Chapter Thirty-Five: Am I Too Selfish? (Please Vote for Me!!!)

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After eating, I took out a cigarette, handed one to Wei Lin, and lit one myself.

For a brief moment, neither of us spoke. The surroundings were utterly silent—not a sound at all. I even wondered if my ears were playing tricks on me, as I couldn’t hear the faintest noise from our smoking.

The torchlight stretched our shadows far along the wall. Turning to look, our silhouettes resembled two grotesque creatures dancing eerily on the stone surface.

Perhaps due to fatigue, I caught a vague, unsettling feeling about Wei Lin’s shadow. Yet, I reminded myself that under such lighting, shadows often twist into strange shapes.

I shifted my gaze back to Wei Lin.

He was staring intently at me. That look was familiar, and I immediately thought about the pistol I had placed on the floor beside me.

“Sorry,” I said quickly, moving the pistol behind my back.

We exchanged awkward smiles. Wei Lin then asked, “Since you and Mr. Cao aren’t part of our archaeological team, you probably don’t know the real purpose of our expedition, right?”

I knew he was testing me, trying to gauge how much I’d learned from Professor Chen, to avoid any slip-ups later.

“Professor Chen already told us about the Snow Crane,” I replied. “Right now, I’m desperate to find a way out. By the way, have you found any possible exit?”

For some reason, when discussing these matters with Wei Lin, I instinctively avoided mentioning that the overweight man was injured and lying in the outer circular corridor. Maybe it was because he seemed like someone difficult to communicate with.

Wei Lin gave a bitter smile. “If there was a way out, I would have left a long time ago.”

Though his words were clear, I pressed on, “What about behind that low door? Didn’t you say there’s an underground water channel? Could we...”

He shook his head, interrupting me. “That passage is blocked. The water channel is only a few centimeters high. There’s no way through.”

I sighed, thinking that if there was truly no escape here, I’d likely have to return and collect the overweight man’s body.

But I wasn’t ready to give up. I stood and walked toward the low door. Just as I was about to bend down, Wei Lin suddenly grabbed my arm.

His grip was firm, almost painful. I looked at him in confusion.

“Oh, sorry,” Wei Lin quickly released me. “If you want to go in, I can lead you. The path inside is uneven and treacherous. It’s easy to fall if you’re unfamiliar.”

I didn’t think much of it and handed him my flashlight.

Though the door was man-made, it was little better than a dog’s hole. I had to set down my equipment just to squeeze through.

Inside, it was pitch black. It felt like stepping into a dilapidated room, but also like entering a cavern.

This seemed to be an unfinished passage or tomb chamber. The floor was uneven—some parts paved with bricks, others muddy.

The underground water channel Wei Lin mentioned lay not far away, and indeed it was shallow. Looking upstream, I felt utterly hopeless.

A thick layer of tamped earth blocked the way, mixed with stones, piling from the floor all the way up to the five-meter-high ceiling.

I couldn’t help but recall how Mr. Cao often boasted about his lucky escapes from death, but now, faced with this scene, I doubted even he could survive this.

Suddenly, I sensed something strange. After noticing the tamped earth blocking the opposite side, I realized the flashlight beam behind me was completely still.

Turning around, I saw the flashlight resting on the ground—but Wei Lin was nowhere to be found.

This space wasn’t huge, roughly a hundred square meters or so, but with no obstructions around, the flashlight’s sweep illuminated nearly everything.

I picked up the flashlight and scanned the area repeatedly, but saw no trace of Wei Lin. Strange—he had been standing by the water channel moments ago, and I hadn’t heard him leave.

Just then, I noticed movement along the wall in the western corner.

Startled, I shone the light again and found a figure leaning against the wall.

“Wei Lin,” I recognized him.

But his posture was odd—facing the wall, trembling slightly, as if scared or disturbed.

A thought struck me with a chill.

Damn it, in the dark, facing the wall, shaking slightly... could he be trying to... you know...

Though the pose suggested that possibility, it seemed unlikely. Even if Wei Lin had been trapped here too long and was losing it, he could find a secluded spot to do such things. After all, he was a cultured man.

I called out to him again.

“Hey, Wei Lin, what are you doing?”

