"You!" I pointed at Yanzi, my hand a bloody mess, too furious to even curse. Old Li rushed over to bandage my wound, but couldn't find any gauze immediately. I casually shook the blood off my hand, finally realizing the injury was on the outer side of my left palm. Just as I was about to start yelling again, Tang Minghao let out a world-shattering cry: "It's over! It's out!"

Immediately following his cry, those "people"—whose movements had slowed to an almost complete standstill—began to **liven up, stopping whatever they were doing and fixing us with predatory stares. At that precise moment, the stone door began to emit a "cackling" sound, slowly revealing a gap just wide enough for a person to squeeze through sideways.

Everyone froze, dumbfounded, watching the group of "people" slowly close in on us.

"Run!" Some forgotten circuit in my brain finally kicked in, and I dragged Old Li towards the gap, the others scrambling to follow. Our flight infuriated the group; they rushed toward us with a great "whoosh," and in the chaos, no one knew how to close the stone door.

Tang Minghao yelled, "The blood! The blood on your hand!" I instantly understood, smeared my hand randomly across the stone door, and surprisingly, it sealed itself shut! Luckily, the action was fast enough; the moment the stone door closed, the group of Tibetan "people" had already reached the edge, slamming against the massive slab with loud bangs and crashes.

I was white with terror, unsure if the door opening on its own had enraged those "people," or if our lingering presence in front of them had finally pushed them past their limit of tolerance.

"Brother Hao, how did you know blood would close the door?" Once my breathing settled, I was the first to ask Tang Minghao. "Heh heh…" He chuckled foolishly and pointed at my hand. It then hit me that when the door suddenly opened, I must have accidentally gotten blood on it. "Heh heh…" Tang Minghao laughed again, then ignored me, looking around. Seeing Yanzi leaning against the stone door, still shaken, he shuffled toward her.

Yanzi caught sight of his approach and immediately roared at Old Li, "Li Zeng! Get your friend under control!"

Old Li was also displeased with Tang Minghao. He frowned, pulled Tang Minghao over to his side, and chided him with a hint of annoyance, "Minghao, what's the meaning of this?"

Tang Minghao shook his head blankly, clearly struggling to think deeply about something. After a long pause, he pointed at Old Li and stammered, "You… you are… are Li… Li what?" He then forcefully shook his head and slapped his temples repeatedly, appearing genuinely distressed.

Old Li's expression shifted, and he said nervously, "It's me, Li Zeng, Old Li! Don't you remember?"

Tang Minghao mumbled vaguely, repeating, "Oh… Li Zeng… Li Zeng." He nodded as he spoke, but it was impossible to tell if he actually knew who Li Zeng was.

The sound of banging from outside the stone door continued ceaselessly; it seemed no matter what, we couldn't turn back. "Yanzi, with everything that’s happened, perhaps you’re the only one who can clearly tell us what’s going on," I said.

Yanzi bit her lip, looking at me, then at Old Li, clearly hesitant.

Xu Zhiwu spoke up, "It seems you know very well what we’re going to encounter?"

Yanzi whispered in a wronged tone, "No, no, Zaxi didn't tell me about those living dead outside." So it was premeditated! I was instantly furious! "You’ve been calculating against us from the start?!" I desperately suppressed the urge to rush over and punch her as I asked.

Yanzi shook her head, quickly explaining, "No, no! Zaxi said there are many treasures down here, but monsters might be guarding them, so he told me to be extra careful. I don’t know exactly what we’d run into…"

As she spoke, the banging outside grew more frantic, threatening to break down the door and drag us out to be torn limb from limb. There was no more time to listen to her rambling explanations; the priority now was finding an exit. I didn't care about any jewels anymore; I wanted to go back, back to Tibet, back to the army!

"Old Li, forget the talk for now. Let's figure out how to get out. We smelled fresh air outside just moments ago, so the exit shouldn't be far. Let's figure something out quickly," I urged.

Unexpectedly, Tang Minghao interjected with a random remark: "It's useless... can't get out... you had a chance to leave when you were outside... no chance now..."

Anyone could see Tang Minghao was acting strangely. "Then what do you suggest we do now?" I was practically grabbing his collar, ready to shout. But he remained lost and vacant, seemingly unaware of what I was saying, just murmuring, "Oh..." I gritted my teeth, desperately wanting to slap him back to his senses.

Old Li stopped me: "Technician Luo, Minghao… maybe he doesn’t even know what he’s saying? Don’t ask him."

Alright, figure it out, but how? The stone door seemed to be shaking slightly; those "people" were still battering it! I looked around frantically and only then noticed that the entire space was suffused with a murky white. It was misty, and though there seemed to be a light source from somewhere that allowed vision into the distance, it also felt like nothing could actually be seen. More critically, the fresh, lake-water scented air from outside was completely gone, replaced by an indescribable, suffocating odor.

