My tomb robbing past

Vomited

Everyone was excited, and the pace picked up. Gradually, the iron object revealed itself: a helmet, jet black. In the dry climate of Xinjiang, it was well-preserved. The skull beneath the helmet was also pulled out, now a mummy. It was my first time seeing a human skull, and those sunken eye sockets would give me nightmares for hundreds of nights if it were nighttime.

Based on the hair on the skull, it was clear the person was from a minority ethnic group. The head had a copper or maybe gold band, but I couldn't be sure at that moment.

Sister Hua secured the lamp and returned to the vehicle to retrieve some oil paper. She wrapped the helmet and the headband, setting them aside.

The excavation continued, and the space gradually expanded, revealing the entire ancient corpse. The armor on the body was made of leather, so deteriorated that it crumbled upon touch. The height was less than 1.7 meters, with brown pants and leather shoes.

Basically, apart from the helmet, the ancient corpse had no value to my uncle and grandfather. There was also a knife in the tomb, unusually long but broken into several pieces over time. It was a waist knife, held by the deceased upon burial. Just when we thought the first tomb raid was over, my second uncle continued digging.

I approached my grandfather and asked, "Isn't it done? Why are they still digging?"

Grandfather, examining the terrain, replied, "This is just the beginning. Didn't you see we only found one item? That was just a burial accompaniment. The real treasures are still deeper."

I was filled with questions, wondering how my grandfather could be so sure that it was just an accompaniment and not everything. But I didn't dare to ask more.

While I was puzzled, my uncle shouted, "Stop!"

Except for the wind, everything went silent. Uncle replaced the second uncle, put on a respirator, adjusted his waterproof suit, and went down. Sister Hua crouched to adjust the light while uncle held a small military shovel, gently scraping the earthen wall. The areas he scraped revealed some decayed wood, blackened, possibly from being charred to prevent deformation.

The wood was easier to excavate than the soil, but uncle was not in a hurry. He carefully dug out the decayed wood, passing it out of the hole bit by bit. Watching his actions, I held my breath. Then, he suddenly stopped and softly said to those outside, "I've broken through!"

Grandfather signaled him to continue. He removed a large piece of decayed wood with his shovel, revealing a dark space inside. As more decayed wood was removed, the entrance expanded.

The air inside was dry with no peculiar smell. But as I approached, grandfather insisted I wear a respirator. I reluctantly put it on; the rubbery smell made me nauseous, and wearing it made the outside world appear blurry, as if through glass.

I wiped the lens, trying to see the interior more clearly. I saw a dim light flash, and uncle emerged, crouched, from the inside. At that moment, he looked like a demon crawling out of hell. The stirred-up dust made the world hazy, and through the flickering headlamp, I vaguely saw a coffin inside.

Uncle removed his respirator, wiped the sweat from his head, and I noticed his hair was soaked, mixed with sand. He walked to grandfather and slowly said, "It seems this tomb has been robbed!"

Grandfather was shocked, "Impossible! Impossible!" He walked around, examining the surroundings, and returned to us, angrily throwing away his cigarette butt, "This can't be! There are no other holes around. How could it be robbed?" He grabbed uncle's respirator and crouched down into the hole.

I wanted to go down too, but the hole was too small. After a while, grandfather climbed up, holding a rusted, green iron hook. He looked at us and said, "Damn it! Someone robbed this tomb a hundred years before us! Damn!"

I was surprised and nudged uncle, asking, "How do you know it was a hundred years ago? How did they rob it?"

Uncle whispered, "See that collapsed area?"

I looked where he pointed, at a partially collapsed spot, "I see it."

"That's where they dug a hole to enter. Meeting the ancestors, no wonder the old man is angry!" He said as he started taking off his waterproof suit.

I became anxious. I hadn't gone down to take a look yet! I ran to grandfather, "Grandpa! Can I... Can I go down and take a look? Otherwise, I came for nothing!"

Grandfather seemed unwilling to talk much, instructing, "Be careful! Go see for yourself! Ask your uncle to help you!"

Excited, I grabbed the respirator and shouted to uncle, "Uncle, grandpa asked me to go down and take a look. Help me out!"

Sister Hua came over, "Let's go! I'll accompany you!"

I was both excited and anxious, happy to have a beautiful companion, but as a novice, what if the corpses inside jumped up? Should I run or be a hero? This was a tough choice. But curiosity overcame my irrational fear, and I eagerly prepared to go down.

Sister Hua stopped me, adjusted my equipment, and turned on my headlamp, "I'll be right behind you. The respirator lasts only half an hour, don't touch anything casually. It's best if the ancestors' bodies stay where they are."

I nodded and crouched down, soon reaching the entrance of the decayed wood. Looking at the dark hole, I hesitated again. Should I go in? What if it's all black mud inside, as second uncle said?

Sister Hua nudged me from behind, urging me to go in. I gritted my teeth and slowly stepped inside. The ground felt dry and hard, boosting my courage. Once fully inside, I could only squat halfway. Looking down, I realized it was charred decayed wood, not felt as I had thought.

I looked around and saw an old robbers' tunnel from many years ago. Dust from the tunnel had covered half of the tomb chamber. Feeling tired from squatting, I looked for something to lean on and found a spot.

Surprisingly, it was a coffin. My imagination ran wild, picturing an emperor's tomb filled with treasures. My breathing quickened, and I peered inside. My goodness! The coffin was open, and a mummy lay inside, half-open eyes, hair draped over the skull, and blackened teeth. The clothes were severely deteriorated...

The sight overwhelmed me, and I turned to leave, but Sister Hua was blocking the way. I vomited, filling my respirator with vomit.

Desperately trying to remove the respirator, Sister Hua quickly turned, pulling me out of the tomb. I lay on the ground, removed the respirator, and vomited again.

Sister Hua, standing nearby, suddenly kicked me to the ground and angrily said, "Didn't your uncles teach you not to remove your respirator in the tomb? You don't know what you might breathe in. If you inhale something toxic, no one can save you. Is this all you can handle?" She then turned and walked away.