Chapter 401: Stone Shadow: Style Lei (Part 2)

Looking at those blueprints, I understood their intention: "You're going to look for this ancient building?"

Pink Shirt nodded. I frowned, Old Mrs. Huo's words still fresh in my mind. They hadn't found the exact location of that building yet—why were they suddenly ready to set out? "Did you find where it is?"

Pink Shirt glanced at Old Mrs. Huo, apparently seeking her permission. She nodded: "Tell them."

So Pink Shirt told Xiuxiu to turn up the lights: "Yes, because your experience in Guangxi gave us inspiration."

With that, he pulled out an engineering drawing and showed it to us.

Fatty stuffed the imperial seal into his clothes to wrap it up and leaned over. I saw that it was a modern computer-drawn reconstruction of the "Zhang Family Building" based on the Lei-style blueprints, showing the entire structure.

Looking at the drawing, I smelled the familiar ink and immediately recalled my university days of staying up all night drafting. Back then, life was a simple two-point line, but now this thing showed up in a place like this—it made me quite uncomfortable.

Pink Shirt said: "We had someone reconstruct this structural drawing based on the Lei-style blueprints. You might not understand the details, but that's okay—I'll explain." He started explaining the symbols to the others. I was too familiar with all that to need the explanation; in just a few seconds, I had a general understanding of the building.

The whole building was a typical wood-and-stone structure of its time, solidly built. I'd skimmed the Lei-style drawings for each floor earlier without being familiar with them, but now with all seven floors rendered on one sheet using drafting software, the building's form was almost immediately clear. Xiao Hua pointed at a few of the drawings: "Take a look—is this the Zhang Family Building you saw underwater?"

I didn't need him to point it out; I'd already noticed it. My heart jumped and I immediately nodded, thinking, No way.

He said: "When I heard you mention the Zhang Family Building, I knew this would be the result. When I heard about the iron corpse, I was even more certain. The Zhang Family Building is underwater, and part of it is buried inside the submerged mountain. Look here." He pointed to several sections on the Lei-style drawing. "You can see that the first and second floors of the Lei-style design are very different from the floors below. The first and second floors are more like a pagoda than a building, and in the connection between those floors and the ones below, a lot of design elements are missing."

"What do you mean?"

"The first and second floors of the Zhang Family Building are separate from the remaining floors. The first two floors are above ground, and then, through very deep tunnels, they lead down to the floors buried deep inside the mountain. Given the scale of the work, I believe those lower floors are hidden inside the mountain near the lake. That's what we're going to find."

"Why? You're all very experienced; you should be well-versed in this." Pink Shirt said, "This is definitely a big job; you won't come back empty-handed. Our share for this job has always been fair."

"At this point, do you think I still care about money? Brother, this damn place of yours—I can tell at a glance it's as dangerous as it gets." I said, "Is there any chance of getting out alive?"

"Are you that lacking confidence in your own skills?" Pink Shirt said, "The places you've been before weren't exactly safe."

I thought to myself, That's different. Those places—I knew they were dangerous, but before going, a lot of things had happened that made it necessary for me to go. But adventure after adventure, the mysteries only grew deeper. Now, I really couldn't muster the courage to do it again.

A lot of the time, even if you're desperate for something, if it drags on too long, you gradually lose your edge. Even though I knew this place might be crucial—possibly an irreplaceable piece of the whole puzzle—my first reaction was still to refuse.

Pink Shirt looked a bit troubled. He glanced at Old Mrs. Huo, who said: "Don't refuse so quickly. Think it over. As soon as we find that building, I'll tell you everything immediately." "You can tell me first," I said.

Old Mrs. Huo shook her head: "You're Old Wu Dog's grandson. I don't trust your character—breaking your word runs in your family."

I shook my head: "Sorry, but you don't trust me, and I don't trust you either."

Old Mrs. Huo sighed and said: "You not going only represents your own decision. What about you two?"

With that, she actually looked at Poker-face.

Fatty immediately said: "The three of us are of one mind—we stick together through thick and thin, and we definitely won't be split up by you. But if Tianzhen says he doesn't want to go, it's because your sincerity isn't enough."

Old Mrs. Huo chuckled: "Money is easy to discuss. The main thing is whether you want to go or not."

I thought, Fatty's just causing trouble. I was about to shake my head and refuse, telling myself I wouldn't agree easily this time no matter what, when suddenly I heard Poker-face from the side say: "I'll go."

Startled, I turned around and saw Poker-face looking at us. Fatty and I exchanged glances, unable to believe our ears. Just as I was about to speak, Old Mrs. Huo had already said: "Good, that's one going."

I couldn't react in time and felt a flash of anger—it seemed like things had suddenly slipped out of my control. For a moment I wanted to say "No," but then I realized I had no right to say that; this was ultimately someone else's will.

That moment left me very uncomfortable. Old Mrs. Huo asked Fatty and me: "What about you two?"

"I'm going too!" Fatty immediately said. I was nearly furious—I looked at him in disbelief, thinking, Who was it that just said the three of us were of one mind? Fatty finished speaking and quickly leaned over to whisper in my ear: "Damn, Little Brother agreed. If you don't go, he's taken off—then it'll be hard to find him."

I thought about it—damn, if I said no now, it would be like quitting the game outright.

"And you?" Old Mrs. Huo looked at me. "Decide quickly. We're almost out of time."

"Fine," I said, "but let's get one thing straight: if it's too dangerous, we'll pull out."

Old Mrs. Huo clapped her hands. Pink Shirt said: "Then, welcome to the team. Let me tell you what our destination is. After you hear it, we'll set off within three days."