Chapter 13 A Glimmer of Hope

The water poured down from the Duck River above, instantly creating a huge impact. Even the thick-skinned Xi rats in the tomb could not withstand the current, and were flushed out, spitting blood, their eyeballs bulging.

Fortunately, we were hiding on the stone platform, avoiding the brunt of the water. But the platform shook violently, and we were still thrown into the water.

Luckily, Mei Shu and I were good swimmers. We quickly surfaced, gasping for air. I turned to retrieve Hong Jie, while Mei Shu went to rescue Boss Wang.

Just then, I suddenly discovered good news—the sudden surge of water had actually pushed open the stone blocking the tomb entrance!

Because the impact of the water flow was too great, even the boulder blocking the entrance couldn't withstand it. The original dead end became a path to survival, and the tomb entrance was instantly cleared!

Overjoyed, I shouted to Mei Shu, "Uncle! The tomb entrance is open! It's open! We can get out! We can get out!"

Looking out through the tomb entrance cleared by the water, I could vaguely see a glimmer of light, which meant that we were not far from the outside! We had escaped!

At that moment, I truly believed the old saying—Heaven never seals off all exits.

The White-Clad Fairy originally intended to flood us, to drown us in this ancient tomb, but she had shot herself in the foot and opened a path for us instead.

It must be that our lives were not meant to end here.

Holding my breath, I dived underwater and pulled up the unconscious Hong Jie, before surfacing again.

Mei Shu had also retrieved Boss Wang.

Fortunately, Boss Wang could swim himself, so Mei Shu didn't have to drag him. After surfacing, he coughed a few times and burst out laughing, "Hahaha! Hahaha! What is it called, 'When the mountains and rivers are exhausted, one suspects there is no road, but then the willows are dark and the flowers are bright, and another village appears!' I knew I was lucky and wouldn't die in this godforsaken place!"

Mei Shu urged, "Getting out is the priority. Save your strength for swimming!"

So the few of us swam desperately outwards along the tomb entrance. Gradually, the tomb entrance became brighter and brighter, and we could already see the exit.

As the tomb entrance sloped upwards, the water became shallower. Finally, just as we were about to run out of strength, we swam to the exit.

I carried the dying Hong Jie on my back, while Mei Shu and Boss Wang supported each other. We struggled to climb out of the tomb entrance, and upon closer inspection, we saw that it was a wasteland on the south bank of the Duck River.

Looking up at the position of the sun, I guessed that it was now afternoon. We had entered the tomb at around ten o'clock last night, and after struggling underground for half a day and a night, we had finally escaped alive.

Boss Wang, the organizer, had originally brought a whole team with him, but now only Hong Jie was left as a lookout, along with Mei Shu and me, two "double agents."

He bent over, catching his breath, and said to Mei Shu and me, "This time, thanks to you two, if it weren't for you, everyone would have died in the tomb. Don't worry, I, Boss Wang, will repay even the smallest kindness with a fountain. Once I get these grave goods out, I'll let you two take the lion's share!"

Mei Shu and I nodded, pretending to be polite and thanking him.

Boss Wang continued, "It's still daytime now, and we're all covered in dirt, so it's not good to wander around, as it'll easily arouse suspicion. Let's find a place to hide first, and when it gets dark, I'll call a friend to pick us up."

I pointed to Hong Jie and said, "Boss, Hong Jie is seriously injured and can't be delayed any longer. She needs to be treated quickly, or she'll die."

Boss Wang glanced at Hong Jie and said helplessly, "It's not that I don't want to save her, but the problem is that we look like grave robbers now. We're practically wearing the words 'tomb raider' on our foreheads. If we save Xiao Hong, it's like asking for death, understand?"

I frowned and said, "But we can't just stand by and watch her die, can we?"

Boss Wang smiled faintly, patted my shoulder, and said, "Young man, I know you're a sentimental person, but to be honest, Xiao Hong is so badly injured, I'm afraid she can't be saved. There's really no need to risk it to save her. Besides, if Xiao Hong is saved, the money from these grave goods will be split between four people. Without Xiao Hong, it'll be split between the three of us. Young man, you're a smart person, think about what's the best thing to do."

If I were really a tomb raider, Boss Wang's words might have moved me, but I was here to catch him, and the money from these grave goods would never end up in my pocket.

So no matter what he said, I still had to save Hong Jie.

Just then, a police siren suddenly came from the highway in the distance. As soon as I heard it, I knew that the Xiaoling Guards were coming.

Boss Wang reacted like a mouse hearing a cat, immediately lowered his body, and cursed, "Damn it, the cops are here so fast? I just crawled out, how did they know? Let's go, let's get out of here!"

As he spoke, I saw a group of Xiaoling Guards getting out of their vehicles and chasing towards us.

Seeing that Boss Wang was about to escape, Mei Shu and I exchanged glances, understanding each other's intentions. We immediately grabbed his arms, one on each side, and subdued him.

Boss Wang was stunned on the spot, looking at us in shock, and asked, "Have you two gone mad? What the hell are you doing?"

After saying this, he suddenly realized, his eyes widening, "Damn! You two are cops? Damn it! You two are cops!"

I didn't bother to waste words with him. While Jiang Yongguang and the others hadn't arrived yet, I asked first, "Why did you bring out the remains of the ancient Shu king? What do you mean by saying that Xiao Er can be saved? Speak!"

Boss Wang didn't answer at all, just glared at us and cursed, "Bastards, you two beasts are actually government dogs! Damn it, I misjudged you! You wait, I won't let you off!"

Mei Shu sneered, "Wait? Okay, Boss Wang, we'll wait. We'll wait and see how many rounds of bullets you'll get for the things you've done. I'm afraid it's enough to execute you several times over, right?"

As he spoke, the Xiaoling Guards had rushed over. The two leading men were Jiang Yongguang and Xiao Liang.

Seeing that we had subdued Boss Wang, Jiang Yongguang hurried up and asked, "Is this Boss Wang? Where are his accomplices? Are there any other rats?"

I shook my head and said, "No, they're all dead."

Then I quickly pointed to Hong Jie and said, "That's right, there's another accomplice who's seriously injured. You should send someone to treat her quickly, but she's just a lookout, not a core member."

Jiang Yongguang nodded and gestured to his colleagues. Two people immediately came over and carried Hong Jie away.

At this time, Xiao Liang ran up to me with a worried expression, grabbed my arm, and asked anxiously, "Chen Rongsheng, are you injured?! What happened? Is it serious? Let's go, I'll take you to the hospital right away!"

I handed Boss Wang over to Jiang Yongguang and turned to look at Xiao Liang, saying, "It's okay, they're just minor injuries, not serious."

Before I could finish speaking, Xiao Liang's tears began to fall.

I helped her wipe away her tears and said with a smile, "Why are you crying? I'm back alive, aren't I? I told you a long time ago that I would be fine."

Jiang Yongguang, who was standing next to us, couldn't help but laugh and tease, "Xiao Liang, you're really into the act. I think the feelings between you two fake couples are even more real than those of real couples!"

Hearing this, Xiao Liang glared at Jiang Yongguang and scolded him in a fierce but cute voice, "Get lost!"