Chapter 433: This is an Unexcavated Ancient Tomb

Chapter 433: Chapter 433: This is an Unexcavated Ancient Tomb

She reached out her hand but touched nothing. Unfazed, Zoe Sawyer drew it back.

Then she reached out again, but this time, she felt to the side.

Unlike the first time, when she’d felt nothing, this time Zoe Sawyer’s fingers brushed against an uneven wall before her hand was even fully through.

Feeling the texture under her palm, Zoe Sawyer frowned in confusion.

The small section she touched was bumpy, but most of it was flat, with a slightly coarse feel.

Zoe Sawyer pulled her hand back and described what she had felt to the others.

Heath Hale frowned in thought for a good while before finally saying, "Let’s just shine a light in there and see what’s what. Guessing blindly won’t get us anywhere."

No breathing, no wind, just a thick fragrance and a wall that felt coarse to the touch.

Heath Hale truly couldn’t imagine what kind of place was on the other side.

All they could do now was shine a light through and take a look.

There was another crucial point: the door was too small. If there was real trouble on the other side, they wouldn’t be able to get through to help right away.

But since Zoe Sawyer said she didn’t feel the same urgent panic as with their previous cases, Heath Hale could only silently pray that this door didn’t open onto another crime scene.

"Let me try." Zoe Sawyer reached out and took the flashlight from Sean Hughes. After a deep breath, she switched it on and aimed it through the opening.

The flashlight Sean Hughes had given her was a custom-made model, powerful enough to instantly illuminate everything within three meters.

The moment she aimed the flashlight through the opening, a massive coffin materialized in front of her, flanked by several figures kneeling on the ground.

"Holy crap!"

Startled by the coffin that had appeared before her, Zoe Sawyer couldn’t help but recoil.

The instant she cried out, both Heath Hale and Barry Quinn shot to their feet, their gazes fixed on the door with grim expressions.

Heath Hale took the flashlight from Zoe Sawyer, moved closer to the opening, and scanned the scene inside.

Once he saw the coffin, Heath Hale understood why Zoe Sawyer had been so startled.

The coffin was painted with numerous portraits of green-faced, long-fanged demons. On either side stood lifelike humanoid figurines in kneeling positions, their expressions savage.

Suddenly seeing such a scene would indeed be frightening.

Heath Hale swept the beam of the flashlight from side to side. Once he had a clear view of the room’s layout, his wary expression eased.

"It’s okay," Heath Hale explained to the others. "The other side seems to be an undiscovered ancient tomb. Zoe Sawyer’s door must have stumbled upon it for some reason." Just as he was about to turn off the flashlight, his eyes were suddenly drawn to something unusual in a corner of the tomb chamber.

The others, who couldn’t see the situation on the other side because the door was too small, also relaxed after hearing Heath Hale’s explanation.

"If it’s undiscovered, we don’t need to do anything, right? I remember archaeology is all about protective excavation," Zoe Sawyer said. She was quite interested in such matters and naturally recalled this regulation.

Barry Quinn, who knew more about this than the others, nodded after hearing Zoe Sawyer. "Correct. But since we only found it because of the door, it still needs to be reported."

"An ancient tomb, huh? I’ve never seen one in person before, only in videos."

"Let’s get Coach Hale to move aside in a bit so we can get a look too?"

Once they confirmed it wasn’t a murder scene and there were no victims, the group’s tense mood instantly lifted, and they were even cheerful enough to plan out a viewing order.

It had to be reported anyway, and they were separated by the door. A quick peek wouldn’t cause any major issues.

As the group chatted, they noticed Heath Hale staring intently into the opening with a serious expression, the flashlight’s beam fixed on a corner.

Had something gone wrong after all?

The hearts of Zoe Sawyer and the others skipped a beat. Just as they were about to ask, they heard Heath Hale hold out his hand. "Phone, camera. Zoe Sawyer, control the door. Move it over this way."

As he spoke, he gestured to show Zoe Sawyer which direction.

Unsure of what was happening, Zoe Sawyer could only follow Heath Hale’s instructions and shift the door. Sean Hughes, as requested, promptly handed over his phone.

Everyone held their breath, staring at Heath Hale and the phone in his hand, their hearts filled with a nervous unease.

Soon, Heath Hale straightened up and handed the phone to Barry Quinn beside him. "Take a look at this. Doesn’t that look like a crack?"

A crack appearing in an undiscovered tomb chamber was not good news.

Barry Quinn straightened up and took the phone from Heath Hale.

He zoomed in on the photo that had been taken, then stared at the spot Heath Hale had pointed out.

Gradually, Barry Quinn’s expression turned grave. "It is a crack. It’s very fine, but it’s long and extensive. If we don’t address it in time, it probably won’t be long before the crack expands. It could even destroy this entire chamber."

Everyone was first startled, then a flash of understanding crossed their faces.

That was probably why Zoe Sawyer had found it. She didn’t feel the panic of a life-or-death situation, but there was still a sense of urgency.

"This is beyond our ability to handle. I’m reporting it to the Chief now; he’ll decide what to do." Heath Hale took the phone back from Barry Quinn and quickly sent the photo and a report of the situation to his superior.

Soon, the Chief’s call came through.

"Are you certain?" The Chief’s voice was tinged with gravity.

Heath Hale shone the flashlight inside as he replied in a resolute tone, "Positive. The murals in the chamber are still vibrant, and the dust on the floor and the figurines is undisturbed. There’s no way any grave robbers have been in here."

"Okay. I’ll report this up the chain immediately and have them dispatch specialists. Your mission for now is to pinpoint the exact location of this tomb chamber," the Chief quickly ordered.

After hanging up, Heath Hale looked at Zoe Sawyer and asked, "Under these circumstances, can you control the door to move upward?"

"I’ll try." Zoe Sawyer didn’t make any grand promises that she could definitely do it.

All her previous movements had been on the surface, where she could at least see the surrounding environment.

Now, deep underground, she had no idea how far it was to the surface. All she could do was her best.

Zoe Sawyer pressed her hand against the door panel, closed her eyes, and began to guide the door upward.

It was difficult at first, with a lot of resistance.

But slowly, Zoe Sawyer’s control grew faster and faster, and the initial resistance lessened.

In less than ten minutes, a ray of sunlight shone through the opening.

The rest of the team, who had been watching intently, clenched their fists in excitement. ’Success!’

Before Zoe Sawyer could even toss the locator through, she heard the rustling sound of pant legs rubbing together from nearby, along with the hushed voices of several people talking.

"Is your source reliable? Is there really an ancient tomb here like you said?

Don’t have the guys waste all this effort digging for nothing!"