Xiao Bai seemed anxious, reaching out to yank the nipple clear, but I grabbed her arm. "Let's just watch for a moment," I murmured to her.

Xiao Bai, ever obedient, replied, "Okay, boyfriend." I was speechless again, and we stood motionless, watching the protrusion. Then, Xiao Bai whispered to me, "It seems there's more than one of these things.

Look over there." I followed the direction of her finger and indeed saw several more of the same nipples slowly emerging from the side of the coffin. It wasn't just the sides; there were some at both ends too—over a dozen spots in total.

As these nipples emerged, I sensed a faint hissing sound, like air leaking from a car tire. Moving my hand closer, I confirmed that the interior of the coffin was venting gas.

The gas was colorless and odorless, akin to normal human respiration. When the nipples had extended a certain distance, they began to retract slowly.

For some reason, I didn't stop them from withdrawing, as I felt they would emerge again. This wasn't random movement; it was rhythmic, like breathing.

Xiao Bai didn't understand why I still hadn't acted and softly asked, "It's retracting, why aren't you grabbing it?" I rested my chin in my hand and stated with certainty, "Relax, it will come out again. This coffin is breathing." Xiao Bai looked at me, bewildered, and asked, "A coffin breathes?

What are you talking about?" I replied expressionlessly, "This coffin is exchanging air inside. It must be a mechanism." Xiao Bai clearly still didn't grasp it and asked, "Coffins are for the dead, right?

Why exchange air? Are you afraid the corpse inside will suffocate without fresh air?" I nodded.

"Very smart. Exactly." Xiao Bai's face flushed with frustration.

"Stop being mysterious and just tell me what’s going on." I paused to think. "The corpse is still alive, or rather, the person isn't dead yet.

What’s inside this coffin might not be a corpse, but a living dead person." Xiao Bai pondered this. "Could it be what you humans call a zombie?" I shook my head.

"No. Zombies are formed from the already dead.

A living dead person, in this context, refers to a vegetative state. The brain hasn't completely died, and the limbs are still viable, but the body has lost normal motor functions.

Thus, their consumption and metabolism are extremely slow. As long as they are continuously supplied with non-dying nutrition, some can live for hundreds of years." Xiao Bai said, "This coffin looks at least a thousand years old, judging by the weathering on the carvings.

A living dead person who can only survive a few hundred years would certainly be dead by now." I shook my head. "Your technology has advanced to the point of modifying the heart, hasn't it?" Xiao Bai frowned.

"Heart modification? What kind of heart modification?" I explained, "Our scientists are currently in the research phase of modifying the human heart to resemble that of cold-blooded animals.

You know, cold-blooded animals’ hearts allow them to adapt to extreme cold. When the temperature drops significantly, they can hibernate to protect themselves.

During hibernation, their heart rate drops drastically, and bodily functions are frozen and slowed. Upon thawing, they can fully restore normal physiological function.

This led to the technology of cryogenically freezing humans, with preservation times potentially exceeding several millennia." Xiao Bai nodded. "Oh, you mean cryonics.

We on Yierheirezi mastered that technology long ago. But for some reason, it was later banned by law." I was slightly confused and asked, "Why ban it?

That shouldn't infringe on anyone else's interests, should it?" Xiao Bai shook her head. "We Yierheirezi people adhere to natural cycles.

If a person’s lifespan exceeds one thousand years, it's considered illegal. In reality, with our level of technology, extending life three or four times over wouldn't be an issue." Regarding their religious beliefs, though I felt skeptical, I didn't press the matter and remained silent.

Then Xiao Bai asked me, "Are you suggesting that what lies in this coffin is a cryogenically frozen person?" I replied, "It's just speculation, as we haven't opened it. I'm deducing the most probable outcome.

But I must admit, this device is clearly for air exchange. I can't think of anything else that would require oxygen." Xiao Bai mused, "If it truly is a frozen person, what level of technology was required to create such an advanced mechanism in this coffin?

And where did the theory behind cryonics originate?" I considered this. "If we assume the tomb owner is the one we've been suspecting, then crafting such a coffin isn't surprising.

