Not only Zhao Yuyin, but even the spies wore expressions of fervor.
“Let’s go inside and take a look. You said there are snakes in there, but shouldn’t they be hibernating in this weather?”
Zhao Yuyin stated confidently, “Snakes definitely hibernate. Now is the best time to go in.”
“Very well.”
The middle-aged man nodded at Zhao Yuyin. “Since Miss Zhao is very familiar with the royal tomb, please lead the way.”
Zhao Yuyin’s expression instantly stiffened.
“Me, lead the way?” Her voice rose sharply. “You’re asking a girl to lead the way? Have you thought this through? I’m the only one who knows the correct route. If something happens to me while I’m in front, don’t even think about finding the treasure.”
Her tone was fierce, but cold sweat broke out in her palms.
“Miss Zhao, has anyone ever told you that you’re not very good at lying?”
Panic flashed across Zhao Yuyin’s face. “W-what are you talking about? When did I lie?”
The middle-aged man smiled. “You have no idea about the specifics inside the royal tomb. I had someone look into you. Although I don’t know where you got the information about the treasure, you had no connection to this place before coming here.”
As Zhao Yuyin’s eyes grew increasingly terrified, the middle-aged man wore a triumphant expression.
“So, how could someone like you possibly know the details of the royal tomb?”
Zhao Yuyin tried hard to calm herself. Only now did she truly regret her decisions.
Why did I choose to cooperate with these people?
But since they had already come this far, she had no choice but to brazen it out. “I’m not lying to you. I really know what’s inside the tomb. There are many venomous snakes in that cave, and there’s also a super huge python—rumored to be a giant serpent that has lived for a thousand years.”
“Oh?” The middle-aged man seemed intrigued.
“I’m really curious, Miss Zhao. How exactly do you know all this?”
Zhao Yuyin avoided his gaze. “Anyway, the information you found might not be entirely accurate. And don’t worry about how I know what’s inside the tomb.”
The middle-aged man nodded. “Alright, I’ll trust you for now.”
He made a gesture, and the group, armed with weapons, moved ahead to scout the path, heading deeper into the cave.
Zhao Yuyin was trapped beside the middle-aged man, surrounded by armed men. Even if she wanted to run, it was impossible.
The cave was dimly lit, but they had come prepared.
Everyone turned on their flashlights.
The beams of light illuminated the cave walls. The interior was eerily quiet, so quiet it felt chilling.
In such an environment, it was easy to awaken the deepest fears in people, especially since this was a tomb.
As they ventured further in and even spotted snake sheds, Zhao Yuyin’s regret grew.
There was a vast difference between imagination and reality.
“Such… such a huge snake shed.”
A pale, discarded snake skin hung on the cave wall, large enough for a person to crawl through.
If the shed was this big, the actual snake must be enormous.
There were also many smaller snake sheds scattered around.
Realizing the terrifying presence that lurked within the cave, the group became even more cautious.
“Hiss, hiss—”
“Everyone, look at the river! There’s gold in the river!”
In the underground river within the cave, gold shimmered brilliantly under the reflection of the lights.
This made everyone’s eyes light up with excitement.
Someone picked it up: “It’s a piece of jewelry.”
Zhao Yuyin found it strange—this didn’t match the description in the book. Weren’t there supposed to be a jade pendant and a gold bracelet?
Lost in their excitement, no one noticed something approaching.
The hissing of small snakes was drowned out by their voices.
“There’s more ahead—gold bars!”
One person eagerly rushed forward to pick it up. As soon as he bent down, a snake suddenly emerged from the water and bit him on the nose.
“Ahhh!!!”
This seemed to be a signal. The once quiet cave grew increasingly lively as countless colorful snakes slithered out from crevices in the rocks, the cave walls, and the water.
“Snakes! So many snakes!”
“Ahhh! I want to get out! I don’t want to die!”
The moment Zhao Yuyin saw the snakes, she didn’t hesitate—she turned and ran.
“Bang, bang, bang…”
Gunshots echoed from within the cave, immediately alerting those waiting outside.
“Sounds like they’ve encountered snakes.”
“Wonder if they’re big ones or small ones.”
“Everyone, stay vigilant!”
The sounds of gunfire and screams continued to reverberate from inside the cave.
Song Wei and the others weren’t in a hurry; they decided to wait until someone emerged.
However, the group inside had clearly come prepared—they weren’t about to leave empty-handed.
Guns weren’t particularly effective against a horde of snakes.
At the middle-aged man’s command, everyone pulled out gas masks.
“Put a gas mask on Miss Zhao.”
Then, they released poison into the cave.
“This is a special toxin I acquired before coming here. Even snakes won’t be able to withstand it!”
The poison they brought proved useful. As the toxin spread through the air and water, the snakes soon began to weaken and collapse.
Behind his gas mask, the middle-aged man’s expression grew increasingly twisted and frenzied.
“No one can stop me from claiming the treasure. No one…”
His words abruptly cut off.
Because ahead of them, a terrifying giant snake head had appeared.
The flashlight beams illuminated the enormous serpent’s head, and fear dawned in everyone’s eyes.
“Quick, open fire! The poison didn’t work on it!”
But they soon realized that guns were useless too—instead, they only enraged the snake.
The giant serpent was massive, yet its body moved with astonishing agility.
In the blink of an eye, it lunged forward and swallowed the person at the front of the cave whole.
“Baka! Kill it!!!”
Seizing the opportunity while no one was paying attention to her, Zhao Yuyin scrambled and crawled her way out.
Widow Hu did the same.
Regret washed over Zhao Yuyin—she truly regretted it. How could they possibly defeat a snake like this?
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