Chapter 9 Flowers in the Water (Part 3)
“Lan Shan Hai!” Temulun took a breath and his face flushed. “I have always wondered which descendant has such a profound foundation. Quick in reaction and extensive in knowledge. I never expected… that I would meet the only descendant of Lan Shan Hai!”
Jiang Xian smiled coldly: "Several masters in the underworld know me, but you don't...youngster, you are quite ruthless. You don't care about morality at all."
"Mr. Jiang." Temulun took a deep breath and said solemnly: "You should seen how huge the treasure is hidden here! We are treasure hunters. This kind of news... once leaked to the government, we will have nothing to do with it!"
"Besides, it's not certain whether they can get in, given those geomancers who don't have any inheritance."
Jiang Xian nodded: "So?"
"So... this news can't be released." Temulun stared at Jiang Xian's eyes and said, "Mr. Jiang... with this vote, we will never have to worry about food and drink for the rest of our lives!"
Jiang Xian said unmoved, "You only thought of taking action after you got here, right?"
"You..." Temulun gritted his teeth, breathed a sigh of relief, and said indifferently: "That's right."
"To be exact, I didn't think of taking action until I reached the cliff of Shenxian Cliff."
"Here... there is a Qin Dynasty tomb! I don't believe you can't see it! Moreover, the person buried here is of very high status! No one has opened it for thousands of years!" His voice became excited: "I am different from you. I don't have the qualifications to do geomancy! I am just an ordinary disciple! I have no share in any news!"
His Adam's apple moved violently, and he couldn't help licking his lips: "But as long as you bring this message back..."
"I am also eligible to participate in the above dividends!"
Jiang Xian's expression remained unchanged: "So, you are willing to take action against your colleague of more than ten years?"
"That's right!" Temulun shouted at the bottom of his voice, "How many geniuses like you are there in this world?! How many people are left in our industry? Do you think everyone is like you? Who doesn't have to worry about food and drink? Why the hell should I be a police officer for the rest of my life!"
Dead silence.
After a few minutes, Jiang Xian said calmly: "To be honest, I am really a little confused ."
"I really don't want what's happening here to get out, but you're being a little too aggressive."
Bang! Without any warning, he shot the other man in the thigh and said indifferently: "I don't like it."
Blood gushed out instantly, but Temulun did not fire the gun in his hand. He just gritted his teeth, his teeth were trembling, and he suppressed the trembling in his thighs. The hand holding the pistol was shaking like a stroke, his temple was throbbing, and his eyes were angry and seemed to be popping out of his sockets, all blood red. But his hand never pulled the trigger.
"You're right, people are different." Jiang Xian blew on the muzzle of the gun and put it back on his waist: "So, I can shoot this one, but you can't."
"Because you still have to rely on me to get out."
He clapped his hands and said quietly, "Don't accuse me of bullying the weak. If you can get out in this state, I will forgive the incident in Wo Wo Keng this time. Otherwise, don't blame me for relying on my seniority to enforce the rules. In addition... who are you relying on behind you?"
Temulun moved his injured leg and sat by the lake. After a long while, he said in a deep voice, "Shenzhou."
"Shenzhou Auction House? One of the three largest auction houses in China?" Jiang Xian raised his eyebrows.
"That's right." Temulun dug out a bandage from his backpack and began to treat his wounds. He gritted his teeth and said, "My master is the leader of the Shenzhou Third Exploration Team... You know, every auction house has its own exploration team. After all... the prices of the auction items are too high. It's not as cost-effective as digging them out by ourselves."
Jiang Xian nodded: "It's the old fox Chu ... Tell him when you go back. According to the rules of this place, I have to pick something first."
"As for these people..." He turned his head and looked at the unconscious Zhao Boli and Song Lianshi: "Don't attack them again."
"Understand?"
"...I understand." Temulun opened the bullet, took out the gunpowder, tweezers, scalpel, etc., and laid them out beside him. He glanced at Jiang Xian and said, "What should we do with them then?"
"The two unconscious people won't know what we said when they wake up. Just continue to be a police officer."
The scene fell into silence, Temulun continued to treat the wound. Jiang Xian came to the lake and stared at the lake.
He wanted to know what had killed Zhao Yazhi so that he could be prepared when he went back to gather his teammates.
The flowers swayed gently in the lake. They looked just like real flowers. They had just entered the cave and were resting and recovering from their injuries. They didn't notice the abnormality of the flowers in the water. They just reminded everyone not to go deep into the lake.
The lake was calm, and the "flowers" could even sway with the waves, as if they were weightless. At this moment, a "hissing" sound of burning gunpowder was heard, and at the same time, Temulun groaned as he bit his clothes.
Removing the bullet without anesthesia...what a ruthless man... Jiang Xian retracted his gaze, picked up a stone, and threw it into the lake.
