Tomb raider: You're going to extract my alien bloodline?

Chapter 12 Main Coffin

The trunk of the nine-headed cypress split open, and a beam of flashlight pierced through, barely illuminating the object hanging inside—a coffin of enormous size, entirely black with gold patterns inlaid on it.

The coffin hung silently amidst the entanglement of countless thick cypress roots. Several black iron chains, as thick as an adult's arm, were tightly bound to the coffin, taut as if not fixing it, but rather trying their best to restrain the contents of the coffin, preventing it from breaking out.

"Good heavens!" Da Kui's eyes widened, and he shouted excitedly, "A coffin this big must be worth a fortune! This trip wasn't a waste after all!"

Wu Sansheng smacked him on the back of the head with a sharp slap, and scolded in a low voice, "It's valuable, it's valuable, but don't you dare show off! You can't move this thing! How many times have I told you, this is a coffin! The outer layer is the outer coffin, and the inner layer is the inner coffin! Don't you dare embarrass me!"

Da Kui covered his head, embarrassed and not daring to say another word.

Wu Xie ignored their banter. He carefully examined the black coffin and the iron chains wrapped around it, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper as a strong sense of unease welled up in his heart.

He hesitated before speaking, "Third Uncle... I feel we need to prepare to open this thing again. Look at this setup, this mechanism hidden in the heart of the tree doesn't seem to have been intended for anyone else to find the coffin. Look at these iron chains, they're tied so tightly, they don't seem to be for securing it, but rather for preventing the thing inside from getting out."

His words sent a chill down everyone's spine. Recalling the blood corpses, blue-eyed fox corpses, and nine-headed cypress trees they had encountered along the way, could something even more terrifying be hidden inside this tightly bound coffin?

Qin Yuan stood a little distance away, his gaze fixed intently on the black coffin. His alien bloodline granted him not only power, but also a vague sense of danger and powerful life forms.

At this moment, he sensed from inside the coffin an extremely subtle aura that stirred a slight restlessness within his blood. It was not the stillness of an inanimate object, but a suppressed, chaotic, and chilling "vitality."

"Third Master, Wu Xie is right," Qin Yuan said, his voice exceptionally clear in the silent cave. "The purpose of these chains is very clear; we must proceed with caution when opening the coffin."

Wu Sansheng's face was grim. He was well aware of the risks, but having gone through so much hardship to get here, with his ultimate goal right before his eyes, he was unwilling to give up now. He looked around. The restless hydra vines dared not get too close because of the Heavenly Heart Rock Platform, but they were firmly trapped in this area.

"Besides, it's not realistic for us to go back the way we came." Wu Sansheng sighed and pointed in the direction they came down. "The tunnel entrance we came down through is closed. Almost all the other paths lead to that stone maze. It would take who knows how long to get out from there. The best way..." He looked up, his flashlight beam shining upwards, "is to climb out from above."

Everyone looked up and saw a huge crack in the cave ceiling. The cold moonlight poured down like mercury from the crack, bringing a sliver of light into the eerie cave that didn't belong underground. Wu Sansheng pointed to the enormous nine-headed cypress tree: "Look, the top of this giant tree is very close to the cave ceiling, and many vines and branches extend upwards. It's practically a natural ladder. If we can find a way to reach the top, we can climb out through that crack."

"Third Master, are you talking nonsense?" the fat man asked incredulously. "That's a man-eating tree! Those vines were just trying to make us their snacks! Climb it? That's like delivering ourselves to your door!"

Wu Sansheng seemed to have been prepared. He bent down and pried a small piece of Tianxin Rock from the jade platform at his feet, crushing it into powder in his hand: "Nine-Headed Hydra Cypress, I thought of that long ago. Didn't you see how these vines dare not approach this rock? This rock is called Tianxin Rock, and it's specifically designed to counter the Nine-Headed Hydra Cypress! Let's smear some rock dust on ourselves, and we'll be guaranteed to climb up smoothly!"

