An exit? This place didn't look like it had one at all. The only possible way out was that tombstone, but unfortunately, Zhuomayangjin had locked it. Even if it hadn't been locked, the hundreds of Qing soldiers' corpses outside would have already sealed the area solid. With just a few of us, defeating the Faceless One seemed practically impossible. To successfully shake off the Faceless One, we would still have to break through layers of dead Qing soldiers—even if we managed all that, didn't Lao Li and I already blow up that passage in a fit of rashness?

There was no time to dwell on regret or remorse. We had to find a way out immediately, otherwise, even without the Faceless One, we would all suffocate or starve to death in this tomb chamber.

I recalled the mechanisms in the previous chamber; didn't they also appear completely seamless on the surface? Perhaps this tomb chamber held a similarly hidden exit mechanism. Driven by this thought, I meticulously felt every inch of the tomb walls, but the accessible areas were limited; most of the walls were entwined by two opposing currents, one hot and one cold.

Lao Li understood my intention and stated coldly, "Don't bother looking. There are no mechanisms here. The tombstone area was a very simple Bagua formation, and many surrounding elements provided clues for an expert... which is why I found the Gate of Life so easily. But here, besides a coffin, there is absolutely nothing man-made; everything in this cavern is naturally formed, untouched."

"Then what do we do?" I felt the last vestiges of hope drain away.

"What else can we do? We can’t just sit here waiting to die. Zhuomayangjin wants to kill the Faceless One; we should at least go and help." Lao Li’s face, too, was etched with despair, though perhaps he thought he sounded remarkably composed while saying it.

Speaking of Zhuomayangjin, the memory of the way she looked at me brought an inexplicable sadness. I neither liked nor disliked her, but the thought of her declaring her affection for me still sent a sharp pang through my chest. Right, she was a frail woman; how could I let her face the Faceless One alone?

"Fine, let's go help her." I touched the book I had retrieved from the coffin—it was still safely tucked away in my breast pocket—and followed Lao Li toward Zhuomayangjin.

But when Lao Li and I arrived, we discovered we weren't going to help Zhuomayangjin; we were going to help the Japanese. Because Zhuomayangjin advanced toward the Faceless One, holding a small cloth pouch aloft, the Faceless One immediately reacted with evident terror, quickly dodging aside to attack Yamamoto instead. Yamamoto was clearly the more dangerous target. The deserter, missing half his head, nimbly led the Faceless One away from Zhuomayangjin’s pursuit. As he fled, Yamamoto shouted loudly in Japanese to Takeno, who was periodically firing his flamethrower at the Faceless One. We wanted to intervene, but we didn't know how.

Zhuomayangjin saw Lao Li and me standing idly by and cried out in frustration, "I told you to find an exit! Are you looking to die?"

There was no exit; how could we search for one? But neither Lao Li nor I had the heart to voice that. We remained silent, offering Zhuomayangjin no reply.

Zhuomayangjin shook off the Faceless One, ran up to us, and stomped her foot, "How could you people..."

She only managed half a sentence before Yamamoto suddenly yelled out at the top of his lungs, sounding equally agitated. I was perplexed by his sudden panic, when Zhuomayangjin’s face suddenly contorted, "He’s yelling for Takeno to send a telegram back to Japan! You two, quickly—find a way to stop Takeno! This must absolutely not get out."

Takeno moved with frightening speed. In the time it took Zhuomayangjin to finish speaking, he had already shut off the flamethrower, removed his backpack, and was pulling out a portable telegraph machine. Without waiting for another explanation from Zhuomayangjin, I instantly grasped the gravity of the situation. I ran over and kicked the telegraph machine out of Takeno's hands, simultaneously roaring, "What are you doing!"

Takeno froze, clearly not expecting me to explode. But after only a few seconds, he snapped back to attention, glared at me fiercely, shouted gibberish in Japanese, and moved to retrieve the set.

Seeing this, Yamamoto, enraged, dodged the Faceless One’s attack while shouting, "Luo! You coward! Bastard!" Perhaps his Chinese curses were insufficient, as he switched to Japanese. At the same time, Zhuomayangjin and Lao Li lunged toward the Faceless One. This time, Lao Li must have smeared Zhuomayangjin’s powder on his hands as well, because the moment they attacked, the Faceless One immediately turned to flee.

Takeno ignored Yamamoto and, muttering curses, picked up the telegraph machine again, preparing to transmit. I showed no courtesy and kicked him again, sending him flying. Takeno shrieked, suddenly drawing his pistol and pointing it menacingly at me, his face contorted. I was no slower; just as his gun leveled before me, my own pistol was pressed against his waist.

"If you hadn't tried to send that telegram, I wouldn't have been suspicious. Now it seems Zhuomayangjin was right after all," I said casually, pressing the muzzle of my pistol harder into Takeno’s side.

Takeno was no amateur. Unyielding, he let his gun slide down past my face, stopping only when it, too, rested against my waist. He sneered, looking at me defiantly, clearly suggesting I lower my weapon and fight him hand-to-hand. I couldn't understand him, but Zhuomayangjin shouted from nearby, "Don't fall for it, Engineer Luo! Takeno is a master of Judo, tenth dan!"

Of course, I wouldn't be fooled. Why use a tiresome, lethal brawl when I had this quick, convenient firearm? I returned his cold smile and watched Takeno.

