SFS Chapter 1262 Life and Death in a Moment
Chapter 1262 Life and Death in a Moment
As he spoke, he pointed ahead, "See that stone slab ten steps away?"
"According to the elders, such a deadly formation must leave a 'breathing hole' or a 'life gate'. If you step on the right one, there is a gate inside that gives us time to get through."
"Or it's a dead end; stepping on it will trigger all the mechanisms and completely seal off this section of the tomb passage."
"Want to bet? It's a 50/50 split!"
As he spoke, Lao Liu's voice turned somber. If it really was a deadly gate, then his and Jiang Xiaochuan's fate would be no better than that of the skeletons in the stone chamber.
Jiang Xiaochuan looked in the direction he pointed, and in the dim light, all the stone slabs looked the same.
But in this place, you can't judge everything by appearances.
Jiang Xiaochuan immediately sensed the spread.
They soon realized that beneath the stone slab lay countless taut needles tangled into a knot, subtly echoing what Lao Liu had described as a "thousand-thread poison needle array."
It was at this moment that he suddenly remembered the layout of the underground tombs in Guangzhou.
Most of them are ancient methods passed down from generation to generation, emphasizing pivotal control and chain triggering. Thinking about it this way, Lao Liu's judgment should be correct.
With their escape route now locked by a hidden trap, retreating will only trigger more dangerous attacks, while advancing might offer a glimmer of hope.
"bet."
Without almost any hesitation, Jiang Xiaochuan said in a deep voice, "If it's the Gate of Life, we'll proceed according to plan. If it's the Gate of Death, I'll clear the way, you follow, and we'll rush through."
Seeing Jiang Xiaochuan's calm and composed demeanor, Lao Liu's hesitation vanished instantly. He gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! I, Fatty, will risk my life to accompany you!"
"Now, remember what I said, and don't make a single mistake!"
The sixth brother's expression was extremely serious. "I'll count to three, and we'll rush over at the same time. I'll step on the third stone slab directly in front of me."
"No matter what happens after you step on it, I'll take care of the mechanism above, and you clear the hidden weapon launchers on both sides."
"See those brick seams in the wall? They're inspection openings left by the craftsmen. They provide leverage and are the only safe spots. Don't step on anything else except those seams!"
Old Six is quite experienced in breaking formations, and in the current situation, rather than passively waiting for the traps to come to him...
Instead of taking the initiative, we should first control the key points and then remove obstacles; this is the right way to break the deadlock.
Knowing how dangerous the next operation was, Jiang Xiaochuan glanced at the area Lao Liu pointed to and quickly simulated the trajectory in his mind, striving to avoid any mistakes.
"clear."
After a moment, Jiang Xiaochuan nodded.
"Whoo~"
Old Six let out a heavy sigh. Even though he had prepared himself mentally, the thought that the stone slab ten steps away might be a dead end made his heart pound so hard that he could hardly speak.
"Damn it, I'll avoid its sharp edge!"
Old Liu gritted his teeth, and the thrilling scenes of his near-death experiences involuntarily flashed through his mind.
We've weathered so many storms, what's one more?
"get ready!"
"one."
"two."
"three!"
As soon as he uttered the word "three," Lao Liu used his foot to push off and slammed hard into the center of the third stone slab!
“Crack!!”
A dull thud of a mechanism snapping shut echoed through the tomb passage!
The stone slab sank an inch underfoot, creating a shallow groove in the ground.
Almost at the same instant the stone slab sank, a loud "boom" suddenly came from the ground on both sides!
The two floorboards on the left and right suddenly collapsed downwards, revealing two black holes half a meter wide. Immediately afterward, dark yellow quicksand gushed out from the holes.
The quicksand was flowing at an astonishing speed, its whistling sound extremely piercing, and in the blink of an eye it reached Lao Liu's ankles.
At the same time, a sharp metallic scraping sound came from above, a "sizzling" sound that sent chills down one's spine.
Immediately afterwards, dozens of gleaming crescent-shaped guillotines shot out from the hidden grooves, their blades spinning and whistling through the air, covering the area above Lao Liu's head and within a three-foot radius around him.
At the critical moment, Jiang Xiaochuan had already pressed himself against the hole on the left.
By the dim green light, a bronze valve could be clearly seen at the bottom of the hole; it was the switch that controlled the launcher of quicksand and poison needles.
Without hesitation, Jiang Xiaochuan slammed his right toe against the brick edge of the hole, using the momentum to leap up, while simultaneously pressing his right hand precisely onto the bronze valve.
With a crisp "click," the flow of quicksand on the left side slowed down instantly as the bronze valve was closed.
But this only lasted for a moment; the quicksand on the right side was still gushing out wildly.
Jiang Xiaochuan lightly pushed off with his left foot from the protruding crack in the brick wall, his body floating towards the hole on the right. Using the same technique, he reached out with his right hand again and closed the bronze valve on the other side.
In the blink of an eye, the quicksand on both sides stopped gushing out, but by then, Jiang Xiaochuan's location was already half buried by the quicksand.
He instinctively wanted to turn around and help Lao Liu, but then he heard Lao Liu shout urgently, "Don't worry about me! It'll be too late if you wait any longer!"
Jiang Xiaochuan looked back and saw that Lao Liu was struggling desperately in the quicksand. His fat body was covered in mud and sand, making it very difficult for him to move.
The guillotine above his head was already close to his shoulder, and the airflow generated by the spinning blade made his hair fly wildly. It was about to strike him!
At this critical moment, Lao Liu suddenly exerted his strength, twisted his waist, and forcefully broke free from the quicksand, rolling to the side.
"Swoosh!" A piercing metallic tearing sound rang out as a guillotine slashed past his back, sparks flying as the blade collided with his clothes!
Jiang Xiaochuan glanced at it out of the corner of his eye and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Only then did he realize that the sixth brother was wearing an inner armor made of black iron under his clothes. Although it was a thin layer, it was extremely hard.
That last strike was the inner armor blocking the guillotine's fatal blow.
No wonder the fat man was so confident just now; it turns out he was prepared and had a protective treasure hidden on him.
Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Jiang Xiaochuan no longer hesitated. He pushed off with his feet, broke free from the quicksand, and ran towards the stone slab that Lao Liu had mentioned.
"Fight!"
Upon getting closer, Jiang Xiaochuan felt his blood rushing backward.
Without a doubt, the stakes at this moment are more dangerous than ever before.
Without thinking, he stepped on the stone slab, pried it open a crack, and then flung it away.
Jiang Xiaochuan hurriedly looked down and was surprised to see a gate below.
Before he could even feel happy, he discovered that as the stone slab moved, the mechanism here had been triggered.
The gate began to rotate rapidly.
Jiang Xiaochuan broke out in a cold sweat and twisted his hands forcefully in the opposite direction.
A creaking sound came from inside.
Finally, with a dull "click," the gate came to a complete stop.
Instantly, all the mechanisms stopped.
The guillotine blade above Lao Liu's head lost power and slowly retracted into the groove.
The sudden calm was somewhat unsettling.
"Bang!!"
Just then, a deafening explosion erupted from behind Jiang Xiaochuan.