Chapter 249: Underground Vault, Treasure Appears

The fog was thick and the lights were dim.

Deep in this smoke-filled manor, a gray circular building stands alone.

There are no windows around, and the rough concrete walls tightly block the interior of the building.

The iron gate was tightly closed, and it was carved with an intricate pattern of a giant tree, with branches winding and circling, like some kind of totem symbol.

The whole pattern exudes an ancient and majestic atmosphere, which makes people stop and stare, full of awe and speculation about the space behind the door.

It seems that once you step in, you will step into a completely different mysterious world.

At this moment, more than twenty people have gathered here. They are all treasure hunters who fought their way into the manor.

The crowd gathered in front of the iron gate, eagerly trying various methods to break through this obstacle.

Someone reached out and pushed the door hard, but the heavy iron door did not move at all.

Someone squatted down, squinted his eyes and moved close to the crack of the door, trying to peek into what was happening behind the door, but all he saw was darkness.

Some people even took out lock-picking tools from their backpacks, inserted them into the keyholes, and fiddled with them attentively.

However, the lock was obviously extremely sophisticated and complicated, and no matter how they fiddled with it, there was no reaction at all.

“How do I get in?!”

Everyone’s face was filled with anxiety.

According to the mysterious man’s intelligence, the Golden Bamba Bottle should be hidden in the underground vault inside this building.

But now this iron gate has become an insurmountable obstacle between them and the treasure.

“Get out of the way, let us do it!”

At this moment, a rough voice suddenly sounded, breaking the deadlock.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw two burly men striding forward. They were the duo of Heihe.

They both had their chests exposed, with muscles bulging under their bronze skin, making them look like two angry King Kongs.

When they arrived in front of the iron gate, the two of them didn’t waste any words. They swung their fists as big as bowls at the same time, and smashed towards the iron gate with all their strength.

“boom!”

When the first punch landed, the sound of the impact made everyone’s ears buzz, as if it was really going to smash a hole in the iron door on the spot.

Then, the second punch, the third punch…

Each punch was so powerful that even faint marks appeared on the iron door where it was hit.

However, that’s all.

No matter how hard the two heroes of Heihe used their brute force and attacked violently, the iron gate still stood there steadily.

At most, he trembled a few times symbolically.

Just these few tremors seemed more like a contemptuous gesture, showing its unimaginable solidity and heaviness.

The faces of the two heroes of Heihe turned red, their chests heaved violently, and they gasped heavily.

Looking at the iron gate that still held its ground, his eyes were filled with frustration.

The others looked at each other, and expressions of helplessness and reluctance appeared on their faces.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Everyone knows that the longer they are blocked here, the more competitors there will be and the smaller the chance of seizing the treasure will be.

Looking around the entire building, the thick walls appear cold and majestic under the foggy lights, and the solid structure exudes an unshakable aura.

This is simply a military fortress.

Some people even secretly speculated that it might be able to defend against missile attacks?
No wonder the Lu family was so fearless and hid the Golden Benba Bottle here with confidence.

Fang Cheng glanced at the nail head.

He was seen with his arms folded across his chest, leaning against a stone pillar nearby, with an expression of watching a show on his face.

It was as if the tightly closed iron door in front of him and the anxiety of the crowd had nothing to do with him.

As for the other people around, they all stared blankly, as if there was no feasible solution.

Fang Cheng secretly considered whether he should give it a try.

Perhaps using the Qilin Arm’s charged attack could break this specially reinforced iron door.

At this moment, with the noisy footsteps coming closer and closer, another group of treasure hunters hurried over.

Among the crowd, the mysterious man with an ordinary appearance who had appeared in the secret realm was particularly eye-catching.

Another middle-aged man followed closely behind him.

These newcomers were slightly stunned when they saw the embarrassing look of the people being blocked outside by the iron gate.

They quickly exchanged glances with each other, also immersed in the current situation, and looked at this seemingly indestructible fortress.

“Professor, how about I give it a try?”

Li Dingjian silently repeated a sentence in his mind through the mental link, his tone showing a hint of eagerness to try.

“Don’t worry, it’s not the right time yet.”

The professor’s thoughts came calmly, rejecting the proposal: “It would be better to wait until more people participate in the treasure hunt before taking action.”

Upon hearing this, Li Dingjian nodded slightly, temporarily suppressed his thoughts, and patiently waited for the best opportunity.

He has full confidence in his ability to “sense pulses”.

