"Sure, why not?" I was twenty years old back then, still curious and eager to explore new places.
After all, what could go wrong with a stroll around a small town?
We went for lunch and had Bebek Goreng (Fried Duck Rice).
It was the best meal I had ever had.
After the sumptuous meal, we decided to look for a snooker parlor.
We booked a table for a few hours, and the boss gave us a nice discount seeing that we were tourists.
The snooker parlor was filled with cigarette smoke, and an Indonesian DJ mix was playing in the background.
We were minding our own business and enjoying our game when Bobby's snooker cue accidentally hit one of the guys at the table next to us.
The fellow came up to Bobby and started shouting at him.
Bobby wanted to rage back, but I pulled him aside.
I apologized profusely and offered the guy a cigarette.
The parlor owner also came over and said something to the guy.
The man took my cigarette, mumbled to himself, and stared at Bobby.
I ushered Bobby out of the place, taking a careful look at the guy.
He had a Dayak tattoo on his arm, and I figured he might be Dayak and someone of importance.
The Dayak are one of the native groups on Borneo Island.
They are excellent jungle trackers and are most notorious for their headhunting practices.
"Why did you stop me?" Bobby asked.
"We're not here on holiday. Better to stay out of trouble. Come, let's go back to the hotel."
Bobby and I made our way back to the hotel, but somehow, I felt we were being followed.
I dismissed it as anxiety in a foreign place.
...
The next day, Amy Lee instructed us to get some supplies like water and compressed biscuits.
After loading up the supplies, the team moved on to Mandor.
Mandor, the capital of the LanFang Republic, isn't too far from Pontianak; we reached it within the same day.
This time, however, we didn't check into any hotel.
Our jeep stopped at an area on the edge of Mandor, near the jungle but still close to a village.
"All right, everyone, let's wait for nightfall," Amy instructed us.
"Why are we here?" Bobby asked.
"Well, maybe Sam can let you know why."
I thought for a while and looked around.
There were two mountains ahead, and the clearing we were at was like a bowl.
In terms of burial sites, this would be a perfect spot to catch nature's chi and nurture the deceased.
The clearing was void of tall grass, indicating there was a tomb below.
The different layers of soil and materials used to prevent break-ins cause a lack of nutrients, hence crops wouldn't grow well.
"There is a tomb beneath us," I said, explaining what I saw.
"Bingo! I knew Groundhog Liu's disciple wouldn't disappoint.
"This is where my last lead points to. The tomb beneath us most likely belongs to the wife of Lin Ah Sin, the last president of the LanFang Republic. One of the burial treasures should give us the location of the gold," Amy Lee explained.
"What are we waiting for? The faster we get the location, the faster we get the gold," Bobby said impatiently.
"You want to rot in an unknown Indonesian prison? The village is not too far. It's safer to wait for nightfall," Amy replied.
So, we had to keep a low profile and stayed in some bushes nearby, waiting for nightfall.
Finally, it was time to act.
Kurnawan would keep a lookout and warn us if anyone approached.
Bobby and I would be digging, while Amy Lee and Firecracker Tan would transport all the soil out of the hole.
Sea Snake Fang would coordinate everything and be ready for any emergencies.
With everyone in place, we started digging.
But there's an art to it.
First, you dig out soil from the four corners of the site.
Check the layers of soil and try to identify any white-colored soil.
This would be the first layer used to prevent break-ins.
If there aren't any, you can then slowly decrease the size of the four corners.
This process is done until you pinpoint the actual site of the tomb.
"Sam, have a look—is this what you meant?"
Bobby showed me the soil he had just dug up.
I shone my torchlight, and bingo—we'd hit the jackpot.
After an hour of digging, we finally pinpointed the tomb.
We continued to dig down from that spot.
After reaching three meters down, Bobby hit something hard.
"Look, I hit some bricks."
I took a look, and it was dark green-colored bricks, used for the cover dome of the tomb.
"Pry open the bricks, and we can get into the tomb."
We switched to using picks instead of spades.
Very quickly, the bricks were cleared, and all of us, except Kurnawan, entered the tomb.
"Bobby, let them go first," I whispered to him.
"Why?"
"Never leave your back to others. You never know when they might want to keep the spoils for themselves."
He nodded, and we were the last among the team.
After walking about ten meters, we reached a more open area.
On the ground were some porcelain vases lying around.
"Sam, are these valuable? Maybe we should keep some," Bobby asked, his eyes lighting up at the thought of making money.
"No, they would be if they were at least from the Song Dynasty or earlier. What's inside is usually daily items prepared for the deceased to use in the afterlife.
"There might be jewelry in the main chamber. Let's wait for that."
Just as I finished speaking, Amy Lee halted everyone.
In front of us was a wall.
It was made from a whole slab of rock.
Bobby tried hitting the wall with a hammer, but it didn't do much.
Amy Lee frowned, and after some back and forth with Sea Snake Fang, she used the walkie-talkie and said, "Kurnawan, is the coast clear? We might need to get loud, over."
"Coast is clear. Over."
Amy Lee then looked at Firecracker Tan and said, "Time to do your job."
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"Stand aside," Firecracker Tan said as he opened his backpack.
