The Autobiography of a Tomb Raider

Chapter 12: White Bones

"Brother, what is Jie Hou Dai Zi? Is it some kind of seaweed?"

Sun Laoda didn’t laugh. He looked at me and said, "It’s not seaweed. It’s a person’s name. There are some fragmentary records about this person in historical texts. I didn’t expect us to stumble upon this by accident. So, Boss, are we still going ahead tonight? I see Sun Laosan and Sun Laoer are already prepared."

Boss Wang asked with a serious expression, "No issues at the base, right?"

Sun Laoda nodded. "None. The young guys under Yikezhi are quite sharp."

"Laoda, don’t sell this batch of goods yet, especially this bronze dou. If word gets out from Shunde, there’s a high chance it’ll attract wolves."

"Wolves from the south?" Sun Laoda asked with a dark expression.

"I’m afraid it’s not just wolves from the south. Nowadays, there are too many wolves and not enough meat. Everyone’s scavenging for bones. If we don’t seal this tightly, the scent of the meat might attract wild wolves."

"Laoda, I’ve made a decision," Boss Wang extended a hand and said, "Five days. We’ll shorten the time to five days. Get everything out for me. Once we’ve got it, we’ll leave Shunde as soon as possible and find a place to lay low for a while."

From the conversation between Boss Wang and Sun Laoda, I could tell they were both a bit tense, as if they were wary of something.

Past midnight, on Fei’e Mountain.

Sun Laoer was squatting on the ground smoking, while Sun Laosan was counting the sacks.

"All clear. Let’s begin," came Sun Laoda’s voice over the walkie-talkie.

"Yunfeng, how many sacks do you have?"

"Second Brother, I’ve got four left."

"Alright, that should be enough," Sun Laoer said, stamping out his cigarette butt.

At that moment, strange bird calls echoed from Fei’e Mountain, unsettling to hear in the dead of night.

"Such bad luck," Boss Wang cursed twice, looking at the dark expanse of Fei’e Mountain behind him. He said the bird was an omen of death, nothing good.

The bird was an owl, known in ancient times as a night owl. These creatures were often seen in mass burial grounds, hence the name "omen of death."

"Ugh, damn bird," Sun Laoer spat several times in the direction of the mountain.

Once the owl stopped calling, we began our operation.

The previously dug tunnel had been well concealed by Yikezhi’s people. The entrance was covered with intact yellow turf, supported by four wooden sticks. From the outside, it was almost impossible to detect any flaws.

After clearing these away and putting on our headlamps, the Sun brothers slid down the tunnel with their legs braced against the sides. I struggled a bit and was the last to descend.

The stench hadn’t been noticeable with the slab in place, but now it was unmistakable.

At the time, I found this Western Zhou tomb rather peculiar. When we first descended, there had been a faint fragrance, but now there was this foul odor, like a rotten boiled egg in the height of summer.

I adjusted my headlamp and leaned down to peer into the vat.

Inside, there was a hole less than twenty centimeters wide at the bottom. Nothing else.

The stench, like rotten eggs, was emanating from the hole.

Even with the headlamp, I couldn’t see into the dark abyss below.

Feeling curious, I leaned over the edge of the vat and reached my right hand into the hole.

"Huh? What’s this?" After fumbling for a while, I felt something long and hard.

I thought to myself, "Could it be a gold bar?"

"No, no. A gold bar wouldn’t be this light."

Once I had a firm grip, I adjusted my angle and slowly pulled the object out.

It was something white. As I held it up to the light of my headlamp, I realized—

It was a human thigh bone!

"Ah!"

I screamed in terror and immediately dropped the bone.

"Is this... the tomb owner’s remains? From the Western Zhou Dynasty, and they haven’t turned to dust yet?"

I overlooked one detail, likely due to my panic.

At that moment, I failed to notice—

The thigh bone still had marrow inside.

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