"I understand!" Xu Zhiwu shouted without warning, "I understand! I understand!" His voice echoed stickily near my ears, as if we were enveloped in a layer of transparent plastic, his sound vibrating endlessly within it.

"What?" I asked.

"Tang Minghao is right, we have no chance now." After shouting, Xu Zhiwu lowered his voice in despair, "We should have turned back at the beginning."

"Is saying that now useful?" Yanzi seemed to let out a cold laugh; I couldn't hear clearly, so I wasn't sure.

Xu Zhiwu looked at her: "It's useless. You knew all along, didn't you?"

I looked at Xu Zhiwu, confused by his sudden accusation.

The door shook again, and a shower of dust fell, making me cough violently. Xu Zhiwu spoke slowly: "Initially, those Tibetan 'people' never moved to harm us, only constantly demonstrating how peaceful and perfect their daily lives were. This held a profound meaning—a warning not to covet gold and silver and to stop immediately, not to disturb their way of life."

So that was it; no wonder they tirelessly and mechanically repeated those trivial actions.

Xu Zhiwu continued, "And that fresh air—I wonder if it was a hint that if we stopped, we’d have a chance to live? Or did it have some other meaning? In any case, the appearance of that fresh air was strange; why isn't it here now?" He looked toward Yanzi as he spoke. Yanzi shook her head, "Don't look at me, I don't know. Zaxi’s task for me was to lead you to the treasure to repay all your great kindness." As she spoke, her expression returned to normal, becoming extremely composed.

Hearing Yanzi speak, Tang Minghao inexplicably started to move toward her again. Seeing this, Yanzi immediately sidestepped to Old Li's side, declaring, "This man has lost his mind!"

Old Li looked thoughtfully at Tang Minghao, then at Yanzi, saying nothing.

I had no idea how many of "them" were banging outside; the stone door was already loosening from the impact. There was no time for pointless talk; we had to find a way out immediately. I had a premonition that the moment the stone door was breached, those "people" would devour us alive.

"Figure out a way out, sirs! There's no time to discuss what happened!" I paced anxiously, tearing at my hair, yet not knowing where to start.

"Huh? There's something on the ground!" Feeling discomfort under my foot, I glanced down accidentally and saw some crooked, wildly scrawled "characters." Thinking I was hallucinating, I quickly crouched down and touched them; sure enough, they were uneven indentations. I immediately called everyone to look.

These characters were carved deep into the stone, about an inch down, covering the entire flagstone floor. But they were twisted, some round, some square—looking nothing like Han characters, Tibetan script, or even Manchu script…

When I came down into the sewer, I assumed I’d be back quickly, so I hadn't brought my phone or any lighting equipment. These characters were indistinct; I squinted, pressed my face to the ground, but couldn't make out a single thing.

I was sweating with anxiety, and I asked Xu Zhiwu, "You're the expert in this area, do you understand any of this?"

Xu Zhiwu's brow was nearly furrowed into a knot: "This looks like Seal Script." I felt a flicker of hope—as long as he recognized it, that was enough. But then he added, "But looking closely, it seems not, yet it resembles pictographs." I was speechless. Pictographs? I'm not an archaeologist; how would I recognize those things?

"Sir, give me a definite answer—what exactly is this?" I was so desperate I felt like killing someone. The banging outside was growing faster. This old stone door couldn't withstand their tireless assault for long; it could collapse at any moment. Thinking of this, I instinctively moved further away from the door, in case it collapsed, I wouldn't be crushed to death.

"I specialize in funerary culture folklore, not archaeology or ancient Chinese script research!" Xu Zhiwu snapped irritably. "Don't rush me! Let me look closely!"

I only felt increasingly agitated, burning with impatience. With no one to vent on and the constant battering outside, the frustration and fear were driving me to distraction.

"Doesn't this look like… talismans to you?" Old Li squinted at them for a long time before saying, "It looks like talismans."

Talismans are mostly derived from evolved Han characters, so Old Li’s comment held little practical use; at best, it indirectly confirmed Xu Zhiwu’s initial thought—that these were related to Chinese characters. What good did that do? I still couldn't read them! How do we get out? How do we escape?

Geng Wei suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this a drawing of a fish?" He pointed to a flagstone in front of him and beckoned me over, "Come see if you agree?"

I forced down my anxiety and hurried over, crouching down for a closer look. It really did look like a drawing of a fish—it had a head, eye, body, and tail—but it wasn't entirely like a painting; the brushwork and structural arrangement carried a strong, ancient, textual feel.

Xu Zhiwu ran over to look as well, his face lighting up. "I recognize this one." I glanced at him, my patience worn thin, and didn't really listen to what he had to say. He explained, "This is Bird and Flower Seal Script!"

"Bird and Flower Seal Script?" I repeated. "Seal Script?" Xu Zhiwu nodded. "We don't have time to explain the details now. The other characters should all be Bird and Flower Seal Script too. There are so many characters on the ground; if we decipher all of them, they should offer some clues. Otherwise, why bother going to the trouble of carving all this down here."