Chapter 7: Golden Phoebe Wood

"This is indeed a mechanism, and a very simple one at that." Xiaoge stood up and walked to the stone door, reaching out to touch the frame. "To give you a simple example, imagine a building with two floors. You walk out of the second floor and into an elevator, and then someone adds a floor underneath the first one. In that case, the original second floor becomes the third, and the original first floor becomes the second. It’s similar to how a lift works."

Fatty grew more confused the more he listened. "What first floor, second floor? I've ridden elevators before, and it wasn't that complicated."

Zhang Wuxun clicked his tongue. "Think of it this way: instead of the elevator moving, imagine the building itself moving up and down. That should make sense to you now."

Xiaoge’s analogy was truly not great, so it was no wonder Fatty couldn't grasp it. However, for Wu Xie, who had studied architecture professionally, it was easy to understand.

"Oh!" Fatty’s brain finally clicked. "You mean there’s a massive mechanism outside the burial chamber we’re in that can move, and while we were in the corridor, the mechanism shifted and either raised or lowered the room where our gear was stored, right?"

Zhang Wuxun gave him a thumbs up. "Exactly."

Fatty scratched his head and laughed, swearing, "Damn it, it’s that simple? I was sitting here thinking there was some profound mystery to it."

Wu Xie, however, suddenly remarked, "If that’s the case, side chambers in ancient tombs are always symmetrical. Logically, there should be a room opposite this one as well."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhang Wuxun and Xiaoge, seeking their opinion.

The two exchanged glances and walked into the corridor to carefully examine the white jade wall on the opposite side, but they found nothing.

Returning to the side chamber, Fatty grew impatient and yawned. "Regardless of how it works, we need to get out of here. We don't even know where the exit is, and if we stay in this dump, I'm going to starve to death sooner or later."

Seeing everyone looking sluggish, Zhang Wuxun took out several energy gels and tossed them over.

Fatty took one look and said, "Why is it candied-haw flavor again? It's cloyingly sour."

"Be glad you have something to eat," Zhang Wuxun shot him a look. "I bought ten whole crates of these."

Wu Xie, chewing on an energy gel, looked up at the vaulted ceiling and frowned. "Actually... it’s not impossible to get out."

Fatty’s interest was piqued. "What do you mean?"

Wu Xie pointed at the ceiling. "To accommodate this mechanism, the tomb chamber must have been built with a very high ceiling. That means the distance to the seabed shouldn't be too far. If all else fails, we can dig our way up. During low tide, as long as the sand above doesn't collapse, we have a good chance of getting out."

The idea was beautiful, but reality was harsh.

Fatty poured a bucket of realistic cold water on the plan: "We didn't bring any tools when we came in. The ceiling is made of solid stone bricks. What are we supposed to dig with? Our bare claws? I'm not a groundhog."

"You don't know everything, do you?" Wu Xie said, feeling a bit smug. "In these undersea tomb shipwrecks, most of the bricks are hollow. They are designed to withstand pressure, not impact. If we find some metal objects, a few solid strikes will definitely create a hole."

Hearing this, Fatty perked up. "Why go looking for metal? I've got a gun. I'll bash it with the butt of my rifle. If that doesn't work, we'll find something else to knock with. There’s bound to be bronze burial goods in the main chamber."

Suiting actions to words, the group returned to the corridor.

"What the hell?" Fatty exclaimed. "This is too damn eerie."

Where the white jade wall had been just moments ago, a jade door had appeared, inside of which sat a massive golden-thread nanmu coffin.

"Oh boy, that’s top-tier material. The owner inside must be wealthy or noble; there’s bound to be good stuff in there." Fatty rubbed his hands together, clearly eager.

Zhang Wuxun had felt a bit disappointed about missing the little corpse earlier, so seeing this treasure suddenly pop up made him excited as well.

He glanced at Fatty. "Finders keepers."

With that, the two of them rushed toward the jade door at high speed.

Wu Xie, trailing behind, cursed, "Damn it, you two really are greedy enough to risk your lives for money."

Fatty, eyes fixed on the wooden coffin, muttered, "It's said that men die for wealth just as birds die for food. Life is what it is—if it's gone, it's gone. At worst, I'll be a hero again in forty years. But if the money is gone, it’s truly gone."

Wu Xie was stunned. *What the hell? That actually sounds... no, that's complete nonsense!*

That damn Fatty had almost tricked him.

Wu Xie felt frustrated for a few seconds, then pushed the thought aside and began observing the coffin as well.

"Don't move!"

Xiaoge suddenly spoke up, his expression grave.

"This is a corpse-nurturing coffin."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wuxun turned his flashlight to its highest setting, gestured toward the coffin with his chin, and looked at Xiaoge. "You or me?"

"I'll do it."

After saying this, Xiaoge drew his military knife and inserted it into the seam of the coffin, sliding it slowly along the gap, seemingly searching for a mechanism.

Fatty thought he was about to open the coffin and nearly jumped in his anxiety. "Slow down, slow down! You Southern School folks are unreliable—you don't even check for luck before opening a coffin."

He ran to a corner behind the coffin, pulled out a candle, and lit it with a lighter, all while muttering, "Xiaoge usually looks so steady, I never thought he’d be more impatient than me when he saw a coffin. Tsk tsk... Holy crap?!"

Fatty’s voice rose sharply, a shout that nearly scared the wits out of everyone.

Zhang Wuxun clearly felt Wu Xie shudder behind him, his voice trembling. "Damn it, Fatty, why are you screaming? Don't you know you can scare people to death?"

Zhang Wuxun patted his shoulder, walked over to Fatty, and looked down at the ground, gasping in shock himself.

Good lord, no wonder the system had blurred this heap on the ground when it sent him the plot details.

The cat had died in a truly hideous way.

Its eye sockets were shriveled and black, bleeding from all seven orifices. Its two eyes stared straight ahead, its head dangling by a shred of skin, and its black fur was matted by a mess of ghastly wounds. Its mouth was wide open, revealing a row of fangs—a sinister sight that made one’s skin crawl.

Wu Xie leaned in, curious, but Zhang Wuxun grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him away. "Don't look, it’s an eyesore. It died in a wretched way."

Hearing this, Wu Xie shrank his neck and abandoned the idea.

Fatty let out a string of curses, kicked the dead cat aside to make room, and lit the candle.

Wu Xie grew angry at the sight. "Are you kidding me? We don't have much air left, and you're lighting a candle? Trying to hold your own funeral early?"

Fatty rolled his eyes. "When the rooster crows and the lamp goes out, the grave-robbing stops. That’s the rule of our Southern School. I'll just breathe less, it won't kill you."

Seeing the two "elementary schoolers" about to start a fight, Zhang Wuxun hurried to mediate.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. Xiaoge has already pried open the lid," Zhang Wuxun said.

With a click, the mechanism was unlocked.