Chapter 14: The Tomb Robbing Mission

“Tomb robbers detected!”
The system immediately sent a notification, asking “Happy” whether to send a signal right away to seek help from the Murong family to temporarily avert the crisis of the Sword Tomb being dug up, or to go there in person, investigate first, and then deal with these tomb robbers.
This mission was indeed not simple—it involved choices.
The system also gave clear instructions: if a signal was sent immediately, it would surely alert the tomb robbers inside the Sword Tomb and scare them away in advance. In that case, at best, he would complete the simplest task, with likely minimal rewards. It would be better to observe further to see if more could be discovered.
After making up his mind, Happy quietly approached from behind the Sword Tomb…
Due to the massive iron swords and chains, along with their interconnections, the tomb robbers faced great difficulties, progressing very slowly.
Stepping out from the shadows behind one of the sword tombs, Happy noticed that the tools these tomb robbers used were not very professional—just those used for farming, such as hoes, shovels, and picks. Two sentries watched nervously for any movement at the foot of the mountain while occasionally checking on the progress of the digging.
“Hurry up already!” someone urged anxiously in a low voice.
After all, the Murong family was no small force. If they were discovered, they would never be able to live in peace in Gusu City or even throughout the Jiangnan region!
“Ugh, stop nagging! This tomb is built in such a weird way—why don’t you dig it yourself?” One of the men, working hard, complained, put down his tools, spat twice into his palm, rubbed it, and picked up the shovel to continue working.
“The weirder, the better. I heard that the harder it is to dig a tomb, the more treasures there are inside. The Murong family is the most prominent clan in Jiangnan. Just think—how could the funerary objects be scarce?”
“Right, right! Everyone, hurry up! Once we finish this, we won’t have to worry about poverty for the rest of our lives.”
“Quickly!”
Encouraged, the group became even more energetic, and the Sword Tomb was filled with continuous noises.
Happy listened from the shadows and grew frustrated.
What the hell…
He had thought they were some highly organized and skilled tomb robbery gang, but from their conversations, it seemed they were beginners who knew nothing, more like ordinary villagers.
If they were just ordinary farmers, then this mission wouldn’t be that significant. With his current strength, it wouldn’t be a problem for him to take down a few of them.

Just as he was about to emerge from the shadows behind, Happy suddenly heard an extremely faint sound of fabric rustling in the air from the south—one… two… If it were an ordinary newcomer, they would surely be confused. But Happy’s mind snapped into action; he immediately crouched down and hid back in the shadows behind the tomb. The Murong family had a group of martial artists arriving… “Who’s there?” “Run! People from the Murong family are here!” The two villagers on watch quickly spotted several dark figures approaching rapidly. Their faces turned deathly pale as they cried out in panic, throwing aside their tools and preparing to flee. “Haha, boss, we’ve met some of our own!” To the south of the Sword Tomb, a man laughed loudly as he approached. Before his words faded, a cold and heavy snort came from even further away: “A bunch of death-defying fools, daring to act in our name. Hu Zi, keep them all—after we’re done, just dump them in the tomb to save trouble!” His words were laced with murderous intent, further fueling the villagers’ panic. They thought they had encountered people from the Murong family, but instead, it turned out to be the tomb robbers who had stolen from the royal tombs time and again! And judging by their tone, they were ruthless killers. “Please spare our lives, great king!” “Don’t kill me!” The villagers fled in all directions, their faces ashen. But with a few cold snorts and brief sounds of something cutting through the air, each of those who had dreamed of getting rich was pinned to the ground. One of them fell right next to Happy. He didn’t die immediately, his eyes wide as he pointed at the boy in the shadows, struggling to speak: “Catch… catch them…” Then he died. Although he knew everything before him was artificially created, the NPCs’ human-like behavior and immersive experience still made Happy feel their desperation, regret… and even… attachment… His expression darkened. “Boss, they’re all taken care of.” “Mm.” “These people didn’t die in vain; at least they helped us with some work.” “Enough talking! Get to work!” The tomb robbers’ conversation snapped Happy out of his gloomy state. His mind cleared, and he held his breath, hiding behind the tomb, his thoughts racing. Undoubtedly, this group was the active tomb robbery gang these days—the real target of this mission. “If I hadn’t chosen to observe the situation, I might have missed these real villains…” Happy felt heavy-hearted. To be honest, he was now in a difficult position. There weren’t many of them—just three… But each of them was a ruthless killer.

He was incomparably stronger than the villain Li San. Although sending a signal now could prevent the other party from digging the tomb, it would also expose his own location. Against three ruthless killers, especially tomb robbers skilled in hidden weapons, killing an ordinary player—a complete novice—it was obviously effortless! Send a signal? Or stay hidden and wait for them to dig up what’s in the tomb before leaving? Happy felt bitterness in his heart, torn between choices. Choosing the former would allow him to complete the task, but the chance of being killed was over 90%; choosing the latter would mean his first mission at Murong’s estate would fail, greatly reducing his reputation and status within the Murong family… At this moment, the system gave no further hints! In the silent night, the sound of digging resumed. “If I’m going to die, I’ll die!” A look of determination flashed in Happy’s eyes as he quietly stepped back a few tomb lengths, pulling out a flare… “Whoosh!” Suddenly, a startling flash of light and a faint noise appeared in the dark, lightless shadows. “Someone’s here!” “Lao San!!” The three tomb robbers leaped out of the tomb at the same time, only to see a fiery red light shoot into the sky. Where the light emerged, the figure of a young man became visible as he moved through the graveyard toward the foot of the mountain, filling them with shock and anger. “It’s a signal from the Murong family!” “We’ve been discovered…” “What do we do?” As they chased after him, the two tomb robbers asked their leader behind them. The leader was a middle-aged man with a cruel expression, pale skin, and a stern face: “That guy must be a recent disciple of the Murong family. He’s not very skilled. But unfortunately, he’s already seen us. Lao San, go after him and kill him, then leave immediately and meet us at the usual place.” With that, he turned and walked away. “Understood!” The other of the two chasing tomb robbers also turned and left without hesitation.