allonlinenovel Chapter 430 Tidal Effect!
Chapter 430 Tidal Effect!
Zhang Haiyang was puzzled and asked in confusion:
"Professor Yang, even if this isn't the tomb of some high-ranking official or nobleman, how come there's a monkey lying in the coffin?"
Yang Guojun leaned against the rock wall, took a breath, and slowly analyzed:
"The age of this ancient tomb is probably far beyond our imagination; it is at least a thousand years old."
That ape... or rather that monster, could not possibly have survived naturally for so long. I am more inclined to another possibility: it was a latecomer, an 'intruder' just like us.
Perhaps it stumbled into this underground world through some unknown crevice or escape route, and while searching for food, discovered this coffin, occupied it, and made it its lair.
"As for its strange green fur, fangs, and even the ability to produce deadly spores... it's very likely that it survived for a long time in this environment full of unknown radiation, special minerals, or ancient microorganisms, and after being in contact with corpses for a long time, it underwent some unpredictable mutations. This underground world itself defies many common sense!"
"That bastard really knows how to pick a spot!"
Zhang Haiyang spat.
"You've used a dead man's coffin as your bedroom, Yuemin. What do we do now? A dozen or so people are crammed into this tiny hole, and even eating, drinking, and relieving ourselves are problems. We can't just keep hiding, can we? What if that monster comes looking for us..."
Zhong Yuemin said,
"Let's rest for the night. With those monkeys outside, we can't get out. This secret room is safe for now."
For now, this was the only option. The group shared the few remaining compressed biscuits, then leaned back to back to rest. The journey had been filled with fear and anxiety, leaving them physically and mentally exhausted. This secluded room provided a temporary respite, and they soon fell into a deep sleep.
A night of silence,
The next day, Zhong Yuemin, Wang Ye, and a few others went out to check the situation, while the other members of the expedition team stayed in the secret chamber. Once outside, they used flashlights to feel their way towards the main tomb chamber, their faces covered with strips of torn clothing to prevent inhaling the deadly spores.
The main tomb was now deathly silent. The scene inside was almost the same as when I left yesterday, still a mess with corpses all over the ground, except that... two more corpses were missing from the ground.
The empty space held only drag marks and dried, blackened bloodstains, silently recounting the chilling meal that had taken place the previous night.
The group looked up simultaneously at the black coffin hanging high and bound by iron chains. The monster must be fast asleep inside.
The group held their breath and dispersed to search for possible escape routes around the main burial chamber.
After searching for a while without finding any escape route, the group retreated back to the passageway. There, they made a discovery: there were obvious drag marks on the ground, indicating that the ape had come this way. Following the marks, they found themselves in a side chamber of the tomb, the place where the coffins had been previously used for burial. They noticed that the ground there was very damp, unlike the area where they had used water pressure to open the giant stone door the day before, where the flowing water had washed away the dampness. There were even puddles on the ground.
Ning Wei crouched down, his fingers tentatively tracing a patch of water, his brow furrowed.
"Strange, where did all this water come from? When we left yesterday, the ground was wet, but there wasn't nearly this much standing water. Could it be... that the stone gate to the underground river outside has opened by itself again?"
"impossible."
Zhong Yuemin immediately denied it, stating that he knew exactly what mechanism he had activated.
"The dam under the underground river will never rise on its own to allow the river to flow back unless the mechanism is activated again from the outside. This water... is not from the right source."
Their gaze swept over every inch of the rock walls and corners of the side chamber of the tomb. "There must be some water inlets or other mechanisms in this place that we haven't discovered yet. Let's look for them."
After another search, they found something: another heavy stone door on one side of the rock wall. It wasn't as large as the front door, and seemed to be designed as a side door. They pushed it, but it didn't budge.
Haiyang said, "Yuemin, does this also require water pressure to open?"
"What you said isn't impossible."
Zhong Yuemin replied in a deep voice, squatting down to carefully examine the joint between the stone door and the ground, then a question arose.
"Look, the main gate's massive ballast gate uses the entire palace as a ballast chamber; it's enormous and designed to permanently or semi-permanently block important passages. But this side gate..."
Sweep the flashlight beam across the rock wall above the side door.
"I think it's more likely a periodic or conditional opening and closing mechanism, just like the main gate of a school or government office. The main gate is that big iron gate, which is rarely opened on weekdays, while the side gates are frequently used by people coming and going, opening and closing frequently, just like this!"
"How do you open this thing?"
Zhong Yuemin analyzed,
"Perhaps it's related to the rise and fall of the water level in the underground river outside, or..."
"Captain Zhong, look here."
Wang Ye, standing to one side, noticed something and pointed to the rock wall on one side of the stone gate.
"There are several very shallow scratches here, and the edges of the water stains on the ground show obvious signs of repeated soaking and receding. Your guess might be correct; the opening of this door may be related to the periodic influx of river water, similar to a tidal gate."
When the water level of the external underground river rises periodically for unknown reasons, reaching a certain height, the water pressure will be transmitted through pipes or gaps that we have not yet discovered, forcing open this door; when the water recedes, the door closes.
"Tides? Where do tides come from underground?" Zhang Haiyang found it unbelievable.
"Not actual ocean tides,"
Wang Ye pushed up his glasses and said:
"It's possible that there are intermittent springs upstream, or that the underground lake is affected by geological activity, resulting in regular water level fluctuations. The builder of this tomb was clearly proficient in water conservancy and may even have used this natural law as the power source for the mechanism."
"Then why aren't you opening it now?"
"Let's not talk about the tides," Zhong Yuemin said.
"Given the current conditions, this stone door will only open at night."
"What?!"
Zhang Haiyang exclaimed, "Doesn't that mean we're going to run into that beast in the coffin?"
"It's better than being stuck here waiting to die. What's that entrenching tool for? If we run into it, we'll give it a good whack."
Having discovered the exit, the group returned to the secret room. After some discussion, Zhong Yuemin made a decisive decision.
“I’ll go out and check it out at night. If it’s really as predicted, the stone gate will open automatically according to the tidal principle. I’ll come back and call you, and we’ll leave this place.”
"What if we encounter the apes inside the coffin?"
"We have to take this gamble. Everyone, get ready."
During the day, everyone rested and recuperated in the secret room. When night fell, Zhong Yuemin left the secret room alone. Ning Wei wanted to follow, but he didn't allow it. He had his own space, so if things got really bad, he could hide in his space and at least save his life. He followed the passage to the side room on the side of the burial site.