"The Little Things"

The Entrance

They drove for three hours and arrived at the Archeological camp before 10 am. They immediately realized that something was wrong. There was a nervous commotion in the entire camp. People were running in and out of the dark cave entrance. Zhao Yunlan stopped two students who were walking past, whispering nervously.

"SID, what's going on?" he asked with authority.

A young girl with a long ponytail and thin-rimmed glasses looked at him scared. "We don't really know. The team was just unveiling the symbols. Our professor said that it may take longer than usual because of the humidity inside. He was deciphering the inscription at the far back when he suddenly fell into... I don't know... There must have been a trap door or something? People are searching the place, but we can't seem to be able to find any visible contraption..." Zhao Yunlan's vision tunnelled when he realized that he had heard some of these words before. His heartbeat quickened as dread filled his veins.

Decipher. Inscription. Professor. No...

"Which professor?!" He grabbed the girl by the arms, and she squeaked, both in pain and fear.

"P... Professor Shen? Of the Dragon City Institute?"

Of course. Shen Wei.

Zhao Yunlan became a blur of motion. "Lin Jing, Set up the equipment, Xiao Guo, you help him. See if You can scan that damned mountain, Dead Cat, Old Chu, with me!"

He ran into the cave. There were lights set up, and some people were frantically patting the walls and the floor. "Special Investigation! We're taking over!" Barked Zhao in a voice that made everyone freeze. One of the teachers came over.

"What is this, young man? We don't have time-"

"Listen!" Zhao moved to the man's face. "This whole place is now a restricted area. And right now, we're on a rescue mission, and anybody obstructing our actions will be arrested. And if anything happens... do you want to take responsibility for it? No! So get those people out of here! NOW!"

They cleared the cave of unnecessary onlookers, and Zhao looked at Da Quing. "Do you remember anything from this place? I know it has been a while, but I really don't recollect any hidden spaces here. But you had lived here longer than I, so..."

Da Qing looked around, scratching his head. "Um... not really, I-" He went to the wall where Shen Wei was seen before disappearing and sniffed. "Here is something... like a draft, maybe? It has a faint smell of Professor Shen."

Zhao moved closer. "SHEN WEI!" he shouted but heard nothing. The detective started touching the wall in various places, hoping to find leverage, when, suddenly, there was a faint shimmer. He used his flashlight and carefully scrutinized the anomaly. "Yeah, there is a concealment of a kind. I think you need to go through it at a specific angle... Just like with a mirror... There!" The wall glowed, and a light sheen remained. "All right. Give me the rope. I'll go first. Lao Chu, you and Xiao Guo get the backpacks and follow me. Dead Cat, you stay with Lin Jing and-"

"No! I'm going with you!" Da Qing's face showed absolute determination. Seeing this, Zhao paused, then went to the man and started scratching his nape. "Da Qing, please. I need you up here. Lin Jing will be on his computers, and I need someone in charge of this lot. Don't let them in. Keep them in check. And, if something goes wrong, I need you as my backup. Besides, we don't know what's down there. What if there's an underwater river we need to swim across? You're not the best swimmer. Better keep that fur of yours dry."

Da Qing lowered his head. "I'm counting on you, my trusty deputy," Zhao put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "We'll just get Shen Wei, and we'll be right back. I promise."

Chu Shuzhi came back and tossed a backpack to Zhao. A moment later, Guo Changcheng appeared, his rucksack almost bigger than him. "Um, the people over there are starting to get nervous." He mumbled.

"Fat Cat-" started Zhao.

"On it," replied his deputy and with professional determination headed towards the cave's entrance.

"Ok," Zhao checked if the rope was tied properly, then went to the spot where a part of the wall and floor were shimmering. He tossed the rope, and it disappeared behind the stone. "Just as I thought. A camouflage. Ok, I'll go in first, and I'll tell you what the situation is. If you don't hear from me in 10 minutes, you're allowed to come down and possibly save my ass.."

They nodded, and Zhao reached for the rope and went through the wall. It was an awkward sensation as if passing through a body of freezing water. After a moment, he felt the floor giving way under his feet, and he held on to the rope as he slid down. The descent wasn't long, and soon his feet touched the ground. "Shen Wei?!" He shouted and turned automatically to a narrow source of light some distance away. The bean paused, then was pointed directly at him.

"Chief Zhao?" Shen Wei walked up to him slowly. "How..."

Zhao switched his torch on, and the cool beam of light swiped Shen Wei up and down. The man was pale, and he had scratches on his chin and cheekbone, and a bloodied torn sleeve revealed damaged skin on his forearm. Zhao came closer, worried.

"Crap, you're wounded." He said, touching Shen Wei's shoulder delicately.

"It's nothing, just some scrapes and bruises. Nothing broken or sprained. You don't need to be alarmed."

"Ok. then let's get you out first. Here, I'll tie you to this rope and-"

"I don't think that this will work, Chief Zhao."

"Why not? I'll just call... wait." He went to the spot where the rope was hanging. "Hey, Lao Chu! Xiao Guo! You don't have to come down! Just pull us up! Old Chu!"

"Chief Zhao, I have already tried shouting. Also..." Shen picked up a rock and tossed it at the spot where the rope was coming from. It bounced back after hitting solid rock. "I believe that for some reason, It's one way only."