"There must be at least a ton of this mercury, and only a milligram is needed to be fatal, depending on its purity."
"The mercury is absolutely pure. During the Qin Dynasty, they didn't have the means to refine it, so its concentration is very high."
"Oh my god, this is truly terrifying."
The experts in Zhouyi were whispering amongst themselves, starting to worry about the archaeological team.
The dean also felt some surprise about the mercury.
It was astonishing that people from a thousand years ago could use mercury...
Inside the tomb.
Professor Lin and his team were contemplating how to cross the mercury pool when they suddenly realized a problem...
Mercury poisoning is a toxin, affecting both humans and other living creatures that breathe. But these snakes...
How were these snakes surviving in here unharmed? And even sleeping here?
The more Professor Lin thought about it, the more terrified he became, his legs starting to tremble. He instinctively looked at Old Tang.
"Old Tang... these snakes..."
Professor Lin asked with a trembling voice.
"What is it?"
Old Tang was suspicious.
"The air itself is poisonous. How can these snakes survive here? And sleep here? There's something wrong with these snakes..."
As soon as Professor Lin said this, the other students, participants, and security personnel behind him were even more aghast upon hearing the news.
They all stared in shock at the coiled snake masses, their eyes wide open like copper bells.
Old Tang also suddenly realized the problem. These snakes... shouldn't they be dead? Have they already adapted to this environment?
No way? It shouldn't be like this.
Are snakes this adaptable?
The historians, biologists, Wolf King, Taoist priest, Olympic champion, and gymnastics champion, among others, were equally shocked.
Having mercury was one thing, but did these snakes also have poison?
"Are these snakes the ones left after being exposed to mercury? How did these snakes survive?"
The historian said to the biologist, disbelievingly, his brow twitching.
"Their genes have changed. But these toxin-altered genes are a thousand times more terrifying than those of ordinary snakes..."
Although the biologist was seeing these snakes for the first time, he had read in books that creatures surviving in extreme environments are bound to be stronger than those in peaceful times.
This was the benefit of genetic alteration.
After the biologist finished speaking, everyone present felt utterly unwell.
The thought that the path ahead was blocked by such a thing, with no way back, felt like walking into a death trap.
The shock of the assembled people was now mixed with fear, and they couldn't help but worry.
In the live stream.
"Holy crap, why is it one disaster after another? Aren't they trying to kill people?"
"Nonsense. If they don't die, how can they see the Ancestral Dragon's tomb inside the tomb? Disturbing someone's peace is a normal behavior."
"Normal? If it gets any more normal, the professors will be finished. What will happen then? There's no turning back from where they are now."
"What if they force their way through? Is that possible? The boss is still here, it should be fine."
"The boss is human too, right? Even with great ability, they can still get hurt."
...
At this moment, Old Tang and the others were trying to calm themselves down.
Then, feigning composure, he looked at the snakes opposite them.
"No matter what, we have to get past this. We have no other way."
Old Tang tried to keep his voice as steady as possible, though a slight tremor could be detected upon close listening.
He then took the first step towards the lower area.
As soon as he stepped off the last stair.
The sleeping snakes all opened their eyes at the same time.
Perhaps sensing outsiders, or perhaps sensing danger, they all opened their eyes in unison, their forked tongues flicking.
Pairs of eyes, filled with hostility and venomous gazes, fell upon them.
It was clear that they did not welcome creatures that were not snakes.
Old Tang, being stared at so directly, hesitated with his raised foot, unsure whether to place it down or not.
The others followed behind, but as these creatures' gazes fell upon them, their hearts sank.
Who would have thought these venomous snakes could suddenly awaken? They had been treading so lightly, how did it come to this?
The historian, biologist, Olympic champion, gymnastics champion, and others felt their scalps tingle, frozen in place.
Only the Wolf King looked grimly at the venomous snakes, his dagger held tightly in his hand.
His gaze remained fixed on the snakes.
He was ready to act at any moment.
The security personnel behind them nervously drew their weapons, prepared for battle.
Ready to strike at any moment to protect the professors and Old Tang.
Zhou Lin looked at the venomous snakes with indifference, his ears twitching slightly.
He heard slight ripples in the mercury, and then saw various kinds of snakes appearing in the mercury.
Most of them were huge snakes, predominantly pythons, which stood opposite them, their scales shimmering.
They were eyeing them menacingly.
Old Tang's foot finally landed, but his expression was grim, and he began to tremble.
The people behind him were so terrified they dared not breathe, as the dense mass of snakes eyed them menacingly.
Who could endure this?
The Taoist priest and the historian began to tremble as they witnessed this scene.
These were different from what they had encountered before; these were creatures with whom communication was impossible.
"Professor... I'm scared. Can we go out?"
The students behind them cried out as they saw the scene.
Their voices were muffled by their gas masks.
"We can't go out. Even if we go out, we can't go back."
The professor explained, also very frightened.
The biologist looked at the snakes, sweat beading on his face and body, but they looked familiar.
In the live stream.
"Holy crap, that scared me to death. The eyes of these venomous snakes are too terrifying. Anyone would find them terrifying."
"Don't even mention the professors, I'm getting goosebumps just looking at them, layer after layer."
"I can't take it anymore, I'm the most afraid of snakes. These things are terrifying just to look at, let alone these snakes staring at me like they're going to eat me."