Chapter 104: The Journey of Exploration is Dangerous and Difficult

Dai Shiya returned to the office and paced back and forth anxiously, like a beast trapped in a cage. The content of the anonymous letter was like a heavy mountain, weighing heavily on her heart, making her unable to let it go. What secrets were hidden 20 years ago? What did the family business hide? These questions were like a mess, tangled in her mind.

"Shi Ya, what's wrong?" Her good friend Wei Qing keenly noticed her abnormality and asked with concern.

Dai Shiya hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to reveal the truth to Wei Qing. "I received an anonymous letter that mentioned a secret of the family business 20 years ago and asked me to check the historical archives."

When Wei Qing heard this, her brows knitted together like two tight ropes. "It seems someone wants to use you to stir up trouble. How do you plan to deal with it?"

"I must get to the bottom of this and not let anyone manipulate me." Dai Shiya's tone was as firm as a rock. "But the archive manager is a close confidant of the family elders and won't let me check at all."

"Don't worry, there will always be a way." Wei Qing comforted him. Like a witty strategist, she quietly approached the archive administrator and asked about his preferences in an indirect way, trying to find a way out of the dilemma. However, her actions attracted the attention of other family members and were misunderstood as prying into the family's privacy.

"Miss Wei, there are some things that you shouldn't ask, and there are some things that you shouldn't know." A family elder warned mercilessly with a cold tone, like a sharp sword.

Wei Qing secretly groaned in her heart, but she could only pretend to be calm and explained calmly: "I just want to help Shi Ya find some information, and I don't have any other intentions."

"Hmph, when is it your turn as an outsider to meddle in family affairs?" said another family member in a sarcastic tone. His words were like sharp thorns that made people feel uncomfortable.

Faced with the sarcasm and ridicule of the crowd, Wei Qing had no choice but to give up temporarily. She told Dai Shiya about the situation, and both of them fell into deep contemplation.

"It seems that we have to find another way." Dai Shiya's eyes flashed with a gleam of determination, like a shooting star across the night sky. She noticed that the archive administrator would leave the office at a fixed time every day to eat lunch.

A bold plan gradually took shape in her mind, like a seed about to sprout.

The next day at noon, Dai Shiya deliberately created a little chaos in the corridor. The noise was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly attracting the attention of others. While the archive manager was away, she quickly flashed into the archive like a nimble shadow, and then locked the door with a quick heartbeat.

The light in the archives was dim, as if shrouded by a thick dark veil. The air was filled with an old smell, like the decayed smell of an old man. Dai Shiya took a deep breath and, like a brave explorer, began to search through the archives from twenty years ago in the dim light. However, she soon discovered that things were far from as simple as she had imagined.

As soon as she opened a drawer, she felt a slight resistance, and then a sharp alarm suddenly sounded in the silent archive. The sound was like the roar of a devil, exploding in Dai Shiya's ears. She broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly closed the drawer. The next second, she realized that she had triggered a mechanism. The designer of the archive had obviously been prepared and set up many traps in unknown corners, like a carefully arranged maze, with mysteries hidden everywhere.

She didn't dare to act rashly anymore, and carefully observed her surroundings. Sure enough, in the shadow of the file rack, several hair-thin silver wires flashed coldly, like cold poisonous snakes, connected to the alarm device on the wall. Dai Shiya took a breath of cold air. If she hadn't reacted quickly just now, she would have been cut, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

Time passed by, and the door of the archives remained closed, like a solid fortress, trapping Dai Shiya inside. She knew that she had to find clues and leave here as soon as possible, otherwise once she was discovered, the consequences would be like falling into an abyss, which was extremely terrible. She suppressed her inner fear and forced herself to calm down. Like a calm hunter, she carefully searched every corner, hoping to find some clues.

However, the family elders had already noticed Dai Shiya's actions. They gathered together, their faces as gloomy as the sky before a storm, their eyes flashing with anger and anxiety, like a ignited gunpowder barrel that could explode at any time.

"This Dai Shiya is getting more and more presumptuous!" An elder slammed the table with a thunderous sound, and said angrily, "She actually dared to break into the archives. What on earth does she want to do?"