This ability is like a sophisticated detector that can sensitively sense the internal structure of electronic and mechanical equipment and detect subtle changes therein.

If the professor’s powerful mental energy is added, it would be like installing a super-powerful engine on the detector.

Even complex and sophisticated electronic monitoring equipment can be easily cracked and destroyed.

What’s more, it’s just a lock.

When two people communicate with each other using their consciousness.

Fang Cheng, who was standing at the edge of the crowd, observed their actions out of the corner of his eye without making any expression.

At this time, Master Bao beside him suddenly spoke:
“Forget it, Ah San, you should take action!”

Hearing this, Black Wolf couldn’t help but look puzzled, and turned his head to ask softly:
“Isn’t Ah San good at shrinking bones? How come he also knows how to pick locks?”

Master Bao narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression showing a bit of helplessness, and explained:

“This is his life-saving trick. He was not going to use it easily. But now you see, more and more people are coming. If we delay any longer, the Golden Benba Bottle will really fall into the hands of others.”

After receiving the order, Ah San stepped forward and stretched out his hand to push away the few people who were still fiddling with the door lock.

Many teams on site have brought professionals with lock-picking skills with them in order to deal with the current situation.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard everyone tried, they were unable to shake the iron door at all.

At this moment, everyone’s eyes were focused on Ah San.

He stared at the keyhole, took a deep breath, and then slowly extended his right index finger.

It was as if something alive was surging under the skin of the finger, and the finger softened and deformed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In a moment, it became as soft as plasticine kneaded in a child’s hands.

Then, he actually inserted his finger directly into the keyhole.

Ah San looked focused, like a surgeon performing a delicate operation.

As soon as he reached in, a slight friction sound was heard quietly. His fingers moved flexibly in the keyhole, and a “click” sound was heard from time to time.

After three turns and two rounds, another crisp “click” sound was heard.

As if announcing success, the heavy iron door slowly moved inward, making a low creaking sound. In just over ten seconds, the iron door that had left everyone helpless was finally breached.

Everyone present held their breath and stared at the scene inside without blinking.

After the door opened, the first thing that came into view was a long and deep passage.

The walls were made of bricks and stones, and the years had left mottled marks on them. Moss grew wildly in the cracks, adding a touch of eerie green to the passage.

As if the induction was triggered, dim light leaked out from the lamps arranged at intervals at the top of the passage.

The light seemed very dim, as if it would be swallowed up by the darkness at any time, casting strange shadows on the ground and walls.

On both sides of the passage, there are carvings of ferocious beasts of various shapes, some with glaring eyes, some with bared fangs and claws, as if guarding some unspeakable secret.

Everyone’s eyes widened, and the greed in their hearts was instantly ignited. Like a hungry wolf seeing a fat lamb, they all rushed forward.

For a moment, the shouting and pushing sounds were intertwined into a chaotic mess.

All they saw was the treasure behind the door. They didn’t bother to thank the person who opened the door, nor did they care about the potential dangers inside. They ran impatiently into the depths of the passage.

“go!”

Bao Ye gritted his teeth, waved his arm, and called for Fang Cheng, Heilang and others to follow.

Relying on his fat body, he rudely pushed the people in front of him to the side, creating a “broad road” for himself, which caused shouts and curses from those around him.

Although the others were so angry that their faces turned red, they could not punch the fat man because of the oath they had made before, so they could only mutter to vent their dissatisfaction.

Li Dingjian, who was standing outside the door, looked at the crowd rushing in and couldn’t help but ask in a low voice:

“What should we do now?”

The professor frowned slightly and replied in a deep voice:
“Follow in and adapt to circumstances.”

After saying that, he followed the main force without hesitation.

At this moment, there were about thirty or forty people entering the underground vault together, almost half of all treasure hunters.

It is great that so many people have been able to arrive here successfully in such a short period of time.

In addition to Fang Cheng and Dingzitou, the two brave generals who took the lead in charging into battle, the professor and Li Dingjian also made great contributions.

Before this, the two of them had been running around, assisting other teams in suppressing the guards and breaking through the defense lines, which took a lot of time, so they were a little late.

The crowd walked along the winding passage downwards, their steps hurried yet cautious.

This underground vault containing treasures is equipped with many mechanisms to prevent thieves.

But which of these treasure hunters with special abilities is not highly skilled, brave, and experienced in many battles?

They either rely on their superb skills or their keen intuition, combined with the intelligence records they have previously obtained, and they can easily resolve the potential dangers one by one.

