Chapter 306: Extreme Maneuvering
“Taotie, we need to figure out a way to break out of here!”
After checking his remaining bullets, Tom spoke with a grave expression.
Taotie rolled his eyes. “No sh*t. You think I don’t know that?”
“The problem is, how do we break out? You think handguns can win against submachine guns?”
Taotie was beyond frustrated, itching to tear someone apart. He had never fought a battle this stifling in his entire life. If they were outside, he’d have grabbed his saber and figured out a way to flank these damn Ragnarok mercenaries, hacking them to pieces.
But now? They were trapped in a tomb chamber.
Their high-tech bulletproof vests wouldn’t hold up against the sheer barrage of gunfire. There was nothing they could do.
Taotie had already considered making a mad dash for it, but the moment he peeked out, those bastards outside would unleash a storm of bullets, pinning him right back down. They had him completely suppressed, and for once, he had no answer.
Tom felt just as helpless.
Without explosives, more than half his combat ability was nullified.
In terms of sheer skill, he wasn’t as good as Taotie. If even Taotie couldn’t make a move, then he was even more out of options.
The only silver lining was the thick bronze coffin in front of them.
It was absurdly solid—like a giant turtle shell. Over a thousand rounds had slammed into it, leaving only a dense pattern of impact craters, without even breaching its surface.
Hearing the gunfire momentarily cease outside, Taotie stole a quick glance toward the tomb entrance.
The next second—
RATATATATA!
A relentless burst of submachine gun fire erupted!
A hailstorm of bullets came flying straight at his head.
Taotie had already anticipated it.
Before the shots even rang out, he had already ducked back down.
The bullets missed him completely, clanging off the bronze coffin with a deafening ding-ding-dang-dang.
Leaning against the coffin, Taotie started counting on his fingers. “There’s at least ten mercs outside. Standard ammo loadout for an operation like this means each guy is carrying at least three mags—thirty rounds each. They’ve already fired over a thousand rounds.”
“Just hold on a little longer. They’re running low on ammo. Once their SMGs run dry, we strike.”
Tom was speechless.
A thousand rounds.
That was enough firepower for an entire small-scale battle.
And yet, all of it had been used just to keep the two of them pinned.
He didn’t know whether to laugh or feel honored—being showered with over a thousand bullets and still being alive? That was kind of impressive.
Tom shook his head with a bitter smile.
At this point, he had no choice but to find humor in the situation.
“Hey, Tom, why haven’t they thrown any grenades?”
Taotie muttered absentmindedly.
Tom’s expression instantly froze.
The hell kind of question was that?!
Shouldn’t he be glad they weren’t throwing grenades?!
If they had, neither of them would be standing here anymore!
Was Taotie actually disappointed they weren’t getting blown up?!
If the circumstances weren’t so dire, Tom would have seriously considered pissing on Taotie’s head to knock some sense into him.
“You’re not a damn Transformer. A single bullet to the head, and you’re done for.”
Tom glared at him.
“Tch, no sense of humor…” Taotie muttered under his breath.
Tom ignored him.
The gunfire outside suddenly stopped.
Tom quickly peeked out and saw no one charging in.
Without hesitation, he fired two warning shots.
Immediately, the mercs returned fire, another burst of bullets hammering the coffin.
Tom smiled in satisfaction.
That’s right. Keep shooting. If they go silent, it means they’re planning something nasty.
He had to make sure they stayed active—if they suddenly rushed in, it’d be a problem.
Blocking the tomb entrance was a last resort for Ragnarok.
They had already tried storming the room multiple times, hoping to gun down Tom and Taotie in a frontal assault.
But their opponents’ marksmanship was too precise—every shot was a headshot.
And the tomb entrance was too narrow—only one person could pass through at a time.
Anyone who attempted to breach it had been instantly taken out.
It was a death trap.
Realizing they were just sending men to their deaths, the mercenaries stopped attacking.
Instead, they decided to wait them out.
They had enough supplies, while Tom and Taotie didn’t even have backpacks.
That meant no food. No water.
The mercenary captain made a cruel but calculated decision—if they couldn’t kill them, they would starve them to death.
Taking turns, the mercs guarded the entrance in shifts, prepared for a prolonged siege.
Every time Tom or Taotie peeked out, they fired a few rounds to keep them pinned.
As long as they prevented an escape, victory was inevitable.
“Taotie, what do you think is inside this bronze coffin?”
Tom leaned against the coffin, suddenly curious.
“A corpse. Some burial goods. What else?”
Taotie replied dismissively.
Tom blinked. “Then… do you think the corpse inside could come back to life? Like the ones in the stone coffins?”
Taotie froze for a moment.
Then, his eyes lit up.
“Holy sh*t, Tom, that’s a damn good idea!”
“Wait, seriously? It can actually come back to life?” Tom was shocked.
Taotie grinned. “There’s a chance!”
“This bronze coffin—it’s called a Golden-Horned Bronze Coffin.”
“In ancient China, these were used specifically to contain corpses that had already started turning into zombies before burial.”
“If they had to use one, it means the body inside must’ve been incredibly dangerous.”
Taotie patted the coffin, explaining its purpose.
Tom’s expression turned serious.
“So… you can wake it up?”
Taotie smirked mysteriously. “We can definitely try.”
“Alright, let’s get this coffin open.”
“If the corpse inside is still intact, I can make it sit up.”
With that, Taotie wedged his saber into the seam of the coffin lid.
Tom followed suit, using the tip of his spear to pry at the edge.
“On three, we lift together.”
Taotie instructed in a low voice.
Tom nodded.
“One!”
“Two!”
“Three!”
Both men exerted all their strength.
With a deep creaking sound, the massive, hundred-kilogram coffin lid began to shift…
