[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-grave-robbers-chronicles":3,"chapter-the-grave-robbers-chronicles-the-grave-robbers-chronicles-chapter-105":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Grave Robbers' Chronicles",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},15962,44,"Chapter 105: Ghost Mist","the-grave-robbers-chronicles-chapter-105",105,"\u003Cp>(Third Uncle's exclusive interview reveals! Secrets of *The Grave Robbers' Chronicles* that no one has uncovered! Plus a major lottery for the protagonist, all on Qidian's public WeChat account: qdread. Third Uncle calls you to follow! Third Uncle's exclusive interview reveals! Secrets of *The Grave Robbers' Chronicles* that no one has uncovered! Plus a major lottery for the protagonist, all on Qidian's public WeChat account: qdread. Third Uncle calls you to follow!)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this narrow, dark space, beside a coffin, suddenly from the walkie-talkie came a howling sound like a ghost—someone crying, someone trembling and chanting something. It really startled me. I quickly turned down the volume, patted it, and checked what was going on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a Motorola military walkie-talkie with a plastic shell, very suitable for harsh conditions; it shouldn't break down so easily. I switched it on and off a few times. The strange sound from before was gone, but the speaker kept emitting intermittent static, as if someone was calling but the words were unclear. I shouted a few times, but it didn't improve. I adjusted the frequency, but it didn't help either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I've tinkered with electronics before and knew this noise wasn't a physical malfunction but radio interference. Causes vary widely, from solar flares to household appliances, and they can produce the same effect. Deep underground, the chance of being affected by solar flares was slim; there were no household appliances in this remote mountain cave. So where was this interference coming from? I moved the walkie-talkie around to locate the source. Soon I noticed that the closer I held it to the huge outer coffin, the worse the static became; moving it farther away reduced the noise. Very strange. Could the interference be coming from inside the coffin? I carefully extended the walkie-talkie into the gap between the lid and the body of the outer coffin. Instantly, the static suddenly erupted to an unearthly volume, as if someone had let out a piercing scream. I was so frightened that my hand slipped, nearly dropping the walkie-talkie into the coffin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn, I thought. It seemed I was right. Something inside the coffin was emitting irregular electromagnetic waves. That was too unbelievable. Was this a natural phenomenon, or something bizarre? I knew plants could emit weak electrical signals, and these signals varied under different external conditions—for example, when you played soothing music or cut them with a knife, they gave off two completely opposite signals, known as the language of plants. But these signals were extremely weak; even specialized instruments might not detect them, let alone a regular walkie-talkie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were also special cases where natural conditions produced strong electromagnetic interference affecting communications, such as before an earthquake or during a volcanic eruption. But that kind of interference was destructive and definitely not as mild as this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the huge outer coffin, I thought of a possibility, though unlikely: near sites of mass slaughter or large burial grounds, strange electromagnetic interference often persists. Some say it's energy released from decaying corpses; others say it's information emitted by a multitude of ghosts. Could this strong electromagnetic wave be coming from the corpse inside the coffin? The light was extremely dim. Under the beam of my flashlight, the pale roots of the old banyan tree looked like twisted snake bones. Combined with the unsettling static, it was as if something inside the coffin was shrieking, urging me to enter. I felt a wave of goosebumps and extreme irritation. I quickly pulled out the walkie-talkie and turned it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surroundings fell silent, and I suddenly felt dizzy—probably oxygen deprivation from the damp air and strange smell. Looking around, I felt a chill, a sensation I hadn't experienced at all during this journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boss Wang had been shouting outside the whole time. He must not have heard my reply and was jumping around in a panic. His voice, filtered through layers of tree roots, reached me faintly, like someone speaking from under a dozen quilts—hard to make out clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, I had considered tricking Boss Wang to come over and subdue him here, but now I changed my mind. I wondered if I should temporarily withdraw. This place was eerily sinister; staying too long made my whole body uncomfortable. Mainly it was because I was alone. If two or three people were with me, I would be much calmer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After much deliberation, my old habit of indecision struck again—I just couldn't make up my mind. Outside, Boss Wang stopped shouting after a while. I heard him curse loudly a few times, then he fell silent. He probably didn't know what to do either. Given his temper, he shouldn't dare to crawl in to check. Though these itinerant types were tough in society, in a creepy place like this, especially when they heard about a coffin, they instinctively felt fear. A coffin represented death, something beyond the control of money and power—an authority that human strength could not shake. Tomb raiders, ironically, find this hard to grasp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lost in thought, I suddenly heard that \"click... click... click\" sound again, like grinding teeth, coming from somewhere. It was much clearer than when I was outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now I heard it distinctly. It sounded like someone wearing wooden clogs walking on a stone floor, but the rhythm didn't vary—not like pacing, but like... jumping continuously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound was very rhythmic, beat after beat. In this silent environment, it was especially nerve-wracking. I had already