But as his hand reached forward, he felt a powerful force shove it aside—or rather, forcibly pull it back. When he scrutinized his hand closely, however, he found nothing amiss. Simultaneously, Ma Xiong finally caught his breath, gulping the outside air while struggling through a continuous bout of coughing.

Lu Zong was now somewhat frightened, his voice trembling as he asked, "What was that? What just happened? Ma Xiong, why didn't you finish what you were saying?"

Ma Xiong cursed viciously, "Didn't you see someone stop my mouth just now?"

Lu Zong replied nonsensically, "No, you covered your own mouth just then. But I definitely felt someone else stop you, because when I went to pull you, I distinctly felt a pair of large hands push mine back. Yet I couldn't see a thing. Don't tell me that was just a cramp?"

Ma Xiong looked at Lu Zong, then glanced at Fatty. Fatty broke the silence, "It's obvious; that ghost clearly didn't want Ma Xiong to reveal what he saw."

Ma Xiong stated, "If that's the case, let's not talk too much. I'll explain once we're past this corridor, so we don't offend the local spirits. Let's concede this round and not engage with this ghost's antics."

However, the most pressing issue remained: how to get out of this corridor.

Lu Zong proposed they rest there for a while to conserve energy before continuing. After all the exhaustion from travel, having skipped proper meals and sleep, it was best to regroup first before pressing on.

The moment these words left his mouth, everyone objected, with Fatty reacting most violently, grumbling and cursing, "Damn it, Lu Zong, I didn't think you had the heart of a woman! You think when the corridor narrows, and I’m holding the weight for you all, you’ll just leave me to die? What kind of character is that?"

That statement reminded Lu Zong. In the shock of the moment, he had completely overlooked the danger of the corridor slowly closing in from the middle. Thinking back now sent a chill down his spine. If they had stayed put, Fatty, being the largest, would have been the first one crushed—no wonder he reacted so strongly. Gan Da, who would have felt it most acutely, acted completely unconcerned, making Fatty roll his eyes at him in irritation.

Ma Xiong said, "Forget resting. It's better to keep moving."

As soon as he finished speaking, they all felt the tremor hit again. The four nearly lost their footing, but this time the shaking persisted for a long time without ceasing. Ma Xiong said to Fatty, "It looks like the real fight has begun."

Lu Zong, completely lost, asked curiously, "Ma Xiong, what do you mean?"

Ma Xiong commanded, "Fatty, focus on protecting Lu Zong. Gan Da, you and I will cover you two."

Lu Zong retorted, "I think we should cover Gan Da first. I've been on the battlefield before; I can handle this level of danger myself."

To his surprise, Ma Xiong snapped angrily, "Stop your damn nonsense! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be in this mess. Shut your mouth!" After saying this, he adopted a cautious posture, constantly scanning their surroundings warily.

Hearing that the danger stemmed from him, Lu Zong suddenly realized that whatever Ma Xiong and Fatty had seen earlier must have involved him. He grew increasingly bewildered, intensely wishing he could tear open Ma Xiong's chest to see what secrets he was hiding.

The tremors grew more intense, and the corridor walls converged toward the center at an alarming speed, making sweat bead on Lu Zong's forehead. Going forward meant a precipice, retreating offered no way out, and the thick walls boxed them in—a truly desperate situation. Ma Xiong urgently called out, "Everyone, think of something! What do we do now?"

That reminder jolted everyone back to the immediate danger. They had been so focused on protecting Lu Zong that they had ignored the corridor itself. Only then did they begin discussing an escape.

Fatty proposed, "Do you all remember the unauthorized tunnel I dug when I first entered the lab? I think we can dig a diversion tunnel from the side here and connect it to the one I made earlier. Then we can smoothly enter the tomb chamber."

This suggestion was met with unanimous approval. Fatty immediately moved to the side and pulled a Luoyang shovel from a satchel, beginning to dig with a speed that betrayed his practiced hand.

Lu Zong joked, "Tomb raiders are quite clever, after all. You invented the Luoyang shovel. If all the world’s tomb robbers joined the field of archaeology, imagine the contributions they would make to global heritage research."

Fatty looked at Lu Zong with clear disdain. "How can we tomb raiders compare to archaeologists? If we had the chance to do archaeology, why wouldn't we? But what matters in this society now? Credentials! Look at those people who know nothing about ancient relics, yet they get to excavate magnificent tombs just because they have a diploma. It’s truly..."

Lu Zong sensed helplessness and hardship in his tone. After all, everyone yearned for a legitimate job excavating ancient tombs without breaking the law.

Less than two meters into the dig, Fatty's shovel suddenly struck nothing. He felt the tool sink into an open space. He pulled the shovel out, and instantly, a sliver of light shone through the opening. The light grew stronger, the hole widened, and it eventually took the shape of an ear.

