Chapter 139 White Ant Colony

After Zhang Qinglin and the others entered the passageway, that large armored corpse appeared at the cave entrance out of nowhere.

Wu Guangen took a sharp sniff, catching a sickening stench. He turned around to see the giant corpse probing its upper body into the entrance.

His subordinate happened to see it too, and, terrified out of his wits, scrambled backward on all fours. His frantic reaction startled Zhang Qinglin and the rest of them. They heard the man screaming about a monster, and upon looking closer, they saw the giant corpse had already stepped into the tunnel and was walking toward them.

With Wu Guangen and his men screaming at the top of their lungs, the horrifying shrieks echoed throughout the entire passageway. The others grew even more panic-stricken, running like madmen deeper into the tunnel.

Suddenly, a white figure appeared, but it was some distance away, and Zhang Qinglin could not make out what it was.

In this dark, desolate tunnel, a white figure had unexpectedly emerged, and it was moving forward at a rapid pace.

Zhang Qinglin immediately halted, gripped his flashlight tightly, and with trepidation, shone the beam ahead. His initial reaction was that the white figure might be another dangerous entity. He had once heard Uncle Jiang say that in tombs where precious antiques and cultural relics were unearthed, the guardian souls of the tomb owners were often concealed. A guardian soul took the form of a human-shaped spirit; if grave robbers intruded, they would transform into whatever people feared most in their hearts to frighten them away.

Hu Geming stepped forward quickly and asked, "Is this a dead end? Why did you stop?"

Zhang Qinglin’s rigid flashlight beam suddenly drooped. His forehead was covered in sweat. Cheng Che and the others all stepped up to look at him, and several flashlights were also cast down the tunnel.

Yet, it seemed that aside from Zhang Qinglin, none of the others could see the white figure.

Zhang Qinglin had no idea why this was. The white figure before his eyes gradually took on a form, clothes, a large backpack, and rifle equipment. The bulky backpack blocked the person's head, and in the next second, the figure whipped around fiercely. It was a face full of terror, as if it had laid eyes on something horrifying.

That face was both unfamiliar and familiar. Before Zhang Qinglin could get a clear look, the figure sped away like a flying arrow into the darkness.

Zhang Qinglin dashed in a single bound toward the depths of the tunnel.

Worried sick, Cheng Che glanced at Jiang Xinyue and gave chase. The remaining few people followed closely behind.

Flashlight beams flickered in the tunnel. Zhang Qinglin pursued that figure for an unknown distance until a rectangular cave entrance appeared ahead, emitting a faint yellow glow.

The silhouette in front of him strode out of the opening, and Zhang Qinglin rushed out right behind it. When he came to a sudden halt, the sight before him left him utterly dumbfounded.

He swept his gaze around: fallen boulders, a stone gate, and stone pillars carved with firebirds—this was the very same grand hall they had just left.

Calming himself down, Zhang Qinglin searched for the figure. That person was fumbling with something in front of the stone gate. The figure walked to the left side and paused for a moment. He saw the person's right hand waving, as if manipulating something on the stone wall. In an instant, the person stepped back, and the stone doors of the hall slowly swung inward.

The figure sprinted at incredible speed through the stone gate, and by the time Zhang Qinglin rushed over, the gate had already slammed shut.

Zhang Qinglin dashed to the stone gate on the left and saw only the arrowhead. Strangely enough, however, this time the direction of the arrowhead had changed; both the large arrowhead and the two horizontal arrows in the middle were now pointing directly at the stone gate.

Cheng Che and the others also ran out of that mountain cave opening, equally astonished when they saw the grand hall.

Hurrying over to Zhang Qinglin’s side, Cheng Che said, "Old Zhang, have you led us right back here again?"

Without paying any attention to Cheng Che, Zhang Qinglin felt around the perimeter of the arrowhead until he finally discovered an indistinct outline on the upper section. Staring right at it, Zhang Qinglin pressed inward with all his might.

The stone eyes of the firebird atop the central pillar in the hall suddenly shifted, and the round stone bead in its mouth spat out a stream of fire. At the same time, the two massive stone doors slowly parted, revealing ever-burning lamps glowing within.

They stepped through the stone gate, and the doors immediately closed behind them. Everyone stood upon the steps, gazing down this tomb passageway over two meters long, at the end of which stood yet another stone gate.

