, no limits!¡±


    Hu Yifei and the others mentally switched to ¡°vibration mode¡±: ¡°Never mind, forget it.¡±


    The mention of hot pot instantly killed their enthusiasm. They had hoped for a decent meal to celebrate the new tenants, but all they got was a bowl of hot pot¡ªsomething none of them in Love Apartment were particularly fond of.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll call and order KFC instead,¡± Wanyu volunteered to take charge of arranging dinner.


    The others were more than happy with that¡ªKFC was definitely better than hot pot. Lin Wanyu picked up the phone and dialed, and the KFC staff answered promptly. Holding the receiver, she said, ¡°Hello, I¡¯d like one order of KFC!¡±


    ¡°Just KFC. Do you have different sizes? How big is the large mashed potatoes? This big? And the medium? That big? Then what about this big?¡± Her bizarre line of questioning left everyone baffled. She was gesturing sizes over the phone¡ªcould the person on the other end even see her?


    Somehow, Wanyu seemed perfectly content with this absurd exchange. It was a mystery how she and the staff managed to communicate via ¡°phone sign language¡± for so long. Eventually, the others couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    ¡°You know what? Hot pot actually sounds pretty good. Who¡¯s in?¡± Hu Yifei deadpanned, looking around.


    Teacher Zeng nodded. ¡°Great idea! I¡¯m all for hot pot. Let¡¯s go?¡±


    The two of them turned to the group. Chen Yuze sighed. ¡°I know a nice place called Xiao Nanguo. I¡¯ll treat everyone¡ªconsider it a celebration of us officially moving in. We¡¯ll all be under the same roof from now on!¡±


    ¡°Hooray!¡± Teacher Zeng cheered. Everyone quickly got up, ready to head to Xiao Nanguo¡ªit was a bit of a trip, after all.


    Lin Wanyu watched as the others prepared to leave, then smiled faintly. ¡°Heh¡­ I still just want KFC¡­¡±


    Finally, the KFC staff had had enough and hung up. Chen Yuze gave Wanyu a helpless look. ¡°Wanyu, don¡¯t order like that next time¡ªespecially not KFC. You might get blacklisted. People will think you¡¯re deliberately messing with the customer service rep.¡±


    Wanyu laughed sheepishly and hurried off to her room to finish unpacking. As Chen Yuze watched her, he couldn¡¯t help but worry about the group¡¯s collective IQ. She was decked out in designer brands¡ªjust one outfit of hers could probably buy a house. Had none of them wondered why someone like her would move in here? If he¡¯d known how oblivious they were, he wouldn¡¯t have gone through so much trouble disguising his own background.


    Five minutes later, everyone had changed and gathered downstairs. Since Xiao Nanguo was a fair distance away, they¡¯d need to drive. Currently, only two people in Love Apartment had cars: Teacher Zeng¡¯s Xiali and Chen Yuze¡¯s SUV.


    The guys all wanted to ride in the SUV, it was rugged, imposing, and just plain cool-looking. But the girls ruthlessly overruled them. In the end, Hu Yifei, Chen Meijia, and Wanyu secured spots in the SUV, along with Chen Yuze as the driver.


    As for the others? They all squeezed into Teacher Zeng¡¯s Xiali. It wasn¡¯t too cramped¡ªwith Teacher Zeng driving, there were only three of them. Love Apartment was seriously lacking in women, and once Guangu moved in, the gender imbalance would only get worse.


    Hu Yifei, sitting in the passenger seat, examined the SUV¡¯s interior. ¡°Yuze, I didn¡¯t realize you were so well-off. Genuine leather seats? And the whole setup must¡¯ve cost a fortune!¡±


    Only Lin Wanyu noticed something odd¡ªshe spotted a label in one corner. The leather wasn¡¯t just real; it was a high-end brand, the same one used in her family¡¯s cars. But she kept quiet. Everyone had their secrets. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Necessary, I guess. I used to spend a lot of time in this thing¡ªit was my first home. And the people I dealt with were either rich or powerful. Couldn¡¯t have it looking shabby. Sometimes I¡¯d be driving for over half a month, so I made sure it was comfortable,¡± Chen Yuze explained vaguely.


    ¡°By the way, Yuze, what do you do for a living to afford such a luxurious ride?¡± Chen Meijia was practically drooling over the interior¡ªit was like a home on wheels.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Yifei tell you? I¡¯m an adventurer. Or, more accurately, an extreme tour guide,¡± Chen Yuze replied simply. The less he said, the better.


    ¡°Oh! I know about that!¡± Wanyu chimed in. ¡°Extreme tour guiding is a booming industry in the U.S. lately¡ªtaking people on adventures everywhere. Sounds amazing! You must¡¯ve been to so many places!¡±


    ¡°Not really. Just for fun,¡± Chen Yuze deflected. He couldn¡¯t risk elaborating¡ªwhat if they asked him to take them somewhere or show them photos? That¡¯d be the end of him.


    ¡°Wait, is it profitable?¡± Meijia, currently jobless (and so was Ziqiao), perked up at the mention of money, not out of greed, but necessity.


    ¡°Meijia, this industry pays extremely well. From what I know, they charge by the hour, sometimes even by the minute. But it¡¯s dangerous work. One wrong move, and things can go south fast. The higher-tier guides make the most,¡± Wanyu explained. Meijia shook her head¡ªthis wasn¡¯t the job for her.


    ¡°Hey, Yuze, got any assignments coming up?¡± Hu Yifei turned to him, eyes gleaming with something like excitement.

 Chapter 8 - The Dimensional Elevator

    Chapter 8: The Dimensional Elevator


    ¡°Yes, but the timing isn¡¯t set yet. It depends on the client¡ªthese things usually take a while since they have to arrange their own schedules,¡± Chen Yuze replied, thinking ahead. He might actually have to leave soon for his first mission.


    ¡°Where to? Where to? Can we come and watch? We promise not to cause trouble!¡± Hu Yifei nearly jumped in excitement.


    ¡°Normally, client confidentiality applies, but since we¡¯re all close¡­¡± Chen Yuze hesitated, then decided to ease them into the idea. Who knows? They might even join him if they got excited enough.


    Leaning in, he lowered his voice. ¡°Listen, don¡¯t spread this around.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t!¡± the three girls quickly promised.


    ¡°Tomb exploration,¡± Chen Yuze said slowly, emphasizing each word.


    ¡°Tomb raiding?¡± Hu Yifei¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Yuze, that¡¯s illegal. You should drop this job, it¡¯s not a good look if people find out.¡±


    ¡°Relax, no one will find out. Some things are hard to explain, and it¡¯s not even confirmed yet. Maybe we¡¯re just going in for a look. We don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s really a tomb. And I guarantee no one will notice.¡± How am I supposed to tell them I¡¯m not even robbing tombs in this world?


    ¡°An official tomb-raiding organization? Wait¡ªarchaeology?¡± Hu Yifei caught on quickly. If it wasn¡¯t illegal and couldn¡¯t be discovered, what else could it be?


    Chen Yuze gave her a knowing look. Hu Yifei sighed in relief. ¡°Okay, that puts my mind at ease. Still, be careful. You never know people¡¯s true intentions.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. So, who wants to come? You might even run into a mummy or two,¡± Chen Yuze said with a smirk. Everyone understood the implications¡ªthey just weren¡¯t saying it out loud.


    ¡°Can we really come? Won¡¯t we get in your way? Will your client agree?¡± Hu Yifei eyed him suspiciously.


    Chen Yuze nodded. ¡°No problem. This time, the client isn¡¯t coming¡ªjust me. It¡¯s not a big job anyway. He just wants some ancestral relics brought back. As long as the mission succeeds, he won¡¯t care about the rest. Easy. Want to tag along? There¡¯s money in it too!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll¡­ think about it,¡± Hu Yifei said. But barely a second later, she spun back around. ¡°How much money?¡±


    ¡°Ahem! Yifei, have some dignity!¡± Wanyu reminded her.


    ¡°Cough, not sure yet. Depends on what we find. Who knows where his ancestors were from? But it won¡¯t be a small amount,¡± Chen Yuze pressed.


    ¡°If it¡¯s not too far, maybe we¡¯ll check it out. Let¡¯s talk when the location¡¯s confirmed,¡± Hu Yifei said, though she was mostly joking.


    The topic ended there, and Chen Yuze stayed quiet for the rest of the drive. When they arrived at Xiao Nanguo, he booked a private room and ordered a lavish spread. They ate and chatted, though Chen Yuze skipped the alcohol¡ªhe was driving. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    By the end of the night, Hu Yifei and the others seemed to have forgotten the earlier conversation. Everyone went home and rested¡ªafter all, they¡¯d had a long day: a wedding, moving, and finally dinner. Exhausting.


    The next morning, Chen Yuze woke up early. Ever since moving in, he¡¯d felt something was off. His jade talisman had been vibrating¡ªhe suspected the dimensional elevator was nearby.


    Pulling out the talisman, he had spent the night figuring out some of the system¡¯s mechanics. For example, his spatial backpack couldn¡¯t hold items from this world¡ªonly system-issued objects or relics from tombs.


    Following the talisman¡¯s guidance, he arrived at a disused storage closet opposite an abandoned rooftop. This place shouldn¡¯t have existed¡ªhe remembered it from the Love Apartment storyline, but maybe things had changed after his transmigration.


    After confirming no one was around, he quietly opened the door and stepped inside with the talisman. Spotting a recessed slot on the wall, he placed the talisman into it.


    A translucent blue panel materialized before him.


    [Scanning jade talisman¡­ Verification complete.][Selecting dimension¡­ Tomb Raiding World.][Selecting low-level tomb¡­ Yuan Dynasty General¡¯s Tomb.][Danger level: Low (10% chance of encountering a corpse zombie.)][Loot quality: Common 30%, Ordinary 50%, Rare 15%, Legendary 5%.][Mission reward: 100¨C200 points.][Preparation complete. Activate dimensional elevator? (1/3)]


    Chen Yuze immediately clicked No. The elevator spat his talisman back out, and he pocketed it, nodding. ¡°So the low-level talisman can transport three people. But I¡¯m alone right now¡­ Gotta figure something out.¡±


    Exiting the elevator, he watched as it reverted to its decrepit appearance. Sighing, he grabbed a wooden plank from inside and used it to bridge the gap back to the rooftop. Glancing at the door across from him, he ruled out Zhanbo¡ªdespite his adventurous spirit, he wouldn¡¯t leave Wanyu behind.


    That storage closet was the first hurdle. Most of Love Apartment¡¯s residents wouldn¡¯t humor his wild plans, and Zhanbo definitely didn¡¯t have the guts right now.


    Disappointed, Chen Yuze returned to 3601. Seeing everyone awake, he packed his things, ready to head out¡ªat the very least, he needed to train. He wasn¡¯t ready yet.


    ¡°Oh, Yuze, going out?¡± Hu Yifei was preparing breakfast and greeted him with a smile.


    ¡°To the shooting range. Want to come?¡± He grinned, grabbing some breakfast from the table¡ªall bought by Yifei early that morning. She¡¯d gotten enough for everyone.


    ¡°Shooting range? Sounds fun. Wait, let me get ready! I¡¯ll see if Meijia and the others want to join.¡± Hu Yifei¡¯s recruitment skills were no joke. Soon, almost everyone in Love Apartment had gathered¡ªexcept for Teacher Zeng, who was catching up on sleep (thanks to his Midnight Horror radio show).


    The idea of visiting a shooting range excited them all. Most rarely got to handle guns, and Zhanbo¡¯s group loved them, hence their CS team, Three Shots and a Run.


    Though it was a bit odd that all the girls wanted to go too. But no big deal.

 Chapter 9 - Target Practice

    Chapter 9: Target Practice


    Chen Yuze took everyone to the shooting range, and the group was in high spirits as the sound of gunfire rang out continuously. At one point, two young men walked over and greeted Chen Yuze with a grin.


    ¡°Yuze, where the hell have you been hiding lately? We tried looking for you a few days ago but couldn¡¯t find you! What, did you give up on life or something?¡± one of them teased with a smirk.


    ¡°Get lost! I just moved, that¡¯s all. Let me introduce you, these are my roommates. We share the same apartment.¡± As Chen Yuze made the introductions, the two young men stared at him in shock. This rich second-generation heir was not only living in an apartment but also sharing it with others?


    ¡°Uh¡­ nice to meet you! Thanks for looking after our boy Yuze. You can call me Wenzhu, and this quiet guy here is Xiaoran.¡± Though confused, they knew they had to back up their friend. After all, they¡¯d known Chen Yuze forever, their families had been close for generations.


    The Love Apartment crew introduced themselves in turn. Wenzhu smiled and waved them off. ¡°Since you¡¯re all friends of Yuze, go wild today, it¡¯s on me. We¡¯ve got some stuff to discuss with him, so we¡¯re borrowing this guy for a bit!¡±


    With that, they dragged Chen Yuze aside, one on each side, and sat him down on a couch like they were interrogating a criminal. Wenzhu took a sip of tea and sighed. ¡°Alright, spill. What¡¯s going on? I know your family left you plenty, did you gamble it all away? If you¡¯re in trouble, just tell us. Since when do you live in an apartment?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. The house was too damn quiet, no life in it at all. I couldn¡¯t stand being alone in that huge place, so I moved into my own apartment. Just living like a normal person for a change. Don¡¯t blow my cover.¡± Chen Yuze knew they meant well, these were his childhood friends, after all.


    Xiaoran, the usually silent one, shook his head helplessly. ¡°Fine, do what you want. But if you¡¯re in trouble, you¡¯d better speak up. Even if you don¡¯t, we¡¯ll find out anyway, so don¡¯t bother hiding anything.¡±


    Chen Yuze rolled his eyes. ¡°Relax. I told them I¡¯m an extreme tour guide, so back me up on that. Oh, and I might need to move some goods soon, help me out with that. Also, find me a decent instructor. I need to brush up on my shooting skills.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. You and your acting.¡± Wenzhu waved him off. He knew this guy had a habit of pretending to be ordinary despite his background. It had taken them years to realize it was just his weird hobby.


    Chen Yuze returned to the group, where they were all ¡°practicing¡± their shooting, though in reality, only he and Hu Yifei were actually training. The others were just there for the thrill, firing off rounds from various guns like kids in a candy store. Meanwhile, Ziqiao was already scouting for potential targets,  usual flirting routine.


    ¡°Hey, hey! Everyone, come check this out!¡± Chen Yuze suddenly called them over, spotting something amusing. They all turned to see L¨¹ Ziqiao striking up a conversation with a stunning woman nearby.


    And wow, was she a sight¡ªtall, confident, with a killer figure, dressed head-to-toe in sleek leather, high-heeled boots, and holding a pistol. Zhanbo was practically drooling.


    ¡°Whoa, she¡¯s something else! Meijia, aren¡¯t you gonna stop him? And Zhanbo¡ªwipe that saliva off your face and stop looking like a creep,¡± Hu Yifei said, a hint of competitive irritation in her voice.


    Chen Yuze chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just wait¡ªthis¡¯ll be good.¡±


    Before he could finish, the woman tossed her gun into the air, grabbed Ziqiao¡¯s wrist as he tried to sling an arm over her shoulder, and flipped him straight onto his back with a loud thud.


    ¡°Ow ow ow! Mercy, please!¡±


    Ziqiao groaned as the woman planted one boot on his chest, casually catching her falling gun and continuing to fire at the targets without missing a beat.


    Only after emptying the magazine did she glance down at him. ¡°You¡¯ve got some nerve, kid. Lucky for you, I¡¯m in a good mood today.¡± sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With that, she released him, flipped her hair, and walked off. Once she was gone, Chen Yuze and the others strolled over, grinning. Meijia even stepped on Ziqiao playfully. ¡°Well, well, Master L¨¹, what¡¯s this? Getting cozy with the floor? Too hot standing up?¡±


    ¡°Shut it, you hag! Get your hoof off me!¡± Ziqiao groaned, humiliated. Day two, and he was already making a fool of himself.


    Meijia pressed down harder. ¡°Oh? So you¡¯re fine with her stepping on you but not me? I thought you were into this! Just trying to accommodate your tastes.¡±


    Meanwhile, Chen Yuze had moved the target closer. The male members of the group shuddered in unison¡ªZhanbo instinctively covered his crotch, goosebumps rising as he stared at the bullet holes.


    ¡°Ziqiao, you should be grateful,¡± Chen Yuze said, examining the target with a mix of awe and horror. ¡°If those last few shots had hit you, China¡¯s last eunuch would¡¯ve been named L¨¹ Ziqiao.¡±


    Ziqiao looked at the target and immediately mirrored Zhanbo¡¯s protective stance. Yeah, no jokes here, his future descendants depended on that area. This was a matter of dignity.


    ¡°What the hell does that she-devil do for a living? That was brutal!¡± Ziqiao muttered, convinced those last shots had been aimed at him, not the target.


    Chen Yuze glanced in the direction she¡¯d left. ¡°Mercenary or bodyguard, probably. And let me warn you¡ªdon¡¯t judge the women here by normal standards. Any one of them could wipe the floor with you. That¡¯s why they¡¯re here shooting in the first place.¡±


    After that sobering lesson, the group, especially Ziqiao, lost some of their earlier enthusiasm. With no flirting prospects, the place lost its appeal for him, and he soon got bored, whining about going home.


    Eventually, even Chen Yuze and Hu Yifei got the hang of shooting, not sharpshooters by any means, but at least they weren¡¯t missing the target entirely. With that, they called it a day. Just like on the way there, the girls rode in Chen Yuze¡¯s SUV, while the others squeezed back into Teacher Zeng¡¯s Xiali.

 Chapter 10 - Hu Yifeis Curiosity

    Chapter 10: Hu Yifei¡¯s Curiosity


    For two straight days of training, Chen Yuze felt it was about time to check things out. Delaying any further wouldn¡¯t do any good! After finally getting a system, he couldn¡¯t just abandon it, he had to at least take a look. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ye Shangqiu stepped onto the rooftop again¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re finally here. Seems you¡¯ve been keeping secrets from us. I knew something was off with you these past few days. If you¡¯re facing trouble, just say it. What¡¯s the point of hiding in a corner crying? Are you even a man?¡±


    Before Chen Yuze could react, he saw Hu Yifei sitting on the rooftop chair, staring at him. Despite her rough-around-the-edges demeanor, Hu Yifei was surprisingly observant. She had noticed Chen Yuze coming up to the rooftop every day lately, clearly hiding something, probably some kind of trouble.


    So, she had come early today to see what was really going on. And sure enough, it didn¡¯t take long for Chen Yuze to show up.


    ¡°Yifei? What are you doing here?¡± Chen Yuze stared at the domineering Hu Yifei in surprise. He hadn¡¯t understood a word of what she¡¯d just said, since when was he crying?


    Hu Yifei stood up, placing a hand on Chen Yuze¡¯s shoulder and squeezing slightly. ¡°How long are you going to keep hiding it from me? I could tell something was weighing on you these past few days. What kind of setback made you come up to the rooftop? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re thinking of jumping.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? This is just work prep!¡± Chen Yuze immediately realized Hu Yifei had probably spun some wild scenario in her head. If this kept up, she¡¯d probably call a psychologist on him.


    Hu Yifei glanced around suspiciously. ¡°Your work prep involves sneaking onto the rooftop to peep? What¡¯s so interesting here? Wait, are there girls changing clothes across the way? Where? Let me see!¡±


    ¡°No! What kind of person do you take me for?¡± Chen Yuze declared righteously.


    Hu Yifei pulled out his binoculars. ¡°Then explain why you brought these. I¡¯ve met plenty of guys like you, putting on a gentlemanly act while secretly being a total pervert! Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed you eyeing Wanyu with that weird look!¡±


    Chen Yuze felt like even the Yellow River couldn¡¯t wash away his shame now. Sure, he¡¯d looked at Lin Wanyu,but only because she was decked out in designer brands! He¡¯d been waiting to see how long it would take for the others to figure out her identity, but so far, none of them had caught on.


    Chen Yuze glanced at Hu Yifei, then pointed at the black-and-white striped broom closet across the way. ¡°Everyone has their secrets, and I¡¯m no exception. But if you really want to know, why not come with me and see? All my secrets are behind that door.¡±


    ¡°That shabby door holds your secrets? You¡¯re not a murderer or something, are you? Is that where you hide the bodies?¡± Hu Yifei narrowed her eyes at Chen Yuze before suddenly gasping and hugging herself. ¡°Wait¡ªare you trying to lure me in there to do something to me? You creep!¡±


    ¡°Overthinking much? Could I even take you in a fight?¡±


    ¡°Who knows what you¡¯ve set up in there? A beauty like me¡ªit wouldn¡¯t be strange if you tried anything. After all, deep down, I¡¯m still just a delicate girl.¡± Hu Yifei put on an exaggerated fragile act, batting her eyelashes like some damsel in distress. If Chen Yuze didn¡¯t know her actual combat skills, he might¡¯ve believed it.


    ¡°Hah. Can¡¯t be bothered arguing with you.¡± Chen Yuze realized there was no point explaining¡ªthe more he tried, the wilder Hu Yifei¡¯s imagination would get.


    He walked to the edge of the rooftop, then glanced back at her. ¡°Fine, there are things I haven¡¯t told you. But my secret is behind that door. Whether you follow or not is up to you. Just know I¡¯d never hurt any of you. I¡¯ll give you five minutes.¡±


    With that, Chen Yuze stepped forward, slowly making his way to the broom closet door. He looked back once more at Hu Yifei before opening the door and stepping inside.


    Hu Yifei watched him disappear behind the door¡ªa door she knew all too well. Zhan Bo had always wanted to see what was inside. Every summer, she and Lu Zhan Bo would come up to challenge it, but Zhan Bo had never dared to take that step. Now, Chen Yuze was telling her that all his secrets lay beyond it. She hesitated.


    Inside, Chen Yuze checked his watch. Whether Hu Yifei came or not, he would begin his first mission in five minutes. In his hand materialized the Tomb Raiding Jade Token¡ªthe world¡¯s invitation to explore its wonders. He couldn¡¯t refuse.


    Right now, he only had this one token, with no points or anything else. If he didn¡¯t go now, he might never get another chance to see other worlds. He had no idea if the system would issue him another token, or when. These past few days, he¡¯d realized the tokens had an expiration date.


    Ten and a half minutes passed. Seeing the door remained shut, Chen Yuze sighed. ¡°Guess she¡¯s not coming. Oh well, I wasn¡¯t expecting much anyway.¡±


    He reached into his spatial backpack, pulling out the system-issued trench coat and preparing to take out his dagger.


    ¡°Creak¡ª¡±


    Just then, the door opened. Hu Yifei stood there, utterly baffled¡ªbecause she had just watched a dagger materialize in Chen Yuze¡¯s hand. And his clothes had changed too.


    ¡°Uh¡­ you came after all?¡±


    ¡°Are you a magician? Wait¡ªan alien? Is this your spaceship?¡± Hu Yifei scanned the room. It was just a broom closet! Was Chen Yuze some kind of broom spirit? No way¡ªsupernatural beings weren¡¯t allowed post-1949!


    ¡°Could you close the door?¡± Chen Yuze had barely finished speaking when he saw Hu Yifei¡¯s suspicious glare. Right¡ªshe was still a girl, and here he was, holding a knife in a cramped space.


    He tossed the dagger to her. This was his gamble¡ªbetting that Hu Yifei wouldn¡¯t expose his secret, even if she refused to team up.


    Hu Yifei caught the dagger, testing its weight. Real steel. She stepped inside and shut the door, eyeing Chen Yuze warily.


    ¡°Welcome to the Dimensional Elevator.¡± Chen Yuze placed the jade token into a slot, and several panels flickered to life.


    ¡°So it is your spaceship! But couldn¡¯t you clean it up a little? Ran out of fuel? Can¡¯t go home?¡± Hu Yifei stared at the panels in amazement, scrutinizing Chen Yuze as if searching for some hidden switch.

 Chapter 11 - Teaming Up with Hu Yifei

    Chapter 11: Teaming Up with Hu Yifei


    ¡°Enough!¡± Chen Yuze swatted away Hu Yifei¡¯s hands as she groped around his body for a hidden switch. He turned to glare at her. ¡°I said it¡¯s the Dimensional Elevator! Can you not read? Or do you just not understand?¡±


    ¡°Elevator?¡± Hu Yifei glanced around. ¡°Since when do elevators look like this? On Earth, we call this a broom closet.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, I know it¡¯s a broom closet! I¡¯m from Earth too, you know?¡± Chen Yuze rolled his eyes and turned back to the control panel. He¡¯d already checked the other sections earlier¡ªnow, a new panel had appeared: the Team Formation Panel.


    The aqua-blue screen displayed two holographic figures, complete with detailed stats¡ªincluding Hu Yifei¡¯s three vital measurements.


    Unsurprisingly, Chen Yuze was listed as the team leader. He tapped Hu Yifei¡¯s profile, and a prompt popped up:


    ¡°Available Teammate: Hu Yifei. Conditions Met. Invite Hu Yifei to Join Team?¡±


    Both of them stared at the screen. While Chen Yuze had been operating the panel, Hu Yifei had been examining the other sections. By now, she had a rough idea of what this thing was, and why Chen Yuze had been so confident no one would discover it. Traveling to other dimensions? No wonder it was called the Dimensional Elevator.


    ¡°So? Want to come with me for a spin? There are benefits.¡± Chen Yuze smirked at her. Meanwhile, his system silently projected another panel in his mind¡ªone Hu Yifei couldn¡¯t see.


    Memory Wipe Panel.


    It could selectively erase Hu Yifei¡¯s memories. If she walked out now, she¡¯d forget everything that had happened here.


    Hu Yifei tried tapping the panel herself, but her fingers passed right through it. Frustrated, she turned to Chen Yuze. ¡°What benefits? Feels like you¡¯re scamming me. Show me the goods first.¡±


    She jabbed aggressively at the Shop Panel, but no matter how hard she pressed, nothing happened.


    ¡°Give it up. You don¡¯t have access.¡± Chen Yuze sighed and tapped the newly appeared Shop Panel himself. This one belonged to the elevator¡ªdifferent from the system¡¯s built-in shop in his mind.


    But as soon as he opened it, something felt off. Some items were familiar, but others were missing¡ªlike the Tomb Raiding Jade Tokens. The selection was also much smaller.


    Hu Yifei¡¯s eyes widened at the dazzling array of goods. Body Tempering Elixir? Bust Enhancement Pills? There were even martial arts manuals and things she¡¯d never heard of.


    ¡°Is this for real? Why can¡¯t I buy anything? And what¡¯s this ¡®Level 1 Shop¡¯ nonsense?¡± She quickly noticed the shop¡¯s current tier was the lowest¡ªmeaning higher-grade items existed.


    ¡°You¡­ aren¡¯t tricking me, are you? Are these things real?¡± She eyed Chen Yuze suspiciously, demanding proof.


    ¡°They¡¯re real.¡± Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Prove it.¡±


    Chen Yuze rolled up his sleeves like a magician about to perform a miracle.


    Then, slowly, two longswords materialized in his hands¡ªinch by inch, right before Hu Yifei¡¯s eyes. No magic trick could pull that off. Yet, doubt still lingered in her gaze.


    Deciding to go all out (since he could always wipe her memory later), Chen Yuze waved his hand again¡ªand two AK-47s appeared.


