The World Below Surface

Just as they dashed out, the sound of shattering echoed behind them, creating a cacophony.

The Night Pearl lay shattered, plunging the museum back into darkness.

"What do we do now, Cao Yi...," Jing Tao panted, "Didn't they say she wouldn't undergo any mutation?"

Their sprinting stirred up the pooled water beneath them, creating a noisy symphony of splashes.

"Those who took relics won't mutate, they'll just disappear. But Cao Yi shouldn't have come into contact... What other dead ends did she stumble upon?" Yi Yun strained to think.

"Where are we even going?" Jing Tao reflexively glanced back. "Huh, she's not following us?"

The pursuing footsteps from earlier had stopped, making their panicked escape seem unnecessary without anyone chasing them.

The sound of dripping water grew more intense.

Lu Yan Li and Wang Peng Fei both picked up on urgent footsteps in the distance, their expressions darkening.

Ke Xiao Xue stood still, her face filled with an intoxicated expression, seemingly unaware of the gradual change happening to her face.

Wang Peng Fei moved closer involuntarily, trying to get a clearer view.

A droplet fell into his eye, momentarily blurring his vision. As he reached to wipe it away and opened his eyes, Wang Peng Fei's gaze widened suddenly.

Ke Xiao Xue was gone!

She had disappeared right before his eyes! Along with her disappearance, the ornate jade hairpin had also vanished. A sudden chill ran up his spine, causing his legs to feel weak.

Only then did he notice Lu Yan standing nearby in silence. Wang Peng Fei lunged toward Lu Yan, as is grasping at the last straw of hope. "Did you see that? Did you see her? She's gone..."

But hadn't Lu Yan been watching the whole time? At the moment Ke Xiao Xue vanished, Lu Yan witnessed a terrifying scene that was too unbelievable to comprehend. However, the horrifying image lasted for only a fleeting moment, so fast that it seemed like an illusion.

Was it truly... an illusion?

Lu Yan shook his head. "I didn't see anything."

Since he had become involved in this task, he needed to ensure these few individuals survived a little longer, prolonging the existence of the "normal" world and giving him more time to investigate the burial ground.

He despised the eerie world, so he always ensured that at least one of taskers remained alive, even when it seemed pointless, only prolonging their existence a little longer.

Wang Peng Fei muttered to himself, "No, this can't be... Where could she have disappeared to?"

If obtaining the relic resulted in disappearance, what would happen if they stumbled upon the Pisces Jade Pendant? Should they take it or not?

Wang Peng Fei always felt that the path of the task was not straightforward.

A drop of water fell from above. Just as it approached Lu Yan, he moved to the side.

In that brief moment, he saw it! It looked eerily similar to a scene from hell. The liquid falling from the ceiling was not water, but blood!

The thick bloodwater was unavoidable; they all became soaked, like being caught in a light drizzle, their damp clothes sticking to their skin. At the same time, a strange draft sent a shiver down their spines. Their phones were irreparably damaged as water seeped in from an unknown source.

Lu Yan could already imagine what they would look like in reality.

Furthermore, one after another, pale silhouettes floated through the hall. Lu Yan even saw some shadows coming from the artefacts, merging with the figures on the ceiling; certain shadows twisted and slithered back into the glass cabinets.

The floor was covered in a thick layer of something. Just as Wang Pengfei was thinking about it, Yi Yun and Jing Tao returned to where they were originally standing, joining him.

The night pearl that was used for light was gone, and the two NPCs who could have shown them the way were also missing... But they still hadn't figured out the true pattern of the ghost murders.

It seemed like another tourist had decided to mess with the artefacts. In a flash of lightning that briefly tore the world apart, the scene in front of them became blurry once again.

This time, Yi Yun saw it too! She was instantly terrified and started trembling.

"Oh my... Didn't you all see it?" Yi Yun tried to dodge the water droplets in a hurry, but she couldn't avoid them and ended up with blood dripping on herself.

