Chapter 50: Secrets
"Don't be nervous," An Jie said, holding the metal ruler up to the light, examining it for a while before handing it back to Jiang Hong. "The origin of this item is unknown to anyone. I'm returning it to you. Perhaps you'll encounter someone destined to reveal its history."
Jiang Hong accepted it, expressing his thanks, and put it away. An Jie added, "But my guess is that it's part of some ancient bamboo slips."
"Oh—" Jiang Hong responded, "I see."
An Jie's tone softened a bit, perhaps because he sensed Jiang Hong's genuine naivety. He explained, "Until you find all the parts, you won't be able to grasp its full picture. However, when you encounter other pieces, this item will resonate, which can help you find the remaining scattered components. I suggest you tell no one that you have this item unless necessary and avoid letting anyone see it, especially since you obtained it from the Deceivers, to avoid unnecessary trouble."
"Alright, thank you, Minister," Jiang Hong thanked him again.
An Jie, seemingly more intrigued by Jiang Hong, gestured for him to sit back down and asked, "What does your family do?"
After some thought, Jiang Hong answered truthfully. An Jie's face wore an amused expression as he began to interrogate Jiang Hong like checking household registration, including how he met Lu Xiu, his admission to school, and how he discovered his fate had been swapped with Yuan Shiyu by Mai Qing. It was as if An Jie wanted to thoroughly understand Jiang Hong, making him feel like there was nowhere to hide, similar to a criminal investigation.
Finally, An Jie realized his approach and offered a mild explanation, "Occupational habit, I'm used to questioning like this. Don't take it to heart if it makes you uncomfortable."
"Okay... okay," Jiang Hong wiped his sweat.
Narrowing his eyes, An Jie scrutinized Jiang Hong again and asked, "After knowing your fate was swapped, you harbored no resentment?"
"No," Jiang Hong honestly replied, "I think it's okay. I even feel a bit thankful to Mai Qing for giving me the opportunity to enter... the hidden world."
"Idealist," An Jie murmured to himself, "Chen Zhen must find you very agreeable." Suddenly, he gave Jiang Hong a piercing look and said earnestly, "According to Yuan Shiyu's divination, first, you are born under an extremely ominous star, fraught with dangers and calamities. You are destined to die an unnatural death around the age of twenty."
"Oh," Jiang Hong, who didn't harbor much fear or thoughts about death, answered, "As long as I'm careful, I think... maybe it won't necessarily happen?"
"Definitely," An Jie said with raised eyebrows, "What kind of person is Mai Qing? The timing he calculated wouldn't be wrong."
Jiang Hong had never taken such 'fated' death seriously, thinking, 'If I hide in a bomb shelter, what can you do to me?'
"Hmm," Jiang Hong responded, "Maybe I should be more careful... right?"
An Jie: "..."
Jiang Hong did nothing in particular, just spent the afternoon in An Jie's office.
In the evening, when Lu Xiu took Jiang Hong back to the hotel and they dined at a Western restaurant outside, the restaurant chosen by Lu Xiu was upscale, costing thousands per person. Jiang Hong, feeling a bit heartache, said, "Actually, senior, we don’t have to eat this lavishly."
Cutting his steak, Lu Xiu said, "I just wanted to eat it. Is that a problem?"
Jiang Hong could only nod. Lu Xiu then inquired about the afternoon's events. Jiang Hong took out the black bamboo slip to show him, recalling Chen Zhen's earlier suggestion to have a brief encounter with Mai Qing, which might yield some useful information.
"I don't understand his intention," Jiang Hong said.
Browsing on his phone, Lu Xiu casually remarked, "Sending you to probe the prison is against the rules, even for Chen Zhen. He can’t violate the Committee’s regulations. But if you use unconventional methods to sneak in, then it’s no longer his concern. Understand?"
Jiang Hong realized, "Oh! So that's it! But how can I meet Mai Qing?"