That's a good idea! Everyone's eyes lit up; the hope of finding a way out of a desperate situation eased the atmosphere somewhat.

"Then... what should we do, Brother?" Wu Xie suddenly remembered that Zhang Qiling hadn't reunited yet and asked worriedly.

Wu Sansheng glanced at him, knowing his nephew valued loyalty, and sighed, "His skills are more than enough to protect himself. We're too busy taking care of ourselves right now to figure out how to get out first, then we'll find a way to get him out. Don't worry, he's the kind of person who's incredibly resilient."

Wu Xie knew his third uncle was right; Zhang Qiling's abilities far surpassed any of theirs, and worrying about him was indeed unnecessary. He suppressed his worries and turned his gaze back to the mysterious black coffin.

They had now reached the edge of the split tree hollow. Getting closer, they could see clearly that the hollow hadn't split open on its own, but had been torn open by a dozen or so iron chains inside with immense force! The golden patterns on the coffin's surface, illuminated by the interplay of moonlight and flashlight beams, revealed their true form. They were extremely intricate inscriptions and patterns, brimming with the weight and mystery of history.

"The script used during the Warring States period was quite complex, while the scripts of Qi and Lu were commonly used by scholars at the time. After Chu annexed Lu, it also absorbed a lot of Lu's culture, and its script became quite similar to Lu's." Wu Xie carefully examined the inscriptions. Thanks to the rubbings and research left by his grandfather, he could still make out the general idea. "Most of the Warring States period rubbings I have on hand are from that period, but these inscriptions..."

For some reason, everyone unconsciously lowered their voices when they got close to the coffin, as if afraid of waking the tomb owner who had been sleeping for thousands of years. Only heavy breathing and heartbeats could be heard in the cave.

Wu Sansheng took out an entrenching tool and carefully tapped the surface of the black coffin with the handle.

"Thump...thump..."

A deep, solid echo came from inside, indicating it was definitely full. Turning to Wuxie, he asked, "Nephew, can you understand what's written on it?"

Wu Xie leaned closer, almost pressing his face against the cold walls of the coffin, trying to decipher the distorted ancient seal script: "I can't understand the specifics, but I'm certain that the owner of this coffin is the King Lu Shang we're looking for. The inscriptions here should be his biography... He seems to have died before the age of 50, without children, and the circumstances of his death are the same as what I knew before—he suddenly passed away in front of Duke Lu. The rest should be about his life and achievements..."

Just as Wu Xie was trying to decipher more information, Wu Sansheng seemed to have made up his mind. He gestured for Wu Xie to step back and said in a deep voice, "Forget it, you don't need to study it anymore. What's meant to be will be! Let's get to him first! Let's see what this King Lu Shang is up to!"

The words had barely left his mouth—

"Thump!!"

The enormous black coffin suddenly trembled violently without warning! A dull thud resounded from within! The sound wasn't loud, but in the deathly silent cave, it exploded like thunder in everyone's ears!

Everyone froze. Wu Xie initially thought he had misheard, or that it was an echo of his third uncle's knocking.

But before he could even ask—

"Thump!!!"

Another sound! Clearer and heavier than before! As if something inside was forcefully pounding against the coffin lid!

This time, everyone heard it clearly! A chill instantly shot from the tailbone to the top of the head, and the blood in the whole body seemed to freeze!

Da Kui cried out, "Oh my god!" His face turned pale, and he staggered backward, almost falling to the ground. Wu Sansheng's facial muscles also twitched violently as he gripped his entrenching tool tightly.

Qin Yuan's pupils constricted sharply, and the restlessness of the alien bloodline within him became incredibly clear at that moment! The thing in that coffin was alive! Or rather, it was moving in a way they couldn't understand! The thing bound by those chains was definitely not a benevolent being!

"Damn it!" Wu Xie's scalp tingled, his heart pounded wildly, almost leaping out of his throat. "Damn it, there really is something wrong here!"