"I think we've neutralized the creepy creatures around here! Jasmine, you're safe from your phobias!" Tiffy cheered.
"We have no time to waste—we need to interpret these cave writings. Does the network even work down here?" Elizabeth asked, scanning the walls curiously.
Nick pulled out his phone and frowned. "Nope. Still no signal. We'll have to figure this out ourselves. The language is too ancient to interpret on the spot, but maybe we can take a few photos and try deciphering them later—once we're back outside."
"But what about those spy creatures?" Tiffy asked. "Shouldn't we trap them first before stepping out for online interpretations?"
"Tiffy's right," Elizabeth agreed. "Let's take the photos first, then hunt them down."
The group used their phones to take several pictures of the cave walls, which were etched with symbols and primitive drawings.
"Okay, that's enough. Let's move out for the hunt," Nick said, taking the lead.
They climbed back onto the trolley, moving silently through the narrow cave track. Along the way, they spotted bats—targets of their mission—but refrained from harming them. Jenny, a devoted animal lover, insisted on preservation.
Instead, they chose traps and mild exorcisms. Armed with four nets, they set off on their hunting spree, capturing the creatures and bagging them carefully for later examination.
But then—they took a wrong right turn.
Unbeknownst to them, they were being followed.
A screeching sound startled them. Turning back cautiously, they saw an empty trolley trailing them.
"Why is that trolley following us?" Nick, now alarmed, asked as he slowed their vehicle.
The group sat in stunned silence.
"That's... creepy," Jasmine whispered. "Nick, can you stop the trolley, please?"
Nick hit the brakes. The mysterious trolley stopped too.
"What's going on?" Elizabeth asked. "Why does it stop when we stop?"
"Let's try again," Nick suggested. "We'll all watch this time." He drove a bit farther and halted. The other trolley mimicked every move.
"This is not right," Jasmine said. "Something is following us—and I don't like it."
"Alright, boys, let's check it out," Nick ordered.
They examined the strange trolley thoroughly—top, sides, and underneath—torches in hand. But they found nothing.
"It's either being controlled by some spirit, or it's magic," William guessed. "What do we do about it?"
"I don't want it following me. It's seriously creeping me out," Jasmine said.
"We don't have time for this—we still need to perform the exorcisms," Jenny reminded them.
"We can try chaining it to the rails," Lama suggested. "If it still moves, we'll know it's supernatural."
They secured it with heavy chains and continued their journey.
"Alright," Nick said, gripping the controls. "We're safe... for now."
They finished trapping the bats and reached a roundabout, veering left toward the rail endpoint.
Just as they were about to disembark, a speeding trolley came into view—this time, not empty.
"INCOMING! Everyone, take cover!" Nick shouted.
Fire broke out as a horde of zombies burst from the oncoming trolley.
"How did they follow us?!" Nick cried out, firing rapidly. "They must've been in secret chambers, asleep!"
"Maybe that first trolley alerted them!" Jenny replied.
They engaged in a fierce battle, eventually chaining the undead attackers.
"We should inspect their sleeping chambers. This place may still hold hidden threats," Nick suggested.
The team ventured down a new corridor, observing the walls.
"Jenny, you were right—they do have sleeping bases behind the walls," Nick said. "But how was the trolley controlled? Some spiritual presence?"
"These spirits aren't just inside creatures—they're all over, wandering," Tiffy speculated.
"Then we need to do a full-blown exorcism," Jasmine proposed.
"We're listening," Tiffy said.
"We coat the whole base with ashes and use a master spell to expel all lingering spirits at once. Hunting them individually is impossible."
"I back Jasmine's idea," Nick agreed. "We don't even know how many secret chambers there are."
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
"Guys... what was that?" Jasmine whispered.
"I think we just woke something up! RUN!" Tiffy shouted.
The team sprinted for the exit, but more zombies emerged to block their path.
"Incoming! FIRE!" Nick ordered as another battle broke out.
The quake intensified, toppling columns and stones. "We'll get buried alive!" Jenny warned.
They reached the entrance, but Tiffy struggled with the lock.
"I'm out of ammo! Tiffy, hurry!" Nick cried, fending off attackers.
"The keys—I dropped them in the dust!" Tiffy yelled, frantically searching.
"You've got to be kidding me! Everyone—help her!" Nick shouted, bleeding from a scratch on his cheek.
"I found them!" Tiffy screamed—then lost them again.
"Forget it! Just shoot the lock!" Nick barked.
William aimed and fired. The padlock snapped open, and one by one, they escaped.
The cave behind them collapsed, burying the undead horde and the ancient site in rubble.
Lama rose to inspect the damage. "It's all buried. There's no way to recover the second gem now," he said with a heavy heart.
Nick lay injured, face bloodied and scratched.
"Nick needs medical attention!" Lama exclaimed.
Tiffy crawled to her backpack, pulled out the first aid kit, and tended to him.
"I stopped the bleeding. You'll be okay," she whispered.
"But what now?" Jenny asked. "Everything's gone. Even the puzzle box might be buried forever."
"We can't give up," Elizabeth said. "Maybe the cave writings will offer more clues. What worries me is the spirits—how they disappeared the keys."
"Let's find some signal," John suggested.
He, William, Jasmine, and Lama headed toward the transformer while the rest rested.
After a while, they returned.
"Guys, we researched the cave writings. Turns out the ancient clan used spells to detect and repel spirits. The spirits, including those of guardians, would awaken if intruders came close—especially at night."
"There's more," John continued. "There's a missing green relic—tied to leadership—and it's likely hidden in one of 92 underground tombs. The clan's council had eight members: one clan head and seven councilmen from three major subclans."
"The newest leader came from the least represented seventh subclan, but only the three founding subclans hold council seats. If the least and third-largest subclans formed an alliance, it's statistically likely the relic—or puzzle box—is under the Aries subclan's tomb."
"That means we don't need to excavate everything," Elizabeth said. "We just focus on the Aries subclan. That'll narrow the search."