"See what?" Jing Tao asked.

Yi Yun, annoyed, wiped her face with a tissue. Her hair was wet and stuck to her skin. "I saw a ghost!"

She described what she had witnessed. Who among the others would doubt her? They all followed suit, scared, wanting to look up at the ceiling but not daring to. It was completely dark, and they had no way to avoid those droplets.

Jing Tao was freezing and on the verge of catching a cold. He coughed a couple of times and said, "I have an idea. The museum has two levels, and the upper one is not open to regular visitors. Should we... take a look?"

As soon as those words were uttered, the only response they received was a haunting silence.

Yi Yun and Wang Peng Fei found themselves hesitating.

Sure, in their past adventures, they had taken risks to stay alive. But knowingly charging into the unknown, especially when they knew there were ghosts ahead, wasn't something the average person could handle.

Lu Yan looked at them, took a step forward, and headed towards the staircase.

The water that had collected on the ground had already risen above their ankles. Furthermore, the sound of dripping had escalated from individual drops to a constant drizzle.

"Hm.."

His voice brought the trio back to reality. They were all slightly surprised. Why did they always instinctively overlook Lu Yan? Even though they were aware of his presence, an indescribable sense of affection and trust made each of them question themselves.

"Lu Yan? Where are you going?"

"Yeah, it's getting dangerous in the museum. We should stick together."

Lu Yan responded, "I'm going up to the second floor."

"But it could be risky up there..."

"Haven't you noticed? The water level is rising rapidly. If we don't act soon, the accumulated water might flood the entire ground floor."

As Yi Yun followed behind, she asked, "By the way, have you seen a jade pendant? It's called the Pisces Jade Pendant. If we can find it, it could help us solve this. So, let's not rush to the second floor."

Both Pisces Jade Pendants were in Lu Yan's pocket. He remained calm and replied, "No." Nevertheless, he continued towards the staircase.

Another lightning bolt streaked across the sky. A few seconds later, a deafening boom reverberated, as if it wanted to tear the entire museum apart.

Amidst the sound of dripping water and the noisy rain, Lu Yan heard something else—a mixture of noises.

He scanned his surroundings vigilantly; the night offered little resistance to him. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pinpoint the source of the sounds.

Yi Yun was about to speak when a splashing sound approached from a distance—a person hurrying through the water, breathing heavily, seemingly being chased by something.

"Who's there?" Wang Peng Fei's voice echoed.

Upon hearing his voice, the person rushing over seemed to find comfort and quickly shouted, "It's me! I'm Zhang Wen Hao. I was so scared—I was being chased by a real ghost." Zhang Wen Hao blurted out as he ran closer.

"Don't talk nonsense," Yi Yun restrained him.

"It's true! Just a moment ago, I was in a small exhibition room doing nothing, and suddenly, a knife hanging on the wall swung at me, nearly slicing my neck."

"After that? Maybe it was just that the shelf wasn't set properly," Jing Tao said.

"After that? I almost died! I went to that exhibition hall dedicated to weaponry, man, and all those weapons came crashing down towards me. A few knives almost pierced right through me," Zhang Wen Hao recounted, still shaken.

As he spoke, screams echoed from other exhibition halls. People fled in panic from the smaller halls, gathering in the main hall.

Three members of the task force were missing, and most of the tourists had suffered losses. Everyone now understood: those artefacts were not to be touched. Touching them meant risking your life. And now, trapped with no way out, all the phones were damaged. Staying put meant a high chance of drowning due to the rising water.

The footsteps of the approaching Grim Reaper filled everyone with deep despair and fear. What should they do to survive? Should they go to the second floor?

The first floor was already so dangerous, what could the second floor possibly hold? They didn't dare to imagine.

