Chapter 12: A Matter of Life and Death

The three of them discussed the situation and decided to have Fatty lead the way, with Zhang Qiling bringing up the rear, as they entered the hidden door one by one.

Just as Zhang Qiling had described, the passageway behind the hidden door was pitch-black and narrow, seemingly endless, vast, and silent. They could only hear the sound of their own footsteps, which felt inexplicably oppressive.

The stone path grew narrower as they proceeded. While Fatty could initially walk through sideways with a swagger, he soon had to hold his backpack in his hands, shrugging his shoulders and shuffling forward.

"Who the hell built this stone path?" Fatty cursed. "It’s blatantly discriminating against us big guys."

Wu Xie was worried about Muyu, and the endless, suffocating nature of the path made him irritable. "This shipwreck tomb was small to begin with. To create the illusion of a heavenly palace, they had to shrink the space elsewhere. It's a miracle there's even this much room left for you. Tomb raiders have always been lean and small—who would have thought a fat guy would ever join this trade?"

Fatty, far from reflecting on his size, looked smug. "That’s true. Among all the Tomb Raiders throughout history, I’m definitely number one when it comes to physique. But fat as I am, my agility isn’t affected in the slightest—ouch!"

Wu Xie looked up to see that both of Fatty’s shoulders were jammed against the walls, pinning him in place.

Wu Xie snickered, "Look at you, bragging and now you’ve hit a wall—literally."

"I’m telling you, you really need to lose some weight." Wu Xie reached out to grab Fatty’s shoulders and pull him back, but exclaimed, "Damn it, I can’t budge you!"

Fatty was also pushing backward with all his might. "Something’s wrong. Why does it feel like this stone path is getting narrower?"

Hearing this, Wu Xie pressed both hands against the stone walls and felt a strange sensation through his palms. "Holy crap! The walls are moving! They’re closing in!"

Zhang Qiling touched the wall as well, his expression shifting. "Retreat! Go back!" he urged sharply.

Wu Xie pushed harder. "You damn fatty, suck in your gut and shrink your rolls, or we’re going to be flattened in here!"

Fatty struggled to compress his body until his arms were almost pressed together. With both of them exerting force, they finally managed to turn sideways.

Fatty didn't even care about the backpack he dropped; he kept urging them on, pushing Wu Xie from behind. "Quick, run! I don’t want to end up like a meat sandwich!"

Wu Xie was furious but had no time to curse. He stumbled backward, running faster than he ever had in a fifty-meter dash.

When they finally reached the hidden door, they found Zhang Qiling looking grim. "The door hinge has been jammed shut from the outside."

Wu Xie’s world went black. *Is this the end?*

Zhang Qiling looked up and suddenly commanded, "Climb!"

With that, he braced his feet against the walls, using his hands and feet to scramble upward, quickly gaining height.

Wu Xie and Fatty followed suit, climbing with every ounce of strength they had. The walls grew narrower, and eventually, they could only curl their legs and use their elbows and knees to shimmy upward.

Zhang Qiling, who was ahead, suddenly stopped. He touched the stone bricks above his head and said, "We’ve reached the top."

Wu Xie’s limbs were already giving out; his stamina was the worst of the three, and he had already reached his limit. Hearing Zhang Qiling’s words, a wave of despair washed over him. Was he really going to be crushed to death in this deep-sea tomb today? His family probably wouldn't hear about his disappearance for a long time, and they would never know his corpse was rotting, stinking, and eventually drying up here... The more he thought, the more tragic he felt.

"A grave-robber’s shaft!"

The abrupt statement startled Wu Xie out of his despair. Their thoughts seemed to have synced in a bizarre way. "You mean the person who dug this shaft might have encountered the same situation and was forced to dig their way out?"

Fatty caught his breath and added, "This stone path is so long. What if that person dug the shaft at the other end?"

Zhang Qiling replied, "Anyone in this situation would first try to run toward the exit. Only after finding the path sealed would they resort to the desperate measure of digging a shaft. Therefore, the entrance must be nearby. If they really dug it at the other end, then we’re just out of luck."

"Damn it," Fatty cursed. "Stop dragging your feet! If we don’t find it, we’re all going to die here, and I'll have two people to keep me company in the afterlife."

"To hell with that!" Wu Xie snapped. "No one is keeping you company in the afterlife. I’m going to live a long, healthy life."

After the banter helped clear their heads, the three of them continued to shimmy along the stone walls, searching for the shaft.

Suddenly, Zhang Qiling, who was in front, flashed his flashlight to signal them over.

Wu Xie and Fatty, thinking they had found the shaft, were overjoyed. They scrambled forward, but when they looked up, they froze.

On the bricks above them were three lines of blood-red characters: "Wu Sanxing, you drove me to a dead end and I died in injustice. Heaven is my witness. Xie Lianhuan."

A wave of overwhelming panic washed over Wu Xie. His limbs went weak, and he began to slip.

Zhang Qiling grabbed him with lightning speed. "Hold on tight!"

Wu Xie scrambled to brace himself against the wall, panicked. "Who is this? What does he mean? Why would he say Third Uncle drove him to his death?"

*Xie Lianhuan...* The name sounded so familiar. Wu Xie frowned, trying to recall where he had heard it before.

Zhang Qiling answered briefly, "He was also a member of the original archaeological team. He died in the coral reefs with the Snake-Eyed Copper Fish in his hands."

Wu Xie’s mind was in chaos. He only snapped out of it when Fatty shoved him.

Fatty urged, "Since he left a message here and wasn't crushed, it means the shaft is close by. Let’s not waste any more time—hurry up and look!"

Wu Xie pushed the thoughts aside and followed Zhang Qiling a few more steps. A dark, hollow opening appeared in the brick ceiling—a glimmer of hope.

Zhang Qiling climbed up first to ensure the shaft was stable, then quickly reached down to pull Wu Xie up.

Fatty wailed, "Dammit, pull me up! I’m stuck and can’t get through!"

The first part of the shaft was vertical and about the height of a man. Even with Wu Xie hanging halfway down, he could only reach Fatty’s fingertips; he couldn't get enough leverage.

Wu Xie shouted, "Fatty, climb a bit higher, I’ll be able to grab you!"

"I... I can’t move! Who’s pushing me? Ow!"

Fatty felt a massive force pushing from below, and he lurched upward, his belly and back scraping against the stone walls, leaving long, bloody gashes that made him howl in pain.

Wu Xie and Zhang Qiling took the opportunity to grab his arms and hauled him up.

Before they could even catch their breath, a blood-stained, thin, and small figure suddenly lunged up from the shaft.