    ¡°You recognize these, right? No explanation needed. Check for yourself¡ªthey¡¯re real.¡±


    He tossed one to her. Hu Yifei stood frozen, her worldview crumbling. She needed time to rebuild it.


    ¡°So? Team up? Once you join, you¡¯ll get access to the shop. Everything in there is real. Of course, tomb raiding is dangerous.¡± Chen Yuze wasn¡¯t heartless¡ªhe had to warn her. Not that she hadn¡¯t already seen the risks on the earlier panel.


    ¡°I¡¯m in! Why wouldn¡¯t I be? I wanna see what the hell¡¯s really going on.¡± Hu Yifei decided that whether this was real or not, she¡¯d find out soon enough. If it was, their futures could change entirely.


    Chen Yuze hesitated at her quick agreement. ¡°You sure? No take-backs. People can die. But the rewards are huge¡ªlike a class change at Shop Level 5. Swordsman, mage, all that stuff.¡±


    ¡°Quit yapping. Man up and hurry! Watch me wreck everything.¡± Hu Yifei hugged the AK, a fierce grin on her face. Chen Yuze knew she was genuinely excited¡ªafter all, in Love Apartment, she¡¯d struggled to find hobbies.


    ¡°Fine. Your call.¡± He sent the team invite.


    A panel popped up in front of Hu Yifei:


    [Accept] or [Decline]?


    She smashed [Accept] without hesitation. Instantly, new knowledge flooded her mind.


    Then she glared at Chen Yuze. ¡°You little¡ª¡±


    Their first mission was labeled: Beginner¡¯s Trial.


    Chen Yuze chuckled awkwardly and started pulling gear from his Spatial Backpack¡ªtwo sets of everything except clothes and a book. (The Tomb Raider¡¯s Memory Orb had already fused with him.)


    Once equipped, Hu Yifei immediately regretted her choice. Chen Yuze¡¯s outfit looked cool as hell, while she was stuck in casual wear. She wanted to go back and change.


    ¡°Oh, right. The system just gave me a team reward¡ªprobably for you.¡± Chen Yuze handed her a small gift box tied with a ribbon.


    Inside was a sleek new outfit¡ªway better than hers.


    As Hu Yifei started changing, Chen Yuze politely turned around.


    ¡­Until she yanked her jacket over his head for ¡°extra privacy.¡±

 Chapter 12 - Locating the Target!

    Chapter 12: Locating the Target!


    ¡°Damn, Yifei changes clothes fast.¡± Chen Yuze¡¯s wandering thoughts were abruptly cut short as he turned to look at her.


    Now, she wore a fitted gray tank top, skintight leather pants that accentuated her curves, and sturdy hiking boots. Her long hair was tied into a high ponytail, and a sleek leather jacket completed the look.


    A pistol hung at her waist, easily reachable. Two daggers were strapped to her thighs, a longsword rested on her back, and she still held the AK-47 casually.


    After changing, Hu Yifei did a few high kicks to test her mobility. Satisfied, she nodded.


    ¡°Not bad. Doesn¡¯t restrict movement.¡± She admired her outfit before turning to Chen Yuze. ¡°Let¡¯s go tomb raiding.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Chen Yuze smirked, activating the Dimensional Elevator from the control panel.


    Instantly, a sensation of extreme weightlessness hit them. Their bodies lurched as if plummeting downward.


    Time blurred. When the feeling finally faded, their legs were jelly, and nausea churned in their stomachs.


    They collapsed onto the grass, eyes shut, taking deep breaths. After five minutes, they finally took in their surroundings, a dense forest. They were sitting on a patch of grass.


    ¡°So it¡¯s really real¡­ Where the hell are we?¡± Hu Yifei scanned the area, then glanced at Chen Yuze¡ªonly to find him equally clueless. ¡°Useless.¡±


    Chen Yuze pulled out a compass, relying on the Tomb Raider¡¯s memories to orient himself.


    ¡°About 300 meters ahead. That should be our target.¡± He couldn¡¯t be sure, but the location had the right feng shui energy. And it was the only notable spot around.


    Hu Yifei, a city girl through and through, sighed. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s check it out.¡±


    Not far from their destination, a campsite was set up.


    A woman with several dogs stood watch while a man adjusted their tents. A chubby man approached another.


    ¡°Old Hu, I¡¯m gonna take a piss.¡±


    ¡°Be careful. This place feels off. Watch out for wild men!¡± The man named Old Hu joked.


    The fat man waved him off. ¡°Wild men? Good! I¡¯ll catch one and put him in a museum¡ªcharge admission!¡±


    300 meters wasn¡¯t far. As Chen Yuze and Hu Yifei neared the location, Chen Yuze grew more confident.


    ¡°This is it.¡± He nodded at Hu Yifei, who let out a relieved sigh.


    Then¡ª


    ¡°AHHH! HELP! WILD BOAR!!¡±


    A bloodcurdling scream nearly gave both of them a heart attack. Chen Yuze instinctively drew his gun, while Hu Yifei unsheathed her sword.


    ¡°Go!¡± Without hesitation, they sprinted toward the sound.


    Hu Yifei, educated and inherently kind, acted on instinct, someone needed help.


    Both were in peak physical condition. Within seconds, they spotted a pantsless fat man running for his life, a massive black boar hot on his heels.


    The man¡¯s eyes widened when he saw them.


    ¡°Run, you two! There¡¯s a wild boar!¡± He yelled, clearly concerned for the ¡°frail¡± strangers.


    ¡°GET DOWN!¡± Chen Yuze raised his pistol.


    The fat man dove to the side just as¡ª


    BANG! BANG!


    Two gunshots rang out. The boar collapsed, thrashing. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But something was off.


    ¡°Take cover! I only fired once!¡± Chen Yuze shouted.


    Hu Yifei and the fat man immediately ducked into a nearby ditch.


    ¡°I owe you two my life! Just say the word, and this fat man will repay the favor!¡± the man panted.


    Chen Yuze stared at him silently¡ªthen noticed the identical pendant around his neck.


    A Gold-Touching Amulet.


    ¡°You¡­ a tomb raider?¡± He tugged at the pendant. Though similar, the design was slightly different from theirs.


    The fat man¡¯s gaze flicked to Hu Yifei¡¯s amulet. She twirled her dagger threateningly, making him flinch.


    ¡°Fellow professionals?¡±


    ¡°Fatty! You okay? Friends on the other side¡ªlet¡¯s talk this out!¡± A man¡¯s voice called from the distance.


    Realization dawned. The second gunshot had come from the fat man¡¯s group.


    ¡°Old Hu, relax! Just a misunderstanding¡ªmet some new friends!¡± The fat man stood, waving.


    On the other side, a man cautiously rose. Chen Yuze stepped forward too¡ªbut subtly kept the fat man between himself and potential danger.


    ¡°You scared the hell out of me!¡± Old Hu exhaled in relief. A woman emerged beside him.


    Hu Yifei stood as well.


    ¡°Misunderstanding, friends! We heard shouting and shot the boar¡ªno harm intended,¡± Chen Yuze called out.


    ¡°Same here! We fired in panic¡ªwasn¡¯t aiming at anyone!¡± Old Hu wiped cold sweat. Thank god they hadn¡¯t escalated. They only had hunting rifles, while the other side had handguns and an assault rifle.


    Both groups cautiously approached. Hu Yifei and Chen Yuze stayed half a step behind the fat man¡ªjust in case they needed a human shield.


    They met where the boar lay. Two bullet wounds confirmed both sides had told the truth.


    Tension dissolved. Then, all four of them showed their Gold-Touching Amulets.


    No words were needed.


    They were all tomb raiders.

 Chapter 13 - Fellow Professionals

    Chapter 13: Fellow Professionals


    The four exchanged glances and smiled, they had run into fellow professionals. In these treacherous mountains and harsh lands, encountering others in the same line of work was no small coincidence. But then again, given their profession, this was probably the only place they would meet. After all, people in their trade didn¡¯t exactly operate in the cities.


    ¡°How about teaming up? Judging by the location, our targets are probably the same,¡± Chen Yuze spoke first. His family had been in this business before, and though he hadn¡¯t inherited it directly, he still knew the ropes. Besides, this was their first expedition, having two more hands wouldn¡¯t hurt, though they¡¯d have to stay cautious.


    ¡°What do you mean? What¡¯s ¡®teaming up¡¯?¡± Fatty stared blankly at Chen Yuze, who shot them a surprised look. Did these guys really not know? Were they rookies too?


    Old Hu tugged at Fatty¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Stop embarrassing yourself. What the kid means is working together, joining forces. It¡¯s industry jargon.¡±


    ¡°Kid, and this¡­¡± Old Hu¡¯s gaze shifted to Hu Yifei, whose outfit was undeniably striking. Her clothes looked downright unbelievable to them.


    ¡°Just call me Yifei,¡± she replied calmly. She could tell Old Hu was sizing her up, but there was no lewdness in his eyes, just pure curiosity. Plus, judging by their attire, she was certain the timeline here didn¡¯t match their own world.


    ¡°Ah, Kid and Miss Yifei, how about we chat while we walk? We¡¯ve got a game to spare, might as well treat ourselves. Even if the deal falls through, there¡¯s no harm in camaraderie. After all, you saved Fatty here.¡± Old Hu spoke humbly, his posture ramrod straight¡ªclearly a military man.


    Hu Yifei glanced at Chen Yuze, who nodded. ¡°Sure. We¡¯re hungry from the journey anyway, and a break wouldn¡¯t hurt. This place was a pain to find, so we¡¯ll take you up on that. Hope you don¡¯t mind the intrusion.¡±


    ¡°Kid, you flatter us. We¡¯re honored you¡¯d even consider it.¡± Old Hu cheerfully led the way, kicking Fatty along the route. ¡°Go on, carry the boar. You expect us to do it for you?¡±


    ¡°Old Hu, you¡¯re something else. Fine, Fatty¡¯s on it!¡± Grumbling, Fatty hoisted the wild boar onto his shoulders. Chen Yuze¡¯s eyes widened¡ªthis was a Northeastern wild boar, no joke. It had to weigh several hundred pounds, fully grown. Lifting it alone was no small feat.


    Old Hu smirked, then eyed the gear at their waists and backs. ¡°You two American?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re pure-blooded Chinese,¡± Chen Yuze replied. He understood¡ªtheir outfits and equipment were way too modern. The misunderstanding was natural.


    Old Hu pointed at their holsters and backpacks. ¡°Then your gear¡¯s something else. Genuine M1911s¡ªonly seen those with U.S. troops. And those rifles on your backs? Soviet AKs, right? Tough as nails.¡±


    Chen Yuze drew his pistol, surprised Old Hu recognized it at a glance. He waved it lightly. ¡°Yep, M1911. Had to pull strings to get these¡ªonly two. But with enough money¡­ well, you know how it is.¡±


    Old Hu nodded. Firearms were treasures, but it depended on who you were. For common folk, even glimpsing one was rare. But for the wealthy? Bulk purchases were unrealistic, but scoring one or two wasn¡¯t hard. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°If you like them, I¡¯ll gift you a couple someday. But for now, we need these for protection.¡± Chen Yuze wasn¡¯t worried¡ªhis system store had them. A standard M1911 cost barely any points; even a modified one was just five. A Gatling gun? Only a few dozen. But who¡¯d lug that around tomb-raiding? Way too heavy.


    As Chen Yuze chatted with Old Hu, Hu Yifei kept her distance. She knew her limits¡ªbetter to avoid saying too much and making mistakes. Instead, she wandered over to inspect the boar, fascinated. She¡¯d never seen one up close before.


    Soon, they reached Old Hu¡¯s campsite. Hu Yifei, now in high spirits, pulled out her phone¡ªno signal. Yingzi and Fatty gawked at the device.


    ¡°Ugh, should¡¯ve brought a brick phone instead. This thing¡¯s only good for photos now.¡± She turned to Chen Yuze. ¡°Yuze, can you hotspot me? What if the others worry after we¡¯ve been gone so long?¡±


    ¡°Get lost. Who¡¯s ever heard of Wi-Fi out here? Think I¡¯m a router? Be glad it still takes photos.¡± Chen Yuze shot her an exasperated look. Wi-Fi? Not in this era. Even in their time, deep in the wilderness like this, signal was nonexistent.


    Old Hu and Fatty stared, utterly lost. Chen Yuze realized Hu Yifei had derailed things¡ªnone of this jargon made sense to them. Hell, most people in this world wouldn¡¯t get it.


    ¡°Tch. Useless. How¡¯d I end up on this damn boat with you?¡± Hu Yifei snapped photos of the boar, even squeezing in a couple of selfies with it. She didn¡¯t miss the scenery or the dogs Yingzi had brought along, posing with them too.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind her. The spendthrift brought a ¡®camera¡¯ but skimped on other stuff.¡± Chen Yuze offered a half-hearted explanation to the baffled duo.


    Fatty eyed the phone eagerly. ¡°That¡¯s a camera? Like, spy gear? It¡¯s so slick! Can you snap a few of me?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Hu Yifei was generous, her carefree attitude didn¡¯t matter. Once their mission was done, they¡¯d vanish. Fatty could search the whole world and never find them.


    ¡°Kid, you here for the Yuan dynasty general¡¯s tomb too?¡± Old Hu steered the conversation back. Now wasn¡¯t the time for distractions¡ªthe tomb (and the Japanese military stronghold inside) was what mattered.


    Chen Yuze nodded. ¡°Seems we¡¯ve got the same goal. How about joining forces? We¡¯ll split the loot, or you can pick first.¡±


    Money wasn¡¯t an issue for Chen Yuze. He was here for the mission. And he highly doubted these guys would pick anything valuable.

 Chapter 14 - Did They Elope?

    Chapter 14: Did They Elope?


    ¡°Kid, you¡¯re straightforward. Let¡¯s do it, split everything fifty-fifty. We won¡¯t take advantage of you.¡± Old Hu, being on his first tomb expedition, was cautious. Truthfully, he had no idea how much antiques were worth.


    They agreed to set out together the next morning. That night, Hu Yifei squeezed into a tent with Yingzi, while Chen Yuze shared one with Old Hu. Though Chen Yuze had a spatial backpack with supplies, pulling it out now might freak them out.


    While things were going smoothly here, back at the Love Apartment, chaos had erupted¡ªHu Yifei and Chen Yuze had vanished.


    ¡°Disaster! Disaster! My sister and Yuze are both missing! Did they elope?!¡± Lu Zhanbo burst into the apartment, shouting. The gossip-loving residents immediately swarmed out.


    ¡°What?! Who eloped with who?!¡± Chen Meijia shot out like a bullet, eyes wide with excitement. Others emerged from their rooms just as Lin WanYu descended the stairs.


    ¡°Zhanbo, stop exaggerating. Why would Yifei elope with Yuze? They barely know each other! Maybe they¡¯re just busy with something,¡± WanYu reasoned.


    ¡°But¡ªbut my sister hasn¡¯t been reachable all day! She said she was looking for Yuze this morning, and then they both disappeared! What else could it be?!¡± Zhanbo frantically recounted the morning¡¯s events.


    For some reason, Teacher Zeng looked both concerned and oddly amused. ¡°Hah! What¡¯s wrong with living? Yuze is sacrificing himself for the greater good by taking Hu Yifei off our hands. I can already picture his miserable future with her. Honestly, it¡¯s kinda thrilling!¡±


    ¡°Wait, this drama is too good¡ªI need popcorn!¡± Meijia interrupted, dashing off to grab two buckets before plopping onto the couch, eyes gleaming with gossip. ¡°Okay, spill! What happened next?¡±


    The group stared at her, momentarily speechless.


    ¡°Why¡¯re you all looking at me? Keep going!¡± Meijia shoved a handful of popcorn into her mouth, urging Zhanbo to continue.


    Zhanbo¡¯s Story:


    That morning, Hu Yifei made breakfast just as Zhanbo woke up. She immediately grilled him: ¡°Do you know what Yuze¡¯s been up to lately? Feels like he¡¯s hiding something.¡±


    ¡°Sis, you¡¯re so nosy. Yuze can take care of himself¡ªprobably just work stuff,¡± Zhanbo mumbled through a mouthful of milk.


    Hu Yifei shoved his head aside in frustration. ¡°Ugh, you bookworm! He¡¯s our roommate¡ªshouldn¡¯t we care? And what does him being capable have to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°Then just ask him yourself. He¡¯s been on the rooftop lately,¡± Zhanbo muttered, biting into a fried dough stick.


    ¡°WHAT?! The rooftop?! Is he suicidal?! I¡¯m checking on him!¡± Yifei bolted out without another word.


    Zhanbo didn¡¯t think much of it until after breakfast, when neither Yifei nor Yuze returned. He went to the rooftop¡ªboth were gone. That¡¯s when he realized something was wrong.


    Zhanbo finished his story and looked at the group. ¡°So¡­ do you think they committed a lovers¡¯ suicide?¡±


    ¡°Genius, you¡¯re overthinking it,¡± Teacher Zeng scoffed. ¡°If they jumped, there¡¯d be bodies downstairs. And it¡¯d be all over the news by now.¡±


    ¡°Right¡ªthe news!¡± Zhanbo lunged for the TV. The others stared blankly. How has this guy survived adulthood?


    ¡°Breaking news: A young couple, believed to be in their early twenties, were found dead in an apparent suicide pact. Authorities have yet to identify the victims. We urge families to come forward and remind young lovers to act rationally.¡±


    Clunk.


    WanYu¡¯s orange hit the floor. The room fell dead silent. Even Meijia¡¯s popcorn tumbled from her gaping mouth.


    ¡°SIS!!!¡± Zhanbo wailed¡ªthe woman on screen was wearing clothes identical to Hu Yifei¡¯s.


    ¡°Wait, call the police!¡±


    ¡°What good¡¯ll that do?! We need to go to the station!¡±


    Pandemonium erupted. Nobody knew what to do.


    ¡°STOP! Everyone calm down!¡± L¨¹ Ziqiao, surprisingly the voice of reason, pointed out: ¡°Zhanbo, you¡¯re on the wrong channel. This isn¡¯t our city¡ªit¡¯s a province over.¡±


    ¡°So they eloped to another province to die?! No wonder their phones are off¡ªthey must¡¯ve been on a plane!¡± Zhanbo spiraled further into panic.


    ¡°Use your brain! By that timeline, we were all still asleep. How¡¯d they get there? Teleport?¡± Ziqiao¡¯s logic finally sank in.


    WanYu took a deep breath and sat back down. ¡°Zhanbo, I knew you¡¯d overreact. It¡¯s not as bad as you think.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? Then who just screamed about calling the cops?¡± Teacher Zeng glared at her.


    ¡°Ahem¡­ Did I? Must¡¯ve slipped my mind.¡± WanYu laughed awkwardly. The scare had been real.


    She cleared her throat. ¡°Anyway, the story I know is different.¡±


    ¡°What, did Hu Yifei murder Yuze and flee?¡± Ziqiao quipped. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°No! I asked Yuze earlier if something was up. He said he had work¡ªsomething dangerous, like a tomb expedition.¡±


    ¡°Tomb raiding? Now that¡¯s a plot twist. Gotta remember that for future scams,¡± Ziqiao nodded sagely.


    ¡°Ugh! But what does that have to do with Yifei vanishing?¡± Meijia kicked Ziqiao before turning back to WanYu.


    ¡°Remember how Yuze invited us before? Yifei was probably interested and went with him.¡± WanYu recalled Chen Yuze¡¯s offer¡ªthough the others had dismissed it as a joke, Yifei had seemed genuinely intrigued.


    ¡°But they¡¯ve been gone all day! And their stuff¡¯s still in their rooms!¡± Zhanbo argued.


    (To be continued¡­)

 Chapter 15 - Zhanbos Wild Imagination

    Chapter 15: Zhanbo¡¯s Wild Imagination


    ¡°Maybe they left in a hurry. Yuze didn¡¯t even take his car, probably didn¡¯t need it. Otherwise, someone as careful as him would¡¯ve planned better. Relax, Yuze can definitely take care of Yifei.¡± WanYu tried to console Zhanbo, though secretly, she wished she¡¯d gone too. But at the time, she hadn¡¯t made up her mind, and Yuze hadn¡¯t explicitly invited her. As a girl, she didn¡¯t want to seem too eager.


    ¡°But what about their phones? Why haven¡¯t they answered any calls? Even if Yifei went along for fun, she¡¯d at least leave a message, right? What if their plane crashed? It¡¯s happened before! If the plane went down, their phones would be useless, or maybe they were separated from them, and then wild animals attacked¡ª¡± Zhanbo¡¯s imagination spiraled into full-blown panic.


    Teacher Zeng couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He clapped a hand on Zhanbo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Is Yifei even your sister? Can¡¯t you think of one good outcome for her? And if wild animals did attack, we should be worried about them. God forbid they¡¯re endangered, knowing Yifei, she¡¯d probably eat them before they got the chance to maul her.¡±


    The moment he said it, everyone realized he was right. At this point, they should probably pray for the animals. If a rampaging Hu Yifei stumbled upon a zoo, the entire place wouldn¡¯t survive the encounter. Poor creatures, may they never cross paths with her.


    ¡°Logically, I know it¡¯s unlikely, but after hearing Teacher Zeng say that, I¡¯m not worried about Yifei anymore. Now I¡¯m just concerned for the wildlife.¡± WanYu let out an awkward laugh, immediately feeling guilty. People were missing¡ªthis wasn¡¯t the time for jokes. But Teacher Zeng¡¯s scenario was just too vivid.


    ¡°Whatever. You guys are terrible. I¡¯m calling my sister.¡± Zhanbo grabbed the landline and dialed Hu Yifei¡¯s number.


    ¡°The number you have dialed is currently out of service. Please try again later.¡±


    The robotic voice did nothing to ease their worries.


    ¡°Still no answer? Did they actually elope?¡± Zeng Xiaoxian muttered from the couch, nearly knocking the phone out of Zhanbo¡¯s hand.


    The others stared at him with the kind of pity usually reserved for small, confused children.


    ¡°Why are you all looking at me like that?! I didn¡¯t hire a hitman! Their disappearance has nothing to do with me! Don¡¯t frame an innocent man!¡±


    ¡°Hired a hitman?!¡± WanYu gasped. ¡°Teacher Zeng, I never took you for the type!¡±


    ¡°Wow, Zeng. Couldn¡¯t handle rejection, so you resorted to murder? Should¡¯ve thought of that before wasting your youth¡ªand money. So, who¡¯d you hire? How much did it cost?¡± L¨¹ Ziqiao smirked, pretending to be genuinely curious.


    ¡°Hey! You can¡¯t seriously believe I¡¯d do that!¡± Zeng Xiaoxian recoiled under their accusatory glares. ¡°I¡¯m a celebrity, a public figure! Do I look like someone who¡¯d stoop that low?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t put it past you,¡± Meijia mused between bites of popcorn. ¡°A man scorned is capable of anything. Jealousy¡¯s a nasty thing.¡±


    They hadn¡¯t lived together long, but everyone had noticed the tension between Teacher Zeng and Yifei. Lately, though, Yifei had been glued to Chen Yuze¡ªwho, compared to Zeng, was younger, more handsome, and frankly, just better in every way.


    Zeng shot to his feet, indignant. ¡°Jealous? Me? Of Yuze? I¡¯m a star! What does he even have that I don¡¯t? Ziqiao, back me up here, as a fellow man, be honest. Is there anything about Yuze worth envying?¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ziqiao took his time, considering deeply. ¡°¡­Yeah. A lot of things, actually.¡±


    ¡°What?! Name one!¡± Zeng sputtered. He¡¯d never consciously compared himself to Yuze¡ªthey were roommates, brothers-in-arms. Why would he care?


    ¡°Yuze¡¯s good-looking. Young. Basically a prodigy.¡± Ziqiao didn¡¯t hold back.


    Meijia delivered the next blow. ¡°And loaded. One job of his probably pays more than your entire year¡¯s salary.¡±


    ¡°Plus, he¡¯s adventurous. Girls love that. And he¡¯s got connections.¡± Zhanbo piled on mercilessly.


    Teacher Zeng crumpled onto the couch, utterly defeated. His last hope was WanYu¡ªsurely she would say something nice about him.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. Stop bullying Teacher Zeng.¡± WanYu scolded the others, who just shrugged. Were they wrong?


    She turned to the devastated Zeng, thought for a moment, then said brightly:


    ¡°Honestly, one reason is enough. Yuze has Yifei now. You? You¡¯ve got nothing.¡±


    THUD.


    Teacher Zeng collapsed, his HP hitting zero. He lay there, barely breathing, as Zhanbo gave WanYu a thumbs-up. Critical hit.


    WanYu smiled sheepishly.


    Deep down, everyone in Love Apartments had a sadistic streak, even sweet, innocent-looking WanYu.


    And now, the poor, black-hearted Teacher Zeng had been thoroughly broken.


    He didn¡¯t even want to speak anymore.


    He was scared.

 Chapter 16 - Chen Yuze鈥檚 Backup Plan

    Chapter 16: Chen Yuze¡¯s Backup Plan


    ¡°Alright, are we going to look for my sister and Yuze or not?¡± Zhanbo couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and quickly steered the conversation back on track. He also felt that Teacher Zeng was dragging things out too much. Besides, he had a decent impression of Yuze¡ªafter all, Zhanbo had an adventurous spirit, though his actual ability to adventure was another matter.


    Chen Meijia was reminded of the issue and turned to Zhanbo. ¡°Did you call Yuze? If they¡¯ve reached their destination, he might actually pick up! Then we¡¯d know if they eloped or not. Relax, they¡¯re grown-ups, they won¡¯t get lost, and no one¡¯s going to kidnap them.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. I¡¯ll try.¡± Zhanbo picked up his phone again but then froze, not making another move, as if lost in thought.


    ¡°What are you doing? Call him already. Are you trying to dial with telepathy?¡± L¨¹ Ziqiao couldn¡¯t take it anymore and urged him on.


    Zhanbo turned to the others with a blank look. ¡°I just realized¡­ I don¡¯t actually have Yuze¡¯s number. Does anyone know it? Someone else should call him.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?!¡± The group collectively slumped back onto the couch. If there was no number, why didn¡¯t he say so earlier? They¡¯d waited all this time for nothing, thinking Zhanbo had some useful lead. Turns out he just didn¡¯t have the number¡ªwhat a waste of time. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Bro, you didn¡¯t have his number and you didn¡¯t say so? Did you think you could divine it or suddenly remember it?¡± L¨¹ Ziqiao shoved Zhanbo aside and took his seat.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you called Yuze before? How come you don¡¯t have his number?¡± Wan Yu asked Zhanbo, who was now sitting beside her. She remembered him saying earlier, while recounting the story, that he¡¯d called both of them and couldn¡¯t reach either¡ªwhich was why everyone had gathered here.


    Zhanbo looked at her sheepishly. ¡°I assumed. Since my sister¡¯s phone was off, and if they really eloped, then Yuze¡¯s phone should be off too. Isn¡¯t that logical?¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s called spreading false orders, you know? That¡¯s a beheading offense.¡± Wan Yu shot him a glare. This guy had convinced everyone they¡¯d eloped from the start, and now they¡¯d all been led astray by his nonsense.