As everyone debated loudly, Zhang Wen Hao suddenly felt the urge to urinate. He looked around, trying to hold it in, but the urge grew stronger. He needed to find someone to go with him. He leaned towards Jing Tao and whispered, "Bro, come with me to the restroom, please? Look at the situation now, I can't go alone."

Jing Tao glared at him. "You're scared to go, and you think I'll go? What time is it and you're thinking about the toilet?" He almost wanted to knock some sense into Zhang Wen Hao's head. Hadn't this guy read online summaries or watched horror movies? Toilets, elevators, enclosed spaces - those were where eerie events happened the most.

Zhang Wen Hao persisted, "I've had a lot to drink, I really need to go."

His voice caught the attention of a young man among the tourists, who was very friendly and said, "Do you need to use the loo? I can accompany you."

Zhang Wen Hao looked gratefully at the man. He remembered him; initially, he didn't want to take any artefacts. He used to think this guy was annoying, but now it seemed even NPCs had a sense of justice.

Together, the two of them set off, and as they were about to leave, another tourist said, "Wait, I need to go too."

In the end, it turned out that a group of five people went to the restroom together.

Zhang Wen Hao felt even more relieved. Just before leaving, he warned them not to wander off. Then, the five of them confidently made their way to the bathroom.

Lightning flashed, momentarily illuminating the hall as bright as day.

While everyone else was busy looking around in the sudden brightness, Lu Yan suddenly turned his head, gazing in the direction the group had left.

There were definitely five of them, but the footsteps... they sounded like they belonged to... just one person.

So, the other few were all...

Lu Yan's heart pounded fiercely. He hadn't noticed it a moment ago.

Wait a second, why couldn't he remember the appearance of those few people from earlier?

His memory was sharp; before the anomaly, he had memorised the faces of all the tourists. But those few just now... were they really the visitors who had come to tour today?

Other taskers, as well as Zhang Wen Hao, were confused and didn't notice anything unusual. However, having someone with them provided some reassurance.

A group of people made their way towards the restroom. As they walked, the stagnant water grew deeper, gradually reaching up to their shins. Just before it could reach their shins, they stumbled upon the restroom.

Outside the restroom, there was a mirror.

Suddenly, lightning struck, causing Zhang Wen Hao to instinctively glance into the mirror.

To his horror, the mirror reflected thick, clotting blood-water that fell from the ceiling and covered the floor. Even the droplets sliding down his hair and face were blood! The thick, sticky blood drenched his entire body, making him look like a ghost. What terrified him even more was that in the mirror, there was no reflection of the other four people behind him!

Slowly, Zhang Wen Hao turned his head around. The four pitch-black figures were still there, advancing towards him. It was as if one could almost smell the earthy, coppery scent emanating from them.

Another flash of lightning illuminated the scene.

As Zhang Wen Hao looked back at them, the four individuals simultaneously flashed him a perfect smile.

A piercing scream reverberated throughout the entire museum.

"Can you believe it? Five people going to the toilet together and still ending up in trouble?" Jing Tao exclaimed in astonishment.

Wang Peng Fei was equally taken aback, while another tasker, Luo Chuan (罗川: “Net River”), remained unfazed. "Even if there were fifty people, it wouldn't make a difference if the restroom is haunted, right?"

"I heard only Zhang Wen Hao's voice, I was wondering how the others were doing?"

How many of them can make it out?

It would be helpful if at least one of them could update them about the situation in the restroom.

After waiting for so long, they knew. Those four tourists, in all likelihood, had also encountered something eerie.

The taskers couldn't help but feel irritated.

"We can't keep waiting here indefinitely. Most of the people on the ground floor have already explored everything. Let's discuss whether or not we should go to the second floor," suggested Yi Yun.

"Let's go."

"Let's go."

"Let's go."

Initially, Yi Yun was keeping count, but when she realised that there were actually multiple identical responses, she suddenly felt horrified.

Who was responding?

Yi Yun asked hesitantly, "Did any of you just speak?"

