Originally, as the group lowered their heads, they noticed an extra footprint directly beneath their feet, pointing in the exact opposite direction of their progress. What did this imply?

Could it mean someone had passed through here before them? Zhi Xiong bent down to observe closely for a moment, then declared, "No, this doesn't look like a footprint to me.

Come over here and look, see it from my angle." Lu Zong walked over to Ma Xiong, puzzled, wanting to see what the sight looked like from Ma Xiong's perspective. Yet, as his gaze swept past Ma Xiong, his face too contorted in shock.

Lian Zhang and Fatty hurried over to Ma Xiong's side, eager to discover the cause of the commotion. Now, they all stood dumbfounded, at a loss to explain the phenomenon before them.

If they had initially suspected the marks were human footprints, it would have been excusable, explainable. But what they saw now looked disturbingly like a human ear deeply impressed into the glass bricks—a large, deep ear print.

"The Big Ear again," Lu Zong exclaimed in frustration. It seemed this Cao Cao and the Queen truly were involved.

Ma Xiong chimed in agreement, "Indeed. Cao Cao's tomb is not to be underestimated.

But how do we account for this ear-shaped footprint? Are we being accompanied by some creature that walks on its ears, one capable of pressing its ear so deeply into glass bricks?

It must possess immense strength." Lian Zhang shook his head. "I doubt it.

Could this track have been here before we arrived?" Lu Zong aimed his exploration lamp back along their path of entry and said, "Look here, this track has been following us all the way. How could it have existed before?

If it existed beforehand, does that mean we've been walking in circles around this thing’s steps? How is that possible?" Fatty interjected, "Lu Zong has a point.

Something is definitely trailing us; it couldn't have been here already. Everyone, be cautious.

We shouldn't exert ourselves too much on these glass bricks; if we encounter trouble, we won't have the strength to fight back. We need to quickly and quietly escape this glass-brick world; we can't wait here any longer." Saying this, Fatty took the lead, and seeing the flicker of tension on his face, it seemed as if he were concealing something, something Lian Zhang and the others remained completely unaware of.

Lian Zhang followed closely behind Fatty, after all, Fatty had the most tomb-raiding experience among the team, and trusting Fatty’s instincts in a tomb was always the right call, so he followed fearlessly. Ma Xiong and Lu Zong exchanged a glance, then pulled the stunned Ge Mei forward.

Regardless of what might be true before exposing the supposed scheme between Fatty and Lian Zhang, turning hostile now would be inadvisable. This bizarre world of glass bricks suddenly seemed vast and menacing.

Ge Mei was already crying that her legs felt weak, and they hadn't even reached the end of this crystalline domain. What worried them most was that the series of ear prints showed no sign of disappearing, instead sprawling messily across the glass terrain.

Lian Zhang said, "Fatty, do you think maybe that ear-monster following us can't find an exit either?" Fatty shook his head. "Impossible.

Who knows who left those ear prints? It might not even be a monster.

If that thing couldn't find the exit, it would be wandering around randomly, how could it not bump into us? So, I think that's impossible." Ma Xiong stared at the tracks on the ground and articulated slowly, word by measured word, "Now, I’m starting to think these tracks don't look like ears anymore.

They look more like the paws of an injured mammal, perhaps a sheep or a cow." Indeed, looking at the tracks underfoot, Lu Zong saw they resembled the prints of a sheep or a cow. Could there truly be living mammals like cows or sheep inside Cao Cao's tomb?

Lu Zong managed a wry, bitter smile and shook his head, finding the thought absurd, so he remained silent. Fatty's expression, however, grew heavy.

He sighed, then looked at the others and said, "Do you remember the Bridge of Helplessness we saw in the Queen's tomb?" Ma Xiong and Lu Zong nodded. Among them, only those two had accompanied Fatty into the Queen's tomb, making them the only three who knew about the mercury-paved Bridge of Helplessness inside.

Lu Zong asked, "What does that have to do with the Bridge of Helplessness here?" Fatty let out a hollow chuckle, the bitterness evident in the sound. He spoke in halting tones, "Ma Xiong just mentioned that these are footprints, ear-shaped footprints, but I see them looking more like the tracks of animals like oxen or horses.

What do you think?" Lu Zong nodded. "Yes, I feel the same; they really look like animal hooves or pads.

But I still can't connect this to the Bridge of Helplessness." Fatty smiled. "You still don't get it?

