The crowd behind them only managed to slip into the passage just in time to catch a glimpse of a massive, coiled scorpion. Before they could even let out a cry, the floodwaters at their backs surged, pushing them deep into the murky depths. After being carried along by the torrent for a considerable distance, however, they looked on in despair.

There was absolutely nothing before them—only an impossibly thick, solid wall.

Silence descended upon everyone for a moment.

Zheng Zha, however, knew that behind this wall lay the grand hall where the tomb entrance was supposed to be. According to the plot, Eve’s son was supposed to have accidentally knocked down one of the hall’s pillars, thus smashing through this very wall. But now, the plot had utterly deviated; Eve’s son hadn't even been born yet.

Therefore, they would have to find another way.

Without a second thought, he retrieved the Spear of Judgment once more. To wield such a powerful artifact twice in such a short span of time—setting aside everything else—

his vampiric energy and internal Nei Li were already considerably depleted. But there was no alternative. Seeing the wall rushing ever closer, he gritted his teeth and began relentlessly forcing the vampiric energy and Nei Li within his body, pouring both reserves into the Spear of Judgment with desperate intensity. By the time they were less than ten meters from the barrier, Zheng Zha just managed to throw the spear with fierce force.

Instantly, a flash of golden light erupted.

A circular hole, over two meters wide, tore open in the distant wall. The floodwaters immediately ejected everyone through the opening, slamming them onto the ground below.

The water surged out of the hole for a while before finally subsiding, presumably because the sluice gate on the other side had re-sealed itself. Everyone lay sprawled on the ground, motionless. No one dared to move or check their surroundings; they endured the filth of the ground completely, for they had utterly expended the energy to speak, even to twitch a muscle. The feeling of surviving such a narrow escape was infinitely more potent than winning the lottery ten times over—at the very least, one would offer thanks to the heavens.

The bearded man in black also lay still until he idly swatted away a passing scorpion. It was then he inadvertently noticed that one of Zheng Zha’s arms, thick as a water bucket, had turned completely black. Zheng Zha was struggling to pull a space pouch from his chest with his right hand. The black-clad man scrambled up, rushed to Zheng Zha's side, snatched the space pouch from his grasp, and then stood back as Zheng Zha managed to retrieve a syringe. He brutally plunged the needle into his arm—the one as thick as a bucket—and only let out a deep sigh of relief once the entire dose of serum had been injected.

“Damn it, what terrible luck. A scorpion ambushed me right as we entered the passage. This arm was stung instantly. If I hadn't brought the antidote, I wouldn't even know how I died,” Zheng Zha muttered with intense relief.

As he spoke, the swelling in his arm began to recede. A torrent of black blood erupted from the puncture wound near his shoulder. The black-clad man reacted swiftly, drawing a dagger and making several deliberate gashes around his shoulder to let the toxic fluid drain out.

It was impossible to say how much blood flowed, but a massive pool of inky blackness stained the ground. Zheng Zha’s arm shrunk from its swollen girth back to normal size, though the entire limb was now a vivid, angry red, as if scalded by boiling water.

“What a vicious poison. It’s fortunate I was the one stung; even with my physical condition, I needed the antidote to fight it off,” Zheng Zha sighed. Meanwhile, the others had managed to sit up from the ground. Jonathan rubbed his soaked clothes. “This adventure was pointless. Previous ones at least yielded some good loot. This time, I got nothing but water.”

