Chapter 226
Chapter 226
The mountain air was heavy with moisture, and the building was covered in thick moss.
Like the underground laboratory, the entire place was shrouded in clammy dampness.
The middle-aged man who had produced the floor plan earlier appeared to be an expert in architecture. He explained from the side, “The main body of the building is divided into three sections, but it also incorporates arcades and columnar elements.”
“Its construction was influenced by Italy.”
He instinctively tried to adjust his glasses, but he was wearing a one-piece protective suit, so his hand only touched his face shield.
He shifted his neck uncomfortably and continued, “The building uses facing bricks and some stone, along with a pitched roof and red clay tiles. Its profile and roof pitch…”
Deputy Director Chen knew him well enough to realize that he was about to launch into a lengthy lecture, so he cut him off. “Put the unnecessary details in the report. Just give us the conclusion.”
The middle-aged man immediately got to the point. “Near the Ancient City of Xinelopolis.”
He pointed at a corner of the wall where the moss had been scraped away. The dark brown facing bricks beneath bore a typical Mozarabic Dentil Pattern.
“This kind of Mozarabic Dentil Pattern was first excavated there.”
Qin Ying had a feeling of confirmation, as though everything was just as she had expected.
Still, she did not think that alone was worth bringing up again, so she could not help looking toward Deputy Director Chen.
His face was hidden behind the face shield of his protective suit, making his expression impossible to read, but Qin Ying could sense the gloomy pressure radiating from the old man.
Then she heard him say, “You’re new to the Cultural Preservation Bureau, so you don’t know that places bearing the Mozarabic Dentil Pattern sometimes spell trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Qin Ying asked whenever she had a question, treating this trip as a field study.
Deputy Director Chen was fairly patient with her and explained, “A cult.”
“It’s as notorious as Scientology. It preaches sexual promiscuity and the end of the world.”
“Its followers believe that the Ancient City of Xinelopolis wasn’t destroyed by a volcanic eruption, but by a certain…”
At that point, Deputy Director Chen deliberately drew out his words. “By an evil beast that crawled out of the depths of hell.”
Qin Ying’s expression stiffened slightly behind her face shield. She whipped around to stare at Deputy Director Chen.
“An evil beast?”
That story sounded awfully familiar.
If Huodou lost control and erupted in the city during the Ghost Festival, would the inferno that consumed the city also be rumored to have been caused by an evil beast crawling out of the abyss?
Qin Ying asked, “Do the members of this sect want to eradicate the Monstrous Beast?”
To her surprise, Deputy Director Chen scoffed. “If that were how they thought, they wouldn’t be called a cult.”
“They believe the apocalypse is certain to come, and that the evil beast responsible for destroying the ancient city is a god.”
“They worship destruction and advocate unrestrained indulgence.”
“They proselytize all over the world, hoping to bring about the true apocalypse.”
It was precisely that mentality, refusing to live and insisting on dragging the entire world down with them, that made them a cult.
Even Qin Ying was left momentarily dumbfounded by such twisted thinking.
As they spoke, the group entered the ancient residence.
The main door had long since rotted to the point that it would crumble like a cracker at the slightest touch, so someone had removed the entire door from its frame.
A massive tree stood in the spacious reception hall just beyond the entrance.
The giant tree had been growing inside the house for many years. It had already burst through the ceiling, while its roots had broken through the bricks and stones covering the floor.
Tables and chairs were arranged around the tree in the manner of a traditional Chinese residence.
The middle-aged man who had taken part in the preliminary investigation continued acting as their guide. “The people here evacuated in an orderly fashion.”
“They took everything they could carry with them.”
“We didn’t find anything particularly valuable.”
“There was only one noteworthy detail.”
The middle-aged man beckoned to them, then led Qin Ying and Deputy Director Chen into a room resembling a study.
Inside stood an oak desk identical to the one in the laboratory.
It had probably been left behind because it was too heavy to move.
The dust covering it had already been cleaned away.
The middle-aged man motioned for the two of them to take a closer look, then pointed to the left side of the desk.
“According to the trace analysis experts, the person who used this desk over the years was most likely left-handed.”
Qin Ying saw several wear marks so faint that they could only be made out through a magnifying glass.
She could not help admiring the experts’ incredibly discerning eyes.
For the time being, however, that information did not seem particularly useful.
They had no way to confirm that the person who used this desk was Shiye.
Qin Ying felt the urge to scratch her head. “Then have you checked who traveled to Italy around 1911?”
The middle-aged man shook his head. “There’s no way to investigate that. A large number of records have already been lost.”
“That doesn’t mean we have no leads,” Deputy Director Chen suddenly said.
He asked Qin Ying, “Do you remember the journal mentioning a local patrolman surnamed Qin from Yunlan City?”
Of course Qin Ying remembered. Not only did she remember him, but certain details had even led her to suspect that the man might be related to her maternal family.
When she remained silent, Deputy Director Chen chuckled. “That’s right. That hound-like Constable Qin was very likely an elder of your Qin Family.”
“We’re preparing to send someone to investigate. If you’re interested, you can join them.”
Qin Ying nodded without the slightest hesitation. “I’m in!”
Since the matter concerned her own family, she naturally had to get to the bottom of it.
Deputy Director Chen had brought it up because he had intended for her to go in the first place.
After she agreed, he said, “Then take a day to rest before setting out. You can choose the people who’ll accompany you later.”
Naturally, Qin Ying had no objections.
They made a few more rounds through the ancient residence. The rear half of the building had already collapsed, and the ruins had yet to be cleared away.
Eventually, they reached an extremely well-hidden corner of the backyard.
The ground was covered in a jumble of footprints, and beyond an iron door was a long cement staircase leading downward.
Unlike when Qin Ying and the others had emerged from there, however, the collapsed passage was now filled with filthy standing water, floating branches, and rotting leaves.
The pumps and heavy machinery had not yet been transported in. It would be impossible to clear the passage anytime soon.