1.
My name is Mộ Dung Nguyệt. I’m an archaeology student at Peking University, and I’m also a popular online streamer.
In my spare time, I often livestream antique appraisals to earn a little extra spending money.
Tonight, as usual, I was livestreaming when the video feed suddenly flickered. Then a disheveled woman appeared on the screen.
Her hair was a mess, her face smeared with dirt, and she stared blankly at the screen. Then she suddenly grew agitated and spoke.
“Mộ Dung Nguyệt! You’re Mộ Dung Nguyệt, right?”
“Mộ Dung Nguyệt, help me! There’s something behind the wall, and it wants to get me. Please, save me—”
She looked panicked and spoke incoherently, startling both me and the viewers watching the livestream.
“Hey, please try to stay calm. Is there something you’d like me to appraise?”
Comments:
【What’s wrong with this woman? Looks like she’s in a basement. It’s so dark in there.】
【Yeah, she’s acting crazy. Is she mentally ill or something?】
【Don’t say that. She looks a lot like the award-winning actress Chu Kỳ.】
【? What the hell are you talking about? Chu-jie is a hundred times prettier than her. You’re definitely a hater!】
The comments section erupted. The crazy-looking woman stared at the words flashing across the screen, then suddenly seemed to realize something and nodded emphatically at the camera.
“Yes! I’m Chu Kỳ. Mộ Dung Nguyệt, please figure out how to save me!”
As soon as she said that, everyone froze.
Chu Kỳ was one of the top actresses in the entertainment industry. She wasn’t even thirty yet, but she had both the looks and the acting chops. She was one of the leading young stars of the moment.
Even I, someone who barely followed the entertainment industry, knew that Chu Kỳ had attended a press conference for her new movie last night and even made it onto a few trending searches. How could she possibly show up in such a sorry state on my livestream?
The viewers instantly got worked up, while several newcomers accused me of using Chu Kỳ to drum up publicity.
【This publicity stunt is out of control! She found someone who vaguely looks like Chu Kỳ and cooked up this scam!】
【This is outrageous! I’ve already contacted Chu Kỳ’s studio. Streamer, you’d better get ready to have your account shut down!】
【Don’t talk nonsense. The streamer isn’t that kind of person. She’s really talented and doesn’t need publicity stunts like this.】
【LOL, Chu Kỳ’s missing, but her studio hasn’t made an announcement or called the police. Instead, they’ve come after the streamer? How does that make any sense?】
Everyone started tagging Chu Kỳ’s official account. The actress’s studio quickly joined the livestream, but what they said left everyone stunned.
【Chu Kỳ, can you see this? It’s Lisa, your manager. Where are you!!!】
Seeing the familiar name, Chu Kỳ burst into tears.
“I don’t know. I really don’t know—Lisa, I’m so scared!”
Everyone watching the livestream fell silent, staring in shock. Then Chu Kỳ’s studio sent another string of comments.
【Calm down first. After the celebration last night, you went back to the hotel. Try to remember what happened after that!】
2.
“The celebration?”
Chu Kỳ murmured to herself. Only then did her vacant eyes slowly begin to focus.
“You wouldn’t let me eat anything, so I secretly went to the night market to buy some grilled skewers. Then—a small van, Lisa. I—I was kidnapped!”
The award-winning actress had been kidnapped?
The viewers were speechless with shock. I stared in surprise, too.
“If you were kidnapped, shouldn’t you call the police? How is contacting me supposed to help?”
【Exactly! The police can use your location data to find you!】
【Right! Chu-jie, are you locked in an escape room?】
Chu Kỳ’s studio: 【I thought you were throwing a tantrum, so I turned off your phone. That was my mistake. I’ll call the police right away. Chu Kỳ, you have to stay calm. Tell everyone where you are!】
“Call the police?”
Chu Kỳ stared blankly for a moment, then her eyes gradually went unfocused again. She shook her head.
“I already called the police!”
“I think I did call them, but it was no use. Mộ Dung Nguyệt, Chu Thịnh told me you’re a really powerful master. Please help me. Use your fortune-telling to figure out where I am. I’m so scared.”
Chu Kỳ covered her face and sobbed. She seemed mentally unstable, and her words were muddled.
【She was probably drugged and is still groggy, which could explain why she’s off balance and confused about her memories.】
【I’m a doctor. Chu Kỳ, try looking around for water. Splash some on your face, and you might feel a little better.】
“Water? I want some water—”
Chu Kỳ held her phone and turned to look for water. The image shook along with her.
Only then did I realize she wasn’t in a basement. The ground around her was uneven, strewn with rocks and dirt. It looked like she was in a deep cave.
【Chu-jie, is this some kind of tunnel dug by workers? Did the kidnappers lock you in there?】
【Right, Chu-jie, where are you? If your phone can livestream, it must be able to share your location. Why did you say calling the police was useless? Call them now!】
There was a puddle at Chu Kỳ’s feet. She didn’t care how dirty it was; she scooped up a handful and splashed it on her face, then leaned against the rock wall and panted.
“I remember now. I called the police just now. They said my phone has anti-tracking software installed, and the number is registered overseas. It’ll take at least until tomorrow to figure out where I am.”
“I can’t wait until tomorrow. There’s something here. I—”
3.
As soon as Chu Kỳ finished speaking, a strange beast let out a roar over the microphone. Its voice was low and raspy, sending chills down everyone’s spine.
In an instant, everyone watching the livestream got goose bumps.
【Whoa! What was that sound?】
【Was that a tiger? It didn’t sound like one. Maybe a lion or a hyena?】
【Do you think this is the African savanna? Where would lions and hyenas come from?】
【Maybe the kidnappers have a dog up there to guard Chu-jie.】
Chu Kỳ clamped a hand over her mouth and backed against the rock wall. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
After a long while, the sound gradually faded. Chu Kỳ shook her head, crying.
