Chapter 2: The Mysterious Ancient Tomb

  Dragon Squad

  Ouyang Xuan hummed and sat opposite An Qi, without saying a word.

  An Qi smiled and said: "What's with the gloomy face? Who offended you?"

  "Please, it's only been a few days since I just settled the matter of the demon fox, why are you calling me again?" Ouyang Xuan thought to himself that all the tasks he had taken on were extremely difficult, and he was truly fed up.

  Anzi frowned: "What, encountering some difficulties and wanting to shirk responsibility!? This is not the behavior that members of the Dragon Group should have! Think about those predecessors who worked for the country and nation, who did they complain to?"

  Ouyang Xuan was speechless and smiled bitterly: "OK, I can't argue with you about the big truth. Say it, what's the most difficult task you're going to assign to me this time?"

  "Organizationally assigning you the most arduous tasks is a test of your abilities and trust in you, don't..." An Qi said with a gentle tone.

  "Alright, alright, I'm fed up with this nonsense! You deal with it!" From young to old, Ouyang Xuan felt uneasy whenever he heard that official jargon.

  "Alright," seeing Ouyang Xuan's impatience, An Qi also had no choice but to speak directly: "There's a tricky problem on the Hunan side, but I'm not too clear about the specific situation either. However, they've already sent over the person who surrendered voluntarily, you go to the interrogation room and get to the bottom of it, then report back to me!"

  "Alright!" Ouyang Xuan responded weakly.

  "Right, remember not to say this is the Dragon Squad. Just say it's the Public Security Bureau. The person involved doesn't know where he is, he was sent here with his eyes covered!" An Qi reminded him again twice.

  "Got it!" Ouyang Xuan stood up and walked away with a swagger.

  Two armed soldiers were faithfully guarding their posts in front of the interrogation room door.

  Ouyang Xuan showed his ID card. A soldier took a look and opened the electronic door.

  "You, hello!" A young man in his thirties immediately stood up inside, with a nodding and bowing gesture.

  Ouyang Xuan took a look at this young man: slender, tall, with a somewhat pale face, but his eyes were very lively, appearing clever and cunning.

  "I am Senior Inspector Ouyang Xuan of the Ministry of Public Security, please sit down!" Ouyang Xuan gestured and sat down behind the interrogation desk, casually flipping through the files in front of him.

  "Your name is Huang Xiaoming, right?" Ouyang Xuan said suddenly, looking at the file.

  "Yes, sir. I'm Huang Xiaoming!" The young man said with a flattering face.

  "Hmm, I'm too lazy to look through your file carefully, so just tell me the situation in detail yourself!" Ouyang Xuan said with a lazy tone, leaning back in his chair.

  Huang Xiaoming was stunned, having never seen anyone like Ouyang Xuan conduct an investigation, but he didn't dare to be pleased, so he honestly said: "Alright. Chief, the situation is this. I'm a veteran of underground fighting,"

  "What's wrong?" Ouyang Xuan was puzzled.

  "You don't know?" Huang Xiaoming's face was full of surprise: "Dòu dǒu is a slang term, it means 'tomb raiding'!"

  Ouyang Xuan's face turned red and he said sternly: "Do you think I don't know? I was just testing you!"

  "Yes, yes, yes!" Huang Xiaoming saw that Ouyang Xuan knew and didn't dare to be happy. He just nodded frequently.

  "Continue!" Ouyang Xuan tapped his finger on the table.

  "Yes, I'm a seasoned tomb raider. This craft has been passed down for generations, spanning dozens of years. In our line of work, the most skilled are called 'Mojin Xianwei', who can determine the existence and scale of a tomb through Feng Shui and physiognomy." Huang Xiaoming noticed that Ouyang Xuan didn't quite understand the ways of tomb raiding, so he deliberately explained it in detail.

  "Mo Jin School Wei"!? How interesting, this tomb raider even gave himself such a elegant name!" Ouyang Xuan secretly delighted in it and couldn't help but become interested in the line of work of tomb raiding.

  Huang Xiaoming continued: "Our family has been 'tomb raiders' for generations, and in this line of work, we are absolutely old-timers! You know, China's ancient tombs are most numerous in Henan and Shaanxi, while Hunan and Hubei have always been prosperous, with many ancient tombs as well. So one day, I and my two apprentices arrived in Xiangxi to search for suitable ancient tombs to dig into!"

  Suddenly Huang Xiaoming stopped, Ouyang Xuan was taken aback: "Continue speaking!" - He was just listening with great interest!

