Qin Sizhi paused his hand that was twirling the Buddha beads and gently shook his head: "Ordinary snakes and insects fear sulfur, but the creatures in this cave are an unknown factor."

"I only came across this piece of history accidentally and I've never personally been inside Ai Laoshan, so I can't be certain."

Qi Yun frowned, thought for a moment, and said: "Bring two flamethrowers, and carry some extra gasoline to try as well."

Qin Sizhi nodded slightly: "That's the best we can do."

After discussing the matter, Qi Yun had Brother Quan take Qin Sizhi and his apprentice to the next room to rest, leaving behind Yao Yuzhong alone.

Yao Yuzhong seemed to guess what the former wanted to ask him, and spoke proactively before being questioned: "I am not aware of the circumstances he mentioned. Back then, when I was researching that place, I only focused on recent geographic county records."

Qi Yun looked at him for two seconds, then smiled and waved his hand: "Hehe, Old Yao, you're overthinking. Since I brought you out, it's natural that I trust you."

Yao Yuzhong's face twitched slightly, he somehow felt that Qi Yun's smile had a sinister undertone.

Qi Yun continued: "I was going to ask about those two from earlier, tell me about their situation."

Yao Yuzhong turned his head in surprise, as if to say weren't they brought by you? You aren't familiar with them?

"They were found by friends, and they didn't tell me specific backgrounds." Qi Yun explained.

Yao Yuzhong nodded and began to speak about Qin Sizhi: "This old guy used to be in the same line of work as me, he could be considered a top person among the Southern Climbers."

Qi Yun thought to himself, as expected, no wonder Qin Sizhi and his apprentice gave him a strange feeling, completely different from professors like Hua Weiguo and Wei Xueming.

But why did Xiao Hanguang bring a Tomb Raider over?

"That year someone was cooking up something in Western Shanxi, both he and I went, targeting an ancient Tang Dynasty tomb."

"The operation went smoothly at first, and we found a lot of valuable items underground, but... we encountered an accident when exiting, someone attacked us."

"I was the first to get out, so I luckily escaped, but many people were blocked behind, and I heard Qin Sizhi was among them."

"Later, I hid in Northern Mongolia for a while, and from friends, heard some rumors that Qin Sizhi was captured. At first, I didn't quite believe it, but now it seems very likely."

Captured?

Qi Yun was stunned, no wonder Xiao Hanguang would send him a Tomb Raider, it turns out this is the reason.

"Is there really a thing as being captured in your line of work, where one could lose their head?"

"Why weren't you captured back then?"

Yao Yuzhong pursed his lips: "They likely valued Qin Sizhi's ability. They have a teacher-inherited lineage, unlike my kind of wild path."

"As for being captured..."

He paused, with a hint of sentiment in his tone, "Times were different, technology wasn't as advanced as it is now, to enter big tombs required real skill, the officials needed people like him, so they were willing to give them a chance to make up for their crimes."

"Things are different now, cultural protection is stronger and the officials have trained enough talent, they no longer need people like us who have become tainted."

Qi Yun nodded slightly, acknowledging the other party's explanation.

Country now rarely takes the initiative to open those tombs, only those that have been damaged by Tomb Raiders undergo protective excavation.

For instance, the Genghis Khan Mausoleum found in Northern Mongolia last time was first excavated by people sent by De Gaulle, which led to Qi Yun and Hua Weiguo going down later.

"Then aren't you quite unlucky, didn't catch the right time." Qi Yun teased.

Yao Yuzhong forced a wry smile: "There's nothing lucky or unlucky, those of us in this line have long been prepared to face gunfire at any moment, I'm already very grateful to the government for allowing me to survive."

"Haha, you have a very clear mindset."

Qi Yun also laughed, then asked, "Hey, what's up with his finger?"

"His right hand has a special skill."

"Special skill?"

...

The next day, a Gulfstream G700 loaded with various equipment flew towards Yunnan Province.