"I think she has bad intentions. She wants to dig up old family scores and destroy the stable situation we have worked so hard to establish!" Another elder echoed, his tone full of doubt and suspicion. His eyes were like two sharp knives, as if he wanted to see through Dai Shiya.

They began to spread rumors in the family, portraying Dai Shiya as a sinister villain with ulterior motives. The family members had already had a grudge against Dai Shiya, and now after hearing these rumors, they kept their distance from her. The little trust they had shown in her disappeared in an instant like a bubble.

Dai Shiya knew nothing about this, and she was still searching hard in the archives. Finally, in an inconspicuous corner, she found an old account book. The cover of the account book was already torn, and on it were written the three words "Liushuizhang" in traditional Chinese characters. The handwriting was a little blurred because of the age, as if telling the vicissitudes of time.

She couldn't wait to open the account book, and carefully read the records in the dim light. The contents of the account book were mostly daily expenses and income records, and there was nothing special about it, just like a calm lake, without a single ripple. However, when she turned to the last page of the account book, she found several lines of text recorded with special symbols. She had never seen these symbols before, but her intuition told her that this might be the clue she had been looking for, like a faint starlight flickering in the dark.

Dai Shiya's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, as if it was about to jump out of her throat. She hurriedly took out her cell phone and wanted to take pictures of these symbols so that she could study them carefully later. However, at this moment, a hand suddenly stretched out from behind her, like a flash of lightning, and snatched the account book from her hand.

"What are you doing?!" A low and majestic voice sounded in Dai Shiya's ears. The voice was like a loud bell, making her eardrums buzz.

Dai Shiya turned around suddenly, only to see the gloomy face of the family elder. He held the old account book tightly in his hand, his eyes as sharp as a hawk, as if he wanted to see through her soul. His eyes were like two burning torches, leaving Dai Shiya nowhere to hide. "I want to see what the hell you are doing!" the elder said sternly.

Dai Shiya's heart sank instantly, as if she had fallen into an endless dark abyss. She knew she was exposed, but she tried to stay calm and said calmly, "I was just looking around, I didn't have any special intentions."

"Just take a look?" The elder sneered. His laughter was like a cold wind that chilled people's hearts. "Do you think I will believe your lies? Breaking into the archives and peeking at family secrets, what on earth do you want to do?"

Dai Shiya had no way to defend herself. She knew that no matter what she said, the Great Elder would not believe her. At this moment, she was like a bird caught by a hunter, unable to struggle.

At this time, the door of the archive opened, and several security guards came in and surrounded Dai Shiya. The elder handed the account book to a security guard behind him and said to Dai Shiya coldly: "Take her away!"

Dai Shiya was taken away from the archives and locked in a secret room. She paced back and forth anxiously, her heart filled with anxiety and fear, struggling like a wild beast trapped in a cage. She knew that this matter was very serious. If she could not find evidence to prove her innocence, she would face great danger, which was like the sword of Damocles hanging over her head and could fall at any time.

When Wei Qing learned that Dai Shiya was arrested, she was extremely anxious and rushed over immediately. She found out through her connections that the elder had detained Dai Shiya in a secret place of the family. Wei Qing knew that she had to rescue Dai Shiya as soon as possible.

Wei Qing suspected that the Great Elder had sent someone to follow Dai Shiya and steal the account book. In order to confirm her guess, she began to investigate secretly. She found a few reliable friends to track the whereabouts of the Great Elder. After a few days of tracking, they found that the Great Elder often met with a mysterious person, and each meeting was very secretive, like a ghost hidden in the dark.

Wei Qing realized that this mysterious man was probably the mastermind behind the incident. She decided to continue following them, hoping to find more clues. However, their actions were soon discovered. A group of unidentified people began to follow them, and the situation became very dangerous, as if they were caught in a huge whirlpool, sinking deeper and deeper.

In a dim alley, Wei Qing and Dai Shiya were cornered by this group of people. They leaned against the cold wall and looked at each other vigilantly. There were many people on the other side, and they were all ferocious. It was obvious that they were not good people. Their eyes were like a group of hungry wolves, emitting a fierce light.