  "Captain, Captain, I've committed a crime of smoking addiction, can you give me a cigarette to smoke?" Huang Xiaoming's face twitched and looked restless, almost crying.

  Ouyang Xuan nodded and opened the drawer of the interrogation table: inside were two boxes of Zhonghua cigarettes, as well as a lighter.

  Ouyang Xuan pulled out a cigarette and tossed it along with the lighter to Huang Xiaoming.

  Huang Xiaoming was over the moon, busily nodding and gesturing wildly as he spoke, his expression was so ecstatic that it seemed like he was floating on air, his soul flying high.

  "Cough, speak quickly!" Ouyang Xuan said somewhat impatiently.

  "Yes, yes!" Huang Xiaoming said while smoking, "One day, I found a good feng shui spot in the mountains near a small town in Xiangxi. Although it's not a 'Nine Dragons Playing with Pearls' dragon hole, it's still a 'Dragonfly Touching Water' rich and noble tomb! I was certain that there must be a famous minister or general buried here, so I prepared my tools with my apprentice and planned to dig at night!"

  “Cough, cough, cough...” Huang Xiaoming coughed twice and continued: “In the middle of the night, my apprentice and I used a Luoyang shovel to locate the spot and start digging. We didn't dig for long before we reached the top of the tomb. I smelled the soil and examined its structure, knowing that this was a large burial site from the Warring States period of Chu State. I knew I had struck gold and my heart was overjoyed.

  It only took two or three hours, and the tomb was opened by me. It was dark inside, and nothing could be seen clearly. My apprentice and I put a sparrow in a cage and hung it inside.

  Ouyang Xuan was puzzled again: "What's the point of hanging a sparrow in there?"

  "Director, it's like this: all ancient tombs have been sealed for thousands of years and may contain lethal toxic gases. Before we enter the tomb, we need to send in a living creature to test the air first." Huang Xiaoming dared to ask back this time. He answered obediently.

  "Oh, I see, go on!" Ou Yang Xuan secretly found it strange and thought to himself: "I didn't expect that grave robbing would be so particular."

  "Yes! After a while, we pulled the sparrow up, and it was still alive. I was very happy in my heart, knowing that this tomb could be descended, so I immediately went down with two apprentices. Originally, when we work, someone should hold the wind. But since we were in the mountains, and no one would come at night, we all went down!"

  We went into the tomb. We lit a candle and found that the tomb was very large, with an area of hundreds of square meters. Under our feet were muddy and slippery, everywhere were extremely valuable bronze vessels and lacquerware. My master and I were overjoyed, so we lit another candle in the southeast corner and then rushed to the main coffin in the middle!

  "Wait, why put the candles in the southeast corner? And what's with all these treasures scattered around that you're not taking, but instead rushing to the main coffin?" Ou Yang Xuan asked foolishly.

  Huang Xiaoming said honestly, "That's right, sir. We have a rule in our line of work since ancient times. Once we enter the ancient tomb, we must light candles at the southeast corner. It is said that some tombs have unclean things inside. If we take something we shouldn't, the candle will go out. As soon as the candle goes out, we must immediately return what we took to its original place and quietly leave. Otherwise, there will be strange disasters."

  And we take the treasures from the tomb. Because the main coffin is where the essence of a burial lies. When the master of the tomb dies, his most beloved and precious treasures are always buried with him."

  "Oh, so that's how it is! What about below?" Ou Yang Xuan exclaimed in surprise.

  "Down we went. My two apprentices and I used steel bars to pry open the main coffin, and when we looked inside, our eyes widened in unison. Although the occupant of the tomb had already decomposed to a high degree, his mouth still held a night pearl, his body was covered with gold ornaments, he grasped an ancient jade in his hand, and his side was piled high with many rare treasures. This was a rich tomb that we rarely saw in years, and at the time, it almost made us three people dizzy with joy. So, the three of us hastily put on our gloves and first stuffed the precious small treasures into our pockets."

  At this point, Huang Xiaoming's expression suddenly changed, becoming very terrified and flustered: "In no time at all, the three of us had filled our mouths with food, but as soon as we turned our heads, the three of us were shocked to discover that the candle in the southeast corner had inexplicably gone out!

  I've been in this line of work for many years, but I've never encountered a situation like this before. Thinking back to the terrifying legend of my predecessors, I suddenly panicked and hastily told my two apprentices: Quick, put everything down, let's kowtow three times and retreat from here!

