The Informal Tomb Raiding Diary: She is the occupant of the tomb!-Chapter 350 - 285: Collapsed by Digging

At this moment, she pointed out a path to survival for everyone, so naturally, they all listened to her. This was usually a common occurrence, yet Lilith’s gaze towards her grew increasingly grim.

Qinghan and I stayed behind; neither of us spoke. We were respectively the captains of these two teams, yet it seemed we had become marginalized.

Qinghan had already mentioned to me while I was helping him back to the team that Moli harbored ambitions.

Of course, I wouldn’t naively think that her ambition was just to be a small-time captain on the front line; this was perhaps just a stepping stone for her to climb higher.

Moli is different from other ’rivals in love’. When I’m with Qinghan, she never tries to make her presence known. Her words and actions never show even a hint of ambiguity; she’s the same with me as she is with others.

We retreated together to the underground grand hall; Zhao Zhenghua and the others had never seen this hall and were very curious about the well and the grand hall.

In the center of the hall, two skeletons lay on the platform; Zhao Zhenghua first looked around and then picked up a camera to take photos of the walls and stone platform.

One of the two skeletons on the platform seemed normal, but the other was deformed. Judging by its body traits, it was exactly the tomb’s owner with Three Heads and Six Arms.

Zhao Zhenghua got closer to the skeleton to take photos, and then he found something inside the mouth of the tomb’s owner, so he reached out trying to take it.

"Ah—" Zhao Zhenghua suddenly pulled his hand back, blood dripping from his fingertip, "It pricked me."

"I told you, you’re a veteran and still so careless." Liang Ruidong took out a dagger and pried open the skeleton’s jaw. Inside the tomb owner’s mouth were many sharp spikes surrounding an object that was pitch-black and resembled a stone.

But as soon as Liang Ruidong extracted it, it immediately extended limbs, jumped to the ground, and dashed out of the grand hall.

"Hey... the door!" Liang Ruidong attempted to alert someone at the entrance, who was looking out to see if the well had collapsed. Yet, Liang Ruidong was still too slow, and the thing scurried out of the door crack in a flash.

Meanwhile, the tomb owner’s skeleton on the platform had turned to ashes, leaving not even a bit of bone fragment.

"Is that the Stone of Immortality...?" I muttered to myself, thinking that the thing Nanduo was looking for wasn’t a stone but a living creature.

The tomb owner kept it trapped inside his mouth, probably for fear not of dropping it but of it escaping.

The sounds of the building collapsing outside continued, yet this grand hall stood firm like Taishan, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Qian Yu then asked Qinghan again about the Death God Robe. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Qinghan explained that it’s nothing particularly special, just a type of insect that likes to cluster in warm places. They are drawn to warmth, similar to moths to a flame. If Qian Yu had stayed below a little longer, these insects would have likely covered him like a black robe.

"Their bodies are fragile; you can crush them with a light touch. However, if attacked, they release a potent toxin, which currently has no antidote."

"Really, so powerful, we’ve never encountered it before. It’s a good thing you were here." Liang Ruidong said.

"Yes, thank you, Professor Chen, I’ll treat you to a meal when we return." Qian Yu touched his face, looking quite relieved.

"What shall we do now? We’re trapped here; should we start digging?" Li Du asked.

"Let’s rest for a while first; their stamina hasn’t recovered yet." Moli glanced at the people who had just run the hardest; they were the ones who had fainted in the burial chamber from hunger.

Several people instantly cast grateful looks toward Moli, while Lilith frowned, saying, "I was thinking the same thing. Qian Yu, go check if there’s another exit."

The same words, spoken by a second person, yet no one showed gratitude. Lilith was repeatedly outpaced by Moli, her face growing increasingly tense.

During the earlier rest period, they asked Qinghan if he had completed the task for this mission. I had already told him that Nanduo mentioned a name, guiding us towards the next step of the investigation, so Qinghan responded that they had completed it.

This showed that his team members, including Moli, were unaware of his true purpose for this trip.

Qian Yu tapped on the walls and floors, listening carefully to the echoes. After finishing his examination, he returned to the group and shook his head to Lilith, saying that the grand hall was built using solid granite blocks, each slab a meter thick with varied lengths; excavating them with a shovel seemed impossible.

Now the top of the grand hall was covered with remnants of the pyramid, making blasting it out an untenable option. If the grand hall were to be collapsed by an explosion, this group of people would genuinely have no way out.

"Perhaps we can try removing the chapel roof." The speaker was Moli once again.

"No, the roof is pressed under the collapsed debris; no one knows how much weight the roof can bear. If its structure is compromised and it completely caves in, what then?" Lilith rejected Moli’s suggestion this time.

Lilith’s argument held merit, and everyone, for a time, exchanged glances, each unwilling to speak lightly.

"If we don’t smash through it recklessly, perhaps we can hold out until the next rescue team arrives." Someone muttered softly.

The voice came from among those who had fainted due to hunger earlier. Liang Ruidong and Qian Yu seemed to have a good relationship, and upon hearing someone complain about Qian Yu’s previous attempt to smash the well, he angrily responded, "What do you mean reckless smashing? Do you understand architecture? If not, on what grounds do you say it was reckless? How do you identify spots suitable for digging without smashing?"

The person who spoke merely continued muttering softly, naturally lacking the courage to directly argue against Liang Ruidong, who bombarded them with rapid questions, silencing them.

Dissatisfaction, a thing not easily dispelled by reasonable explanations, lingered as a visible expression of defiance remained on that person’s face even though they stayed silent.

Lilith’s expression changed somewhat, as since Qian Yu was sent to smash the well upon her orders, their complaint against smashing the walls implicitly criticized her for making poor decisions.

"At least Qian Yu contributed, while some people haven’t done a thing except complain." Liang Ruidong chimed in.

"You’re a rescue team; shouldn’t rescuing people be your duty?"

"Of course, rescuing people is our job, just lamenting when kindness goes unappreciated."

As they exchanged words back and forth, tensions rose, becoming increasingly apparent. Moli timely stepped in to coax calm, glanced at me, and said, "I understand everyone’s emotions; we all want to get out quickly, but we need to follow instructions, and we can’t unravel ourselves."

"It’s her poor guidance that’s landed us in this mess here." The speaker was a member from the previous team who knew Lilith, naturally assuming her to be the captain of the rescue operation.

Lilith’s face turned dark instantly, and Li Du quickly intervened, "No, no, there’s a misunderstanding; the captain for this rescue mission is Miss Leng."

"Who is she?"

"She’s the captain, so why is Lilith commanding?"

Everyone’s attention suddenly turned to me. I was fiddling with a mural of roses on the wall. Hearing them draw focus to me, I turned and smiled, saying, "Capable people should do more, right? We must allow our comrades to leverage their strengths and talents. Lilith has more field experience than I do; I’m just a rookie."