Jing Tao shook his head, "No, I was still thinking."

"Let's go, let's go..."

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, let's go..."

The voice was still responding! She could hear it more clearly now!

Lu Yanli asked, "What did you hear?"

"I heard... I heard this eerie voice, telling us to go... to the second floor..." Yi Yun trembled with fear, a mix of terror and dread overwhelming her. She nervously chewed on her fingers. "Why me? Didn't the rest of you hear it? Only I did?"

"Tell me, damn it! You all heard it too!" Yi Yun was on the verge of madness. Biting her fingers didn't help; she grabbed her head, screaming hysterically, and then, ignoring everything, lunged at Jing Tao. "You heard it too, right? It was you who responded to me just now!"

"Hee hee hee hee... Come and join us..."

"Go on, off you go..."

The voice persisted. Jing Tao was startled. "No, I honestly didn't hear anything."

"Impossible!" Yi Yun shouted at him with all her strength, looking completely unhinged. Regardless of how you viewed it, she wasn't behaving normally. "You all definitely heard it... More than just me..."

Suddenly, she became incredibly strong. Jing Tao couldn't restrain her alone; it took Wang Peng Fei's help to barely subdue her.

Lu Yan closed his eyes.

The sound of rushing water, faint murmurs, and the dripping of water droplets...

What else was there? What else?

The glass cabinet emitted strange sounds - the clinking of jade objects and the resonant tones of bronze ware striking against each other.

He opened his eyes. "I heard it too."

Yi Yun, who had been struggling and roaring, suddenly paused and turned to look at him. Although the darkness made it difficult to see clearly, Lu Yan felt a penetrating gaze fixed upon him.

Lu Yan confirmed, "I saw it too."

Yi Yun stopped her frenzy and slowly released their hands. With excitement, she exclaimed, "I knew it! I wasn't the only one who heard it."

But what exactly had they heard?

Soon enough, Wang Pengfei and Jing Tao also heard it.

The peculiar sounds were originating from different glass cabinets.

As the hall momentarily lit up from a lightning flash, they finally saw it...

In that brief moment of illumination, several "visitors" transformed into wisps of greyish-white smoke and vanished without a trace.

This sudden turn of events frightened them all. But what shocked them even more was the slight trembling of the ground.

"No, it's not the ground," Yi Yun said, her voice trembling with fear and confusion.

The room's cabinets trembled violently, causing the floor to quiver and sending ripples throughout the space. Alarmed, everyone looked around, bewildered by the sudden movement and wondering what was happening.

In an instant, a powerful gust of wind swept through the room, dislodging the floor from its display stands. The cabinets started to loosen, hurtling towards Yi Yun. With a swift dodge, she narrowly avoided being crushed. However, before she could catch her breath, another cabinet came crashing down just behind her. Just as she thought her fate was sealed, a hand grabbed her and whisked her to safety. The glass cabinets descended to the ground with a resounding crash, shattering into countless pieces, causing glass shards and droplets of water to scatter in all directions.

Everyone shared the same thought: "Bloody hell!" They had realised that when these artefacts were damaged, inexplicable occurrences unfolded.

Before they could even begin to contemplate their next move, the remaining cabinets in the room began to stir. They creaked and rattled as though the ancient relics housed within were striving to break free.

Initially, Yi Yun found it slightly amusing, tickled by the whimsy of her own imagination. However, her laughter soon morphed into fear as a hairpin materialised out of thin air, hurtling towards her. Reacting swiftly, Lu Yan pulled her out of harm's way once more. The hairpin collided with the wall, emitting a loud thud before falling to the ground.

This marked the second time Lu Yan had come to her rescue, and Yi Yun felt genuine gratitude towards him.

Lu Yan had no need for her gratitude. With lightning speed, he dodged a massive bronze cauldron that had somehow moved behind him, crashing down heavily and narrowly missing him by half his height. From atop the cauldron, a sleeve sword fell, and he couldn't dodge in time, resulting in the blade barely grazing his cheek and leaving a shallow cut.

