The professors nodded upon hearing Professor Li's words.
Chen Dongping lowered his head in shame, realizing the vast difference between himself and these senior experts.
"Everyone, record and photograph these murals," Professor Chen instructed meticulously. "They are all precious national treasures."
The team members eagerly began taking photos.
Soon, photographs of the murals were documented.
"Let's go ahead and see what's in front," Xiao Guang said excitedly, looking at the tomb passage ahead. Having learned from previous tomb explorations, he now had a new understanding of tomb safety.
"Wait, let's first check for any potential traps," Professor Li interjected. "Traps are the most difficult aspect of tombs; some are astonishingly ingenious." He recalled peculiar mechanisms described in ancient texts, all built with incredible skill.
"Yes, Old Li is right. Traps are dangerous. Everyone be careful," Professor Chen chimed in.
"Is this tomb chamber what you archaeologists are here to study?" the village head asked, speaking for the first time in a while. He had followed along, observing mostly, and rarely spoke.
"Yes, Comrade Village Head, we are truly grateful to you," Professor Chen replied with a wide smile.
The village head's expression turned grim. "This is a forbidden area. Legends say anyone who enters will be punished by the gods. If I had known you were coming here, I would never have brought you." His voice was filled with agitation. A widespread legend in the desert claimed that anyone entering an area controlled by the gods would face punishment. The village head had harbored suspicions even before entering, and seeing the murals now made his head spin.
"It's alright, Comrade Village Head. Have faith in science," Professor Li stated, repeating his famous saying.
"Momati, if you want to go in, I won't. I'll wait for you outside, Momati," the village head said anxiously, then fled as if escaping. This reaction was understandable for a devout believer.
"How strange," Chen Dongping murmured. The others paid no mind to the departing village head.
"Everyone, believe in science. Don't speak of superstition. While there are mysteries in the world, they can ultimately be solved," Professor Li encouraged them. What he truly thought was perhaps unknown even to himself.
With Professor Li's motivational words, the team seemed to gain renewed vigor and quickened their pace.
Soon, at the end of the tomb passage, a circular chamber appeared. The team unconsciously quickened their steps.
As they entered the circular chamber, everyone gasped. Inside, rows of porcelain, jars, and countless gold and silver artifacts were arranged. The artifacts and jars seemed to be everywhere, as if they were free.
"This is a Sand Camel Man Statue! I've only seen it in ancient texts. There's only one such statue in the entire Xia Kingdom!"
"Look at this! Western Regions colored porcelain. There isn't a single piece like this in the entire Xia Kingdom!"
"And this! The Great Tang Monk's Journey to the Western Regions!"
The team members exclaimed in awe at the relics before them. They had never seen so many artifacts before. The relics from the Western Regions were in no way inferior to those from other dynasties of Xia, and were perhaps even more precious.
"I never imagined these relics would be preserved so completely," Professor Chen said, his hands trembling. He was overwhelmed with excitement at the sight of the artifacts, which shone like gold.
"We've discovered a large collection of cultural relics. We can report this to our superiors, and they will undoubtedly send people to retrieve these items," Professor Li said, his voice also filled with emotion.
"Look ahead! The coffin has been opened!" Xiao Guang suddenly pointed at the coffin in the center. The rectangular secondary coffin was ajar, and its contents were unclear.
"Let's approach carefully and take a look," Professor Li said gently. Xiao Guang nodded, and they moved closer.
The weasel in Xiao Li's arms kept looking around but didn't see what it was looking for. They soon reached the coffin.
"Professor Li! There's no corpse inside! Only some burial objects!" Xiao Guang shouted.
"The special agents must have dealt with the zombie for us!" Professor Li recalled the Red Roar from before, believing they had helped him again. He said calmly, "It's likely our special agents, worried about our safety, specifically opened the coffin and examined the body for us. This place should be safe." The team members' admiration for the mysterious special agents grew.
"Everyone, stay alert. Let's organize these artifacts now and transport them out as carefully as possible. These are our lives; we cannot afford any losses," Professor Li urged. The team members cautiously began moving the artifacts.
Professor Chen felt as if he were dreaming. His previous expedition to an underwater tomb had not been this straightforward. "Does Professor Li perhaps possess a tomb-raiding aura?" he mused. He secretly resolved to always bring Professor Li on future tomb explorations, considering him an absolute good luck charm for archaeology.
While the professors' team was busy moving artifacts, Zhang Tian and his companions had already reached the northeastern region. Standing by the sea in the northeastern coastal area, they gazed at the vast ocean with a sense of reflection.
"Ah, the sea, you are like a salty zongzi, even your taste is salty," Wang Pangzi chuckled.
"Brother Banyue, that's not right. It should be said like this: Ah, the sea, you are like a beautiful woman's embrace, a wife's embrace, warm and sweet," Wang Pangzi chuckled. Zhang Tian and Hu Bayi looked at each other speechlessly. This胖子 (fatty) really dared to say anything.
Wang Banyue, however, was excited. "Brother Kaixuan, that's elegant and sophisticated. My perspective was too narrow." Wang Banyue then clapped his hands together with him.
"Alright, Pangzi, we're boarding a fishing boat, not on vacation," Wu Tianzhen said helplessly.
Wang Banyue grinned. "I just found a kindred spirit, I'm happy! Besides, Brother Kaixuan and I hit it off immediately. We should create more rhyming couplets." Wang Banyue looked proud and honored.
Zhang Tian, on the other hand, remained indifferent, as he was accustomed to these two fatties. Together, they could probably scare ghosts to death.
"By the way, Young Master Zhang, how will we cross the river? We can't just wait here forever," Wang Banyue asked.
Zhang Tian took a deep breath. "I've inquired. There should be ships going to Europe soon. We'll pay the fare to board. We can jump directly into the sea not far from the coast of Fuji Country." Zhang Tian said calmly, his demeanor unfazed.
Wu Tianzhen was stunned. He knew there was a difference between the coastline and the mainland. Jumping in from there would mean swimming for tens of kilometers! That was insane. Even with Wu Tianzhen's current strength, dozens of kilometers would be a struggle.
At this moment, the two fatties heard this and were petrified. This prospect was worse than killing them.