Young Master Liu thought to himself, "Damn it, this thing is truly bestial. To cleave such a massive stone gate in half in an instant—if that strike had landed on a person, they'd surely be reduced to dust!"

As swift as the thought was the action. There was no time for hesitation. They watched the Merman, bracing its two powerful legs, charge toward them at lightning speed. Seeing this, Young Master Liu gritted his teeth and shouted, "Run! I'll handle this thing!" With that, the Celestial Master Sword began to slowly draw from its sheath.

Hearing Young Master Liu’s command, the group didn't hesitate and bolted into the darkness of the tomb passage. Da Guoguo ran, unable to suppress the urge to glance back at Liu and the Merman locked in combat, a myriad of astonishment blooming in his mind.

The further the group ran, the deeper the blackness ahead remained. Looking back, the scene of Young Master Liu fighting the Merman grew increasingly indistinct, eventually vanishing entirely into the gloom.

The four people sprinted frantically down the passage, their flashlight beams sweeping wildly.

After running for an indeterminate time, Da Guoguo called a halt. All four collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.

Da Guoguo wiped the sweat from his brow. "That Merman was so formidable; can Master Liu really handle it alone? I fear he’s facing grim odds now!"

Fan Debiao snatched a box of Datuanyuan cigarettes from Da Guoguo’s hand, pulled one out, and let it dangle from his lips. "Stop worrying. My brother is far more capable than you think. He’s a legitimate successor of the Celestial Master Zhang. Coupled with the Celestial Master Sword, even if he can’t destroy the Merman, escaping is absolutely guaranteed!"

Da Guoguo, who had been deeply concerned for Young Master Liu’s safety, immediately felt a wave of relief upon hearing Fan Debiao’s assurance. He stood up and observed their surroundings. They were still in the tomb passage. Da Guoguo shone his light forward and back—only darkness met his gaze in both directions. A strange feeling washed over him. "We've run for so long, how are we still in the passage? And my flashlight can't even reach the end. Just how long is this tunnel?"

Fan Debiao agreed, "Indeed. We must have covered at least three thousand meters. Given the contours of the ridge, we should have long since run past the cliff face and tumbled off the ridge. Unless... we weren't running in a straight line!"

Da Guoguo shook his head at Fan Debiao’s suggestion. "No, that’s incorrect. I kept an eye on it while running; we were absolutely moving in a straight line. I stake my reputation on it."

Fan Debiao scratched the back of his head, completely bewildered. "That's odd. If it was a straight path, then this is baffling!"

"Hey, Old Tomb Raider, did you notice if we were going uphill or downhill at all?"

Da Guoguo grew impatient. "Didn't I just say? It was straight. Going up or down slopes would make it a diagonal line!"

Fan Debiao slumped. "If you put it that way, this is getting spooky. Are we caught in a Gui Da Qiang [Ghost Wall]?"

Cai Qingchong spat on the ground beside him and scoffed, "What 'Ghost Wall'? That's all nonsense. There are no gods or ghosts in this world. Don't let your imagination run wild."

Fan Debiao bristled. "Who says? My brother Liu specializes in dealing with exactly that..."

At that moment, Da Guoguo stood up. "Let’s not debate this now. We'll keep moving forward a bit further before deciding anything."

With that, he stepped toward the darkness.

"Wait up!" Fan Debiao called out to Da Guoguo. "Tomb Raider, the direction you’re going seems wrong, doesn't it?" He pointed behind them. "We should be going this way!"

Da Guoguo flicked his cigarette butt onto the floor and looked around, front and back. "I remember it being this way." He then looked toward Fan Debiao.

After their brief argument, coupled with the fact that all the stone walls of the passage looked identical, Fan Debiao simply waved his hand, indicating he was just as lost.

Seeing that even the seasoned crook Fan Debiao was unsure, Cai Qingchong turned to Da Guoguo. "Boss, do you know the right route?"

