Though I had heard Jiang Yongguang mention the dangers of the Tomb Raiders, it wasn't until that moment that I truly realized just how vicious and wicked they were!

They had no intention of leaving anyone alive, using their crossbows to carpet-bomb us!

If it weren't for the bronze artifacts providing cover, we probably would have been turned into porcupines!

Under the Tomb Raiders' suppressing fire, our group retreated steadily, gradually being forced into a corner of the tomb chamber.

At this point, the tall, thin leader and his brothers walked out of the tomb passage, crossbows in hand. I roughly counted, and there were more than ten of these Tomb Raiders! And, as expected, each one had a crossbow!

Seeing this formation, my heart sank!

Once they forced us into a corner, we would be doomed!

They outnumbered us, their weapons were superior, and we had no chance of winning!

At that moment, Uncle Mei was both anxious and resentful. He glared at Jiang Yongguang and asked, "Damn it, where are your guns? Don't you Xiaoling Guards even have guns?"

Jiang Yongguang frowned and said, "We never carry guns when we go underwater. First, if water gets into the barrel, it can easily explode. Second, the currents are too strong underwater, and the guns might get swept away... Losing a sidearm is a punishable offense!"

I later learned from Xiao Liang that losing a government-issued gun was a major offense, punishable by imprisonment, so these Xiaoling Guards didn't carry guns with them.

But in that situation, I couldn't help but complain that Jiang Yongguang and his men didn't have any decent weapons, forcing us to take a beating.

Watching the Tomb Raiders get closer and closer, I really thought we were done for.

At this moment, the tall, thin Tomb Raider leader sneered and once again offered us a condition:

"I'll give you one more chance. Hand over the Ancient Shu Jade Tablet, and I'll let you live. I'm a man of my word, and I won't go back on it!"

Jiang Yongguang was principled and resolutely refused, "Bah! A Tomb Raider's word is like a fart! Don't think you can trick us!"

Seeing that Jiang Yongguang refused to cooperate, the tall, thin man twisted his mouth arrogantly and said, "Hmph, you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Since you don't want to play nice, I'll kill you all! The Ancient Shu Jade Tablet will still be ours then."

Hearing this, Uncle Mei couldn't help but advise, "This Tomb Raider is right. Even if we don't hand over the jade tablet, they'll still get it after they kill us. Why not give them the jade tablet and save our brothers' lives!"

But Jiang Yongguang shook his head and said, "I don't trust Tomb Raiders! I don't believe they'll let us go!"

Uncle Mei said, "It's worth a try, isn't it!"

At this moment, one of the Xiaoling Guards responsible for keeping the Ancient Shu Jade Tablet was persuaded by Uncle Mei. He stepped forward, waving the precious artifact in his hand, and said to the tall, thin man, "Do you mean what you say? If I give you this jade tablet, will you really let us go?"

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Since we had reached the end of the road, we couldn't just die for nothing.

The tall, thin man grinned, "Of course, a gentleman's word is his bond!"

"Alright, deal!"

The Xiaoling Guard holding the jade tablet stepped forward, carefully handing the Ancient Shu Jade Tablet to the tall, thin man.

The tall, thin man took it with satisfaction, examining it in his hands as if it were a priceless treasure for a long time, and couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.

"Hahaha... it really is a rare treasure! No wonder it caught Master Gao's eye!"

As he spoke, he carefully hid the jade tablet in his chest, then suddenly raised his crossbow and fired a bolt at the Xiaoling Guard in front of him!

*Pfft!*

The sharp crossbow bolt accurately hit the Xiaoling Guard's throat, killing him instantly!

Jiang Yongguang's eyes were about to burst, and he shouted, "Shaoqiang!"

I witnessed the sacrifice of Xiaoling Guard Shaoqiang with my own eyes, and in an instant I was filled with anger and sadness!

Jiang Yongguang was right. Tomb Raiders were a bunch of insidious, treacherous, and unscrupulous beasts! Making a deal with them was like seeking skin from a tiger!

After killing and looting, the Tomb Raider was very pleased with himself. He held up his crossbow, and said with a sneer:

"You fools! Did you really think I'd let you go? Cut the weeds and eliminate the roots, or they'll grow back in the spring breeze! If I don't wipe you out, I won't be able to sleep soundly!"

The tall, thin man killed one of our men right in front of us, which was extremely arrogant. Jiang Yongguang was also enraged. He immediately grabbed a diving knife in one hand and raised a bronze artifact in the other, shouting through gritted teeth:

"Brothers, fight them! Even if we die here today, we'll take a few Tomb Raiders down with us!"

In an instant, the Xiaoling Guards roared and charged forward, attempting to engage the Tomb Raiders in close combat. But the Tomb Raiders were quite cunning. When they saw the Xiaoling Guards attacking, they immediately retreated, firing crossbow bolts as they retreated, using their range advantage to kite us.

Watching more and more Xiaoling Guards being wounded, the three of us—Uncle Mei, Xiao Liang, and I—were extremely anxious.

Xiao Liang said anxiously, "No, if this continues, the Xiaoling Guards will soon be wiped out!"

Uncle Mei observed the surroundings of the tomb chamber and whispered, "Is there a back door we can escape through?"

Just at this critical moment, I suddenly had a flash of inspiration and thought of an idea!

I looked back at the waterproof wall that had been breached by the university professor earlier, and the gap in the waterproof wall that had been blocked, and said:

"I've got it! We'll open the gap and let the groundwater in! Do you remember how Tu Xingsun ambushed us? We'll learn from his method and ambush those Tomb Raiders!"

Xiao Liang was quick-witted and understood immediately, and said:

"I understand! We're all wearing diving gear, so we're not afraid of being drowned! But these Tomb Raiders aren't. If the groundwater floods in, they'll all die!"

I nodded and said in a deep voice, "The Tomb Raiders might not be good swimmers. I'm no match for them on dry land, but in the water, I'm the Dragon King's son! I'll take them out one by one!"

After discussing it, the three of us started working immediately!

Xiao Liang and I rushed to the location of the gap and began to use our hands to pull away the broken bricks and stones blocking the gap.

Uncle Mei stood in front of us, using the broken pieces of bronze artifacts as shields to cover us and prevent us from being hit by crossbow bolts.

Soon the gap was opened, and a large amount of groundwater poured in.

Seeing that the time was right, I quickly shouted to the Xiaoling Guards:

"Put on your oxygen masks! The water's coming!"

Before the words were even out of my mouth, I kicked away a pile of rubble, and then the rushing groundwater surged out of the gap, sweeping through the entire tomb chamber in an instant!

I quickly put on my oxygen mask, allowing the current to push me forward, while keeping my eyes on the tall, thin man who had taken the Ancient Shu Jade Tablet, preparing to seize the opportunity to act!

The sudden surge of groundwater caught the Tomb Raiders off guard, and they immediately shouted, "Retreat! Retreat! The water's coming! The water's coming!"

But how could people outrun water? Underground, the currents were surging, and the turbulent groundwater filled the entire tomb chamber in the blink of an eye!

The Tomb Raiders who weren't wearing diving gear instantly suffered. One by one, they fell into the water, struggling helplessly. But I was like a dragon returning to the sea, swimming freely. I dived into the water and darted forward, silently approaching the tall, thin man from behind.

The tall, thin man didn't realize I was approaching at all, and was still struggling desperately to try to surface.

I recalled the scene of him cruelly shooting Shaoqiang earlier, and my blood surged. I hardened my heart, and underwater, I grabbed his ankle and yanked him down!

In this water, I was the crown prince of the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea!

I had the power of life and death, all in my hands!