  It would be great if it were that simple, but my two apprentices were reluctant to part with so many valuable treasures. I thought for a moment and harbored a lucky mentality, saying: Alright then, we've already made enough profit with this much stuff, the rest is too cumbersome, let's leave it behind, things can't be done too absolutely.

  But just as we were about to leave, something terrible happened!

  Huang Xiaoming's face turned pale and terrified, the cigarette that was almost burnt out in his mouth fell to the ground uncontrollably, his upper and lower teeth chattered, but he couldn't say a word.

  "What's wrong, speak up!" Ou Yang Xuan was just listening when he suddenly stopped and looked up to see Huang Xiaoming's pale complexion. His heart suddenly skipped a beat as he asked: "Could it be that something unclean has emerged, just like the rumors say?"

  "Yes, yes!" Huang Xiaoming seemed to have regained some of his composure, his voice trembling as he spoke: "We were just about to leave the ancient tomb when a terrifying low growl suddenly came from within the coffin. Next thing we knew, a 'big rice dumpling' stood straight up from the coffin!"

  Ouyang Xuan was greatly perplexed and exclaimed: "What 'big zongzi'!? Are there also zongzi in ancient tombs?"

  "It's a rice dumpling!" Huang Xiaoming shook his head violently: "In our line of work, we call ghosts 'yam', evil spirits are called 'big yam'. And 'rice dumplings' refer to zombies. Very fierce zombies are called 'big rice dumplings'."

  "Are you saying that there are zombies in the ancient tomb, and they're extremely ferocious?" Ouyang Xuan suddenly stood up, his face solemn.

  "Yes, yes, we were all scared to death at that time. Although I have been stealing tombs for many years and followed my father into a tomb when I was eight years old, it was also the first time I encountered a 'big rice dumpling'!" Huang Xiaoming's face turned pale as he said: "My master and two apprentices saw that things were not going well. We turned around and ran towards the exit. Who knew that the 'big rice dumpling' suddenly pointed at the exit, and a burst of floating soil blocked the exit. Then, that 'big rice dumpling' came towards us with a strange cry!"

  "What's going on down there?" Ouyang Xuan asked anxiously.

  "Down, down!" Huang Xiaoming suddenly burst into loud wailing: "My two poor disciples were indeed loyal, desperately blocking the 'big zongzi', shouting 'Master hurry up and leave!' I knew it was useless to stay behind, so I frantically used the Luoyang shovel to dig through the floating soil, desperately escaping."

  In the moment I escaped from the exit, I looked down and saw that my two apprentices were in a miserable state. One had already fallen to the ground, while the other was being bitten on the neck by 'Big Zongzi' and having his blood sucked out. What's more unbelievable is that after 'Big Zongzi' sucked their blood, the rotten parts of its body quickly recovered. Especially its face, which now looked almost like a living person's.

  I was so scared that I lost my soul and shouted as I ran out. In a daze, I escaped from the mountain forest, and by this time, it had already dawned, and I finally escaped danger!

  At this point, Huang Xiaoming was moved to tears, and for a moment he looked incredibly sad.

  Ouyang Xuan was also somewhat silent: Walking by the river, who doesn't get their feet wet! The grave-robbing business originally harmed one's moral integrity; this day was bound to come sooner or later. Yet he couldn't help but comfort him, saying: "Accept your fate and be at peace! Your two disciples are still decent men. Although what you've done is indeed somewhat unscrupulous. Oh, right, it seems like you surrendered voluntarily - why?"

  Huang Xiaoming heard this and almost stomped his feet, saying: "Boss, after I escaped, I only discovered that I had actually fled with the treasure from the ancient tomb on my back. At that time, my heart turned cold, and I even thought of killing myself."

  "Why?" Ouyang Xuan looked at Huang Xiaoming's dejected appearance, extremely puzzled. After escaping with his life and bringing out a large amount of treasure, shouldn't this be a joyful event? Why would he suddenly want to surrender himself?!

  "Yes. It's like that!" Huang Xiaoming cried and said: "Ancestral legend has it that if there are 'mountain yams' or 'zongzi' in an ancient tomb, they must be the ones who couldn't bear to part with their worldly wealth and didn't want to suffer in the underworld. So, whoever robs them of their treasure will definitely be pursued by those 'mountain yams' and 'zongzi' until death! Chief, I...I am the only heir for four generations, if I die, our Huang family will become extinct, that's why I was forced to surrender."

  "Ah, I see!" Ouyang Xuan understood: It turned out that the public security department on the side of Xiangxi was afraid to take this hot potato, so they sent the person to Longzu instead!

