The corpse worms that crawled out of the tomb chamber scrambled through the tunnel.
The reason they had suddenly rushed out crazily was because they were being driven by the black fog, which was diffusing out from the opening of the coffin.
It was different from the black mist that filled the entire tomb chamber previously; this new mass of gas seemed to be somewhat sentient. When the corpse worms in the tomb chamber had come into contact with it, they poured out from the tunnel as if they were being collectively controlled by something.
Watching this horrifying scene, Blake immediately began to reflect on his previous actions. He started to fret, wondering if his choice to open the coffin had been right or wrong...
He had thought previously that the method to get rid of the ghostly Qi was very likely in the coffin.
However, as it was opened, the group of expedition members had hogged the coffin like madmen, making it difficult for him to get close.
The exit of the cemetery, the 'tunnel', was also infested with corpse worms, making it difficult for him to get out too.
He was caught in a dilemma.
Crack, crack, crack…
Suddenly, there was a cracking sound from the compass.
It had been tainted with too much ghostly qi, and was beginning to form clear cracks.
Blake listened to the sound of the tool in his hand breaking as if he was listening to the countdown of his life.
'There isn't enough time…'
Whoosh!
Without any warning, Blake suddenly felt that it was becoming difficult for him to breathe.
This was... a sign of insufficient oxygen!
Since this tomb was underground, there wasn't any ventilation, so the level of oxygen had always been inadequate. The other expedition members had also been suffering from oxygen deficiency, which was why they had been so easily overtaken by the ghostly qi which consumed their minds.
As for Blake, due to the protection of the compass, he had never been affected.
At this moment, the compass shattered and the red flashes of light faded away. Breathing slowly became arduous, and his thoughts became sluggish.
...
Bang!
He staggered forward and accidentally tripped over the corpse of a grave robber, tumbling to the ground. The body was wrapped around a large leather coat and compared to the other dead bodies, it looked much taller.
Blake equipped his Yin-Yang Eyes and inspected the corpse. He found that this one was unusual; the body was neatly dressed and sitting upright, with no traces of any treasure in its arms or pockets.
It seemed to have died peacefully in the corner of this tomb, which was rather odd as its conditions were completely different from the other corpses.
'This body is strange…'
Blake looked at the burly skeletal corpse and frowned.
As he scrutinized the corpse closer, he found more details. The man was sitting in a meditating position with nothing in his hands but a notebook and a quill pen.
The cover of the notebook was yellowed due to its age.
Removing it from the corpse's arms, he gently shook it and opened it. He discovered that the front page of the notebook was covered with prints of various bloodstains.
The handwriting was sloppy, and some of the words were faded due to the neglect over the many years.
Blake turned page after page before finally reaching the last.
Strangely enough, the words on this page were very clear.
This was because ink had not been used, but blood!
Blake gently flipped through the pages and slowly read along the lines of the words written in blood.
"June 29th, 1959. I have been trapped in this tomb for ten days.
"I've finished all the food and water I brought with me. The air in the tomb is getting thinner and thinner.
"My other companions have also completely perished.
"They were still carrying the gold, silver, and jewelry right before they passed on.
"I didn't touch them. I let them carry those things.
"They went through hard times in their lives. To have some gold, silver, and jewelry accompany them before they left this world wasn't much to ask for.
"It's been five days since Yao'er left the cemetery. I wonder if he's been saved.
"I hope he remembers what I said, to cover this tomb completely and not let anyone else in, or else...
"Sigh, speaking of which, I have failed as a leader. Others said that this place had never been excavated before, and I was charmed by the potential treasures such a big tomb could offer, leading my friends to their deaths…
"Hehe, now that I think about it, this place is indeed a huge tomb. There are quite a lot of funerary goods, but it seems that someone has also tried to steal them before, long ago.
"Such a deep tunnel... I wonder which tomb raider dug it?
"What did they take before us...
"I'm afraid that what they've seized was the real treasure.
"As for us, we may have just been their scapegoats. Hehe...
"However, I think people will discover this secret later anyway.
"Oh right, if you're reading this, do you feel it? The ghostly qi in this place is really thick.
"If you inhale too much, your mind will be corrupted.
"In the worst case scenario, you will lose your self-consciousness, and your true nature will be exposed. Don't be greedy, control your heart and soul.
"If you're still reading up to this point, it probably means that you have used the same method as I did to avoid the evil qi too, but I can tell you with full confidence that it means nothing.
"No matter how powerful your method may be, there's only one way to completely repel the black mist, which is to force open the coffin.
"My intuition told me that the only way to survive was to hide within the coffin.
"Unfortunately, I've tried this many times. The coffin seems to have been set with a very powerful seal. I can't attack it at all.
"That's why I decided to use the last of my strength to push Yao out of this tunnel."
"Oh right, if you wish to escape, you have to do it as soon as possible. The tunnel will be closed soon after you enter this place.
"I don't know who it was that dug this tunnel out, but it's like a living creature. It seems to be able to open and close as it wishes... "
"Ah... That beautiful woman in red is here in front of me again... She has been appearing in front of my eyes several times throughout this ordeal... What is this? A hallucination on my deathbed it seems... Hahaha..."
...
The notebook stopped here.
There were a few words scrawled on the back, which the man had likely scribbled in a hurry.
However, upon analyzing the handwriting of the writer, it was possible that when he wrote these words, his mind was already in a haze, and it was very likely that he died not long after...
As Blake looked at the long letter written in blood, his expression turned grave.
This notebook came at the right time as Blake had managed to take away two key pieces of information.
The first was that his guess was correct. The method to suppress the ghostly qi was indeed in the coffin.
He paused to think as he evaluated the second.
'60 years ago, a group of grave robbers entered this place. There were eight of them in total, and only one managed to escape...
'However, they didn't dig the tunnel in this tomb. Someone else did.
'Therefore, there's a high chance that someone else in this world knows about the existence of this tomb.
'It's the person who escaped!'
Blake's eyes suddenly glimmered with hope.
He finally understood!
Why were there small tombs scattered above this large one? If the intention had been to mask the presence of this tomb, why was there a new tomb built directly above this? If the large tomb was so conspicuous, wouldn't it have been discovered eventually?
Blake now had the answers.
The person who built the small tombs on this cemetery was the one who had escaped!
He had listened to the orders of his dead leader and was worried that the dangerous qi would leak out, so he used thick soil to cover up the large tomb.
In the blink of an eye, 60 years had passed.
This secret was about to be forgotten, but because of Jack London, it was once again revealed to the world.
'Jack London…'
Blake thought of the name of the explorer. Very quickly, the news image flashed in his mind.
'A livestream viewer claimed that before Jack London died, he was attacked by a woman in red…
'A woman in red?'
Blake lowered his head and looked at the last line written in the notebook.
"Ah... That beautiful woman in red is here in front of me again... She has been appearing in front of my eyes several times throughout this ordeal... What is this? A hallucination on my deathbed it seems... Hahaha..."