Takeno appeared very anxious, glancing repeatedly toward the telegraph machine I had kicked aside. I knew he was desperate to send the message, but I didn't seize the opportunity while he was distracted to shoot him. It wasn't that I didn't want to kill him; it was simply that I had never killed anyone before, and pulling the trigger truly terrified me.

And so, Takeno and I remained locked in a standoff...

Zhuomayangjin and Lao Li, working together, had forced the Faceless One into a continuous retreat, preventing it from having the leisure to pursue Yamamoto as before.

Once free from the Faceless One’s immediate threat, Yamamoto rushed to retrieve the telegraph machine. My heart pounded with urgency, and I immediately tried to grab the machine from him. However, Takeno stepped sideways to block my path, pressing the pistol against my waist harder into the flesh. The pressure of his grip was surprisingly intense, causing me to break out in a cold sweat from the pain.

I immediately increased the pressure of my own hand against his waist in return. Now it was Takeno’s turn to watch me with an air of leisure. He smiled mockingly and spat carelessly to the side.

Zhuomayangjin and Lao Li were pressing the Faceless One back steadily and didn't notice I had fallen into danger.

"Yangjin! Yamamoto is going for the telegraph!" I shouted.

Hearing me, Yamamoto seemed to recall something. He walked over to my side and reached out to search my belongings.

"Damn it!" I kicked out at him. "What are you trying to do!"

Yamamoto deftly sidestepped the kick and suddenly appeared to my left. I sensed trouble; before I could react, he had twisted my left arm behind my back.

With one hand restraining my arm, his other hand immediately began rummaging through my pockets.

I hastily withdrew the pistol from Takeno and pointed it at Yamamoto instead. "Don't move!" I yelled. Yamamoto shot me a cynical look, said nothing, and continued searching my pockets.

"..." Takeno grinned menacingly, pressing the cold muzzle of his gun against my temple, and spoke a phrase I couldn't understand. Just as Yamamoto was about to reach the book I took from the coffin, a surge of heat rushed to my head, and I was about to fire.

"Engineer Luo!" Zhuomayangjin's voice rang out timely from behind me.

Hearing Zhuomayangjin's voice, Yamamoto seemed to hesitate slightly, and the force twisting my arm lessened considerably, though he didn't stop searching.

"Let him go!" Zhuomayangjin reached out, first trying to push away the gun pointed at my head. Takeno remained motionless, watching her with a dark expression. Zhuomayangjin did not press the issue. Seeing Yamamoto about to grasp the scripture in my breast pocket, "Yamamoto!" I cried out in alarm.

Zhuomayangjin understood immediately. She bent down in one fluid motion and seized the hand Yamamoto was reaching toward my chest. "Mr. Yamamoto," she said in Chinese, "It was already difficult enough for me to let you live. Don't push your luck."

Yamamoto was clearly not someone Zhuomayangjin could deter with a few casual words. Without lifting his head, he violently flung Zhuomayangjin’s hand away and swiftly snatched at my chest! The book! He found the book.

Zhuomayangjin's eyes were quick, and she lunged for Yamamoto's hand at the same instant. Yamamoto yanked his arm back, and with a tearing sound—chhhk—the book was ripped in half. Zhuomayangjin stumbled back several paces before regaining her balance, clutching the larger portion of the book.

"Baka!" Yamamoto roared in fury and lunged at Zhuomayangjin.

Zhuomayangjin quickly retreated toward the Faceless One, shouting, "Li Zeng, move aside! Release the Faceless One!" Lao Li instantly understood and darted out of the way.

Yamamoto, blinded by rage, didn't spare a thought for the Faceless One and chased directly after Zhuomayangjin.

The Faceless One, having been preoccupied with Lao Li for some time and unable to break free, was already seething with rage. Seeing someone without the protective powder, it immediately lunged toward Yamamoto.

Yamamoto was caught completely by surprise and collided head-on with the Faceless One. This left him utterly preoccupied and unable to pursue Zhuomayangjin.

Seeing Yamamoto fail, Takeno abandoned me and turned to deal with Zhuomayangjin. Deeming his pistol’s killing area too small, he snatched up the flamethrower from the ground and began blasting fire directly at her.

Zhuomayangjin couldn't dodge quickly enough; her hair caught fire. Alarmed, I threw myself at Takeno, tackling him to the ground. He struggled, clutching the flamethrower and continuing to fire. Lao Li quickly pulled Zhuomayangjin aside and helped her beat out the flames on her head...

Yamamoto was exceptionally bold; even while being chased by the Faceless One, he tried to pull me away from Takeno. I wouldn't let him succeed. I dodged to the side, and when he charged again, I stuck out my foot and tripped him. He went down with a loud thud, landing flat on his face!

I was about to step forward to deliver a few more kicks when the Faceless One suddenly reached out for me. Horrified, I quickly rolled away, cursing my own stupidity for not anticipating this!

As soon as I rolled clear, Zhuomayangjin rushed up. She dragged me to my feet, "Go! Quick! We can’t handle the Faceless One!"

Go? Where to? My limbs felt weak, and I didn't have time to ask her. Lao Li also arrived, and the two of them each took an arm and dragged me back toward the coffin.

"Jump in!" Zhuomayangjin didn't even look at me, decisively pulling me toward the water before leaping in herself...