Chapter 15: Devoured by Venomous Insects

Ma Xu was instantly at a loss, pacing nervously in place. “So what do we do now? We can’t just stand here staring at the door and not go in. Wouldn’t that mean this whole trip was for nothing?”

“Exactly! We’ve been through so much already, and now that we’ve finally reached the entrance to the underground palace, if we just turn back empty-handed, I won’t be able to rest in peace even if I die!” Zhao Zhiqiang grumbled, pouting as he recalled the moment he’d nearly been killed by the maid earlier.

Black Jacket and I kept silent, our faces grave as we stared at the stone door.

This was indeed a thorny problem—the venomous insects were extremely dangerous, invisible to the naked eye, and one careless move could mean a deadly bite. I would be fine, but if Black Jacket, Zhao Zhiqiang, or the others were bitten, it would be disastrous.

After a long silence, I turned slightly, fixing my gaze on Black Jacket’s backpack, and asked with deep meaning, “How many antidote pills do you have left?” My voice was low and somber, echoing gloomily in the tomb chamber.

Black Jacket seemed to see through my intentions at once, eyeing me warily. “What are you planning?”

“Hand them all over and let me take them. I’m the only one who isn’t afraid of being bitten.” My tone was cold.

“No way! You’ll die. There are too many of those things—no amount of antidote will save you!” Black Jacket’s voice was stern, and he shot me a glare, thinking I was being reckless.

“Cut the nonsense. Give them to me.” I was resolute.

“Absolutely not! If you die, how am I supposed to explain to the authorities when we get back?” Black Jacket was just as firm.

The atmosphere immediately grew tense. Seeing this, Ma Xu hurried over to persuade me. “Brother, we know you mean well, but you can’t just use your body to block the venomous insects for us. We’ll find another way in!”

“Yes, we’ll figure something out. We don’t have to touch the door with our hands. I’ve got a Luoyang shovel here—can’t we just use that to push the door open?” Zhao Zhiqiang said with a grin, coming over with the shovel in hand. Without hesitation, he pressed it against the door.

We all watched the shovel, hardly daring to breathe. Soon, something began to happen. Zhao Zhiqiang’s eyes widened as he stared intently. I quickly patted his arm. “What’s wrong?”

“It feels like… like something’s gnawing at the shovel!” Zhao Zhiqiang stammered, his voice trembling.

My expression hardened, and I ordered, “Quick! Let go!”

With a sharp clang, Zhao Zhiqiang dropped the shovel, and we all watched in disbelief as the Luoyang shovel silently crumbled into a pile of powder.

“Dear God, what is that thing? Mom, I want to go home!” Ma Xu wailed as soon as he saw this, whimpering pathetically.

“Shut up!” Black Jacket snapped impatiently, but this time Ma Xu was too far gone for scolding to have any effect. He stopped making noise, but it was as if his soul had left him.

Suddenly, Zhao Zhiqiang cried out, “Ah!”

I turned to see Zhao Zhiqiang stumbling backward, his shoe half disintegrated into powder, exposing his toes in a comical sight.

“Run! Run!” I yelled at him, and Zhao Zhiqiang didn’t hesitate, turning and bolting away.

Realizing the danger, I immediately warned everyone, “Be careful! These things are above ground now—watch your footing!” The others nodded grimly, keeping their eyes glued to the ground and treading with extreme caution.

“My shoes! My shoes!” Ma Xu finally found his voice, but this time the fear was even more intense. I glanced over to see his shoes being eaten away by the venomous insects as well.

“Ma Xu, run!” Black Jacket reacted faster than I did, shouting at Ma Xu.

Ma Xu didn’t dare hesitate any longer and dashed off at full speed. I exchanged a glance with Black Jacket, and the two of us hurried after Ma Xu and Zhao Zhiqiang.

I had no idea how far we ran. My stomach churned with a sickly, metallic taste before we finally stopped.

The four of us gathered in a circle, gasping for air. The oxygen in the tomb passage was in short supply, our faces taking on a purplish hue like eggplants.

“I can’t take it anymore. This place is cursed!” Ma Xu slumped against a wall, sliding down to sit heavily on the ground. Zhao Zhiqiang sat beside him.

Black Jacket and I stood opposite, panting, at a loss for what to do next.

“Let’s rest for a bit. I can’t go on either.” Black Jacket took a deep breath, still looking pale, and collapsed to the ground, mirroring Ma Xu and Zhao Zhiqiang.

I straightened my back, thinking that if we couldn’t get into the underground palace, we’d never find the treasure, and my father’s illness would remain hopeless. My heart grew heavier with the thought.

Just then, I suddenly heard a strange sound echoing through the tomb passage. I instinctively strained my ears.

A rustling, surging noise grew clearer, as if drawing closer and closer.

My scalp tingled with dread, and a terrible premonition seized me. I yanked Black Jacket to his feet, my voice trembling. “They’re coming after us!”

“What?!” Black Jacket stared at me in disbelief. His eyes said he doubted it—how could insects possibly outrun people? But reality left no room for doubt, as the sound was growing more distinct.

To test my suspicion, I pulled a small knife from my belt and threw it toward the sound. Instantly, the knife vanished, dissolving into powder.

“Damn it, it really is them!” Ma Xu leapt up, his face white as a sheet.

Zhao Zhiqiang didn’t dare remain seated any longer. The four of us froze, paralyzed by fear.

“What are you waiting for? Run!” Black Jacket was the first to recover, shoving us into action.

We spun around to flee, but as we turned, we were struck dumb—a solid wall now blocked our path instead of the endless tomb corridor.

“This is it! We’re finished!” Zhao Zhiqiang’s despair matched Ma Xu’s pallor.

I realized immediately. My voice was cold. “It’s the confusion mechanism from before—remember, a hundred and forty-four variations! The passage structure is different from when we entered!”

My words plunged us even deeper into hopelessness.

Was this really the end? The four of us stood there, stunned—behind us, thousands of venomous insects; ahead, a solid wall. There was no escape. The tomb’s owner was determined to see us die here.

I knew our only chance of survival was for me to use my own body as a shield.

With that thought, I snatched Black Jacket’s backpack, found the remaining antidote pills, and tossed them all down my throat, one after another. The pills slid down, some catching in my throat and making me cough, but I didn’t stop until the bottle was empty and not a single pill remained.

My stomach bloated painfully and my mouth was bitter as gall. I shook my head, trying to stay conscious.

“Brother, what are you doing?” Black Jacket looked at me, pained. As for Ma Xu and Zhao Zhiqiang, they were too stunned to speak, thinking I’d gone mad. But only I knew that I hadn’t—this was our only hope.

I hiccuped, and couldn’t stop—a series of hiccups echoed through the tomb, almost comical in the dead silence.

“Get behind me,” I ordered coldly, steadying my breath.

Black Jacket, Ma Xu, and Zhao Zhiqiang obeyed, standing behind me.

Closing my eyes, I listened as the rustling drew closer. I clenched them tighter, feeling countless venomous insects begin to gnaw at me. Waves of agony shot through my body. I wanted to scream, but I was afraid opening my mouth would let the insects in, so I held it in. If I died here, what would happen to my father and my little sister?