The Informal Tomb Raiding Diary: She is the occupant of the tomb!-Chapter 216 - 217: Better a Wretched Life Than a Good Death
"Wait a minute! What do you mean by last words? What are you planning to do?" I quickly interrupted him. Why is he suddenly talking about leaving his last words?
"You guys go, I have to stay and figure something out." In Chen Qinghan’s particularly bright eyes, two big words were written — Stubbornness!
"Oh, you’re handing your watch to the leader, so I obviously know you’re staying. The problem is I’m not leaving either, and it’s too early for your last words. Save it for when you’re on your deathbed." I shrugged my shoulder to brush off the hand on it.
"Why aren’t you two leaving?" Guan Hai was puzzled.
"There’s something to investigate."
"Ditto!"
"+1"
The last voice came from Bi Shi, who pointed at her back. She’d been walking at the back of the group, and I noticed her when we boarded the ship, but only when she pointed it out did I realize there was no one behind her!
"Where’s Mary Su?" I asked in surprise.
"She ran off." Bi Shi shrugged helplessly, "I have to go back and find her; she’s my source of wealth."
"When did she run off? Why are you just mentioning it now?" I asked angrily.
"Honestly, I don’t know when she ran off," Bi Shi said sincerely.
Chen Qinghan untied the cloth bag from his back and handed it to Bi Shi, "Your stuff, you keep it."
Judging by its shape, it seemed to be a music box. Bi Shi took the cloth bag and slung it over her shoulder without even looking at it, "Thanks."
"Are you really staying? Then I—" The leader was interrupted as I raised my hand.
"You all need to leave. You’ve seen the situation just now, what’s happening on the island has exceeded the level ordinary people should be involved in."
"Zhou’s leg can’t take much more, Cong Zhibo also needs care, your daughter is waiting for you, and Lu Xiaodao’s sister is waiting for money for her treatment. There’s a lot waiting for you outside, don’t linger, go on, good luck." I took out the bank card and returned it to Lu Xiaodao.
The leader looked at me with an expression that seemed as if our staying meant certain death.
"Hey, I’d like to live to a ripe old age, you know. Stop looking like you’re at a funeral, take care, and if fate allows, we’ll meet again someday." My gaze passed over the leader, Lu Xiaodao, Zhou, and Guan Hai, where though their expressions varied, the message was consistent — a warrior going forth never to return.
Chen Qinghan and Bi Shi weren’t as wordy as I was. They simply wished the team well and turned to leave the cockpit.
With a heart beating in the dried corpse’s chest once more, the Shell Ship slowly left the dock, and the three of us returned to the palace’s inner chambers.
The three of us stood there, looking at each other without any intention of stepping outside.
"Weren’t you going to find Mary Su?" I asked Bi Shi.
"She has a secret spot on the island, I reckon she’s gone there." Bi Shi answered evasively.
"So?" I shrugged, waiting for her to continue.
"I want to know what you’re investigating." Bi Shi’s demeanor turned serious, a stark contrast to her usual carefree manner, more like how I remembered her.
"Just an excuse, I want to follow him." I pointed at Chen Qinghan, speaking without a shred of hesitation.
After being a tool man for Chen Qinghan so many times, now it was his turn to contribute.
Bi Shi’s aura changed noticeably, her gaze bore into me with an air devoid of warmth, an invisible pressure enveloped me.
Saying an extra word at this moment could lead to defeat. I remained silent, not offering any more explanations, and met her gaze as if nothing happened.
Bi Shi glanced at me, then at Chen Qinghan, and frowned slightly, "You’ve made up your mind?"
The lie had been set forth; any hesitation or retreat at this point would reveal a flaw.
I mentally bit down and stomped my foot, but verbally, I just casually said, "Yeah."
"Seems like... good luck to you." Bi Shi swallowed back her words, her gaze lowered, then when she looked up again, her mischievous demeanor returned.
"Thanks." This time I didn’t bicker with her, accepting her good wishes with pleasure.
"Won’t say goodbye, hoping to never meet again." Bi Shi waved her hand and quickly turned to leave.
I stared at the doorway for a long while, only heaving a sigh of relief once I was sure she’d gone far.
"See? In a battle of experts, it’s all about willpower!" I grinned triumphantly, but soon found myself trapped in another penetrating gaze.
Though Chen Qinghan’s aura differed from Bi Shi’s, when he stared with a stern face, it was no less piercing than an industrial drill, tunneling into my mind as if wanting to see what’s inside.
"Why are you looking at me? Let’s each do our own thing!" I lied to Bi Shi, but not to the leader and the others. I really did have something to investigate here on the island.
Since leaving the Snow Mountain Tomb, I’ve always acted alongside Chen Qinghan, but this time, I needed to go solo to check out something.
"The address of Lakefront Home is—"
"Stop! Why are you giving last words again?" I pulled out the cookies I’d saved over the days, "Don’t rush to die, these are cookies I secretly kept for you. No matter what you’re facing, eat to your fill, and maybe you’ll get through it."
I’m really not good at comforting people, never having experienced the loss of ’family’ firsthand, so I can’t empathize fully.
I reckoned the news of his sister’s death hit him hard.
Someone like him might look fine on the outside but possibly broken inside.
But why seek death on this island? The creatures here don’t discriminate; they’ll happily feast on the living, the dead, decomposed or dried bones alike.
Seeking death here guarantees you’ll leave no remains, and besides, I didn’t want him to die.
Chen Qinghan was, after all, different from those who had died in my tomb before. I’d come to see him as one of us, even a friend. Spending time with him was interesting, but I didn’t know how to persuade him out of his gloom.
After racking my brain for a while, I came up with what I thought was a straightforward and down-to-earth saying: "Uh... better a bad life than a good death, right?"
Feeling it wasn’t strong enough, I quickly added, "Death is final for ordinary people — uh, can’t revive, but the living have to move forward."
"Xiaonuan is still alive." Chen Qinghan’s sudden statement scattered the thought I just retrieved.
"What? She’s still alive?" I blinked, struggling to accept this twist.
"I saw their video," Chen Qinghan spoke slowly, as if giving himself time to process his emotions.
"They connected through video here, the palace, but the signal wasn’t from outside the island, it came from somewhere on the island. The person in the video was Xiaonuan." He paused more often when speaking, clearly his mind was in turmoil.
"Just a video? Are you sure it’s Xiaonuan?" I trusted Chen Qinghan, but also my mind, which had received undeniable records of Chen Xiaonuan’s death from the golden coffin’s owner.