“That sound didn’t come from aboveground. It’s inside the wall.”
“I know it’s inside the wall. It’s getting closer and closer to me!”
【Chu-jie, don’t get worked up or scared. Maybe it’s some kind of animal the kidnappers keep. If they kidnapped you, they definitely wouldn’t let a wild animal hurt you.】
【That’s right, Chu-jie. Don’t be afraid. Just stay calm. The police will be here tomorrow.】
The comments section was a cacophony of people taking turns trying to comfort Chu Kỳ, but she was utterly despairing.
“It wasn’t the kidnappers!”
“They were camping in the wilderness. I took the chance to escape and ran for a long time before I passed out. When I woke up, I was here. It wasn’t the kidnappers.”
Chu Kỳ’s words were jumbled, but the viewers quickly understood.
【So you escaped from the kidnappers’ camp, then fell into a hole?】
【Is that the kidnappers’ phone? Did you steal it from them?】
【How can there be such a deep cave? Is it a hiding place for wild animals?】
【Chu-jie, can you climb out by yourself?】
Chu Kỳ covered her ankle and shook her head, then pointed the camera above her head to show us.
The hole was about two to two and a half feet in diameter, with a narrow, elongated opening at least ten to thirteen feet above her. The four rock walls had no footholds, so there was no way to climb out.
4.
【So the kidnappers outside might find Chu-jie, and the wild animals in the cave might dig through the rock and hurt her, too? Holy crap, that’s terrifying!】
【If you can’t wait for the police, why not yell for the kidnappers? Call for help so they’ll pull you out. Isn’t that better than being eaten by some nameless beast?】
【Have you lost your mind? She went to so much trouble to escape, and now you want her to fall right back into their hands?】
【Exactly! And how do you know yelling for help won’t provoke the beast nearby? Didn’t you see how Chu-jie didn’t even dare speak just now? What kind of idiotic idea is that?】
The comments section erupted into another heated argument. Chu Kỳ gripped the collar of her shirt in fear and shook her head emphatically, her eyes fixed on me with desperate hope.
“They— I don’t want them to catch me again.”
“Mộ Dung Nguyệt, you’re the only one who can help me now. Please use your divination to figure out where I am. I’m begging you. Once I get out, I’ll reward you handsomely.”
Chu Kỳ’s fans joined in, pleading with me.
【Mộ Dung Nguyệt, I shouldn’t have said you were just trying to get attention earlier. I’m sorry. I’ve been Chu-jie’s fan for ten years. Please, save her!】
【Mộ Dung Nguyệt, please save Chu-jie. I’ll never doubt you again.】
【I feel for Chu-jie too, but do you really believe the streamer can find that cave? The police even said it’ll take until tomorrow to determine her location. You people are unbelievable!】
【This is Chu-jie’s last hope. Who asked you to butt in? Get lost!】
The comments section kept waging war for another three hundred rounds. I shook my head with a bitter smile.
“Chu Kỳ, I’m just an appraisal blogger. I don’t know how to tell fortunes. Even if I were a master fortune-teller, there’s no way I could find your exact location. At best, I could determine a general direction.”
【See? I told you Mộ Dung Nguyệt couldn’t help, and you still yelled at me.】
【Exactly! Fans, don’t get so worked up. In a situation like this, all we can do is rely on the police.】
Chu Kỳ leaned against the rock wall, utterly despairing.
“I can’t wait until tomorrow. I can’t stay here all night. I’ll die here—”
As if in response to her words, the hoarse beast’s roar sounded again, clearly closer than before.
5.
The viewers were bewildered.
【That sound is so terrifying, I’m about to pee my pants!】
【Right? She’s ten to thirteen feet underground. What kind of animal is right next to her?】
【Could it be a pangolin? Or some animal that only lives underground? Maybe we can figure out where Chu-jie is from its distinguishing features?】
An underground animal?
A frightening thought suddenly crossed my mind. I took another close look at the scene behind Chu Kỳ, and the longer I looked, the worse my expression became.
The uneven, bumpy earthen walls were all marked with the tracks of a military entrenching tool.
This was a tunnel dug by grave robbers!
“Chu Kỳ, listen to me. First, look around for a coin, a shard of pottery, or anything like that. If you find something, tell me. I might be able to find a way to save you!”
“Really?”
Chu Kỳ’s eyes lit up. She sat up at once and felt around on the ground and along the rock wall.
【What is the streamer talking about? How could there be a coin in a deep cave like this?】
【Right, I don’t understand what she’s trying to do either. Huh—wait—Chu-jie, to your left! There’s a small patch on the left rock wall that’s a different color from the surrounding dirt and stone. Try digging it out!】
Chu Kỳ followed the viewer’s instructions and tugged hard. Sure enough, she broke off half of a coin.
“There really is a coin! Mộ Dung Nguyệt, what is this?”
【I get it now. Chu-jie must have fallen into a tunnel dug by grave robbers!】
【Exactly. I thought something was strange about this place. How could there be such a narrow cave in the wilderness? Look at the walls—they’re all marked by shovels. Grave robbers dug this!】
【You’re all so slow! The grave goods can tell us the tomb’s age and who’s buried there. Then we can find the tomb’s location!】
【Have you ever watched Candle in the Tomb? “Seek the dragon, divide the gold, read the mountains: each encircling ridge marks another pass.” Ancient tombs were all sited according to feng shui. So a master with the right skills can locate tombs through feng shui!】
【Is this real and not a novel? That’s incredible—Chu-jie is going to be saved!】