"We can't go any further; we must leave this array of demon俑 as soon as possible."
Professor Li, having narrowly escaped, his heart pounding, started to retrace his steps.
However, no matter how he wound his way, he couldn't find the path he had entered.
Furthermore, along the way, Professor Li discovered that several demon俑 were showing signs of reawakening. He could only run for his life, constantly looking back to slow their pursuit.
*Bang!*
Professor Li suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground.
At that moment, a demon俑 directly above Professor Li stirred.
The demon俑 held a long spear, poised to thrust it down and pierce Professor Li's head!
Professor Li was terrified.
At this critical moment, a hand appeared, and in an instant, it grasped the demon俑's head.
Then, with a casual squeeze.
The demon俑's head exploded into dust!
As this demon俑's head detonated, the other pursuing demon俑 instantly froze in place.
They all trembled!
"Mr. Ying!"
Professor Li turned and saw the one who had crushed the demon俑.
It was Ying Chen!
And also Elder Dong.
Seeing them, Professor Li excitedly scrambled to his feet.
He almost couldn't resist hugging them and weeping.
"It's alright, it's alright. Mr. Ying is here now, everything is fine."
Elder Dong, understanding Professor Li's feelings, stepped forward to comfort him.
"By the way, have you seen Wang Zizai?" Elder Dong asked.
Professor Li shook his head. "No. After you instructed the three of us to research separately, I got too engrossed and lost track of you. Let alone Wang Zizai, I didn't even notice your presence... and as a result... I almost died in this array of demon俑!"
Professor Li's face showed lingering fear.
Elder Dong patted his shoulder. "You've done much better than Mr. Ying and I had imagined. Mr. Ying and I thought you had met with misfortune!"
Ying Chen had found Elder Dong first, and then came to look for Professor Li.
This meant Professor Li had to hold out for longer than Elder Dong, facing more danger and having fewer chances of survival.
Of course, Wang Zizai had the fewest chances of survival.
At this moment, Wang Zizai had no idea where he was or what dangers he might have encountered.
……………………
"No wonder I felt the craftsmanship of these stone figures was uncanny; it turns out they weren't made by ordinary mortals!"
"These stone figures are all alive!"
"Who would believe this if it got out?"
Wang Zizai was currently huddled in a corner like a frightened quail.
He was the youngest among the three, the most quick-witted, and relatively the most physically fit.
He had sensed the danger earlier than Elder Dong and Professor Li.
So, he immediately began his escape.
As he fled, he observed the characteristics of these demon俑.
As long as one looked at them, they would stop and petrify.
Thus, Wang Zizai continuously utilized this trait to successfully hide in the corner.
This way, he didn't have to face the demon俑's encirclement from all sides.
However, this also brought its own set of problems.
He had to constantly maintain eye contact with the two demon俑 in front of him; he couldn't even blink, not even for a moment!
Even if he blinked, he could only do so one eye at a time, never both simultaneously!
This was incredibly taxing for Wang Zizai.
Initially, Wang Zizai thought he could hold out for a day until rescue arrived.
But soon he realized something was wrong; he realized that prolonged staring at the demon俑, while it restricted their movement, would also cause him to gradually petrify.
He could already feel the constant ache spreading in his eyes.
He saw the signs of petrification appearing little by little on his skin.
"It's over. I thought I found a bug in these demon俑, but instead, I've trapped myself."
"I'm in an impossible situation now. I can't stop looking at them, because if I don't, they'll reawaken and devour me; but if I stare at them for too long, I'll gradually petrify and become like them."
"What was Zhang Daoling thinking? Why would he place such terrifying and unsolvable things in his tomb!"
Wang Zizai cried out in despair.
He forgot that he had intruded into Zhang Daoling's tomb uninvited.
If anyone should be angry, it should be Zhang Daoling.
"No, I feel like my eyes are going to explode!"
Wang Zizai's eyes ached unbearably, as if something was trying to push its way out.
His hands trembled uncontrollably from the pain, and he shakily tried to find some medicine in his bag.
Even some painkillers would be good, at least to make his death less agonizing.
In the end, all he found was a pile of miscellaneous archaeological tools.
And a pair of special sunglasses designed for wind and light protection during outdoor work.
Wang Zizai held the sunglasses, gave a wry smile, and was about to throw them away.
But the next second, a flash of inspiration struck him.
Without hesitation, he put the sunglasses on his eyes!
At this moment, the two demon俑 in front of Wang Zizai, no longer being watched, instantly came alive.
However, just as the two demon俑 were about to pounce on Wang Zizai, they froze in place the next second.
It was because the reflection of the demon俑 in Wang Zizai's sunglasses caused them to stare at their own reflections, and they petrified again!
The signs of petrification on Wang Zizai's body immediately stopped.
This made Wang Zizai heave a sigh of relief.
He was temporarily saved.
But this was only a temporary solution, as these demon俑 would petrify anything they looked at, whether it was a human or something else.
In other words, the sunglasses on Wang Zizai's face would eventually petrify too!
Once the sunglasses were completely petrified and lost their reflective effect, the demon俑 would reawaken and resume their pursuit of Wang Zizai!
"Not bad, at least it gives me time to write a will."
Wang Zizai gave a bitter laugh, rummaged through his backpack for paper and pen, and began to write his last testament.
Meanwhile, the sunglasses on Wang Zizai's face gradually turned white, hardened, and began to petrify.
Wang Zizai felt the speed at which his sunglasses were petrifying and hastened his writing.
Just as Wang Zizai wrote the last word of his will, the sunglasses were almost entirely petrified.
Only a small spot in the center of the lenses remained, barely maintaining the reflective effect for the demon俑.
"It's over."
Wang Zizai folded the will neatly and placed it solemnly in his pocket.
Then, he prepared to take off his sunglasses and face his death with equanimity.
However, at this moment, the two demon俑 suddenly trembled strangely, as if they sensed something and were afraid!
Before Wang Zizai could understand what was happening, with a loud rumble, the heads of the two demon俑 collided and turned into a pile of dust.
Simultaneously, three faces appeared before Wang Zizai.
It was Ying Chen, Elder Dong, and Professor Li!
*Plop.* Seeing the three of them, the string that had been taut in Wang Zizai's heart finally snapped, and he sank to the ground, gasping for air.
Ying Chen looked at the sunglasses on Wang Zizai's face and casually took them off. "Hmm, very creative. You three are indeed experienced veteran archaeologists; your reactions to this sudden situation are excellent, beyond my expectations."
"The Xunfeng Laboratory is fortunate to have the three of you; you're a real treasure."
This was not Ying Chen's idle praise; as ordinary people without martial arts or magic skills, the three of them had performed exceptionally.
Elder Dong used his camera's wide-angle lens to keep the demon俑 behind him at bay;
Professor Li used the demon俑's gaze to break free from their encirclement;
Wang Zizai used a pair of sunglasses to prevent the petrification caused by prolonged staring.
Although none of them were able to completely escape the demon俑, they all successfully bought time and waited for Ying Chen.
Such reactions and qualities are enough to handle most dangerous situations and help Ying Chen open more ancient tombs and acquire more artifacts!
Was Ying Chen just lucky, or had he found something truly extraordinary?