    Zhanbo handed the phone to L¨¹ Ziqiao, who rolled his eyes and pulled out his knockoff smartphone. ¡°In this world, there¡¯s a thing called a phone¡ª¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need mine to interfere?¡±


    ¡°That seat¡¯s uncomfortable anyway.¡± As he spoke, Ziqiao pulled up Yuze¡¯s number and waved it in front of everyone. ¡°Phelps-approved waterproof phone¡ªknockoffs are the best.¡±


    He dialed Chen Yuze¡¯s number and put it on speaker. A clear automated voice responded: ¡°Beep¡­ beep¡­ Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off¡ª¡±


    Ziqiao hung up. ¡°Well, they¡¯re really missing now.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do? Should we call the police?¡± Zhanbo clutched his phone hesitantly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait a bit. We can¡¯t bother the police with everything, okay?¡± Meijia thought for a moment, then looked toward Yuze¡¯s room on the second floor. ¡°Did you guys actually check Yuze¡¯s room properly? Or was that another one of your guesses?¡±


    Zhanbo lowered his head. No need to explain¡ªthey all knew. This kid had clearly imagined the whole thing. His brain was beyond saving.


    ¡°I knocked, but there was no response!¡± Zhanbo defended himself, still clinging to the idea that he wasn¡¯t entirely hopeless.


    ¡°Alright, genius, if they really left, of course you wouldn¡¯t hear anything. This isn¡¯t a horror movie¡ªwhat do you think this is, the Haunted Temple from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio?¡± Teacher Zeng teased, seizing the chance to get back at Zhanbo for earlier.


    The group hurried upstairs. Meijia reached out to push the door open, but Zhanbo stopped her. ¡°Wait, Meijia, if Yuze isn¡¯t here, isn¡¯t it rude to just barge in?¡±


    ¡°And what do you suggest? Knock and wait for someone to answer? Or call and ask for Yuze¡¯s permission first?¡± Meijia sighed. This kid had clearly studied himself into oblivion.


    ¡°Good idea! I agree!¡± Zhanbo nodded enthusiastically.


    ¡°Get out of here! If we could reach them, would we need to break in, genius?¡± Teacher Zeng pushed past everyone, went straight to Yuze¡¯s door, and gave it a shove. It swung open effortlessly, leaving everyone stunned. This meant Yuze had expected they might come¡ªhe¡¯d left it unlocked on purpose. Clearly, he¡¯d planned ahead.


    The group shot Zhanbo a collective look of disdain. So much for being a top-tier overseas graduate¡ªhe hadn¡¯t even noticed something this obvious. Seems like all his brainpower went into books and Transformers.


    They slowly stepped into Chen Yuze¡¯s room. Each resident had decorated their own space, so the style varied. Yuze¡¯s room was neat and tidy, unlike Teacher Zeng¡¯s, which was littered with junk food and takeout boxes.


    There was a desk, a bookshelf filled with volumes, and a section nearby with various tools neatly arranged. Weapons were, of course, present¡ªmostly blades and other cold steel, with an emphasis on daggers.


    As they scanned the room, Wan Yu spotted an envelope on the desk with a line of writing: ¡°To the Residents of Love Apartment.¡± It was clearly a message left for them.


    ¡°Look! There¡¯s a letter from Yuze!¡± Wan Yu called out. The others rushed over and stared at the envelope. After a moment of hesitation, Wan Yu picked it up and carefully opened it.


    ¡°To everyone at Love Apartment,


    By the time you read this, I¡¯ve probably already left. Don¡¯t worry¡ªI don¡¯t have some terminal illness, and I¡¯m not lost. I¡¯ve just gone to start my mission. Apologies, but the timeline was tight. I likely didn¡¯t have time to say goodbye this morning, so I hope you find this letter instead.


    This trip involves some minor risks. I originally wanted to bring you all along, but there wasn¡¯t enough time to prepare, so I had to go alone. The details are classified, so I can¡¯t share them. But I should be back in a few days, I¡¯ll bring gifts! Oh, and if anyone disappears along with me, don¡¯t be alarmed. It¡¯s probably just a timing issue. Whatever you¡¯re thinking, I promise it¡¯s not that!¡±

 Chapter 17 - Private Chats Lead to Trouble

    Chapter 17: Private Chats Lead to Trouble


    ¡°See? I knew nothing was wrong. Did you really think Yuze would be as unreliable as you guys?¡± Teacher Zeng sat back, watching the others with amusement. They were worrying over nothing. Though they hadn¡¯t known Chen Yuze for long, they¡¯d already gotten a sense of his personality, he was dependable, cautious, and probably the least troublesome person in the Love Apartment.


    The group rolled their eyes at Teacher Zeng but were relieved that Yuze had things under control. Otherwise, things could¡¯ve gotten messy. And Yifei¡ªshe couldn¡¯t even be bothered to send a text before disappearing? Were they supposed to just not worry? Luckily, Yuze had anticipated this and left a letter.


    ¡°Hey, since they went tomb exploring, do you think they¡¯ll bring back souvenirs? Probably something valuable, right?¡± L¨¹ Ziqiao¡¯s mind immediately went to money. They hadn¡¯t been living here long, and most of his cash had gone toward rent. He and Meijia were running low, if they didn¡¯t figure something out soon, next month would be a problem.


    Wan Yu¡¯s interest was piqued too. She was tight on cash herself but didn¡¯t want to ask for help. She¡¯d planned to earn next month¡¯s rent on her own. When Yuze had invited them earlier, she¡¯d worried about being a burden and declined. Who knew Yifei would just run off with him without a word?


    Wan Yu glanced at Ziqiao. ¡°You¡¯re that broke? You should¡¯ve said something earlier. Yuze invited us before¡ªsaid we¡¯d even get paid. But we didn¡¯t want to cause trouble, so we turned him down. Who knew Yifei would sneak off with him? I would¡¯ve gone if I¡¯d known.¡±


    ¡°What? He told you guys? That¡¯s not cool! And here I was, thinking we¡¯d be wingmen in the dating scene. He gets a sweet gig like this and doesn¡¯t even invite me?¡± L¨¹ Ziqiao angrily tossed a pillow from Yuze¡¯s room. He genuinely hadn¡¯t known, and Yuze had forgotten to mention it to him.


    Not that Yuze was entirely to blame. When he¡¯d been screening potential teammates, very few made the cut. Teacher Zeng? Out¡ªhe had his late-night radio show. Zhanbo? Eliminated instantly¡ªno way he could handle the risks.


    At the time, only Hu Yifei had shown real interest. As for L¨¹ Ziqiao? Yuze hadn¡¯t even considered him, most guys were disqualified anyway. If Guanguan had been around, maybe things would¡¯ve been different. But since he wasn¡¯t, Yuze hadn¡¯t had many options.


    ¡°Chen Meijia, why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Ziqiao turned to Meijia, who was idly playing with a small trinket. How could she keep something this important to herself? That wasn¡¯t like her.


    Meijia shrugged. ¡°I thought he was joking! I didn¡¯t take it seriously. Besides, what would you do there? No offense, but that¡¯s life-or-death stuff. You¡¯d either get yourself killed or slow everyone down.¡±


    ¡°If Yifei and Yuze can go, why can¡¯t I?¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Teacher Zeng patted Ziqiao¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Be honest¡­ can you really compare yourself to Yifei? We¡¯re just regular guys. Yifei is¡­ well, you know.¡±


    Ziqiao thought for a second, then sighed. ¡°Fine, I take it back. Yifei¡¯s like two men combined. I can¡¯t compete.¡±


    After some more banter, the group dispersed. Ziqiao pocketed a small item from Yuze¡¯s room¡ªprobably something to impress girls. Nobody minded; it was just a decorative piece, and Ziqiao wouldn¡¯t actually lose it. At worst, he¡¯d use it to show off.


    Meanwhile, Chen Yuze and Hu Yifei were feasting on roasted wild boar and singing with their new companions. The burly man¡¯s deep, rugged voice was a stark contrast to the overly polished pop stars of modern times¡ªthis was real, raw, masculine singing. Even Yifei hummed along between bites of meat and swigs of homemade Northeastern liquor.


    Under the hazy moonlight, surrounded by the glow of the campfire, the group bonded quickly, their initial wariness fading as they took in the beauty of the untouched forest.


    Yuze and Old Hu exchanged a glance before clinking cups, careful not to drink too much. Tomorrow, they¡¯d need clear heads to locate the tomb¡¯s entrance. And with wild animals potentially lurking, they couldn¡¯t afford to let their guard down.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ this place¡­¡± Yuze studied the moonlight and the terrain, his borrowed tomb-raiding memories hinting that things weren¡¯t as simple as they seemed. Still, it confirmed they were in the right area¡ªthough he wasn¡¯t sure how reliable those memories were.


    ¡°Old Hu, something feels off here. Care to take a look with me?¡± Yuze suggested. Their current vantage point wasn¡¯t ideal¡ªthey needed a better spot to observe. Star-guided tomb location was one method, but Yuze wasn¡¯t well-versed in it. Hence, he wanted Old Hu¡¯s expertise.


    ¡°Good call. The moonlight¡¯s been bothering me too.¡± Old Hu set down his cup and stood. ¡°Let¡¯s make sure we¡¯re not way off track. At least we should confirm the position first.¡±


    ¡°Private chats lead to trouble! What shady business are you two scheming behind our backs?¡± Yifei, never one to back down, had been itching for action all day. Feeling useless only made her more determined to prove herself¡ªusually by challenging others until they admitted defeat, then rubbing it in.


    ¡°Ha. If you want to come, just say so. No need for the theatrics. Not like you¡¯d understand anyway.¡± Yuze¡¯s mistake? Implying Yifei couldn¡¯t keep up, and throwing in a casual insult.


    Yifei dropped her meat. ¡°Who says I can¡¯t?! It¡¯s just finding a damn grave. Watch me do it better than both of you!¡±

 Chapter 18 - Dancing on the Grave

    Chapter 18: Dancing on the Grave


    Old Hu and Chen Yuze led Hu Yifei to a spot. Both men held out their compasses, gazing at the stars under the moonlight without saying a word, occasionally taking a few steps forward.


    ¡°Are you two counting stars? How many have you counted so far?¡± Hu Yifei grew annoyed when they ignored her, but the two men continued their silent star-counting.


    ¡°Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen!¡± Chen Yuze accidentally got caught up in the counting. Old Hu shot him a resentful look, now he¡¯d been dragged into it too.


    ¡°Yifei, don¡¯t mind those two idiots. They¡¯re just talking nonsense,¡± Fatty said with a chuckle as he walked over. It was the first time he¡¯d seen Old Hu get sidetracked like this, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little gleeful. After all, Old Hu had always been the picture of maturity and composure during his military days. Seeing him embarrassed like this was a first.


    Old Hu and Chen Yuze continued studying the stars. They had been onto something earlier, but Hu Yifei¡¯s interruption ruined their momentum, forcing them to start over.


    Yifei walked up to Fatty and snatched the uneaten skewer of roasted meat from his hand, then cast a disdainful glance at Chen Yuze and Old Hu. ¡°Why bother searching? In such a huge area, the only raised ground is right under our feet. Of course the spot is here. You really think they¡¯d bury it in a ditch?¡±


    ¡°Yifei¡¯s got a point, but it¡¯s better to check. Let¡¯s just play it safe,¡± Fatty admitted. The mound beneath them was the only elevated patch of land around. Logically, this had to be the place.


    Ignoring them, Chen Yuze and Old Hu meticulously examined their compasses, muttering under their breaths:


    ¡°Seek the dragon, divide the gold, observe the winding mountains;


    Each pass a barrier, each gate a trial. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If eight perils guard the door,


    The secrets of yin and yang shall be revealed.¡±


    Hu Yifei and Fatty exchanged glances. ¡°Did they learn the same stuff?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it,¡± Fatty nodded solemnly. Two amateurs teaming up might make things safer¡ªunless they were both wrong.


    The two men paced in circles, one moving clockwise, the other counterclockwise. When they finally met, they glanced up at Hu Yifei and Fatty, hesitating as if struggling to speak. After all, their pride was on the line.


    ¡°Well? Did you find it or not? Quit keeping us in suspense!¡± Fatty demanded, eyeing Old Hu and Chen Yuze nervously. Their different pacing directions worried him¡ªif they disagreed, they¡¯d have to dig two separate tunnels. With only five of them here, that would take half a month.


    Chen Yuze sighed. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be damned. You guys have insane luck. You¡¯ve literally been roasting meat on top of the grave. You¡¯re standing right on the spot¡ªnot even an inch off!¡±


    That¡¯s right. Hu Yifei and Fatty had guessed correctly. The raised mound beneath their feet was the exact location they were searching for¡ªand they were standing directly above the main burial chamber. Chen Yuze and Old Hu could only laugh dryly at their absurd luck. What were the odds?


    ¡°Seriously?!¡± Fatty stared excitedly at the spot where Yifei stood. Old Hu gave her a strange look. After all their effort, she had accidentally stumbled upon it. The probability was ridiculously low¡ªit felt like she¡¯d come just to mock them. They had dismissed her earlier, and now she¡¯d slapped them in the face with this.


    ¡°Then what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s dig!¡± Fatty rolled up his sleeves eagerly, ready to start at their signal.


    Chen Yuze hesitated. ¡°Let¡¯s wait until daylight. It¡¯s pitch black now¡ªif something goes wrong, we won¡¯t even see it coming. The tomb isn¡¯t going anywhere. Unless it¡¯s alive and decides to run off¡ªin which case, good for us! A moving tomb probably means it¡¯s haunted, and we¡¯d just be walking into its dinner table.¡±


    Old Hu and Yifei nodded. Digging at night was too risky¡ªnone of them were experienced enough. It was better to wait for daylight. The tomb certainly wasn¡¯t going to disappear.


    Grudgingly, Fatty agreed. He couldn¡¯t do it alone anyway.


    The four returned to their campsite¡ªonly to realize something was wrong. Lingzi was missing. Panic set in, but the two dogs were still there, calmly lying on the ground. If something had happened, the dogs would¡¯ve alerted them first.


    They sat back down to eat a little more. Tomorrow would be physically demanding, and Chen Yuze and Yifei were completely won over by the wild boar meat¡ªfar tastier than anything in the city, free of additives and preservatives.


    ¡°Ah! Ghost!!¡±


    Lingzi¡¯s scream pierced the night. The four of them jumped to their feet instantly.


    Chen Yuze and Hu Yifei drew their pistols and rushed toward the sound. Yifei tossed her rifle to Fatty, she wasn¡¯t fond of firearms, preferring cold steel like the sword on her back. But she wasn¡¯t stupid, right now, guns were more effective.


    Within moments, they reached Lingzi. She was sitting on the ground, clutching her hunting rifle, her face pale with terror. She didn¡¯t speak, only pointed the barrel shakily toward a ramshackle shed in the distance.


    ¡°What the hell¡ªis that a person or a ghost?¡± Fatty muttered, squinting at the faint figures swaying inside the shed, their silhouettes flickering under the dim light of Lingzi¡¯s lantern.


    ¡°Who cares? Shoot first, ask questions later!¡± Yifei aimed her gun at the figures.


    Fatty blinked. Damn, this girl¡¯s hardcore.


    ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t be rash. Let me check first¡ªcover me,¡± Old Hu said, sensing something off. The figures hadn¡¯t made a single sound.


    Following his lead, the group held their fire. Old Hu stepped forward cautiously, Chen Yuze right behind him, pistol raised and ready to shoot if the shadowy figures made any sudden moves.

 Chapter 19 - Practice Makes Perfect

    Chapter 19: Practice Makes Perfect Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Yuze and Old Hu cautiously approached the dilapidated shed. Midway, Chen Yuze suddenly stopped and nudged Old Hu¡¯s lower back. Old Hu glanced back at him, Chen Yuze kept his gun trained on the shadowy figures ahead, but his eyes flicked downward to their right. There, half-buried in fallen leaves, lay a bleached-white skull. They couldn¡¯t make out the full details, but there was no mistaking it. Old Hu gave Chen Yuze a silent nod, and the two continued forward.


    ¡°Can you two hurry up? It¡¯s only a dozen meters, you¡¯ve been creeping along for minutes! If whatever¡¯s in there was alive, it would¡¯ve attacked by now or run away!¡± Hu Yifei, never one for patience, couldn¡¯t stand their slow advance.


    Before either could respond, she yanked out her dagger and hurled it straight at the shadowy figure. Old Hu and Chen Yuze froze in disbelief¡ªwas she trying to get them killed?! They immediately dropped into a crouch, barely suppressing curses.


    Clatter!


    The dagger struck the figure¡ªand its head toppled to the ground. Everyone flinched. Lingzi shrieked¡ªthe sight was horrifying. From their angle, it looked like Yifei¡¯s throw had decapitated the figure.


    Fatty, snapping out of his shock, flicked off his rifle¡¯s safety and aimed at the headless silhouette. There were multiple figures in there. If one moved, the others might too.


    Old Hu and Chen Yuze steadied themselves, shooting Yifei a glare before speeding up their approach.


    ¡°What¡¯re you two grown men scared of? Corpses? Pathetic!¡± Yifei taunted from behind.


    Chen Yuze finally snapped. ¡°Shut up! We knew they were dead the second we stepped out! We¡¯re checking for landmines under their uniforms! If you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing, stay back!¡±


    ¡°Yifei¡­ that was reckless,¡± Fatty muttered, patting her shoulder.


    CRACK!


    A sharp, unmistakable sound of bone dislocating echoed in the silence. Chen Yuze and Old Hu spun around¡ªjust in time to hear Fatty¡¯s agonized wail.


    ¡°AHH! Sis, I¡¯m sorry! It¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s broken!¡±


    ¡°Oh damn it, I forgot about that!¡± Chen Yuze groaned, already piecing together what happened. Sure enough, Fatty was writhing on the ground, clutching his limp arm. Yifei stood frozen, wide-eyed¡ªshe¡¯d forgotten to suppress her reflexes.


    ¡°Yifei, fix it before it sets wrong!¡± Chen Yuze barked.


    ¡°R-right!¡± Yifei rushed over, but Fatty scrambled back like a frightened animal.


    Fatty¡¯s scream had nearly given Old Hu a heart attack. He took a deep breath, then shot Chen Yuze a questioning look.


    Chen Yuze rubbed his neck awkwardly. ¡°Yifei¡¯s trained in martial arts since childhood. Touch her unexpectedly, and she¡¯ll¡­ react. I¡¯ve been on the receiving end too. Usually just a dislocation¡ªpop it back, and it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Old Hu sighed. ¡°Like how we still dive for cover at gunfire. Got it.¡± He glared at Fatty¡ªwho just casually touches a girl in their line of work? These weren¡¯t ordinary women. You didn¡¯t survive tomb-raiding without skills.


    ¡°Quit whining. It¡¯s just a dislocation. You two need to stop screaming at every little thing¡ªyou¡¯ll scare us to death!¡± Old Hu grumbled. His patience was fraying¡ªthis team was exhausting.


    ¡°Man up! It¡¯s one dislocation. Hold still¡ªif I set it wrong, that¡¯s your fault.¡± Yifei grabbed Fatty¡¯s arm, her glare silencing his protests. She wanted to make a good impression, but his howling was ruining her ¡°gentle and refined¡± image.


    Fatty went rigid, eyes watering. He hadn¡¯t meant anything by it¡ªto him, Yifei was clearly Chen Yuze¡¯s girl. You don¡¯t mess with a brother¡¯s woman.


    With a sharp click, Yifei snapped his arm back into place. ¡°Move it. See if it¡¯s aligned.¡±


    Fatty gingerly flexed his arm, then grinned in relief. ¡°Damn, sis, you¡¯re good! Feels normal!¡±


    ¡°Practice makes perfect,¡± Yifei said casually.


    The group fell silent. Those four words carried weight. Just how many arms had she dislocated to get this skilled? Fatty subtly edged away. Note to self: Never. Surprise. Yifei.


    If she had practiced enough to master this, the rest of them needed to avoid becoming her practice dummies. Cherish life. Stay away from Hu Yifei. Fatty had just unlocked the same life lesson as Teacher Zeng.


    Meanwhile, Chen Yuze and Old Hu¡ªlong done with the duo¡¯s antics¡ªreached the shed. Inside, jumbled skeletons in tattered Imperial Japanese uniforms littered the ground. Time had eroded the fabric, and some bones were half-buried under leaves.


    After a thorough check, Old Hu picked up a rusted rifle and shook his head at Chen Yuze. Useless. The barrel was clogged, the metal corroded¡ªfiring it would blow their hands off.


    He tossed it aside. ¡°Too decayed. Watch for grenades, anything here could still blow.¡±

 Chapter 20 - Teammates Like Pigs

    Chapter 20: Teammates Like Pigs


    ¡°Come over, but be careful. Who knows what traps they left behind.¡± Old Hu could see Fatty and Hu Yifei were practically vibrating with impatience, so he waved them over. Maybe they¡¯d find something useful.


    Yifei and Fatty eagerly hurried forward while Chen Yuze and Old Hu continued inspecting the area. Chen Yuze rummaged through a skeleton¡¯s backpack and pulled out a notebook. At the same time, Old Hu found one as well. Chen Yuze flipped through the pages, but most of the contents were indecipherable to him. Should¡¯ve studied harder. Too late now.


    THUD!


    Old Hu and Chen Yuze whipped around, teeth clenched. These two idiots had been startling them all night¡ªthis time, they nearly jumped out of their skins. Again?! sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They turned to see Yifei standing innocently while Fatty lay sprawled face-first in front of her. Yifei blinked down at him. ¡°Why¡¯d you suddenly faceplant? You were walking just fine.¡±


    Groaning, Fatty pushed himself up and brushed aside the leaves beneath him. ¡°The hell¡¯s this big crate doing here? No wonder I tripped! Old Hu, come check this out¡ªmight be treasure!¡±


    Old Hu sighed, picking up a commander¡¯s sword from beside the headless skeleton. He unsheathed it¡ªthe blade was still polished, the edge sharp. Chen Yuze¡¯s eyes gleamed. Perfect. He remembered Guan Gu was supposed to visit their apartment soon. This genuine Japanese officer¡¯s sword would make an amazing gift.


    ¡°You like this, kid?¡± Old Hu noticed Chen Yuze eyeing the blade. To him, it was just a weapon¡ªnothing special.


    ¡°Yeah. A lot.¡± Chen Yuze scanned the area, hoping to find another.


    Unfortunately, after some searching, all he turned up were two bayonets, a rusted Japanese pistol, a decently preserved rifle, and some bullets. Mostly junk. Disappointed, Chen Yuze sighed.


    ¡°Take it, then. I like your attitude¡ªconsider it a friendship gift.¡± Old Hu offered the sword.


    Chen Yuze reached out but stopped halfway. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong¡ªI appreciate it. But we don¡¯t know what¡¯s waiting in that tomb tomorrow. You¡¯ll need it more than me. After we get back, I¡¯ll trade you one of my guns for it. Won¡¯t shortchange you. If you¡¯re really going into this line of work, you¡¯ll need proper gear.¡±


    Old Hu grinned. ¡°Can¡¯t say no to that. I¡¯ve been eyeing that pistol of yours.¡±


    ¡°Deal. Now let¡¯s see what Fatty dug up.¡± Chen Yuze smirked. That pistol was cheap¡ªbarely any¶Ò»»µã. If this mission succeeded, he¡¯d have over a hundred¶Ò»»µã to spare. He could buy a dozen of them.


    The two walked over to where Fatty and Yifei were gathered around a large crate. After confirming it was safe, Old Hu nodded, and Fatty eagerly pried it open¡ªonly to deflate instantly.


    ¡°What kind of junk is this? Where¡¯s the treasure?!¡± Inside lay a pile of rusted tools and scrap metal.


    Chen Yuze and Old Hu exchanged uneasy glances.


    ¡°That¡¯s a Luoyang shovel.¡±


    ¡°And a German entrenching tool.¡±


    ¡°A Mauser C96¡­¡±


    As they pulled everything out, their expressions darkened. Chen Yuze exhaled sharply. ¡°Fellow tomb raiders. You think someone beat us to it?¡±


    ¡°Doubt it. If they¡¯d succeeded, they wouldn¡¯t have left this stuff behind. No one¡¯s that wasteful.¡± Old Hu frowned.


    ¡°Take what we can use. We¡¯ll figure it out back at camp.¡± Chen Yuze decided.


    ¡°Probably not.¡± Yifei pointed at the nearby skeletons. ¡°These must be the ones who owned this gear. If they died here, they obviously failed. No one would leave their comrades¡¯ bodies to rot if they¡¯d succeeded. Plus, you found usable guns and bayonets¡ªseems like the Japanese executed them.¡±


    ¡°Yifei¡¯s right. No way we¡¯re turning back now after coming all this way!¡± Fatty huffed. Were they just supposed to go home without even seeing the tomb?


    Chen Yuze nodded. His system wouldn¡¯t mislead him¡ªand he wasn¡¯t leaving empty-handed.


    They hauled the tools back to camp. Old Hu flipped through the notebooks while Chen Yuze handed his over¡ªhe couldn¡¯t read them anyway, though he took photos for later translation. Who knew? Maybe he¡¯d return to this world someday. The system worked in mysterious ways.


    ¡°Yifei¡¯s instincts were spot-on.¡± Old Hu chuckled, skimming the notes. ¡°The tomb raiders did fail. The Japanese caught and executed them. No loot nearby means they never got in.¡±


    ¡°Also, these idiots got lost wandering the woods. When they heard from the raiders that Japan had surrendered, they offered themselves.¡± Old Hu smirked. ¡°But here¡¯s the kicker, the Kwantung Army¡¯s fortress is nearby. We might hit the jackpot.¡±

 Chapter 21 - Old Hu, Half-Asleep

    Chapter 21: Old Hu, Half-Asleep


    ¡°What big discovery? Are you planning to traffic arms or charge into the island nation with weapons to take those little devils down with you?¡± Hu Yifei didn¡¯t see this as any major find. She wouldn¡¯t dare touch those things, what good could possibly be inside? S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Ahem!¡± Old Hu choked hard on his words. He had been ready to elaborate, but when he turned to look at Chen Yuze and Hu Yifei, neither showed the slightest interest. Even the mention of the Japanese army¡¯s fortress only earned a brief moment of surprise before they returned to their usual indifference.


    After some thought, Old Hu spoke up again, ¡°Sister Yifei has a point. It¡¯s not all that useful, and it might even bring trouble. But there should still be some decent stuff in there. If there really are weapons, though, that¡¯d be a whole different problem!¡±


    ¡°So, if we keep quiet about the fortress, no one¡¯s the wiser. But if word gets out, even an idiot would figure out we¡¯re tomb raiders! Once someone traces the clues, you two will be exposed!¡± Hu Yifei wasn¡¯t exaggerating. If anyone discovered the Kwantung Army fortress, they¡¯d inevitably find the Yuan Dynasty general¡¯s tomb. And once they saw it had been looted, connecting it to the fortress would instantly point to the tomb raiders. Their identities wouldn¡¯t even need verifying!


    Old Hu had been too excited earlier, thrilled by the unexpected discovery, and had momentarily forgotten the risks. This was definitely something they couldn¡¯t reveal¡ªat the very least, the location had to stay secret.