Lu Xiu replied, "You’re now An Jie’s intern assistant, always by his side. Can’t you find a way? This is as much as I can hint."
Jiang Hong thought to himself: You all are so cunning!
The next day, Jiang Hong bought two breakfasts, planning to eat with Lu Xiu. While taking the elevator upstairs, he suddenly heard that mysterious voice again.
"Jiang Hong, come to me."
Jiang Hong straightened up, looking around in shock: "Who are you?"
Old Sun asked, "What?"
"You didn’t hear anything?" Jiang Hong asked again, unwilling to give up.
Old Sun's voice carried a note of bewilderment: "No."
On his third day of work, with An Jie yet to arrive, Jiang Hong wiped the desk while muttering to himself, "What's going on now?"
Old Sun reminded, "Didn’t they tell you not to tell anyone?"
"You're not human," Jiang Hong said, "You're a magical artifact, oh right..."
Strictly speaking, if this definition is applied, then Lu Xiu isn't human either; he's a dragon. There's no need to hide it from him.
Old Sun wasn't sure whether to be happy that Jiang Hong shared this secret with it or sad about not being human. After a brief silence, it said, "This is a secret transmission of sound, meant only for you to hear. It must be an advanced spell."
Jiang Hong thought about it and realized that among the exorcism spells he knew, there wasn’t one like this. Targeting a specific person and ensuring only they can hear is a highly difficult spell.
"Furthermore," Old Sun analyzed in its raspy voice, "you spoke to it, but it didn’t reply. That means it can't hear what you're saying."
Yes, this is a one-sided communication. As the office door beeped, Old Sun fell silent.
An Jie entered the office, scanning the room. Jiang Hong was wiping the leaves of a snake plant and bowed, saying, "Good morning, Minister."
An Jie seemed pleased with Jiang Hong, humming affirmatively through his nose, and casually tossed his keys on the desk.
There was a meal card and a small, less than two-centimeter-long access card among the keys. Jiang Hong suddenly remembered Lu Xiu's reminder from yesterday.
The access card looked identical to Jiang Hong’s own.
After entering, An Jie started making phone calls. Once finished, he said to Jiang Hong, "I’ll be out for a while. Buy me lunch, will you?"
Jiang Hong respectfully saw off his boss, then turned and stared at the access card left on the desk.
An Jie's access card, appearing identical to Jiang Hong’s, probably allowed access to most of the same areas, except certain special ones...
Like the prison.
Jiang Hong tiptoed over, keeping an eye on the door, quickly took his own access card off his keyring, and swapped it with An Jie's.
"What are you doing?" Old Sun suddenly spoke, startling Jiang Hong.
"Shh!" Jiang Hong immediately motioned for silence.
The door opened again, and An Jie, on a call, gestured towards the desk. Jiang Hong quickly retrieved the access card and presented it with both hands, then jogged out to press the elevator button for him.
"Take care, Minister," Jiang Hong said, bowing at a ninety-degree angle. As he straightened up, he unexpectedly caught the eye of Lu Xiu, who had just exited the elevator.
Lu Xiu: "..."
Jiang Hong: "..."
It was the first time Lu Xiu saw Jiang Hong being so obsequious to someone other than himself. Curious about who was in the elevator, Lu Xiu maintained a composed expression as he walked over, exchanging a sharp and intimidating glance with An Jie.
"What are you doing here?" asked Jiang Hong.
"Brought you a cake," Lu Xiu said, eyeing Jiang Hong as if he were a stranger.
Ah! Cake! A gift from... no, the senior! What kind of cake is it? So, Jiang Hong took Lu Xiu to the lounge on that floor to enjoy the cake.
"There was an earthquake in Guangzhou," Lu Xiu mentioned, "An Jie went to handle it, he's in a meeting on the sixteenth floor."
Jiang Hong was startled, but Lu Xiu continued, "A minor one, magnitude three. It's suspected that someone is extracting energy from the earth's veins."
