Soon, a stone door appeared before me. I tried pushing it twice, only to find it wouldn't budge.
Just as I was at a loss, I noticed a very small opening nearby, about fifty to sixty centimeters high.
I didn't know what this hole was for and was about to investigate when I heard a leisurely "tap, tap" sound from behind me.
Hearing this, the flashlight in my hand immediately slipped to the ground.
With a "snap," the surroundings plunged back into darkness, the flashlight seemingly broken.
Listening to the sound behind me getting closer, I gritted my teeth and squeezed into the small hole!
It would have been better not to have gone in, but once I did, it felt like I was crawling through a dog hole.
However, strangely, the further I went inside, the larger the space became, until I could even crouch and walk in a duck-like fashion.
I moved forward slowly, my hand feeling the ground ahead.
But then, I suddenly felt something soft and cool. After feeling it carefully, I realized it was a hand!
Already terrified, touching a hand now made all the hairs on my body stand on end. I didn't even have the courage to pull my hand back!
Countless thoughts flashed through my mind. Just as I was about to reach for my dagger, deciding to strike first no matter what, I realized the hand was trembling.
I squeezed it gently, and it was a living person's hand!
I was about to ask who it was when I heard a breath accompanied by a hint of a sob.
Even without seeing the person's face, I could be almost certain that the person before me was Bai Hanyan!
Why had this woman come here?
I initially thought of playing a trick on her, but considering the darkness, if I scared her and something happened, the Bai family would come after me, which would be terrible.
"Why are you here?" I whispered.
Bai Hanyan seemed to recognize my voice. After a moment's pause, she suddenly lunged at me and threw her arms around me.
In the cramped space, her momentum made me sit down abruptly, and I fell backward, lying flat on the ground.
She then pressed down on me, her arms around my neck, her head resting on my chest.
Before long, I felt my chest getting hot and wet, clearly from her tears.
Frankly, this position was rather awkward, but I couldn't push her away.
I put my arms around her and patted her back, saying, "It's alright... you can get up now."
As if she had vented her fear, Bai Hanyan slowly got up from me, not saying a word.
I asked her if she had a flashlight. After fumbling around, she handed me a miner's lamp.
I hesitated for a moment before turning it on, finally seeing my surroundings clearly.
This hole was man-made, likely a tomb robber's tunnel.
The marks on the walls were clean and neat.
"Why did you come here?" I asked.
Bai Hanyan pursed her lips, looking as pathetic as could be. "Just now, outside, I wanted to find a place to relieve myself... But who knew, after I entered that passage, I encountered something... That thing kept chasing me. I kept running until I ended up here..."
This woman is really careless. You go into an ancient tomb to relieve yourself?
If I were a zombie, I'd chase you too.
Of course, whether the thing chasing her was a zombie remained to be verified.
"Why didn't you call us?" I asked.
"I did..."
You did?
I recalled the faint cries I had heard earlier in the front chamber. Could they have been from her?
It was quite possible.
"What do we do now?" Bai Hanyan asked me.
At this moment, her attitude towards me was incredibly gentle. With her speaking so kindly to me, I couldn't stay angry.
"Let's go further inside and see if this tunnel leads out," I suggested.
Bai Hanyan nodded, but she showed no intention of moving forward.
I looked at her with confusion, asking what was wrong.
She then said, "Still... you go first..."
I shook my head helplessly and began to move past her. However, the hole was too narrow, and I had to squeeze past her, almost brushing against her.
Along the way, we almost had a "dragonfly kissing water" moment, but thankfully I turned my head at the last second to avoid it.
Otherwise, I would have lost out big time!
I didn't want my first kiss to be lost so casually and indistinctly.
Besides, this woman wasn't my type. Giving my first kiss to her would make me regret it forever.
After moving to the front, I began to crawl forward, holding the miner's lamp.
After a while, I finally crawled out of the narrow hole.
As soon as I emerged, before I could breathe a sigh of relief, the flashlight illuminated a dark figure standing straight not far away!
I inwardly cursed: Not good!
Instinctively, I drew my dagger!
It's truly a case of zombies behind me and a ghoul in front!
"Xiang Fei?"
A very familiar voice came from not far away. Hearing it, my heart instantly filled with joy!
It was that kid Wang Yang!
"Wang Yang?" I called out and shone the miner's lamp again, confirming it was him.
But his face didn't show the same smile as mine. Instead, he looked a bit... how should I put it?
A bit anxious!
Before I could figure out what was happening, he rushed towards me, holding something in his hand.
Looking closely, I realized he was holding a brick.
What was this guy trying to do?
Before I could think further, he raised the brick and smashed it towards my back.
I was completely bewildered by his actions.
With a "squeak," something sounded behind me.
I turned my miner's lamp back to look. Something had fallen to the ground. As the light moved, it turned out to be a rat as big as a cat!
This was the largest rat I had ever seen. Its eyes glowed red, and its two fangs were exposed. It was clearly no ordinary creature!
"What are you staring at! Run!" Wang Yang shouted.
I spun around and roughly grabbed Bai Hanyan, who had just emerged from the hole, pulling her and running forward.
The rat was clearly hit hard by the brick and didn't pursue for a while.
I didn't have time to ask Wang Yang how he got here. I looked up and realized Wang Yang, who had been running ahead, had disappeared.
Looking closer, there was only a wall about four to five meters in front of me!
Where did he go?
I instantly felt my brain struggling to keep up. The guy was right in front of me moments ago, how could he have vanished in the blink of an eye?
The "squeak, squeak" sound echoed again, and there were more of them.
I looked back and saw many small red lights in the darkness!
I instinctively swallowed, pressing myself against the wall. Just as I thought I was about to be devoured by rats, the wall behind me suddenly caved in, and I fell backward...