BPIFC -Volume 1 – Chapter 37 Morally Deficient

Ximen Lian had prepared himself for all kinds of possibilities.

The one thing he had not anticipated was countless stones erupting from the ground like a fountain.

The speed was astonishing.

In the blink of an eye, the surging rocks had reached his feet.

Caught off guard, Ximen lost his footing and fell. Before he could get back up, the torrent of stones pouring out from below completely buried him.

Che Qianzi was stunned by the scene.

Originally, he had thought that catching the fake Xiong Wanyi would be enough. He had never imagined such a bizarre development.

How was the ground suddenly spewing rocks?

Although he had fought with Ximen Lian before, he couldn’t just stand by and watch the man get buried alive.

He immediately rushed forward to help.

But Sun Desheng grabbed him.

“Want to get buried together with him? Wait!”

As Sun spoke, the flood of rocks had already reached their position.

Dragging Che Qianzi along, he retreated rapidly.

Had he reacted even a little slower, the two of them would have suffered the same fate as Ximen.

Fortunately, the stone eruption eventually stopped.

After two or three minutes, the ground ceased disgorging rocks.

Only then did Sun pull Che Qianzi forward.

The two began frantically digging through the pile where Ximen had disappeared.

Neither cared about injuries.

Using their bare hands, they overturned stone after stone.

At last, they found the unconscious Ximen Lian beneath the rubble.

Sun quickly checked his injuries.

Ximen had suffered multiple fractures throughout his body.

Bruises covered him from head to toe, and sharp stones had left numerous cuts and lacerations.

Fortunately, they were mostly external injuries.

Nothing appeared life-threatening.

With a few months of recovery, he should be completely healed.

Only then did Sun finally relax.

“Thank goodness. Big Official’s okay.”

He shook his head and laughed bitterly.

“Who would’ve thought? I’ve been out of field work for years. The first time I show my face, I run into something this huge.”

“Brother, your luck is incredible.”

“Not that I’m bragging, but most people spend their whole lives wishing for a case this big and never get one.”

“You walk out the door and stumble right into it.”

“When we get back, I’ll have someone calculate your fortune. Let’s see what element you’re missing in your Five Elements.”

Che Qianzi snorted.

“Who got their brain caught in a door and actually wants this kind of luck?”

“If anyone needs a fortune reading, it’s you.”

“Maybe you’re missing virtue in your Five Elements.”

As he spoke, he suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.

The pain finally hit him.

While digging Ximen out, all ten of his fingers had been scraped raw and were now covered in blood.

Earlier, his focus had been entirely on the rescue.

Now that Ximen was safe, the pain came rushing back.

Every finger felt as though it were connected directly to his heart.

Sun’s hands weren’t much better.

Enduring the pain, he searched through Ximen’s belongings.

Eventually, he found a roll of medical bandages.

He used it to wrap Che Qianzi’s injured hands first.

By the time he finished, almost nothing remained of the bandage roll.

Despite his rebellious personality, Che Qianzi knew how to appreciate kindness.

Looking at Sun’s forced smile, he said:

“Let me search again. Ximen should have more bandages.”

“People usually carry spares. There should be two or three more rolls somewhere.”

They searched every pocket.

Nothing.

Not a single inch of bandage remained.

Sun simply laughed.

“Brother, I’m fine.”

“This is nothing.”

“When Shen La and I worked field missions together, there were plenty of times we survived with only a single breath left.”

“Now I’ve just scraped my skin a little.”

“It won’t stop me from working.”

“Come on, give me a hand.”

“I need to carry Big Official. Let’s get him back to the surface first.”

Although he said that, he made no move to lift Ximen himself.

Che Qianzi naturally couldn’t allow Sun to do it.

He immediately hoisted Ximen onto his back.

The two prepared to retrace their route to the surface.

Just then, Sun suddenly stopped.

“Huh?”

He walked over to a nearby pile of rocks.

After moving several stones aside, a bluish arm emerged from beneath the rubble.

There was another person buried inside.