Jiang Hong suddenly remembered, showing Lu Xiu the access card, "See? I swapped An Jie's access card. Now I can get into the prison..."
Lu Xiu: "........................"
Almost choking on his cake, Lu Xiu exclaimed, "Why did you steal his access card?!"
Jiang Hong replied blankly, "Isn't that what you meant by unconventional methods?"
Lu Xiu, exasperated, said, "I meant for you to seize the opportunity to ask questions when he interrogates Mai Qing! You're too bold."
Jiang Hong remarked, "Then I guess I'll go back this afternoon."
Lu Xiu suddenly had a thought and said, "Well then, no time like the present. Let's go."
Jiang Hong asked, "Which floor is the prison on? Can this card get us directly in?"
Lu Xiu replied, "Maybe it can. Let's check it out after we finish the cake. Now it makes sense why Chen Zhen sent you to An Jie."
A smile crept onto Lu Xiu's lips, and Jiang Hong finally understood that maybe all of this was part of Chen Zhen’s plan. The only coincidence was An Jie taking him from Chen Zhen for some unknown reason. Apart from that, everything else seemed to be calculated by Chen Zhen.
"But what should I ask Mai Qing once I see him?" wondered Jiang Hong.
"I don't know, depends on your luck," Lu Xiu answered. "What matters isn't what you ask, but how much useful information you can glean from his responses. We must get back by 10:30. You'll need to find a chance to swap back An Jie's card."
Jiang Hong asked, "What if we get caught?"
Lu Xiu replied, "Then we'd have to flee. The Committee would definitely lock us up in prison. If we manage to escape, we'll probably be wanted for three or four decades."
Jiang Hong: "..."
"Come on, swipe the card," Lu Xiu said.
"I was wrong!" Jiang Hong tearfully swiped the card, realizing there was no turning back. The elevator's electronic voice chimed, "Please select a special floor."
Subsequently, all the elevator buttons started flashing, whirling like a carousel before settling down again.
Lu Xiu pondered, "Let me think..." and then pressed for the eighteenth basement level.
"Basement Level 18," the system announced, "Security Affairs Department Prison. The elevator will be sealed during transit."
As the elevator began descending, Jiang Hong once again heard that voice.
"Jiang Hong! Come to me, don't go anywhere else! Hurry! There's not much time left!"
Jiang Hong: "???"
Jiang Hong gave Lu Xiu a puzzled look, to which Lu Xiu responded with an equally perplexed expression.
Jiang Hong spoke to the air, "Lu Xiu isn't human, so I can tell him, right?"
Lu Xiu: "What are you talking about? Have you gone mad?"
Jiang Hong then shared with Lu Xiu about the mysterious voice he heard and the whole experience.
Lu Xiu, looking shocked, pressed the "Pause" button at the bottom of the elevator panel, and the elevator abruptly stopped at basement level eight.
"What kind of voice was it?" Lu Xiu asked, "Male or female?"
Jiang Hong: "Didn't you think I was hallucinating? You believe me so much?"
"Cut the chatter," Lu Xiu demanded. "What else did the voice say?"
"I couldn’t tell if it was male or female," Jiang Hong replied, "just kept telling me to find it. I feel like the owner of the voice is inside the Committee."
Lu Xiu pondered for a moment, then resumed the elevator, starting from basement level six.
Jiang Hong: "Are we going to look for it? But it's already 10:15 AM. We only have fifteen minutes left."
Lu Xiu, silent, nodded his head.
Lu Xiu explained, "The first and second basement levels are commercial areas, and levels three to five are parking garages. No need to check there."
"Basement Level Seven," the system voice announced, "Training Center."
The elevator doors opened to what seemed like a massive laboratory, but it was empty. Jiang Hong peeked inside for a moment when the voice spoke again.
"Deeper below," the voice said, "Jiang Hong, I can feel it. You're getting closer to me, quickly."
Jiang Hong immediately relayed this to Lu Xiu, who decisively pulled him back into the elevator and pressed for basement level twenty.