Da Guoguo shook his head, then mused, "It doesn't matter too much, though. We'll have someone walk this way until we cover the distance we just ran, and then turn back. If we see the stone gate, we'll take the other side; otherwise, we backtrack. The only tricky part is if the path leading to the stone gate involves running into the Merman again!"

He added a postscript, "Look, if I walk this way and happen to run into the Merman, my Thompson submachine gun should be enough to handle it." He then walked into the dark.

Fan Debiao paused. "I'll go with you. If we really run into the Merman, having one more person will make it easier to deal with." He hurried after Da Guoguo.

In the tomb passage, Cai Qingchong and Su Yougui sat leaning against the wall.

"Brother," Su Yougui chuckled, "I wouldn't have guessed, but you two sure know how to handle yourselves!"

Cai Qingchong gave a wry smile. "Likewise. Where are you from originally..." Before he could finish, his expression changed drastically, and he immediately made a shushing gesture toward Su Yougui.

Then, the shriek of the Merman echoed from the darkness. The sound sent goosebumps prickling over Su Yougui’s entire body. He thought, How could the Merman have caught up so quickly? Did Brother Liu fare poorly and get chopped up like firewood?

Cai Qingchong whispered to Su Yougui, "We’re too few; we can’t confront the Merman head-on. We need to meet up with the others first!" With that, he ran toward the direction Da Guoguo and Fan Debiao had taken. Su Yougui dared not lag behind and followed at a brisk trot.

They hadn't run far when they heard sharp ding-ding-ding sounds of gunfire echoing explosively off the rock walls from behind them. Hearing the shots, both men stopped dead in their tracks.

Cai Qingchong frowned. "That's the sound of a Thompson submachine gun. The Boss and the others are behind us."

Su Yougui said to Cai Qingchong, completely surprised, "Weren't they supposed to be ahead? How did they end up behind us?"

Cai Qingchong pulled a pistol from his bag, his eyes narrowing. "We must have fallen into the Tomb Owner's trap. There are mechanisms in this passage that have trapped us. Forget everything else for now; let’s deal with the Merman first!" He immediately pivoted and ran back the way they came.

Su Yougui also pulled a pistol from his bag and followed, even though he doubted his own ability to use a gun. But in this pitch blackness, staying put alone meant certain doom if any strange creature showed up.

After a few steps, the Merman and Da Guoguo came into view. Da Guoguo was currently holding the submachine gun, unleashing a steady stream of fire at the Merman, while Fan Debiao added sporadic, deliberate shots from his pistol. Sparks flew where the bullets struck the Merman, accompanied by distinct ding sounds.

Su Yougui muttered, "Good heavens, just how hard are those Merman scales?"

It appeared that Da Guoguo’s and Fan Debiao’s attacks were only serving to momentarily slow the creature as it slowly closed the distance between them. Cai Qingchong raised his pistol and fired two precise shots. The Merman roared, "Augh!" exposing its two blood-red tusks again. Though not the first time seeing them, the sight made everyone's blood run cold.

The group had no time for hesitation. Cai Qingchong leaped upward, intending to clear the Merman by jumping over it. Just as he reached the apex of his jump, the Merman swung its arm, aiming for his thigh. Just as the blow was about to connect, Cai Qingchong kicked off the wall with his right foot and executed a perfect backflip, landing next to Fan Debiao. His speed and agility were clearly those of a seasoned martial artist, bringing a flash of admiration to the eyes of the others.

Seeing that Cai Qingchong had drawn the Merman's attention, Fan Debiao realized he couldn't fight alone on the flank. He swiftly rolled past the Merman.

Fan Debiao reached Da Guoguo. "Guns aren't hurting this thing. We need to use the Black Donkey Hooves from the Taoist tradition."

Da Guoguo shook his head. "No good. If we get close enough to the Merman, we'll definitely get cleaved. We need to retreat first and then make plans." With that, all four sprinted backward.

As they ran, Su Yougui asked Fan Debiao, "Captain Fan, weren't you guys running forward? How did you loop around to get behind us?"