“Boss, no one’s here,” Cobra reported.
Though the tomb was large, it wasn’t difficult to search thoroughly. The team had turned over every inch of the place, but they didn’t find anyone.
Ryan frowned deeply at the news. The chamber was sealed, with no visible exits or secret passages. It should’ve been easy to locate someone if they were here-unless, of course, there was a hidden mechanism they hadn’t discovered yet.
“Mr. Ryan, if you’re not satisfied, we could leave and bring in some archaeology experts to come back later. They definitely know more than we do. Us poking around blindly like this isn’t going to help,” the local guy said thoughtfully. “The more powerful the pharaoh buried here, the more complex and full of traps this pyramid will be. We’re not experts-this isn’t the way to do things. What do you think, Mr. Ryan?”
Ryan’s eyes grew cold as he listened, and after a brief moment of silence, he gave a small nod. “We’re leaving.”
Ryan wasn’t reckless. He knew how to assess a situation. His team was made up of top-tier operatives, but they specialized in the modern world, not ancient mysteries full of booby traps.
Clement had already been missing for nearly three days, and without food or water, that was just about the limit. Continuing to search blindly wasn’t going to work. Ryan made the call without hesitation.
Hawk and the others didn’t argue. This wasn’t their area of expertise, and charging in unprepared had been a mistake. What they thought would be an easy mission turned out to be far more complicated. When Ryan gave the order, no one seemed surprised-just a little embarrassed.
“Come here,” Ryan commanded sharply when he noticed everyone heading toward him-everyone except Echo, who was still engrossed in examining the sarcophagus and jewels, completely unaware of his instructions.
Ryan’s harsh tone startled Echo so badly she jumped. Her hand slipped off the sarcophagus, and she almost smacked her head against it.
Glaring at Ryan, she snapped, “What the hell?”
Ryan gave her an icy stare without saying a word.
Echo glanced around and saw that the others had already gathered around Ryan, leaving her as the only one still hanging back. Realizing it was time to leave, she scratched her nose awkwardly and started walking toward him.
But as she raised her hand, she suddenly felt something off. Lowering it, she looked at her palm-and saw it was smeared with dried blood.
Echo froze for a second, her brow furrowing as she glanced at Ryan. Without saying a word, she backed away from the sarcophagus and leaned in to take a closer look.
Ryan saw her expression shift and immediately strode over with long steps.
Echo knelt by the side of the sarcophagus, pointing to a small recess along the edge that was easy to miss unless you looked closely. There, tucked under the lip of the sarcophagus, was a bloody handprint, as if someone had grabbed the edge in desperation. If Ryan’s earlier shout hadn’t startled her and made her hand slip, she never would have noticed it.
Ryan inspected the dried blood, his expression staying cold and unreadable. “We’re leaving,” he said in a low voice. Every extra minute spent here was a minute closer to either hope or disaster. He didn’t understand the structure of this place, but someone else would. The clues they found could be useful to those who knew how to interpret them.
Echo blinked at Ryan’s sudden decision but quickly caught on. Seeing the seriousness in his expression, she swallowed her excitement.
It wasn’t like this was her only chance-she’d already seen the place, and once they found Clement, the experts could deal with the traps and dangers. She could always come back later. Right now, saving Clement was more important.
Even though Ryan hadn’t said much, Echo knew Clement meant something to him. Otherwise, Ryan wouldn’t have come looking for him personally.
Echo braced herself against the edge of the sarcophagus and pushed herself up, fully aware of the urgency.
But just as she straightened, the ground beneath her gave way. A dark hole opened up right where she stood. Her heart jumped, and without thinking, she let out a sharp cry, instinctively reaching toward Ryan, who had just turned around.
Ryan was about to take a step forward when he heard Echo’s scream. In an instant, he spun around to see her arm reaching for him, with half of her body already slipping into the hole. The panic in her eyes hadn’t even fully registered yet.
Without a second thought, Ryan lunged and grabbed her hand just as it was about to disappear into the void. He tightened his grip, ready to haul her up, but then the floor under him shifted too. The stone tiles sank beneath his feet, pulling him down with her.
Ryan’s expression darkened, but he didn’t panic. In one fluid motion, he twisted and grabbed the side of the sarcophagus. At that moment, Cobra and the others saw what was happening and rushed toward them, shouting in alarm.
In a blink, Ryan clutched the corner of the sarcophagus. But the lid, which had already been tampered with, couldn’t handle the combined weight of two falling people. It tipped over and tumbled into the hole, dragging Ryan and Echo down with it.
Hawk and Cobra were the fastest to react. Hawk dove toward the falling lid, managing to grab the edge just as it slipped. But before he could get a firm hold, the sarcophagus lid followed Ryan and Echo into the darkness. Without hesitating, Hawk pushed off the ground and leapt into the hole after them.
Then, with a thunderous clang, the floor snapped shut. The trapdoor sealed so quickly that Hawk only managed to get halfway through before being pinned. Seeing this, Cobra, who had barely scrambled up from the floor, lunged forward and grabbed Hawk by the shoulder. With a powerful yank, Cobra wrenched him back just in time, saving him from being crushed as the trap sealed perfectly, as if it had never opened at all.
It had all happened in a split second.
Hawk, still bleeding from where his head had slammed against the sarcophagus lid, didn’t even flinch. Without a word, he began frantically searching for the mechanism that had triggered the trap. There was only one explanation-Echo must have unknowingly set off some kind of hidden trigger.
Cobra dragged himself up from the floor, his arm throbbing painfully. The effort of pulling Hawk free had pushed his muscles to their limit, leaving him feeling like his arm might snap in two. Ignoring the pain, he barked out orders to the rest of the team, his expression dark as everyone sprang into action.
Meanwhile, Ryan, still falling with Echo in his grasp, realized the sarcophagus lid wouldn’t hold their weight. With no time to waste, he changed tactics. Instead of holding on, he shoved the lid away, using the momentum to shift their position mid-air.
In one swift move, he pulled Echo firmly into his arms, wrapping her tightly against him as they plunged deeper into the unknown.