Chapter Fifty-Six: Stunned into Silence

There is a widely circulated legend that you can determine whether someone is a ghost by looking at their shadow on the ground. Initially, out of mere psychological suggestion, Fatty and I had just taken a casual glance.

To our shock, Professor Chen, who was running toward us, truly had no shadow.

As the Professor reached us, Fatty and I recoiled in terror. Seeing our reaction, the Professor, who was breathing heavily, froze in confusion.

"What's wrong with you two?"

Fatty and I exchanged a look. "Oh, nothing," Fatty said, "Professor, how did you end up falling behind on your own?"

"It’s a long story." Professor Chen sighed. Seeing Zhuge Xuan, he immediately started to run toward her.

After confirming once more that he really had no shadow, I ran over and blocked his path.

"Professor, Zhuge Xuan has fainted. It’s best not to wake her up just yet." I suppressed the growing dread in my heart and scrutinized the man before me.

His chest was heaving, and his complexion and expressions were not as stiff as those of a corpse. Yet, because he cast no shadow, everything about him felt deeply unsettling.

Professor Chen nodded and sat down on the other side of the smokeless stove. Fatty feigned kindness by offering him water, and while doing so, he leaned in close and took a sniff behind the Professor's neck.

I couldn't tell if Fatty had discovered anything, but I saw him knit his brows.

I expected the Professor to ask why Zhuge Xuan was here, but instead, he asked, "Where is Zixiang?"

Fatty replied, "We don't know. We arrived here first. After he set Zhuge Xuan down, he ran back up; he seemed to have something urgent to attend to. By the way, Professor, why are you in such a rush?"

I thought he might say he didn't know or offer some other excuse, but instead, he gave a bitter smile and said, "What else could he be doing? Isn't he trying to kill me?"

This caught both Fatty and me off guard.

By now, I had essentially ruled Professor Chen out as a living human. Even though he conversed with us like a normal person, the difference between having a shadow and not having one was something I could not reconcile.

Fatty and I stopped talking and watched him, waiting for him to continue.

"You must find it strange that Zixiang and I are uncle and nephew, yet it has come to this. But I must tell you—this Chen Zixiang is not Chen Zixiang at all."

Fatty had been observing the Professor to see if he was truly alive; he took several seconds to process this. "What? What are you talking about?"

"It's complicated, but I can be certain: he is absolutely not the nephew I have in Taiwan," the Professor stated.

"Just because he wants to kill you?" I asked.

Professor Chen let out a mirthless laugh and shook his head. "That's not important. In short, this person you call 'Peanut' is terrifying. Although he didn't harm Zhuge Xuan, you must never trust him."

His words were ambiguous, glossing over all the details. Fatty and I grew even more suspicious.

After a moment, Fatty said, "Professor, this must be the main burial chamber you mentioned. You spoke of this place as if it were legendary, but I don't see anything particularly special about it."

Fatty was testing him to see how he would explain it.

"Uh... the problem lies at the exit above. That place, well, sometimes it closes up. In short, once a certain point in time passes, there’s no way to get out."

I thought to myself that the Professor must think we were three-year-olds; what kind of explanation was that?

But then, the Professor added, "Fortunately, there is a tunnel we dug earlier. I don't think we should stay here too long; it's better to get outside quickly."

With that, he looked at us, seemingly waiting for our response.

Suddenly, I had the feeling that the Professor was trying to escape something—he was desperate to leave. Realizing this, Fatty and I fell silent for a moment.

"We should wait until Zhuge Xuan wakes up," Fatty said. "With her like this, it’s hard for us to climb out."

"Oh, it doesn't matter," the Professor said urgently. "As long as we empty out a gear pack, strap her to it, and have one person drag her from the front, it will be easy to get out. We dug this tunnel quite evenly."

He then looked at us with an expectant gaze.

I felt so uncomfortable under his stare that I was on the verge of forcing a confrontation. But in the end, I held back. An idea struck me, and I said, "I'm afraid that’s not very appropriate. How about this, Professor? You go out first, and Fatty and I will stay here and wait for Zhuge Xuan to wake up."

I figured that if he truly wanted to leave immediately, he would agree.

However, Professor Chen immediately waved his hands. "No, no... well, so much has happened already, it's best we don't separate. I think... let's wait until Xiao Xuan wakes up, then we can go."

I noticed that when he said this, his expression was one of extreme helplessness. Afterward, his eyes kept scanning Zhuge Xuan's face, almost as if he had the urge to slap her awake.

Fatty, who was also observing closely, suddenly asked, "Professor, you seem restless. Is something on your mind?"

The Professor said with a lack of interest, "Oh, it's nothing. I'm just wondering how to report this to the organization once we get out."

"Which organization? The museum or the 'Big Sister'?" Fatty chuckled.

The Professor stared at Fatty, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

I secretly thought the Professor was definitely trouble, so I signaled to Fatty not to push him too far. But Fatty, in turn, put the Professor in a checkmate.