    Pangzi, however, remained unfazed. ¡°So what if it¡¯s discovered? We can¡¯t just leave everything inside, can we? There might still be good stuff in there! Are we really gonna abandon it?¡±


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s not as serious as Yifei makes it sound,¡± Chen Yuze cut in, glancing at Pangzi and Old Hu. ¡°Just don¡¯t touch any weapons. The rest can be taken out, but keep the arms a secret. Sell the other items somewhere discreet. As long as guns aren¡¯t involved, no one¡¯s going to hunt you down over some old Japanese supplies. That¡¯d be ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°Also, you could take some things out and stash them away. Once you leave, let the nearby villagers ¡®discover¡¯ the place and report it to the authorities. Otherwise, everything inside will just gather dust. Might as well let people see it.¡±


    Chen Yuze didn¡¯t have a perfect solution either¡ªdealing with military weapons was tricky. But it wasn¡¯t his or Yifei¡¯s problem anyway. Once their mission was done, they¡¯d be heading back.


    ¡°The kid¡¯s got a point. We¡¯ll figure it out when the time comes.¡± Truthfully, this was a messy situation. They were tomb raiders, not arms dealers¡ªthis was way outside their usual line of work.


    With matters settled for now, the group prepared to rest. The five of them had initially planned to take turns keeping watch, but Lingzi vetoed the idea. ¡°At night, the five of you are less useful than my dogs,¡± she said bluntly.


    She assured them they could sleep soundly¡ªthe dogs would guard them, barking at the first sign of trouble. After some thought, they agreed. In this dense wilderness, the dogs were indeed more reliable. Still, Chen Yuze quietly warned Hu Yifei to stay alert. They¡¯d only just met these people, and in this line of work, trust was scarce. A little caution went a long way.


    When it came time to sleep, Hu Yifei and Lingzi shared a tent, Chen Yuze and Old Hu took another, and Pangzi got a tent to himself¡ªthough not without complaint. But with his size, squeezing in with someone else was impossible. Old Hu, hoping to earn Chen Yuze¡¯s trust, bunked with him to show he had no ulterior motives.


    Even so, sleep didn¡¯t come easy. Chen Yuze sighed, shooting a glance at Old Hu beside him. ¡°Old Hu, let¡¯s just take watch. Or at least wake Pangzi up to do it. His snoring sounds like thunder.¡±


    Old Hu, half-asleep himself, was also roused by Pangzi¡¯s snoring. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and glared in the direction of Pangzi¡¯s tent before staggering over. He yanked the tent flap open and kicked Pangzi. ¡°Hey, fatso! Stop sleeping! Get your ass up!¡±


    ¡°Snort¡­ grunt¡­ wheeze¡ª¡±


    The noise only made Old Hu angrier. He grabbed Pangzi and shook him violently. ¡°Get up and take watch! Now!¡±


    After much effort, Pangzi finally blinked his eyes open, staring groggily at the furious Old Hu. ¡°Man, that was a good nap. Time to work?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re working¡ªby yourself. You and the dogs are on watch. Come back to sleep after we¡¯re all out cold. Otherwise, none of us are getting any rest!¡± Old Hu dragged Pangzi out of the tent. The moment Pangzi stepped outside, the four pairs of resentful eyes locked onto him told him everything. Scratching his head sheepishly, he slowly made his way to the campfire.


    ¡°Uh¡­ my bad, guys. Must¡¯ve been real tired. I¡¯ll keep watch¡ªyou all sleep easy. I¡¯ll hit the sack once you¡¯re all out.¡± He tossed some firewood into the flames, settling in for his shift.


    Chen Yuze felt a little bad, but there was no way Pangzi could sleep first¡ªnot unless they all wanted a sleepless night. After a moment¡¯s thought, he tossed his coat over. ¡°Here, don¡¯t catch a cold.¡± Then he threw over the Japanese rifles they¡¯d found earlier. ¡°Take these for protection. Might need them tomorrow, too.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, kid. You¡¯re way nicer than Old Hu, that traitor¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish, Pangzi felt something cold against his neck.


    He turned to see Old Hu¡ªstill half-asleep¡ªholding a Japanese officer¡¯s sword, its blade resting against Pangzi¡¯s throat. ¡°What was that, fatty? Say it again.¡±


    ¡°N-nothing! Slip of the tongue! Don¡¯t take it to heart, man!¡± Pangzi stared at the dazed Old Hu, genuinely worried. Is this guy sleepwalking?!

 Chapter 22 - Hu Yifei Wants to Learn Cooking!!!

    Chapter 22: Hu Yifei Wants to Learn Cooking!!!


    Pangzi finally managed to calm down Old Hu, who was still half-asleep, and Old Hu stumbled back into the tent to sleep beside Chen Yuze. Hu Yifei and Lingzi also settled back in for the night. Left alone by the campfire, Pangzi grew bored and decided to inspect the gear Chen Yuze had given him.


    He tightened the trench coat around him, a bit snug, but it helped against the chilly night air despite the fire. After a quick glance around, he saw nothing unusual. The dogs lay half-dozing, ears twitching occasionally, so he relaxed.


    Pangzi examined the rifles and pistols. Over time, dirt and grime had inevitably clogged the barrels. Despite his rough exterior, Pangzi was meticulous when it came to firearms¡ªanything affecting accuracy had to go. He disassembled the guns and cleaned them thoroughly.


    A true marksman, Pangzi worked with practiced ease, reassembling the weapons flawlessly. He loaded the magazines, then aimed the rifle experimentally. He wanted to test-fire it, but there were no targets around, and the gunshot would surely wake the other four. If that happened, a beating would be unavoidable. No, he wasn¡¯t about to risk that.


    Setting the guns aside, he peeked into the tents¡ªeveryone was asleep. He fed the dogs some leftover boar meat from earlier, then, deciding it was late enough, crawled back into his own tent.


    Before long, Pangzi¡¯s thunderous snoring resumed. But this time, everyone was already deep asleep, undisturbed.


    By dawn, Chen Yuze was the first to rise. He scanned the surroundings¡ªnothing amiss. The dogs cracked open an eye at him before feigning sleep again.


    Smiling, Chen Yuze walked to the nearby river. The icy-clear water sent a jolt through him as he splashed his face, instantly refreshing. He cupped his hands and drank¡ªcrisp and sweet, far better than any city-bought mineral water.


    Soon, the others stirred. Lingzi began preparing breakfast with last night¡¯s leftover boar and their supplies. Chen Yuze rummaged through his backpack and pulled out two packs of instant noodles and some dry rations¡ªsimple fare for the morning.


    ¡°Lingzi, let¡¯s have noodles. Too much grease in the morning isn¡¯t good¡ªwe¡¯re still full from last night.¡± He handed her the instant noodles.


    Lingzi stared at the strange packaging, baffled. ¡°Kid, what is this?¡±


    Chen Yuze suddenly remembered¡ªshe¡¯d never seen instant noodles before. ¡°Ah, right. Yifei, cook these for us. We¡¯ll go check the site. If it¡¯s doable, we¡¯ll start work now. Lingzi, handle the side dishes¡ªthere¡¯s plenty of wild greens here. Let¡¯s taste something truly natural.¡±


    Chen Yuze knew Hu Yifei¡¯s cooking skills were¡­ limited. Aside from fried rice, her dishes were inedible. But instant noodles? Even she couldn¡¯t mess those up. Plain rice was safe too. Anything else? Well¡­ best not to think about it. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Got it. Perfect chance to learn a thing or two from Lingzi! I¡¯ll cook for you all when we get back!¡± Hu Yifei, even barefaced, was strikingly beautiful. But at her words, Chen Yuze shuddered. Oh no. What have I done? He should¡¯ve volunteered to cook instead. Pray no one dies from her cooking¡­


    While the women handled breakfast, the three men geared up and headed to yesterday¡¯s marked spot, ready to begin. They needed to confirm the location first¡ªdigging in the wrong place would be disastrous.


    Armed with shovels, they got to work. Pangzi, impatient as ever, took the lead. Old Hu and Chen Yuze outlined a circle about a meter wide and let him loose.


    True to form, Pangzi was a machine. By the time breakfast was nearly ready, he¡¯d already dug half a meter down, still grinning like a madman without a hint of fatigue.


    Crack!


    A strange sound came from beneath Pangzi¡¯s shovel. Old Hu and Chen Yuze shouted in unison: ¡°Stop, Pangzi! We¡¯re there!¡±


    ¡°Pangzi, get up here!¡± Old Hu yanked him out. Now wasn¡¯t the time for brute force¡ªancient tomb defenses were no joke. At this depth, caution was critical. Most grand tombs had anti-theft mechanisms, and they¡¯d dug straight toward the main burial chamber¡ªthe most dangerous spot.


    Once Pangzi was out, Old Hu carefully descended, ditching the shovel to scoop dirt by hand, inch by inch. Soon, a glimmer of colored glaze peeked through.


    ¡°Found it!¡± Pangzi gasped at the vibrant hues.


    Old Hu smirked, tapping the glazed tile lightly. ¡°At least we¡¯ve got something. But this spot¡¯s a dead end. We¡¯ll have to rethink our approach.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! We just dug all this way for nothing? Why abandon it now?¡± Pangzi protested.


    ¡°The ¡®Flaming Dragon¡¯s Glazed Roof¡¯¡­¡± Chen Yuze muttered, matching the description to his memories. ¡°This general must¡¯ve been high-ranking to afford this. The haul won¡¯t be small.¡±


    ¡°Sharp eyes, kid.¡± Old Hu climbed out, dusting himself off. Then, to Pangzi¡¯s shock, he said, ¡°Fill it back in.¡±


    Pangzi gaped. ¡°Why?!¡±


    Chen Yuze patted his shoulder. ¡°That ¡®Flaming Dragon¡¯s Glazed Roof¡¯ is a trap. It¡¯s filled with Western Regions¡¯ Flaming Oil, break it, and the oil ignites, burning intruders alive. And once it starts burning, no amount of water can put it out. Going down there is suicide.¡±

 Chapter 23 - The Tradition of Grave Dancing

    Chapter 23: The Tradition of Grave Dancing


    ¡°This thing is that special? Is it valuable?¡± Pangzi¡¯s train of thought was, as usual, bizarre. No wonder he got along so well with Hu Yifei¡ªhis logic was truly one-of-a-kind. Was he really prioritizing money over his life?


    Still, since they were working together, Chen Yuze figured he might as well share some knowledge as a gesture of goodwill. The memories of the tomb raider he¡¯d absorbed also contained relevant information.


    As someone from a family with deep ties to the trade, Chen Yuze knew a fair bit. Seeing the blank looks on Pangzi and Old Hu¡¯s faces¡ªnewbies to the craft¡ªhe decided to explain. ¡°If you could extract the entire structure intact, it might be worth something. But a single tile? Worthless.¡±


    ¡°Not only is it nearly impossible to remove, but it¡¯s also incredibly fragile. To this day, no one has ever seen a fully preserved example of this burial style. It¡¯s also tied to the Yuan Dynasty¡¯s customs¡ªthey were a nomadic people, so grand tombs like this were rare to begin with.¡±


    Pangzi¡¯s interest was piqued. He handed Chen Yuze a cigarette. ¡°Kid, enlighten us. This is our first time doing this¡ªwe¡¯re clueless. Mind sharing more?¡±


    Chen Yuze lit the cigarette and exhaled slowly. ¡°Fine, since you¡¯re curious.¡±


    The two leaned in eagerly, looking like kids waiting for a bedtime story. Chen Yuze sighed but obliged. After all, his family had built their fortune on this very craft¡ªhow could he not know?


    He pointed at the tomb. ¡°The Yuan Dynasty was¡­ unusual in history. Few of their tombs have ever been discovered, and that¡¯s because of their burial customs. The Han Chinese believed in treating the dead as they were in life¡ªluxury in death matching luxury in life.¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Exactly! That¡¯s why we¡¯re here¡ªredistributing wealth! These bastards lived better dead than I do alive!¡± Pangzi glared at the tomb as if it had personally offended him.


    ¡°Shut up, Pangzi. Let the kid talk.¡± Old Hu cut him off, motioning for Chen Yuze to continue.


    ¡°Right. The Yuan Dynasty was different. They descended from the Khitans and Mongols¡ªnomadic peoples. They didn¡¯t follow Han customs. Yuan and even earlier Liao Dynasty tombs are rare because they didn¡¯t build traditional graves. When someone died, they¡¯d hollow out a large log, place the body inside, seal it, and¡­ that was it. No mound, no marker.¡±


    ¡°No mound? Then how did they bury them?¡± Pangzi blinked, baffled. The image of grand burial mounds housing emperors and generals was too ingrained in his mind.


    ¡°That¡¯s the difference. They were nomads¡ªno attachment to ¡®returning to roots.¡¯ They lived on the grasslands, and that¡¯s where they buried their dead. They¡¯d dig a random pit, place the log inside, cover it with dirt, then¡­ let livestock trample over it.¡±


    Before Chen Yuze could finish, Pangzi gasped. ¡°Wait¡ªso they literally danced on the graves?! That¡¯s so disrespectful!¡±


    Old Hu, equally surprised, frowned. ¡°But if they flattened it¡­ how did their descendants pay respects? They¡¯d never find the spot again.¡±


    ¡°They had a method. After trampling the ground, grass would grow over it the next year¡ªimpossible to distinguish in the steppes. But while humans couldn¡¯t find it, animals could. They¡¯d slaughter a mother camel or horse right on the spot, drenching the earth with its blood. The next year, they¡¯d bring the offspring. The young animal would instinctively find where its mother died, and that¡¯s where they¡¯d hold ceremonies.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding!¡± The two stared at him in disbelief.


    Chen Yuze shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s why their tombs are nearly impossible to find. Even their own descendants couldn¡¯t locate them half the time. The young camels might misremember, or the blood might wash away. But this method suited their lifestyle.¡±


    ¡°But why?! Who wants their grave danced on?!¡± Pangzi couldn¡¯t get past the mental image.


    ¡°They lived among wolves. If they built traditional mounds, the predators would dig them up before any tomb raiders could. Leaving no trace meant the dead stayed undisturbed. The mother camel¡¯s corpse was likely left as a decoy¡ªeither to mask the scent or to satiate the wolves.¡± Some of this was speculation, of course. After the Mongols conquered the Central Plains, their burial customs did evolve.


    ¡°So, kid¡­ any way to deal with this glazed roof?¡± Pangzi¡¯s eyes gleamed with greed.


    Chen Yuze smirked. ¡°The old masters had methods¡ªthough not ideal for us. Still, I¡¯ll share, just in case you encounter this again.¡±


    ¡°The tiles are fragile, and the ¡®Flaming Dragon Oil¡¯ inside was imported from the Western Regions¡ªrare outside the Yuan Dynasty. It¡¯s a mix resembling white phosphorus and oil, igniting on contact with air. One trick was to mix the surrounding soil into thick mud, creating an airtight seal. Then, carefully break a few tiles under the mud¡¯s cover. The oil would suffocate before it could burn.¡±


    ¡°But the risks are obvious. One slip, and you¡¯re dead. Plus, it could damage the artifacts inside.¡±


    This method came from the tomb raider¡¯s memories in Chen Yuze¡¯s mind. In theory, it had worked before¡ªbut the margin for error was razor-thin.

 Chapter 24 - Roasted Sparrows

    Chapter 24: Roasted Sparrows


    ¡°Hey, little bro, what¡¯s the second method?¡± The fat man winked at Chen Yuze.


    Chen Yuze knew exactly what they were thinking¡ªthey wanted to see if they could use these methods to open the passage. But he could only sigh in resignation.


    ¡°The second method is actually pretty simple. Glazed tiles are basically like glass¡ªthey can¡¯t handle high heat. Take an iron pipe, attach a rubber hose to the back, and submerge the other end of the hose in water. Then, seal the glazed tile with a layer of wet mud or something similar. Heat the iron pipe until it¡¯s red-hot and push it through the mud into the tile. The heat will melt the tile, but since the outside is covered in mud, the fire can¡¯t spread due to lack of oxygen. The oil inside will flow out through the rubber hose into the water. White phosphorus doesn¡¯t burn in water, and since oil and water don¡¯t mix, it won¡¯t ignite. Once all the fire drake oil inside is drained, it¡¯s safe.¡±


    Chen Yuze could already see the eager glint in their eyes. He sighed. ¡°Too bad the first method is a huge undertaking¡ªwe don¡¯t have the means for it. And for the second, we don¡¯t have the tools either. So, we¡¯ll have to stick to the old-fashioned way and go in from the side.¡±


    ¡°Damn, little bro, you¡¯re impressive! Really opened our eyes. This trip wasn¡¯t for nothing,¡± Old Hu said, cupping his hands in admiration. He knew about these mechanisms but had no idea how to disarm them¡ªonly how to avoid them. But when someone else had the skills, you had to respect it. That¡¯s just how this line of work was. Those who refused to accept it ended up as tomb guardians. It wasn¡¯t just about courage¡ªyou needed brains and experience, or this job would kill you.


    ¡°Impressive? I¡¯m just a theoretical expert. Don¡¯t take it too seriously.¡± Chen Yuze knew his own limits. He could talk a big game, but when it came to actual execution, he wasn¡¯t much better than a rookie. Still, glancing at Old Hu and the fat man¡ªwho were also novices¡ªhe figured he at least had some knowledge over them.


    ¡°Woof! Woof! Woof!¡± Suddenly, barking erupted from the distance. Everyone immediately sensed something was wrong.


    ¡°What the hell is that? If you¡¯ve got the guts, show yourself! I swear, if I don¡¯t tear you apart today, my name isn¡¯t Hu Yifei!¡± Hu Yifei¡¯s furious shout rang out. The three men exchanged glances¡ªsomething wasn¡¯t right. They immediately sprinted toward the campsite.


    Bang! Bang!


    Gunshots echoed just as they started running. There was no time to waste¡ªonly two women and a few dogs were at the campsite. If they panicked in the face of danger, things could get ugly fast. This was no joke.


    The three of them sped up. Seeing Old Hu¡¯s expression, Chen Yuze pulled out the pistol from his waist and tossed it to him. ¡°Old Hu, catch! Be careful.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Old Hu flicked off the safety and charged ahead. The fat man followed closely behind, gripping his rifle. Chen Yuze suddenly realized his stamina wasn¡¯t great, but thankfully, the distance wasn¡¯t too far. Within moments, they reached the campsite.


    The scene before them stunned everyone.


    Hu Yifei and Lingzi stood back-to-back. Hu Yifei held a rifle, while Lingzi gripped a pistol. The hunting rifle, now out of bullets, had been tossed aside. The dogs formed a protective circle around them. Above, a dense swarm of crows swirled menacingly, as if ready to dive at any second.


    ¡°What the hell happened?¡± the fat man cursed, raising his gun and charging forward.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, ladies! The fat hero is here to save the day!¡± With a dramatic flourish, he fired into the sky while rushing toward them. His marksmanship was decent¡ªseveral crows fell from the air, and the swarm seemed to falter.


    Old Hu¡¯s gun barked next, his shots precise as he picked off crows that got too close to the women. The swarm retreated slightly. The two men fought their way toward Hu Yifei and Lingzi. At first, they wondered why the women hadn¡¯t run¡ªthen they saw Lingzi¡¯s twisted ankle. She couldn¡¯t move. Hu Yifei refused to abandon her, so she stood her ground, supporting Lingzi to keep her upright and maintain their defense. Otherwise, the crows would¡¯ve already attacked.


    Seeing the two men arrive, Hu Yifei relaxed slightly¡ªbut then she noticed their ammo was running low. If this kept up, they¡¯d all be crow food soon.


    ¡°Chen Yuze, where the hell are you?!¡± Hu Yifei roared, not spotting him anywhere. Without firepower, they wouldn¡¯t last long.


    ¡°Oh? Miss me already after just this short while?¡± A teasing voice rang out as Chen Yuze stood up. He tossed his rifle to Old Hu¡ªthe best shot among them¡ªsince he himself could only fire blindly.


    As he rose, they noticed something different about him. He wasn¡¯t holding a weapon¡ªinstead, he carried two liquor flasks. In a few quick strides, he joined the group and grinned. ¡°Fatty, lend me a light!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± The fat man handed over his lighter.


    Chen Yuze unscrewed the flask. ¡°Today, I¡¯ll show you all what roasted sparrows really look like.¡± S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He took a big swig of liquor, lit the lighter (a classic kerosene one), and then¡ªWHOOSH!¡ªsprayed the alcohol into the air. The liquid ignited mid-spray, engulfing the nearest crows in flames.


    ¡°Hell yeah, little bro! Let me try!¡± The fat man took a mouthful of liquor, grabbed a burning stick from their campfire, and blew a fiery stream at the attacking crows. The birds scattered in panic, some setting their companions ablaze as they fled chaotically. Still, a few remained, preparing to strike.


    Chen Yuze hefted the unopened flask and gave Old Hu a look. ¡°Old Hu, it¡¯s your turn.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little bro. Let¡¯s show ¡®em what ¡®blossoming fire¡¯ really means.¡± Old Hu raised his rifle, waiting.


    Chen Yuze hurled the flask into the air. At the peak of its arc, Old Hu fired twice¡ªBANG! BANG!¡ªshattering the bottle. A rain of flaming alcohol scattered, igniting the remaining crows in a spectacular burst.


    ¡°Old Hu, that bigger one in the back¡ªit¡¯s their leader!¡± the fat man shouted, pointing at a slightly larger crow hovering at the rear.

 Chapter 25 - Yifei is One Tough Lady

    Chapter 25: Yifei is One Tough Lady


    Old Hu spotted a crow lurking in the distance¡ªlarger than the others, its feathers not black but a deep blood-red. Though subtle, the color was noticeable under sunlight.


    This crow had been hiding behind the flock, directing the attack, but the chaos from the exploding liquor had scattered the swarm, exposing it. Seizing the opportunity, Old Hu raised his pistol and took aim.


    Bang!


    The gunshot echoed as the crow began to fall. Everyone sighed in relief¡ªuntil Hu Yifei suddenly shoved past them, sword in hand, charging forward.


    They quickly realized the crow hadn¡¯t actually fallen. Instead, it was diving toward them at terrifying speed¡ªa final, desperate attack. Even injured, its fury was unmistakable.


    Hu Yifei and the crow hurtled toward each other, neither backing down. Victory would be decided in a single strike.


    ¡°A-ta!¡±


    ¡°Caw¡ª!¡±


    Hu Yifei let out a fierce cry, followed by the crow¡¯s shriek. When the others turned, they saw her holding a wooden block in her free hand¡ªthe crow¡¯s beak had lodged deep into it, stuck fast.


    She smirked at the struggling bird. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Weren¡¯t you having fun ganging up on me earlier? Where¡¯s all that arrogance now? At the end of the day, you¡¯re just a little sparrow.¡±


    With a kick, she knocked the crow unconscious, then glared at the remaining swarm. The crows let out panicked cries¡ª¡±Caw! Caw!¡±¡ªand within seconds, the sky was clear.


    Old Hu and the others stared at Hu Yifei, standing there like a battlefield general. It was hard to connect this fierce warrior with the cheerful girl they¡¯d been traveling with.


    ¡°Yifei¡­ uh¡­ is one tough lady,¡± the fat man finally managed, struggling to reconcile the adorable girl from before with the woman who¡¯d just dominated a murder of crows. Were they even the same person?


    ¡°Hmph. Useless, the lot of you.¡± Hu Yifei tossed the crow-impaled block at their feet. ¡°Can¡¯t even recognize a feint? Pathetic. I¡¯d trust a sparrow¡¯s brains over yours.¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­ we let you down,¡± the three men muttered, thoroughly chastised. If she hadn¡¯t acted, someone would¡¯ve been hurt. Better to swallow their pride now.


    Yifei strode off to reorganize their breakfast supplies. ¡°Good. As long as you admit your mistakes. This queen is exhausted now¡ªXiao Zezi!¡±


    Chen Yuze scurried over like an obedient servant, arms outstretched, bending at the waist. ¡°Your Majesty wishes to command this lowly one?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± She gave a delicate, weary sigh. ¡°All this excitement has worked up an appetite. Serve the meal.¡±


    ¡°At once!¡± Chen Yuze straightened up, affecting a high-pitched eunuch¡¯s tone. ¡°The meal shall be served! Little Fatty, Little Beard¡ªwhy the delay?¡±


    The fat man and Old Hu shuddered, goosebumps rising. ¡°Bro, what kind of imperial court drama are you two acting out?¡± the fat man groaned. ¡°Are we in ¡®The Reign of Empress Dowager¡¯ now?¡±


    Chen Yuze himself winced. ¡°If I said this was our way of apologizing, you wouldn¡¯t believe me. Hell, I don¡¯t believe me. Just come eat.¡±


    ¡°At once!¡± the other two echoed mockingly before scrambling over, eager for food.


    ¡°Xiao Zezi, serve this queen her meal,¡± Yifei ordered, handing Chen Yuze her bowl.


    ¡°Cut the act. You¡¯re not actually the Empress Dowager.¡± He rolled his eyes but still ladled noodles into her bowl. ¡°Eat up. After this, we¡¯ll scout for that old tomb raiders¡¯ tunnel. The main entrance is a no-go.¡±


    Between bites, Yifei eyed him. ¡°What, did you get the location wrong? Weren¡¯t you three so confident earlier? Or did you just slack off to avoid cooking? Confess now¡ªleniency for cooperation, severity for resistance.¡±


    Chen Yuze chewed on some wild greens. ¡°It¡¯s a high-security tomb. No way in from the top. We¡¯ll have to find a side route. And we¡¯d better stay sharp¡ªthere could be more traps inside.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Did you run into a security door?¡± she teased. ¡°How modern.¡±


    He snorted. ¡°A security door? That¡¯s nothing compared to ancient anti-tomb-raiding measures. Our ancestors¡¯ ingenuity is beyond your imagination.¡±


    ¡°Sounds exciting. I¡¯m coming with you.¡± Her eyes gleamed with interest.


    Old Hu and the fat man exchanged uneasy glances. This woman had just faced down a murder of crows without flinching, and now she was excited to explore a booby-trapped tomb? Was she even human?


    ¡°Fine. Five men going in improves our odds,¡± Chen Yuze said dryly.


    The fat man frowned, counting on his fingers. ¡°One, two, three¡­ Yifei. Yifei, one, two, three. Where¡¯s the fifth man? Are you calling me bad at math? It¡¯s three men and one woman.¡±


    ¡°Let me explain: I¡¯m one, Old Hu¡¯s one, you¡¯re one, and Yifei counts as two. That¡¯s five. Any issues?¡±


    Old Hu thought back to her earlier display. ¡°None. Definitely five.¡±


    Author¡¯s Note:


    Some say I¡¯m aloof, never replying to comments. Wrong! I¡¯m more wronged than Dou E!*


    I read every comment and often draft replies, only to discover a major problem: I don¡¯t have commenting permissions. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not even on my own book. Fine. No big deal.


    But I do read them all! Suggestions welcome, especially regarding female leads.


    Currently, only one is set, others are undecided. Feel free to debate!


    (Dou E: A famously wronged woman in Chinese tragedy.)

