Chapter 6: The Shifting Reliefs

Fatty lazily raised his arms, waiting for Zhang Wuxun and the other to serve him. Suddenly, seeing something, his expression shifted to one of utter stupefaction. "Holy hell... that’s a total transformation!"

Wu Xiaoxie followed his gaze and his jaw dropped instantly.

Zhang Baldy stood where he was, his entire body popping with the sound of cracking bones. His frame suddenly stretched, growing significantly taller. Then, he reached forward, exerted some force, and his arms visibly lengthened. He reached behind his ears, gave a tug, and peeled off a complete mask, revealing the true face beneath.

"Brother?" Wu Xiaoxie exclaimed, momentarily stunned.

Fatty wasn't having it. He stomped on an arrow on the ground, his face long and deeply displeased. "Comrade Zhang, what is the meaning of this? Aren't you just toying with us? And you!"

Fatty pointed his finger at the calm Zhang Wuxun, suddenly realizing, "Oh! So you two are in it together, keeping it from me and Little Innocent, thinking we’re just gullible, right?"

He was fuming, but Zhang Wuxun was equally annoyed. He shot a cold glance over and retorted, "Who’s happy to be in it with him? I just figured it out earlier than you."

Fatty choked on his words, gesturing wildly until he accidentally pointed at Zhang Wuxun’s left hand. His eyes widened. "Look, look! What did I say? You two are definitely in cahoots! Don't even try to deny it—both of you have fingers longer than the average person. It’s lucky I have sharp eyes to spot a little monster like you—"

"Enough, enough!" Zhang Wuxun raised a hand to stop his rambling. "What nonsense is this? I admit, I..."

Zhang Wuxun pointed at himself, then at the Brother. "And the Brother... we can only be said to belong to the same family. Aside from that, not a cent of connection..."

Zhang Wuxun paused. *Damn, would that be too harsh?*

He glanced at the Brother and found the man staring back at him, his thin lips pressed into a tight line.

*Damn!* It made it look like he was the one bullying someone.

Zhang Wuxun opened his mouth, struggled with himself for a moment, then lowered his head in defeat. "Forget it, whatever."

"In any case, that woman A-Ning is trouble. She must have known how to trigger the mechanisms here all along, hoping to wipe us all out in one go."

Having calmed down, Zhang Wuxun’s mind cleared. The Brother wasn't one to treat human life so lightly; there had to be a purpose behind his actions. Perhaps he had made some deal or agreement with that old fox, Uncle Three.

Little Innocent needed to grow, and he had to go through these things.

Once he had entered the game, he had to shoulder his own mission and responsibilities. This was true for Wu Xiaoxie, and it was true for the Brother.

At this thought, Zhang Wuxun felt a sense of bewilderment. What about him? Did the system send him here just to make up for some so-called regrets?

Or perhaps, was he just another piece in this game?

Fatty snorted, deciding not to dwell on it. "That stinking woman is a real piece of work. Does she have some kind of problem? Did I ever provoke her? Don't let me catch her, or I'll... I'll finish her off!" Fatty made a menacing gesture of strangling someone.

Back in Hangzhou at Wushan Residence, Wu Xiaoxie had noticed Zhang Wuxun’s two exceptionally long fingers and asked about them, so he wasn't particularly surprised.

He pulled the last arrow from Fatty’s body and examined the tip, puzzled. "Since the tomb owner wanted to set traps, why are the arrowheads like this? Is there a reason?"

The Brother shook his head. "Unknown. Perhaps the tomb owner just wanted to use these arrows as a warning to make intruders turn back."

Wu Xiaoxie didn't dwell on it further. Staring at the jade door A-Ning had just entered, he asked, "Should we go after her?"

The Brother shook his head. "When the mechanism was triggered earlier, that jar-ghost entered the side chamber on the left. There must be a reason for that. We’re on their turf now; it’s best not to act rashly."

"So we’re just going to let her go?" Wu Xiaoxie was clearly unwilling.

Fatty gave a sly grin. "She won't get far. We’ll hide the oxygen tanks. No matter how capable that woman is, she can't hold her breath all the way outside!"

"Besides..." Fatty’s tone shifted as he winked at Zhang Wuxun, "Wuxun hit her with that wooden fish earlier, didn't he?"

"Oxygen deprivation plus an injury—she’ll end up at the bottom of the sea feeding the fish sooner or later."

Sure enough, Fatty was the thoughtful one.

They all agreed and returned to the side chamber they had been in before.

Sure enough, the oxygen tanks and diving gear were gone.

"Fatty, you were the last one to take off your gear. Did you move it when you put it down?" Wu Xiaoxie asked.

Fatty hurriedly denied it. "Of course not! Those tanks and gear weigh a hundred pounds; I’m not bored enough to move that junk for no reason."

He then speculated, "Could it be... there’s another zombie in this tomb? It took advantage of us being away to move the tanks. Maybe that jar-ghost was just a distraction."

"Nonsense. Which zombie likes to move that stuff? It’s not even edible," Wu Xiaoxie immediately dismissed the idea.

Zhang Wuxun patted Wu Xiaoxie’s shoulder and pointed to the ceiling. "This isn't the same chamber as before. Look, the carvings have changed. It was an astral map before, but now it’s two giant snakes."

Wu Xiaoxie shone his flashlight upward, right onto the eyes of the giant snakes, and was startled. "What’s going on? Did we go through the wrong door?"

Fatty looked at the ceiling, then back at the corridor. "That’s impossible. It’s a straight path, like driving a pig down an alley. Look, the arrow I pulled out of myself is still sitting right there. If we could get lost on this, I’ll write my name backward."

Zhang Wuxun chuckled. "Then you might as well just take my surname."

After all, either way, it was still a "Wang."

"Go on! I’m being serious here!" Fatty waved his hand as if shooing a fly.

Wu Xiaoxie was silent for a while, then sighed heavily and sat down on a random spot. "Why don't you guys sit down for a bit, and I’ll tell you a story."

Zhang Wuxun dug a few candies out of his backpack, tossed one to each of them, and sat down in front of Wu Xiaoxie. "Go ahead."

Wu Xiaoxie, feeling a bit guilty, picked through the contents of the notes his Third Uncle had left behind, sharing only what he could.

The more Fatty heard, the angrier he got. He began to curse, "You knew all this, and you didn't say anything sooner? Now we’re in this half-dead state, and you let me worry myself sick here. Are you secretly having a laugh at my expense, kid?"

Wu Xiaoxie, in the wrong, pursed his lips and didn't dare to retort.

Zhang Wuxun glanced at the thoughtful Brother. After a moment, he decided to let the Brother have this opportunity to shine, adding a brick to the foundation of the Iron Triangle's revolutionary friendship.