Others were also struggling. In the broad daylight, the various artefacts displayed in glass cabinets seemed to come to life, striving to break free and keep them all there.

To make matters worse, heavy metallic footsteps echoed from several exhibition halls.

Listening to those footsteps was like hearing soldiers in heavy armour from centuries ago.

Their guess was correct. Occasionally illuminated by flashes of lightning, they saw around a dozen armoured figures, wielding swords and shields, slowly advancing toward them.

Initially, their movements were somewhat awkward, but over time, the suits of armour moved as smoothly as if they had been oiled. Their speed increased, and heavy swords were raised high, descending forcefully towards the intruders.

Just as Jing Tao was about to be struck, Wang Peng Fei lunged forward and pushed him aside. Both scrambled and crawled away in haste, with dismembered armors relentlessly pursuing them from behind.

Lu Yan found himself in the most perilous situation.

Perhaps because of the Pisces jade pendant he wore, the armors chasing him were the most numerous. Additionally, he faced relentless attacks from various other objects, causing him to bear the brunt of the assault despite his resistance to the darkness's influence, resulting in splashes of red across his body.

The museum had been completely sealed off, yet there was a mysterious draft. Suddenly, a painting fluttered and landed on Lu Yan's wet face.

He couldn't see anything; his vision was plunged into darkness!

Lu Yan had no other option but to reach out and try to remove the painting, but it wouldn't come off. Once again, he heard sounds echoing all around him. He knew those things were coming to kill him.

The stagnant water had risen to his knees. As he dodged a few attacks, Lu Yan gradually felt the pain of oxygen deprivation.

And that painting... it still wouldn't budge!

He couldn't afford to damage it himself, so he cautiously tried to peel it off multiple times, but without success. With fierce determination, Lu Yan squatted down and submerged his entire body in the "stagnant water."

The painting started to disintegrate, breaking into fragments that scattered everywhere.

But Lu Yanli felt something was terribly wrong.

An icy-cold hand firmly pressed down on his head, preventing him from standing up.

Lu Yan reached out towards the hand that hovered above, his senses tracing its outline, only to grasp at emptiness. He couldn't comprehend how this could be happening.

He held his breath and attempted to rise, but despite his efforts, he remained submerged, unable to lift his head from the water despite the water only reaching his thighs.

Gradually, his consciousness blurred and his lungs burned as if on the verge of bursting. Yet, he resisted swallowing water and fought to ascend.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning streaked overhead. Underwater, he widened his eyes and caught a glimpse of his reflection—a ghostly figure, deathly pale, perched on the ceiling with unnaturally elongated arms, pinning him in place.

Then, a force struck him from the side, sending him off balance.

Finally freed, Lu Yan straightened up and gasped for air. Beside him, Yi Yun also caught her breath and asked in a raspy voice, "Are you alright?"

Shaking his head, Lu Yan replied, "I'm fine, thank you."

Shards of glass littered the floor, pricking him in several spots. However, compared to death, these were mere scratches.

The once serene museum now lay in disarray, with toppled display stands and large artefacts surrounding them. The water gradually lost its red tint, revealing its true nature bit by bit.

Dragging its long tail, the ghostly figure floated and frolicked within the vast hall, its shades of grey and white creating an eerie presence.

"Go on... go on..."

"Hee hee hee hee hee..."

The figure chuckled, trying to lure some individuals into going upstairs.

What awaited them on the upper floor?

Although the four individuals had sustained some injuries, none were severe enough to significantly impede their movements.

"Let's check the second floor. If not, we won't stand a chance of escaping," Lu Yan suggested.

They had exhausted all other options.

The blood falling from the ceiling resembled a torrential downpour, and the rising water threatened to reach their waists. The armour-clad ghosts remained unfazed, but their movements slowed down.

