Entering a temple during the daytime allows you to see many things much more clearly than entering at night.

The temple was neat and clean, with intact buildings and windows, and the Buddha statues were spotless, clearly having been wiped clean. Even the trees in the courtyard had been trimmed.

Every single place testifies that not long ago, people were still living here.

Following the scent, An Moxue followed the two people all the way to the main hall, the Mahavira Hall, but she didn't see them again.

She looked around the main hall, and the only suspicious thing was the large Buddha statue inside.

She circled the Buddha statue once, then again, and behind it, she smelled a distinct fragrance—the very fragrance An Moxue had left on the two people.

She searched carefully and finally made a slightly different discovery. Then, she walked around the main hall again before leaving.

She thought about the treasure map in her spatial storage, which was located by a pond not far from the temple. It seemed she would have to find an opportunity to go and take a look.

At noon, the six people met up. Xu Qingfeng said, "It's certain that this temple has always been inhabited, and the number of people is not small. With so many people, the local people and government couldn't possibly not know. What are they hiding?"

An Moxue said, "The two people down the mountain went back up this morning and disappeared in the main hall. It's certain that there's a secret room in that hall. Not knowing what's inside, I didn't dare to alert them and retreated, but I found the special area. Moreover, there's a hidden basement under the houses in the town with a telegraph machine inside. The two people definitely went down the mountain last night to send a message, but what the message was, we don't know. That's all I've found today."

Wu Sicheng looked at the group and said, "I suspect that the valley is an exit, but there's no entrance. Otherwise, there's no way to explain the whereabouts of those two people last night. Especially with the hummingbird's discovery today, I'm even more certain of my guess."

Xu Qingfeng summarized: "We haven't found any information or clues about our comrades. The discovery of a secret room here, and the fact that such a large temple is so well-preserved, are all questionable. The local government and people need to be investigated. Now, do you have any suggestions? What's our next step?"

Wu Sicheng said, "Seventy-eight people, it's impossible that not a single one left without leaving any clues. Let's imagine, if we discovered the problem ourselves and couldn't solve it, what would we do? We would contact our superiors or seek help from the local government, right? In all of this, we would need the local police station, post office, armed forces department, or town government. But none of these places have sent us any information. Doesn't that mean that there are people among them who have intercepted the information? How much power would it take to keep Maple Leaf Temple standing for ten years?"

What could have caused seventy-eight people to perish?

This is terrifying to think about!

The six men looked at each other, none of them ordinary people. They all considered the worst-case scenario, especially since it involved the trafficking of cultural relics, and the trafficking was overseas. They didn't believe it was possible without the protection of a powerful figure or the intervention of local forces.

Xu Qingfeng said, "Investigate first, but I think we need to report to our superiors. This is not something we can handle alone; we don't have enough manpower. However, we also need to collect some strong evidence; otherwise, our assumptions alone won't suffice."

Wu Sicheng said, "Then the town must investigate, but they can't alert anyone."

An Moxue said, "Where have all the people here gone? We have to find them; I think that's the key. At the very least, we need to get to the bottom of this temple."

Several people nodded, all agreeing with her opinion.

Xu Qingfeng said, "Let's split up and investigate. Two people will check the temple, two people will check the town, and two people will check the county departments. At the very least, if no one is in the county's cabinet committee, I don't believe that such a large temple like Maple Leaf Temple can be safely preserved. What do you think?"

An Moxue said, "I can check the temples by myself. The other five of you can check the towns and counties, especially that radio station. Logically speaking, it should be safer in the mountains, so why is it placed in the town? Does it mean that the town is safer? This gives me a bad feeling. I can't explain it, but I'm worried."

Wu Sicheng looked at his subordinate and asked, "Wang Wei, how do you feel?"

Wang Wei said, "Commander, ever since I arrived here, I've had this uneasy feeling, it's really bad."

Wu Sicheng then looked at another person and said, "Li Deren, why don't you do some divination?"

Li Deren glanced at Xu Qingfeng and An Moxue, and seeing that the two of them did not reject or disagree, he took out the copper coins from his pocket, and with a devout expression, cast a divination on the ground.

The copper coin landed on the ground, and his face changed drastically. He stammered, "Commander, this is a terrible omen."

An Moxue didn't know if others believed it, but she did. She herself was very mystical, and she even had such a mystical ancestor.

She asked, "Is there a solution?"

Li Deren said, "There is only a sliver of hope, and the chances are slim."

She breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Maybe this is our turning point, maybe it's not as bad as we think, what do you think?"

They were all seasoned veterans, not easily swayed by a single divination, but a shadow of gloom hung over them, because everyone felt the matter was very difficult to handle.

Xu Qingfeng said, "It's just a divination; things are up to us. However, I think we should still be careful. We shouldn't contact those ordinary people. For food, we should get it from the mountains these days. After all, we don't know if it's a person or a ghost, so we can't be too careful. We must ensure that no one in the area discovers our actions. We'll meet once a day to discuss the next steps."

Next, he began assigning tasks: "Before the gathering tomorrow, I'll go to the county. Commander Wu will lead the three of you in the town, and Hummingbird will be in charge of Maple Leaf Temple. We'll meet here again at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Now, everyone on your own."

After they finished speaking, the group separated, and An Moxue continued to investigate the temple. Just as Wu Sicheng had said, she believed that a thousand-year-old temple should have many secret passages and hidden chambers; otherwise, it would not have been able to escape one calamity after another and remain unharmed.

During the day, this place seems to be an empty house, but An Moxue still carefully inspects it.

The first inspection only gave her a general idea; now, she has carefully examined every room and every corner.

Having read so many books about secret chambers and mechanisms left by our ancestors, she found them with ease and without any pressure, especially now that she was alone.

The meditation room, stone table, desk, stove, well, wall hangings, even every brick in the room was meticulously crafted.

During this time, she did find a few secret rooms, but they were empty, and some looked like they had been abandoned for a long time, so it was clear that the people who had lived there not long ago didn't know about them.

She was not discouraged, and her guess proved to be correct; she just needed to continue investigating.

Just as she was checking one of the side halls, something seemed to flash by outside.