By the time Qi Yun and the others landed, it was already noon.

The local cultural heritage bureau had already prepared the necessary vehicles for them in advance, and the group of more than ten people had a simple meal in Nanzhao, then drove towards Ai Laoshan.

Nanzhao is west of Ai Laoshan, about three hundred kilometers away from there.

The car drove on the highway for two or three hours, then turned onto winding mountain roads, driving for another seventy to eighty kilometers before the asphalt road gradually turned into gravel, the wheels crunching over the stones, and the scenery outside the window turned into vast broadleaf forests.

The air was mixed with the scent of decayed leaves and damp earth, and the silhouette of Ai Laoshan was looming in the distant mist.

Ai Laoshan is currently a closed nature reserve, except for the outermost area, the core zone is prohibited from entry.

The end of the gravel road is a large reservoir, and there's a checkpoint ahead with a no access sign. You can't go any further, and there's no drivable road beyond this point.

The lead car stopped at the checkpoint entrance, Old Yao got out to negotiate with the management, and then the gates slowly opened up allowing the convoy to drive through.

At this point, the sky was getting dark, so they had to spend the night at the checkpoint and set off into the mountains at dawn.

At the foot of the mountain, the temperature was very low, different from the northern chill, it was a bone-penetrating damp coldness, especially being near the reservoir, that damp coolness seeped through collars and cuffs into the skin.

Everyone changed into their windbreakers and squeezed into the checkpoint to warm up by the fire.

"Come, leaders, have some tea." A dark-skinned ranger brought over two cups of tea.

Qi Yun took them and thanked him, inviting him to sit down by the fire as well.

The tea was just ordinary tea that cost a few yuan per pack, yet at this moment, Qi Yun found it better than the Da Hong Pao he'd bought for hundreds of thousands per pound before.

"Leaders, are you here for scientific research?"

The ranger curiously sized them up, "Last month, some teachers also came, but they didn't bring as much equipment as you, went in the morning and came out in the afternoon."

People here like to call those who are educated and knowledgeable as teachers, however, earlier he showed him badges with national emblems on them, so he called Qi Yun and his group leaders here.

Qi Yun smiled back, replying, "Yes, we're here for research, and we may need to stay in there a bit longer."

"Then you must be very careful, the mountains are very dangerous, there's black bear spirits! When they stand, they're taller than a person!" The ranger made an exaggerated face, kindly warning everyone.

"Hmm, we will be cautious."

Knowing there are many big animals in the mountains, Qi Yun specifically got a few tranquilizer guns along with potent tranquilizers for this trip.

Even if they encounter wild boars or leopards, they can handle it.

Seeing him taking it seriously, the ranger felt relieved and added a dry log to the fire: "Not just animals, it's been raining constantly these days, those slopes and cliffs are very slick....."

It seemed like the ranger rarely met living souls, as he kept talking until Qi Yun started yawning, making him realize it was getting late.

At night, everyone wrapped in sleeping bags spent the night resting at the checkpoint, and the next day, they embarked on the mountain path before the break of dawn.

As the ranger mentioned, the road was all muddy, with shoes quickly caked in yellow mud, making the hiking boots lose their original traction and become slippery underfoot.

Yao Yuzhong, who was leading ahead, almost slipped several times, but fortunately, Niu Da, who was constantly watching over him, caught him.

In contrast, Qin Sizhi seemed much more composed, both he and his apprentice were remarkable, their steps steady, and core strength impressive.

Stumbling along like this, they walked for about an hour until the sun rose, and the team fully left the secure zone and entered a sparsely inhabited area.

The surrounding trees became increasingly dense, with thick trunks crisscrossing, the canopy so dense that even sunlight had a hard time filtering through.

The air was heavy with moisture, making breathing feel stifling.

At the very front, Brother Quan suddenly stopped, crouched to examine the ground: "Looks like bear tracks."

An Zai and the others behind him turned, gripping their tranquilizer guns, and vigilantly scanned the surroundings.