been startled once; now it felt like a death knell. My heart started pounding in sync with the rhythm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, I found it strange. Why was I so scared? I should have overcome this fear. I calmed myself, took off my gas mask, and sniffed the real air around me. Generally, gas masks filter out harmful odors, so the smell inside a mask is processed. Sometimes the characteristic smell of toxins is filtered out, but the toxins themselves can still pass through the mask, leading to poisoning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air was very irritating to the nasal mucosa. The moment I inhaled, I sneezed, broke out in a cold sweat, and quickly put the mask back on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I listened for a while. The sound wasn't coming from elsewhere; judging by the direction, it seemed to be coming from inside the stone outer coffin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I started to sweat. I pulled out my long hunting knife, crawled toward the gap, and tried to listen more clearly. But my own heartbeat grew louder. By the time I crawled to the edge of the coffin gap, my heart was beating so hard it felt like it would jump out of my throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew it was the environment affecting me. For a while, I thought I had overcome this problem, but apparently not. Having an active imagination was a big taboo in this line of work. I reminded myself to stay calm and composed, imagined the surroundings were bright rather than dark, took a few deep breaths, and finally calmed my racing heart. I sighed, turned my ear, and tried to identify the sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just then, the sound suddenly stopped, plunging everything into ghostly silence. The abrupt change made me tense up. At the same time, I felt something suddenly land on my shoulder! My scalp tingled, I nearly blacked out, and like a madman, I swung my knife backhanded. Immediately, my flashlight hit a tree root and went out, plunging everything into pitch darkness. Then, my hand was grabbed and twisted backward. I was so terrified I lost all ability to think. I let out a scream and used all my strength to turn over. As I struggled, a partially solidified tree root beneath me snapped with a crack, and I, along with whatever was behind me, fell into a shallow pit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I fell, I heard someone curse: \"You damned bastard!\" Then a flashlight came on. Boss Wang was pressing me down hard while shining the light into my eyes, nearly blinding me. Just as I tried to shield my eyes, he slapped me with full force. My nose immediately went numb and started to bleed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hitting me, he cursed me a few more times and said, \"You lousy punk, I give you face and you don't take it. Trying to play tricks on Fatty me? Go to hell.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I immediately realized what had happened. That fat bastard from Guangdong actually had the guts to sneak in quietly. He must have thought I was ignoring him and playing games, plus he was wary of me inside, afraid I might ambush him, so he didn't turn on his flashlight and crept in. Right when I was listening to that ghostly jumping sound, I nearly gutted him with my backhand. He probably thought I was trying to kill him. I wanted to explain, but he was choking me, and I couldn't speak. He seemed furious and slapped me again, making my ears ring. I suddenly got enraged—I thought, Screw your grandmother, hitting me like that, you don't even treat me like a human. I immediately head-butted him hard, knocking him off balance. We rolled together, punching and kicking, and soon reached the edge of the coffin gap. He was stronger, got the upper hand again, pinned me down, raised his head to choke me, but the space was too low—he hit his head on a tree root and was stunned. I seized the opportunity to kick him hard in the groin, sending him rolling away. Then I lunged over, grabbed his flashlight, and smashed it against his head, knocking him senseless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pinned him down, and seeing he couldn't move for the moment, I shone the flashlight around. I found that this bastard hadn't brought his gear or gun inside—probably because the space was too narrow and he feared a misfire would hit himself. I reached for his body to grab his knife, but suddenly he shoved me upward. Like him, I hit my head on the ceiling, seeing stars. I quickly rolled aside to avoid another shove. I felt like my brains were about to come out of my nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boss Wang got up, his body covered in fine root hairs and crushed fungus. His face was twisted with anger, he was panting heavily, and his eyes were red. I knew he had murderous intent. Guys like him, starting out as thugs and climbing their way up step by step, definitely have a strong killer instinct, always ready to put the other person to death. It seemed that this time we would really have to fight to the death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boss Wang calmed his breathing, pulled the dagger from his belt, gripped it in reverse, and advanced toward me menacingly. My short hunting knife was exactly half the length of his dagger. Even if I managed to stab him, it wouldn't hit a vital spot. So I had to use my flashlight as a weapon, aiming it at his eyes. But this fat bastard was extremely fierce; he didn't even look at me. He turned his head to avoid the bright light and charged at me like lightning, slashing at my neck. I ducked, dodging it, grabbed his hand with my left, and suddenly turned off the flashlight with my right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes had gotten used to the bright light. When it suddenly went dark, he instinctively paused. I remembered the position of his head, swung the flashlight, and took a full-armed strike. In the darkness I heard a muffled groan, and the flashlight actually lit up from the impact. I shone it toward his position and saw that I had bloodied his mouth. He was lying there, seemingly barely conscious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn't know if he was faking it or truly knocked out. I kicked him hard toward the gap. If he wasn't unconscious, he would definitely resist, or else he would fall into the coffin. I kicked several times, and his feet slipped in first, but when it reached his chest, he got stuck. I added