System voice: "Basement Level Twenty, Earth Vein Node. Please exercise caution."
Lu Xiu: "Is it here?"
As the door opened, a burst of blue light hit them. Even Jiang Hong could feel the surging energy from the earth's veins, perhaps agitated due to the recent earthquake in the distant south.
"There's no voice," Jiang Hong said. "Who's there? Who are you? Are you here?"
Lu Xiu didn't exit, instead closed the elevator door and started pressing the buttons from the bottom up.
"Basement Level Nineteen," announced the system voice, "Magical Artifacts and Special Materials Space."
The moment the elevator doors opened, the voice resounded again.
"Jiang Hong, you've finally arrived."
Jiang Hong made a gesture, and Lu Xiu instantly understood everything. They stepped out of the elevator to face a vault-like door, with a guard dozing off at the entrance.
"Chen Zhen sent me to inspect the Eternal Wheel," Lu Xiu said.
The guard acted as if he hadn't heard. Lu Xiu signaled Jiang Hong, who then swiped the access card. Fortunately, the vault didn’t announce names, and the door began to rotate open.
The guard said, "Those with a card may enter, those without cannot. Unless a top-level exorcist personally comes, no one can bring in others."
"Do you have a death wish?" Lu Xiu said coldly.
The guard chuckled, "Hey, killing me is useless. If you start a fight here, the entire Committee will know. You're not planning to start another great battle like in the past, are you?"
Lu Xiu's threat failed, and he gestured for Jiang Hong to enter the heavily guarded magical artifact warehouse alone. He then quickly closed the door and turned to face away from the vault, standing silently like a sentinel.
Jiang Hong was very anxious.
"Jiang Hong," the voice echoed in the treasury, saying, "Thank you for coming to rescue me."
Jiang Hong looked towards the area of the treasury where the voice was emanating from—a statue-like head, its face covered with a white cloth.
Jiang Hong instinctively thought of fleeing.
"Take me out of here," the voice said, "I will reward you."
Chapter 50: Secrets
"Don't be nervous," An Jie said, holding the metal ruler up to the light, examining it for a while before handing it back to Jiang Hong. "The origin of this item is unknown to anyone. I'm returning it to you. Perhaps you'll encounter someone destined to reveal its history."
Jiang Hong accepted it, expressing his thanks, and put it away. An Jie added, "But my guess is that it's part of some ancient bamboo slips."
"Oh—" Jiang Hong responded, "I see."
An Jie's tone softened a bit, perhaps because he sensed Jiang Hong's genuine naivety. He explained, "Until you find all the parts, you won't be able to grasp its full picture. However, when you encounter other pieces, this item will resonate, which can help you find the remaining scattered components. I suggest you tell no one that you have this item unless necessary and avoid letting anyone see it, especially since you obtained it from the Deceivers, to avoid unnecessary trouble."
"Alright, thank you, Minister," Jiang Hong thanked him again.
An Jie, seemingly more intrigued by Jiang Hong, gestured for him to sit back down and asked, "What does your family do?"
After some thought, Jiang Hong answered truthfully. An Jie's face wore an amused expression as he began to interrogate Jiang Hong like checking household registration, including how he met Lu Xiu, his admission to school, and how he discovered his fate had been swapped with Yuan Shiyu by Mai Qing. It was as if An Jie wanted to thoroughly understand Jiang Hong, making him feel like there was nowhere to hide, similar to a criminal investigation.
Finally, An Jie realized his approach and offered a mild explanation, "Occupational habit, I'm used to questioning like this. Don't take it to heart if it makes you uncomfortable."
"Okay... okay," Jiang Hong wiped his sweat.
Narrowing his eyes, An Jie scrutinized Jiang Hong again and asked, "After knowing your fate was swapped, you harbored no resentment?"
"No," Jiang Hong honestly replied, "I think it's okay. I even feel a bit thankful to Mai Qing for giving me the opportunity to enter... the hidden world."