"Quick! Find the stairs!" Jing Tao gritted his teeth and made a determined effort to move towards the wall.

Others exerted equal effort to locate an exit. The layout of the museum had completely changed, including the positioning of the stairs. Before long, Wang Peng Fei exclaimed with excitement, "Hurry! The stairs are over here!"

The blood had risen above their waists, emitting a thick and nauseating stench that penetrated their nostrils.

But there was no other option; they could hardly move forward. Everyone knew how to swim, so they clenched their jaws and swam across, attempting to suppress their disgust.

Outside the stairwell, a deep pool of blood awaited them.

Inside the stairwell, it was immaculate; absolutely nothing. Even the emergency exit signs were fixed to the wall, casting a faint green glow in the darkness.

Curiously, they hesitated.

Behind them, twelve sets of armour stood in flawless alignment, wielding swords as they advanced. With no alternative means of escape, the four of them had to forcefully enter the stairwell.

Strangely, the bloodstains on their bodies vanished completely when they stepped up, leaving their clothes dry. Only the wounds on their bodies served as evidence of their earlier frantic escape.

In comparison to the otherworldly ambience of the grand hall on the ground floor, the second floor seemed remarkably ordinary. A few rays of light filtered down from above, enabling them to clearly see each other's faces.

"It's too ordinary. I... I'm afraid to go up," Yi Yun anxiously gazed upwards.

"But we've already come this far. We cannot retreat now," Jing Tao wiped his face. "I passed by a window a moment ago, and briefly considered jumping out. However, when I peered outside, I realised it was dozens of stories down. Certain death if we jumped."

"This cursed museum is determined to trap us here!" Wang Peng Fei exclaimed.

He exchanged a secretive glance with Jing Tao, then nodded subtly. Jing Tao leaned closer to Lu Yan, whispering once again about the significance of the double-fish jade pendant and its bloody appearance.

"Once we find it, it will all be over!"

None of them wanted to go upstairs, but they knew they had to.

As long as... as long as they found that double-fish jade pendant, they could bring this mission to a close.

Could the pendant be on the second floor?

"Since we have to go up there, let's just get on with it," Lu Yan said, composing himself and taking the lead up the stairs.

The double-fish jade pendant seemed to be more important than he had anticipated.

Now that it was in his hands, there was absolutely no chance he would hand it over.

Seeing him forge ahead, the other three felt a bit more at ease and hurriedly followed suit.

They soon conquered the ordinary two flights of stairs.

In the corridor, the large door was slightly open, allowing a warm yellow light to seep through the gap.

Lu Yan reached out and gently pushed the door, causing it to creak open. Inside, he saw…

*

*

"Old Yu are you still buried in work?" a colleague passed by, noticing Yu Huai Yao (于怀尧: “To go think of Yao”) engrossed in front of his computer with a screen displaying an image of a restored relic. They greeted him.

He responded vaguely, "Mm, go ahead, I'll take another look."

"Alright, take care." The colleague smiled and left without suspicion.

Once the colleague had left, the vast research institute was deserted, leaving Yu Huai Yao alone.

Yu Huai Yao had been working diligently for quite some time when suddenly, the ringing of the phone interrupted his concentration.

"Little Huai, are you busy?" It was his mother calling.

Yu Huai Yao asked, "Is something wrong?"

"It's about that matter again. Your cousin Xiao Huan's (小桓: “Little Soapberry”) funeral is in two days. Can you come back for it?"

He marked the date on his desk calendar. "I understand."

His tone concealed any hint of emotion. But after hanging up, he stared at that date for a very long time.

"Bro, do you believe in ghosts?"

In his mind, he remembered the conversation they had a year ago when his brother had asked him that question.

At that time, he shook his head, affirming his belief in science.

Yu Huan didn't say anything else.

Later... they lost contact for a long time.

And then, he received the news of his brother's death.