He took out a few brown tubes resembling dynamite, walked back, counting the steps to the small tunnel we came through, then carefully selected the appropriate length for the fuse and inserted it into the dynamite.
"Time for some fun! Go back at least ten meters and cover your ears," he instructed.
We hurriedly moved back to the small tunnel, squatted down, and used our fingers to cover our ears.
Then we heard him shout, "Get ready, 3…2…1…!"
He came running toward us and nearly tripped.
Luckily, he recovered quickly and cowered down beside us.
"Boom!!!"
A loud explosion echoed, and I felt the blast wave brush across my face.
Amy Lee quickly radioed Kurnawan, "Kurnawan, are we still clear? Over."
"Yes, the coast is clear. Over."
Amy Lee sighed with relief and then motioned for us to proceed.
We returned to where the wall had been obstructing our path.
The explosion had created a hole in the wall, just big enough for us to get through.
Inside was the main chamber of the tomb.
There was a coffin, with a reddish tint, emitting a pleasant aroma.
I knew immediately that it was made of sandalwood.
As of today, the price of sandalwood can easily fetch $200 per kilogram, which made me wonder what other valuables could be hidden inside.
All around the chamber, there were copper coins, jewelry, and porcelain vases scattered about.
Bobby got excited and began stuffing the copper coins and jewelry into a black trash bag.
"Sam, come and help me," he called out, motioning me over.
I quickly obliged; after all, I wanted to make money too.
While helping Bobby, I turned to see what Amy Lee and the rest of the team were doing.
To my surprise, they weren't very interested in the burial treasures.
Their attention was focused solely on the coffin.
Sea Snake Fang and Firecracker Tan took out crowbars, and together they pried open the coffin lid.
They then stepped back and covered their noses and mouths with their shirts.
This was done to let any poisonous gas escape—what we call "尸毒" in Chinese, literally meaning "corpse poison."
After a few minutes, they used their hands to fan away any remaining gas.
Then they leaned in to take a closer look inside the coffin.
Curious, I joined in and peered into the coffin.
There was a skeletal head, with the rest of the body having already decomposed.
I noticed something inside the skeleton's mouth and carefully pried it open to reveal a huge pearl.
My instinct told me that, of all the burial treasures in this chamber, this pearl was the most valuable.
I quickly passed the pearl to Bobby; it seemed safer in his hands than anyone else's in the team.
However, the pearl wasn't what Amy Lee was looking for.
"That's it? There should be a map pinpointing the location of the gold ingots," she muttered.
Amy rummaged through the remains of the skeleton, but to no avail.
There was no map to be found.
"Maybe it's here somewhere in the chamber," Amy Lee mumbled as she kept searching, and the rest of us began to look for the map as well.
"Look, Sam, there's a hole in the wall," Bobby said, as he put his hand into the hole, trying to dig out whatever was inside.
"Stop, pull out your hand!" I tried to warn him, but it was too late.
He suddenly cried out in pain and yanked his hand out of the hole.
Bobby shook his hand vigorously, and then something fell out of his grasp.
It was a red-colored worm.
The worm quickly scurried away, but Sea Snake Fang stepped on it, causing green liquid to ooze out from its carcass.
The worm died instantly.
A foul smell filled the air, reminiscent of rotten meat crawling with maggots, and just the thought of it made me nearly vomit.
Just in case, I took a picture of the red-colored worm.
"Argh…my hand," Bobby groaned, his right hand now swollen to twice the size of his other hand.
The worm must have been poisonous.
I hurriedly took out my water bottle, washed the bite wound on his hand, and then bandaged it up.
Amy Lee came over, checked his condition, and glanced at her watch.
"It's already 4 AM; villagers will start their day soon. Let's call it a day and get Bobby back to Pontianak for treatment."
Everyone nodded in agreement, and we left the tomb, closing it up with the soil we had dug out earlier.
By the time we arrived in Pontianak, it was 8 AM.
We knocked on the doors of several clinics, but no one answered; the doctors hadn't started arriving yet.
Fortunately, one clinic had a doctor living on the second floor.
He reluctantly opened the door after seeing Bobby's condition.
Within a few hours, Bobby's condition had worsened.
The white bandage had become soaked in red and yellow fluids, and inflammation had already set in.
The doctor shook his head, cleaned the wound with alcohol, and gave Bobby some injections.
Bobby eventually calmed down and fell asleep.
With Bobby looking much better, we decided to head back to the hotel.
I carried Bobby into his room and then went to Amy's room.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine. Here," Sea Snake Fang comforted me, offering me a cigarette.
"Thanks," I replied, lighting up the cigarette, taking a deep puff, and exhaling a huge sigh.
Amy Lee was on the phone with someone. "There was nothing inside. Are you sure about your lead?" she asked, nodding continuously before ending the call.
After a few moments of silence, she looked up and said, "The lead should be correct. No one would be able to lie with my father's three-spirit powder.
"The map should be in the tomb somewhere. Let's get Bobby okay again before we make our next move. I will do my best not to leave anyone behind."
"Help me!" Just as she finished speaking, a loud scream echoed from downstairs.
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