"Idealist," An Jie murmured to himself, "Chen Zhen must find you very agreeable." Suddenly, he gave Jiang Hong a piercing look and said earnestly, "According to Yuan Shiyu's divination, first, you are born under an extremely ominous star, fraught with dangers and calamities. You are destined to die an unnatural death around the age of twenty."
"Oh," Jiang Hong, who didn't harbor much fear or thoughts about death, answered, "As long as I'm careful, I think... maybe it won't necessarily happen?"
"Definitely," An Jie said with raised eyebrows, "What kind of person is Mai Qing? The timing he calculated wouldn't be wrong."
Jiang Hong had never taken such 'fated' death seriously, thinking, 'If I hide in a bomb shelter, what can you do to me?'
"Hmm," Jiang Hong responded, "Maybe I should be more careful... right?"
An Jie: "..."
Jiang Hong did nothing in particular, just spent the afternoon in An Jie's office.
In the evening, when Lu Xiu took Jiang Hong back to the hotel and they dined at a Western restaurant outside, the restaurant chosen by Lu Xiu was upscale, costing thousands per person. Jiang Hong, feeling a bit heartache, said, "Actually, senior, we don’t have to eat this lavishly."
Cutting his steak, Lu Xiu said, "I just wanted to eat it. Is that a problem?"
Jiang Hong could only nod. Lu Xiu then inquired about the afternoon's events. Jiang Hong took out the black bamboo slip to show him, recalling Chen Zhen's earlier suggestion to have a brief encounter with Mai Qing, which might yield some useful information.
"I don't understand his intention," Jiang Hong said.
Browsing on his phone, Lu Xiu casually remarked, "Sending you to probe the prison is against the rules, even for Chen Zhen. He can’t violate the Committee’s regulations. But if you use unconventional methods to sneak in, then it’s no longer his concern. Understand?"
Jiang Hong realized, "Oh! So that's it! But how can I meet Mai Qing?"
Lu Xiu replied, "You’re now An Jie’s intern assistant, always by his side. Can’t you find a way? This is as much as I can hint."
Jiang Hong thought to himself: You all are so cunning!
The next day, Jiang Hong bought two breakfasts, planning to eat with Lu Xiu. While taking the elevator upstairs, he suddenly heard that mysterious voice again.
"Jiang Hong, come to me."
Jiang Hong straightened up, looking around in shock: "Who are you?"
Old Sun asked, "What?"
"You didn’t hear anything?" Jiang Hong asked again, unwilling to give up.
Old Sun's voice carried a note of bewilderment: "No."
On his third day of work, with An Jie yet to arrive, Jiang Hong wiped the desk while muttering to himself, "What's going on now?"
Old Sun reminded, "Didn’t they tell you not to tell anyone?"
"You're not human," Jiang Hong said, "You're a magical artifact, oh right..."
Strictly speaking, if this definition is applied, then Lu Xiu isn't human either; he's a dragon. There's no need to hide it from him.
Old Sun wasn't sure whether to be happy that Jiang Hong shared this secret with it or sad about not being human. After a brief silence, it said, "This is a secret transmission of sound, meant only for you to hear. It must be an advanced spell."
Jiang Hong thought about it and realized that among the exorcism spells he knew, there wasn’t one like this. Targeting a specific person and ensuring only they can hear is a highly difficult spell.
"Furthermore," Old Sun analyzed in its raspy voice, "you spoke to it, but it didn’t reply. That means it can't hear what you're saying."
Yes, this is a one-sided communication. As the office door beeped, Old Sun fell silent.
An Jie entered the office, scanning the room. Jiang Hong was wiping the leaves of a snake plant and bowed, saying, "Good morning, Minister."
An Jie seemed pleased with Jiang Hong, humming affirmatively through his nose, and casually tossed his keys on the desk.
There was a meal card and a small, less than two-centimeter-long access card among the keys. Jiang Hong suddenly remembered Lu Xiu's reminder from yesterday.
