Pay Attention

There was clearly no need to worry about the Taihao Mausoleum, yet Xu Chen couldn't stop dwelling on it. Although Professor Ding had promised to email the information they obtained to Grandpa Yang, Xu Chen felt that wasn't really the point.

After all, Xu Chen was deeply concerned about where Grandpa Yang had learned the name Taihao.

He was a leading figure in medicine, yet he knew a name that even historians didn't.

That was strange in itself.

Besides, even if he had learned the name, why did he want to know what it meant? That seemed to be the crux of the matter.

Xu Chen thought it over. There was only one way to start: ask him directly.

That was right, ask him directly.

It wasn't something that needed to be kept under wraps. Why not just ask?

But when Xu Chen tried, he found he couldn't seem to get through to Grandpa Yang. After a moment's silence, he remembered that Grandpa Yang had left the college and there had still been no word of his return.

Considering how secretive the group assigned to him was, Xu Chen had reason to suspect that Grandpa Yang might also have joined some confidential organization or mission.

Then he called Ouyang Xing.

Apart from the strict secrecy at the very beginning, the level of confidentiality surrounding Ouyang Xing had dropped considerably. Later on, outside communication was no longer restricted, as long as no information was leaked.

So Xu Chen simply called, and the phone was answered after a couple of rings.

As Grandpa Yang's student, Ouyang Xing might know something about him.

"Report! The gateway intercepted a call to Yang Tianyou from his student, Xu Chen. They're asking whether we should do anything about it."

In a hall full of monitoring screens, a soldier in camouflage suddenly stood up to report.

The officer with insignia on his shoulders considered it for a moment. "Is that the Xu Chen who received the email from Dean Yang?"

"Report! Yes."

"Could he really have uncovered something?" The officer glanced at Dean Yang on the monitor, checking on patients ward by ward. "All right, tell Yang Tianyou about it and see what he says."

"Yes, sir!"

After watching his subordinate leave, the officer mulled it over. The more he thought about it, the more unusual it seemed. The matter was important, and there had been a lot going on lately. He shouldn't take it lightly. He immediately issued another order.

"Shi Qiang!"

"Present!"

"Notify the intelligence section. I want them to investigate that Xu Chen's recent whereabouts and everything he's done, down to the smallest detail."

"Yes, sir."

"Wang Zhuang!"

"Present!"

"Notify the special team. Tell them there's a situation on my end, and we need a meeting."

"Yes, sir."

"Notify the equipment department now. Didn't they say Yang Tianyou's condition had calmed down considerably? I want to speak to him. Have them adjust the equipment for me."

"Yes, sir."

The military district was extremely efficient. In just a short while, the equipment had been adjusted and Dean Yang had been notified of the conversation.

The officer watched the readings on the display as he listened to the technician's report.

"Report! The equipment is ready, sir. You can use it now."

"All right, put me through to Dean Yang."

At Central Hospital, Dean Yang was no longer showing the agitation he had before, seemingly having forgotten the effects of the Taihao incident.

He was in a hospital room, checking the vital signs of a patient who lay motionless on the bed.

These patients all suffered from the Taihao condition and had yet to show any signs of waking. After being bedridden for so long, their muscles were showing signs of atrophy.

As Dean Yang was about to examine the next patient, Xiao Wu called him over to a landline. Puzzled, Dean Yang picked up the phone.

"Yang Tianyou, I'm the person in overall charge of the Taihao incident at Central Hospital. I'm calling to tell you that your student, Xu Chen, called you just now."

Dean Yang paid it little mind. "That youngster is my friend's grandson. We know each other well. He calls me all the time, whether he has something to say or not. It's perfectly normal."

"No, this time it concerns your situation." The officer flipped through the information that had just been delivered. It contained a detailed record of everything Xu Chen had done over the past few days, both online and offline, and even he was somewhat impressed. "Not long ago, Xu Chen led a group of three faculty members and students from Southern Plain University's archaeology department to discover the ruins of a sacrificial mausoleum. A large number of stone steles remain inside. The experts unanimously agree that it can fill many gaps in our country's folklore and history. It's the most significant historical discovery in recent years."

"That's wonderful. My friend's grandson has made something of himself, contributing to the country. Even when I pass on, I'll be proud of him." Dean Yang voiced his approval.

"The experts have since been working hard to decipher the inscriptions on the steles, and they've just confirmed who the mausoleum belonged to. Dean Yang, do you know who it was?"

"I'm in medicine. I don't have much to do with archaeology. Even if you tell me, I wouldn't know anything about it."

The officer couldn't be bothered with any more talk. "It's the Taihao Mausoleum."

He waited to hear Dean Yang's reaction, but the receiver remained silent for a long time.

The technician beside him looked at the readings on a nearby screen and immediately grew tense. "Report! The caller's emotional state has changed. His speech and behavior may become obsessive."

The officer, however, grew excited. Nothing had developed over the past few days, leaving him with nothing to do. Now they had a lead. Though it didn't offer much hope of resolving the problem, it gave them a chance to understand how the incident was unfolding, and he couldn't afford to overlook it.

"The Taihao Mausoleum?... He really exists? Haha, Taihao... Taihao!"

A busy signal sounded from the receiver.

The officer looked at the technician. If the equipment failed now, he'd be angry enough to cough up blood.

The technician was listening in as well. Seeing the officer's unfriendly expression, he immediately reported, "This is normal for the audio processing. It's not a technical problem. Just wait a moment."

Only then did the officer turn his attention back to the receiver.

He also found it strange that Yang Tianyou talked about Taihao every day, yet seemed unsure what Taihao was.

"He can find traces of Him. That means he's noticed something too."

"I knew it, I knew it. Taihao must have His reasons for valuing him so highly."

"So that's how it is, so that's how it is."

"His spiritual perception, his spiritual perception."

"Like this, like this..."

"I should believe in Him, I should renew Him."

After that, Yang Tianyou muttered almost as if possessed, impossible to communicate with.

Helpless, the officer looked at the receiver, sighed, and hung up.

It wasn't as though they hadn't tried speaking with Yang Tianyou before. When his mind was clear and his emotions under control, communicating with him was easy. But once anything related to the Taihao condition came up, he would generally mutter to himself as if possessed, making communication impossible.

When that happened, they usually had no choice but to wait for him to calm down again.

It was a shame. This time, it had seemed they were so close to getting information, and all he had needed to do was approach the subject indirectly. He had been too impatient.

Still, it wasn't a complete loss.

The officer picked up the documents and began reading them again, word by word.

There was a meeting coming up, and he needed to hurry and note down every point that required attention, so he could seek support and raise questions at the meeting.

Although the trail on Dean Yang's end had gone cold, he had still found a new lead.

All that remained was to follow the trail and see if they could dig anything up.

Whatever happened, it was better than knowing nothing.