In an instant, the quiet lake surface went crazy. It could be clearly seen that from near to far, clusters of "flowers" disintegrated together, and countless "petals" rushed madly towards the place where the stone fell! Shadows gathered quickly under the lake surface and gathered into a colorful flower tens of meters in size again.
"What is this?" Temulun's panting voice appeared beside Jiang Xian. He did not answer immediately, but squinted his eyes and looked for dozens of seconds until the entire lake calmed down. He said in a deep voice: "A kind of lamprey."
“Heh…” Temulun swallowed hard , “How could there be a zombie fish in here? And, and how could it have two attributes at the same time?”
He knew that lampreys, also known as zombie fish, looked like snakes, with seven holes on one side of their bodies. Its mouthparts were its head, which had circles of teeth, and it was known as one of the fish that looked most like alien creatures.
This type of fish is divided into three types: carnivorous, blood-sucking, and harmless.
However, in his memory, no matter which one, they would leave while the host was still alive! He had never heard that lampreys could suck a person's blood and flesh clean in a few seconds! He had never heard that lampreys also had the ability to mimic!
"Hmm..." At this moment, Song Lianshi woke up, rubbed his eyes, and looked at the lake in a trance again.
"Captain Song." Jiang Xian turned his head and said solemnly, "I hope you can adjust your mood. If you continue in this state, not only Lao Zhao will be in danger, but also Xiao Zhao and yourself."
Song Lianshi nodded blankly.
Jiang Xian ignored the other party's reaction and continued, "As the captain of the criminal investigation team, do you want your black-and-white photos back or theirs? Director Ma sent you down here, and he probably doesn't want you to act on impulse and bury the entire elite team here."
Song Lianshi's eyes finally brightened. After a long moment, he sighed, "You're right."
"Then please come and sit down." Jiang Xian smiled and said, "If you want to take revenge, you must first get out. And this is probably where we get out."
Get out... these two words came out of nowhere. Song Lianshi and Temulun were both stunned. After a few seconds, Temulun sat up straight, his voice full of suppressed excitement: "Are you serious? Can we get out of here?!"
Even Song Lianshi seemed visibly more spirited.
"Maybe. I have one more thing I need to verify." Jiang Xian raised his chin upwards: "Flare."
Song Lianshi frowned: "Won't it disturb the bats?"
"No. Bats are nocturnal creatures. It will take at least two hours for them to become active." Temulun took out his signal gun. With a bang, the red light covered the cave ceiling. The shadows that were originally invisible due to the backlight were now visible. Almost at the same time, the backlight darkness suddenly surged!
Flap! The sound of countless wings flapping rang out, and countless black shadows fluttered wildly. The flapping sound was like the tide, and after a full minute, the red light dissipated. The cave returned to silence.
No one spoke, and everyone looked up in astonishment. The cave ceiling was dark under the backlight, but it was crystal clear under the flare. So, they saw clearly...
The cave ceiling was covered with countless stalagmites, and between the stalagmites were intertwined old tree roots as thick as arms! And a terrifying number of bats were all hanging upside down on them!
These tree roots extended along the stalagmites. More of them... had already spread down the wall like a waterfall, sinking into the darkness further away.
“This is…” “Banyan tree roots!”
Before Song Lianshi could finish his words, Jiang Xian's eyes flickered and he said in a deep voice, "There is an unusually large banyan tree on top. It is at least a thousand years old. Judging from the roots, it occupies at least several thousand square meters."
"Banyan tree...is it this big?" Song Lianshi forced himself to cheer up and asked in astonishment.
The one who answered him was Temulun, who was full of excitement: "Of course! Banyan trees have a long lifespan, grow fast, and have well-developed lateral branches and roots. The tree canopy can cover more than 6,000 square meters, and is known as a 'one-tree forest'! With it, it won't be a problem for us to climb up!"
"Not a problem?" Jiang Xian had already squatted down, looking at the bottom of the lake with a serious face, and said coldly: "This is the biggest problem."
"There is sunlight, water, and plenty of food here. It's not only a way out for us, but also a hunting ground for... other things. Just look at this."
Everyone followed his gaze and looked over. Song Lianshi rubbed his eyes and said, "Aren't they just stones and... those monsters? What else... F*ck!!"
The voice of the last two words suddenly rose, and not only him, but others also gasped.
Right at the bottom of the lake... there was a dense layer of bat corpses!
I don't know how many years it has been. It has been washed white by the water, and most of it is hidden in the cracks of the rocks, or mixed with the white rocks at the bottom of the lake. It is difficult to see at a glance. As long as you make a rough estimate, you will find that... the entire lake bed is a field of countless bat skeletons!
"Bats...how could they be in the water?" Song Lianshi and Temulun couldn't help but move a few steps away from the lake, feeling their voices were a little disoriented, and asked in a trembling voice.
After entering the Wowo Pit, he had seen too many incredible scenes! Every moment was subverting his worldview!
"Is it... are they those monsters in the water? They caught the bats from a height of dozens of meters...?" Song Lianshi asked, biting his lip.