The access card looked identical to Jiang Hong’s own.
After entering, An Jie started making phone calls. Once finished, he said to Jiang Hong, "I’ll be out for a while. Buy me lunch, will you?"
Jiang Hong respectfully saw off his boss, then turned and stared at the access card left on the desk.
An Jie's access card, appearing identical to Jiang Hong’s, probably allowed access to most of the same areas, except certain special ones...
Like the prison.
Jiang Hong tiptoed over, keeping an eye on the door, quickly took his own access card off his keyring, and swapped it with An Jie's.
"What are you doing?" Old Sun suddenly spoke, startling Jiang Hong.
"Shh!" Jiang Hong immediately motioned for silence.
The door opened again, and An Jie, on a call, gestured towards the desk. Jiang Hong quickly retrieved the access card and presented it with both hands, then jogged out to press the elevator button for him.
"Take care, Minister," Jiang Hong said, bowing at a ninety-degree angle. As he straightened up, he unexpectedly caught the eye of Lu Xiu, who had just exited the elevator.
Lu Xiu: "..."
Jiang Hong: "..."
It was the first time Lu Xiu saw Jiang Hong being so obsequious to someone other than himself. Curious about who was in the elevator, Lu Xiu maintained a composed expression as he walked over, exchanging a sharp and intimidating glance with An Jie.
"What are you doing here?" asked Jiang Hong.
"Brought you a cake," Lu Xiu said, eyeing Jiang Hong as if he were a stranger.
Ah! Cake! A gift from... no, the senior! What kind of cake is it? So, Jiang Hong took Lu Xiu to the lounge on that floor to enjoy the cake.
"There was an earthquake in Guangzhou," Lu Xiu mentioned, "An Jie went to handle it, he's in a meeting on the sixteenth floor."
Jiang Hong was startled, but Lu Xiu continued, "A minor one, magnitude three. It's suspected that someone is extracting energy from the earth's veins."
Jiang Hong suddenly remembered, showing Lu Xiu the access card, "See? I swapped An Jie's access card. Now I can get into the prison..."
Lu Xiu: "........................"
Almost choking on his cake, Lu Xiu exclaimed, "Why did you steal his access card?!"
Jiang Hong replied blankly, "Isn't that what you meant by unconventional methods?"
Lu Xiu, exasperated, said, "I meant for you to seize the opportunity to ask questions when he interrogates Mai Qing! You're too bold."
Jiang Hong remarked, "Then I guess I'll go back this afternoon."
Lu Xiu suddenly had a thought and said, "Well then, no time like the present. Let's go."
Jiang Hong asked, "Which floor is the prison on? Can this card get us directly in?"
Lu Xiu replied, "Maybe it can. Let's check it out after we finish the cake. Now it makes sense why Chen Zhen sent you to An Jie."
A smile crept onto Lu Xiu's lips, and Jiang Hong finally understood that maybe all of this was part of Chen Zhen’s plan. The only coincidence was An Jie taking him from Chen Zhen for some unknown reason. Apart from that, everything else seemed to be calculated by Chen Zhen.
"But what should I ask Mai Qing once I see him?" wondered Jiang Hong.
"I don't know, depends on your luck," Lu Xiu answered. "What matters isn't what you ask, but how much useful information you can glean from his responses. We must get back by 10:30. You'll need to find a chance to swap back An Jie's card."
Jiang Hong asked, "What if we get caught?"
Lu Xiu replied, "Then we'd have to flee. The Committee would definitely lock us up in prison. If we manage to escape, we'll probably be wanted for three or four decades."
Jiang Hong: "..."
"Come on, swipe the card," Lu Xiu said.
"I was wrong!" Jiang Hong tearfully swiped the card, realizing there was no turning back. The elevator's electronic voice chimed, "Please select a special floor."
Subsequently, all the elevator buttons started flashing, whirling like a carousel before settling down again.
Lu Xiu pondered, "Let me think..." and then pressed for the eighteenth basement level.