 Chapter 26 - Stay Strong, My Friend

    Chapter 26: Stay Strong, My Friend


    Lingzi couldn¡¯t take it anymore and nudged the fat man. ¡°Alright, stop bullying Yifei-jie. This is all Chen Yuze¡¯s fault.¡±


    ¡°Bullying Yifei-jie?¡± Chen Yuze cried injustice, looking at Hu Yifei. ¡°If anything, she¡¯s the one bullying us. Even with two extra guts, I wouldn¡¯t dare cross her.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Do you have complaints?¡± Hu Yifei¡¯s gaze locked onto Chen Yuze. Old Hu and the fat man twitched when they noticed the soup spoon in her hand¡ªnow bent out of shape. And she¡¯d done it with one hand. That grip strength was no joke.


    Chen Yuze noticed too and immediately shrunk back. ¡°N-no! No complaints! Being bullied by Yifei-jie is an honor. How could I possibly object?¡±


    ¡°Good. Then eat.¡± Satisfied, Yifei bent the spoon back into shape and resumed her meal. Old Hu and the fat man instinctively scooted away, fearing they might end up like that spoon. They shot Chen Yuze a sympathetic look¡ª


    ¡°Stay strong, my friend. Living with someone like this must be exhausting.¡±


    ¡°You two got something to say?¡± Yifei caught their exchange.


    ¡°Nope, nothing! Man, these instant noodles are amazing. Where¡¯d you even get this?¡± They shoveled food into their mouths, desperately changing the subject.


    Yifei narrowed her eyes. ¡°Then why¡¯d you move away? Am I not pretty enough?¡±


    ¡°Pretty! You¡¯re the prettiest girl we¡¯ve ever seen! It¡¯s just¡­ a little hot over here. We¡¯re sitting further back to catch the breeze. No other reason, really!¡± the fat man babbled.


    Chen Yuze realized Yifei had some kind of domination aura. Everyone around her instinctively submitted to her presence¡ªlike a queen. Even Old Hu and the fat man, who¡¯d only known her for a day, were already under her thumb. It was like a cheat code.


    Yifei rolled her eyes and kept eating. She had bigger things on her mind¡ªlike exploring that ancient tomb. The thought of an adventure like this thrilled her. Back in the Love Apartment, she never had chances like this. Now? She could go wild. Blow things up if she wanted (not that she would). And best of all¡ªno consequences. They could just ditch afterward and return home.


    ¡°Oh, right¡ªYuze, how long can we stay this time?¡± Yifei finally remembered to ask.


    Chen Yuze checked the system in his mind. ¡°If we complete the mission, we get seven days. But we can leave early if we want. Consider it downtime. Future trips might last months, though.¡±


    ¡°Bro, you in a hurry? Need help with something?¡± Old Hu picked up on the subtext.


    ¡°Nah, we just sneaked out this time. Got friends waiting for us back home. Gotta bring ¡®em some local specialties as souvenirs.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re in luck! Lingzi¡¯s a local¡ªshe knows where to find the good stuff. Hell, we can even get you some ginseng. The ¡®Three Treasures of the Northeast¡¯¡ªginseng, sable fur, and deer antler. Lingzi¡¯s family¡¯s got ¡®em all,¡± the fat man boasted casually.


    Yifei blinked at Lingzi. ¡°All of them? Aren¡¯t those super expensive?¡±


    Honestly, even Chen Yuze was impressed. Wild versions of all three were rare even in his world¡ªlet alone Yifei¡¯s. It wasn¡¯t about money (the Love Apartment crew were well-off, and Yifei was practically elite). But these? Even cash couldn¡¯t guarantee you¡¯d see them.


    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? They¡¯re just local products. This mountain¡¯s got everything. ¡®Live off the land, thrive off the water.¡¯ We might not have much else, but these? Plenty. I¡¯ll pack the best for you, Yifei-jie. Got an old ginseng root at home too¡ªyou can take it.¡±


    Lingzi¡¯s generosity stunned both Yifei and Chen Yuze. Now this was a real tycoon.


    Then again, it made sense. This place wasn¡¯t industrialized yet. These ¡°treasures¡± were everywhere, but people were too busy surviving to care about luxuries. No inflated prices, no rarity. Meanwhile, back in their world? Mountains were concrete-covered, and these ¡°treasures¡± were myths.


    ¡°Thanks, Lingzi! Tell me what you want¡ªI¡¯ll get you a spaceship if you ask,¡± Yifei declared, slinging an arm around her.


    ¡°I like that little knife of yours.¡± Lingzi pointed at the dagger on Yifei¡¯s thigh¡ªa system reward. Sleek, razor-sharp, and expensive (10 system points, same as a gatling gun).


    ¡°Deal. You can have it when I¡¯m done.¡± Yifei agreed without hesitation. Chen Yuze suspected she hadn¡¯t checked its value¡ªbut it was her points, her call. Maybe she wouldn¡¯t even come back next time.


    Meanwhile, the fat man dragged over the crow, grinning. ¡°Dinner¡¯s roasted chicken! A bit small, but hey¡ªwild game!¡± sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As he plucked the feathers, a foul stench filled the air. Yifei and Lingzi wrinkled their noses. Old Hu and Chen Yuze exchanged glances¡ªsomething was off.


    They sniffed the feathers¡ªthen smirked. Unexpected bonus.


    ¡°Ugh, this reeks! Screw plucking, just roast it whole.¡± The fat man tossed the crow into the fire. A bizarre, acrid stench instantly spread.

 Chapter 27 - Unexpected Gains

    Chapter 27: Unexpected Gains


    ¡°Damn, Fatty, did you just deploy a biochemical weapon?¡± Hu Yifei and Lingzi immediately bolted far away, while Fatty covered his nose, staring at the crow in the fire.


    Fatty poked the crow with a stick. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why does it smell like this? This isn¡¯t what I expected. I wasn¡¯t hoping for sparrow-level quality, but this is way off. How are we supposed to eat this?¡±


    Chen Yuze tossed the feathers into the fire and patted Fatty¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Fatty, I¡¯d advise against eating that thing. It¡¯s already had its fill of meat.¡±


    ¡°Had its fill? Isn¡¯t that normal? What bird doesn¡¯t eat bugs? Brother Chen, you¡¯re just joking around.¡± Fatty didn¡¯t grasp what Chen Yuze meant by ¡°had its fill,¡± but Hu Yifei and the others seemed to catch on.


    Old Hu shot Fatty a glare. ¡°What Brother Chen means is that these crows have eaten solid meat. We can¡¯t eat them. Looks like we¡¯ve actually stumbled upon some good luck this time.¡±


    ¡°Solid meat¡­ What¡¯s that? Is it tasty?¡± Fatty had never heard of solid meat before. Old Hu and Chen Yuze were deliberately speaking euphemistically since there were girls present, and some things couldn¡¯t be said outright.


    Chen Yuze sighed. ¡°No idea if it¡¯s tasty¡ªwe¡¯ve never had the guts to try. As for solid meat, it¡¯s basically human flesh. That stinky foot odor you¡¯re smelling? It¡¯s actually the stench of rotting corpses. These crows ate that stuff, which is why they reek so badly. And since the smell is this strong, they probably live close to the tomb¡ªmaybe even inside it. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be this pungent.¡±


    Old Hu dusted himself off and stood up. ¡°We¡¯re close enough, and we¡¯ve eaten. Let¡¯s get moving. We should make the most of the daylight so we can see clearly.¡±


    Chen Yuze stood as well, gathering his gear before handing Hu Yifei her backpack. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Yifei. Time to get to work. The sooner we finish, the better¡ªotherwise, Meijia and the others will start worrying.¡±


    Hu Yifei slung her equipment over her shoulder while Fatty finished his preparations. The group set off in the direction from which the crows had flown, while Lingzi stayed behind to guard the camp.


    They hadn¡¯t gone far when Old Hu raised his hand. ¡°Stop. We¡¯re here. There¡¯s a hole¡ªlooks like a tomb-raiding tunnel.¡±


    ¡°Stay sharp. Those crows might still be nearby. Keep your eyes open,¡± Chen Yuze warned. The earlier encounter with the crows had been unsettling, and there was a chance they might still be lurking inside.


    Old Hu and Chen Yuze crouched by the entrance, peering into the pitch-black tunnel. Chen Yuze held out his hand. ¡°Yifei, glow stick.¡±


    Hu Yifei rummaged through her backpack and handed him something resembling a firework. Chen Yuze instinctively moved to snap it but stopped midway when he realized what it was. He immediately tossed it aside. ¡°A glow stick, not a flare! What if this ignites something inside? Weren¡¯t you listening earlier? There¡¯s fire dragon oil in there!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I forgot.¡± Hu Yifei sheepishly handed him an actual glow stick. Fatty and Old Hu stared in amazement¡ªtheir equipment was seriously professional. They¡¯d never even seen some of this stuff before, like the glow stick. Compared to them, these guys were the real experts, while they were just amateurs.


    Chen Yuze bent the glow stick, shook it a few times, and tossed it into the tunnel once it lit up. ¡°Careful, everyone. Step back.¡±


    Shortly after the glow stick landed, a few crows burst out in a panic, too disoriented to attack before fleeing. The four cautiously gathered around the entrance to inspect the interior. The space inside looked vast, with the tunnel entrance about a meter in diameter.


    ¡°About three to five meters deep. Fatty, you¡¯re up first. Yifei, bring up the rear,¡± Old Hu ordered.


    Fatty clapped his hands. ¡°Got it! Watch and learn, folks.¡±


    He tied a rope to a nearby tree and carefully descended. Before long, his voice echoed from below. ¡°Oof!¡± sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Fatty?¡± Old Hu and Chen Yuze tensed, staring into the hole.


    ¡°Nothing, nothing. Just slipped. All good¡ªcome on down.¡± After a pause, Fatty reassured them. The two above sighed in relief.


    Chen Yuze went next. As soon as he landed, he saw Fatty squatting nearby, examining something. Thinking Fatty might be hurt, Chen Yuze approached. ¡°What¡¯s up, Fatty?¡±


    ¡°Nothing major. Brother Chen, what the hell is this thing? It¡¯s creepy.¡± Fatty poked a strange statue¡¯s head with a stick. The statue was just a beast¡¯s head¡ªghastly green with bared fangs, its eyes glaring menacingly at them.


    Chen Yuze scanned the surroundings. They stood in a corridor-like space, the tunnel entrance facing a wall that likely once bore intricate murals. But due to exposure to air, the colors had faded, leaving only faint traces.


    ¡°This should be a tomb guardian beast. Normally, Yuan Dynasty tombs don¡¯t have these, and this one looks like Yazi. I¡¯m not entirely sure, but something¡¯s definitely off here. Don¡¯t touch anything.¡± Chen Yuze frowned. Even in his memories, he¡¯d never encountered something like this.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Brother Chen?¡± Old Hu and Hu Yifei had descended by now, noticing Chen Yuze¡¯s unease.


    ¡°Nothing major. This Yuan Dynasty tomb just feels¡­ off. But I can¡¯t put my finger on why. Let¡¯s all be careful.¡± Chen Yuze couldn¡¯t shake the discomfort. The whole place felt wrong in a way he couldn¡¯t explain.


    Since this was their first time in a tomb, caution was key. The group moved slowly along the corridor, but the further they went, the stronger the unsettling feeling grew.


    Click!


    ¡°Trap! Fall back!¡± Old Hu felt a floor tile sink under his foot and immediately pulled everyone back. Just then, the walls began to shift.


    Clank¡­ Clatter¡­


    With the sound of mechanisms activating, rows of iron spears extended from the walls, and they were still spreading.

 Chapter 28 - Trapped

    Chapter 28: Trapped


    Walls lined with iron spears closed in from both sides, multiplying rapidly. The four of them scrambled backward, but halfway through their retreat, Old Hu suddenly felt the ground give way beneath him. The floor collapsed, and before he could react, he was plummeting downward, his hands desperately clawing at the edges of the crumbling floor.


    ¡°Old Hu¡ª!¡± Chen Yuze spotted him just in time and lunged forward, grabbing his arm. Chen Yuze slammed hard onto the ground, but he was far lighter than Old Hu. With gravity pulling Old Hu down, Chen Yuze was dragged toward the pit, his body sliding across the floor.


    ¡°Brother Chen, let go! Otherwise, we¡¯ll both die!¡± Old Hu shouted, seeing Chen Yuze¡¯s upper body already dangling over the edge. The walls were closing in, and if Chen Yuze didn¡¯t release him, he¡¯d either be pulled down or skewered by the spears. Either way, neither would survive.


    ¡°Rumble¡­¡±


    The walls inched closer. From his position, Old Hu could see the iron spears mere inches from Chen Yuze¡¯s back. If this continued, he¡¯d have to watch Chen Yuze die right in front of him.


    Old Hu looked up at Chen Yuze and smiled grimly. ¡°Brother Chen¡­ thanks. Meeting you in this life was worth it. If there¡¯s a next life, I¡¯ll make sure we¡¯re brothers.¡±


    Gritting his teeth, Old Hu tried to pry Chen Yuze¡¯s fingers open. He couldn¡¯t drag them all down with him. If he let go, maybe the others could still make it out alive. He wanted to live¡ªbut not at the cost of his friends¡¯ lives. He wouldn¡¯t let them die for him.


    ¡°Old Hu, don¡¯t be stupid! Yifei! Fatty!¡± Chen Yuze tightened his grip on Old Hu¡¯s wrist and shouted behind him.


    ¡°Coming!¡± Hu Yifei¡¯s voice rang out as two ropes flew toward them. Old Hu¡¯s eyes lit up, and he grabbed them instantly.


    The moment Old Hu secured his hold, Fatty and Hu Yifei yanked with all their strength. Finally freeing his hands, Chen Yuze drew the sword from his back and slashed at the approaching spears, cutting them down to create a small safe space. But the walls kept closing in relentlessly, showing no signs of stopping.


    Old Hu was almost up, but the narrowing gap made escape impossible. Hu Yifei and Fatty had retreated to the tunnel entrance, pulling the rope from there. However, the cramped space limited their leverage, leaving them struggling to exert enough force.


    ¡°Fatty, hold tight!¡± Hu Yifei made a split-second decision. Once she was sure Fatty had a firm grip, she leapt down from the tunnel, sword in hand, and charged toward Chen Yuze and Old Hu. True to her fierce reputation, she cut down every spear in her path, leaving a trail of shattered iron behind her.


    ¡°Yifei, be careful! Get back here!¡± Fatty yelled, torn between holding the rope and rushing to help.


    Chen Yuze heard the shout and turned. ¡°Yifei, go back!¡± sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Hu Yifei reached them in two strides. ¡°We came here together. If I leave you behind, how the hell am I supposed to face everyone back at the apartment? That bastard Zeng Xiaoxian would laugh at me forever!¡±


    Back-to-back, they fought off the endless barrage of spears. Though they managed to clear a small area, the walls were now dangerously close. Chen Yuze scanned their surroundings frantically. Old Hu was halfway up, but unless they escaped soon, all three would die.


    Then Chen Yuze spotted it¡ªa large door at the end of the corridor, carved with strange arm patterns. What made them odd was that while the arms themselves were normal, each hand held a strange disc-like object with an eye-shaped design at the center.


    ¡°Old Hu, cover Yifei!¡± Chen Yuze shouted before darting forward. This was their only chance. He sprinted toward the discs, sword flashing as he cut down spears blocking his path, his agile movements keeping him just ahead of the closing walls.


    ¡°Brother Chen, watch out!¡± Old Hu, now fully back on solid ground, yanked a spear from the wall and wedged it horizontally between the two advancing walls. The mechanism groaned, the walls slowing slightly. Seeing this, Hu Yifei followed suit, reinforcing the barricade with another spear.


    Chen Yuze reached the discs. They weren¡¯t carvings¡ªthey were actual stone dials, like compasses, but the eye at the center and the numbers encircling them made no sense. It wasn¡¯t a traditional Bagua compass. There were no counting beads¡ªjust rows of digits, like some kind of combination lock. And with no clues around, how were they supposed to guess the code?


    ¡°What the hell are you waiting for? Just do something! It can¡¯t get any worse than this!¡± Hu Yifei yelled. The spears holding the walls apart were already creaking under the pressure. If they snapped, they¡¯d all be human kebabs¡ªready for roasting.


    Chen Yuze glanced back at them. She was right. The situation couldn¡¯t get worse. Soon, the spears would break, and that would be the end.


    ¡°Wait¡­ the spears¡­ that¡¯s it!¡± Chen Yuze¡¯s eyes widened as realization struck. He was onto something.


    ¡°What about the damn spears? We can see them just fine! Hurry up, or I swear I¡¯ll kill you myself!¡± Hu Yifei snapped.


    ¡°Old Hu¡ªlook at the holes in the floor! Quick!¡± Chen Yuze had found the key.


    Old Hu glanced down¡ªand then he saw it.


    The solution had been right in front of them all along.

 Chapter 29 - Yet Another Fatty

    Chapter 29: Yet Another Fatty


    ¡°I get it now, it¡¯s about directional alignment!¡± Old Hu suddenly shouted. He had always felt something was off about this corridor, but now, looking at the floor, it finally clicked.


    The ground was paved with long, rectangular bluestone slabs. Earlier, these slabs had sunk when they triggered the trap, nearly swallowing Old Hu. At first glance, they seemed randomly placed, but now he realized they followed a strict pattern, the Eight Trigrams.


    ¡°Old Hu, hurry!¡± Chen Yuze urged, his eyes darting between the numbers on the two stone dials. These weren¡¯t just decorative¡ªthey had to be connected somehow, though he hadn¡¯t figured out how yet.


    Hu Yifei hacked through another iron spear blocking her path. ¡°Hey, you two, speed it up! These spears aren¡¯t just for show, you know!¡±


    ¡°Spears¡­¡± Chen Yuze glanced at the walls. ¡°Old Hu, right is yang, left is yin.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Old Hu had also noticed the spears¡¯ peculiar arrangement. He studied the floor and the spears, calculating silently.


    ¡°Brother Chen, start!¡±


    ¡°Starting!¡± Chen Yuze placed both hands on the two stone dials, ready to move.


    ¡°Xun position forward¡ªclockwise five, counterclockwise eight.¡± As Old Hu called out the sequence, Chen Yuze immediately acted, twisting the right dial clockwise to align Xun at the top and the left dial counterclockwise to set Xun at the bottom.


    As the dials turned, the faint sound of mechanisms shifting echoed through the corridor. The walls slowed slightly¡ªthis was the correct alignment.


    Once Xun was in place, Chen Yuze pressed the number 5 on the right dial and 8 on the left. The walls didn¡¯t stop moving, but they knew they were on the right track.


    ¡°Next,¡± Chen Yuze said, a hint of relief in his voice.


    ¡°Kun position backward¡ªclockwise four, counterclockwise seven. Dui below¡ªclockwise six, counterclockwise nine. Li position¡ªclockwise nine, counterclockwise four. Kan position¡ªclockwise five, no¡ªwait, six!¡±


    Old Hu¡¯s sudden correction made Chen Yuze¡¯s hands freeze mid-movement. Thank goodness I hesitated¡ªwho knows what would¡¯ve happened if I¡¯d pressed the wrong number?


    ¡°Sorry, messed up one. Next is Zhen position¡ªclockwise seven, counterclockwise nine. Then Gen position¡ªclockwise five, counterclockwise four.¡± This time, Old Hu didn¡¯t slip up, and Chen Yuze executed the steps flawlessly. But something still felt off.


    Chen Yuze¡¯s hands hovered over the final position¡ªthe only one left. Old Hu hadn¡¯t called it out. Qian position, representing Heaven, was missing.


    Chen Yuze hesitated. How could they forget the Qian position? The whole system is meticulously designed¡ªno way they¡¯d overlook something this crucial.


    ¡°What¡¯s the hold-up? Why hasn¡¯t the trap stopped? Which one of you screwed up now?¡± Hu Yifei snapped, still slashing at the encroaching spears.


    ¡°Where the hell is the Qian position?¡± Old Hu muttered, scanning the dials in frustration. There was no zero option, and the Qian symbol was nowhere to be found.


    Chen Yuze studied the floor, then made a decision. He had no choice but to guess.


    ¡°Clockwise nine, counterclockwise¡­ seven. Old Hu, Yifei¡ªdon¡¯t blame me if this goes wrong¡­¡±


    Hu Yifei, already fuming, shot back, ¡°Shut the hell up and just do it! Out of four people here, three are men, two are women.¡±


    Old Hu broke into a cold sweat. He understood the jab¡ªFatty was the only real man, Hu Yifei counted as two, and he and Chen Yuze were the ¡°women.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s leave it to fate.¡± Chen Yuze sighed and pressed the eye symbol at the center.


    ¡°Click¡­ RUMBLE¡ª!¡±


    The moment he pressed it, the entire corridor shook violently. The walls groaned as the iron spears retracted, vanishing back into the stone. The floor slabs rose, sealing the gaps, and the walls slowly retreated to their original positions.


    If not for the broken spears littering the ground, no one would believe this place had nearly killed them moments ago.


    ¡°Whew¡­ We¡¯re safe. Everyone, come over¡ªbut be careful. Don¡¯t trigger anything else. This place is no joke.¡± Chen Yuze slumped, his back drenched in cold sweat.


    Old Hu and Hu Yifei exhaled in relief. Fatty, who had been holding the rope the whole time, rushed over. The four exchanged glances¡ªthat was way too close. They hadn¡¯t even reached the tomb¡¯s main chamber yet, and they¡¯d almost died.


    No wonder those grave robbers hadn¡¯t made it in. If they had, these traps wouldn¡¯t be intact. They must¡¯ve triggered some, lost men, and retreated¡ªwhich explained why they¡¯d left guns behind in that crate. Probably keepsakes for fallen comrades. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Fatty, stay close. Follow my steps exactly,¡± Old Hu warned, only to see Hu Yifei already striding ahead without a care.


    He sighed inwardly. ¡°Yet another Fatty.¡±


    But he¡¯d never say it out loud. Surviving was good enough, no need to provoke Hu Yifei.

 Chapter 30 - How鈥檚 That for a Slap in the Face?

    Chapter 30: How¡¯s That for a Slap in the Face?


    As Hu Yifei walked over without issue, the fatty no longer hesitated and hurriedly followed. Staring at the two strange compasses in front of him, he gulped and turned to Chen Yuze: ¡°Bro, these compasses must be worth a fortune, right? Can we take them?¡±


    ¡°Did eating crow meat clog your brain? These are part of the mechanism¡ªhow are you supposed to remove them? And who knows if touching them will trigger some other nasty trap?¡± Hu Yifei also studied the compasses curiously. Truth be told, she had never seen ones like these before, she had only ever seen the compasses belonging to Chen Yuze and Old Hu. But these were enormous, with a radius of about twenty centimeters including the inner directional markers and outer numerals. They looked like two small millstones, made of stone. What use would they even be?


    Chen Yuze shot Hu Yifei a sidelong glance. She had just cursed with gusto, and now, as Old Hu joined them, all four stood at the end of the corridor, facing the strange door with its two compasses and stone arms. Having rested enough, Chen Yuze slowly stood up.


    He approached the door, examined the compasses, then glanced at Hu Yifei. Before she could figure out what he meant, he placed his hands between the two discs and gave them a sharp twist. With a click, the compasses detached from the door.


    In Chen Yuze¡¯s hands were now two compasses¡ªspecifically, the outer halves of each, while the central eye patterns remained on the door. He weighed them in his hands. Something had felt off to him earlier.


    Hu Yifei and the others might not have noticed, but Chen Yuze had been close to the compasses the whole time. When he pressed the eye symbols earlier, he sensed the discs pop out slightly¡ªthough it was subtle, and since the others were too far away, they hadn¡¯t seen it.


    ¡°Heh. Face hurt?¡± Chen Yuze smirked, holding up the compasses as he looked at Hu Yifei. ¡°Next time, if you don¡¯t know something, maybe don¡¯t spout nonsense. Pretty embarrassing, huh¡­¡±


    Hu Yifei¡¯s gaze turned murderous. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ give you one chance to explain yourself. Better choose your words carefully, Xiao Zezi.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, my bad. I got carried away.¡±


    Chen Yuze immediately switched to playing dumb and backing down. Compared to survival, a little humiliation was nothing. But if he pissed off Hu Yifei, he could already picture the miserable future awaiting him. Besides, there was no shame in yielding to her¡ªafter all, everyone in Love Apartment had to bow to her sooner or later.


    Right now, machismo was irrelevant. If he made Hu Yifei lose face, she¡¯d make sure he lost all his dignity. After weighing the options, surrendering was the smarter move.


    ¡°Hmph. Good. I¡¯ll let it slide this time. Now open the door.¡± Hu Yifei nodded in satisfaction and issued her command.


    ¡°Yeah, got it.¡± Chen Yuze stepped forward to open the door, looking like a bullied victim, his face full of grievance, like a wronged little wife.


    Old Hu and the fatty exchanged amused glances. The dynamic between Hu Yifei and Chen Yuze was¡­ odd. At first, they seemed like just teammates, but later, it felt like their relationship was closer. Now, it appeared even more complicated than they¡¯d imagined.


    Chen Yuze studied the double doors, then the stone arms holding the compasses. He waved at Old Hu. ¡°Come help me pull these arms.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Old Hu and Chen Yuze each grabbed one of the stone arms while Hu Yifei and the fatty watched from the side.


    ¡°A little help?¡± Old Hu glanced at the other two.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a delicate, helpless woman. How could you expect me to handle manual labor? Shouldn¡¯t you three men be ashamed? I¡¯ll stay here and cheer you on¡ªconsider it a morale boost. Go for that MVP!¡±


    Hu Yifei retreated to the side. The three men¡¯s faces darkened. They decided to just ignore her. ¡°Delicate, helpless woman¡±? Which part of that applied to her? Yifei, stop lying to yourself.


    ¡°Got a problem with that?¡±


    ¡°Nope, nope! You just rest, elder sister. Leave the dirty work to us.¡± The fatty quickly backtracked¡ªhe¡¯d already experienced Hu Yifei¡¯s wrath, and his arm still ached from it.


    Hu Yifei¡¯s expression didn¡¯t soften. She barked, ¡°Then what are you waiting for? Open the damn door!¡±


    ¡°Right, right!¡±


    The three men didn¡¯t dare protest. Exchanging glances, they began pulling at the arms with all their strength.


    ¡°Come on, you can do it! Push harder! Perseverance leads to victory!¡± True to her word, Hu Yifei cheered them on from the sidelines¡ªthough the trio¡¯s expressions suggested they weren¡¯t exactly thrilled. She looked downright gleeful, as if mocking their struggle.


    ¡°Rumble¡­¡± The doors slowly creaked open under their combined effort. Hu Yifei could now see a narrow gap.


    ¡°Put your backs into it! Are you three really this weak? It¡¯s just a door!¡±** She taunted, eyeing the tiny gap¡ªtoo small for even her to slip through.


    Chen Yuze and the others fumed. Weak? Pathetic? This was an outright insult to their manhood! Fueled by indignation, they redoubled their efforts, forcing the doors wider. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Good, good! Not bad. Sure, you¡¯re all embarrassingly frail, and the way you three clung to those arms looked extremely sus, but the result is what matters. Gold star for effort.¡± With the doors finally open, Hu Yifei dropped the cheerleading and switched straight to sarcasm.


    ¡°Piss off!¡± Chen Yuze rolled his eyes exhaustedly. Engaging with her was pointless, Hu Yifei was a force of chaos, and arguing only made things worse. Right now, they were spent. Stone doors weren¡¯t easy to move, no matter how casually she dismissed it.


