Chapter 21: Treasuring the Skeleton-My Years as a Tomb Raider(Uncle Jiuyou)

I don't know how long I walked, but at last, just before my strength was entirely spent, I seized the rope with a death grip.

"Black Jacket, hurry..." My voice was so faint I could barely hear myself, so I resorted to tugging the rope with all the weight of my body, unsure if Black Jacket had received my signal.

I wanted to wait for him to respond, but my body grew heavier and the world before me twisted and blurred. Hallucinations took hold—I looked toward the skeletons, only to see their white bones transformed into heaps of gold ingots, vessels, treasures of gold and silver, dazzling and brilliant, their light blinding.

"Treasure..." For a moment, I believed these riches could save my father, and I couldn’t help but long to dive toward them.

"No, no, that's not treasure, that's skeletons!" Suddenly, a voice from deep within jolted me awake. I shook my head violently, reminding myself not to fall for the illusion.

Soon after, consciousness slipped away from me. I only remember, in the final moment as my eyes closed, I fought to keep myself from looking at the skeletons.

"Black Jacket, pull me up, pull me up..." In my subconscious, I kept pleading for rescue.

Beneath the pitch-black coffin, alone, I dragged the bound Ma Xu, wrapped like a rice dumpling. The wind howled past my ears, stripping away the last warmth left in my body, making me shudder.

"Black Jacket, pull me up!" I tugged the rope desperately, but no answer came from above.

With nowhere else to turn, I realized i