"Basement Level 18," the system announced, "Security Affairs Department Prison. The elevator will be sealed during transit."
As the elevator began descending, Jiang Hong once again heard that voice.
"Jiang Hong! Come to me, don't go anywhere else! Hurry! There's not much time left!"
Jiang Hong: "???"
Jiang Hong gave Lu Xiu a puzzled look, to which Lu Xiu responded with an equally perplexed expression.
Jiang Hong spoke to the air, "Lu Xiu isn't human, so I can tell him, right?"
Lu Xiu: "What are you talking about? Have you gone mad?"
Jiang Hong then shared with Lu Xiu about the mysterious voice he heard and the whole experience.
Lu Xiu, looking shocked, pressed the "Pause" button at the bottom of the elevator panel, and the elevator abruptly stopped at basement level eight.
"What kind of voice was it?" Lu Xiu asked, "Male or female?"
Jiang Hong: "Didn't you think I was hallucinating? You believe me so much?"
"Cut the chatter," Lu Xiu demanded. "What else did the voice say?"
"I couldn’t tell if it was male or female," Jiang Hong replied, "just kept telling me to find it. I feel like the owner of the voice is inside the Committee."
Lu Xiu pondered for a moment, then resumed the elevator, starting from basement level six.
Jiang Hong: "Are we going to look for it? But it's already 10:15 AM. We only have fifteen minutes left."
Lu Xiu, silent, nodded his head.
Lu Xiu explained, "The first and second basement levels are commercial areas, and levels three to five are parking garages. No need to check there."
"Basement Level Seven," the system voice announced, "Training Center."
The elevator doors opened to what seemed like a massive laboratory, but it was empty. Jiang Hong peeked inside for a moment when the voice spoke again.
"Deeper below," the voice said, "Jiang Hong, I can feel it. You're getting closer to me, quickly."
Jiang Hong immediately relayed this to Lu Xiu, who decisively pulled him back into the elevator and pressed for basement level twenty.
System voice: "Basement Level Twenty, Earth Vein Node. Please exercise caution."
Lu Xiu: "Is it here?"
As the door opened, a burst of blue light hit them. Even Jiang Hong could feel the surging energy from the earth's veins, perhaps agitated due to the recent earthquake in the distant south.
"There's no voice," Jiang Hong said. "Who's there? Who are you? Are you here?"
Lu Xiu didn't exit, instead closed the elevator door and started pressing the buttons from the bottom up.
"Basement Level Nineteen," announced the system voice, "Magical Artifacts and Special Materials Space."
The moment the elevator doors opened, the voice resounded again.
"Jiang Hong, you've finally arrived."
Jiang Hong made a gesture, and Lu Xiu instantly understood everything. They stepped out of the elevator to face a vault-like door, with a guard dozing off at the entrance.
"Chen Zhen sent me to inspect the Eternal Wheel," Lu Xiu said.
The guard acted as if he hadn't heard. Lu Xiu signaled Jiang Hong, who then swiped the access card. Fortunately, the vault didn’t announce names, and the door began to rotate open.
The guard said, "Those with a card may enter, those without cannot. Unless a top-level exorcist personally comes, no one can bring in others."
"Do you have a death wish?" Lu Xiu said coldly.
The guard chuckled, "Hey, killing me is useless. If you start a fight here, the entire Committee will know. You're not planning to start another great battle like in the past, are you?"
Lu Xiu's threat failed, and he gestured for Jiang Hong to enter the heavily guarded magical artifact warehouse alone. He then quickly closed the door and turned to face away from the vault, standing silently like a sentinel.
Jiang Hong was very anxious.
"Jiang Hong," the voice echoed in the treasury, saying, "Thank you for coming to rescue me."
Jiang Hong looked towards the area of the treasury where the voice was emanating from—a statue-like head, its face covered with a white cloth.
Jiang Hong instinctively thought of fleeing.
"Take me out of here," the voice said, "I will reward you."