    Hu Yifei kicked each of the three men where they sat on the ground. ¡°Quit playing dead. It¡¯s just a door. Move it, Adventure Tomb Raider Hu Yifei is coming through!¡±


    ¡°Hold on¡ªeven slave drivers give their workers a break! We¡¯ve burned through so much energy already!¡±Chen Yuze blocked her.

 Chapter 31 - The Apartment Bet

    Chapter 31: The Apartment Bet S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hu Yifei turned to look at Chen Yuze and the others. ¡°Taking a break, huh? Should we also wait for you to grab a bite, drink some water, and maybe get a shoulder massage while we¡¯re at it?¡±


    ¡°That actually sounds pretty good,¡± Fatty blurted out, immediately regretting it as Hu Yifei glared at him with murderous intent.


    ¡°Oh, really? Should I personally serve you three lords? I promise the massage will be very comfortable.¡± Hu Yifei cracked her knuckles, smiling sweetly at Fatty. ¡°Would you like to¡­ give it a try?¡±


    ¡°N-no, no! We¡¯re good! Break¡¯s over. Let¡¯s get moving. Just hearing about tomb exploration gets me pumped¡ªI¡¯ve got endless energy! Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± Fatty scrambled to his feet, hoisting his backpack with exaggerated enthusiasm, following Hu Yifei with a bold¡ªthough utterly sycophantic¡ªdemeanor.


    Chen Yuze and Lao Hu exchanged glances, their eyes conveying mutual sympathy. Their expressions seemed to say, What sins did we commit in a past life to end up with teammates like these? This is pure torture.


    As they set off, back at Love Apartment, Zhanbo once again tried calling them¡ªbut still, no one picked up. However, thanks to the letter, Zhanbo wasn¡¯t too worried. Zeng Xiaoxian, on the other hand, was growing anxious. Earlier that morning, he had secretly tried calling Chen Yuze, but again, no answer.


    Zeng Xiaoxian¡¯s mind was in turmoil. It had been two days since he last saw Hu Yifei, and pretending he wasn¡¯t worried was impossible. With no news at all, combined with everyone¡¯s teasing last night, he suddenly felt like something precious was being snatched away from him.


    But he couldn¡¯t bring himself to call Hu Yifei. What would he even say? Ask where she was? What if she refused to tell him? Worse¡ªwhat if Chen Yuze answered? Where had they slept last night? Could they have shared a tent? A man and a woman, alone together¡ªwhat if something had happened?


    And if it had happened, was it mutual? Or¡­ had Hu Yifei forced herself on Chen Yuze? (Wait, no¡ªthe other way around?) How would he face them afterward? Would they move in together, enjoying half-price rent and free utilities? Actually, they were already living together!


    Had Hu Yifei orchestrated this from the start? Made him move out so Chen Yuze could move in, all just to have their own private love nest? If not, why had she insisted on them switching rooms in the first place?


    All this over a single phone call. Zeng Xiaoxian¡¯s thoughts had completely derailed, spiraling far beyond the solar system.


    Meanwhile, Chen Meijia, L¨¹ Ziqiao, Wan Yu, and Zhanbo watched as Zeng Xiaoxian paced around, clutching his phone, too paralyzed to dial.


    ¡°One hour¡¯s up. Pay up.¡± L¨¹ Ziqiao checked the time and immediately held out his hand like a debt collector.


    ¡°Hold on, it hasn¡¯t been two hours yet! I bet he wouldn¡¯t call within two hours. The bet¡¯s not over,¡± Meijia snapped, shooting Zeng Xiaoxian a look of utter exasperation.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t try to weasel out of this. I bet he wouldn¡¯t call within one hour¡ªand now the hour¡¯s up. Hand over the cash,¡± Ziqiao retorted smugly.


    Meijia hurled a cushion at him. ¡°Who¡¯s weaseling? It hasn¡¯t been two hours! If he still hasn¡¯t called by then, then you win, got it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s your game? Fine. Give me the money now, and if he doesn¡¯t call within two hours, I¡¯ll pay you back.¡± Ziqiao had recently met a girl and was short on cash, so he¡¯d roped the others into this bet¡ªwagering on when Zeng Xiaoxian would finally call Hu Yifei.


    Meijia and Zhanbo, swayed by Ziqiao¡¯s logic, started reaching for their wallets¡ªuntil Wan Yu cut in.


    ¡°Ziqiao, you¡¯re cheating again. You¡¯re taking advantage of Meijia and Zhanbo. Once two hours pass, you¡¯ll vanish, and the ¡®money¡¯ you¡¯d pay back would just be our own cash. Right now, we¡¯re each giving you 500, totaling 1,500. But if you lose, you only pay 500 split among the three of us¡ªleaving you with 1,000 of our money.¡±


    ¡°Wan Yu, how could you think that of me?¡± Ziqiao gasped, feigning heartbreak. ¡°I swear on my honor! You¡¯re really hurting me here!¡±


    ¡°Honor? What honor?¡± Meijia scoffed, now fully aware of his scheme. She eyed him up and down. ¡°Wow, look at you¡ªall dressed up like a human being. Who knew?¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on! If you can¡¯t handle losing, just admit it!¡± Ziqiao blustered, though his tone betrayed his guilt.


    ¡°We can¡¯t handle losing? I bet you don¡¯t even have 500 on you right now. Prove me wrong!¡± Meijia, having once fake-dated Ziqiao, knew him all too well.


    ¡°Who are you calling broke?¡± Ziqiao plopped back down and turned to Zhanbo. ¡°Zhanbo, lend me 500.¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡± Meijia rolled her eyes and refocused on Zeng Xiaoxian, who was still pacing like a fly. Just make the damn call already! No wonder he and Yifei never got anywhere¡ªthis guy¡¯s hopeless.


    ¡°Hey, what are you four doing?¡± Zeng Xiaoxian finally noticed the audience.


    ¡°Betting,¡± Zhanbo answered reflexively.


    ¡°Betting? On what?¡± Zeng Xiaoxian frowned.


    ¡°On when you¡¯d finally call my sister,¡± Zhanbo blurted out, completely bypassing his brain.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m hungry. I think I¡¯ll go grab a beer. You guys chat,¡± Wan Yu said, already inching toward the exit.


    ¡°SIT DOWN!¡± Zeng Xiaoxian roared. ¡°You¡¯re betting?! Chen Yuze and Hu Yifei are missing, possibly in danger, and this is how you spend your time? Have you no shame? Don¡¯t you care about your roommates at all?!¡±

 Chapter 32 - Teacher Zeng鈥檚 Strengths?

    Chapter 32: Teacher Zeng¡¯s Strengths?


    ¡°Teacher Zeng, you¡¯re overthinking it. Chen Yuze isn¡¯t like you,¡± L¨¹ Ziqiao sighed.


    ¡°Exactly! You can¡¯t measure Yuze by your standards. He¡¯s so handsome¡ªyour bar is way too low,¡± Chen Meijia chimed in defensively.


    Lu Zhanbo glanced at Zeng Xiaoxian. ¡°Seriously, Teacher Zeng, don¡¯t worry. If you had even half of Xiaoze¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s say courage, because the rest would be asking too much, you wouldn¡¯t be in this mess. Why stress over them now?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on Teacher Zeng. He does have strengths¡ªthey¡¯re just not very obvious,¡± Lin Wan Yu interjected, unable to bear the roasting any longer. As roommates, she felt they were being too harsh and tried to soften the blow.


    ¡°See? Wan Yu gets me. Unlike you shallow people,¡± Zeng Xiaoxian grinned smugly. ¡°Wan Yu, they¡¯re all blind. Only you have the vision to recognize true greatness. Truly, kindred spirits!¡±


    Wan Yu instinctively scooted her chair away from him, but Zeng Xiaoxian, lost in his own world, struck a dramatic pose, sweeping his hair back, completely oblivious.


    The others shot Wan Yu sympathetic looks, as if questioning her eyesight. What kind of judgment is this? Even Wan Yu felt a little guilty and forced an awkward smile.


    ¡°Strengths¡­¡± Meijia scrutinized Zeng Xiaoxian head to toe, then frowned at Wan Yu. ¡°Wan Yu, if you¡¯re sick, see a doctor. How could you possibly spot strengths? Did you forget your glasses again?¡±


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡± Zeng Xiaoxian slammed the table, turning to Wan Yu, who offered a sheepish smile. He then looked at Zhanbo, who shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I don¡¯t see it either.¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable! Ziqiao, you say something!¡± Zeng Xiaoxian glared at L¨¹ Ziqiao, as if one more insult would make him explode.


    ¡°¡­Fine. Teacher Zeng does have strengths,¡± Ziqiao finally muttered after a long pause.


    Zhanbo and Meijia immediately shot him disdainful looks. Even Wan Yu joined in¡ªwhich was ironic, since she had started this topic.


    ¡°Like what?¡± Meijia pressed. She genuinely couldn¡¯t think of any. This was all just playful banter, but honestly, watching Zeng Xiaoxian agonize over a simple phone call for hours was unbearable. What kind of man hesitates this much?


    Everyone turned to Ziqiao, waiting.


    Ziqiao froze like a crashed computer. ¡°¡­¡±


    Ten minutes passed. No movement, no words.


    Another ten minutes. Still nothing.


    Finally, Meijia snapped and smacked him. ¡°L¨¹ Ziqiao! Did you crash or run out of battery? Speak!¡±


    Ziqiao blinked. ¡°I¡¯m thinking! Give me another half-hour¡ªI¡¯ll come up with something.¡±


    ¡°¡­Short legs count?¡± The moment he said it, everyone stared at him with dead-fish eyes. Ziqiao shrank back. I never should¡¯ve tried to comfort him.


    ¡°Okay, fine. I admit it¡ªI can¡¯t lie to myself.¡± The group collectively sighed.


    ¡°Told you. No way he has any strengths.¡±


    Ding¡­


    A strange glass-like shattering sound followed Meijia¡¯s words.


    ¡°Huh? Did something just break?¡± Wan Yu glanced around, searching for the source.


    Zhanbo pointed at the now petrified Zeng Xiaoxian. ¡°You heard right. That was Teacher Zeng¡¯s heart breaking.¡±


    ¡°A glass heart?¡± Meijia gasped.


    Suddenly, Zeng Xiaoxian lunged at them, snarling like a wild beast. ¡°I¡¯LL KILL YOU ALL!¡±


    ¡°Teacher Zeng¡¯s lost it! Run!¡± Wan Yu bolted, the others scrambling after her.


    Zeng Xiaoxian chased them, but¡ªshort legs. Meijia, seeing his increasingly deranged expression, yelled, ¡°Watch out! His rabies is flaring up! He might bite!¡±


    After several laps around the apartment, they decided to flee to the bar. As Zeng Xiaoxian charged, Ziqiao and the others pelted him with every cushion in sight, delivering both physical and emotional damage. Zeng Xiaoxian collapsed on the floor, contemplating the meaning of life.


    Meanwhile, the others regrouped downstairs at the bar, sipping drinks, completely abandoning their broken-hearted roommate. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Honestly, Teacher Zeng, it¡¯s just a phone call,¡± Meijia grumbled, exasperated.


    Lu Zhanbo shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s Teacher Zeng for you. If he weren¡¯t like this, I¡¯d already be an uncle by now.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, it¡¯s not entirely his fault. Feifei¡¯s so domineering¡ªthe pressure¡¯s too much for anyone,¡± Wan Yu reasoned.


    Ziqiao shook his head. ¡°I disagree. Yuze already whisked Hu Yifei away. No matter how tough she is, she¡¯s still a woman. This just proves Teacher Zeng¡¯s a coward.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ can we even call my sister a woman?¡±


    ¡°¡­Fair point,¡± Ziqiao conceded.


    Meijia rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not about Feifei being tough¡ªher intimidation is innate, gender aside. The point is, girls need to be pursued. Has Teacher Zeng ever tried? I bet they¡¯ve never even traveled together. The farthest they¡¯ve gone is probably the front gate of the complex. Meanwhile, Yuze straight-up took her who-knows-where¡ªmaybe even the other side of the planet by now!¡±


    ¡°I agree with Meijia. Deep down, Feifei is a girl. What girl doesn¡¯t like romance? Tomb exploration? Sounds dreamy. Compared to Teacher Zeng, Yuze¡¯s leagues ahead,¡± Wan Yu added. As a girl herself, she understood¡ªZeng Xiaoxian simply didn¡¯t get women.

 Chapter 33 - We Have General Yifei

    Chapter 33: We Have General Yifei


    ¡°Is¡­ this really considered romantic?¡± Meijia couldn¡¯t quite grasp Wan Yu¡¯s definition of romance.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s very romantic! Imagine exploring an ancient tomb¡ªI¡¯ve never even seen what one looks like before!¡± As soon as Wan Yu said this, everyone else nodded in agreement. None of them had ever seen one either.


    But if Hu Yifei and Chen Yuze heard this, they¡¯d definitely curse. What kind of romantic place was this? If this counted as romantic, then a mass grave would be even more so!


    ¡°But this time, Yuze only took Yifei with him. That¡¯s so unfair¡ªI wanted to go too.¡± Wan Yu slumped listlessly over the bar counter.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Next time, we should all go together. And it¡¯s an ancient tomb! Just grabbing any random artifact would be worth a fortune. Let¡¯s see¡­ one times seven is seven, two times seven is eighteen, March 8th is Women¡¯s Day¡­ So much money!¡± Meijia¡¯s eyes sparkled with greed. In the Love Apartment, she had always struggled to hold down a steady job, though things had improved somewhat lately.


    ¡°¡­¡± The others had long given up on Meijia¡¯s math skills.


    While things were lively at the Love Apartment, the situation on the other side wasn¡¯t bad either.


    Well¡­ lively might be an understatement.


    The group was currently overwhelmed, but Hu Yifei was having the time of her life. Guess what they ran into? Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fine, I¡¯ll admit it¡ªthey encountered something that excited Hu Yifei: rats!


    ¡°Kid, what¡¯s going on? Why are there so many rats?!¡± The chubby guy fired his gun while backing away. The swarm of rats was simply overwhelming.


    As soon as they entered the tomb, they must have triggered something, because an endless flood of rats came pouring out, covering the ground in a writhing, squeaking mass.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? They¡¯re just a few little rats! HYAH!¡± Hu Yifei brandished her sword and gleefully charged into the swarm, slashing away with unrestrained joy.


    Let¡¯s rewind a bit.


    With the chubby guy¡¯s reckless encouragement, the group hadn¡¯t rested much before heading straight into the tomb. The moment they entered, they were stunned. This didn¡¯t look like an ancient tomb at all¡ªit resembled a grand hall, completely defying traditional tomb layouts and designs.


    Beyond the entrance stood two rows of palace lanterns, each over a meter tall, lining a straight path paved with bluestone slabs nearly five meters wide. At the end of the path stood a majestic hall, its grandeur undiminished despite centuries buried underground. It looked as pristine as if it had just been built, still radiating its former glory.


    The four of them cautiously stepped onto the path. After only a few steps, the palace lanterns on either side suddenly lit up on their own. The sound of flames igniting echoed like switches being flipped, one lantern after another, illuminating the surroundings in an eerie glow. Now, they could clearly see where they were¡ªa vast plaza, with the grand hall standing imposingly before them.


    After observing cautiously for a while and finding no immediate danger, they decided to proceed further.


    ¡°Kid, what¡¯s up with these lanterns? That sickly green flame looks seriously unsettling.¡± The chubby guy stared at the emerald fire inside the lanterns, an inexplicable dread creeping up his spine.


    ¡°Yuze, is this will-o¡¯-the-wisp?¡± Hu Yifei, ever the fearless one, leaned in to examine the flames closely. The fact that they burned without any visible fuel fascinated her.


    Chen Yuze and Old Hu shook their heads. While the grand hall was clearly abnormal, the lanterns themselves weren¡¯t too hard to explain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. The lantern oil contains white phosphorus¡ªit ignites automatically when exposed to air, lighting the flame. It¡¯s a common method for eternal lamps. At first glance, it might seem like they¡¯ve been burning for a thousand years. As for the green color, it¡¯s not supernatural¡ªit¡¯s probably due to bone powder or other special additives. Same principle as fireworks.¡± Old Hu provided the explanation.


    Chen Yuze nodded and approached one of the lanterns. He carefully scraped a bit of the oil with his dagger and frowned. ¡°This is probably corpse oil. And these lanterns are actually made of colored glaze¡ªisn¡¯t this level of luxury a bit excessive?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Hu Yifei immediately took a step back. The idea of corpse oil was disgusting¡ªand horrifyingly cruel.


    ¡°Stay alert. Something¡¯s off here.¡± Old Hu also sensed the strangeness. This level of extravagance was far beyond what a mere general could afford¡ªunless this general was someone very special.


    Proceeding with caution, they slowly advanced toward the grand hall. But after only a few steps, Hu Yifei sniffed the air.


    ¡°Do you guys smell something weird?¡±


    ¡°Probably just the scent of humans.¡± Old Hu brushed it off. By ¡°human scent,¡± he meant the stench of corpse oil.


    ¡°Feels a bit strange¡­¡± Hu Yifei muttered under her breath as they continued forward.


    ¡°Squeak¡­ squeak squeak¡­¡±


    Suddenly, an odd noise echoed around them.


    The four immediately formed a defensive circle, backs pressed together. But then, a black tide of rats surged toward them like a swarm of locusts.


    The rats charged at them mindlessly, as if driven by madness. The group had no choice but to defend themselves¡ªwell, except for Hu Yifei. The moment she saw the rats, she became even more excited than they were. Sword in hand, she charged straight into the swarm, cutting them down left and right.


    And so, the earlier scene unfolded: rats chased the chubby guy, while Hu Yifei chased the rats. She was like their natural predator¡ªmore effective than a cat.


    ¡°Chubby, lead them over here! Stop running around! They¡¯re just a few rats¡ªlet me crush them!¡± Hu Yifei¡¯s grin never faded as she single-handedly protected the three men, chasing the rats all over the place.


    Finally rescued by Hu Yifei, the chubby guy retreated next to Chen Yuze, still fighting off the remaining rats. Watching the frenzied Yifei, he gulped hard.


    ¡°Kid, what¡¯s up with Yifei? She¡¯s way too brutal!¡±


    Chen Yuze scratched his cheek. Even he hadn¡¯t expected this. As he watched Yifei gleefully slaughtering rats left and right, he replied, ¡°Well¡­ Yifei-jie has a special reaction when she encounters things she¡¯s good at. Seeing rats sometimes makes her¡­ excited. Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯ll calm down once she¡¯s done killing them¡­ probably?¡±


    ¡°¡®Probably?!¡¯ At this rate, I¡¯m more afraid her sword will end up on our heads!¡± The chubby guy and Old Hu shivered as they watched Yifei wreak havoc.


    It was obvious even to them¡ªthese rats were likely part of the tomb¡¯s defenses. A grand tomb like this wouldn¡¯t just let rats in for no reason.


    But now¡­ they almost felt sorry for the rats.

 Chapter 34 -

    Chapter 34: ¡°Hah! Enemy General, Surrender Your Life!¡±


    ¡°Kid! Old Hu! Think of something¡ªif this keeps up, even Yifei won¡¯t last long!¡± The chubby guy was starting to panic. The rats were endless, and even with Yifei¡¯s help, they couldn¡¯t kill them all. Plus, Yifei¡¯s stamina would drain fast at this rate.


    ¡°Wait¡­ the smell¡­ it¡¯s the smell!¡± Old Hu suddenly remembered what Hu Yifei had mentioned earlier. Though he hated to admit it, women were more sensitive to these things. Yifei had said she smelled something strange¡ªthat must be the key. Otherwise, the rats wouldn¡¯t have gone berserk like this. He also noticed that some rats collapsed after running for a while.


    This had to be part of the tomb¡¯s defense mechanism. There must be something lethal to the rats here; otherwise, the tomb wouldn¡¯t have remained pristine for thousands of years. Something had kept the rats away before, just like now¡ªthey died shortly after entering.


    The fact that they were charging in recklessly meant something had changed. Whatever was in the palace lanterns must have driven them mad, making them rush in despite the danger. The only difference since they entered was the lanterns lighting up. There had to be something in the oil that triggered this frenzy.


    Chen Yuze noticed it too¡ªthe flames in the lanterns were growing larger. He glanced up at the structure above. The ceiling was made of glazed tiles. If the rats damaged them, they¡¯d all be buried alive. And if the lanterns kept burning like this, the rising heat might shatter the tiles. Worse, the rats themselves could catch fire, turning the whole place into an inferno.


    ¡°Put out the lanterns¡ªnow! If the rats destroy them, we¡¯re doomed!¡± Chen Yuze and Old Hu shouted as they rushed forward. They had to extinguish the flames before things escalated.


    ¡°Squeak¡ª!¡±


    A sharp, piercing screech echoed through the tomb. Chen Yuze turned toward the sound and saw an enormous rat¡ªas big as a cat¡ªstanding atop a broken pillar.


    At its command, the rats became even more frenzied, attacking with terrifying coordination. No longer a disorganized swarm, they moved like an army.


    ¡°Yifei! Cut off the head, and the body will die!¡± Chen Yuze yelled, raising his gun and firing at the giant rat. But his range practice didn¡¯t translate well to real combat¡ªhe missed.


    ¡°Rat King? Leave it to me! Watch me slay the enemy general and claim victory!¡± Hu Yifei spotted the alpha rat and charged without hesitation, her sword flashing. The smaller rats fell before her like wheat before a scythe.


    Old Hu and the chubby guy provided cover fire, keeping the rats from swarming the lanterns while Chen Yuze desperately tried to extinguish them. The four of them were in chaos¡ªfighting, defending, and putting out fires all at once.


    Yifei moved like a whirlwind, closing the distance in seconds. She raised her sword and declared:


    ¡°Hah! I, General Hu Yifei, stand before you! Surrender your life, vermin!¡±


    She swung her blade, but the massive rat was surprisingly agile. It dodged and retaliated with a flying kick. Yifei arched backward, narrowly avoiding the attack, then spun around, locking eyes with the beast.


    The tension between them was palpable¡ªsparks practically flew in the air as the rat hunched low, ready to pounce.


    ¡°You¡¯re not bad¡­ for a rat. But victory will be mine!¡± Yifei struck first.


    Somehow, the battle between them felt like an epic duel between two legendary warriors¡ªno, a warrior and a rat warlord.


    As Yifei clashed with the monstrous rodent, the swarm lost its coordination. Though they still attacked, their assault weakened without their leader¡¯s command. Seizing the chance, Old Hu and the others extinguished more lanterns.


    With the flames dying down, the rats¡¯ frenzy subsided¡ªproving their theory right. The lantern oil had been driving them mad.


    But the dimming light made it harder for Yifei to fight. Chen Yuze tossed a glow stick near her, illuminating the battlefield.


    The distraction almost cost Yifei dearly¡ªshe had to drop her sword to avoid the rat¡¯s bite. Seeing her disarmed, the rat seized its chance, leaping straight for her throat in a final, lethal strike.


    Old Hu and the chubby guy shouted in panic:


    ¡°Yifei! Duck!¡±


    But Yifei didn¡¯t move. She stood frozen, watching the rat soar toward her.


    Chen Yuze, closer to her, saw the cold smirk on her face.


    ¡°Perfect. You fell right into my trap.¡±


    As the rat hung midair, helpless, Yifei¡¯s expression turned triumphant.


    ¡°Is this it? Hu Yifei¡¯s ultimate technique¡ªBare-Handed Rat Execution?¡± Chen Yuze thought to himself. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As the apex predator of rats in the Love Apartment, Yifei had her own methods. And her most feared move was¡ª


    Killing rats with her bare hands.


    Sure enough, with the rat unable to dodge in midair, Yifei didn¡¯t hold back. Her right hand rose high, then swung down with devastating force.


    ¡°Die, pest! HYAH¡ª!¡±


    The rat took the full brunt of her strike, slamming into the ground with a THUD.


    It twitched once, spat blood, then went limp.


    Dead.

 Chapter 35 - The Unsettling Tomb

    Chapter 35: The Unsettling Tomb


    Gulp¡­


    Gulp¡­


    The sound of Old Hu and the chubby guy swallowing nervously echoed in the sudden silence.


    All around them, the rats had gone deathly quiet.


    Everyone stared at the corpse of the giant rat¡ªafter such a fierce battle, Hu Yifei had just slapped it to death with a single palm strike.


    The rat hadn¡¯t stood a chance.


    Old Hu and the chubby guy shivered. This woman¡­ was terrifying.


    The rat¡¯s body had already caved in¡ªmeaning Yifei¡¯s strike had shattered its bones. Just how much force was behind that slap? The two men exchanged glances and silently vowed:


    Never, ever piss off Hu Yifei.


    Otherwise, they¡¯d end up like that rat¡ªflattened in one hit.


    ¡°Hmph. I must be getting rusty¡ªhaven¡¯t practiced in a while.¡± Yifei dusted off her hands, glanced at the rat¡¯s corpse, then picked up her sword again.


    When she turned to face the remaining rats, the entire swarm scrambled backward in terror.


    Not a single one dared to meet her gaze.


    This woman was a demon.


    Better not mess with her.


    Seizing the opportunity, Chen Yuze quickly extinguished the remaining palace lanterns, replacing their eerie glow with glow sticks. The rats, now reminded of the tomb¡¯s original horrors¡ªplus the living nightmare that was Hu Yifei¡ªfled in panic, desperate to escape before she turned her attention to them.


    ¡°Yifei, you¡¯ve done it again.¡± Chen Yuze grinned. That had been way too close.


    Old Hu and the chubby guy rushed over, checking on her.


    ¡°Yifei, are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°Hurt? Pfft.¡± Yifei scoffed, resting her sword on her shoulder. ¡°You three grown men were scared of a few rats? Pathetic.¡±


    The three men hung their heads in shame.


    ¡°W-we¡¯re sorry¡­¡±


    Being protected by Yifei was downright embarrassing. Why did they even feel a little¡­ flustered?


    ¡°Whatever. Now that that¡¯s settled¡ªare we going in or what?¡± Yifei rolled her eyes at the three ¡°useless men¡± before turning her attention to the grand hall before them.


    They stood right at its entrance.


    And Yifei was itching to charge inside.


    The three men exchanged glances and nodded.


    Who were they to argue with their de facto leader?


    Besides, they¡¯d come this far¡ªno way they were backing out now.


    ¡°Alright, gear up. We¡¯ve cleared three obstacles, but who knows what¡¯s inside? Stay sharp. Let¡¯s move!¡± Chen Yuze eyed the massive doors in front of them.


    He wasn¡¯t about to quit now.


    Though he couldn¡¯t be sure if there were more traps, he doubted the danger would escalate much further.


    After all, this was just a beginner-level tomb from the system.


    The reward? A measly 100-200 points.


    If even this was too hard, then higher-level tombs would be outright suicide.


    To reassure himself, Chen Yuze checked the mission details again: S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Yuan Dynasty General¡¯s Tomb]


    Danger Level: Low (10% chance of encountering a ¡°zombie¡±)


    Loot Quality:


    Common: 50%


    Uncommon: 30%


    Rare: 15%


    Legendary: 5%


    Completion Reward: 100-200 points


    Shouldn¡¯t be too bad.


