Chapter 60: Suffocation

This covered bridge probably doesn’t have too many traps, but that’s just my preliminary guess. After all, I’m not the one who built this ruin. Someone capable of embedding iron chains into the base of stone statues underwater is definitely no ordinary craftsman. If he insisted on rigging the bridge with something, I’d just have to accept my fate.

Besides, it’s not like my mouth is really blessed with divine foresight.

I raised my hand and gave Hou Jinshan a look. He snorted coldly before finally telling Lai Qi to untie me. The sharpened dagger slid dangerously close to my skin as it cut the rope, which loosened and fell to the ground. Lai Qi and Chou Zai kept their guns trained on me, as if untying me would suddenly make me a massive threat.

I rubbed my wrists, bruised and purple from the bindings, and flexed them as I stepped onto the bridge. I glanced at the lotus-patterned knobs on either side, then placed my foot squarely on the center of the first Blue Stone Slab.

I walked with deliberate precision, staying mostly along the centerline. Only after stepping on it did I realize this bridge was indeed different from the previous ones. Some of the Blue Stone Slabs were loosely set in place—it could be due to age, or maybe I really had guessed right.

I reached the end and stepped off the arched bridge, then turned around and shouted, “All clear! It can hold one person’s weight just fine. Come on over!”

Because of the bridge’s design, I couldn’t see what was happening on the other side. After about three minutes, Chou Zai finally appeared. He was much heavier than me, and it showed—his limbs were trembling, and he kept trying to crawl along the ground. The already unstable Blue Stone Slabs groaned and creaked alarmingly under his weight.

“Gan Ji, why does it feel like I’m gonna collapse with every step? I—I’m kinda scared,” Chou Zai whimpered, clutching the carved railings on both sides, his whole body shaking.

“Don’t be scared.” I saw he was just two steps away from collapsing and couldn’t help but step forward, reaching out a hand. “Give me your hand—I’ll pull you over!”

It took him a while, but Chou Zai finally freed one hand and gave it to me. I quickly yanked him off the bridge, but his massive frame knocked me off balance. We both fell, and when he landed on top of me, I nearly coughed up bile.

At least he had some decency—he scrambled up right away and helped me to my feet, grinning sheepishly. “You’re a good guy, you know that?”

I didn’t bother being polite. I rubbed my back where it had slammed against the stone and muttered, “Being a good guy’s never easy. But seriously, with your build, you really need to lose some weight. One wrong move and you’ll crush your teammates to death.”

“Next!” I shouted toward the other side.

Hou Jinshan came next. He’d placed himself in the middle of the group, probably worried I’d pull something on this side. Chou Zai was too dense to notice anything off. Hou Jinshan crossed the bridge smoothly. Maybe he also noticed how loose the slabs were compared to the previous bridges. When he reached me, he gave a thumbs-up and took a deep breath. “Didn’t expect it, but you really do know your stuff.”

For the first time, I truly appreciated the value of knowledge. Turns out experience alone isn’t enough—tomb raiding also requires education. I thought to myself, if it weren’t for this old bastard insisting Xiao Wu go first to scout, I wouldn’t have said a word. I’d have let them all fall through and be done with it.

Finally, it was Xiao Wu’s turn. Once he crossed, we’d all be together. He’d probably make his move while on the bridge. I started to feel nervous and subtly took a few steps back. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the gun at Hou Jinshan’s waist. My palms were slick with sweat before I even realized it. Xiao Wu’s figure soon appeared at the midpoint of the bridge.

I kept my eyes locked on him. One step. Two steps. Just one Blue Stone Slab left. At some point, Xiao Wu had already freed his hands from the rope. Suddenly, he raised his arms and hurled the entire coil of hemp rope straight at Hou Jinshan, who was closest to him. Caught off guard, Hou Jinshan stumbled back and reached for his gun. I seized the moment and stuck out my foot from behind—he went down hard.

“Damn it! Qi Zi! It’s a trap! Grab your weapons!” Hou Jinshan cried out in pain, yelling at the top of his lungs.

Chou Zai reacted instantly, raising his gun and aiming it at Xiao Wu. I lunged from behind, grabbed his arm, and yanked it upward. Sparks and bullets flew everywhere, riddling the stone walls with holes.

I had the height advantage, but Chou Zai was absurdly strong. As I clung to his gun, he practically lifted me off the ground, swinging me around like a rag doll. I refused to let go. A sharp stone scraped a chunk of skin off my side, and the pain made me grit my teeth.

In the chaos, I saw Xiao Wu roll over from the other side and throw himself in front of me—just as a gunshot rang out.

Xiao Wu collapsed.

I looked up and saw Lai Qi standing on the bridge, smoke still curling from the barrel of his gun. He aimed at me next, ready to fire again. My rage exploded. I kicked Chou Zai aside, grabbed Xiao Wu from the ground, and dove toward one of the Blue Stone Slabs on the bridge. The slab was brittle—one elbow strike and it cracked in half. Beneath it, waves roared several meters below.

“Kid! Don’t do anything stupid! One wrong move and you’re gone! There’s no need for this!” Hou Jinshan shouted, clearly panicked. “Qi Zi! Stop him, now!”

He pushed me too far—there was no way I was going to listen to him now. I raised my hand and saw it was covered in blood. I couldn’t even tell if it was mine or Xiao Wu’s. A fresh wave of fury surged up inside me. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself upright, reached back, and yanked hard on the lotus-shaped protrusion atop my head. With a sharp twist and pull, I tore out an entire length of rusted iron chain.

Instantly, a deafening clatter of ancient mechanisms echoed through the corridor bridge. The entire cave trembled violently as chunks of stone rained down from above. I smashed the stone slab beneath me with a kick and thought, Screw it—if I die, I die. Hugging Xiao Wu tightly, I leapt off the collapsing bridge.

“Fucking insane…”

Midair, I caught a glimpse of the bridge above disintegrating into rubble. All three spans, once connected in a line, were crumbling downward. The cave roared like a beast awakened, its fury shaking the very earth.

A minute later, icy river water engulfed me. This time, I didn’t black out. The moment I hit the water, I grabbed Xiao Wu’s wrist and swam with all my strength toward the center of the raging current. We couldn’t have been swimming for more than two minutes when the bridge gave way completely. Boulder-sized stones came crashing down like an avalanche.

I immediately shifted position, pushing the unconscious Xiao Wu ahead of me, letting the current carry him downstream. Just as he was swept away along the river channel, a massive stone dropped straight down in front of me, blocking my path.

I dove under, barely dodging it—only to feel something seize my leg from below. I turned my head and saw a stone statue, who knows where it came from, gripping my leg tightly. Behind it, an iron chain was dragging me down into the depths.

Fuck! Again?! Am I cursed or what?!

This time, I had no knife. No Xiao Wu. I tried prying the statue’s grip loose, but it was locked on like a vice.

I wanted to scream, but no sound came. I thrashed wildly, flailing my limbs in desperation, trying to break free. After a few frantic jerks, I saw blood bloom from my abdomen, swirling into the water. Only then did I realize I’d been shot during the chaos.

The surface disappeared from view. My flashlight had been swept away by the current. My oxygen ran out in an instant. Freezing water surged into my nose and throat. I started to choke. My vision blurred. Consciousness slipped away, replaced by hallucinations.

Somewhere in the dark, I heard a massive splash. Then, a hand—cold and unrelenting—grabbed hold of me in the pitch-black depths.