Chapter 1240: I Want to Make You Stay (118)

“I don’t know if it’s something dirty or if a corpse has mutated and revived. I didn’t see anything and only met with some spooky incident inside. This matter is rather tricky to handle. Take note of new cases that emerge. If there are more victims who died in the same way as that staff member did, there must really be someone behind it.”

The two entered the office together, and Pan Zhenghui closed the door shut. “I just feel that there’s something strange about that guy who came out of the tomb with you.”

“He’s a living person, and he’s situation is rather special. This is information about him.” An Xiaoning pa.s.sed it to him. “Take a look.”

Pan Zhenghui read it carefully. “This is…”

“His household register was written off 16 years ago, and he’s a dead person in name. In reality, he was the sacrifice of an internal struggle,” An Xiaoning stated simply. “Don’t spread this matter, there’s already a lot of people involved in it.”

“I understand.” Pan Zhenghui asked, “So, Xiaoning, are you intending to help him?”

“I’m still considering it. It’s been so many years since this matter of his took place, and it’s not simple either. There’s no hurry. At the present moment, I’m more concerned about the owner of that tomb. Whether the owner of that tomb is still being kept inside or has escaped, we can’t be sure for now, so I have to think of a way to verify this. This is the most important priority for now.”

Pan Zhenghui was really afraid that something similar to what had happened at Beiying would happen in A City. If it was really the case, he would definitely lose his position.

“Xiaoning, should we send some men to keep an eye on the tomb at the lake?”

“We should install surveillance cameras on both exits. I’ve sent the archeological team away previously, so you should send some people to take turns to keep watch 24 hours a day.”

“Alright.”

“I’m taking a day of rest today. If there’s nothing much, I’ll enter the tomb tomorrow to see.”

“Again?” Pan Zhenghui had his hands clasped behind his back. “Oh dear, you really shouldn’t go in again. It’s too dangerous.”

“I’ll have someone to accompany me this time, don’t worry.” An Xiaoning flashed a smile at him. “If you can’t rest a.s.sured, why don’t you go in together with me to take a look yourself?”

The corner of Pan Zhenghui’s lip twitched slightly. No matter how unwilling he was, it was hard for him to reject her. “Since even you dare to go in, I’ll put my life aside and go in with you to take a look, then.”

An Xiaoning did not expect him to say that. “Really?”

“Of course.”

An Xiaoning laughed and did not say anything further. She took the information on Zong Jingyi and simply left.

On the way home, she received a call from an unknown number.

The number shown on the caller display was from B City.

An Xiaoning stepped on the brakes to stop the car and placed her earphone inside her ear before answering the call. “h.e.l.lo, who is this?”

“Hi, Ms. An. I’m the captain of B City’s elite military commando unit, Liu Dasheng.”

“Oh, it’s you.”

“I’m at Wei Ni Estate now, can I meet you?”

“I’m on the way back. There’s a jam here, so I’ll take at most 20 minutes to arrive.”

“Alright, I’ll wait for you.”

Liu Dasheng hung up the call as he stood upright outside the front gate of Jin Qingyan’s house. His wife beside him asked, “What did Ms. An say?”

“She’s on the way and will arrive soon.”

Mrs. Liu had her fingers clasped together as she closed her eyes and prayed, “I really hope that she can help us.”

“You can’t force this matter or make things difficult for her. We should just leave it to Ms. An to decide. After all, this is not a small matter either.”

“Okay.”

Seventeen minutes later, An Xiaoning’s car emerged. Liu Dasheng and his wife stood aside as her car stopped at the front gate. An Xiaoning’s car window rolled down and she greeted them. “Hi, Captain Liu. Come in.”

“Alright.”

An Xiaoning drove the car in and did not park in the garage but simply pulled over and alighted.

“This is…?”

“This is my wife.” Liu Dasheng introduced her to An Xiaoning.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. An,” Mrs. Liu said shyly as she reached out to shake her hand.

An Xiaoning gripped her hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you. Come inside the house.”

“Alright.”

After she instructed the maid to serve tea, An Xiaoning sat down and said, “I was actually going to contact you, but the two of you actually came down yourselves.”

“Last night, my brother called us,” Mrs. Liu said. “He said he met you at the hotel and told you everything. Ms. An, I’ll be honest with you. You’re my brother’s only hope. If he can’t get back his name, it’ll be fine if he continues living without being discovered. He can still live the rest of his life in hiding. But if he’s discovered alive, it’s not only him but Dasheng and the other military officer will be implicated as well. Then all of them may have to die. We don’t want to force you by emotionally blackmailing you or to give you a hard time either. But we really…” She choked on her words for a moment, tears flowing down her cheeks. “… have no other way. We might have to live in fear every day in the future.”

“Honestly, I haven’t thought through this matter properly yet. I’ve always been someone who’ll either not do things or do them, but I will put in my utmost effort if I do something. I’m not thoroughly confident with this matter and it’s not like I’m someone who has no principles. I’m not a saint either. I won’t help you all out just because you tell me that you’re desperate, so we shouldn’t talk about making things difficult for me. It all depends on whether I’m willing or not to help you all out. Also, this isn’t the most important matter right now. I’m not sure, but perhaps Captain Liu knows about what happened at Beiying previously?”

“I do know about that.”

“The land around the lake allows corpses to mutate, and it was what caused the disaster at Beiying. I’m not sure if the owner of the tomb where you kept Zong Jingyi hasn’t been found or if the body went elsewhere, as the coffin inside was empty. So, the most important thing now is this matter. I heard from Zong Jingyi that you discovered that tomb. Captain Liu, can you tell me how you found it?”

“It was a long time ago. Back then, we were carrying out our mission there and I found it by accident. It looked like a tomb to me so I didn’t dare to go in. After all, it was a place to bury the dead. So, I covered up the entrance and left. Later on, when something happened to my brother, I thought of that place and felt that it was a good hiding place. After all, other than tomb raiders and people from the archeological team, who else would go there?”

Hearing this, An Xiaoning nodded. “For now, this matter takes priority. However, the two of you should try not to contact Zong Jingyi unless necessary. Let him stay at the hotel to rest. No matter whether I decide to help you all out with this matter later on or not, I’ll guarantee his safety. So please, rest a.s.sured.”

Hearing her words, the couple instantly felt a.s.sured. “Thank you, Ms. An.”

“You’re welcome.”

——

“Shaochuan.”

s.h.i.+ Shaochuan raised his head toward the direction where the voice came from, and his face changed instantly. “What are you doing here?”

“Look at you. We’re friends, and your wife’s hospitalized. How can I possibly not come and visit?” Carrying the gifts she brought along, Bu Xianxian closed the door shut with a radiant smile on her face.