Chapter 154: The Out-of-Control Team Member

Qin Feng ignored Long Xiaotian's rambling nonsense. He stood up, his gaze once again falling upon the tightly sealed stone door, a faint sense of foreboding lingering in his heart.

"Professor Zhao, I think it would be best if we didn't go in just yet. Let's figure out the situation first," Qin Feng walked over to Professor Zhao and said in a deep voice.

"But..." Professor Zhao hesitated. Having dedicated many years to archaeological research, this was his first time encountering such a scenario, and he felt a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

"Professor Zhao, Qin Feng is right. Safety first, we should retreat for now," Long Xiaotian chimed in with advice.

Professor Zhao pondered for a moment and finally nodded, agreeing to withdraw for the time being.

Just then, the archaeological team members who had previously collapsed unconscious suddenly began to convulse violently, emitting painful moans from their throats.

"Not good! Their condition seems to have worsened!" Long Xiaotian exclaimed in shock.

Qin Feng's expression shifted, and he quickly activated his penetrating vision to examine their status.

One look was all it took to shock him to the core!

Within the bodies of those unconscious team members, wisps of black qi were darting about erratically like venomous black serpents, frantically devouring their life force!

"What... what on earth is this?!" Qin Feng was alarmed; it was his first time witnessing something so bizarre.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, one of the team members let out a shrill scream, jerked upright, eyes bloodshot and face distorted, looking as though he had transformed into an entirely different person!

"Roar!"

Howling like a beast, that team member lunged at the nearest companion, his sharp fingernails digging deep into the other's shoulder, crimson blood instantly staining the clothing.

This sudden turn of events stunned everyone, and terrified cries echoed at the entrance of the tomb chamber.

"What are you all standing around for?! Subdue him quickly!"

Professor Zhao was, after all, a man of experience. Following a brief moment of panic, he was the first to snap back to reality and shouted at the remaining standing team members.

However, before anyone else could react, several more team members clutched their heads and collapsed to the ground in agony, their bodies violently convulsing while low, beast-like growls rumbled in their throats.

"Damn it! What is actually going on?!"

Long Xiaotian was so frightened by the eerie sight before him that his face turned pale, and he could not help but curse aloud.

Qin Feng paid no heed to Long Xiaotian's panic. He grabbed Professor Zhao and Long Xiaotian, shielding them behind him, and said in a solemn voice, "Professor Zhao, Brother Long, be careful. Leave this to me!"

"Little Qin, be careful!" Professor Zhao instructed with a worried expression.

Qin Feng still held a favorable impression with Professor Zhao. Initially mistaking him for just some young punk, the professor now realized the young man possessed genuine skill.

Qin Feng did not speak, merely giving a slight nod as his eyes locked tightly onto the team members who had lost their minds.

Through his X-ray vision, he could clearly see that the black qi within those team members was growing increasingly dense, as if intent on completely consuming their entire beings.

"Roar!"

With another beast-like roar, a powerfully built team member abruptly sprang to his feet, staring at Qin Feng with bloodshot eyes like a predator fixated on its prey.

The team member let out an angry roar, swung his massive fist, and viciously aimed a blow straight at Qin Feng's face.

"Courting death!"

Qin Feng gave a cold huff, his footsteps shifting lightly to easily evade the incoming attack, while striking out like lightning with a palm-edge chop to the back of the man's neck.

"Bang!"

The team member let out a muffled grunt and swayed, yet remarkably remained on his feet, instead turning even more feral as he lunged at Qin Feng once more.

"Damn it! This thing really can take a beating!"

Qin Feng cursed inwardly. Knowing these team members had their minds hijacked by some malevolent force, he naturally could not hold back his strikes.

His form moved like lightning, agilely dodging the onslaught while his punches and kicks fell upon the adversary like falling raindrops.

To Qin Feng's shock, however, those team members seemed completely impervious to pain; even when battered black and blue, they continued their suicidal, fearless assaults against him.

"Bang! Bang!"

The fierce sounds of combat reverberated at the tomb entrance. Fighting multiple opponents simultaneously, Qin Feng held the temporary upper hand but found it impossible to completely subdue the deranged team members.

Even more unsettling to Qin Feng was the visible spread of the black qi, expanding at a rate discernible to the naked eye, with an increasing number of team members beginning to undergo mutations.

"Brother Qin, how are you holding up?" Hiding behind Qin Feng, Long Xiaotian asked anxiously upon witnessing the scene.

"I'm fine. Protect Professor Zhao!"

Qin Feng replied without looking back. He dared not afford the slightest relaxation now; once those deranged members closed in, the consequences would be unthinkable.

At that exact moment, a female team member who had been trembling off to the side also began exhibiting abnormalities. Her face turned pale, her body shuddered violently, and painful moans escaped her throat.

"Ah! I... I feel so awful..."

"Save... save me..."

The female team member wailed in agony, frantically tearing at her clothes. Beneath her fair skin, black blood vessels writhed like earthworms, presenting a horrifying sight.

"Not good! She's about to..."

Long Xiaotian's expression altered drastically at the sight. He knew that if the female team member also turned into one of those monsters, the outcome would be catastrophic.

"Little Qin, think of something quickly, she..."

Professor Zhao wore an equally anxious expression, but before he could finish his sentence, the female team member let out a piercing shriek and lunged fiercely toward him.

Screaming, the female team member charged as black veins crawled like twisted insects beneath her pale skin, distorting her once pretty face into a hideous and terrifying visage.

With a violent shove, she knocked aside Long Xiaotian, who stood between her and Professor Zhao, and pounced upon the professor like a ravenous tiger.

Knocked flat onto the ground by the sudden impact, Long Xiaotian stared in horror at the female team member, momentarily paralyzed and unable to react.

"Professor Zhao, watch out!"

At the critical, hair-trigger moment, Qin Feng reacted swiftly, grabbing Professor Zhao by the arm and barely pulling him out of the path of the female team member's pounce.

"Dammit, this stuff is truly wicked!"

Cursing under his breath, Qin Feng watched as an increasing number of team members fell victim to the black Qi, a rising wave of anxiety gripping his heart.

He shoved Professor Zhao toward Long Xiaotian and said in a grave tone, "Brother Long, keep the professor safe. Leave this to me!"

"Little Qin, be careful! These fellows are possessed by evil spirits, don't try to fight them head-on!"

Professor Zhao urged anxiously. Though he had witnessed Qin Feng's prowess, facing so many deranged individuals still filled him with deep apprehension.

"I know, don't worry!"

Qin Feng answered without turning his head, his eyes fixed firmly on the team members who had completely lost their sanity.

Devoid of reason and roaring like wild beasts, the team members closed in on Qin Feng once again.

Qin Feng nimbly evaded their onslaught while searching for an opening.