Richest Rag-picker

Having said that, Qi Xiaotian continued,

"If it’s really more than half a meter thick, using dynamite would make a huge scene."

As he said this, Qi Xiaotian’s eyes suddenly lit up.

"Brother Fang, what if we just smash a hole through the door?"

’After thinking it over, this seemed like the most viable option.’ After all, this wasn’t like excavating an ancient tomb, where destruction was forbidden. All Fang Chenyi wanted now was to open this stone door, so chiseling through it was the best way to go.

This was a mine, after all. Although modern machinery was scarce, they still had the jackhammers needed for breaking rock.

They quickly rounded up five or six jackhammers and started trying to drill a hole in the stone door.

But then, something strange happened. Even with five or six jackhammers pounding against it, the stone door remained completely unaffected.

In fact, aside from a few shallow marks, not a single speck of stone debris had broken off.

This left everyone bewildered.

Fang Chenyi, who had been observing from the side, suddenly spoke up.

"Alright, pack everything up. You’ve all been working hard this morning. Go get some lunch!"

After he finished, he turned to Qi Xiaotian and said,

"Xiaotian, take everyone and leave. I’m going to study this for a while by myself. Also, have our people secure the perimeter. Don’t let anyone near this place."

Although no one understood why Fang Chenyi wanted them to leave, they all departed without a fuss.

Even Qi Xiaotian only shot Fang Chenyi a worried glance before leading his men away.

After everyone had left, Fang Chenyi stood alone at the bottom of the pit, staring at the stone door in front of him, deep in thought.

’I don’t get it. How can a stone door be impervious to jackhammers?’

’Is this more than just an ordinary door? Could there really be relics of an Immortal inside?’

’But how can there be Immortals in this world? Humanity has already reached for the stars; our farthest probe is at the edge of the Solar System. Forget finding a Celestial Court, we haven’t even found another planet that can support human life.’

Still unable to make sense of it, Fang Chenyi suddenly remembered his Compass. The Compass had given him a clue before; he wondered if it could show him how to open this door.

With that thought, Fang Chenyi reached for the woven bag and pulled out the mysterious Compass from within.

The instant he took the Compass out, a brilliant white light erupted from it, followed by a flurry of countless, densely packed, strange symbols flashing across its face.

A moment later, the symbols coalesced into the shape of a giant serpent’s head on the Compass.

It looked exactly the same as the serpent’s head on the Compass he had taken from Billson.

’Why is this happening?’

Just as this question arose in Fang Chenyi’s mind, the two stone doors in front of him also erupted with a burst of white light.

After the light flashed and vanished, a circular, glowing recess appeared in the center of the stone doors.

He glanced at the recess, then at the Compass in his hand.

Fang Chenyi was stunned to find that the recess seemed to be about the same size as his Compass.

’Does this mean... if I place the Compass in it, the stone door will open?’

The more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed. However, worried that any commotion might attract unwanted attention, he took out his phone and called Qi Xiaotian first. He told him to secure the area around the mine and keep everyone away.

But when he asked if the commotion on his end was noticeable, Qi Xiaotian sounded confused, saying there was no noise at all.

This confused Fang Chenyi even more. But then he recalled how Qi Xiaotian and the others hadn’t been able to see what the Compass displayed before, so he decided not to dwell on it.

’If they can’t see it, that’s even better.’

So he once again instructed Qi Xiaotian to watch the surroundings carefully before hanging up the phone.

Fang Chenyi glanced around, grabbed the rope used for hauling out dirt, planted his feet on the stone door, and began to climb up.

When he reached the recess in the middle of the stone door, Fang Chenyi hesitated for a moment. Finally, with a surge of resolve, he reached out and set the Compass into it.

It was a perfect fit!

’It’s like the Compass was made for this recess. There isn’t the slightest gap.’

CREAAAK...

As Fang Chenyi stared in a daze at the perfectly fitted Compass, a low groaning sound reached his ears. Then, the two massive doors, previously sealed shut, began to slowly swing inward.

Staring blankly at the slowly opening stone doors, Fang Chenyi felt the worldview he had held his entire life begin to crumble for the very first time.

’This... this is something science can’t explain.’

As the stone doors opened, Fang Chenyi slid back down the rope to the ground.

CREAAAK...

The stone doors opened slowly. By the time Fang Chenyi’s feet hit the ground, they were only about halfway open.

He stood before the entrance, peering through the half-open doors. He could make out a tunnel made of stone, but since the doors weren’t fully open, his view was limited.

About three minutes passed before the doors finally swung fully open.

This time, with light pouring in, Fang Chenyi could see everything inside clearly.

Just as he’d thought, beyond the stone doors lay a massive tunnel.

The tunnel wasn’t level. To be more precise, it sloped downward, deep into the earth.

The entire tunnel descended at a steep angle, nearly sixty degrees. What’s more, the surface of the slope was as smooth as a mirror. There were no steps, not even a single rough spot to get a foothold.

He took a few steps forward to the entrance and peered down the passage. All he saw was pitch-black darkness.

"Holy shit, what the hell is this place?"

Looking at the tunnel of unknown depth, Fang Chenyi was momentarily unsure if he should go in.

Just looking at the tunnel floor, it was obvious this wasn’t man-made. ’Who knows what dangers might be lurking inside?’

But now that he had opened the door, he couldn’t bear the thought of not going inside.

After weighing his options, Fang Chenyi finally gritted his teeth.

"No guts, no glory!"

He clenched his fists, then pulled out the woven bag, rummaged inside, and took out an M4, holding it at the ready.

’That’s not safe enough,’ he thought. He picked up a nearby rope, tied one end to the dangling hauling line for an anchor, and threw the other end down the passage.

For extra insurance, he also tied a rope around himself.

With all his preparations complete, he took a deep breath...

PS: Hey everyone, just wanted to ask... are you enjoying this kind of plot development?