The Informal Tomb Raiding Diary: She is the occupant of the tomb!-Chapter 132: The Weary Team

But if he were alive and got what they wanted, they would continue to use his daughter to threaten him.

Professor Liu wanted to end it all, but his two students were completely innocent bystanders.

Cong Zhibo knew nothing, and Professor Liu never planned to bring them, but when Meng Qingyu appeared, he coaxed him with a few words, inviting him to join a special scientific expedition, and the naïve kid excitedly agreed.

Guan Hai wasn’t as simple-minded; he sensed something was off about Professor Liu, which is why he came along.

Professor Liu did his best to hide the true purpose of the expedition from Cong Zhibo, hoping he would have a chance to leave alive.

But Guan Hai had already sensed something fishy, and had a serious talk with Professor Liu along the way.

Only Cong Zhibo thought they were a regular scientific expedition team and that Meng Qingyu was a supervisor sent by a sponsor.

In a way, that understanding wasn’t wrong.

By not telling him the truth, they hoped Meng Qingyu would have mercy on him for his ignorance and spare him.

After all, they say the world’s complexity is still simple to ordinary people; their idea was simply naïve.

The moment Cong Zhibo boarded Meng Qingyu’s pirate ship, it was impossible to escape unharmed.

However, considering his nature, it’s better not to tell him the truth; even if he knew, what could he do? If he insulted and angered Meng Qingyu and got silenced early, it’s better to be blissfully ignorant for as long as possible.

"She has already found suitable candidates, pulling in two completely unrelated students..." I looked at Professor Liu, didn’t finish my sentence, and figured it out myself. Meng Qingyu feared Professor Liu would purposely seek death or disobey upon arrival, so she brought two live hostages.

Professor Liu felt guilty for dragging innocent students into this, particularly towards Cong Zhibo and Guan Hai, and would definitely strive to protect them.

In other words, if Professor Liu were to slack off and refuse to proceed after landing, Meng Qingyu would drag his students into the jungle, making Professor Liu follow.

We chatted by the fire for quite a while when suddenly Professor Liu cut off the conversation, tilted his head, and carefully listened to the noises downstream.

The riverbank was all gravel, and I heard rhythmic footsteps moving this way.

It wasn’t the sound of animals, but shoes stepping on gravel.

Professor Liu went to wake Meng Qingyu and the others, and soon I saw flashlight beams swaying, getting closer to the camp.

The presence of flashlight beams indicated it was humans. Seeing Big Beard’s team again, I wasn’t surprised, but Big Beard was quite shocked to see us.

Their team was in a sorry state; just by their footsteps you could tell they were tired, probably unable to move further.

They first saw the firelight and thought they were mistaken, never expecting anyone else in the jungle.

Big Beard even asked why we came in; weren’t we supposed to wait for rescue on the beach?

Chen Qinghan repeated Meng Qingyu’s words, and Meng Qingyu chimed in, saying the beach wasn’t safe either.

Apparently, Big Beard wasn’t aware of this; Meng Qingyu had spoilers from Professor Liu’s friend’s diary, knowing that carnivorous creatures would swarm the beach to hunt at night.

But Big Beard seemed unaware, no wonder they kept losing people; they hadn’t reached the island’s center, and half his team was gone.

Whereas Meng Qingyu’s team only had two unconscious, along with two untrained college students in her group.

The comparison made it clear who was stronger; Big Beard’s team desperately needed rest and to regain strength.

After all, he should be wary of Meng Qingyu’s group; fellow travelers are enemies, but his team was out of strength. If a fight broke out, they would be at a disadvantage.

Fortunately, Meng Qingyu didn’t show hostility and even invited them to join, it looked like a weasel giving a new year’s greeting to a chicken.

Regardless of whether Big Beard believed it or not, he had no choice but to accept, missing this village means no store.

His team received orders to rest on the spot and instantly collapsed around the fire.

Snores rose one after another, even more lively than the ones in the tent earlier, sounded like a symphony in the latter half of the night.

Professor Liu stayed with me through the first half, and Lu Xiaodao kept watch with me in the second half.

He really wasn’t talkative, but then again, with all the snoring surrounding us, we’d have to shout to chat.

We watched in silence until dawn; the sky still looked dark and dim.

I’m not the one for conversation, sat across from Lu Xiaodao gazing at the sky, during which Meng Qingyu got up and went into the woods.

After she returned, Chen Qinghan went too, following the same path.

Occasionally, members of Big Beard’s team would scream in their sleep, clearly reliving the terrifying and thrilling scenes from earlier.

Their team’s mental fortitude was not even up to that of death row inmates.

Despite roaring snores from the tents, the moment Professor Liu walked to the tent entrance, the snoring immediately stopped.

They heard someone approach the camp and immediately jumped out, if it weren’t for their red eyes and eye gunk, I would suspect them of pretending to sleep.

Yet Big Beard’s men didn’t react at all whether Meng Qingyu passed by them or Chen Qinghan stepped over them.

I picked up a small stone and tossed it at them, only for them to scratch the spot where it hit, showing no sign of waking up.

Such slow-witted guys, Meng Qingyu inviting them along was obviously to use them as cannon fodder.

I thought this might be a turning point, competitors appearing to constrain Meng Qingyu would distract her, offering some hope for Professor Liu’s survival.

Despite it being morning, the sky remained dark, almost everyone in the tent had a biological clock waking them at six sharp.

Yet Big Beard’s men were still asleep, the fire had burned all night, heating the surrounding stones, no one went to call Big Beard’s men, everyone just went about their business.

Only when breakfast was ready did they wake up, feeling sore like after a marathon from the day before, they began groaning before opening their eyes.

But hunger got the best of them, and without getting up there’d be no food, they accepted their meals with half-closed eyes.

Meng Qingyu hadn’t touched their food, distributing among them the convenience food her team brought.

Big Beard felt embarrassed, rummaging through his almost empty backpack to hand Meng Qingyu over a dozen energy bars.

Now Meng Qingyu no longer needed to hide her true leadership, Big Beard and his men came over last night because she negotiated with him.

After breakfast, Big Beard had a formal talk with Meng Qingyu about their respective purposes and future cooperation.

The jungle’s dangers had surpassed Big Beard’s expectations; he claimed he and his brothers were deceived, and knowing what he knows now, he’d never have come for all the gold mountains.

His story differed from Meng Qingyu’s. He said they were hired for a treasure hunt, to seek treasures left by a lost civilization.