"Cloud Peak, find a good spot to pile it up for now, don't just dump it on someone else's land foolishly."

"Don't worry, Second Brother, I know what I'm doing."

The amount of pale earth wasn't much. I took out seven or eight small bags from my backpack, carefully portioned the soil, and stacked them together.

"Huh?"

At that moment, Second Elder Sun, who was in the pit, suddenly stopped his Tornado Shovel.

"What's wrong, Old Two?" Eye Leader called down from above.

"Look at this," he said, grabbing a handful of earth, "the deeper we go, the wetter it gets. This isn't a good sign; there might be water accumulated further down."

King Leader frowned. "A water pit? We can't be that unlucky... Dig down another twenty centimeters and see."

Second Elder Sun nodded and resumed digging.

"Second Brother, we can't go any deeper! This is the Tomb Passage, and there's definitely water below!" Third Elder Sun shouted anxiously.

"If the Tomb Passage is filled with water, even if we manage to break through, the Thief's Hole will be soaked! We won't be able to maintain it!"

Unable to contain his frustration, Eye Leader swore, "Damn it, I didn't anticipate this. Old Two, Old Three, get up here. We're running out of time for the Water Touching Cave."

The Sun Family Brothers first hoisted the Tornado Shovel up, then stretched their legs and climbed out of the Thief's Hole.

"Boss, I'd bet my life that if we dig down another meter and a half, we'll definitely find the Consecration!"

Consecration referred to the Stone Tomb Top, the brick tomb ceiling from the Ming and Qing dynasties known as the vaulted top.

Second Elder Sun lit a cigarette. Looking at the Thief's Hole he had dug, he squinted and said, "Boss, we've come this far. Should we take the risk?"

"What do you mean, Old Two?"

He flicked his cigarette ash and said coolly, "Call A Mole to bring over the compressed water pump and the small generator."

King Leader immediately shook his head, "Pump out the water? That's too risky. It's not raining this season, and judging by the temperature around Shunde, the pit will definitely not freeze. If we can't pump out the water in two hours and daylight comes, we're all done for. All our efforts will be in vain."

"Second Brother, I agree with the Boss. It's certain there's water in the Tomb Passage. If there's too much, a single pump won't do the job," Third Elder Sun said with a frown, voicing his concerns.

"So what the hell do we do? It's like a fat piece of meat that we can touch but can't eat!"

King Leader stroked his chin and pondered for a moment before suddenly turning to ask me, "Cloud Peak, what do you think? Should we pack up and head down the mountain or keep going?"

Both brothers turned their heads to look at me.

"Huh?"

I was squatting on the ground sorting through the soil, not expecting him to suddenly ask for my opinion.

After thinking it over, I just said one sentence.

"Boss, I need to make money."

"Brilliant!" Second Elder Sun laughed heartily, "Fortune favors the bold, and the timid starve. Boss, if this kid isn't scared, what are we afraid of?"

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

As the red light on the walkie-talkie lit up, Eye Leader immediately commanded, "Contact A Mole and have her deliver the goods within an hour. A minute late, and she'll lose a percentage point when we divvy up the proceeds."

Speed is of the essence in warfare.

This was my first glimpse at the Logistics Department's organizational prowess. In less than an hour, a water pump and a compact generator were promptly delivered to our location.

With the arrival of the water pump, Second Elder Sun rolled up his pant legs and, shovel in hand, descended into the Thief's Hole. Soon after, clumps of increasingly damp earth were being tossed up from below.

After several minutes, a shout erupted from the pit below.

"Holy shit! It's flooding!"

No sooner had he surfaced than the accumulated water had already submerged much of the Thief's Hole.

Once the generator and hoses were connected, King Leader unceremoniously dumped the water pump into the Thief's Hole.

Below there was the gurgling sound of rising water, while above, the relentless pumping and drainage continued.

We were fortunate at that moment; the water began to recede after a brief spell of pumping, and the newly dug Thief's Hole did not collapse.

After retrieving the water pump, Eye Leader instructed, "Second, use the Drop Needle to break through the Consecration!"

The "Needle" is a specially crafted pointed tool used in tomb raiding, its tip made of diamond, designed to pierce through the Consecration with formidable force.

The sound of chiseling stone echoed from the depths of the Thief's Hole.

Then came Second Elder Sun's voice, "Got it! It's through!"

A smile spread across Eye Leader's face. Glancing at the time, he said, "The pumping has set us back a bit. Cloud Peak, you go down too. An extra person means an extra pair of hands. Let's hurry and take as much as we can."

I hesitated for a moment before asking, "But what about ventilation? What if there's no air left down there?"

Eye Leader chuckled, "Ah, Cloud Peak, think about it. If the tomb were well-sealed, could it have filled with so much water?"

"Don't worry, the air circulation down there is fine."

With that, I donned a headlamp and, for the first time in my life, descended into the Thief's Hole.

Second Elder Sun had smashed a large hole through the Consecration. Clinging to the sides of the Thief's Hole, I carefully lowered myself down.

The Consecration was still two to three meters above the Tomb Passage. Seeing the height, I felt a sudden fear and hesitated to jump.

There was still some water in the Tomb Passage, deep enough to submerge one's calves. The Sun Brothers stood in it.

"Jump, Cloud Peak, it's not that high! We'll help you back up later!" Second Elder Sun shouted up at me, his headlamp illuminating his face.

In that moment, I silently prayed for divine protection and leapt down, only to land unsteadily and face-plant into the muck, swallowing a mouthful of stagnant water from the Tomb Passage.

"Cloud Peak, you really need to work on that," chuckled Second Elder Sun, helping me to my feet. "Look at those scrawny arms and legs of yours. You alright?"

The Tomb Passage we were in formed a cross, and we were at its center. To the left and right ahead, the path twisted towards the East-West Ear Chambers, while straight ahead lay the Main Tomb Chamber.

Second Elder Sun, with a smirk, said, "We're in luck; the Tomb Passage hasn't collapsed. Judging by the standards, this is from the early to middle Western Zhou period, the era of the Vassal Lords. With such a rank, there's bound to be a Door Sealing Stone in the Main Tomb Chamber ahead. If it had collapsed, we wouldn't have to exert ourselves. But even if the Door Sealing Stone is intact, it's no issue. Third Elder Sun has quite the knack for dealing with such things."

"Isn't that right, Third Brother?"

"You flatter me, Second Brother," replied Third Elder Sun, peering into the darkness ahead. "For a sealing stone under three tons, as long as there's no natural stone bracing it from within, I can manage to get it open."

Our plan was to first check out the Main Tomb Chamber and then the East-West Ear Chambers.

We waded through the water, moving forward.

Just then, something red floated towards us on the surface of the water.

"What... what's this?" Third Elder Sun fished it out.

Unfolding it, we were stunned to find that it was a modern, pink towel with a brand trademark, which had apparently been washed down from the Main Tomb Chamber.

The sight of the towel turned the Sun Family Brothers' faces grim.

Looking up, Third Elder Sun's headlamp illuminated the consecration area.

It was clear to see that in the northwest corner of the consecration, there was a small hole drilled straight through, and the surrounding stone was cracked, a dense network of fractures.

"Damn it!" Second Elder Sun cursed, tossing the towel aside.

Pointing to the small hole in the consecration, he spat out angrily, "This is the work of an impact drill, they placed explosives inside. Those bastards didn't have a Vajra Needle and wanted to blast their way through the consecration! This towel was used to plug the hole to muffle the blast!"

"This Western Zhou tomb has been tampered with!"

"It must have been that gang from the south, after all our hard work!"

"We've been left with nothing but scraps!" (To be continued)

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