I Can Strengthen Infinitely-Chapter 204 - 161: Temple of Suspicion (Part 2)

Among the three companions, Luo Changbao had the highest regard for the only woman, Hong Molili. She was proficient in mechanism arts, her perspective was different from ordinary people, and she could easily spot details others might miss.

Sure enough, after an incense’s worth of time with no results, as Luo Changbao and the others were about to give up, there was finally some movement from Hong Molili’s side.

"Big Brother, come over here and take a look."

Everyone’s spirits lifted, and they quickly stepped towards where Hong Molili was.

They saw Hong Molili squatting beside an irregular triangular floor tile, and with a short-handled iron shovel tightly gripped in her hand, she inserted it into the gap along the tile’s edge, instantly prying up the tile.

Underneath the tile was a rusty iron box.

Hong Molili looked up at Luo Changbao.

"Unlock it, but be careful of the mechanism inside," Luo Changbao advised.

Hong Molili directly pulled out her hairpin, twisting off the latter part, revealing several iron wires in her hand.

The lock on the iron box hadn’t escaped the ravages of time. When Hong Molili inserted the wires into the lock, she immediately felt great resistance, but fortunately, her skill was extraordinary, and she continued to operate proficiently.

Suddenly, there was a ’click’, and the lid of the box automatically sprang open. Luo Changbao’s face changed, and he grabbed Hong Molili, who was still squatting beside the box, pulling her aside.

However, the expected trap mechanism did not appear. Wang Chengze looked at the palm-sized copper token inside the iron box and said, "Big Brother, no danger, just something inside the box."

Hong Molili couldn’t help but wipe the cold sweat off her forehead. The suddenness of the situation caught her completely off guard. If there was a trap, without Luo Changbao’s help, she would have surely met a tragic end right there.

"This thing..." Luo Changbao stared at the copper token in the box, suddenly deep in thought, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

"Hey, I saw a round hole groove over there on the wall just now, and the size matches this perfectly," Wang Chengze said.

Everyone’s spirits lifted, as it seemed true. While searching the hall for a long time, they had also noticed the existence of that groove.

Luo Changbao said, "Xiao Wang, take this thing over to the wall and try it."

"Yes." Wang Chengze took out a grappling hook from his waist, directly grabbing the copper token from the iron box.

No incident occurred, everything remained exceptionally calm.

It seemed there were no mechanisms on the copper token.

The group walked to the wall with the round hole groove. Luo Changbao put on gold silk gloves that could isolate any poison, picked up the copper token, and inserted it into the groove.

No movement.

"It doesn’t work?" Wang Chengze scratched his head in puzzlement.

"Big Brother, try turning it a few times," Hong Molili suggested.

Luo Changbao nodded and proceeded to do so.

Suddenly, the gears inside the wall began to turn. With a rumbling sound in the hall, the wall appeared to split with a long seam, slowly opening to the sides.

Rumble! Rumble!

Dust billowed, and an odd smell assaulted their senses.

This was the stench and moldy smell of rot accumulated over indiscernible years.

Everyone held their breath and quickly retreated, trying to distance themselves from the wall that was opening.

After running seven or eight yards away, they stopped, their eyes gravely surveying the fully opened wall.

"Big Brother, something’s not right about this temple’s structure; it looks too much like a tomb with these layers," Hong Molili spoke with great seriousness.

"The lifelong wealth of Cai Weng, Fu Gong, and Monk Bao is definitely inside." Luo Changbao said this, but in his heart surged an indescribable oppression.

As someone who has been treasure hunting for years, he knows the biggest taboo in this line of work is greed.

Many treasure hunters lose their lives due to greed, and this temple’s situation indeed far exceeded Luo Changbao’s imagination.

Apart from the outer layer of the temple, the building’s interior had nothing to do with a temple, and seemed more like a facade.

"Let’s go, let’s get out first." Luo Changbao decided, gritting his teeth.

But at that moment, the temple’s main door suddenly closed tightly without leaving any gap, and the moonlight shining from outside disappeared, plunging the entire hall into complete darkness, relying only on the flickering light of the four firebrands held by Luo Changbao and the others.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

From the passageway behind the wall, suddenly came deafening footsteps, as if something was coming out, and its pace was not slow.

Everyone instantly tensed. At this moment, the firelight in their hands felt so small and weak, unable to illuminate the distance, and because they stood near the sole light source in the darkness, Luo Changbao and the others became the most conspicuous presence.

Bam!

The footsteps suddenly stopped.

The dark hall plunged into dead silence.

No one dared to make a sound, all holding their breath, knowing that whatever walked out of the passage was surely watching them in the darkness.

A terrifying feeling of being watched instantly enveloped everyone.

Thump thump thump!

Dong Xing’s hands trembled violently, clearly hearing the heartbeat echoing from his chest, constrained by Luo Changbao’s silence, he dared not move, only staring fiercely at the passage’s direction to prevent anything from approaching.

Whoosh!

In a flash, a ghastly pale and emaciated face appeared before him, with empty eyes sockets and lips cracked into a sinister smile, chilling his heart and body with a shiver.

"Ah!!!"

A scream erupted, Luo Changbao and the others rushed over to the sound, and saw Dong Xing snatched away by a white shadow vanishing into the darkness, his firebrand fallen on the ground, dimming quickly.

"Dong Xing! Dong Xing!"

"Dong Xing, where are you?"

Luo Changbao drew his waist knife in an instant, rushing to Dong Xing’s previous position, but the surroundings had long become empty, enveloped in pitch darkness.

"Dong Xing!" Luo Changbao furiously circled about, discovering nothing, as Dong Xing seemed to have disappeared entirely within the hall.

Alive, not a trace; dead, not a corpse.

"Big Brother, was he taken inside?" Wang Chengze anxiously raised the firebrand, pointing at the direction of the wall.

No need to consider; the outcome was evident.

Luo Changbao’s face was grim. He never expected the enemy to appear so silently. Just moments ago, Dong Xing was no more than a yard away, yet, in a mere instant, he was snatched away before their eyes.

"Stay close to me, don’t let anything else happen. Let’s head for the door and find a way to open it, so you two can leave first; I’ll return to search for Dong Xing." Luo Changbao spoke softly.

Right now, no one knew what the thing hidden in the darkness was. Wang Chengze and Hong Molili were equally as capable as Dong Xing, and staying any longer, even if more incidents occurred, Luo Changbao couldn’t protect them.

The priority now was to get those two to safety; Luo Changbao didn’t want any more accidents.

The three moved forward, back to back, toward the main door, but suddenly, the loud footsteps sounded again.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Luo Changbao distinctly felt the sound approaching them.

Suddenly, a massive figure emerged from the darkness beyond the firelight.