Seeing this scene, Leo quickly pulled Frederic down and laid him on the ground next to the blood pool. He then retrieved a first aid kit from the discarded backpack.
He began by bandaging Frederic’s arm, then used a hemostatic agent and gauze to treat the wound, stopping the bleeding.
Frederic was unconscious at this point, clearly having lost a significant amount of blood. If they were any later…
A sound echoed from the coffin, clear and audible in the silent tomb chamber.
Just as Leo was about to lift Frederic to leave, he was startled by the movement and, glancing around, his hairs stood on end.
In the darkness, countless pairs of shiny green eyes suddenly appeared, resembling numerous green fireflies. These luminous eyes stared at Leo without blinking, akin to beasts eyeing their prey.
Leo adjusted his flashlight, and the bodies attached to these glowing eyes appeared before him, surrounding him and the blood pool.
These creatures looked like human hands, except they were black, with eyes on the back of their hands, and their five fingers served as their feet.
These terrifying and bizarre creatures were called Hand-shaped Corpse Guards. Their origin was uncertain, but they were commonly used to protect ancient tombs.
Individually, Hand-shaped Corpse Guards didn’t possess significant attacking abilities. They could be crushed with a single step. Their terrifying aspect lay in their group capabilities. Once caught by a group of them, even an elephant wouldn’t break free.
After capturing a target, they would excrete a highly adhesive liquid from their mouths, wrapping the victim layer by layer until the target starved to death.
These peculiar insects had strong survival and reproductive abilities. They didn’t feed on living creatures but survived on the dust in ancient tombs. They reproduced by fission, one becoming two, two becoming four…
The most terrifying aspect was that these creatures were cursed. They could undergo accidental death and split resurrection. In other words, if killed by external force, they could split into two, an exceptionally terrifying trait.
Feeling the Hand-shaped Corpse Guards gradually approaching, Leo rapidly searched in his mind for a way to eliminate these creatures.
No creature in the world was invincible; each had its weaknesses. The same applied to Corpse Guards.
In the unnamed Feng Shui ancient books in his mind, Leo quickly found a way to defeat these creatures.
These creatures feared blood!
No wonder they hadn’t attacked him and Frederic earlier. Leo had thought they were waiting for something, but it turned out they were afraid of the blood in the pool.
Understanding this, Leo calmed down. He retrieved a bottle of mineral water from Frederic’s backpack, emptied the water, and then pressed the bottle into the blood pool to fill it with blood.
The thick blood and nauseating smell made Leo retch a few times. With the bottle filled, his hands were now covered in fresh blood, appearing particularly terrifying.
Leo held the blood-filled bottle and took a few steps forward. As expected, the Corpse Guards also retreated a few steps.
After confirming its effectiveness, Leo hung the backpack on his chest, lifted Frederic from the ground, and with the blood-filled bottle in hand, he retraced his steps.
As for what was inside the blood coffin, Leo had completely lost interest. No sane person would linger in such a place for another second.
Arriving at the tomb chamber where the crown was shattered earlier, there was light in the corner. Leo called out, “Professor Orlando,” and received a response before walking over.
Professor Orlando and Brook had already awakened and were currently studying a stone tablet. Leo couldn’t help but admire these individuals, who, in such a horrifying and dangerous place, still had the composure for archaeology.
Upon seeing Leo and noticing Frederic on his back, Rita’s expression tightened. She quickly inquired, “Leo, what happened to Frederic?”
“He fainted due to excessive blood loss, but his breathing is steady. Shouldn’t be anything major,” Leo replied as he placed Frederic against the wall, letting him sit down.
Upon hearing their conversation, Professor Orlando hurried over to check Frederic’s condition. Once he confirmed that Frederic wasn’t in immediate danger, the tension on his face eased.
Following this, Professor Orlando took out a small medicine bottle from his pocket, poured a small amount of liquid into the cap, and opened Frederic’s mouth to administer the liquid.
“Leo, we owe you a great deal today. Thank you so much,” Professor Orlando expressed his gratitude sincerely. “With this archaeological task completed, once Frederic wakes up, we’ll head back. Then, we’ll contact the city museum and cultural relics bureau to preserve this ancient tomb.”
“The work is finished?” Leo, unfamiliar with archaeology, was a bit confused. “Aren’t you archaeologists supposed to go to the main tomb chamber?”
Professor Orlando explained, “If we don’t find the tomb epitaph in the side chamber, we would go to the main tomb chamber. But just now, Brook and I found the tomb epitaph of the tomb owner in this corner of the side chamber.”
“From the epitaph, we learned that this is the tomb of a Shaman Witch from two thousand years ago. Those witches once held a highly esteemed position, second only to the emperor.”
“Information about the that time is scarce, and few complete tombs have been unearthed in recent decades. This tomb of a witch from that period of time is extremely rare, making it of great archaeological value.”
As Professor Orlando spoke slowly, Rita suddenly exclaimed, pointing at Leo’s right hand, “Y-your hand is bleeding, bleeding a lot!”
Leo shook his hand and smiled, “Don’t worry, it’s not my blood. There’s a blood pool in the main tomb chamber, and countless strange insects. Those insects fear blood, so I had to bring some with me to get out.”
“A blood pool!?” Rita exclaimed in surprise, her mouth wide open.
At this moment, Frederic, sitting against the wall, suddenly coughed. Under everyone’s gaze, he slowly opened his eyes. After being a bit sluggish, he weakly and hoarsely asked, “What… what happened to me?”
“You were almost lured away by a female ghost. Leo managed to bring you back,” Brook teased.
Helping Frederic up and packing their equipment, the group followed the same path back.
About half an hour later, the five emerged from the gate of life and death and returned to the entrance of the tomb passage below the cliff.
Due to Frederic’s weakened condition, Leo and Brook helped pull him up.
After stretching their arms a bit, the group headed back along the mountain road.
Upon reaching Georgia, Leo and Professor Orlando exchanged contact information before parting ways.
Of course, before parting, Professor Orlando asked Leo for his bank account, intending to transfer his payment. Leo didn’t refuse; after all, it was only fair to be compensated for his efforts.
Upon returning to the city, Leo could conveniently pick up Sophia after she finished work.
…
Cloud Dream Mountain, Villa No. 9, living room.
As Leo and Sophia entered the living room, they saw Jessica sitting on the sofa with a gloomy expression.