Free Web NovelChapter 994: Chapter 384: Go Find an Archaeological Team First_2
If you don’t stoop, it’s very easy to bump your head directly.
Zhang Beixing glanced inside and smiled.
It turned out that his earlier guess was not far off.
At this moment, even though there were still some stones in the tunnel of the cave, there weren’t many. Most had already fallen along the passage.
The presence of these few stones in the tunnel was inevitable.
Zhang Beixing looked inside the long passage, which stretched for about thirty meters, with no light source at all.
He didn’t turn on a flashlight, as his constitution had evolved so much that all his senses were heightened.
With just his naked eyes, Zhang Beixing could clearly see the situation inside despite the dimness.
Indeed, there was nothing in the tunnel.
He hoped that the debris from the explosion hadn’t rolled down and damaged anything inside.
Zhang Beixing had initially seen a serpent coiling there, willing to attack Xu Feng rather than escape, indicating there must be something unusual inside.
Zhang Beixing moved forward slowly.
Sure enough, when he reached the deepest part of the tunnel, stairs appeared.
Stairs...
They hadn’t been paved but had been carved right out of the mountain.
However, stones now blocked Zhang Beixing’s path ahead.
These stones were covered in powder and fragments, clearly not originally present but freshly fallen.
Zhang Beixing didn’t hesitate, and with two heavy punches,
the stones couldn’t withstand his fists and were shattered to pieces.
After Zhang Beixing cleared away the stone barrier, a stone door appeared before him.
Seeing this stone door, Zhang Beixing knew he had come to the right place.
Beside the stone door, there was a small opening.
The opening was roughly forty to fifty centimeters wide, and Zhang Beixing stood by it, peeking inside.
He saw nothing, only darkness with no light source at all.
Even with his eyes, Zhang Beixing couldn’t see inside, but he could at least determine that there was no sign of any living creatures within.
Not only did he not see any living creatures, but he also couldn’t sense any.
Additionally, Zhang Beixing could now conclude that the serpent definitely entered and exited through this opening.
Considering the serpent’s condition, it must be several decades old.
Perhaps it even hatched inside and lived here from a young age, which would otherwise be hard to explain why this serpent lingered here.
Zhang Beixing didn’t continue focusing on this hole.
He took another look at the stone door.
The patterns on the stone door seemed very familiar to Zhang Beixing, but he couldn’t remember where he had seen them.
There was just a faint impression that he might have seen the patterns in a book.
He couldn’t recall which book specifically.
Unable to remember, Zhang Beixing decided to stop trying.
Some professional matters are best left to professionals.
But he wasn’t planning to give this up easily. He planned to have his secretary arrange for a selection of experts from the archaeological department to join The Ninth Bureau.
Once they were assembled, Zhang Beixing would bring them in. Otherwise, if he relinquished this place, it would no longer be related to The Ninth Bureau.
The Ninth Bureau wasn’t just an anti-crime organization targeting abroad in Zhang Beixing’s view; it should shoulder more societal responsibilities.
Hmm.
No matter how others view or think about this once it’s publicized, all that matters is what Zhang Beixing himself thinks.
"I don’t care what you think; I care about what I think."
...
...
...
The next day.
A local TV station.
"The challenger this time for Oizaki’s Eight Challenges is a member from The Ninth Bureau, formerly the captain of its first Extraordinary Reserve Squad, Xu Feng."
"Although we don’t know why the first Extraordinary Reserve Squad was disbanded, we can be sure it wasn’t because of Xu Feng’s strength."
"Currently, Xu Feng is probably the second person in the Great Xia and even the world, since Minister Zhang Beixing, capable of challenging Oizaki’s Eight Challenges."
"Yesterday, during this challenge, Warrior Xu Feng successfully conquered this mountain over four thousand meters high. Despite the long duration and several accidents, including a serpent attack during the climb,"
"when facing these difficulties, Xu Feng overcame the challenges with unwavering spirit."
"Though Xu Feng didn’t, like Minister Zhang Beixing, leap into the river to complete a rafting challenge after conquering the climb,"
"the mere feat of climbing the mountain barehanded was itself a tremendous honor."
"The interval from Minister Zhang Beixing’s challenge to Warrior Xu Feng’s was just over five months."
"We hope for more talented people from the Great Xia to complete this challenge and wish for our martial arts to prosper in the future!"
"..."
This television station was not the only one reporting on this event.
Nearly all channels took time to cover this story in their news segments today.
And they didn’t merely gloss over it; they elaborated in detail, which was a special treatment.
It can only be said that Xu Feng deserves it.
If it weren’t for the blinding brilliance of Zhang Beixing before him, Xu Feng would surely be the most shining star in the sky right now.
Sadly, if not for Zhang Beixing, Xu Feng wouldn’t have such high glory.
So what is Xu Feng doing right now?
Well, lying down.
He doesn’t have the immense strength and physique of Zhang Beixing.
After successfully climbing, he could barely stand for a minute atop the mountain.
After the media below captured numerous photos, Xu Feng suddenly went limp, closing his eyes and losing consciousness.
If it wasn’t for Leng Bing’s meticulous nature, Wang Xinqi had already been sent ahead with two men to wait on the mountain.
Otherwise, with Xu Feng’s behavior of collapsing with eyes shut,"
tut-tut.
He might have fallen off the mountain directly.
Zhang Beixing had only estimated the possibility of falling during the climb, not at the mountain top.
Falling from the top is a completely different concept!
Even if Leng Bing went to catch him, he might not have managed!
Luckily, Wang Xinqi was quick-sighted and managed to grab him, preventing a fall, and later carried him back to The Ninth Bureau.
On the way back, Leng Bing looked at Xu Feng on Wang Xinqi’s back, then at the towering mountain.
He shook his head slowly.
He acknowledged he didn’t have the courage or confidence to attempt such a challenge.
He might remain at the level of a Great Grandmaster his entire life.
But he was content; Great Grandmasters are rare, and he didn’t believe otherwise.
Great Grandmasters are the pinnacle of combat strength, among the few!
Such transcendence as Zhang Beixing’s, Leng Bing figured, was nearly impossible to replicate.
Even if Xu Feng was lucky in completing this climbing challenge of Oizaki’s Eight, what about the remaining seven?
Will each be as perilous? This time, Xu Feng’s luck was favorable, but next time? Can luck hold so well?
Leng Bing didn’t believe it; he was just watching to see how long it takes Xu Feng to complete all of Oizaki’s Eight Challenges.