Ma Xiong, you must know what I mean." A flicker of alarm crossed Ma Xiong’s face, but seeing Ge Mei looking at him with anxious eyes, he quickly composed himself and joked, "You’re not suggesting these are the footprints of Ox-Head and Horse-Face, are you?" Fatty nodded. "That’s what I’m thinking too.

Haven’t you all felt how strange things have been, from the dark shadow in the Queen’s tomb to this tracker in the current one? They must be connected somehow, something we haven't realized yet.

I have a persistent feeling that ever since we entered this tomb, someone has been following us—someone perhaps like, or even exactly, Ox-Head and Horse-Face." Ge Mei clung tightly behind Fatty, terrified. Lu Zong burst into laughter.

"How is that possible? How could Ox-Head and Horse-Face exist?

Does such a concept as hell exist in this world? Let alone the Queen being some kind of monster!" Lian Zhang grabbed Lu Zong’s hand.

"Don't speak nonsense. This place is deeply unsettling.

If we offend some deity, we’ll lose our lives. Hurry, let’s go, it’s dangerous here." Fatty didn't dwell on it, following Lian Zhang forward.

Ma Xiong managed a helpless smile, glanced back at the tracks, and prepared to turn and follow Lian Zhang and the others. But at the very instant he turned, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a dark shadow—a shadow blacker than the darkness itself, made more terrifying and bizarre against the gloom.

Ma Xiong quickly called out, "Stop! Wait, everyone, look!

What is that?" Hearing Ma Xiong's sharp cry, the others knew he must have spotted something and quickly turned back to look, but they saw nothing. Fatty slapped Ma Xiong’s shoulder irritably.

"Kid, you’re seeing things, or perhaps you’ve gone mad from fear here. What is there?

Let’s move on." Then he turned and started walking away. When Ma Xiong looked again, indeed, there was nothing there.

He shook his head in disappointment. "Did I really hallucinate?

Is my mind starting to fail me?" He prepared to turn and catch up with the others so he wouldn't fall behind. However, the moment he turned back, he clearly saw the dark shadow reappear in his line of sight, just as dim, just as composed.

He shouted again, "No, stop! Look here!" The group abruptly turned back once more, but again, they found nothing to see.

Lu Zong approached Ma Xiong, touched his forehead, and asked, "What’s wrong? Do you have a fever?" Ma Xiong brushed Lu Zong’s hand away.

"I swear it, Lu Zong, you have to believe me; we’re brothers. I genuinely saw a dark shadow following us, just like the one we saw among the corpse fiends—that dark, silent presence trailing us." Lu Zong asked, "So where is it now?

Where is it located?" Ma Xiong explained, "I can only catch sight of the shadow in the instant I turn my head. But if I look closely, I see nothing.

I guarantee you, though, what I saw just now was absolutely not an illusion." Lu Zong patted Ma Xiong’s shoulder. "Alright, brother, I believe you.

We are always true brothers." Then he turned to rejoin Fatty, wanting to leave this place quickly. But in the exact moment Lu Zong turned, his head snapped back sharply, his expression shifting to one of astonishment.

He looked at Ma Xiong, surprised. "Ma Xiong, I saw the shadow you saw." If one person seeing something is an illusion, then two people seeing it should mean it is real." Once Lu Zong said that, everyone began to believe.

Fatty walked to Ma Xiong’s spot, mimicked Lu Zong's action, and spun around, his face immediately registering disbelief. "You’re right, you’re right, I saw that shadow too.

Ge Mei, Lian Zhang, you two come try as well; see if you can spot the shadow." The two walked over and tried, and sure enough, they could indeed see the dark shadow. Ma Xiong said proudly, "See?

I wasn't lying to you. But I still find it strange—why can we only see it the moment we turn our heads, and why does it vanish when we look directly at it?" Fatty scratched his head.

"I don't know about that part. But since it has followed us for so long without trying to harm us, perhaps we should ask it for directions." Ge Mei snorted with laughter.

"Are you an idiot? How are you going to ask for directions?

Can it even understand or hear you?" Fatty ignored Ge Mei's mockery and continued, "Let's try it, let’s try it. Maybe it really can answer.

It’s better than nothing—a last resort." Fatty coughed, cleared his throat, and asked, "Hello, buddy, I was wondering, how do we get out of this cavern?" There was no response. The surroundings were deathly silent; they could almost hear the being’s breathing.

Fatty asked again, louder, "Buddy, do you know? Give us a sign." The presence remained still.

Fatty tried turning again, shaking his head in confusion. "That's strange.

It's still there, so why won't it answer?"

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