Exquisitely crafted murals adorned the walls on both sides. The content of the paintings depicted humanistic etiquette and rituals, and judging from the attire of the figures in the murals, this was clearly a Western Zhou tomb.

Hu Geming walked up to the stone gate at the front and located the opening mechanism.

Approaching the gate, they discovered a vast space inside. A stone coffin rested in the center, surrounded by numerous pottery vessels and utensils.

Zhang Qinglin walked in slowly. The ever-burning lamps inside cast a brilliant illumination. He searched for that mysterious figure, but the dead-silent tomb chamber echoed with nothing more than the sound of their own footsteps.

Jiang Xinyue was terrified of the stone coffin and stayed a meter away, watching them.

Wu Guangen paced around and stopped before a pile of bronze artifacts, saying, "I've never seen so many bronze pieces in my life. Ah Dong, take these few."

Turning her head, Bai Weiwei rebuked Wu Guangen sharply, "What do you think you're doing? These are all valuable cultural relics. Who gave you permission to take them? Put them down!"

"We're all grave robbers, Miss Bai. Stop putting on airs. Cultural relics? Whoever gets their hands on them owns them," Wu Guangen retorted, picking up a bronze wine cup from the pile.

"You—" Bai Weiwei's face flushed with anger. She stepped forward to stop him, but was unexpectedly intercepted by Hu Geming.

Hu Geming said quietly to her, "Miss, this place is rather bizarre. Pay them no mind. Let's find what we're looking for first; Second Master is still waiting for our report."

Clenching her fists, Bai Weiwei turned around and looked back at Zhang Qinglin, who was standing by the stone coffin.

Zhang Qinglin and Cheng Che were examining the exquisitely relief-carved stone coffin. The coffin lid was sculpted from a single piece of stone to resemble a palace-style roof. At the center of the main ridge sat a fiery pearl, flanked by straight sloping ridges on both ends, with corner eaves at the northern and southern extremes. Even the roof tiles were carved in relief, and the eaves were etched with lotus-petal-patterned circular tiles. The workmanship was exceptionally fine, exquisite beyond compare, and a masterpiece of nature.

However, the surface of the stone coffin below was inscribed with numerous peculiar patterns.

Curved lines and clear textures formed small groups of designs, resembling a jigsaw puzzle.

Touching his chin, Zhang Qinglin bent down to look closer. For a fleeting second while examining those patterns, he felt as though the designs were shifting.

Faint and indistinct, they seemed to form an image—resembling an underground route map.

Noticing Zhang Qinglin standing motionlessly in the middle of the coffin staring intently at something, Cheng Che sidled up beside him and asked, following his line of sight, "What are you looking at? This stone coffin is certainly strange."

"Why are you standing so close to me? You scared me."

"Well, well, is this really the Old Zhang I know? I thought you were fearless!" Cheng Che teased, casting a sideways glance at him.

Zhang Qinglin glared at him and said, "You talk too much. All right, all right, look here. Can you tell if there's anything special about this?"

Squinting, Cheng Che scrutinized the surface. A moment later, he said in astonishment, "This, this... it's moving! It's shifting into a path—no, a river. Well, not quite. What on earth is this pattern?"

Hearing Cheng Che's booming voice, everyone else—except for Wu Guangen and his men—crowded over, gathering around the stone coffin to observe the patterns on its surface.

Chi Tan pressed closely against the side of the stone coffin. Having never witnessed such miraculous phenomena, his face was practically touching the stone surface.

Suddenly, he jerked upright, reaching behind his neck to scratch his back. Immediately after, a wave of bone-deep itching flared up across his back, followed by an ache that penetrated straight into his bones.

Frowning, his expression twisted in pain. His body contracted as he stepped backward, crouching down and wrapping his arms around himself, trying desperately to reach the agonizing spot, yet failing to touch it at all.

Noticing this, Zhang Qinglin walked over and asked, "Chi Tan, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Soaked in sweat, Chi Tan had no idea what was happening. Suddenly, he felt something crawling inside his clothes again. With a flash in his eyes, he stood up, reached into his shirt, pulled out a ladybug the size of a fingernail, and with a sudden change in expression, threw it to the ground and crushed it to death.