another kick, pushing him hard from above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boss Wang was stuck there like a dead fish for a long time, then suddenly slid into the gap. In that instant, I finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he really had passed out. Just then, a fat hand suddenly reached out from the gap, grabbed my kicking foot, and yanked me downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It caught me completely off guard. I had already relaxed my whole body. Before I knew it, I was dragged entirely into the coffin. I thought to myself, this is the end—I actually fell in. This was unprecedented and unheard of. In a panic, I reached for something around me, but grabbed nothing, and fell straight into endless darkness! Boss Wang pulled me all the way down. I had originally estimated the coffin to be just a bit taller than a person, but once inside I realized something was wrong. There was a depression here, apparently hollowed into the bronze tree itself. I slid about three or four meters before my ass hit something, the pain making me wince. At the same time, Boss Wang let go, as if about to lunge at me again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I immediately shone my flashlight around to see if Boss Wang was nearby. Sweeping the light, all I could see was thick mist, a gray expanse. Beyond half a meter, nothing was visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood up and swung the flashlight hard in several directions around me, but I didn't hit anything. The mist here was so dense that once Boss Wang fell down, he definitely couldn't see anything either. He was probably hiding somewhere in the mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I found it strange that there could be such thick mist inside the coffin. If it were incense, it wouldn't last a thousand years, would it? I waved my hand to fan it, and the mist was so thick it was almost like water. When I pushed it aside, I could actually see visible air currents swirling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn't make out anything in the middle of the coffin at all. I didn't dare walk into it, so I first checked if I could climb back up the side I had slid down. Looking up, I saw nothing except tree roots growing in through the gap. They didn't seem to have grown wildly and filled the space completely; instead, they clung to the inner walls and bottom of the coffin like ivy. The roots were covered with a velvety fungus that came off when touched, a bit like mold mycelium.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the parts of the coffin's inner wall not covered by roots, there were some relief carvings. I recognized at once that some of the patterns were in the same style as the four standing statues outside. But most of these patterns were also obscured. The blade of the long-handled knife was too thin, making it somewhat difficult to cut the roots. After I cut off some of the new, spreading root tendrils, I had no way to deal with the main roots that had become lignified and stuck to the coffin wall. One strike was like chopping stone, only leaving a white line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, I could make out some content. It seemed to show the construction of the ancient bronze tree. The people depicted wore clothing with the left side overlapping. Surprisingly, I noticed that the bronze tree in the carving was segmented. It seemed this huge casting was not made all at once but might have been built over several generations, section by section, until it finally became such a magnificent work of art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were many reliefs, but I didn't dare move around carelessly. After looking at the one behind me, I glanced back at the mist, feeling a surge of inexplicable fear. So I stepped onto the roots along the edge, planning to climb back the way I came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But strangely, though the roots looked easy to climb, I tried twice and slid down quickly, as if stepping on ice. I touched the surface and found that once the fungus was flattened, it became extremely slippery, like lubricating oil. Climbing up on my own seemed quite difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I steadied myself, thinking about what to do. It looked like I had to scrape off the fungus first before I could climb up, or else use the knife as an ice axe—I didn't know if that would work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as I was thinking, a strange, exceptionally clear noise—“Tick... tick...”—suddenly appeared again. This time, it was right behind me, seemingly very close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(Important things have to be said three times: Third Uncle exclusive interview reveals secrets! Secrets of \"The Grave Robbers' Chronicles\" that no one has uncovered! And the protagonist lottery draw—all on Qidian's public WeChat account: qdread. Third Uncle is calling you to follow! ………… Third Uncle exclusive interview reveals secrets! Secrets of \"The Grave Robbers' Chronicles\" that no one has uncovered! And the protagonist lottery draw—all on Qidian's public WeChat account: qdread. Third Uncle is calling you to follow! … ………… Third Uncle exclusive interview reveals secrets! Secrets of \"The Grave Robbers' Chronicles\" that no one has uncovered! And the protagonist lottery draw—all on Qidian's public WeChat account: qdread. Third Uncle is calling you to follow! Third Uncle exclusive interview reveals secrets! Secrets of \"The Grave Robbers' Chronicles\" that no one has uncovered! And the protagonist lottery draw—all on Qidian's public WeChat account: qdread. Third Uncle is calling you to follow! ………… Third Uncle exclusive interview reveals secrets! Secrets of \"The Grave Robbers' Chronicles\" that no one has uncovered! And the protagonist lottery draw—all on Qidian's public WeChat account: qdread. Third Uncle is calling you to follow! Third Uncle exclusive interview reveals secrets! Secrets of \"The Grave Robbers' Chronicles\" that no one has uncovered! And the protagonist lottery draw—all on Qidian's public WeChat account: qdread. Third Uncle is calling you to follow!)\u003C\u002Fp>",2984,"2026-05-28T17:13:44.893Z","2026-06-01T04:28:20.357Z",1,"deepseek-v4-flash","968ced9d1c761d5490697caa293cebb6ffc3a2a4fde2d773c852d668be33a178","the-grave-robbers-chronicles-chapter-106","the-grave-robbers-chronicles-chapter-104",513,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-grave-robbers-chronicles-cover.jpg"]