The Exit

"Oh My God! My dream has come true. It has come true! I have become rich!!" Chen Chen suddenly appeared from behind and did a happy dance. This much gold, even his seven generations would be able to live comfortably.

He got out under the wooden roots and slowly headed towards the first pot of gold, his eyes blinded by all the shine. He was literally drooling.

Li Ming Hao and Su Xin Yu both had only one thought in their mind, this could very well be another illusion, something each one of them could see. They had probably fallen into another trap. But since they had pulled a lever in good direction, there was a high chance that the exit was real.

The glanced at each other and came out under the roots with the intention of examining the artifacts.

"These look like some high quality jade. Unfortunately, I am not very versed in evaluating antiques," Li Ming Hao picked up a dragon shaped hairpin.

"Ornament? Aren't dragons and phoenixes meant for kings and queens? The only king I know of is the prince of this kingdom and master of my tribe. I have never heard using any of the mythical animals. We were more used to natural elements like sun and moon," Su Xin Yu surmised. The more she explored this cave, the more foreign elements she saw.

"But you said the sea serpent symbolism came from kingdom of Shu. Do you think there are more elements from other countries as well?" Li Ming Hao asked while putting the pin he had picked up down. For some reason, he thought it would look perfect on Su Xin Yu, like she was born to wear that ornament.

"Sister, look what I discovered. This heap of gold coins. I checked and it is real gold. We have really hit the jackpot today," Chen Chen's head popped out underneath a pile of gold coins. Su Xin Yu frowned. At this rate, this guy will pick something up from here and cause more trouble. She glanced at Li Ming Hao.

They both nodded and ran behind Chen Chen. They hooked their arms with his on each side and dragged him along as they ran for the only exit in the whole big room.

"Wh-where are you taking me? Let me take some gold!" Chen Chen cried. However, it was of no use. The two people never intended to stop. They entered the gate to find stairs that were going upwards.

"Seems like we will be going to a better place," Li Ming Hao winked and hurried along. Chen Chen was throwing a tantrum, making it difficult for both of them to carry the plump guy who was a bit heavy.

"Stop doing this alright? We have already been in so much trouble. If you carried anything from there, pretty sure none of us would have been spared. These things are for the dead, let them rest in peace," Su Xin Yu chided her cousin a bit.

That's only when Chen Chen calmed down and glared at his sister with hatred. His money, his path to fame was sitting right there. Yet he had to leave it all behind.

"Let's just continue here, okay? We might reach some exit. I can feel some air here," Li Ming Hao took out a lighter from his pocket and lit it up. The flame danced with the flow of air, the two smart people in the group became hopeful.

Right now, they had no idea what they were looking for. Out of the three, only Chen Chen was very clear about it. For the other two, they were trying to find clues about a living person in a dead space.

Su Xin Yu dearly wished for some hint from her dad. Was she just exploring these caves aimlessly? Although she had been exploring these dungeons since seven years old, she had not found any clue in years now.

She was very sure that her dad was no longer in this world. In this complex system of caves, how could one live without any supplies of food and water? She had given the hope long time ago. But she was still hoping to at least find his remains.

But if they were going to stumble upon so many dead bodies as they had under the roots of the tree, then would she be able to recognize her dad?

She almost sighed with despair. Li Ming Hao on the side held her hand and gave it a gentle. They had a long way to go, she could not give up here. Su Xin Yu looked at him and then nodded once again in gratefulness.

Throughout this journey, this guy had been reminding him how necessary it was to have someone by her side to comfort her. All her previous expeditions with Chen Chen, that guy was just so focused on his own goal that he never cared about her emotions.

She made up her heart and with determination filling her eyes and heart, she kept dragging her cousin with Li Ming Hao. Rocky was following the three behind. They did not let Chen Chen go for they feared that he would go back.

Somewhere along the way, Li Ming Hao stepped on a rock tile that pushed inside the ground.

"Uh-oh," he bellowed.

"What? What happened?" Su Xin Yu had an inkling since she heard the sound of the click when he stepped on. 'Not again,' she thought in her mind.

"I think I stepped on something," Li Ming Hao replied, helplessness lacing his face. He did not want that to happen but it still happened. They had been so careful. "I am sorry," he said.

"It's alright. This is a narrow path. From the walls, I don't think there is any way for arrows to come out. Let's do this. As soon as you take the step off, we'll make a run for it. Are you listening Chen Chen?" Su Xin Yu had resigned to the date. They were not ready for this dungeon yet. It was far greater level up than she had anticipated.

"First you guys made me go separately all alone. Then you did not let me take anything from all that money sitting right there. Now you're telling me we have to run while climbing stairs? Su Xin Yu, I am telling you. I quit. I won't accompany you to any other exploration after this," Chen Chen threw a tantrum, as usual.

Su Xin Yu was not in the mood to argue. She replied, "We will discuss it when we go out. Right now our lives are more important, okay?"

"Li Ming Hao, please pull your step as fast as you can on a count of three. And then we'll make a run for it."

"Okay."

"One, two," everyone's heart was thumping loudly for they did not know what was to come.

"Three, run!" she yelled and everyone started running without even looking at what was happening. The earth shook violently again and the rocks forming the stairs behind them started falling into an endless abyss.

Li Ming Hao looked back and screamed in horror. "The rate of rocks falling is much higher than us running. This will catch us up in no time. Run faster!"