Afterlife Department

"This is the place! This is it!" Peng Qian said when they saw the room they went yesterday where Huo Ling disappeared. It is where the hole where Philip jumped into when it appeared, and then thereafter disappeared, which frightened them very much. 

Huo Huainan, Huo Zichu, Zhang Jun and Yang Jie looked at the inside of the room since the stone doors are open. Rourou and Lian Xiang curiously looked around. Even though they have already gone to this room before with Zhou Cheng to accompany him to go back in order to find Huo Ling, they were only focused on looking for Huo Ling, only to lose Philip later after Philip jumped down on the hole that appeared, and then disappeared after he jumped inside it. 

Suddenly, they paused. The stone doors that are ajar before them reminded them of the doors ajar of the entrance of the mausoleum, looking like a wide, gaping mouth of a monster that is about to swallow them whole. 

The thought made them suddenly shiver and they immediately shook that thought off of their mind. They have finally reached their destination, so there is no need to spook their own self that would make them back out after they've lost their will when they let their fear creep into their system. 

"Let's go in." Huo Huainan spoke, breaking the silence in the mausoleum.. 

They all nodded. "Yes." Zhou Cheng and Peng Qian answered as they gulped, preparing themselves to enter the room, that made them lose two people – Huo Ling and Philip, for the second time. 

Rourou and Lian Xiang who were silently following behind them have forgotten their fear earlier because everyone around them made them feel secured, and that story of the past about the priestess Nan Chi distracted them. But, now that they have reached the place where Huo Ling and Philip has gone missing, they suddenly felt the fear they temporarily lost earlier. 

They tightly held each other's hand, seeking comfort and courage from the other as they feel their knees became soft, making it hard for them to walk and enter the room. But, seeing that the others have already started to enter, they just can't let themselves be left behind outside. Who knows what will happen to them later who were left behind outside? And so, they forced themselves to hurriedly follow the others, walking after them just a step behind for them to not lose them. 

Although Zhou Cheng and Peng Qian have gone here before, but they still can't help but marvel the murals and reliefs imprinted on the walls and ceiling of the room. 

"Those are the reliefs that Huo Ling found yesterday, detailing the priestess' life until her death." Zhou Cheng said and pointed to one side of the room where they huddled together yesterday after they found some details of the past. 

Huo Huainan and Huo Zichu went wordlessly. Zhang Jun was indifferently looking around. Not for some treasures but for some clues that could hint to him how Huo Ling died and how Philip disappeared. All ceramics are the same for him; he doesn't care how much they worth, or how valuable they are, and whether they are ancient or not. 

But, Yang Jie is the total opposite of him, so Yang Jie followed Huo Huainan and Huo Zichu to satisfy his curiosity towards such things. Yang Jie is still young, after all, so he has an adventurous heart. He also hasn't been exposed to this area, so he is full of wonder and amazement about the artefacts and ancient stories. 

Rourou and Lian Xiang also followed to take a look of the bas reliefs. Women love arts, and so the first thing the two of them would look at every time is the murals, paintings, and bas reliefs. They would only look at the artefacts the second. 

"There's nothing unusual here." Zhang Jun spoke as he looked at the artefacts around the room. He has also looked at the pillars and the ceiling, as well as the stairs and the floor. He found nothing strange, which is contradictory to what they have experienced yesterday – strange events. "How did your signal not work?" he asked as he turned to Zhou Cheng and Peng Qian who were present with Huo Ling in this room before when Huo Ling was still alive. 

Zhou Cheng and Peng Qian shook their head. "We don't know…" they honestly answered. "It was Huo Ling who noticed it at first, and we only followed to try calling the ones outside." They explained. 

Zhang Jun didn't comment. He knows Huo Ling is a descendant from a grave robbing family. Although his ancestors have stopped doing grave robbing, but he thought it might be fate that Huo Ling ended up as an archaeologist. 

Huo Ling finding out that the signal not working in tombs might be his instinct working because he has the blood of a grave robber, or that, even though it sounded ridiculous, but it might be Huo Ling's bodily constitution that has a problem. 

Zhang Jun glanced at Huo Huainan and Huo Zichu. Huo Huainan is a history university professor with a doctorate degree. Meanwhile, Huo Zichu is a lawyer. Huo Ling, Huo Huainan and Huo Huainan's father got nothing to do with grave robbing anymore. They are legally conducting their profession. 

His eyes can't help but fall on the artefacts. Although Huo Ling's group that went here yesterday found many artefacts that can be called treasures – from the antique jars up to the accessories and golds and silvers, but they are archaeologists. Their main mission is to study the ancient, not rob the artefacts since they are not thieves. 

Huo Ling is already wealthy. Although Peng Qian and Zhou Cheng are from average families, but they are not that poor. And Han Meng's problem has already been solved by Huo Ling. Thus, no one touched the things in the room. Even if they took some, but the things will still end up in the government's hands. And, the basic rule in archaeology is to not carelessly touch, much less steal, the artefacts. 

Zhang Jun is also a cautious person by nature, and cautiousness is also a part of being a policeman. So, even if he doesn't know the taboo, but he wouldn't carelessly move around the things in the room. Not to mention this mausoleum mysteriously appeared, and strange events have happened after it appeared… so, the things inside the mausoleum would also be definitely strange. 

Could it be there's a signal blocker placed in the artefacts? Or that there's a problem in the magnetism of this area? He thought as he continued to ponder. 

"Watch out!" Zhou Cheng and Peng Qian suddenly cried as they looked at Zhang Jun who was pacing back and forth. 

Zhang Jun instinctively hopped to an elevated area after he heard their warning. Everyone immediately turned to Zhou Cheng and Peng Qian when they heard them. 

"What's wrong?" Yang Jie as he immediately walked towards them. 

Huo Huainan and Huo Zichu looked at each other, their gazes talking. Then, they followed Yang Jie. Rourou and Lian Xiang are scared to be left behind, so they ran after them. 

"That's the spot where that hole appeared before and Philip jumped in. it immediately disappeared after Philip jumped in it." Zhou Cheng explained. 

Rourou and Lian Xiang nodded as a confirmation since they also have seen it with their own eyes how the hole appeared, and then disappeared. "Yes. That's right!" they said. "It magically appeared!" they added. 

"'magically appeared'?" Yang Jie snorted. "Missies, there's nothing magical in this place. Actually, they are all 'unusual'." He told them. 

Rourou and Lian Xiang glared at him. But, Yang Jie just shrugged and watched as Huo Huainan, Huo Zichu and Zhang Jun inspected the spot on the floor Zhou Cheng and Peng Qian pointed at where the hole appeared. 

Zhang Jun knocked the floor with his knuckles and it made a dull sound that heavily weighed in their heart. "This floor is made of marble. There isn't anything hollow beneath, nor it is hollow in the areas around it." He said. 

Huo Huainan nodded. "En." He muttered as his finger ran through the marbled floor. "It is strange." He said and looked at Huo Zichu. 

Huo Zichu's expression became heavy. "No matter how we can't find an evidence of the hole appearing in this area, but there must definitely be a condition when it would appear." She said and then turned to Zhou Cheng, Peng Qian, Rourou and Lian Xiang. 

The faces of Zhou Cheng, Peng Qian, Rourou and Lian Xiang immediately paled. "W – w – why are you staring at us?" Peng Qian asked. "We already told you of what we know!" he said as he took a step back. 

Zhou Cheng's expression also is ugly. No matter how cool-headed he is, but his patience isn't unlimited. Rourou and Lian Xiang hugged each other's arms as they stared at Huo Zichu and Huo Huainan in fright.