I Received Messages From Future Self!-Chapter 284 - 280 Hope and Despair

Chapter 284: Chapter 280 Hope and Despair

Chapter 284 -280 Hope and Despair

They say that Fang Xiaocao, when truly hungry, would treat anyone as a friend, but who can understand the longing for kinship and friendship of an orphan?

Now, Zhi Qi, her best friend who had always protected her since she was little, had become an unknown enemy.

Han Xue had betrayed her long ago, turning into a life-and-death foe, and Xiaocao had ordered her execution outside the tomb.

Su Wanqing, Yun Luoshu, and Wen Shi, the trio, had tricked her countless times, and among them, at least one was a top assassin from the Blacklist named Thousand Faces. It was no longer appropriate to continue a close friendship, leaving only Tom and Taotie by Fang Xiaocao’s side.

The newcomer Hummingbird and the life-or-death uncertain Wan Xiaozhou were still somewhat lacking.

Only Tom and Taotie truly matched her heart’s desire.

Even though on the surface, Tom and Taotie were just subordinates controlled by Fang Xiaocao’s hypnotism.

But they each had their own thoughts and were not just puppets on strings; their care for Fang Xiaocao was also sincere. In her heart, Tom and Taotie had long become friends who were both mentors and companions.

From Tom and Taotie, Fang Xiaocao learned a lot.

They might not be family, but they were better than family.

Now that Tom faced a life-and-death situation, how could Fang Xiaocao, who always valued emotions and cherished feelings, not be anxious?

Compared to an ant on a hot pan, just as restless was Fang Xiaocao, but Tom, the person involved, was much calmer.

Looking at Fang Xiaocao, Tom smiled faintly, “Princess Your Highness, don’t worry, having a plan is always better than none. At least I still have a glimmer of hope, don’t I?”

Even at this moment, Tom was still trying his best to comfort Fang Xiaocao.

Hearing Tom’s words, Fang Xiaocao looked at him with tearful eyes, her own reddening to the likeness of a rabbit’s.

“Princess Your Highness, be good, don’t cry, okay?”

Tom said, coaxing Fang Xiaocao with a smile.

“Hummingbird, quickly help me soothe the Princess Your Highness,” Tom said, pretending to be relaxed.

Upon saying this, Hummingbird gave a meaningful glance.

When it came to one’s own life or death, even the most powerful individuals could not truly be indifferent; fear and panic were natural physiological responses.

But Tom knew that he couldn’t show it.

Once he showed even a hint of panic, Fang Xiaocao would break down on the spot.

Tom’s thinking was simple: he could die.

But he couldn’t bear to have Fang Xiaocao cry over him.

For himself and for Fang Xiaocao, Tom would strive to survive. But if he was unlucky and truly died here, someone else would have to take care of his Princess Your Highness for him.

Understanding his intention, Hummingbird nodded.

Hummingbird walked over to Fang Xiaocao’s side, opened his arms, and embraced her into his warm chest.

Buried in Hummingbird’s warm embrace, Fang Xiaocao could no longer hold back and started to sob softly.

Listening to Fang Xiaocao’s soft sobs, a touch of pain flashed through Tom’s eyes. He wanted to go forward and personally comfort his Princess Your Highness, but he was stuck on a trapdoor and could not, and should not, move.

If he moved, it wouldn’t be just him.

Even his Princess Your Highness would fall into the deadly trap beneath the stone bricks of the tomb passage.

“Hahaha…”

“Princess Your Highness, stop crying, okay?”

“Keep crying, and you won’t look pretty anymore.”

Tom said with a light, teasing tone, chuckling, trying to make Fang Xiaocao smile through his words.

However…

Tom’s words… did not have the desired effect.

Instead, Fang Xiaocao cried even louder.

Tom shook his head helplessly and turned to Taotie with a serious and solemn expression, speaking in a low voice, “Taotie, if I die, you must protect the Princess Your Highness for me. Otherwise, even if I become a ghost, I’ll come back to haunt you.”

Taotie understood what Tom meant.

Tom was entrusting him with his dying wish.

It was also a plea between brothers.

Taotie nodded solemnly, “Don’t worry!”

“If you die and I’m still alive, nobody will be able to harm even a hair on the Princess.”

Hearing Taotie’s solemn promise, Tom nodded in satisfaction, “With your word, I’m at ease. Now, about that lifeline-saving plan of yours that relies entirely on luck—what is it?”

As long as there was a glimmer of hope, Tom wouldn’t give up on his life.

But the trap under his feet was an extremely sinister killing mechanism, not some landmine or bomb.

Feeling uncertain, he could only rely on what Taotie said.

Taotie organized his thoughts and began, “Back when I followed an old Tomb Robber into a tomb, we encountered this kind of mechanism in a Song Tomb. The old Tomb Robber used a Flying Claw.”

“Everyone ran to a safe place, then let the person who triggered the trap grab onto the horizontal beam in the tomb passage with the Flying Claw and hoist themselves up. After the floor tiles of the passage collapsed, they would let the person hanging in the air lower down slowly. If there were any footholds in the pit, that person would live. Once he got to the edge of the pit, the tomb robbers in the safe place would use a rope to pull him up,” Taotie explained.

At this point, Taotie paused.

He glanced at Tom, who was showing a look of joy.

He sighed and said, “Don’t be too happy too soon. This is just one solution, but whether it works still depends on luck.”

Listening to Taotie’s words, Fang Xiaocao, who had stopped crying after hearing Taotie’s plan, started crying all over again.

Her tears were as easily controlled as a faucet.

The expressions of Tom and Hummingbird, who had just shown elation, also fell. They had prematurely rejoiced.

“I think the plan sounds pretty good.”

“Why does it still depend on luck?” Tom asked, puzzled.

“It’s feasible, but it really requires luck because the old Tomb Robber had been in innumerable tombs throughout his life, what kind of mechanism hadn’t he seen?”

“The old Tomb Robber said that although this method might work, it had already been overplayed by ancient people. Consequently, the designers of these tombs upgraded their anti-tomb-robbing mechanisms in tandem.”

“For example, some wouldn’t set up horizontal beams in this area, but this approach was later abandoned because it undoubtedly served as a warning to tomb robbers that there might be trap mechanisms here. So, later, someone came up with a malicious idea, making the horizontal beams above the pit movable.”

“Pressing on them, they could bear weight, but as soon as someone was hanged from them, they would automatically break and collapse, dropping the person above.”

“If someone tampered with the overhead, then someone else would tamper within the pit. Aren’t you hanging from the beam, not falling? Then let the collapse finish before you go down?”

“Then I’ll make sure you have nowhere to land.”

“No place to land, would you die or not?”

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“Just hang up there, curing like cured meat,” Taotie finished.

After hearing Taotie’s words, the joy on Tom’s face vanished, and his complexion turned somewhat ashen.

Fang Xiaocao stopped crying.

She shuddered subconsciously.

The ancients…

They were truly merciless!

That feeling of despair was truly terrifying.

Just the thought of hanging in the air with nowhere to land, Fang Xiaocao felt a chill down her spine…