bookrandom Chapter 158 Questioning
Chapter 158 Questioning
Some soldiers were so excited that their faces turned red, and they couldn't wait to go up and ask about the expedition's experience.
Some people were so happy that they couldn't help but cry, their eyes blurred with tears.
However, when everyone's gaze inadvertently swept behind Si Jingnian and the other two, the joy that had been on their faces gradually froze.
The place was empty; there was no sign of the other team members.
For a moment, the scene fell into a suffocating silence.
Finally, a bold and meticulous soldier mustered his courage and tentatively asked:
"Young Marshal...where are they? What about the others?"
As he spoke, the soldier's expression was extremely cautious, as if he was afraid that he might accidentally touch on the most taboo and least desirable place in Si Jingnian's heart.
When faced with the soldier's question, Si Jingnian merely glanced at him indifferently, his lips pressed into a tight line, without uttering a single word in response.
But his already stern face was now even more gloomy, and his heavy expression said it all.
Si Jingnian was in low spirits, radiating a terrifying chill. For a moment, no one dared to provoke him, and even those with doubts dared not ask him questions.
Si Jingnian was preoccupied, his face so gloomy it seemed like it could drip water. He completely ignored the presence of others around him, and strode into the tent without looking back.
"Hey... what on earth happened? Why did he just leave like that? Where did our Secretary Chen go?"
A questioning shout came from the crowd.
"Yes! What about my senior brother? Didn't they go in together? How come only Marshal Si and two other people came out now?"
Another person anxiously chimed in.
"What exactly is Marshal Si's attitude? Doesn't he intend to give us an explanation? How can this be left so ambiguous?"
Some people began to express their dissatisfaction, their voices unconsciously rising a few decibels.
"That's right! We have to make him explain himself. Secretary Chen and several professors went in with him, but only the three of them have come out so far. We haven't seen a single other person. This is really suspicious!"
More and more people joined in the questioning, and the scene suddenly became noisy.
Faced with this situation, Si Jingnian's subordinates, though also filled with questions, remained steadfast in their professional ethics, guarding the tent entrance and preventing those agitated people from approaching Si Jingnian.
Si Jingnian, who had already entered the tent, naturally heard the questions posed by the people outside clearly.
However, at this moment he felt utterly exhausted, as if he were being suffocated by an invisible, enormous pressure.
He slowly walked to a chair, sat down weakly, and then closed his eyes heavily, as if trying to shut out the noise and disturbances of the outside world.
He never expected that this trip into the ancient tomb would last for more than half a month. Inside, there was no distinction between day and night, and he completely lost track of the passage of time.
In the more than half a month that followed him in, only Shen Qingyao and Ruan Hongshuang survived; everyone else lost their lives there.
He wasn't someone who easily lost control of his emotions, but many of them were subordinates he already knew well. How could he remain indifferent?
Moreover, although Shen Qingyao escaped alive, that strange and mysterious bead is still inside her body, and no one knows what will happen next.
Now that Shen Qingyao is pushing him away again, he feels like his world has collapsed...
At this moment, he suddenly began to regret his choice. If he had disagreed with going in and forcefully stopped the plan, would none of this have happened?
Outside the tent, Shen Qingyao watched Si Jingnian's figure gradually disappear into the distance, and a strong impulse welled up in her heart. She wanted to rush forward and catch up with that lonely figure, and whisper a few words of comfort to him.
However, just as she took a step, the mysterious and terrifying Ecstasy God lurking within her suddenly appeared in her mind, causing her to freeze in place.
At this moment, the surrounding crowd was filled with questions and suspicions about Si Jingnian, and these words were like sharp arrows shooting straight at Si Jingnian.
Shen Qingyao's heart clenched tightly. On one hand, she felt incredibly sorry for the pressure Si Jingnian was under.
On the other hand, she felt extremely angry at those who made unfounded accusations and suspicions against Si Jingnian.
"Everyone! Please calm down!"
Shen Qingyao finally couldn't help but shout loudly. She didn't deliberately lower her voice; instead, her tone revealed a hint of dominance and anger.
The scene fell silent immediately, and everyone's eyes turned to her.
Shen Qingyao took a deep breath and continued:
"This ancient tomb is fraught with danger; a single misstep could mean certain death. Before we decided to enter, Secretary Chen and Marshal Si consulted everyone on several occasions. Everyone made their choice after careful consideration. Therefore, when we stepped into this perilous place, I'm sure everyone was prepared for the worst, including the possibility of never coming out alive."
After a brief pause, Shen Qingyao's gaze slowly swept over everyone gathered outside Si Jingnian's tent, her eyes firm and sharp.
Then, she raised her voice again and said:
"Not to mention that this ancient tomb is a royal mausoleum that has been weathered by thousands of years and contains countless deadly traps and mechanisms, the eerie and terrifying ghosts and the powerful and terrifying monsters that have lived for thousands of years are enough to make people tremble with fear."
After a pause, Shen Qingyao continued:
"More importantly, as far as I know, all these monsters obey the owner of the ancient tomb—the legendary Princess Hengyang. It's already a miracle that the three of us were able to escape. As for the others, we wanted to save them, but... we were simply powerless to do so!"
Shen Qingyao's tone was serious and heavy, her expression full of exhaustion and helplessness.
She was telling the truth. Before entering the ancient tomb, she had no idea it would be so dangerous.
They narrowly escaped death several times in that perilous place, almost losing their lives in the process.
If it weren't for an extremely fortunate coincidence that allowed them to successfully subdue that ferocious dragon, they probably wouldn't have been able to escape their tragic fate of perishing here.
However, those outside the secret realm are completely unaware of the perilous nature of the interior.
They only knew that dozens of people had entered, but in the end only Shen Qingyao, Si Jingnian, and Ruan Hongshuang survived.
As for the rest of the people, not only were their bodies not found, but it was also impossible to determine whether they were alive or dead.
What's even more suspicious is that no one knows the truth about the cause of those people's deaths or who killed them.
This made them suspicious of the three people who survived.
Just then, a loud shout suddenly came from the crowd:
"How could so many people have died, and it just so happens that only the three of you are left? If you said there wasn't something fishy going on, who would believe it!"
The speaker was emotional and his voice was sharp and shrill, drawing stares and agreement from many people around him.
Shen Qingyao looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person who spoke up was full of anger. What caught her attention even more was that the people who echoed this person's tone were basically from other places and not from their own Nancheng.
This makes it easier to understand why these people dared to openly and blatantly question Si Jingnian.
After all, if it were a local, they probably wouldn't dare to question Si Jingnian in such an arrogant and aggressive manner, even if they had ten times the courage.