Zheng Shi chuckled. “Who says we got nothing good? The Bracelet of the Death God is a great thing. Although you might not understand now, if you obtain the Scorpion King’s treasure, you can acquire an immensely large diamond there. That diamond’s value is absolutely far more precious than any gold, hahaha!” Jonathan immediately perked up, exclaiming excitedly, “A diamond? How big a diamond? As big as a small pigeon’s egg? No, perhaps too big. Then, as big as a pinky tip?” Zheng Zha gestured with his hand: “As big as a soccer ball, perhaps even bigger! Hahaha, it’s the world’s only colossal diamond!” Jonathan immediately deflated. “Are you making fun of me? Even if you beat me to death, such a huge diamond couldn’t possibly exist. Maybe in a legend, but do you think it could appear in the real world?” Zheng Zha smiled faintly. “My apologies, the tale of the Scorpion King is itself a legend. Having said that, let’s return to the airship first. If we linger here any longer, I’m going to throw up. Do you all enjoy this environment?” O’Connell lifted Eve up, laughing heartily. “Now you know the terrors of adventure, don’t you? See if you dare follow us blindly next time, understand? Once we return, you’ll stay in Hamunaptra and wait until we’re back from our next foray, understood?” As he spoke, he followed Zheng Zha toward the tomb exit.

Eve, however, gave a sly smile. “It’s because you go! I don’t want to stay here alone worrying about your safety, hee hee. We all made it through this dangerous situation unharmed. Future adventures just require more caution, and we should still be safe, right?”

Zheng Zha listened to their banter with a wry smile. Truthfully, he couldn’t guarantee that searching for the Scorpion King would be safe. What if the ‘Main God’ suddenly threw another unexpected curveball? Moreover, it sounded like whenever they went to resolve a side quest, the ‘Main God’ would ramp up the difficulty to its absolute maximum. If that were the case, resolving the Scorpion King’s treasure hunt would certainly be at the highest difficulty setting. Could he manage it alone? Thinking about it, even finding the Bracelet of the Death God initially was an earth-shattering struggle. Now, to resolve the plotline from The Mummy Returns early, with the difficulty maxed out, and without any partners to help—O’Connell and the others might be formidable to ordinary people, but to the Reincarnation Squad, they were essentially rookies. And he only had 0 days left on his life clock. It was a chain reaction: once he started searching for the Bracelet of the Death God, he had to complete the quest within 10 minutes, and then, within 0 days, he had to kill the Scorpion King. He had absolutely no room for regret. Was this what his clone had experienced? No wonder he had become so powerful.

Only after everyone was safely back aboard the airship did Zheng Zha seriously address the group. “Everyone, I will undertake the quest to find the Scorpion King alone. That place is obviously too dangerous. I cannot risk you all going. This incident shows that following me turns a smooth path into a rugged one, and a slightly rugged path into a perilous one. My strength is far greater than yours. If even I perish there, you certainly won't return alive. Therefore, I will bear the burden of finding the Scorpion King by myself.”

Everyone froze. The bearded man in black was the first to speak. “That won’t do. Even if it weren’t for assisting you, I must face the Scorpion King alongside you. Because if your challenge fails, I must rush back to inform my kinsmen of your failure, and then use our collective strength to handle the eradication of the Scorpion King. Though it will be fraught with immense difficulty, I absolutely must accompany you in this search.”

Zheng Zha looked at the black-clad man with gratitude. He knew the man’s words were partly true, but the reality was that he, as the clan chief, could easily delegate such tasks. The primary reason he insisted on going was to protect his comrades—that was the unspoken truth the black-clad man held back.

Jonathan hesitated before adding, “Damn it, I want to see a diamond the size of two soccer balls, regardless of the situation. In short, even if seeing it means instant death, I’m willing.”

“Excuse me, didn't I say a soccer ball size?” Zheng Zha waved his hand, though he was genuinely deeply moved.

O’Connell nodded firmly. “I already promised to help you, so don’t worry. I will accompany you to find the Scorpion King’s treasure and return with you!” Eve tried to speak, but O’Connell shot her a severe look. After a moment’s thought, she slyly proposed, “How about this: I won't accompany you inside the Scorpion King’s pyramid, but you have to at least let me watch from outside. I’ll stay on the airship and monitor your movements. Please, just let me watch?”

Zheng Zha and Jonathan looked at O’Connell’s wavering expression, and simultaneously shook their heads, muttering three words in unison:

“Man code.”