He understood parts of the biological evolutionary chain that are missing even to us. Despite being an ancient individual, his knowledge base surpasses modern technology." Xiao Bai nodded.

"I never would have guessed he’d place the sarcophagus in a fissure. Perhaps it was a tactic because tomb robbers in your world are so rampant." Hearing that, I felt a flush of shame.

"Ah, the actions of transcendent masters are often inscrutable. We haven't found an entry point yet; we need to open the coffin first." We both stared intently at the retracting nipples.

After a while, I asked Xiao Bai, "Do you think we need to turn into insects and slip inside when these things pop out?" Xiao Bai froze for a moment. "Insects!

Wait, insects!" I looked at her in surprise. "What is it?

Do you actually have a way to turn us into insects?" Xiao Bai shook her head. "Of course not.

I just remembered there's a type of insect in the Flora Vault that could help us survey confined spaces." I paused, asking, "Are you talking about micro-camera robots?" Xiao Bai bit her lower lip. "I told you, the species in the Flora Vault are extremely rare.

Some plants and insects have functions you couldn't possibly imagine." I nodded, feeling a surge of curiosity. "So, how do we acquire these insects?

Do we need to lure them out with noodles again?" Xiao Bai shook her head. "These particular insects have highly developed eyesight, making them susceptible to light, especially yellow light." I nodded in understanding.

"It seems your planet's insects are much like ours; they seem to have a particular fondness for yellow light." Xiao Bai ignored my comment and said instead, "Think fast and figure out how to generate yellow light now!" I racked my brain. Everything that could emit light had been used up.

To produce yellow light, we'd have to start a fire, but we had no tools for that, nor any firewood nearby. After agonizing over it, I suddenly recalled the two signal flares in the box.

These flares were meant for communication with Team Two, but we had no other choice; we’d have to use one. Actually, most signal flares emit white light, with red being less common.

Only military signal flares, used to convey specific messages through launch coding, come in yellow, green, and blue. Fortunately, the equipment of the Ninth Unit was quite advanced; one of my stun grenades produced yellow light.

So, I opened the box, took out that yellow flashbang, and loaded it. I should explain here why my briefcase hadn't been lost despite everything we’d gone through.

It was secured to my waist by a tactical strap. It looked clumsy, but as long as the strap held, the box wouldn't be lost.

This case held much useful optical equipment we hadn't needed yet, such as the two freeze-grenades launched by crossbow bolts—vital gear for capturing the Emissary alive. "The Emissary!" That's right, I just realized we hadn't encountered the Emissary on this trip.

The two monsters here—one a snake spirit, the other a giant toad—showed no sign of the Emissary. Could it be...

A sense of foreboding struck me, and I muttered to myself, "Could the one inside this coffin be the Emissary we were sent to find?" As I thought this, I felt it was unlikely. I recalled the creature in the tomb chamber, something resembling a black toad—that might be the true Emissary.

Unable to guess, we had to open the coffin first. The flashbang was loaded.

I asked Xiao Bai, "Where should I aim?" Xiao Bai said, "Don't aim too high. Just shoot it at the ground." I understood and fired a shot towards the dense undergrowth ahead.

A sharp hiss sounded, and a brilliant yellow light illuminated the surroundings. The flash from the grenade generated intense heat, causing a plume of smoke to rise from the patch of grass.

Then, the yellow light intensified, dazzling our eyes. A flashbang typically lasts about 20 seconds, with peak brightness capable of causing temporary blindness.

So, we couldn't look directly; we shielded our eyes briefly, only opening them after the initial glare subsided. When we looked again, the flashbang had started a small, localized fire in the grass.

Around the flames, a swarm of large-eyed insects, resembling beetles, were stunned by the light, writhing on the ground. Xiao Bai told me, "There they are!

Quickly, use a bottle to collect them." I understood, pulled out a vitamin bottle from my box, emptied the pills, and began collecting the stunned insects. After collecting about five or six, Xiao Bai said that was enough.

I sealed the bottle and asked Xiao Bai, "What's next?" Xiao Bai replied, "Good. Once they wake up, start eating!" My face turned slightly green.

"What! Why do we have to eat again?!"