As we go deeper step by step, we are getting closer and closer to our dream goal.

Everyone looked deeper and could vaguely see a tall archway with a faint light flickering inside.

It seemed to be tempting them to continue to speed up their pace.

………………………………

Located more than ten meters underground, in a vaulted hall.

Only a few wall lamps emitting dim light were trying to dispel the darkness, making the entire space dim.

In the center of the hall, an ancient stone platform stands quietly like a silent guardian.

On the stone platform is placed the golden Bamba bottle that everyone dreams of getting at all costs.

The bottle is only 30 centimeters high. Although it is small in size, it seems to contain endless power and has a momentum of rising from the earth and supporting the sky.

It has a long and thin neck, a round and thick belly, and a skirt with auspicious cloud patterns.

The cloud patterns spread out layer by layer, like auspicious clouds rolling in the sky, giving people a dreamlike feeling.

Various patterns such as the conch, wheel, umbrella, lotus, etc. are engraved on it, adding a bit of Buddhist charm and aura.

The bottle appears to be made of pure gold, sparkling with a golden glow.

Several kinds of gemstones are inlaid in it: translucent amber, bright coral and deep lapis lazuli, just like stars scattered in the night sky, making the golden Bamba vase extraordinarily luxurious.

Let it shine with its unique brilliance in this dark hall, appearing extremely extraordinary, mysterious and heavy.

At this moment, four people in black robes were surrounding the stone platform.

They were thin and had loose sleeves.

The four of them all clasped their hands together, lowered their brows and eyes, and stood solemnly.

They seemed immersed in some mysterious ritual, and turned a deaf ear to the faint shouts and gunfire coming from the outside world.

Looking closely, their faces were covered with strange spells.

Those spells seemed to have life, twisting and turning on the skin like tadpoles, revealing an indescribable evil that made people afraid.

Suddenly, one of the men in black robes slowly opened his eyes, his gaze deep, and he muttered to himself:

“It came sooner than expected…”

After a pause, he turned aside again, speaking with a somewhat dissatisfied tone:

“Lu Tao, it seems that the guards you trained are not very good.”

As the words fell, a sturdy man hurriedly took a step forward.

He was dressed in a grey uniform that perfectly outlined his sturdy figure.

Facing this skinny black-robed man who looked as if he would fall down at the slightest gust of wind, he was extremely respectful and quickly bent down and lowered his head:

“Replying to the Second Elder, it is my incompetence.”

As he spoke, his face was full of shame and a thin layer of sweat quietly seeped out of his forehead.

He hurriedly raised his hand and wiped it off gently, fearing that this slight mistake would be noticed by the Second Elder who was standing with his back to him, and then he put on a more submissive attitude.

It’s no wonder he’s so cautious.

Because the old man in front of him who seemed to be in his twilight years was the second elder, Lu Shihua, who was said to have been dead for more than ten years. He was the most powerful and authoritative elder in the entire Lu family except for the head of the family.

This person had been in seclusion in the family’s secret realm before, rarely going out. He suddenly appeared only half a month ago and fully presided over this plan to change his destiny.

As a “family son”, Lu Tao has always been in awe of him and dared not neglect him in the slightest.

Lu Shihua pondered for a moment, then gave the order:

“You go out now and block the way for a while. Wait until I complete the sacrificial rituals, and then you can evacuate with me.”

“Yes, Second Elder.”

Lu Tao responded in a low voice, then hesitated again: “What about the remaining guards?”

A cold light flashed across Lu Shihua’s eyes, and his voice was cold:
“As the guards of the Lu family, they were raised by the family and performed their duties conscientiously. Now at the critical moment, they sacrificed their lives for the family. It is a worthy death and the greatest honor.”

After saying this, he raised his head slightly, his eyes filled with desperate determination.

“The Lu family has been planning for decades and has poured all their efforts into this. Tonight is the time to close the net. I will not allow any mistakes to happen. Do you understand?”

When Lu Tao heard this, his heart seemed to be blown through by a cold wind and he shivered involuntarily.

He quickly lowered his head and replied loudly:
“I understand. I will do my best and will not make any mistakes. I hope Second Elder will rest assured.”

Lu Shihua ignored him and immediately closed his eyes, muttering something as if he was humming an ancient blessing.

The black robe around him trembled slightly, and he was vaguely surrounded by a mysterious force.

At this moment, the golden Bamba bottle on the stone platform was shining, becoming more and more dazzling, as if it was also echoing this mysterious ceremony.

(End of this chapter)