I’d seen this thing at the old shopkeeper’s place; at the time, I thought this contraption—it looked nothing like a bomb, nor did it resemble a flare—might be useful for ambushing someone for a robbery, but in tomb raiding, it seemed utterly useless, so I paid it no mind. I never expected that though Shirley Yang had to rush when joining us in the mountains, she brought along a box of “hand-thrown firecrackers,” which now turned out to be everyone’s saving grace, temporarily driving back the scouting locusts.

Even Shirley Yang was terrified by the sheer multitude of grass ghosts and field immortals, leaving her heart racing in confusion. Fortunately, having followed the old shopkeeper for many years, she often overheard her adoptive grandfather talking about these life-risking capers. Her quick thinking kicked in, and she snatched the box, throwing out a “palm thunder.” The result was immediate and miraculous: smoke and fire erupted, forcing the thick wall of insects to part as if a tidal wave were being cleaved in two.

Of the masses of “Golden Armored Field Immortals” that formed the insect wall, one section was forced into the eye of the wind below the Dragon Gate. Countless scouting locusts were instantly tossed into a massive golden vortex by the mountain’s turbulent currents. Unlike the “Golden Silk Swifts,” which could maneuver freely in the wind, these creatures were spun around, colliding and biting at each other, finally flying upwards half-dead.

The Golden Silk Swifts from above seized the opportunity to dive down fiercely. The swallows generally ingest insects by flying into the wind with their mouths agape, but the sharp, hard casings of the “Golden Armored Field Immortals” made direct swallowing impossible. The golden swifts, flying mid-air, first pecked at a Field Immortal from the side, causing it to tumble, then with an almost lightning-fast turn, they swooped back, seizing the soft abdomen of the locust.

The movements of the Golden Silk Swifts—a swoop followed by a dart—were indescribably fast, the two actions almost seamlessly connected with no discernible gap. Their flight was utterly fluid, but the flying locusts were too numerous and dense; many could not evade the attacks. They collided, tumbling into the turbulent currents or deep ravines, a sight that made one’s vision blur and heart tremble.

In an instant, countless “Golden Armored Field Immortals” met their end in the swallows’ beaks, yet the torrent of locusts in the gorge still surged like a tide. Seeing how effective the “palm thunders” in Shirley Yang’s box were, Fatty and I worried about her limited arm strength and quickly reached out to grab a few ourselves, tossing them out repeatedly in all directions. Immediately, the area was enveloped in smoke.

Shirley Yang quickly stopped us, saying, “Old Hu, conserve them!” It was only when she reminded us that I remembered the ammunition was limited. I looked down at the box in Shirley Yang’s hand, feeling as if a bucket of icy water had been dumped over my head: the box was empty—not a single “hand-thrown firecracker” remained.

Although the “Golden Armored Field Immortals” had been temporarily repelled, I figured they would immediately regroup and return once the surrounding thick smoke dissipated, driven by the Golden Silk Swifts from above. We would likely have to wait until the flocks of swifts were fully fed before they returned to their nests, and only then would the remaining locusts flee into the caves. I sighed, “We shouldn't talk about sacrifice until the crucial moment, but right now we have no other options. There are exactly five of us; I think we should prepare to be the Five Heroes of Langya Mountain.”

Shirley Yang remained relatively calm. She used the time to address the group: “Earlier, I noticed that the golden vortex formed by the mountain turbulence, which caught those golden-armored locusts, was much clearer than the black-backed, white-bellied Golden Silk Swifts. That turbulence only occurs where the two gorge mouths meet. The Dragon Gate gorge mouth is wider than the tunnel opening. If we climb down along the cliff face at the edge, we should be able to avoid the turbulence. If we can just crawl into the Golden Silk Swift’s cave…”

Before Shirley Yang could finish, we understood her meaning. Apart from Fatty, everyone agreed the plan was viable. We didn't need time to deliberate further; the black smoke from the “hand-thrown firecrackers” was already beginning to dissipate, and groups of “Golden Armored Field Immortals” began surging forward blindly again in the gorge.

The surging threat was imminent. I thought, “We’ll just have to risk climbing down the cliff first; escaping, even briefly, is better than nothing.” I quickly grabbed the “Flying Tiger Claws” and checked them; the fine steel rope could extend seven or eight meters at most—enough for climbing city walls.

The traditional tool of the Tomb Raider, the “Flying Tiger Claws,” though lacking the myriad variations of the Xiling School’s equipment like the “Centipede Mountain Ladder,” was still a premier sharp instrument for scaling mountains and walls. The survival of all five of us now depended entirely on this one “Flying Tiger Claw.”

The tip of the “Flying Tiger Claw” was a steel grappling hook shaped like a human palm, designed according to the structure and sinews of a hand, allowing for flexible extension and retraction. It could firmly grip any crevice or protrusion on trees or walls. As I held the claws, looking for a reliable spot to anchor them, I saw Fatty step forward a couple of paces, planting his feet on the stone waterfall. He peered down, trying to gauge the depth below, mumbling all the while, “Damn, I, Fatty, a hero my whole life, was just tricked by a Barbary Ape! This is truly the work of the Celestial Master letting ghosts play tricks on me… Infuriating! Whoa…” He realized how deep it was and quickly stepped back: “My… my motherland! This place is too deep! It didn’t feel this deep when we crossed the bridge earlier? It’s pitch black; I can’t see the bottom at all…”

Worried that Fatty might slip on the stone cascade, I quickly reached out and grabbed his backpack. Just then, Professor Sun shouted from behind, “No time! Go, go! Whatever the depth or steepness of the cliff, we have to descend now! As long as you can view height and depth objectively… you can overcome your fear of heights!”

When I looked back, the insect wall formed by the “Golden Armored Field Immortals” had pierced through the dissipating smoke, pressing in like clusters of golden clouds. Clearly, the Golden Silk Swifts were trying to force more locusts into the wind eye to stir them up and consume them, but in doing so, they had driven our group toward a dead end. Shirley Yang and Shirley Yang were frantically waving their entrenching tools and steel umbrellas to ward off the small swarms of locusts already closing in.

Professor Sun saw that not a moment could be spared and fumbled in a panic to help me release the “Flying Tiger Claws.” His well-intentioned help was counterproductive; Fatty was currently standing on the fine steel chain. When he yanked the “Flying Tiger Claws,” the stone cascade, slick as polished ice, caused Fatty to lose his balance instantly. With a loud “Awooo,” he slid away without stopping, skimming along the edge of the stone cascade, brushing past the wind eye’s turbulence, and shot straight down the sheer cliff.

I tried to pull Fatty back, but when I turned and reached out again, his silhouette was gone. I was stunned speechless: “Has the great Commander Wang truly met his end in this insignificant ditch?” My mind went blank, unable to distinguish heaven from earth.

The others, seeing Fatty fall into the deep ravine with his fate unknown, were gripped by extreme panic but had no time for further reaction, as the massive swarm of locusts was already upon them. They could only desperately fight to protect themselves; they couldn't even manage to lower the Flying Tiger Claws into the gorge to escape. A moment’s hesitation meant that at least dozens of “Golden Armored Field Immortals” would burrow into their bodies simultaneously.