The Informal Tomb Raiding Diary: She is the occupant of the tomb!-Chapter 141: Fellow Black-Fur Enthusiast

Who would sleep in the wild?

These people were probably also chased by various "foodie" creatures in the jungle, and after a hard run to this "oasis," they thought they could finally have a safe rest.

"No, they must have backpacks, otherwise who would escape with just a damp-proof mat?" Qinghan shook his head and said.

"Hmm? Is there someone here who shares my interest?" Could there be creatures here who, like me, enjoy picking up bags?

Professor Liu and Lu Xiaodao couldn’t understand what I was saying, but Qinghan nodded.

Professor Liu wanted to confirm the identity of these skeletons, to see if they were from the team of his friends.

"There’s a tree hole over there." Qinghan’s gaze shifted to a large tree not far away.

Although the trees in this open space were sparse, there were also a few towering ancient trees. The tree hole Qinghan mentioned was discovered during his inspection of the surroundings.

The hole was at the base of an old tree, dark and deep, and the inside wasn’t visible.

Even with my Night Vision ability, I couldn’t see anything inside.

I broke off a tree branch and poked it inside to see if any animals were hiding there.

The opening was too small for a large creature, similar to a dog’s hole. If it were a hollowed-out backpack, it could be dragged in.

I just wanted to poke around to see if there were any living creatures, so I was very gentle. But in a moment of carelessness, the branch slipped from my hand and was snatched away by something inside.

The sensation wasn’t one of being stuck or broken; something had definitely grabbed the branch and pulled it inside.

Qinghan and the other two were right next to me, clearly seeing the branch sweep through the tree hole twice and then suddenly being yanked inside.

Qinghan instinctively pulled me back, and unprepared, I was dragged to the ground, pulled back two steps.

The previous encounter with a ground hole surely left a deep impression on him; he was afraid I would be sucked in.

"There wasn’t that much force; I was careless and didn’t hold the branch tightly." I hadn’t expected something in the tree hole to grab the branch so easily.

Professor Liu and Lu Xiaodao also moved away from the tree hole and took shelter nearby.

Initially, we thought a small animal might have dragged away the bags of the deceased, and the nearest place capable of storing things was that tree hole.

So with the idea of giving it a shot, we poked around, and it turned out there was indeed a living creature inside.

Professor Liu and Lu Xiaodao exchanged a glance. Professor Liu extended his shovel into the tree hole, his hand gripping the handle tightly.

Lu Xiaodao held his flying knife at the ready, poised to strike at any moment. Qinghan pulled me up, his treasure sword positioned before him, ready to engage in battle.

With everyone assuming such dramatic stances, I had no choice but to step back and be a spectator.

This time, the shovel was grabbed by something inside, but Professor Liu didn’t let go. He pulled back with force, braced his feet, and yanked out whatever was inside.

Out tumbled a black-furred creature from the tree hole, and as Lu Xiaodao sheathed his knife, he flung a lasso right around the creature’s neck.

In truth, upon closer inspection, calling it a monster wasn’t quite accurate; it was more like a freak.

It appeared to be a gorilla, but with a pig’s snout, tusks, a pair of fleshy horns on its head, and legs longer than its arms, making it seemingly less adept at climbing trees, at least less so than other gorillas or monkeys.

It was covered in long, black fur, its golden eyes glaring in anger at Lu Xiaodao.

Its size was about that of a Labrador, which was why it could squeeze through that hole.

Lu Xiaodao, with an impeccable aim, lashed it securely with the lasso.

The black fur ball, with its neck tightly bound, could neither untangle nor slip the rope. Each time it lunged at Lu Xiaodao, he would swing it away with his arms.

The moment he’d fling the rope, the noose around its neck would tighten, causing it to stick out its tongue and howl in distress.

After several attempts, it realized that it was no match for Lu Xiaodao, who was stronger and quicker.

Professor Liu seized the moment when Lu Xiaodao pulled it away, shining a flashlight into the tree hole and using his shovel to dig out a pile of objects.

The black fur ball, pretending to be dead on the ground, instantly sprang to life upon seeing Professor Liu rummaging through its belongings from the nest, rushing forward as though to stop him.

’Stop, stop, don’t touch my treasure! Ugh~’

I could hear its brain screaming as Professor Liu picked through the mess, retrieving two deflated backpacks. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

This black fur ball certainly had a knack for collecting things; the pile contained rocks, wood, bird feathers, animal teeth, and so on.

Professor Liu shook off the debris on the two backpacks and rummaged through their inner compartments, finding only a business card and a hotel room card.

The card was printed entirely in a foreign language. Professor Liu glanced at the name on it and said he didn’t recognize the person.

The backpacks contained empty water bottles, ropes, and a few lightweight daily items, nothing of much value.

Professor Liu repacked the items into the backpacks, returned them along with the rocks and bird feathers into the tree hole.

Even if it’s a small animal, we have to respect its hobbies, right?

The black fur ball calmed down immediately upon seeing Professor Liu return its treasures to their original place, ceasing its frantic howling.

Its reaction was understandable to Qinghan and the others, even without me interpreting.

Professor Liu remarked that the creature probably had some level of intelligence, appearing to understand human actions.

I chuckled inwardly; not only does it understand, but it also awarded you a Good Person card!

The black fur ball, convinced that Professor Liu was a good person, decided to forgive his transgression of intruding into its home.

Lu Xiaodao released the lasso, letting the black fur ball return to the tree hole to organize the treasures disturbed by Professor Liu.

The four of us stood outside as Professor Liu concluded that the skeletons we discovered weren’t from the previous team, though their uniform style of backpacks and clothing suggested they weren’t tourists who stumbled upon the island by accident.

"Hey, Meng Qingyu only mentioned your friends were the last to come, not that they sent only one team," I interjected, hoping to avoid more tedious analysis.

"That’s certainly a possibility," Professor Liu nodded.

Having ruled out that the deceased were from the previous team, there was no need to stay any longer. This place wasn’t suitable for overnight stays, primarily because we couldn’t sleep here.

Professor Liu and the others needed rest to replenish their energy, so we had to leave the area before nightfall.

Given the limitations of our technology, Qinghan and the others couldn’t determine how the Bone Flower seeds entered the deceased’s bodies. We could only proceed with cautious steps, avoiding being scratched or bitten.

After walking for two continuous days, with only a short break and no sleep, Professor Liu was visibly fatigued, though the alertness pills he carried provided him with enough stimulation to stay awake.

Qinghan and Lu Xiaodao had a better tolerance for fatigue compared to Professor Liu. Observations over the past two days indicated no adverse reactions from Lu Xiaodao, suggesting the remedy he tried was successful.