Chapter 85: What If It’s a Male Zombie?

After leaving the territory of the Mulberry Leaf Tribe, Lu Ye finally recounted his experience inside the great tent to the two women. He especially emphasized how he had remained as composed as a sage when confronted with Feihong’s advances, telling her, “My heart belongs only to my wife.” The air of righteous integrity he displayed was so palpable that Su Qianqian burst out laughing. “Hahaha, did you really say that to her?”

Lu Ye raised three fingers to the sky and swore, “I did! Heaven and earth bear witness, as do the sun and moon, and my own conscience!”

Su Qianqian suddenly leaned in and sniffed around the collar of his coat. Finding none of that alluring fragrance that lingered on Feihong, she smiled and said, “Alright, I believe you.”

Lu Ye, speechless, retorted, “Are you a dog? You had to sniff me before you’d trust me? Can’t we have a little faith between husband and wife?”

“Hahaha.”

Feihong had pointed out a path for him—head south for about three kilometers. There, an old locust tree marked the edge of the Qiu Fish Tribe’s territory. The destination marked on the nautical chart, however, lay even deeper within.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Lu Ye decided to skirt around the territory; otherwise, they would have had to march brazenly straight through someone else’s land. In this, Mu Xia was more experienced and led both Lu Ye and Su Qianqian into a stretch of rainforest, carefully keeping to a course that would bypass the Qiu Fish Tribe’s domain.

Climbing to the top of a small hill, they looked down to see the Qiu Fish Tribe’s encampment, which looked quite similar to the Mulberry Leaf Tribe’s. The main difference was the dominant black color scheme, which gave off an ominous, sinister vibe. A pirate flag, serving as the spiritual symbol of the Qiu Fish Tribe, fluttered high atop a flagpole on the palisade, snapping sharply in the wind…

Compared to the Mulberry Leaf Tribe, the Qiu Fish Tribe’s presence was clearly more oppressive and unsettling.

Taking Su Qianqian’s stamina into account, they paused to rest for a while. By noon, the sun hung high overhead, and it suddenly felt like summer had arrived early; the temperature kept rising. Even as Su Qianqian was dripping with sweat under the scorching sun, she dared not take off her thick Thunder God down jacket—it was her only means of self-protection.

Mu Xia still felt a lingering anxiety; they had come here too recklessly. All her beloved electronic gadgets had failed, leaving her to rely only on her experience to explore. If not for traveling with Lu Ye, she would probably have ended up a captive of the Mulberry Leaf Tribe by now.

She was skilled enough, but the women on this island were all formidable fighters. Their primitive tribal lifestyle had given them extraordinary physiques—most ordinary men would struggle to get the better of them.

Of course, Lu Ye was an exception.

Feihong had only given Lu Ye a rough idea of the location, not an exact spot. In the end, it was Mu Xia who, drawing on her own expertise, analyzed the surrounding terrain and led Lu Ye and Su Qianqian to the site marked on the nautical chart.

Pushing aside the outrageously dense vines and foliage before them, they were astonished to find a pyramid revealed in their path.

The pyramid wasn’t tall, just over ten meters. Built entirely from blocks of hard granite, it had stood the test of countless ages, its edges still sharp despite a thick layer of moss blanketing its surface. Mu Xia couldn’t determine what era it belonged to.

Suddenly, Su Qianqian rubbed her temples and said, “I feel a bit dizzy.”

Lu Ye paused, then removed her Thunder God armor and asked, “How about now?”

Su Qianqian replied, puzzled, “Huh? The dizziness is gone. What’s going on?”

Lu Ye and Mu Xia exchanged glances, realizing they were thinking the same thing.

“The island’s magnetic field—and that of the surrounding sea—is abnormal. I suspect this pyramid is the cause.”

Neither Lu Ye nor Mu Xia had felt much effect, but Su Qianqian had, because her Thunder God down jacket was packed with electronic components. When nearest to the source of interference, the swirling magnetic fields generated between these components caused her particular discomfort.

Mu Xia, curious, circled to the back and exclaimed, “The entrance is over here!”

Facing due south—a deliberate orientation.

