Chapter 437: Why is the Graveyard on Top of the Ancient Tomb?

Chapter 437: Chapter 437: Why is the Graveyard on Top of the Ancient Tomb?

Everyone turned toward the voice and saw an old man leaning on a cane.

"Whoa, Brock! What are you doing out here?" the tight-lipped man exclaimed, slapping his thigh. He hurried over to the man he called Brock and helped him to a seat.

Zoe Sawyer stood in the crowd, watching the newcomer.

He looked to be about the same age as the expert, but he didn’t seem to be in good health. His hands, gripping the cane, trembled nonstop, and he was gasping for breath.

"Spit it out! What’s this about Brandon taking people to dig up a grave?" the old man called Brock demanded, raising his voice. His eyes swept over everyone present, a sense of unease growing stronger within him.

The two old men who had been talking just moments before exchanged glances, their lips sealed as if glued shut. Neither said a word.

’Are you kidding me? Brock’s health is so poor. If he found out what Brandon did, he’d probably pass out from rage!’

Not getting the answer he wanted, Monty Lynch turned to a nearby police officer. "Officer," he asked, "can you tell me what’s going on?"

The officer who had spoken earlier sighed. He stepped forward and crouched in front of Monty Lynch, softening his voice. "Sir, the police received a reliable tip. There’s an ancient tomb on your clan mountain, and a young man named Brandon is up there right now with a group, digging. They plan to unearth whatever is inside and sell it."

Upon hearing this, Monty Lynch’s breathing grew heavy and ragged. The color drained from his face, leaving it pale and drawn.

The tight-lipped man beside him was prepared. The moment Monty Lynch seemed unwell, he pulled a small bottle of medicine from the old man’s breast pocket and helped him take it.

Others bustled around him, fanning him and wiping away his sweat.

But while Monty Lynch appeared frail, he was actually quite resilient. With everyone’s help, he quickly recovered.

"How did you know there was an ancient tomb on our clan mountain? Only a handful of people were aware of it." Monty Lynch stared at the officer, his gaze filled with suspicion.

At the same time, he wracked his brain. ’Who could have leaked this?’

’The tight-lipped man was out of the question. That man’s lips are sealed tighter than anyone’s. Anyone, including myself, might have let it slip, but not him. Impossible!’

’Could it have been my son?’

’No, that’s not right either. Those two rascals remembered, but they never took it seriously.’

’That only leaves one person... my good-for-nothing grandson.’

Noticing Monty Lynch’s stare, the officer who had first spoken shook his head. "We have our own sources. Right now, the most important thing isn’t how we found out, but the fact that Brandon is secretly leading a group to excavate the site.

What he’s doing is illegal. If he’s prosecuted, he’ll be facing prison time."

Hearing the mention of prison, another man who had been silent until now spoke up. "I know it’s not right for Brandon to be digging in secret, but it’s not serious enough for prison, is it? This is our clan mountain. Can’t a man dig a few holes on his own land?"

Several others nodded in agreement.

’That’s right,’ they seemed to think. ’It’s village land, after all. Surely it’s not so serious he should go to prison for it?’

"No, you can’t. Even though you call it your clan mountain, the land officially belongs to the state.

Furthermore, anything buried underground is considered state property. Excavating it without permission is against the law," the officer explained to the assembled elders.

Monty Lynch stood up. He looked at the group of officers a short distance away and said, "Fine. I’ll take you there. If he’s really doing something so shameless, then arrest him."

The group set off toward the clan mountain, following his lead.

Meanwhile, Brandon had put away his tools and was taking a break. He happened to glance down the mountain.

He spotted a large group of people heading straight for them.

"Shit! Ace! Let’s go, they’ve found us!" Brandon dropped his shovel, yanked Ace up from the ground, and sprinted back the way they had come.

’If we head in the opposite direction, we should be able to put some distance between us. They won’t be able to catch us red-handed, right?’

The others, who had already been slacking off, immediately dropped their tools at the sound of Brandon’s voice and fell in step behind the two.

They left nothing but a large pit behind.

’They would have liked to fill it in, but there was no time!’

’Run now, worry later! Once the heat died down, they could always come back, or just find a new place to dig!’

Before they fled, however, they tossed their tools at a fork in the path. They also pushed the rocks they had dug up, along with nearby dead branches, rotten leaves, and bundles of straw, to the side of the road.

They had deliberately created a number of obstacles.

However, Officer Lee was watching their every move, clear as day, on the tracking monitor.

After seeing Brandon’s group flee in the opposite direction, Officer Lee immediately called Heath Hale to report the situation.

"They ran? Alright, got it." Heath Hale hung up. He then strode over to Officer Leo Lowell, who had been speaking with Monty Lynch’s group, and updated him on the latest developments from the summit.

Leo Lowell gave Heath Hale a long, complicated look, but in the end, he asked nothing. Instead, he directed his own team to spread out and circle around from the other side to intercept the fugitives.

Worried they might be short-handed, Heath Hale sent a few of the officers trailing their group to assist.

As for Zoe Sawyer’s safety, he, Barry Quinn, and Monkey would be enough to protect her.

Monty Lynch and the other elders who had followed them up the mountain saw the officers moving and asked, confused, if something had happened.

They were told that Brandon, having realized he’d been discovered, had fled with his friends in another direction.

"Never mind," Monty Lynch sighed, falling silent. "That boy’s path is already crooked. Do what you have to do."

The path up the mountain wasn’t difficult to walk, having been well-trodden by the villagers over the years.

The group soon arrived at their destination.

They made their way around the obstacles blocking the path. Seeing the large pit in the middle of the clearing, Monty Lynch’s expression turned visibly grim.

’That idiot. He actually dared to dig up a grave!’

The expert and his assistant circled the pit. When they saw that the digging hadn’t yet reached the sealed earth layer of the tomb, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

’Thank goodness. There’s still a chance to salvage this.’

The other villagers had grown up with Monty Lynch and were adept at reading his moods.

Seeing his grim expression, they knew it was almost certainly true.

’Their clan mountain... actually had an ancient tomb buried beneath it!’

’And right in front of their clan’s own cemetery! Brock really kept that secret under wraps!’

One villager looked from the large pit to the nearby cemetery, his voice laced with confusion.

"Why was our clan’s cemetery placed here? Normally, wouldn’t you want it somewhere with fewer people? That way, it wouldn’t be so easily discovered?"