Hu Geming glanced at the dead ladybug on the ground, looked at Chi Tan, and then scanned the surroundings. "Oh no, it's heart-core beetles! These things are poisonous!"

"Chi Tan, strip off your coat quickly so I can take a look." Zhang Qinglin helped Chi Tan up, took off his outer jacket, and lifted his undershirt.

He saw patches of dark purple skin across his back.

Jiang Xinyue shuddered at the sight. "What happened to Chi Tan? Why does he have so many wounds on his back?"

Already tottering and drained of strength, Chi Tan let his eyes droop and lost consciousness.

Zhang Qinglin and Cheng Che hurriedly steadied him. Hu Geming took a bottle of medicinal liquid from his pack and said, "Disinfect him immediately. It might help."

Zhang Qinglin took the medicinal liquid from Hu Geming and applied it to Chi Tan.

With Chi Tan poisoned, they no longer had time to analyze and study the strange patterns on the stone coffin lid.

After the medicine was applied, Chi Tan stabilized somewhat. Zhang Qinglin looked out across the tomb chamber; he needed to find a way out.

Wu Guangen had packed up the treasures he wanted to take and searched the perimeter for an exit. They discovered a narrow crevice on the right side, just wide enough for a person to squeeze through. Supposing it to be the way out, they stepped inside, only to bolt right back out a moment later.

Flickering movements came from within the crevice, as if something was about to burst out.

Immediately afterward, Zhang Qinglin saw a white substance spreading out from the crevice, growing more and more abundant while glowing with a white light, rapidly extending along the stone walls of the tomb chamber.

Zhang Qinglin got to his feet and ran over, observing the white substance clinging to the walls. It resembled gold powder or fine grains of sand, shining as though a chemical reaction had occurred from neutralizing some substance.

"Old Zhang, come look at this! What on earth is this?" Cheng Che sat beside Chi Tan, staring as the white sand slowly welled out from a small round hole in the wall.

Bai Weiwei also noticed the circular hole and walked over, curiously pinching a bit of the welling white sand between her fingers.

In an instant, she flung the white sand away, revealing fingers stained a brilliant red. Frowning, she warned, "Be careful, this stuff that's flowing out bites!"

"It bites?" Terrified, Zhang Qinglin hurried to Bai Weiwei's side, staring at her bitten fingers before fixing his gaze on the white sand pouring from the crevice and the small round hole before them.

Hu Geming stared intently at the white sand emerging from the base of the stone coffin, his expression changing drastically as if a realization had struck him.

He stepped up to Bai Weiwei, drew a knife, and eyeing her swollen, red fingers, said, "Miss, I have to cut your fingers open."

Startled at these words, Zhang Qinglin wondered what Hu Geming was up to. Could these white sands be poisonous too?

Snatching the knife from Hu Geming's hand, Zhang Qinglin swiftly made a tiny nick across each of Bai Weiwei's swollen fingertips. Blackish-red blood instantly welled out.

It truly was poisonous!

Returning the knife to Hu Geming, Zhang Qinglin squeezed out the remaining black blood from the incisions on Bai Weiwei's fingers and bandaged them with gauze.

Hu Geming shot Zhang Qinglin a sideways glance and tactfully averted his gaze.

"Brother Hu, do you know what these white sands are?" Zhang Qinglin turned his head to ask.

"This is the first time I've seen this stuff, but I've heard tales of it," Hu Geming replied, watching the circular hole that was steadily growing larger.

"Foreign white-seeking ants. Which dynasty they hail from isn't clear, but these are among the smallest of ant species. They are pure white in body; though tiny, their numbers make them formidable.

When threatened, they release a toxin. Those poisoned will suffer from red, swollen skin. If the toxin isn't cleansed in time, it will cause the entire body to swell, rot, and lead to death." Hu Geming continued gazing at the swarm of white-seeking ants.

"Even smaller than white ants? Could this entire place be infested with those things? What are we supposed to do?" Cheng Che swept his gaze across the entire tomb chamber.

Wu Guangen and his subordinates huddled in a patch of open ground not yet reached by the white ants, watching in sheer terror.

A third of the tomb chamber walls were densely covered in swarming white-seeking ants, and countless more blanketed the floor. The entire tomb chamber was instantly plunged into a desperate crisis.