Chapter 43

After Huang Hong's speech with its rises and falls, everyone began to rest, gathering their strength for the next challenge.

Lin Xiao, feeling energetic and not the least bit tired, walked over to the door out of curiosity and examined it closely. There was a difference between viewing it from a distance and up close; upon closer inspection, he noticed two additional nine-square grids on the door, not knowing what they were for.

Thinking was not Lin Xiao's forte. Seeing that Huang Hong and the others had already rested and were walking over, he didn't hesitate to grab the two handles on the iron door and started to pull with all his might.

Gradually, Lin Xiao felt something was wrong. No matter how much strength he used, the iron door didn't budge, as if it were rooted to the ground.

Enraged, he took a deep breath, his veins bulging, and exerted all his strength.

"Ah~" Lin Xiao shouted, pulling with all his might.

'Crack' 'Crack'

Hearing these sounds, Lin Xiao felt a sense of satisfaction, thinking that the door would finally give way.

'Bang' 'Bang'

The door opened, and the two iron rings on the door were pulled off by Lin Xiao, who was pushed back a few steps by the momentum.

Holding the broken iron rings in his hands, he didn't know what to say, feeling utterly frustrated.

It seemed pulling wouldn't work, so he tried pushing, using all his strength, but the door still wouldn't open. With a gloomy expression, Lin Xiao slowly returned to the group.

Seeing this situation, Huang Hong didn't blame Lin Xiao. He patted his shoulder and went to examine the nine-square grids on the door.

Lin Xiao had the highest physical strength in the group, yet he couldn't open the door even after pulling off the iron rings. This suggested that the door might not be designed to be pulled or pushed. It could also be that rust had stuck the door, increasing the friction and making it impossible to open.

Huang Hong first called for someone to bring out the rust remover and pour it into the door's seams to remove the rust. Unexpectedly, there was hardly any rust, so the door being sealed by rust was ruled out. Since Lin Xiao couldn't pull or push the door, the nine-square grids on the door might be a clue, Huang Hong thought.

After a thorough inspection, everyone focused on the nine-square grids. The first grid had eight iron plates, each with a traditional Chinese numeral. One plate was missing the number 'five,' and the numbers were all jumbled. The second grid was different, with all nine squares filled, but the numbers were also jumbled.

This was a headache. How to decode it? It seemed to be another difficult challenge. The tomb was so well-protected, and Huang Hong's initial guess was now in doubt.

Huang Hong temporarily set aside his doubts. The current problem was to solve the door in front of them; otherwise, it would be a disaster to have a group of people blocked by a single door.

Huang Hong called all the students over to observe the two nine-square grids, each sharing their thoughts. They worked together to solve the tomb's door.

Lin Xiao watched as the students discussed animatedly, spouting a lot of specialized knowledge that made him drowsy.

Words were empty; action was the only way to practice. A man with thick glasses discovered that the iron plates on the left nine-square grid could be moved, and everyone immediately focused on the left side.

The enthusiastic discussion continued. Suddenly, a cheer broke out, jolting Lin Xiao, who was about to fall asleep, back to reality. It seemed they had made some progress. Lin Xiao walked over to the iron door to see what had happened.

It turned out they were cheering because the left nine-square grid had been solved. This was relatively simple, as normal thinking could solve it. By moving all the numbers to their designated positions, the number 'five' automatically appeared in the middle, forming a complete nine-square grid.

However, the right grid was more complicated. All the numbers were there, but they were all jumbled, with no empty space. The group started a new round of decoding.

With the first grid solved, the group's spirits were high, and they wanted to capitalize on their momentum. Huang Hong led the group to start solving the second grid.

If the first grid was easy mode, the second was hard mode. After several hours, they had no idea how to proceed.

Huang Hong checked the time; it was almost evening. He called the students to leave and continue the next day, letting their overheated brains cool down, which might lead to new ideas.

Outside, the cell phone signal returned to normal. Huang Hong called a few friends in archaeology, explaining the situation. They were very interested in the tomb and planned to bring their students to take a look. Huang Hong was more than happy to have their help and informed Lin Xiao.

Two days passed, and the last nine-square grid was still unsolved. However, the teams led by other professors had arrived, and Lin Xiao got to know them a bit.

Three professors, Professor Xu, Professor Li, and Professor An, each brought their students. They were all around the same age, with gray hair, in their sixties.

The group was now much larger, with one expert and three professors' teams, a rare sight. Huang Hong led them through the cave passage, sharing his records and showing them the iron door, giving them an overview of his findings over the past few days.

The three professors didn't waste any time and immediately started researching the nine-square grid that had stumped Huang Hong.

Archaeology is a rigorous discipline, and even with Huang Hong's data, the professors treated it with seriousness and attention to detail. Seeing is believing, and each person would have their own judgment.

Lin Xiao was initially curious about the new professors but lost interest when he saw them engrossed in the nine-square grid. He found a flat spot, stretched, and sat down to rest.

"Ouch!" He sat down too quickly and almost got a stone in a very sensitive area.

Lin Xiao, angry, reached under his buttocks, picked up the stone, and threw it with all his might.

'Bang'

By a stroke of luck, the stone hit the iron door, creating a loud noise that startled the professors, who were still immersed in their work.

'Ding'

The stone hitting the iron door triggered a chain reaction, causing one of the numbers on the nine-square grid to fall off. In the quiet passage, the sound of the iron plate hitting the ground was clear and pleasant.

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