He slowly turned his face toward me. Under the flashlight, his expression looked frightened, sweat streaming down his face. When I stepped closer, he pressed himself against the wall in terror.

“Did you see something?” I asked, uneasy, glancing around myself.

Wei Lin stared at me for a long moment, his eyes scanning. I thought, what’s there to size me up for? Sure, I’m better looking, but no need to be like that.

“Are you not him?” Wei Lin suddenly muttered something I couldn’t comprehend.

“What do you mean? Who?” I was caught off guard.

Before I could react, Wei Lin suddenly lunged at me. But I immediately realized his attack wasn’t hostile—it was the desperate excitement of someone seeing a friend amid extreme anxiety.

He grasped my arm, pressing close. I panicked, not knowing how to respond.

“Don’t let him come, don’t let him come...” Wei Lin looked around the darkness in terror.

“What’s wrong with you?” I asked.

He seemed deaf to my words, trembling and muttering nonsensical phrases. He truly looked terrified. Yet earlier, he hadn’t seemed like a coward.

I was at a loss but worried that something genuinely dangerous was here. So I grabbed him and headed toward the low door, wanting to leave quickly.

As we exited, I cautiously pushed Wei Lin ahead. He seemed nearly deranged but offered no resistance, crawling out on his knees.

Once outside, Wei Lin stood still, facing away from me.

I pondered the strange scene just witnessed. Could Wei Lin have seen something terrifying on that wall?

Lost in thought, Wei Lin suddenly turned calmly toward me.

“Oh right, I forgot to fill the water earlier. Give me your empty bottle; I’ll fill it for you.”

His serious tone sent a chill down my spine.

“Damn, is this guy insane?” I thought. “Maybe being alone here really messed with him.”

“What’s wrong?” Wei Lin smiled at me, puzzled.

“Nothing,” I said blankly, stiffly handing him my empty bottle.

He took it, grabbed the flashlight from my hand, and disappeared back through the low door.

My body remained tense. When he reached for the water bottle, my left hand instinctively edged toward the pistol’s hiding place.

After he went inside, I grabbed my gear bag and leaned against the brick wall by the room’s entrance, breathing heavily. I suddenly felt I should seize this moment to run.

The relics in this ancient tomb were terrifying, but being trapped with a mentally unstable person—who might suddenly snap—was even more unnerving.

Wei Lin’s behavior resembled what some might call schizophrenia. I had no idea what he might do if he lost control. Worse, in this ancient tomb, no one could stop him or help me. I could try to guard against him, but in this environment, I might easily be caught off guard.

“That’s it. I have to get out,” I thought, not even bothering to ask for the flashlight again as I turned the corner.

But after a few steps, I stopped.

I suddenly felt selfish—worried only about my own safety, forgetting that Wei Lin had come to warn me to escape.

Even if he was losing his mind here, he hadn’t done anything harmful to me. I, a sane man (or so I believed), was struggling here alone. How could he survive without food or equipment?

I sighed and finally returned to the flickering torchlight room.

As I sat down, Wei Lin emerged carrying the water bottle.

“What’s wrong?” He noticed my strange expression.

“Oh, nothing,” I smiled weakly. “Maybe just tired.”

He handed me the bottle and patted my shoulder. “Hey, don’t think so much. Now that there are two of us, we’ll definitely find a way out.”

Though I knew Wei Lin might be unstable, I was surprised by his confidence.

“When did you become so sure?” I asked.

He pursed his lips. “Let me tell you. When the three of us were in the outer circular corridor, we saw a crack in the brick wall. It was strange—though not man-made, it was big enough for a person to squeeze through. We were debating whether to go in, but the monster in the bone pit appeared before we could decide. Alone here, it’s hard to find that crack, but now that there are two of us, we can figure something out, right?”

At that moment, no matter how I looked at Wei Lin, he seemed normal.

I nodded, unsure if I truly believed him—or if I simply wanted to give myself and the overweight man a sliver of hope.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please consider voting for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.reading.)

P.S.: I’ve been waking up at five every morning for over a week to write. After getting used to it, I think this routine suits me well. The fried dough sticks at five are always the freshest, and the soy milk is quite new too. I hope to keep this up and appreciate your continued support. Old Bei asks for your monthly ticket! Wishing everyone a pleasant day and vibrant spirits.