"Who are you? Why are you following us?" Wei Qing asked harshly. The voice was like lightning that cut through the night sky, full of anger and questioning.

The other party did not answer, but slowly approached them. Wei Qing knew that a fierce battle was inevitable, just like a storm was coming. She took out a bottle of anti-wolf spray from her bag and held it tightly in her hand, her posture like a warrior ready to fight.

At this critical moment, Dai Shiya suddenly grabbed Wei Qing's hand and shouted, "Run!"

They ran desperately, and the footsteps behind them were getting closer and closer, like the god of death chasing them. In order to get rid of the tracking, they had to enter an abandoned factory. The factory was dark, full of rusty machines and debris, like an abandoned ghost town, exuding a gloomy atmosphere.

In the factory, they found some strange marks related to the family business, which seemed to be new clues to the secret, like a ray of light in the darkness. However, just as they were about to take a closer look at these marks, they suddenly heard footsteps and were surrounded. A cold voice sounded in the darkness: "You can't run away..."

"Run? Where else can you run to?" The cold voice seemed to come from all directions, with a hint of mockery, like an evil ghost laughing at their futility.

Dai Shiya and Wei Qing leaned against the cold wall. The dim light in the factory made it difficult for them to see the surroundings. They could only see shadowy figures approaching them. Wei Qing tightly grasped the anti-wolf spray in her hand and whispered to Dai Shiya, "It seems that we are in great danger this time."

Dai Shiya was not panicked at all. She calmly observed her surroundings, trying to find a way to escape. Suddenly, her eyes fell on the strange marks on the wall. They were painted with a special paint, emitting a faint glow in the dim light, like mysterious stars twinkling in the night sky.

"Wait, look at those marks!" Dai Shiya pointed at the marks on the wall and said to Wei Qing in a low voice, "These marks seem to be the same as what we saw in the old photos of the family business before!"

Wei Qing looked in the direction Dai Shiya's finger pointed, and sure enough, the marks were very similar to the patterns in the old photos, and seemed to be an ancient family emblem, but slightly different, as if they had been deliberately modified by someone, like a tampered painting.

"Could this be the former site of a family business?" A glimmer of hope arose in Wei Qing's heart. If she could figure out the meaning of these marks, maybe she could find an escape route. That would be the door of hope for them to escape from their predicament.

"Don't waste your energy," the cold voice sounded again, "We have completely blocked this place. You can't escape even if you have wings."

As soon as the voice fell, the lights around them suddenly lit up, and the dazzling light temporarily blinded Dai Shiya and Wei Qing, like bats whose eyes were stung by the sun. When they adapted to the light, they found themselves surrounded by a group of men in black.

"Who are you? Why are you arresting us?" Dai Shiya looked directly at the man in black in front of her with a firm look and no fear at all, like a brave warrior facing the enemy's siege.

The men in black didn't say anything, just looked at them coldly. One of them winked at the others, and several of them stepped forward and tried to catch Dai Shiya and Wei Qing.

"Want to catch us? Not that easy!" Wei Qing suddenly sprayed out a pungent liquid, and while the man in black was dodging, she pulled Dai Shiya and ran deep into the factory.

They shuttled between the intricate machines and sundries, with footsteps chasing them from behind. Dai Shiya observed the surrounding environment while running, trying to find an exit, but she soon discovered that all the passages in the factory were blocked. They had no way to escape, as if they were trapped in a huge maze and could not find an exit.

"It seems that we can only fight with our backs against the wall." Dai Shiya stopped, turned around, stared fiercely at the approaching man in black, and held tightly in his hand an iron rod picked up from the ground, like a knight ready for a duel.

"Who sent you? Why did you arrest us? If you don't explain clearly, don't blame us for being rude!" Wei Qing also took out a small knife from her bag and held it tightly in her hand, her posture like a hedgehog ready to defend itself.

"Humph, if you don't accept my toast, then I'll punish you!" The leading black-clad man sneered, "Since you're looking for death, don't blame us for being rude!"

He waved his hand, and the men in black behind him rushed forward and surrounded Dai Shiya and Wei Qing... "Do it!"