Since they’d come all this way, how could they not satisfy their curiosity and explore inside?

Lu Ye and Su Qianqian joined Mu Xia at the pyramid’s main entrance—a stone door. Lu Ye tried to push it inward, but it didn’t budge an inch. “It’s too heavy. There’s no way to open it by force.”

But Su Qianqian stepped up for a closer look. “Let me try!”

Lu Ye laughed. “Old woman, if you can open this door, I’ll put on a grass skirt from the Mulberry Leaf Tribe and dance a belly dance for you!”

Su Qianqian placed both hands on the door, assumed a rather unorthodox horse stance, and cried, “Ha!” With all her might, the stone door slowly slid sideways by an inch, revealing a finger-width gap, then picked up speed and slid completely into the wall with a rumbling sound.

Lu Ye then saw that there was a row of rollers under the door.

As a seasoned real estate tycoon, Su Qianqian immediately recognized it as a sliding door. She shot Lu Ye a disdainful look and laughed, “Don’t you know there’s such a thing as a sliding door in this world?”

Lu Ye could only gape and mutter, “Damn!”

“Don’t forget to put on that grass skirt and dance for me, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Beyond the door was a dim passageway.

All the headlamps and flashlights they’d brought had failed. So Mu Xia dug through her backpack, pulled out some materials, and fashioned a few makeshift torches—wrapping strips of cloth around branches, soaking them in kerosene, and lighting them.

Lu Ye asked, “Xia Xia, why’d you bring this stuff?”

Mu Xia smiled and explained, “Before we set out, I guessed this might be a cave, and torches are essential for cave exploration. Not only do they provide light, but they also let you check if there’s enough oxygen inside.”

Some caves are filled with carbon dioxide and have little or no oxygen, but humans don’t immediately sense the danger—by the time you realize something’s wrong, it’s often too late. A torch is the simplest and most effective oxygen detector: if it suddenly goes out, there’s not enough oxygen, and it’s time to retreat.

Entering this pyramid’s tomb was essentially the same as exploring a cave.

Lu Ye gave her a thumbs-up in admiration. “Professional!”

Mu Xia, holding the blazing torch, led the way. “I’ll go first. You two follow in my footsteps—we don’t know if there might be traps or mechanisms inside.”

“Got it!”

The flickering torchlight danced erratically in the damp, narrow passage, and the atmosphere instantly grew eerie.

Su Qianqian, gripping Mu Xia’s sleeve tightly, walked in the middle. Glancing nervously back at Lu Ye, who brought up the rear, she asked in a trembling voice, “Little scoundrel, there aren’t going to be zombies in here, are there?”

Lu Ye, feeling mischievous, replied, “If it’s a beautiful female zombie, I wouldn’t mind using my charms to buy you both time to escape.”

“What if it’s a male zombie?”

“I’ll knock him out with a punch!”

“Damn you!”

Suddenly, Mu Xia stopped. “Hold on. There’s a pit here!”

Su Qianqian, unable to stop in time, accidentally rammed her considerable chest into Mu Xia’s back, sending poor Xia Xia tumbling headlong into the square opening…

Thud!

“Agh—ouch!”

Mu Xia’s cry of pain echoed down the passage for quite some time.

What a disastrous teammate…

Fortunately, the bottom of the pit wasn’t lined with spikes.

The torch flickered violently for a moment but didn’t go out.

Su Qianqian cautiously peered down. The pit was about two meters deep, and Mu Xia had landed solidly on her rear, wincing and rubbing her sore backside.

“Xia Xia, I’m so sorry!”

“It’s fine. There’s another passage down here. You two should come down too.”

It was a bit high for Su Qianqian, so Lu Ye scooped her up in a bridal carry and jumped down with her.

Thud!

“Agh—ouch!”

Damn, the ground was slippery. He landed on his backside too—rather embarrassing.

This lower passage led in the opposite direction from where they’d entered, but was only half as long, probably near the center of the pyramid’s base.

At the end of the passage was another stone door.

Mu Xia brought the torch closer for a better look. There was a small stone tablet attached to the door, its dusty surface still bearing the faint imprint of a hand—apparently left not long ago…