Chapter 964: Chapter 695: Another Person Slain

"Hmph, Dragon Country people just love putting on airs. Even though there are indeed some dangers along the way, there’s no way we would just leave because of them, not when that artifact is at stake."

Nakamura Komachi spoke as he looked at the crowd.

"You guys, check out these three tomb chambers and see if you can find the artifact."

The crowd nodded, and then three people stepped forward, each approaching one of the tomb chambers.

First, a man entered the chamber filled with wooden barrels. After finding nothing inside, he came out.

The second man went into the second tomb chamber, and he gasped at the mountains of gold and silver treasures, but after searching for a long time, he still couldn’t find the artifact they were looking for.

Next was the last tomb chamber. A woman went in and immediately smelled a pungent odor upon entering.

However, because the oil had been sitting for too long, she couldn’t identify it right away.

Even though she felt some kind of liquid on the ground, she didn’t think much of it, as standing water in a tomb was a normal occurrence.

Soon, she reached the three treasure chests, and upon opening the first one, she gasped at the sight of the gleaming golden ingots.

She had never seen so much gold in her life.

Next, she opened the second chest, only to find another box full of gold ingots, causing her to feel unsettled. If she could take all this gold out, she’d never have to worry about money for the rest of her life.

"The third treasure chest..."

The woman swallowed and then opened the third chest, and as she pried it open just a crack, a sound suddenly echoed through the room,

The crisp sound was crystal clear in the tomb chamber, making the woman startled, thinking that the long-aged chest had broken when she opened it.

But in the next instant, the entire tomb chamber suddenly lit up. It was then she realized that the ground burst into endless flames, as if trying to swallow her whole.

"No, there’s a trap."

The woman was shocked, and with agile movements, she attempted to escape while the fire was still manageable, but just as she reached the doorway, another sound went off.

"Bang..."

A wooden barrel somehow appeared above the doorway and crashed onto her, the intense pain making her scream.

But at this moment, she ignored everything else because she felt her surroundings getting hotter and hotter. If she didn’t leave soon, she was going to be burned alive.

With that thought, the woman hurriedly got up, leaping out of the tomb chamber, but she didn’t notice that as she left, a small flame landed on her body.

"Huff huff...."

Outside the tomb, the woman breathed a small sigh of relief, a chill of fear running through her. Seeing the tomb chamber already engulfed in roaring flames, she realized if she had been a little later, she would have been burned to death.

"Aoi, you’re on fire. You’re on fire!"

Just as the woman sighed in relief, Kawai Matsutake and the others started shouting. The woman blinked in surprise and finally realized that although she had left the tomb chamber, her body was getting hotter and hotter.

"This... ahhhhhhh..."

Prompted by Kawai Matsutake and the others, the woman looked at herself and found she had been engulfed in fierce flames, the scorching pain making her scream.

"Mr. Nakamura, save me!"

The woman tried to extinguish the flames on her, but no matter what she did, the fire wouldn’t go out. Instead, it grew even stronger.

"Give her a quick death. She’s covered in oil; it can’t be put out."

Nakamura Komachi shook his head, no longer looking her way. If they were outside, there might be a way to extinguish it, but in this place, it was impossible.

"Mr. Nakamura, save me, please save me."

The woman, filled with unwillingness, moved to approach the others, especially when she realized her face was burning too. It drove her a bit crazy.

"Aoi, I’m sorry."

Kawai Matsutake also understood there was no saving her. As soon as he spoke, a shuriken in his hand flew out, piercing directly through the woman’s heart.

"Bang..."

The woman, who had been frantic just a moment ago, froze slightly before collapsing to the ground, life’s warmth fading away.

But as the group watched the woman being consumed by the flames, everyone’s heart sank. They had been too careless. This was Zhuge Liang’s tomb; how could it be without danger?

"Zhuge Liang is truly formidable. The maze is trap-free, probably to lower our guard, setting the treasure as bait to trap us."

Kawai Matsutake commented, but Nakamura Komachi shook his head,

"Mr. Nakamura, do you think I’m wrong?"

"Of course it’s wrong. If Zhuge Liang wanted to kill us, he could have done so in the maze. Why go to the trouble?"

"The stone tablet Zhuge Liang left behind also said those who take the treasure and leave without going into the depths will live, so it shouldn’t be a lie."

"And what truly got Aoi covered in oil was the wooden barrel above the door. Do you think there’s any rope that can stay intact for a thousand years and keep a barrel hanging?"

Hearing Nakamura Komachi’s words, Kawai Matsutake paused. It did make sense, but if it wasn’t a trap set by Zhuge Liang, then who?

"If I’m not mistaken, it should be Xia Liang’s doing. We were too careless. If we had been more cautious, this wouldn’t have happened."

Nakamura Komachi stated, his eyes cold with determination. He had already lost eight people to Xia Liang.

He knew his subordinates had remarkable skills; they had participated in numerous dangerous missions unscathed.

Unexpectedly, after coming to the Dragon Country, eight of them had died at the hands of a single Dragon Country person.

This was something Nakamura Komachi found hard to accept. Training a powerful ninja was no simple task.

"There’s no artifact here; it should still be deeper inside. From now on, be extra cautious. I only have you four left."

Nakamura Komachi said as he looked at Kawai Matsutake and the other four. When they set out, there were thirteen of them. Now, having not found the artifact and including himself, there were only five left. Who knew what other dangers lay ahead, not to mention Xia Liang lying in wait.

Despite the extreme danger, Nakamura Komachi had no intention of leaving now. They had come this far, and he wouldn’t leave without the artifact.

"What exactly are these guys after? They aren’t tempted by so much treasure."

Watching Kawai Matsutake and the others continue deeper into the tomb, Xia Liang’s eyes were filled with curiosity.

If these guys were just after treasures, the riches in those two chambers would more than suffice, and they might not even be able to carry it all.

Yet these Sakura Country people weren’t moved by the treasure and instead continued further into the tomb. This made Xia Liang even more curious about their real goal.