Chapter 112: 79. Waterlogged Corridor
Translator: 549690339
“Click, click, click…”
The reconnaissance squad trekked through the water, splashing as they went.
There was standing water in the staircase , just covering the toes, soaking everyone’s shoes and socks.
The water flowed out from the water channels at the corners of both sides of the walls.
There was so much water in the channels that it overflowed, gathering into small streams on the stairway, flowing down along the narrow stairs.
The nobles of the middle of the ancient dynasty were really extravagant.
The original master of this tomb had even arranged an artificial water scene in the tomb.
Under ideal conditions:
The long-life tomb lamps on the walls of the staircase would emit a gentle glow, illuminating the stairway and the water channels on both sides of the walls.
Aquatic flowers would be planted in the water channels.
The entire stairway would be filled with light, flowers lining the path, and the sound of water flowing crisp and pleasant.
If all these conditions were met, the tomb would be as beautiful as an artificial garden.
Unfortunately, this place has now become a battle zone.
Cobwebs hung from the long-life lamps on the walls, aquatic flowers in the water channels were nowhere to be seen, but the water pipes and valves inside the wall structure were still functional.
After each cleanup of Grave 717, the Thales army would ensure that the valves in the tomb were closed, even destroying the key waterways, so that no underground river water would appear in the water channels.
But now, the tomb’s water system had mysteriously started up.
This resulted in the standing water phenomenon in the staircase.
No need to ask, this was definitely the work of the Undead Cult.
At the end of the staircase was a metal gate, with impenetrable stone walls on both sides.
The entire stairway was like a semi-enclosed container sloping downward, with the only opening being the entrance to the staircase on the ground level.
By using the tomb’s water system to flood the staircase with large amounts of underground river water, the path of the Imperial Army could be sealed off.
This would undoubtedly effectively prevent the Imperial Army from going deeper into the tomb.
Luckily, the Imperial Army arrived in time. Otherwise, just draining the standing water in the staircase would take quite some effort.
About 10 minutes after entering the staircase, the reconnaissance squad reached the end of the stairs.
On their way, they did not encounter any Cavern Stalkers, their journey unimpeded, but they had to stop just before the metal gate.
“Stop moving.”
Sergeant Zina walked at the front of the team, raised his arm, clenched his right fist, and signaled the team members to stop.
Turning his head to look at his teammates, he said:
“Corporal Mars, come take a look. The standing water situation is quite serious up ahead.”
Mars walked forward for a glance and took a deep breath:
“His… more than half of the door panel has been submerged, things might get tricky.”
Corporal Mars lifted a coal lamp and pointed it at the door hinge:
“Even worse, this door opens towards the staircase. We either need to drain the water here before opening the door, or we’ll have to force the metal gate open against the water pressure with ropes.”
Corporal Mars thought for half a second and consulted with Sergeant Zina:
“I suggest we send someone back the way we came to report the situation to
Lieutenant Sterling. The rest of us will try to see if we can force the gate open. If the other staircases also encounter the same situation, the top priority would be to concentrate power, open the metal gate closest to the water valve, and quickly close the valve on the first underground level.”
Sergeant Zina thought and nodded:
“You’re right, Mars. I remember Staircase 1 is the closest staircase to the water valves. The staircase we are in, Staircase 16, is far away from the valve. On the way to the water valve, there must be many undead creatures. The Undead Cult will not let us close the valve easily. The team responsible for Staircase 1 will face dangerous enemies… but that’s not for us to worry about.”
Sergeant Zina paused, called out a name, and had one of his team members go upstairs to report.
The two squad leaders ordered the door to be forced open.
The private second class soldiers responsible for carrying supplies unloaded their backpacks, took out military ropes, waded through the waist-deep water, came to the side of the metal gate, and secured the ropes to the door bolt and handle.
All the soldiers wrapped the other end of the rope around their shoulders, shouted in unison, and gritted their teeth with effort.
The metal gate itself weighed several hundred kilograms. After more than half of it was submerged in water, the difficulty of opening it increased exponentially.
The soldiers on the scene worked together, exerting all their strength, managing to open a small crack in the gate.
“Whoosh!”
The river water pressing against the door panel quickly flowed through the crack, creating a swirling whirlpool.
Hearing this sound, the soldiers breathed a sigh of relief.
This indicated that there was no serious standing water issue on the first underground level behind the gate. Otherwise, the standing water in the staircase wouldn’t flow so quickly to the other side of the door.
The standing water in the staircase quickly decreased, the metal gate became “lighter,” and the soldiers made another effort, finally opening the gate completely.
At this moment, the water channels on both sides of the staircase were still overflowing with river water.
The river water cascaded down the steps, reflecting the light of the coal lamp, and flowed into the tomb passage on the first underground level.
“Click, click…”
In the pitch-black first underground level, very distinct footstep sounds were heard.
Someone was walking on the water stream, heading in the direction of the staircase!
The crowd instantly tensed up, gripping their firearms tightly..