  "Seal the earth, suck blood, recover!" Ouyang Xuan muttered these words to himself, and couldn't help but feel a little strange: "Logically speaking, zombies shouldn't be able to cast spells, how can it move the floating soil to seal off the exit!? And after sucking blood, how is it possible for the zombie to recover its face to look like a living person's!? This shouldn't be a zombie, but what exactly is this thing!?"

  Ouyang Xuan suddenly stood up, stomped his foot and said: "It's bad, Huang Xiaoming! You only think about saving your own life. Have you ever thought that if the 'big dumpling' can't find you, it will attack innocent civilians everywhere?"

  Huang Xiaoming was stunned and stuttered: "Th-this... I didn't think of that!"

  "Alas!" Ou Yang Xuan sighed and said, "You just stay here safely, there are no evil spirits or monsters that can harm you. We will handle this matter."

  After finishing speaking, Ouyang Xuan stood up and pressed a button on the side of the door. The electronic door opened, and Ouyang Xuan quickly walked out.

  "Hello, is this the general office? I'm Ouyang Xuan. Can you help me get through to the head of the Xiangxi Public Security Bureau?" Ouyang Xuan thought for a moment and took out his mobile phone.

  "Beep..." The phone rang and was answered: "Hello, this is the Chinese Dragon Team! Are you... from the Public Security Bureau?"

  "Yes, I am Ren Changming, who are you? What instructions?" A cautious voice on the phone.

  "I'm Ouyang Xuan, a member of the Dragon Team. I've already questioned Huang Xiaoming, whom you brought here, and I understand the situation. Now, I ask you: has there been any unusual occurrence in the small town near the ancient tomb recently?" Ouyang Xuan asked anxiously.

  "We just received news that a family in the town was murdered last night, and we've already sent people over! What do you mean?" Ren Changming asked cautiously.

  "Alas, you're all confused!" Ouyang Xuan finally realized he was still one step late, stomping his foot and saying: "The things in that ancient tomb can't be found by Huang Xiaoming, they must go to the nearby chaotic land, how come you didn't have any precautions at all!? This is a matter of life and death!"

  "This, this, we have no experience in handling such things at all." Ren Changming heard Ouyang Xuan's tone was not good, and he became a bit flustered, hastily saying: "You see, now that things are like this, why don't you send someone to come over personally?"

  "Alas!" Ouyang Xuan also knew that there was no way to blame Ren Changming, and he sighed: "You wait, I'll report to the organization immediately, and they will send someone to deal with it! Alright, you now make arrangements to evacuate all the residents of the town to a safe area. Also, notify your city government and municipal committee to mobilize large numbers of military police to seal off the mountainous area, tell them this is an order from Dragon Group!"

  Ouyang Xuan hung up the phone and hurriedly went to see An Qi.

  …，

  Ouyang Xuan explained the situation to An Qi in detail, and An Qi furrowed his brow: "It seems that this ghost has gone mad and started attacking everywhere! Ouyang, you handled it very timely, great!"

  "It's no use sending people from Xiangxi, we'll have to send someone from our Dragon Team!" Ouyang Xuan furrowed his brow: "For now, we still don't know what this thing is, but I don't think it's a zombie."

  An Qi looked at Ouyang Xuan with some difficulty, rubbed his hands and smiled: "Ouyang, you go instead?"

  "Why?" Ouyang Xuan jumped up and said urgently, "Please, the university English exam is in a few days, how can I take the exam if you send me to Xiangxi now?"

  "This, this is a small problem, as long as I make a call to the Ministry of Education, whatever certificate you want can be arranged within a day." An Qi seemed to have a headache too, and smiled wryly: "But, Ouyang, you also know that in the last battle with the great fox spirit, apart from you, 'Wind Blade' and the others were seriously injured and are still recovering. The others either can't be called away or aren't quite suitable for dealing with this kind of ghostly thing, otherwise I wouldn't have sent you!"

  "No wonder you wanted me to come to Huang Xiaoming, it turns out that you had already set a trap for me!" Ouyang Xuan knew he couldn't deny it anymore and smiled bitterly: "Captain, do you think I'm someone who's easy to bully?"

  An Qi's forehead was sweating, and he smiled awkwardly: "Ouyang, are you overworking yourself?"

  Ouyang Xuan was speechless, just thinking about what kind of excuse to use to deal with Huangfu Yiling. He lamented in his heart: People living in darkness have no true self! Even the closest people can't be told the truth, it's really too tiring to live like this!

  Ouyang Xuan sighed, feeling a bit sad and bitter!