Sun’s heart leapt into his throat.

Could it be Xiong Wanyi?

The two of them insulted each other whenever they met, but that didn’t mean he wanted to see Xiong die.

Che Qianzi lowered Ximen to the ground and hurried over.

Together they cleared away the rocks.

When the face finally became visible, both men breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn’t Xiong Wanyi.

The body was completely naked.

Perhaps the rolling stones had torn away all the clothing.

The man was obviously dead.

He lay on his back among the rubble.

His face had been smashed so badly by the rocks that it was no longer recognizable.

However, judging from his build and hairstyle, he was noticeably thinner than Xiong.

“Good thing it’s not Old Xiong.”

“Fatty, we were overthinking things.”

“He only went ahead by a few minutes. No way he’d already be buried under a pile of rocks…”

Che Qianzi suddenly noticed Sun shining his flashlight all around.

“What are you doing? Looking for something?”

Only then did he realize that several other corpses were scattered among the rubble.

Some had half their bodies exposed.

Others showed only an arm or a leg.

Severed limbs were strewn everywhere.

Earlier, both of them had been focused entirely on rescuing Ximen.

Combined with the darkness, neither had noticed the bodies.

Now, realizing that all these corpses had been lying nearby the entire time, a cold chill ran down Che Qianzi’s spine.

Sun searched carefully.

Eventually he found a leather backpack buried among the rocks.

The bag had been shredded and full of holes, but inside he recovered an identification card with a photograph.

The card read:

Zhao Lianyu Exploration Division, Geological Survey Bureau

Sun sighed.

“These are the missing survey team members.”

He pocketed the identification card.

Then he slowly surveyed the entire underground plaza.

“It wasn’t a mine collapse.”

“They triggered a mechanism.”

“This looks like the kind of trap designed for ancient tombs.”

Che Qianzi frowned.

“You’re saying this is a tomb?”

He swept his flashlight around.

“I’ve never actually seen an ancient tomb before, but I’ve heard enough stories.”

“My old man said tombs are man-made.”

“They’re full of gold, silver, and burial treasures.”

“Does any part of this place look like that?”

Sun walked over beside him.

“There are countless tombs in the world.”

“If there are man-made tombs, then there are naturally formed ones too.”

“There were cultivators who sought out caves filled with spiritual energy.”

“They practiced methods of ascension there.”

“If they succeeded, they became immortals.”

“If they failed, the cave became their grave.”

“Before death, they would store their treasures and cultivation manuals inside.”

“Some tomb robbers specifically target immortal tombs.”

“Besides money, they might even find immortal techniques.”

Although Sun wasn’t truly an expert in Bureau operations, he had served as Director for many years.

He still knew quite a bit.

Looking at Che Qianzi’s half-understanding expression, he continued: “At least now we know where these survey team members ended up.”

“Let’s get Big Official back first.”

“Then we’ll figure out how to bring these remains to the surface—”

Before he could finish, a tremendous explosion echoed from the direction of the exit.

RUMBLE!

The sound shook the entire cavern.

The passage leading out suddenly collapsed.

Huge boulders rained down from above, completely sealing the only exit.

Sun stared at the blocked tunnel and laughed bitterly.

“First rocks erupting from underground.”

“Now this.”

He turned toward Che Qianzi.

“Brother, it looks like we might not live together…”

“But we can die together.”

“Not that I’m bragging, but I was only being polite before.”

“Who knew Heaven would take me seriously?”

Che Qianzi instantly became nervous.

“I’m only seventeen!”

“Why should I die together with an old half-retired guy like you?”

Carrying Ximen on his back, he stepped closer.

“The Second Division people will be here soon. They’ll—”

Before he could finish speaking, a strange grinding sound suddenly came from both sides of the collapsed passage.

Creak… creak… grind…

Apparently, the collapse had triggered another mechanism.

The cave walls on either side began slowly sinking downward.

Then, as the stone walls descended completely—two pitch-black openings appeared before them.

Like the mouths of giant beasts waiting in the darkness.