?


    After they crossed a vige, the expedition team arrived on a barren piece ofnd.


    Sylvie then took out a stud finder from her backpack and checked the surrounding area before stamping her feet on a patch of ground. "This is it. Start digging!"


    "What?!"


    Lara was unsure how she should react. "If it''s a tomb, shouldn''t it have an entrance? Why do we have to dig?"


    "Entrance? What, did you think that this is a TV show?"


    Sylvieughed. "Most tombs don''t even have pirs, and even the pirs of the rare few tombs of kings would erode and crumble from the shifting of the tectonic tes. That''s why your so-called entrances would have long since been buried, so don''t expect to find some lost world in there. Archaeology is really mostly digging and far different from the adventures you have in mind."


    Lara shed a pained smile. "Then why do you need a security escort?"


    "You''ll find out soon enough." Sylvie shed a mysterious smile.


    Lara did not like guessing games, however, and turned toward Tigris, who smiled. "We''re not worried about traps-it''s people. When word spreads that there''s a tomb here, don''t you think there''d be others eager to make a quick buck?"


    Lara frowned. "No way. Life''s better these days-those viges have no reason to pige."


    Tigris was not sure how he should react to that. "The vigers certainly don''t, but it wouldn''t stop local gangs from trying! They can get really cutthroat when pushed too far, and some would bring metal bats, ready for a fight from the start!"


    Lara then realized that archaeology was really just digging into old tombs, without any escapades like the movies liked to depict. "Argh!!!"


    Still, just as Lara was feeling disappointed, a scream resounded.


    Everyone turned to find that one of the expedition members who was digging hard into the earth missed his step and fell into a gaping hole that was six feet wide!


    Sylvie frowned and walked up to yell down the hole, "Jimmy! Are you alright in there?!"


    Even as her voice echoed, Jimmy yelled back, "I''m fine, chief! But my foot is hurt, so I can''t move!"


    "Quick! Get a rope!" Sylvie shouted.


    Frank quickly stopped her. "His foot is hurt. He''d be crippled if you pulled him up with a rope. I''ll go down instead!"


    "That''s against safety procedures!" Sylvie protested. "That''s two dead if the floor copses!"novelbin


    "Exactly," Tigris reasoned. "Let''s stick with procedures.


    It was not because he feared Sylvie''s


    Эля


    authority as team leader, but rather because he was worried Franke would not be able to return if he went down.


    "It''s fine. I''ll be back in an instant!"


    Frank vaulted down the hole,nding and quickly picking Jimmy up.


    That was when his ring started to glow vibrantly, and only on the right side instead of the entire gem. The glow stayed in the same direction despite Frank moving his hand too, asif guiding Frank.


    Still, Frank nced at Jimmy, slung him over his back, and leapt out of the hole.


    "Nice moves!" Sylvie gave him a thumbs-up.


    Jimmyughed on Frank''s back too. "She never praises anyone, kid. I think she''s really in love!"


    Frank ignored him and told Sylvie, "I''m going back down now!"


    "You''re going back?!" she eximed. "Quit it! Even if the structural support is intact, it would definitely have still


    worn down with age! It co


    copse at any moment!"


    "Exactly." Tigris nodded. "Just leave it to the professionals we just have to stick to our jobs."