Shouts came from the tunnel entrance, and everyone turned toward it at once. The agents were covered in dirt, their eyes bloodshot. Instead of springing out as nimbly as usual, they moved stiffly, as though they had just emerged from an ice cellar.
Qin Zheng hurried over and asked what it was like down below.
The agent stood there, his eyes slightly red, still struggling to recover from what he had just seen. "There's no danger down there."
His voice was hoarse. "But there are bones. Human bones. A lot of them."
Much of Qin Zheng's anxiety vanished at once. As long as there were no casualties, everything else could be dealt with. He patted the agent on the shoulder.
Then he turned and waved, saying in a grave voice, "Everyone, take protective measures. Keep the professors in the middle of the formation. We're going down! We must survey the entire underground space. Protect the professors, and don't touch anything without permission!"
"Yes, sir!"
The team immediately formed two columns, raised their guns, and switched on their powerful flashlights, keeping the professors closely guarded between them. Qin Zheng took the lead, with Wu Qingya right behind him.
Ying Wenjie, Qin Xiaoyu, Ye Chendong, and Wu Tian brought up the rear. The group followed the steep stone steps slowly into the pitch-black tunnel.
The steps were slippery and covered in moss. The farther down they went, the colder the air grew, and the stronger the smell of decay became.
The passage widened as it descended. After about fifteen minutes, it opened into an enormous underground space.
It was absurdly vast, several times larger than the ruined plaza above. The vaulted ceiling rose beyond the reach of their lights. A dark red glow seeped out from the depths, falling on the stone