Tomb Raider: Call Me Dragon Vein Cleaner

Chapter 18 Underground Passage

Regarding the question of whether or not to explore the cave, no one readily reached a conclusion.

Yang Xueli was inclined to explore further, if this really was Prince Gu Mo's secret passage.

That would take you directly to the ancient city of Jingjue, a place you might not be able to find in the desert.

"Everyone, please listen to me."

Seeing that no one could make a decision, Cheng Feng immediately spoke up.

"This Taklamakan Desert, the world's second largest shifting sand desert, has seen thousands of years pass."

Even if it truly is a secret passage, it's hard to say there won't be any unforeseen events; one can imagine that the possibility of encountering danger along the way is extremely high.

At this point, Cheng Feng took out a map.

"What is certain is that the route on this map is an underground river under the desert, and it is not impossible for the underground river to change its course."

Cheng Feng's words calmed Yang Xueli down, and after a moment's thought, she added:

“Xiao Feng’s words make sense. How about this, we send a few people down to check the situation first, and then decide whether or not to take this secret passage.”

Hu Bayi nodded: "I think we should scout ahead first. How about this, Fatty, Brother Cheng, and I will go down and check out the situation."

The others were outside to provide backup.

"Let Fatty provide backup; I'll go down with you."

Yang Xueli spoke firmly, as she usually gave Hu Bayi, the team leader, face.

But it was she who suggested going down to investigate, and nobody knows whether there will be any danger inside.

So, as the one who made the proposal, she felt she couldn't stay on top and let others take the risks.

“Miss Yang, you are the boss, why do you have to take this risk with us?”

Hu Bayi offered some words of advice.

Yang Xueli: "There's no boss here, only members of the archaeological team. Enough said, get ready!"

After saying that, Yang Xueli jumped into the coffin decisively, demonstrating her determination through her actions.

Cheng Feng had no objection to Hu Bayi's decision; he just felt that caution was necessary, not that he was afraid of taking risks.

Before setting off, Professor Chen gave him another round of instructions, saying that everything should be done with the priority of saving lives, and that he should be careful and not act impulsively.

After agreeing, the three of them stepped into the coffin and shone their flashlights into the cave.

Looking down from the hole Cheng Feng broke open, it was about three meters high, with a flat ground below.

Hu Bayi put away his flashlight, threw his backpack down, and then leaped down, bracing himself with one hand.

After landing, he did a tactical roll to dissipate the impact, stood up, turned on his flashlight, looked to the left and right, and gave a thumbs up.

"Old Hu is indeed a veteran; his tactical maneuvers are spot on!"

As he spoke, Cheng Feng smiled at Yang Xueli, then lightly leaped into the cave.

With just a slight bend of the knees, he stood firmly inside the cave.

Then she looked up and opened her arms, saying, "Sister Lin, come down quickly, I'll catch you!"

Hu Bayi smiled and said, "So you're just waiting for a fairy to fall from the sky?"

Miss Yang rolled her eyes, didn't bother arguing with Cheng Feng, and jumped down.

Cheng Feng gave her a tight hug.

He bounced her up and down a bit, and Cheng Feng said with a smile, "Lin Daiyu has a nice figure, not too light and not too heavy, just right."

Yang Xueli blinked her big eyes and looked at Cheng Feng, then rolled over and landed on the ground.

"Don't waste time, let's go!"

He then took out a flashlight and shone it on the cave ahead, whose destination was unknown.

Hu Bayi glanced at the two with a half-smile. He had seen them whispering to each other many times along the way.

I felt in my heart that the two of them were somewhat inclined to develop a revolutionary friendship.

Thinking of helping others achieve their goals, he suggested:

"I'll go ahead and scout the way, Miss Yang will stay in the middle, and Brother Cheng, with his skills, will provide support from behind. How does that sound?"

Cheng Feng: "I'm fine."

Shirley Yang: "That's fine."

Inside the secret passage, two light sources illuminate the front and back, and the three people, standing half a meter apart, explore forward.

The secret passages vary in width; in some places, two people can walk side by side, while in others, one can only pass sideways.

The height varies; in high places, Yao Ming can do the high jump, while in low places, Guo Jingming has to bow his head.

Cheng Feng said he prefers lower roads because the scenery is better in the front.

After walking for a while, Hu Bayi in front stopped.

There was a fork in the road ahead, splitting into left and right paths. The passage on the left was very low, about the size of a dog hole, and you had to crawl through it.

The one on the right is better, but the walls inside are uneven with protruding stones, and the floor is also uneven.

The road underfoot was previously smooth, but some sections showed signs of human intervention.

But this intersection shows no signs of human intervention; it is a naturally formed karst cave.

"We now have two paths before us, neither of which seem easy to take. Do you have any suggestions?"

Hu Bayi turned around, turned off the flashlight, and asked.

"I suggest taking the left-hand path."

The two looked at Cheng Feng, who was holding a sheepskin map and shining a flashlight at the low opening on the left.

"That's how it's indicated on the map. Instead of guessing, why not try following the map?"

As he spoke, Cheng Feng handed the map to Yang Xueli.

Shirley took the map, looked at it, and then handed it to Hu Bayi in front of her.

"If we compare the distances we've traveled with the intersections on the map, the journey to our destination is probably more than 30 kilometers."

Hu Bayi took the map, glanced at it a few times, did some mental calculations, and then frowned and said.

Yang Xueli: "Let's walk a little further and verify the accuracy of the map."

Hearing Yang Xueli say this, Hu Bayi looked at Cheng Feng again.

Cheng Feng gave an OK sign to indicate that he had no objections.

Seeing that both teammates agreed, Hu Bayi put away the map and said:

"Then let's continue. I'll go first, Brother Cheng will go second, and Miss Yang will coordinate from the middle."

After saying that, Hu Bayi walked to the low entrance of the cave, bent down and crawled inside.

As Yang Xueli was about to leave, Cheng Feng leaned closer and whispered:

"If you have any embarrassing issues later, remember to remind me. I'll stay away so you can take care of it secretly, okay?"

Yang Xueli glanced at Cheng Feng, then delivered a precise and ruthless elbow strike to Cheng Feng's ribs before setting off to follow Hu Bayi.

Cheng Feng rubbed his ribs and followed with a smile.

The three crawled slowly through the dark cave, because the ground was uneven, with high and low points.

It's easy to bump your knee if you're not careful, and Cheng Feng, who was following at the back, heard more than ten gasps of surprise.

After climbing over a low section of road that was about thirty meters long, we heard the rushing sound of flowing water ahead.

"It seems we've reached an underground river."

Hu Bayi, who was in front, vaguely saw a reflection and said to the two people behind him.

Yang Xueli: "Walk forward a bit and see if there's anywhere to put your feet down."

After walking and climbing for another ten meters or so, Yang Xueli, who was in front of Cheng Feng, crawled out of the low cave, and Cheng Feng followed closely behind.

The three of them were standing on a small flat area, with an underground river more than ten meters wide in front of them.

There is no end in sight, nor is there a beginning.

"Look, there's something there."