Fatty scratched his head. "True, we didn't get the map of the Frozen Snow Forbidden City, so the Big Sister will surely be furious."

As soon as he spoke, I saw the Professor's body tremble involuntarily.

I felt Fatty was being too hasty, but then I thought, it was debatable whether the Professor was even a person anymore. A stalemate wouldn't solve anything; we would have to face the truth eventually. The longer we dragged it out, the more variables would arise. It was better to clear the air now.

"What—what are you spouting?" The Professor stared at Fatty, almost rising from the ground.

Fatty glared back. "Let's stop the charade, Professor. We know exactly what you people did when you came here last time. We’re all preparing to leave, and I don't want to have to fight for my life while climbing through the tunnel."

"Exactly," I added. "The map has been taken by Peanut. You can't explain yourself to the Big Sister, you can't reach the Three-Day Tibetan Vault, and you didn't get the map. You people are finished."

Knowing these people were rivals of the Yuan family, I spoke with some agitation.

Yet, after a moment of solemnity, Professor Chen began to laugh chillingly.

After a long while, he said, "I never expected you to know all of this. But it doesn't matter. I had already foreseen such an outcome."

Although I didn't understand everything, their failure meant the victory of our Yuan family, so I looked at the Professor with the air of a victor.

"You're in such a rush to leave—are you trying to run away? What’s the matter? Aren't you the only person the Big Sister trusts? Is she going to finish you off too?" Fatty asked.

The Professor's expression turned cold. "Hmph, what Big Sister? What Daluo Feng Shui, what Frozen Snow Forbidden City? What Snow Crane Feather? What map... what does that have to do with me?"

"Oh? So you're planning to give up entirely?" Fatty said.

Professor Chen leaned in slightly toward us. "No, that has to do with Professor Chen. But with me... it has nothing to do."

A sudden chill ran through me.

"You don't mean to say... that you aren't Professor Chen?"

"Yes, I am him, of course," the Professor said, smiling as he continued to approach us. If Fatty hadn't been blocking him, I would have certainly retreated. "To others, I am Professor Chen, but inside this ancient tomb, I am simply me."

Now, the tone and expressions of the Professor were completely different. Every time he spoke, his body moved accordingly. I felt his movements were extremely natural and harmonious, exactly like the scent of death lingering in the tomb.

Something that shouldn't exist in a living person—something that couldn't appear in a dead one—began to spread from him. Following that sensation, Fatty and I looked down at his feet.

There, the Professor's shadow was slowly appearing. First, it was a faint outline, then it grew darker and thicker, until finally, it was no different from the shadows of Fatty and me.

The Professor clearly knew what we were looking at. He laughed sinisterly, "I am different from you. In an ancient tomb, I am eternal. That old man surnamed Chen is nothing more than a vessel that allows me to leave this place and enjoy life on the outside. 'Professor Chen'? If it weren't for me, he would have died decades ago."

"What did you say..."

I was about to speak, but the man before me placed a finger to his lips in a gesture for silence.

"Shh... Little ones, have you heard the story that circulates among archaeological teams? That in an ancient tomb like this, there is always something that guides the team to find those precious artifacts? Of course, there is a price to pay. But do you know why such things only happen to archaeological teams? Why it started thirty years ago... Hehehe, now, you should know."

Because Professor Chen was that 'Underworld Chief' (Ming Kui)?

At that thought, cold sweat broke out all over my body.

"The Big Sister is clever. She knew my background, which is why she cooperated with me. Because no matter what kind of tomb it is, I can always leave it successfully. Whatever she wants, I get for her. Hmph, we had a tacit understanding; no one ever pierced the veil. Ah... it's a pity, though. Her heart was too big; she actually wanted to defy the heavens and change fate. And I didn't expect that the family of this old man surnamed Chen would have such a terrifying background. I almost died at that brat's hands."

"You... you are the Ming Kui?" I asked, trembling.

"Me?" The Professor pointed at himself with a strange, mocking tone. "I, too, would like to know what I actually am."

Fatty watched him calmly and suddenly said, "You speak as if you're so profound. Tsk, aren't you just a monster?"

The Professor bared his teeth at Fatty.

"What? Want to fight?" Fatty didn't show any weakness, though I saw his clothes were soaked with cold sweat. "Come on then, let me let you taste the blood of the Yuan family."

Before I could react, Fatty grabbed me and pulled me in front of him. I glared at him in anger, thinking, *You son of a bitch, not only are you using me as a mascot, but you’re also using me as a human shield at a critical moment!*

But the Professor ignored us. After a cold, chilling glance at me, he slowly squatted down.

"The time has come. Fat man, you're next." Saying this, the Professor began to giggle incessantly.

"Me?" Fatty was stunned.

Just then, we heard Zhuge Xuan say, "Don't you understand yet? This time, his goal was to lure you into this ancient tomb."

I didn't have time to wonder when Zhuge Xuan had woken up; I stared in shock at Fatty, who was equally dumbstruck.