Volume One - The Hundred Coffin Tomb Chapter 23 - Surprise

We made our way down to the foot of the mountain. I took out my phone and glanced at the time—it was already nearing six o’clock. Winter evenings fell early, and now the sky had grown dark. We’d descended more slowly than we’d climbed; it had taken us over twenty minutes to come down, compared to just over ten going up.

Once at the bottom, we headed straight for the car. After getting in, Li Kun couldn’t help but glance repeatedly at the covered bundle behind us.

This place was already remote, and with night settling in, there wasn’t a soul around—so deserted, even ghosts would steer clear. Li Kun’s curiosity finally got the better of him; he was itching to see what kind of equipment Xu Tian had packed for us, especially that gun he’d mentioned.

Li Kun turned to look at the gray cloth draped over the bundle in the back and said, “Old Liu, what do you think is in here?”

I shook my head—truthfully, I had no idea. But his question piqued my own curiosity.

He went on, “Look, this place is deserted, and at this hour, no one’s going to come by. Why don’t we take a look at what’s inside?”

I hesitated a moment, then my curiosity won out. I glanced around to make sure we were alone, then nodded. “Alright. I’m just as eager to see what good things Xu Tian has prepared for us.”

Li Kun, delighted by my agreement, clapped his hands and hurried out of the car. I got out as well, making my way to the van’s side door.

We each pulled open a door. I nodded to Li Kun, who untied the string securing one end of the cloth. I grabbed the cover and pulled it off.

The moment the cover came off, we both froze in surprise. The rear seats of the van were gone. In their place sat two boxes and two backpacks—one large, one small, but both designed to be carried on the back. In the corner of the van lay a crowbar, a pickaxe, and a shovel.

Beneath the backpacks were two wooden crates, one square and one rectangular. My guess was that the long box contained the gun Xu Tian had somehow gotten his hands on.

Li Kun rubbed his hands together and picked up the larger backpack, while I grabbed the smaller one. Crouching down, I unzipped it.

Inside were two large flashlights—the kind that needed two big batteries to work—a few flares, some bottles of water, and food. Clearly, this backpack held the essentials.

Just then, Li Kun returned, carrying the larger backpack in one hand. As he set it down, I heard the metallic clink of something inside.

He placed the bag on the ground and said, “Old Liu, take a look.”