    With that in mind, Chen Yuze relaxed slightly.


    The four of them approached the towering doors of the grand hall.


    Compared to the earlier stone gate, this one was monstrous¡ªeasily dwarfing them in size.


    Intricate carvings adorned its surface, some even coated in what looked like gold leaf.


    ¡°Damn, this guy was loaded! Is this all real gold?¡± The chubby guy reached out, fingers brushing the gleaming engravings. ¡°Kid, take a look¡ªthis has to be worth a fortune, right?¡±


    ¡°Relax, it¡¯s not gold. Just gilded bronze at best.¡± Old Hu cut in before Chen Yuze could respond. ¡°You really think they¡¯d make an entire door out of gold?¡±


    Chen Yuze, however, noticed something else.


    On either side of the door, two eagle statues stood guard¡ªeach with wings spread majestically.


    But something was off.


    The eagles had no eyes.


    Instead, hollow indentations sat where their eyes should be¡ªeach about the size of a palm.


    Chen Yuze¡¯s eyes lit up.


    Digging into his pack, he pulled out the compass-like discs they¡¯d retrieved from the earlier stone gate.


    ¡°Good thing I grabbed these. Old Hu, help me out.¡±


    Tossing one disc to Old Hu, Chen Yuzer approached the left eagle.


    Old Hu mirrored him on the right.


    ¡°Yifei, Chubby¡ªstep back.¡±


    Yifei shot them an impatient look.


    ¡°Less talking, more opening.¡±


    Sighing, Chen Yuze and Old Hu inserted the discs into the eagles¡¯ eye sockets.


    With a click, the discs locked into place.


    Gears groaned as mechanisms within the door awakened.


    The discs spun, their centers extending needle-like pointers¡ªperfectly fitting the empty sockets.


    Chen Yuze and Old Hu backed away, rejoining Yifei and the chubby guy.


    All four watched as the massive doors slowly creaked open.


    A sliver of darkness yawned beyond.


    Chen Yuze frowned.


    ¡°Something feels¡­ off.¡±


    Yifei scoffed. ¡°What¡¯s ¡®off¡¯? It¡¯s just a door opening.¡±


    ¡°Since when do tombs open their doors on their own like some museum exhibit?¡± Chen Yuze shot back.


    Yifei shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s just like in the movies. Art imitates life, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s fiction, not reality.¡±


    Chen Yuze gave her the driest look imaginable.

 Chapter 36 - Discoveries

    Chapter 36: Discoveries S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Kid, you¡¯re overthinking it. The door¡¯s already open, let¡¯s just go in and see!¡± The chubby guy sided with Hu Yifei, too impatient to wait any longer. At this point, what was there to hesitate about?


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Chen Yuze stopped hesitating. It wasn¡¯t like they could just turn around and close the door again now.


    With Yifei leading the way, the four of them stepped inside. None of them could match her pace, she was practically buzzing with excitement. This trip had been way more thrilling than she expected, and she hadn¡¯t felt this alive in ages.


    The moment they entered, their eyes locked onto the massive stone coffin at the center of the grand hall.


    Exquisitely carved and adorned with intricate designs, the craftsmanship was undeniable. Even though it was just stone, the level of detail spoke volumes about the effort put into it.


    The four of them swallowed hard.


    ¡°Kid, that¡¯s the general¡¯s coffin, right? Should we¡­ open it?¡± The chubby guy licked his lips, practically vibrating with anticipation.


    ¡°Should be. But don¡¯t forget the rules.¡± Chen Yuze pulled out his compass, preparing to locate the southeast corner¡ªthe traditional spot for lighting the ¡°ghost lamp¡± in tomb raiding.


    ¡°Relax, we remember.¡± Old Hu was just as eager. After all this trouble, they¡¯d finally reached their goal. This was their first real expedition¡ªhow could they not be excited?


    ¡°Huh? There are two side chambers too?¡± Chen Yuze noticed two smaller rooms branching off from the main hall. They didn¡¯t look particularly large, but they were worth checking out.


    ¡°Old Hu, there are side chambers. I¡¯m going to take a look. Let¡¯s split up.¡± Chen Yuze could tell Old Hu and the chubby guy were itching to crack open the coffin, while Yifei was busy examining the surroundings.


    Since money wasn¡¯t an issue for him, and there didn¡¯t seem to be any traps left, he figured they had time to explore.


    ¡°Fine. The heavy lifting¡¯s on us, then.¡± Old Hu agreed. After all, the real valuables would be inside the coffin, and he trusted Chen Yuze and Yifei enough to believe they wouldn¡¯t screw them over. If those two had wanted to betray them, they¡¯d had plenty of chances already.


    ¡°Yifei, let¡¯s check the side chambers.¡± Chen Yuze tugged her toward one of the smaller rooms while Old Hu and the chubby guy got to work on the coffin.


    The side chamber was far less grand than the main hall. Items were haphazardly piled up, as if someone had dumped them in a hurry.


    Which made no sense¡ªif they had time to build such an elaborate tomb, why leave the side chambers in such disarray?


    Chen Yuze frowned, scanning the room. Many of the burial goods were shattered, and everything seemed thrown together carelessly.


    Shing!


    A blade hissed out of its sheath.


    Chen Yuze turned to see Yifei holding a gleaming golden saber, its edge shimmering faintly. She gave it a few experimental swings before nodding approvingly.


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    ¡°It is nice. Let¡¯s keep looking.¡± Chen Yuze resumed searching the chamber.


    ¡°Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain? And more than one?¡± He paused in front of two large porcelain jars, his curiosity piqued.


    As someone raised in the antique trade, he knew his stuff¡ªthese were legit.


    ¡°How the hell are you planning to carry those out? On your back?¡± Yifei eyed the massive jars skeptically. Each stood waist-high, making them near-impossible to transport.


    Chen Yuze smirked, reached out¡ª


    And the jars vanished into thin air.


    Yifei stared, dumbfounded. Then she looked down at her new saber, as if expecting it to disappear too. When nothing happened, she scowled.


    ¡°Bullshit! Why do you get a damn inventory system? Did you skim my share?!¡±


    Chen Yuze shot her the smuggest look imaginable¡ªshoulders shrugging, hands spreading, eyebrows wiggling.


    Yifei¡¯s grip on the saber tightened. She was this close to stabbing him.


    ¡°Relax, you¡¯ll get one eventually.¡± He chuckled before turning serious. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about this tomb¡¯s owner?¡±


    He kept searching but didn¡¯t take everything¡ªleaving plenty of valuables behind for Old Hu and the chubby guy. Not that he and Yifei cared much for those things anyway.


    ¡°Whoever¡¯s buried here must¡¯ve been a real loser. Who the hell buries books in their tomb?¡± Yifei picked up a dust-covered volume, blowing off the grime¡ª


    Cough! Cough!


    ¡ªand promptly choked on the resulting cloud.


    Waving the dust away, she squinted at the text. It was in Chinese, not Mongolian, and she could just barely make it out.


    ¡°¡®Flower-Plucking Technique¡¯? Ugh, this guy was probably another Ziqiao.¡±


    Chen Yuze knew what she meant¡ªZiqiao was their resident womanizer, and Yifei had long noticed his¡­ appreciative glances at women.


    ¡°Wait, martial arts manuals?¡± Chen Yuze blinked. ¡°Let me see that. That name sounds familiar.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve practiced it before?¡± Yifei sneered, shoving the book at him. ¡°Men really are all the same. Thinking with your¡ª¡±


    ¡°Whoa, I just wanna appreciate ancient wisdom! Want to study it together?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you practice the ¡®Sunflower Manual¡¯ instead!¡± Yifei growled, referencing the infamous self-castration technique.


    Chen Yuze flinched, scrambling away with the book before she could act on her threat.


    Once at a safe distance, he peeked inside.


    Hey, a man¡¯s gotta have some curiosity, right?

 Chapter 37 - Yifei, Want to Practice Together?

    Chapter 37: Yifei, Want to Practice Together?


    As soon as Chen Yuze opened the ancient book, he sensed something was off. He didn¡¯t read the text, but the illustrations only showed a bald man¡­


    This wasn¡¯t what he had expected. Unwilling to accept it, Chen Yuze flipped through several pages, only to find the same bald man performing strange poses. It felt completely off-track.


    The more Chen Yuze looked, the more suspicious he became. After some thought, he stored the book in his spatial backpack. He remembered that his backpack had a feature where clicking on an item would display its description.


    Hu Yifei watched as Chen Yuze tucked the ancient book into his spatial backpack and shot him a disdainful look. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect you to be another scumbag,¡± she said coldly.


    Ignoring her, Chen Yuze examined the book inside his backpack. A pop-up window appeared:


    *Mysterious Ancient Text: A martial arts manual discovered among the burial items of a Yuan Dynasty general. Origin unknown. This is a replica¡ªthe original¡¯s whereabouts are lost. It belongs to Shaolin¡¯s 72 Unique Skills: the ¡°Flower-Picking Technique.¡± Later generations named it ¡°Flower-Picking Finger.¡±*


    ¡°Holy crap! No wonder it looked familiar¡ªit¡¯s the Flower-Picking Finger! So martial arts manuals really exist?¡± Chen Yuze stared at the description, utterly stunned.


    Hu Yifei watched his dazed expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, scumbag? Staring so intently? Never thought you¡¯d be like this. I misjudged you.¡±


    ¡°Yifei, stop joking. We¡¯ve struck gold here. Want to practice it together?¡± Chen Yuze was thrilled. He wanted Hu Yifei to try it first¡ªshe had a natural talent for martial arts. If she succeeded, it would prove the manual was genuine, making it priceless.


    ¡°Do you¡­ have a death wish?¡± Hu Yifei gritted her teeth, gripping her treasured blade as if deciding where to strike. She couldn¡¯t believe Chen Yuze had the audacity to ask her to ¡°practice¡± with him.


    Suddenly, Chen Yuze realized the misunderstanding¡ªnot just on Hu Yifei¡¯s part, but his own. He felt he could still salvage the situation.


    ¡°Yifei, you¡¯ve got it wrong. It¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking.¡±


    ¡°Then what were you thinking? Inviting more people to ¡®practice¡¯ together?¡±


    ¡°Yifei, just listen to me!¡±


    ¡°You have twenty words to explain. If I¡¯m not satisfied, I¡¯ll make sure China¡¯s last eunuch gets replaced¡ªbelieve it?¡± Hu Yifei¡¯s anger was boiling over.


    Chen Yuze lowered his head, thinking carefully before speaking slowly, ¡°This is Shaolin¡¯s Flower-Picking Finger, one of the 72 Unique Skills. The same one Xuzhu practiced.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ sure? Xuzhu practiced North Darkness Divine Skill, right? You think I haven¡¯t watched the series?¡± Hu Yifei eyed him skeptically, though his earlier shock had seemed genuine.


    ¡°It¡¯s basically the same thing. And the book only has a bald guy in it. If it were that kind of book, wouldn¡¯t the taste be a bit too¡­ niche?¡± Chen Yuze took out the manual again¡ªsince it was part of their mission, he could freely retrieve it¡ªand flipped through the pages in front of Hu Yifei.


    Hu Yifei stared expressionlessly at the illustrations before lowering her head. ¡°This stuff actually exists?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it either.¡± Chen Yuze stored the book away again. Such a rare find was worth keeping, even if it meant carrying fewer other items. Who didn¡¯t have a martial arts dream? Who wasn¡¯t a little princess at heart?


    ¡°You¡¯d better not be lying, or I¡¯ll carve your name on a tombstone.¡± Hu Yifei gave him a suspicious glance before resuming her search of the side chamber. If one manual had appeared, surely there¡¯d be more?


    Unfortunately, luck wasn¡¯t on their side. After a long search, they only found a Compendium of Medicinal Recipes in a corner, filled with random prescriptions. Both were disappointed, but one find was better than nothing. Then Chen Yuze spotted a small sandalwood box.


    He opened it and found another ancient book¡ªThousand-Hand Technique. Neither had heard of it, but they took it anyway, figuring something was better than nothing. Aside from that, they only had the porcelain jar Chen Yuze had collected earlier and Hu Yifei¡¯s golden blade. They left the rest untouched since they had agreed to split the loot evenly. They¡¯d already taken more than their share, so they¡¯d let Fatty and Old Hu choose more later. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Seeing they had gathered enough, Chen Yuze and Hu Yifei prepared to leave. Hu Yifei genuinely wasn¡¯t interested in most of the items, and Chen Yuze could tell¡ªeach piece here was priceless, yet all she took was the golden blade.


    ¡°Oh, Sister Yifei, planning to become the Golden Blade Consort?¡± Fatty teased when he saw the blade.


    ¡°Shut up and open the coffin,¡± Hu Yifei snapped. She hadn¡¯t found anything she liked and had already realized these items wouldn¡¯t affect their world¡ªotherwise, Chen Yuze wouldn¡¯t have said no one could find them. They were in a different world now.


    Still, Hu Yifei wanted something as a reward, like loot from a boss battle. But nothing else caught her eye¡ªjust a bunch of pots and jars. To her, they¡¯d only serve as ugly vases at best.


    Fatty shrunk back and kept quiet. He and Old Hu had already removed one layer of the stone coffin and were working on the second. Seeing Fatty silenced, Old Hu chuckled and asked Chen Yuze, ¡°So, kid, find anything valuable?¡±


    ¡°Not bad. A few Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white porcelains, among other things. Pretty luxurious stuff.¡± Just because Chen Yuze didn¡¯t take them didn¡¯t mean they were worthless. At their level, unless something really appealed to them, most items were just extras¡ªbut they¡¯d still fetch a high price outside.


    ¡°So they¡¯re just broken pots? What¡¯s the point?¡± Fatty muttered.


    Hu Yifei smirked coldly. ¡°Seems I¡¯m not the most clueless here. At least I know the value of Yuan blue-and-white¡ªunlike this idiot.¡±


    ¡°Kid, you¡¯re saying those things are valuable?¡± Old Hu was uncertain. To them, treasures meant jade or gold. What kind of treasure were a few old jars?

 Chapter 38 - Putting You in This Little Box

    Chapter 38: Putting You in This Little Box


    ¡°So, what do you think is valuable?¡± Before Chen Yuze could speak, Hu Yifei, standing nearby, curiously asked the two men.


    ¡°Of course, gold, silver, and jewelry,¡± the chubby man declared confidently, looking quite pleased with himself.


    Chen Yuze sighed. ¡°Are you guys living in ancient times? The least valuable things in a tomb like this are gold and silver¡ªunless they¡¯re exceptionally rare, they aren¡¯t worth much. Antiques aren¡¯t priced by common logic. The rarer something is, the more valuable it becomes. You should really study up on this. Honestly, the least valuable things in this tomb are probably the gold and silver you¡¯re after. These things can be mass-produced now¡ªwho would consider them valuable?¡±


    ¡°Really, bro? Thanks for the heads-up. We honestly had no idea,¡± Old Hu admitted, realizing he and the chubby man had been mistaken.


    ¡°Alright, keep at it. I¡¯m going to check the other side chamber. Be careful.¡± Chen Yuze could tell Hu Yifei hadn¡¯t found anything she liked and was feeling disappointed. As for the items in the main coffin, he doubted she¡¯d be interested¡ªespecially since it belonged to a man. Taking something directly off a corpse? No way she¡¯d like that. Better to check the burial offerings in the side chamber.


    With little enthusiasm, Hu Yifei followed Chen Yuze deeper inside, leaving the chubby man and Old Hu to continue prying open the coffin. Noticing her disappointment, Chen Yuze quickly reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Yifei. If you don¡¯t like any of this stuff, we can sell it to the system for points. Then you can buy whatever you want with the points, right?¡±


    Hu Yifei stared at him with dead-fish eyes. ¡°How come you know more about this than I do? You can exchange these things for points?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you check?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t look closely. As soon as I heard ¡®ancient tomb adventure,¡¯ I just came along. Haven¡¯t had time to read the details.¡± Hu Yifei really hadn¡¯t paid much attention¡ªshe¡¯d only glanced at the system store and noticed she had zero points. With a maximum of 200 points for this mission, split between them, it wouldn¡¯t be much. And with so many things she wanted, 100 points each would barely cover anything.


    ¡°Whatever, we¡¯ll figure it out later.¡± Chen Yuze didn¡¯t dwell on it. There was no guarantee Hu Yifei would keep adventuring with him¡ªshe might retire after this mission if she earned enough. He could guess what she wanted to buy¡ªafter all, she was still a woman at heart. Some things were just universal.


    The two slowly made their way to the other side chamber. Compared to the previous one, this one was messier, with items haphazardly scattered around.


    ¡°Yuze, what¡¯s this?¡± Hu Yifei pointed at a depression in the ground.


    Chen Yuze looked down and saw pale white bones. He glanced back at Hu Yifei, impressed by how unfazed she was. Typical Hu Yifei.


    Losing interest, Chen Yuze continued searching while explaining, ¡°Horse bones. Probably the general¡¯s warhorse, buried with him after death. This is actually tame¡ªsome tombs use live humans for sacrifice. This guy really was strange.¡±


    ¡°Poor horse, stuck with such a terrible owner.¡± Hu Yifei turned away, equally uninterested.


    Chen Yuze found something odd but smiled. This might be more to her liking. In a corner, he found a small box, about the size of a shoebox, intricately carved and surprisingly heavy.


    ¡°Yifei, think you¡¯ll like this?¡± Chen Yuze wiped the box clean and handed it to her.


    Hu Yifei turned it over in her hands, then frowned. ¡°Is this¡­ an urn? Are you planning for me to put your ashes in here after you die?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, no! It¡¯s a jewelry box! These are really rare!¡± Chen Yuze was annoyed. Since when did ancient people have urns? And why would an urn just be tossed on the ground? What do you think the coffin outside is for¡ªdecoration? S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°It looks like an urn.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, give it back. And I meant for you to check what¡¯s inside. The box itself is practically falling apart¡ªit¡¯s a miracle it¡¯s lasted this long. Probably made of some rare sandalwood.¡± Chen Yuze was frustrated. First time I try to be nice, and this is the reaction I get?


    ¡°A jewelry box¡­¡± Hu Yifei perked up slightly and slowly opened it. Chen Yuze ignored her¡ªarguing was pointless. Maybe he¡¯d just exchange some points later for those ¡°A-to-C¡± enhancement pills. She¡¯d probably lose her mind over those. Though, honestly, sometimes she looks like an A-cup, other times a D. Weird.


    Meanwhile, Chen Yuze found a strange dagger¡ªjet-black, barely the length of a palm, with no visible edge. He swung it lightly, finding it oddly comfortable, but the weight felt off.


    This doesn¡¯t feel like a dagger¡ªmore like a full-sized sword. He tested it against the wall, and the blade sliced through the brick like tofu.


    This isn¡¯t normal. He stashed the dagger in his backpack and pulled up its description.


    Mysterious Black Iron Dagger:


    Forged from the remnants of a famous sword, this dagger was a casting error¡ªits edge invisible. The smith gifted it to his elder brother for self-defense. After the brother died in battle, it became a burial offering. Imbued with a woman¡¯s lifelong emotions, it holds more sentimental value than the famed weapons made from the same material.


    ¡°Black iron¡­ like the Heavy Sword?¡± Chen Yuze murmured, suddenly forming a theory about the tomb owner¡¯s identity. But this is a Yuan Dynasty general¡ªthe timeline doesn¡¯t match.

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39: Danger


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you freeze up? Need me to restart you?¡± Hu Yifei waved her hand in front of Chen Yuze, who had gone completely still. Chen Yuze hadn¡¯t even noticed until he heard her voice and snapped back to reality.


    He shook his head at her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I might have some clues about the owner of this tomb.¡± He was hesitant to voice his suspicions, partly because he wasn¡¯t entirely sure, and partly because the identity he was considering was too shocking. He¡¯d need more evidence to confirm it.


    Turning back to Hu Yifei, who was holding a small box, he asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you open it to see what¡¯s inside? Check if you like it. If not, we can keep looking.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± After a moment¡¯s thought, Hu Yifei decided to open the box. After all, they¡¯d gone through the trouble of coming down here, it¡¯d be a shame not to take something good as a souvenir.


    She carried the box to an open area and slowly lifted the lid. The box was so old that its mere survival was a miracle. As she opened it, the hinges creaked like a long-neglected wooden door.


    Chen Yuze crouched beside her, curious. This was the first gift he¡¯d ever given her, so he wanted to know whether it was good or not. Both of them leaned in as the small box gradually revealed its contents.


    ¡°Oh¡­ it¡¯s a mechanical vanity case. After all these years, it¡¯s still functional. This thing must be special.¡± Chen Yuze watched as layers of compartments popped up. The design had a modern aesthetic but was far more intricate.


    The inside of the lid held a smooth bronze mirror for the user to check their reflection. The first layer held hairpins and jeweled flowers, all exquisitely crafted, except for a single wooden hairpin that stood out like a sore thumb, dragging down the overall elegance.


    The second layer contained rings, bracelets, and other accessories, seemingly meant to match the hair ornaments. There was quite a variety. Then came the third layer, which held cosmetics. Time had not been kind to them, many had spoiled, turning into something unpleasantly unrecognizable. Strangely, it seemed the woman who owned this box hadn¡¯t been fond of makeup, as most of the cosmetics were untouched, some even still full.


    ¡°Wow, this family must¡¯ve been loaded. I knew this box was unusual, it¡¯s made of agarwood!¡± Chen Yuze finally recognized the material. Agarwood was worth its weight in gold.


    ¡°Is it really that valuable? It¡¯s just a piece of wood.¡± Hu Yifei ignored his remark and focused on the fourth layer, the very bottom of the box, which slid out like a drawer.


    The final layer contained necklaces and other jewelry, but the most surprising item was something that didn¡¯t belong among accessories at all. The wooden hairpin could at least pass as an ornament, but this? Definitely not.


    Hu Yifei picked up the strange object and examined it. ¡°What is this? A human-face mask? Feels way too stiff, even Zeng Xiaoxian¡¯s skin isn¡¯t this thick.¡±


    ¡°Overthinking it. It¡¯s just an ordinary mask. But it must¡¯ve been very important to her if she kept it at the very bottom.¡± Chen Yuze had a growing suspicion, one he was starting to feel more confident about.


    ¡°Alright, at least we got something out of this.¡± Satisfied, Hu Yifei packed up the box, leaving the mask aside. Chen Yuze picked it up, if his guess was right, this thing might be the real deal.


    But as he tucked the mask into his backpack, something about her words struck him. ¡°At least we got something out of this¡±?


    He shot her a look. ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, give it back. I¡¯m not even sure I want to part with it.¡±


    ¡°Dream on. It¡¯s mine now. You can¡¯t take back a gift, are you trying to mess with me?¡± Hu Yifei clutched the box with one hand and rested the other on Chen Yuze¡¯s shoulder, applying just enough pressure to make him feel like his bones were about to crack. He quickly shook his head.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t think you¡¯d dare, ¡±


    ¡°Brother Chen, bad news!¡±


    Before she could finish, the panicked shouts of Fatty cut her off. The urgency in his voice suggested something had gone wrong. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hu Yifei and Chen Yuze immediately sprinted toward the main burial chamber, where Fatty and Old Hu had been opening the coffin. If they were calling out like this, something must¡¯ve happened.


    Swords in hand, they rushed into the chamber. The first thing Chen Yuze noticed was the extinguished candle in the southeast corner. Old Hu and Fatty stood tense, shovels raised toward the central coffin. They had already opened the outer layers, leaving only the innermost coffin, but the candle had gone out, and a strange, unsettling sound filled the air.


    The two hurried over. Old Hu and Fatty were fixated on the coffin, but Hu Yifei just smirked. ¡°What¡¯s going on? You two look like you¡¯re preparing for battle, enemies arriving in thirty seconds?¡±


    ¡°Brother Chen, the candle went out.¡±


    ¡°Then light it again. Are you scared of the dark or something?¡± Hu Yifei didn¡¯t understand the rules of their profession.


    Seeing their unease, she walked to the southeast corner and tossed a few glow sticks on the ground. ¡°There. Better? Two grown men afraid of the dark, how embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Look out!¡± Chen Yuze suddenly shouted, darting forward like an arrow.


    Before Hu Yifei could react, he was already in front of her, arms crossed defensively. A shadow, thick as a bowl, lashed out like a whip at terrifying speed. She hadn¡¯t even noticed it until Chen Yuze intercepted the blow.


    BAM!


    THUD!


    The impact sent Chen Yuze flying like a ragdoll, slamming him into the wall.


    Cough! He lay on the ground, feeling as if every bone in his body had shattered. His arms were numb, useless. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself onto one knee and spat out a mouthful of blood. The moment it left his lips, the pressure in his chest eased slightly.

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40: Where Is the Fatal Spot?


    ¡°Yuze!¡±


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    Hu Yifei was the first to react. Seeing Chen Yuze cough up blood, her fury became uncontrollable. No matter what, Chen Yuze had gotten injured saving her. At this moment, Hu Yifei felt an unprecedented rage. The safety of the Love Apartment group had always been her responsibility, and now Chen Yuze had gotten hurt protecting her. She felt humiliated¡ªyet deeply moved.


    ¡°Yifei, watch out!¡± Just then, Chen Yuze noticed the creature attacking Hu Yifei¡¯s position again. Like a black lightning bolt, it shot toward her. Chen Yuze could only shout a warning¡ªhis body still hadn¡¯t recovered enough to move. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Looking to die.¡± Hu Yifei saw the incoming black shadow and bent backward, narrowly dodging the attack. She finally got a clear look at the thing¡ªit was a black snake tail, as thick as a bowl. And this was just the tail¡ªthe sheer size of the creature was terrifying.


    The shadowy tail recoiled after missing its strike, but Hu Yifei had no intention of letting it escape. She pulled out her golden dagger and stabbed hard into the tail, but the blade barely sank five centimeters in. She hadn¡¯t expected the golden dagger to be so ineffective. Without hesitation, she grabbed the retreating tail with both arms.


    The tail thrashed violently, but Hu Yifei¡¯s grip was unbreakable. She tightened her hold and roared, ¡°Come out!¡±


    With a fierce yank, she lifted the entire tail¡ªand with it, the upper half of the giant serpent. She swung the massive snake through the air in a full circle before slamming it to the side. Old Hu and Fatty helped Chen Yuze up, who was now barely able to move.


    ¡°Holy shit, this thing is way too damn big!¡± Fatty finally got a good look at the serpent. Its head was the size of a human skull, and its thickest part was wider than a thigh. The giant snake reared up, locking its gaze on Hu Yifei, who stood firm, golden dagger in her left hand and a sword in her right, staring back without fear.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯m fine. Go help!¡± Chen Yuze couldn¡¯t stay idle¡ªthis thing was monstrous. Its sheer size meant it could swallow all four of them without choking. This was no joke.


    ¡°Brother, stay safe. Fatty, let¡¯s go!¡± Old Hu helped Chen Yuze to the side, drew his command saber, and charged. Fatty fixed his bayonet to his rifle and followed. They knew running wasn¡¯t an option¡ªthey¡¯d never outpace this thing. If they didn¡¯t kill it, they¡¯d all die.


    Suddenly, the serpent lunged, its gaping mouth revealing fangs as long as palms, aiming to swallow Hu Yifei whole. Despite its size, it moved like lightning.


