69: Chapter 69 The Disappearance of Captain Yang

Beneath the Tomb

Corridor

The Bodyguard Team led the way at the front, while the Archaeological Team, headed by Professor Yang, followed behind them as they walked through the corridor.

At the end of the line, two other bodyguards brought up the rear.

The entire team moved through the corridor in a single-file snake formation.

But suddenly,

A commotion broke out at the back of the line.

"Where's Deputy Yang? Deputy Yang?"

At the very back of the team, one of the two bodyguards suddenly began to shout, his voice trembling slightly.

Hearing the commotion, the rest of the Bodyguard Team and the Archaeological Team couldn't help but snap their heads back to look.

In an instant, the entire team came to a halt.

"Everyone else, stay where you are and don't move! Professor Yang and I will go check it out!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Bodyguard Team Captain spoke, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Immediately, the Bodyguard Team Captain and Professor Yang made their way to the very back of the line.

The Bodyguard Team Captain slowly pulled back the bolt of his firearm. The "creak" sounded exceptionally harsh in the corridor, causing everyone's hearts to tighten.

"What happened?"

The Bodyguard Team Captain reached the back of the line and was about to question the bodyguard.

But then, he seemed to realize something, and his brow furrowed instantly.

"Where's Deputy Yang? Where did Deputy Yang go?"

The bodyguard at the back of the line was also full of confusion and a hint of nervousness.

Hearing the question, he replied:

"I don't know! He was here just a moment ago, but as soon as I turned my head, he was gone!"

As he spoke, the bodyguard glanced intentionally or unintentionally toward the pitch-black corridor behind them.

The Bodyguard Team Captain took a torch and walked a few steps back in the direction they had come from.

"Old Yang! Old Yang!"

After shouting a few times, only his own voice echoed through the corridor; there was no response from Deputy Captain Yang.

"A team member is missing, right?"

Professor Yang frowned slightly and asked.

At the same time, his gaze was fixed on the distant, dark, and deep corridor.

"I'm not sure. Maybe he just fell behind!"

As he spoke, the Bodyguard Team Captain held his torch and called over a bodyguard from the front of the line, then said to Professor Yang:

"How about this, I'll take someone back to check first, and we'll regroup later!"

With that, the Bodyguard Team Captain held his torch, preparing to step into the pitch-black corridor behind them!

However, Professor Yang grabbed him.

"Wait!"

Professor Yang frowned slightly and said:

"I don't think things are that simple!"

"We've been walking in a nearly straight line the whole way! Deputy Captain Yang had a torch too! If he had fallen behind, we should at least be able to see the light from his torch!"

"Furthermore, the space in this corridor isn't large; our voices should carry quite far! But he didn't respond—this is clearly not normal!"

Professor Yang's gaze remained fixed on the deep, dark corridor behind them, his eyes filled with immense gravity.

"No! He's my man! I have to be responsible for him! I can't just leave him like this!"

The Bodyguard Team Captain also frowned slightly and said.

Every member of their Bodyguard Team had experienced life-and-death situations multiple times.

The bonds forged in blood were stronger than gold.

Therefore, they could not abandon any one of them.

No one was an exception.

With that, the Bodyguard Team Captain picked up his torch and was about to walk toward the corridor behind them.

But Professor Yang pulled him back again.

"Now is not the time to act on impulse!"

Professor Yang scolded in a low voice.

He then added, "You've seen the dangers of this ancient tomb! Such a rash move is a sign of irresponsibility!"

"Let's request instructions from the Symposium first before discussing this further!"

With that, Professor Yang issued an order to the Archaeological Team:

"Everyone, rest where you are. Do not wander around!"

This was both to rest and recover their strength, and to ensure that if Deputy Captain Yang found his way back, they would see him immediately.

As he spoke, Professor Yang pressed the button on his headset to request instructions for their next move from Professor Zhou at the Symposium.

Meanwhile, the Seminar Hall had already erupted into chaos.

Based on their experience, a sudden disappearance during a tomb operation was an extremely ominous beginning.

They didn't know what would happen next.

Perhaps people would disappear one by one, eventually leading to the entire Archaeological Team losing contact.

By the time they were finally found, everyone would have lost all signs of life.

Or perhaps... the member separated from the team had accidentally triggered some mechanism and was silently swallowed by it, unable to even let out a scream.

Both of these scenarios were things the experts present had encountered before.

Even thinking about it now gave them goosebumps and made their hearts race.

Of course, the best-case scenario was that the team member had truly just fallen behind and could be found quickly upon searching.

Therefore, the moment they realized a person was missing,

Professor Zhou gathered all the experts present to quickly discuss a countermeasure.

They aimed to successfully find the missing member at the smallest, or even zero, cost.

The viewers in the Live Stream Room were also starting to panic at this moment.

They weren't strangers to tomb-robbing novels and movies. Upon learning that someone from the Archaeological Team was missing, almost everyone's minds filled with all sorts of scenarios.

In an instant, the entire Live Stream Room fell into a state of panic.

"How could someone suddenly go missing? This is a bit abnormal!"

"Nonsense! Someone's missing, of course it's not normal! There must be some evil creature at work!"

"Maybe they just fell into a trap? Or are they possessed like before?"

"I can't, I'm getting nervous! I have a bad feeling about this!"

"Deputy Captain Yang couldn't have already... Impossible! Don't talk nonsense! I'm sure he's fine!"

...

Command Headquarters

Seminar Hall

After much research and discussion, the experts finally decided on a response plan.

First, they confirmed that Professor Yang's approach was correct.

Having the team wait in place when the situation was unclear was indeed the right move; it could not only minimize losses but also allow the members to recover some strength and have more energy to face the upcoming difficulties.

And next, Professor Zhou and the others chose to agree with the Bodyguard Team Captain's plan.

"After unanimous discussion by the Symposium, we have decided to approve your request to search for Deputy Captain Yang!"

The voice reached the Bodyguard Team Captain's ears through his headset, and his face immediately lit up with joy.

But then, the static of "zizhi" electricity sounded again, and the voice continued:

"However, you cannot go!"

"The deputy captain of the Bodyguard Team is already missing. If the captain also leaves the team, who will lead them? You can assign two members to search for Deputy Captain Yang! Remember to stay in contact!"

As soon as the words were spoken,

Before the Bodyguard Team Captain could say anything, many of the bodyguard members behind him began to volunteer themselves:

"Captain, I'll go look for Deputy Yang!"

"Let me go, Captain! I'll definitely bring him back!"

"I should be the one to go!"