The Informal Tomb Raiding Diary: She is the occupant of the tomb!-Chapter 23: Insect Grass Isn’t Always Tonic

The thing was so huge, like a giant ship crashing through the waves in the desert sea.

Once it started moving, we nearly fell over. I simply sat down to avoid rolling off of it.

Whether falling off it or being ’stepped’ into the sand by it wouldn’t be a pleasant experience.

The corpse with the heart dug out was an example. Without the support of the withered vine, the body fell and was pressed into the sand by this enormous creature, disappearing quickly without a trace.

Qinghan kicked away the red vine and jumped over to squat beside me. He jabbed his treasure sword into the living creature beneath us to maintain his balance.

"What is this?" Though having lived in the tomb for thousands of years and having received ample human information, I still felt like a school kid in front of Qinghan, albeit a diligent and inquisitive one.

"A biological entity similar to Dongchongxiacao."

"Isn’t that valuable?"

"Of high research value, but only if we can subdue it alive."

"It’s Wen Jing and the others!"

I was about to ask what other offensive capabilities it had besides its massive size and ability to crush people when I suddenly caught sight of several figures out of the corner of my eye and pointed them out to Qinghan.

Wen Jing and the others were tied together back-to-back by a bundle of withered vines, seemingly unconscious.

The smaller version of the Water Monster originally lay on Wen Jing’s shoulder, but upon hearing my voice, it sprang towards us agilely on its tiny soft legs.

The red vine hadn’t eaten their hearts but merely tied them up, perhaps saving them for reserve food.

They were as lucky as ever, but being buried in the sand for half a day could cause brain hypoxia. If we didn’t wake them up soon, the outcome wouldn’t be optimistic.

"I’ll go rescue them." I volunteered for the rescue, allowing Qinghan to focus entirely on the battle.

The Big Worm Grass’s ’tongue’ had been chopped off by Qinghan; until life and death were clearer, this matter was far from resolved.

Fortunately, the withered vines were all on the Big Worm Grass’s head, while Qinghan prepared to make an incision on its back. Maintaining a distance from each other, we wouldn’t interfere and would be safer.

The Big Worm Grass, like a giant ship, wriggled through the desert sea. Due to its enormous size, its movements were not agile.

Its body surface was very soft, making walking on it particularly difficult when it moved erratically.

I crawled and rolled my way over to Wen Jing and the others, losing quite a few ’antiques’ hanging on the outside of my backpack along the way.

My Ming Dynasty basin, Qing Dynasty bowl, and Republic-era flashlight all rolled into the sand.

Feeling a pang of heartache, I directed my attention back to Wen Jing and the others. Not knowing how to wake an unconscious person, I tried the simplest method.

I punched Wen Jing in the stomach; whether from pain or something else, he inhaled sharply and woke up gasping for air.

I cut the withered vine binding his hands and feet and set him aside. It took him a few seconds to open his eyes.

"Little Fu...?"

"It’s me."

When it was Shunfeng’s turn, I hesitated; his small frame could be toppled with a finger poke, and a punch from me might kill him.

Instead, Wen Jing, holding his stomach, stood up with difficulty and slapped him awake.

We tacitly did not wake Miss Scream, only moving her down to our feet.

The Big Worm Grass writhed more and more violently, and we had to think of a way to get down.

The Water Monster was digging with Qinghan. Qinghan had made an opening on the Big Worm Grass’s back and was digging deeper.

The length of the treasure sword was insufficient, so the Water Monster served as the excavator. Although they couldn’t communicate directly, they coordinated seamlessly.

"The fire is coming. Hurry down." Wen Jing pulled Miss Scream away from the swinging withered vine, which carried flames. Getting hit by it wouldn’t be fun.

The withered vine was like hair catching fire, burning more and more, with the flames growing larger. We ran back to Qinghan’s side to call him to leave. Even if he didn’t dig through this creature, it would soon burn to death.

"You go, I need to get something." Qinghan tied a rope to the treasure sword and thrust it fiercely into the Big Worm Grass’s skin and flesh.

At this point, we were at least ten meters high from the ground, and jumping directly down would definitely cause fractures. Qinghan always thought things through so comprehensively, making me, a teammate who disliked thinking, feel exceedingly comfortable.

Wen Jing carried Miss Scream and was the first to slide down. Because the Big Worm Grass kept writhing, as they descended to about ten meters, the creature’s body pushed them, causing Wen Jing to lose his grip on the rope and fall directly.

Luckily, they were only a few meters above the ground, which was soft with fine sand underneath, minimizing the impact. They also avoided being crushed by the Big Worm Grass, successfully escaping from beneath its body.

However, the fall awoke the fainted Miss Scream, who, upon seeing a giant beast ’dancing’, screamed and ran into the darkness.

Wen Jing quickly chased after her to prevent her from getting lost alone. Although she wasn’t very useful, she was, after all, the investor’s daughter. Qinghan and the others couldn’t ignore her safety.

Shunfeng was the second to slide down. His enthusiasm for Miss Scream was clearly not as high as when they first came down, possibly due to exhaustion and lack of spirit. So, after jumping down, he sat in a safe area to rest.

The Water Monster pulled something out of the Big Worm Grass. Covered in mucus, it was unclear what it was. Qinghan wrapped it in a handkerchief and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Let’s go." Qinghan signaled for me to go first. At this moment, the withered vine atop the Big Worm Grass was all aflame, and its huge, clumsy body twisted into an S shape, about to roll over. If we didn’t leave now, it would be too late.

"Careful!" Qinghan grabbed me and fell off the Big Worm Grass’s back.

Where we had stood, a large burning bundle of withered vine had fallen, along with a charred corpse.

The enormous creature rolled half a circle, leaving us with no suitable foothold. Besides, we couldn’t stand in mid-air, unsure which part of our bodies would land first.

At the critical moment, the Water Monster extended all its tentacles, landing ahead of us, supporting itself to catch us both.

Its tentacles could elongate, but its body was still just a little, making it impossible to actually catch us.

This was different from when it cushioned Wen Jing and the others’ feet to prevent strangulation; this was falling from a height, which could flatten it.

Get out of the way—

I communicated to it, but it said no problem; it was the most formidable creature in this area.

At this moment, the Big Worm Grass was falling over us like a dark cloud about to engulf us.

In zero gravity, Qinghan flipped us over, so he was beneath, taking the position to land first.

We weren’t relatives, but he protected me so recklessly, surely considering me as valuable as an artifact. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

My heart sank, and I silently resolved to flee as soon as we got out, lest he handed me over to the state!