    Hu Yifei didn¡¯t panic. She rolled aside, dodging the strike, then swung her sword and dagger at the serpent¡¯s body. But the snake¡¯s scales were incredibly tough¡ªthe blades barely left shallow cuts.


    Old Hu and Fatty didn¡¯t hold back either, circling around to attack the serpent¡¯s body. But their efforts barely made a dent¡ªonly chipping a few scales.


    ¡°Damn it, how the hell do we fight this thing?¡± Fatty was frustrated. Their attacks were like tickling the beast.


    The serpent seemed enraged. Its tail lashed out, sending Old Hu and Fatty flying. They barely managed to block with their weapons, but the force sent them tumbling across the ground. Hu Yifei, however, leaped out of harm¡¯s way.


    Ignoring her, the serpent turned toward Old Hu and Fatty, its jaws snapping. The two men hadn¡¯t regained their footing, and Fatty¡¯s rifle had shattered in the last blow. They had no way to fight back¡ªonly to desperately evade.


    At the critical moment, Hu Yifei struck. She spotted the serpent¡¯s tail, leaped, and drove her golden dagger down with her full weight. This time, the blade pierced through, pinning the tail to the ground. The serpent shrieked in pain, abandoning its attack on the others and turning on Hu Yifei.


    As the massive head shot toward her, Hu Yifei jumped high, twisting mid-air to land squarely on the serpent¡¯s skull. Without hesitation, she plunged her sword deep into its head, gripping the hilt with both hands and pushing down with all her strength.


    The serpent let out a deafening screech, thrashing wildly. It flailed around the hall, smashing everything in its path. Old Hu and Fatty seized the chance to attack relentlessly, while Hu Yifei clung to the embedded sword, knowing the serpent couldn¡¯t reach her there.


    The serpent¡¯s violent struggles tore its tail free from the dagger, leaving a bloody, mangled mess on the ground. The pain only made it thrash harder.


    ¡°Old Hu, Fatty¡ªaim for the seven-inch spot!¡± Chen Yuze grew anxious. If this continued, the hall wouldn¡¯t hold, and the collapsing ceiling would bury them all in flames. They had to finish this fast.


    ¡°Where the hell is the seven-inch spot on this thing?!¡± Fatty stared at the massive serpent. With its enormous size, how were they supposed to find it? By the time they did, the damn thing would¡¯ve already swallowed them whole.


    The serpent seemed to hear Chen Yuze¡¯s words¡ªor maybe it just spotted him first. Either way, it abandoned the other three and charged straight at him.


    ¡°Brother, watch out!¡± Old Hu shouted in alarm. They all remembered Chen Yuze was still injured¡ªthis was no time for jokes.

 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41: A Life-and-Death Struggle


    Chen Yuze wiped the blood from his mouth as the giant serpent lunged at him. Drawing his sword, he made no move to dodge. Instead, he gripped the hilt with both hands and swung fiercely at the serpent¡¯s head. ¡°Stop right there, damn it!¡±


    Squelch! Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The blade struck the serpent¡¯s skull, sending a spray of blood into the air. Lao Hu and the others watched as Chen Yuze, his entire body tensed like an ancient warrior in salute, braced one foot against the wall to keep himself from being slammed into it. His sword had sunk deep into the serpent¡¯s head, as if intending to split it in two¡ªthough that didn¡¯t happen.


    Meanwhile, Hu Yifei, who had been clinging to the serpent¡¯s head, was now suspended mid-air, her feet pressed against the wall while her hands still pushed down on her sword hilt. Her full weight bore down on the blade, driving it nearly all the way into the serpent¡¯s body.


    ¡°ROAR¡ª!¡±


    The serpent let out a deafening roar at Chen Yuze¡ªsurprisingly clear for a creature with no vocal cords. But Chen Yuze had no time to ponder how it made such a sound. At such close range, the sonic assault felt like it would rupture his eardrums, leaving his head ringing.


    ¡°Damn it, this thing¡¯s transforming into a dragon!¡± Lao Hu suddenly noticed two small claws near the serpent¡¯s tail¡ªa sign that it had cultivated enough power to evolve!


    The serpent no longer dared to charge forward. With the sword embedded in its skull, any further movement risked splitting its head open. Instead, it thrashed violently from side to side, finally dislodging Chen Yuze¡¯s weapon. Seizing the opportunity, the serpent twisted its body, as if preparing to flee.


    Chen Yuze and the others were determined not to let it escape. If it got away, not only would they never know peace, but the surrounding people would also be in danger. This creature was destined to wreak havoc if left alive. Since it had attacked them outright, it clearly had no good intentions. No more hesitation¡ªit had to die. (The author decrees: Kill it.)


    Without his sword, Chen Yuze pulled out the black iron dagger he had recently found from his backpack. Ignoring the serpent¡¯s thrashing body beside him, he slashed at its flesh. To his surprise, the dagger cut through with terrifying ease.


    But the serpent¡¯s muscles instantly clamped down on the blade, dragging Chen Yuze along with it. Still, he refused to let go. Lao Hu and Pangzi blocked the serpent¡¯s escape route.


    The serpent reared its head again, clearly planning to break through their defense and flee. Chen Yuze was in an awkward position¡ªwedged against the serpent¡¯s upper abdomen, a spot the creature seemed keen on protecting. Though he hadn¡¯t been injured during the earlier struggle, he hadn¡¯t even noticed how close he was to the ground in the heat of battle.


    Now, with the serpent¡¯s head raised, Hu Yifei still stood atop it while Chen Yuze dangled mid-air, gripping the dagger. His back faced Lao Hu and Pangzi, who were blocking the serpent¡¯s retreat.


    Seizing the momentary stalemate, Chen Yuze hacked downward with the dagger. But the muscles here were too tough. Wrapping his legs around the serpent¡¯s body, he gripped the dagger with one hand and used the other¡ªeven his teeth¡ªto tear at the wound he had opened, determined to gut the beast.


    Covered in blood, Chen Yuze bit and clawed like a wild animal. The serpent writhed in agony, its eyes turning crimson as it lashed out at Lao Hu and Pangzi. But the two men held their ground, refusing to let it escape.


    Chen Yuze kept tearing into the serpent¡¯s flesh, as if he were the true predator here. He had no idea how much blood he¡¯d swallowed or how much flesh he¡¯d ripped away. All he knew was that the serpent¡¯s belly now gaped open like it had been blasted by a cannon.


    Gulp¡ª


    Something bitter and astringent slid down his throat. Chen Yuze barely registered it¡ªhe¡¯d already ingested so much. But he didn¡¯t realize that this was the moment the serpent went completely berserk, thrashing with unprecedented fury.


    Both Chen Yuze and Hu Yifei were losing their grip, their stamina nearly depleted. Hu Yifei had followed Chen Yuze¡¯s example, using her hands, feet, and sword to pry open the serpent¡¯s skull. Lao Hu couldn¡¯t help but think that these two were the real beasts¡ªwhile the serpent seemed more like prey.


    Hu Yifei¡¯s attack finally took effect. With a final wrench¡ªsquelch!¡ªa torrent of blood sprayed into her face. She accidentally swallowed a mouthful, the cold liquid sliding down her throat. The thought of drinking serpent blood made her want to vomit.


    ¡°Bleh! Bleh!¡± She spat out the blood and glanced down, realizing Chen Yuze was about to let go.


    Meanwhile, Chen Yuze had finally torn open the serpent¡¯s belly. But the creature¡¯s violent thrashing sent him crashing into the ground multiple times. His bones felt shattered, his strength nearly gone.


    Gritting his teeth, he pulled out the grenades he had found earlier and hurled them into the serpent¡¯s gut. He yanked the pins, but¡ªnothing happened.


    ¡°Let me show you modern firepower, you damn overgrown worm!¡± Chen Yuze roared, shoving grenade after grenade into the wound.


    ¡°Kid, you gotta pull the pin and then strike the metal cap!¡± Lao Hu shouted, realizing Chen Yuze was using standard grenade procedures on these Japanese-made ones, which had a secondary safety mechanism.


    Hearing Lao Hu¡¯s warning, Chen Yuze grabbed the last grenade, yanked the pin with his teeth, and slammed it against his forehead to activate it. Without hesitation, he tossed it into the serpent¡¯s belly and let go, dropping to the ground.


    Hu Yifei landed at the same time. Lao Hu and Pangzi hoisted them up and bolted.


    ¡°RUN! IT¡¯S GONNA BLOW! GET AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE¡ªAND WATCH OUT FOR THE GLASS CEILING ABOVE!¡±

 Chapter 42

    Chapter 42: Leave Me a Whole Corpse!


    The group was exhausted¡ªHu Yifei and Chen Yuze had completely run out of strength, leaving Fatty and the others to carry them as they fled. Fear gripped everyone; their situation was far from ideal.


    They hadn¡¯t run more than a few steps when the giant serpent snapped out of its daze and lunged at them. Old Hu was carrying Chen Yuze over his shoulder when the latter suddenly raised his head, revealing a pair of crimson, emotionless vertical pupils. The sight sent a chill down Old Hu¡¯s spine, and even the serpent froze mid-strike.


    Boom¡ª


    At that moment, the grenade inside the serpent¡¯s belly finally exploded. Blood and flesh sprayed in all directions as the snake¡¯s midsection burst open. The shockwave sent Old Hu and Fatty flying, slamming them face-first into the ground. Fortunately, they remembered the people on their backs at the last second and shielded Hu Yifei and Chen Yuze, who ended up crashing onto them.


    ¡°Oof¡ªYifei, you okay? Not hurt, are you?¡± Fatty groaned, feeling like he might vomit, but his concern for Hu Yifei won out. The explosion had been massive, and they¡¯d been dangerously close. If it hadn¡¯t gone off inside the serpent¡¯s belly, they¡¯d have been severely injured.


    Hu Yifei finally regained some strength and slowly sat up. ¡°Thanks, Fatty. Never thought you¡¯d be so useful in a pinch. You took the full brunt of that blast¡ªnice work.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, my honor,¡± Fatty wheezed. ¡°But, Yifei, mind getting off my waist first? Feels like it¡¯s about to snap.¡± He craned his neck to glare at her. Was she treating him like a couch?


    ¡°Oh? Forgot.¡± Hu Yifei stood and pulled him up. ¡°Drama queen. It was just for a second.¡±


    ¡°Yifei, time to lose some weight,¡± Fatty muttered before instantly regretting it. The air around them turned icy. Desperate to deflect, he turned to Chen Yuze and Old Hu. ¡°Hey, kid, Old Hu, you alive? If you¡¯re dead, leave a will or something.¡± S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Yuze, sprawled over Old Hu¡¯s back, weakly rolled onto his side and collapsed onto the ground. He looked up at Fatty with half-lidded eyes, his voice barely a whisper. ¡°Fatty¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, kid, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Fatty¡­ I can¡¯t hold on. My ribs are broken¡­ punctured my lungs¡­ internal bleeding¡­ I need to say a few things.¡± He coughed up blood, his hand trembling as he raised it. Fatty immediately grabbed it, his own hands shaking.


    ¡°Kid, stop talking! We¡¯ll get you to a hospital¡ªjust hang in there!¡± Tears welled in Fatty¡¯s eyes. Hu Yifei frowned, sensing something off, but with Chen Yuze like this, she didn¡¯t know what to do except watch, her eyes glistening.


    Chen Yuze weakly shook his head. ¡°No use¡­ Listen carefully. I have¡­ last requests.¡±


    ¡°Kid, say the word. Fatty¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s done right.¡±


    ¡°First¡­ Yifei, could you get your foot off my hand? It hurts.¡±


    Hu Yifei and Fatty looked down¡ªsure enough, her boot was crushing Chen Yuze¡¯s other hand, now purple and swollen.


    ¡°Shit! Sorry, didn¡¯t notice!¡± She jumped back. The ground was littered with snake bones and debris, so she¡¯d assumed it was just serpent remains. Grabbing his hand, she tried to rub it better¡ªonly to make it worse. Since when did Hu Yifei know how to give gentle massages?


    ¡°Yifei, stop. Let the kid die in peace. Leave him a whole corpse,¡± Fatty cut in, rescuing Chen Yuze¡¯s hand before she could dislocate it entirely.


    Hu Yifei awkwardly glanced at Fatty, who turned back to Chen Yuze. ¡°Kid, what¡¯s the second request? Spit it out before you croak. How do you want your inheritance divided?¡±


    Chen Yuze nearly choked. He wasn¡¯t even dead yet, and Fatty was already eyeing his assets¡ªnot that Fatty could inherit anything anyway. But he lacked the energy to argue.


    ¡°Cough¡­ second thing¡­¡± His voice faded, forcing Fatty and Hu Yifei to lean in.


    ¡°After I die¡­ no grand funeral. Just one condition.¡±


    ¡°Name it, kid. Where should I scatter your ashes? Fatty¡¯ll take you there.¡±


    ¡°No need. Just one thing¡ªyou damn Fatty, die with me!¡± Chen Yuze suddenly roared, making Fatty jump.


    Hu Yifei studied Chen Yuze and realized he wasn¡¯t actually dying¡ªjust exhausted and pissed off at Fatty¡¯s nonsense.


    Fatty blinked, finally catching on. ¡°You little¡ªyou faked it? Played me like a fiddle!¡± He turned to Hu Yifei, silently begging for help.


    She smirked. ¡°Great idea. Yuze, die right now, and I¡¯ll stuff Fatty into that coffin for you. We¡¯ll seal the tomb and save on burial costs.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Old Hu chimed in¡ªstill facedown on the ground.


    ¡°Whoa, you¡¯re alive too, Old Hu?¡± Fatty laughed, relieved everyone was okay. ¡°Not cool, man. This ain¡¯t the feudal era¡ªno human sacrifices! What happened to class solidarity?¡±


    ¡°Gone. All I know is, if you don¡¯t get up now, I¡¯m shoving you into that coffin myself.¡± Old Hu¡¯s eyes flicked toward Fatty¡¯s feet.


    Confused, Fatty looked down¡ªhis foot was crushing Old Hu¡¯s hand. No wonder the man hadn¡¯t moved.


    ¡°Damn, you two really know where to step!¡±

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43: The Tragic Man, Guo Polu


    ¡°Didn¡¯t see it, didn¡¯t see it!¡± The fat man hurriedly explained. ¡°This is my fault, but Old Hu, you can¡¯t seriously expect me to die for the young master, can you? I don¡¯t deserve death, do I?¡±


    ¡°Before you keep talking, get off my hand first,¡± Old Hu said, holding a gun he¡¯d somehow found in his other hand, pointed straight at the fat man. The fat man shuddered and quickly scrambled away.


    ¡°Hmm~ Looks lively enough to joke around. Probably fine.¡± Hu Yifei casually diagnosed Chen Yuze and Old Hu, who both rolled their eyes with great effort. Fine? They¡¯d almost formed an ¡°accidental manslaughter duo¡± just now¡ªall thanks to these two troublemakers.


    ¡°How¡¯s the situation? Old Hu, you alright?¡± Chen Yuze struggled to sit up, looking at Old Hu, who also sat up, taking a few deep breaths before shaking his head to signal he was okay.


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s get up. No telling how long this place will hold. After all this effort, if we don¡¯t even crack open the coffin, wouldn¡¯t it all be for nothing?¡± Chen Yuze swayed as he stood. Old Hu also got to his feet, still unsteady but not in serious condition¡ªjust a physical reaction from the earlier tension.


    Chen Yuze took a few steps toward the giant serpent. Though it was dead, its body blown into two pieces, most of it remained intact¡ªa large section below the head and a good portion of the tail. Even now, its muscles twitched, but it was no longer a threat. Snakes were like that, refusing to go limp even in death. Sometimes, a severed viper¡¯s head could still strike, but this giant serpent was clearly done for¡ªits skull had been split open by Hu Yifei.


    ¡°Fatty, skin this snake later. This hide is top-tier. Might not be literally bulletproof, but it¡¯s definitely protective. Don¡¯t miss the fangs either¡ªthey¡¯re valuable. Craft a full set of armor, and you could practically call it ¡®dragon-scale mail.¡¯¡± Chen Yuze sighed as he examined the serpent. They¡¯d just witnessed its power¡ªeven the rifles hadn¡¯t been effective against it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, young master, I won¡¯t forget. I¡¯ll get Lingzi down here to help. We¡¯ll each get a set of dragon-scale armor.¡± The fat man was just as excited. This thing¡¯s defensive capabilities were no joke¡ªthe scales on its upper body were as big as a palm. Absolute treasure.


    The fat man sent Hu Yifei to fetch Lingzi. Her family had been hunters for generations¡ªskinning and butchering were child¡¯s play for her, a true professional. The three of them retrieved the swords Chen Yuze and Hu Yifei had used earlier, along with the black iron dagger. They realized this serpent might actually be their biggest haul from this trip. Armor made from it would be a lifesaver for future tomb raids. The treasures inside the tomb weren¡¯t going anywhere, and with gear like this, why worry about finding another grand tomb?


    ¡°By the way, young master, this tomb doesn¡¯t look like it belongs to a Yuan Dynasty general. Figured anything out yet?¡± Old Hu asked as they worked on skinning the serpent, glancing toward the main hall they¡¯d fought their way out of earlier.


    Chen Yuze nodded slightly. ¡°I had some guesses before, but I wasn¡¯t sure until I saw this serpent. This isn¡¯t a Yuan general¡ªit¡¯s someone from the late Song, early Yuan period. Technically Yuan, but he was a Song general.¡±


    ¡°Who? You mentioned having a guess earlier,¡± Hu Yifei said as she returned with Lingzi, who immediately circled the serpent with excitement, eyeing where to make the first cut.


    ¡°Young master, can I have a bit of this?¡± Lingzi was practically glowing, treating the serpent like a priceless treasure while ignoring everything else.


    ¡°Sure. This thing¡¯s huge¡ªwe can¡¯t use all of it. Take what you want,¡± Chen Yuze said, amused. Hunters really do see prey like treasure.


    ¡°Thanks, young master! If you ever need something special made from it, let me know. My dad can craft you a ¡®Dragon-Tendon Jade Serpent Bow¡¯¡ªthis stuff is premium.¡± Lingzi figured most people wouldn¡¯t know how to handle such materials, but to her, they were worth more than gold.


    ¡°Deal. Just leave me some¡ªI¡¯ve got plans for it too,¡± Chen Yuze said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s enough to outfit all of you and then some!¡± Lingzi was thrilled.


    The fat man and the others agreed. They wouldn¡¯t know what to do with it anyway, so leaving it to Lingzi was the best option. Besides, Hu Yifei and Chen Yuze had done most of the heavy lifting¡ªthey were happy just getting a set of armor each.


    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject! Who is this guy? You¡¯re being way too mysterious,¡± the fat man pressed impatiently.


    Leaving the swords and black iron dagger with Lingzi to handle the serpent, the four of them¡ªChen Yuze, Hu Yifei, Old Hu, and the fat man¡ªmoved deeper into the tomb. As they walked, Chen Yuze began his explanation.


    ¡°This man was a tragic figure. Guo Polu.¡±


    ¡°Who? Never heard of him,¡± Hu Yifei said, feeling like the name was vaguely familiar, while Old Hu and the fat man drew complete blanks.


    Chen Yuze shook his head. ¡°If I just say his name, you won¡¯t know. But his family? You¡¯ve definitely heard of them.¡±


    The group stared blankly at him. Chen Yuze smirked.


    ¡°He had a twin sister, Guo Xiang. An older sister named Guo Fu. His father¡ª¡±


    ¡°Guo Jing? Mother Huang Rong?¡± Hu Yifei blurted out. The others immediately recognized the names¡ªhow could they not?


    ¡°Exactly. When Xiangyang fell, Guo Jing and Huang Rong died fighting. But at the time, their only son was with them¡ªtheir daughters had already left. Even their disciples were gone. That¡¯s why I said he was a tragic man.¡± Chen Yuze had realized it the moment he saw the serpent. Its appearance matched the strange snakes from The Return of the Condor Heroes, the ones whose gallbladders Yang Guo consumed. But this one¡¯s venom sac had been removed¡ªlikely bred intentionally for its gallbladder. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Then does that mean Guo Jing and Huang Rong¡¯s grand tomb is out there somewhere? How do you know this is Guo Polu¡¯s and not theirs?¡± Hu Yifei asked. Logically, a tomb this grand should belong to Guo Jing and Huang Rong.


    ¡°Guo Jing? Pfft.¡± Chen Yuze scoffed. This tomb was built during the Yuan Dynasty, no way it belonged to them.

 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44: A Different Perspective


    Hu Yifei stomped her feet in frustration. ¡°What¡¯s so funny? Guo Jing is a hero¡ªa great one who served his country and people!¡±


    Chen Yuze and the others stared at the coffin in the grand hall. ¡°Yifei, use your brain. Why would anyone build such a massive tomb for Guo Jing and Huang Rong? To put it bluntly, they¡¯d be lucky not to have their bones scattered to the wind. Yes, they served their country and people, but that¡¯s from the perspective of the Central Plains people. Try looking at it from another angle.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Chen is right,¡± Old Hu chimed in, having figured it out. ¡°From the Yuan Dynasty¡¯s perspective, not grinding their bones to dust would¡¯ve been an act of mercy. Your hero isn¡¯t necessarily everyone else¡¯s hero.¡± sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Wait, what? Why would they build a tomb for the son but not the father?¡± The fat man scratched his head, confused.


    ¡°Think about it. Back then, Guo Jing and his mother were struggling to survive until Genghis Khan took them in. How did he treat Guo Jing?¡±


    ¡°Good. Really damn good, even if I hate to admit it,¡± the fat man nodded after a moment¡¯s thought.


    Chen Yuze glanced at the coffin. ¡°Of course it was good. He had his own son, Tolui, swear brotherhood with Guo Jing, betrothed his daughter, Princess Huazheng, to him¡ªand Guo Jing didn¡¯t refuse. He even had his personal archery master, Jebe, teach Guo Jing how to shoot. At the time, Jebe was the only ¡®Eagle Hunter¡¯ in the world. But what happened later?¡±


    ¡°Guo Jing not only broke off the engagement, hooked up with Huang Rong, but also betrayed Genghis Khan. He repeatedly tried to assassinate his sworn brother and his son, M?ngke, then led armies to slaughter his former benefactors. In the eyes of the Yuan Dynasty, he was nothing but an ungrateful traitor¡ªdisloyal, unfilial, ruthless, and unjust. He checked every box.¡± Hu Yifei finally understood. To them, Guo Jing was a hero¡ªshe admitted that, everyone did. But to the Yuan forces? He was a damn joke.


    What ¡°immortal lovers¡± Guo Jing and Huang Rong? More like a homewrecker stealing the spotlight. Back then, a betrothal was as binding as a marriage certificate. Guo Jing could¡¯ve taken Huang Rong as a concubine, but no¡ªhe had to divorce Huazheng and make Huang Rong his official wife. And let¡¯s not forget, Guo Jing was once the Golden Blade Consort¡ªa vassal.


    ¡°Get it now? To us, he¡¯s a hero. To them, he¡¯s a backstabbing ingrate. Harsh, but true. Compare him to Qiao Feng¡ªif Qiao Feng had made the same choices, he¡¯d have been cursed for generations. But Qiao Feng didn¡¯t. He never forgot the kindness of his adoptive family, even though they weren¡¯t blood-related. Guo Jing? He wiped it all from his memory. When the Khitan invaded, Qiao Feng stopped them, even dying in shame¡ªtorn between his birth father and adoptive father, he chose death to atone. But Guo Jing¡­¡± Chen Yuze trailed off.


    That¡¯s how it was. If Guo Jing and Huang Rong¡¯s bodies had fallen into the hands of the Central Plains people, they¡¯d have gotten a grand burial¡ªheroes, after all. But in the hands of their enemies? They were traitors. And as luck would have it, they ended up with the latter.


    On the other hand, Guo Polu was the epitome of loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness. During the fall of Xiangyang, he alone fought alongside his parents to the death, perishing in battle. To the enemy, he was merely an opponent¡ªbut a respectable one. A true man.


    ¡°So this has to be Guo Polu, not Guo Jing and his wife?¡± The fat man stared at the coffin.


    Hu Yifei, losing patience, glared at the three men. ¡°Why are you three overcomplicating this? Just open the damn coffin and see for yourselves!¡±


    ¡°Fair point.¡± The three men exchanged glances. Crude, but effective¡ªthe simplest solution was often the best.


    They prepared themselves, pushing open the innermost coffin lid with slow, deliberate force. As it gradually gave way, the contents became clear¡ªa single man, his skin still eerily elastic, as if he¡¯d just died. Among the burial goods were glimpses of gold, silver, and jewels. Clad in armor, his head bore scars stitched shut with golden thread.


    ¡°It really is Guo Polu.¡± Seeing the man lying there confirmed it. Guo Polu had died in his twenties, unmarried and childless.


    The moment they fully opened the coffin, white mold-like growths rapidly spread across Guo Polu¡¯s body. The fat man and Old Hu stumbled back in alarm, but Chen Yuze and Hu Yifei held their ground.


    ¡°Xiao Chen, careful¡ªit¡¯s reanimating!¡± Old Hu warned, tense.


    ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± No sooner had Chen Yuze spoken than Guo Polu¡¯s corpse withered away, collapsing into a desiccated husk so fragile it seemed a breeze might scatter it.


    ¡°A loyal and righteous general of his time¡­ Pity his glory was always overshadowed by his parents.¡± Chen Yuze sighed. Guo Polu was born in the wrong era¡ªor perhaps into the wrong family. Every good deed was credited to his parents, while every mistake was magnified tenfold. Of the three siblings, only he died defending Xiangyang. Even Guo Jing¡¯s disciples, the Wu brothers, fled¡ªbut Guo Polu couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Chen Yuze picked up a strange bronze lamp from the side. He¡¯d never seen anything like it, yet something about it felt important¡ªenough that he instinctively cradled it carefully.


    ¡°Old Hu, fat man, come over.¡± Chen Yuze beckoned them. Now it was time for the real tomb-raiding.


    Since Old Hu and the fat man weren¡¯t experts, they deferred to Chen Yuze. None of them were greedy¡ªthough the burial goods were plentiful, each took only a few items. Grave-robbing had its rules: leave something for the deceased.


    After selecting a few more items from the side chambers, they prepared to leave. Just then, the hall groaned ominously¡ªtheir earlier disturbance had finally taken its toll.


    ¡°What are you staring at? Run!¡± Chen Yuze shouted. The four bolted, barely making it out before the grand hall collapsed behind them. Outside, Lingzi was still butchering the giant serpent, having already hauled away part of it. Even as the structure crumbled, she stubbornly tried to salvage more.


    ¡°Lingzi, run! It¡¯s coming down!¡± Old Hu yelled in panic, but she kept working.


    ¡°Move!¡± The fat man couldn¡¯t take it¡ªhe hoisted her over his shoulder and sprinted. Chen Yuze, bringing up the rear, saw nearly half the serpent still intact. Seizing the moment while the others weren¡¯t looking, he stashed it in his spatial backpack. He would¡¯ve taken more, but the hall¡¯s final collapse cut him short.


    Crash¡ª!


    Wood splintered, tiles shattered, and dust billowed as the grand hall imploded. The group didn¡¯t dare look back, fearing the entire structure might bury them. Only when they reached the surface did they finally breathe again.