108: Chapter 108 Trapped

Qin Mo and the other person followed Aisinuo through a long corridor until they reached a massive room.

Qin Mo was instantly stunned by the sight before him.

This place was called a study, but it looked like it could rival a library.

Rows of bookshelves stood on the ground in a crisscross pattern, with intricately arranged books placed randomly on them; it was like a labyrinth of bookshelves.

"We're here!"

Seeing the dazed pair, Aisinuo interrupted them with a faint smile.

"This place is really huge!"

Ye remarked with heartfelt admiration.

As Aisinuo walked into the study, he said calmly:

"Yes, my great-grandfather loved reading during his lifetime. When he built this palace, he specifically made this study very large."

"The books here include all the world's masterpieces, as well as humanities and history. You could say that most of the world's famous books are here."

Ye frowned and asked, "This shouldn't have anything to do with your great-grandfather's treasure, right? Could the treasure be somewhere in this study?"

"Exactly! Take a look at this."

Saying that, Aisinuo handed Ye a piece of paper covered in patterns, and Qin Mo leaned in to look as well.

The pattern on the paper was simple: in the center was a crystal coffin, with five figures resembling Western wizards kneeling in worship beside it, and the area around the coffin was filled with white bones.

Qin Mo lowered his head and thought for a moment.

"This pattern looks a lot like an ancient sacrificial rite, but what's strange is, why would there be Western wizards in an ancient rite?"

Ye took the treasure map out of his pocket and handed it to Qin Mo.

"Look at this one. If nothing goes wrong, this should be the location leading to the treasury, but I can't make sense of it."

Hearing this, Qin Mo took the drawing.

At the very top of the drawing was a Bagua, surrounded by eight characters.

Clockwise from the top, they were: Li, Kun, Dui, Qian, Qin, Gen, Zhen, and Xun.

Qin Mo was a bit puzzled. What could be gleaned from this? Wasn't this just a Bagua diagram?

"Is there any other..."

"Where... where did he go?"

Just as Qin Mo was about to ask Aisinuo for more clues, he turned around and found that the man had actually disappeared...

Their pupils constricted as they instinctively looked around. Without them noticing, they had been surrounded by an octagonal bookshelf, with a ceiling over ten meters high above them.

The two were instantly stunned...

"What... what's going on? Where's the passage from just now? Why has it become like this?"

Ye asked with a face full of disbelief.

Qin Mo's expression was grim. He had been so guarded, yet he hadn't expected to fall into this person's trap after all.

*Bang! Bang!*

"Dammit! The path is completely blocked!"

Ye stepped forward and smashed the bookshelf several times.

Then, seeing Qin Mo still looking at those useless maps, he said irritably:

"Why are you still looking at those useless maps? We're trapped here, and neither of us brought any water or food. If we don't find a way out within three days, we'll both starve to death here."

Qin Mo looked up, glanced at Ye, and said calmly, "What's the rush? Actually, from the moment we entered, the bookshelves here have been moving; we just didn't notice it."

"What do you mean? The bookshelves are moving? How is that possible? Setting aside these massive bookshelves, let's talk about the sound—it's impossible for these bookshelves to move without making any noise at all, right?"

Qin Mo lowered his head and thought for a moment.

"I don't know about the sound yet; some kind of technology must have been used. The movement of the bookshelves is a visual effect. Although the surrounding bookshelves are messy, there are still traces to follow. Look closely at the floor."

"The floor?"

Ye lowered his head in confusion and began to examine it closely.

"There's nothing? The floor is quite clean."

Qin Mo flashed a smile.

"Exactly! It's very clean."

"What does that have to do with being clean?"

"Think about it. This study is so big, and Aisinuo is the only person here. It's impossible for him to complete such a massive cleaning job. Moreover, the bookshelves themselves are covered in dust, yet the floor is spotless. What does that represent?"

"It means the bookshelves are actually moving all the time. I think there are hidden compartments everywhere under this, and rollers beneath the bookshelves."

"While we were examining the drawings just now, I think Aisinuo slipped away through another secret door when the bookshelves moved."

"So that's how it is!"

Ye had a look of sudden realization.

Qin Mo looked around.

"Haven't you noticed? Our livestreaming equipment has all disconnected. There must be some kind of signal jammer here to prevent information from getting out."

"What?"

Ye instinctively checked the livestreaming equipment on him, and his expression instantly turned extremely ugly.

"There's one thing I don't understand. We have no grievances or enmity with him, so why would he trap us here to die?"

"How should I know? Isn't he your client?"

Qin Mo shrugged.

"Just mentioning that makes me angry. I was kindly helping him find the treasure, and he actually wanted to harm me!"

Ye said indignantly.

Qin Mo shook his head helplessly.

"Let's find a way out first."

With that, Qin Mo lowered his head again to examine the map in his hand.

...

On the other side, Li Ming and a group of Uncle Hats finally arrived at the castle's entrance.

"You're saying Qin Mo went into this castle?"

Li Ming looked at the Operator beside him, his eyes filled with excitement.

The Operator nodded.

"Yes, Captain Li. Signal sensor disappearance: Number Nine entered this castle; besides him, there is also Number Eight. The two should be together, but strangely, for some reason, their signals cut out after reaching here."

"Hahaha..."

"Two birds with one stone!"

Li Ming's face was full of excitement and agitation, completely unconcerned about why Qin Mo's signal had cut out.

Then he shouted, "Everyone! Get out of the car and pursue!"

At those words, the group of Uncle Hats quickly got out of the vehicles.

"What are you doing?"

Just then, a cold voice drifted over.

Aisinuo had walked to the main gate at some unknown point and was now looking at Li Ming and the others.

An Uncle Hat walked up to Aisinuo, saluted, and said seriously, "Hello! We are from the Hat Brigade. We've discovered that two fugitives have entered this castle. Please cooperate with our investigation!"

"Wh... what... fugitives?"

Aisinuo immediately thought of Qin Mo and the other person, and his expression became somewhat flustered.

The Uncle Hat continued, "Correct! Please cooperate with our investigation!"

Aisinuo forced himself to hide his flustered expression and feigned composure, saying, "N-no, there are no fugitives here. I'm the only one here."

Li Ming walked up to Aisinuo, sized him up, and said calmly, "Would you mind if we go in and search?"

"This... this... no..."

Aisinuo was about to refuse when he suddenly thought of something. Then, with a smile, he said, "Of course not. Come with me!"

Saying that, he led the way toward the castle.

Li Ming and the others glanced at each other, found no issues, and followed him.