At the same moment, Lu Zong felt a gust of wind blow in his face, seemingly originating from the hole. Then he felt an immense force violently pulling him inward. The pull was so strong he couldn't tell what was grabbing him, but instantly, he recalled the thing that had pulled his hand earlier. Could this be the same entity?

Lu Zong screamed, "Fatty! Ma Xiong! Save me!" But as he spoke, his body was already pressed tightly against the corridor wall. Fortunately, he managed to brace his hand on the edge of the opening, preventing his entire body from being sucked in.

Ma Xiong, Fatty, and the others reacted instantly, rushing forward to grab the sinking Lu Zong, thus maintaining balance. Lu Zong urged Ma Xiong, "Ma Xiong, can you see what's inside?"

Ma Xiong rubbed his strained eyes and peered into the hole, finally admitting with disappointment, "The light is too intense; I can't see anything."

Fatty shook his head too. "Pull hard now, and forget what it is. Anywhere that actively invites you in can't be a good place. Let's just fight whatever it is."

That was certainly true. With everyone united, they pulled together.

Yet, Lu Zong found one thing particularly strange. In terms of proximity, Fatty was closer to the opening than he was. In terms of size, Gan Da was smaller and easier to grasp. Why was he the specific target? Did this entity have a peculiar preference for him?

Gritting his teeth, he resolved that if he ever caught the ghost, he would demand a clear explanation. With that thought, he strained with all his might, trying to pull himself outward. He was currently being pulled by six entities: the three outside, and the one ghost inside. The strength of the single spirit was equivalent to three men.

This stalemate couldn't last. He felt like he was being stretched out of shape by the opposing forces. He asked, "Fatty, is there any technique to force this ghost away?"

Fatty paused, then let go of his grip and slapped his forehead in sudden realization. "Damn it, how could I forget that!" As soon as he released his hold, Lu Zong immediately lurched several steps forward, letting out a shriek of alarm, just as Fatty’s hands clamped back down on him.

Still shaken, Lu Zong cursed, "Fatty, don't joke around like that! I haven't even gotten married yet!"

Fatty apologized with a grin and then mysteriously pulled out a packet from his pocket, carefully unwrapping it. Inside were cloves of garlic.

He shoved several cloves into Lu Zong's mouth. Lu Zong felt the pulling force from the hole visibly weaken. Seeing the effectiveness, he signaled Fatty for another clove.

Fatty ignored him and went straight to Lu Zong, asking, "Where exactly was it grabbing you?"

Lu Zong checked and replied, "My arm is hurting terribly; it was pulling my arm."

Fatty hastily chewed some garlic and smeared it onto Lu Zong's arm. Instantly, Lu Zong felt a wave of relief wash over him and nearly collapsed. The thing had let go; the trick worked.

But the relief lasted barely two seconds before that strange force enveloped him again. He felt his throat seize up. His eyes bulging red, he choked and pointed frantically at his neck, signaling that the ghost's hand was strangling him.

Fatty quickly chewed more garlic and smeared it onto Lu Zong's neck. Immediately, he could breathe freely again. Fearing another stealth attack from the spirit, he hurriedly backed away.

However, Fatty then chewed another mouthful of garlic and smeared it onto Lu Zong’s lower body. A terrible scream erupted, and Lu Zong collapsed onto the ground.

"Lu Zong! Are you okay, Lu Zong?" The others rushed forward, surrounding him and asking worriedly.

Lu Zong looked at Fatty with utter anguish, angrily shouting, "Fatty, I swear to you, did I say the ghost was grabbing me there? Why the hell did you smear garlic on my crotch?"

Fatty stammered, his face red, "I saw that area bulging under your clothes, and I thought the ghost was tugging at your pants, pulling you out! It was just muscle memory, so I smeared it there... Well, look, don't worry. I know a specialist, a transsexual from Thailand..."

Ma Xiong cut Fatty off immediately, shouting, "You traitor! Even if we went that route, we might as well become eunuchs! Eunuchs are native to China!"

For the next few minutes, the two argued heatedly over whether a Thai kathoey or a Chinese eunuch was the better choice.

Finally, Fatty revealed the true reason for his hatred of eunuchs: "Damn it, I read so many novels online where the heartless authors always turn the main character into a eunuch! So, for the sake of Chinese literature, I absolutely cannot let Lu Zong become one!"

Ma Xiong was speechless. Lu Zong, however, cut in, "Stop all that nonsense! What do we do now? Think of a solution quickly!"

Ma Xiong looked at the narrowing corridor, then at Fatty's large frame, a sly look crossing his face as he reminded Fatty, "Fatty, I’m afraid this will be an imposition on you."