The Informal Tomb Raiding Diary: She is the occupant of the tomb!-Chapter 383 - 305: Rock Gate (Part 2)

In the end, Mike agreed that the few should obey the many, consenting for us to linger here a bit longer and investigate the underwater passage.

Chen Qinghan asked me how those two living corpses were, and I replied that I had already subdued and controlled them.

When he asked about the living corpses, he looked grave. I sensed he was worried about something, so I asked, "What’s wrong, is there something off?"

"We still don’t know why they were in the spring and became living corpses."

"Also—"

"Life Water," Little Red interjected.

I was about to say this might be a place for nurturing corpses, but Little Red directly gave a definitive answer.

"What water? Life Water?" It sounds like either a health product or cosmetics. I looked at Wang Le and Huang Zaijiang, but didn’t notice their skin improving after soaking.

"Yes." Little Red gave a new term and left it at that, without explaining why it’s called Life Water.

"As the name implies, it can cure all diseases and revive the dead," Chen Qinghan speculated from the name.

"If it exists, shouldn’t the Ancient City people protect it? There’s not even a sentry around this water."

"Maybe there is," Chen Qinghan said, glancing at Little Red.

I also looked at Little Red, slowly forming a question mark in my mind. Is it actually the security guard here?

Before the two of us finished whispering, Wang Le and Huang Zaijiang were ready. They jumped into the spring one after another, diving down to find other passages.

I told them there’s a door at the bottom. If they can’t hold their breath, they can enter for a rest and a breath, and check if Doctor Du is feeling better, bringing her up to warm up.

The ground is scorching yellow sand, but this rock cave remains cool. After a while, it can get a bit cold, and sleeping here requires a blanket, otherwise, you’ll definitely catch a cold.

The spring water is even more bone-chilling cold. Soaking in it for a bit longer makes you shiver. For their second dive, Wang Le and Huang Zaijiang clenched their teeth as they jumped in.

They brought lamps and waterproof flashlights. When I went down, I didn’t check other places. I saw a door and went inside; Doctor Du, of course, was too busy fighting with the living corpses and later nearly drowned. She couldn’t see the underwater passage as clearly as I did.

After Wang Le and Huang Zaijiang went down, Chen Qinghan began seriously inspecting the rock cave, still pondering how the corpses went underwater.

The scorpions in Scorpion Cave vanished without a trace, which indeed was unsettling.

There’s only one entrance. They either dove to another space or went outside.

If it’s the latter, why did they abandon their nest?

After inspecting, Chen Qinghan returned to the spring. Just as Wang Le returned, he emerged, struggling a bit, and Chen Qinghan reached out to pull him up. He was shivering from the cold.

He casually remarked to me, "You’re really in good shape."

I might be the only one who can soak in the icy spring for ages without even a shiver as a ’person.’

Then he said Huang Zaijiang stayed below in the stone chamber to take care of Doctor Du. He came up first to report, saying there’s another passage underwater.

But that passage’s door blends with the rock, sharing its color and obscuring its shape.

So when we went down, we didn’t spot that entrance and mistook it for an ordinary rock wall.

That door, like the one to the stone chamber, lets you pass without pushing open the door panel. Inside, the space is dry, and there’s a passage of uncertain length with potential twists, so he came up to discuss it with us first.

Wang Le, Huang Zaijiang, and Doctor Du, all ’recently recovered from serious illness’ and soaked in cold water for half a day, couldn’t handle exploring new maps.

The task fell to me, Chen Qinghan, and Mike. Wang Le needed to warm up outside before going back to bring up Doctor Du.

Direct exposure to the blazing sun wasn’t an option. He sat near the cave entrance to warm up while the three of us prepared simple gear and dove in succession, descending to the spot mentioned.

Across from the stone chamber, indeed there was a rock gate, blending with surrounding rocks so seamlessly that without reaching out, you’d never guess it was a door.

The three of us slipped through the doorway. Inside, the air was normal, absent of any stench or the musty odor of long-sealed spaces.

So wherever the passage leads, it ventilates well.

We wore headlamps, armed ourselves, and started advancing deeper into the passage.

This corridor lacked any opulent decoration, resembling typical office building or hospital hallways. Now in disrepair, it looked like an old air-raid shelter, yet you could still discern traces of paint on the walls, indicating it was once used frequently, and the corridor was likely maintained before.