The Informal Tomb Raiding Diary: She is the occupant of the tomb!-Chapter 80: Willing to Join

The tropical forest was hot and humid, and although there was a fan in the tent, even the breeze it blew was warm.

I moved a deck chair to the entrance of the tent, put in earbuds, and watched a pre-downloaded TV show.

Around noon, the foreign team suddenly carried someone back. They were carrying a stretcher, and the person on it was covered in blood, their exposed skin looked scorched, red or black.

It was likely they had been given sedatives, as the injured person wasn’t shouting, and the accompanying doctor performed simple emergency treatment on the wounds.

I glanced over briefly and then returned my attention to the TV show. This was just the first; unless half were dead or injured, their leader wouldn’t bother with us.

Compared to the chaos of the foreign team, Qinghan and I spent our days in leisurely ease, like a vacation.

Chen Qinghan wouldn’t let me stare at my phone for too long, making me get up and move around every two hours.

I’d go into the forest to pick some wildflowers and fruits, and every time I returned with a headful of fresh blooms, I’d receive scowls from across the way.

That’s human nature for you, can’t stand seeing others more relaxed than themselves, never mind who excluded us from the group activities in the first place.

It took them a week to open the tomb’s door; officially authorized excavations usually hire local workers for the simplest labor.

But the Heavenly Maiden Tomb is unlike other tombs, possibly hiding many mysterious traps; involving ordinary people in the excavation could cause unnecessary casualties.

Moreover, the secrets of the Heavenly Maiden Tomb are known only to a few and are not to be shared with the public.

So the foreign team did everything themselves, finally opening the tomb’s gate after a week.

They didn’t rush in but celebrated that night—seemingly to flaunt their success at us.

And their celebration did not ’invite’ us; only the big guy brought me some barbecue and a bottle of beer, which I coldly refused.

This time, the big guy looked particularly serious, asking if he could talk to me.

He said he had no other motives; my refusal was obvious enough. He already understood my stance, only wanting to make friends with me.

In light of his sincerity, I replied just as sincerely that I wasn’t interested in making friends, only allies, no friends.

The big guy, Jerry, pulled a strange face and asked, "Is Chen your ally?"

Simply defining Chen Qinghan as an ally wasn’t accurate, so I added, "He’s one of my own."

Jerry furrowed his brows, his mental language processor clearly in overdrive, then he understandingly nodded, "Oh, I see."

He immediately leaned in to ask quietly, "So can I be your ally?"

I glared at him, "You already have allies."

He quickly waved his hands, "No, no, I can join you and yours."

I squinted at him warily, my gaze fierce, "You want to be a spy?"

Jerry shook his shaggy head fervently, "No, no, absolutely not, I mean I want to be in your group. Pete won’t assign you teammates, so I volunteer to join your team."

Afraid of my refusal, he quickly added, "I have experience, I can protect you... and him."

Only then did I drop my nonchalant attitude slightly, looking at him seriously.

"You understand Pete won’t assign us teammates, meaning once inside, there’ll be only two of us on this side. Going into the Heavenly Maiden Tomb with two people, you know what that means, almost certain death."

"Yes, I know, that’s why I have to join you, three people are stronger!"

Oh, how naively adorable this kid is!

In my heart, I chuckled, maybe with a hint of disdain, but I was also a bit touched.

Knowing our team is ’weaker,’ yet willing to join and lend a hand, that intention is precious.

"Alright." I nodded, "But be sure, once inside, you might be dragged down by us at any time."

"I... I understand, but it’s fine, I’m willing to help you." Jerry said firmly, seemingly quite pleased.

With my consent, he happily ran back to his area to celebrate with the others.

They thought I couldn’t understand them, but actually, I could, just pretended not to along the way.

His colleagues joked that he was so lovestruck that he disregarded his life.

He explained that he had already given up pursuing me, just didn’t want to miss the chance, thinking it fine to just be ordinary friends.

They mistakenly thought Qinghan and I were a couple, some even gave bad advice, saying the Underworld is riddled with crises, incidents are normal, suggesting Qinghan could have an ’accident,’ since his duty was only as a guide to the site, afterward he’d be of no use.

Out of respect for the ’upper level,’ they were willing to fulfill the exchange condition, bringing us into the tomb together, but they’d take no responsibility for what happened afterward.

The so-called ’upper level’ exchange condition was merely because Qinghan’s side couldn’t spare people at the time, while the excavation rights to Jade Country’s Heavenly Maiden Tomb were granted to a wealthy businessman, who hired a foreign team. Qinghan’s superior wanted to partake in this excavation, hence they traded passage for participation.

The person who accidentally discovered the Heavenly Maiden Tomb forgot the way; search and rescue didn’t specifically remember the route either, only located it via satellite.

Locals sent to fill the pit remembered, but unfortunately, that person passed away in a car accident.

It was due to this backstory that the businessman agreed to Qinghan and my involvement to quickly pinpoint the old tomb’s location.

Otherwise, letting the foreign team search for a pit in the vast primitive jungle might take ages.

This foreign team didn’t appear purely ’scholarly,’ their rough demeanor rivaled that of a Tomb Robber.

Jerry refused his colleagues’ ’suggestion,’ got mocked by the group, and downed a bottle of liquor.

The next day was the official day to enter the tomb; Pete did come for us, saying we could enter with them.

Qinghan and I didn’t say much, slinging our backpacks over our shoulders, and followed them towards the pit entrance.

The pit entrance had been cleared, the surroundings reinforced, and before understanding the situation below, large equipment had to remain above.

So today’s purpose going into the tomb was to scout, and I guess that’s why they called the two of us along.

The leader even specifically asked us to walk beside him, which was the front of the group.

I didn’t mind, striding forward, glancing casually at the relief above the tomb door as I passed.

The relief depicted two graceful fairies, their sleeves flowing, each holding a moon aloft, reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty in Freedom Country.