I said, “This… this is how my third uncle looked when he was young. I’ve seen his old black-and-white photos, and this looks very similar.” Wen Jin smiled and replied, “In this world, it’s not just photographs that can resemble each other; two people with blood relations can also look alike.”

“Ah?” I was taken aback for a moment, suddenly realizing something. “Wait, what do you mean by that? Are you trying to tell me that this person is not my third uncle? Then who is he?”

As soon as I said that, I felt a chill run through me, and the fragmented memories from before suddenly coalesced into a face in front of me. Blood relations! Similar appearances!

I suddenly understood: “Impossible, impossible!” I almost shouted, but the bottle of wine quickly pressed me down. I could no longer control my voice and exclaimed, “My God, could this person be—Xie Lianhuan?”

Wen Jin nodded, and I felt a shiver run down my spine, every pore on my body standing on end. Countless threads began to connect in my mind. My God, it seemed I was beginning to understand what was going on.

“The resolution of the photo isn’t high, so it’s normal to misinterpret it, especially in the situation your third uncle described,” Wen Jin said. “Anyone would think that way.”

“What about my third uncle?”

Wen Jin replied, “Your third uncle was indeed with us at the time, but he is not in this photo; he is outside the frame.” She lifted the photo and pointed to the area in front of it.

As soon as I saw Wen Jin’s gesture, I suddenly understood, feeling all the blood rush to my throat. This… this… damn it, this is how it is, you are in the position of the camera.

In other words, at that time, my third uncle was taking the photo for them, so—so the eleventh person was none other than my third uncle himself?

“But that doesn’t make sense; it’s illogical. Why would your group let my uncle take the picture? You could have someone less important do it, like Xie Lianhuan, who just blended in. Why would he stand in such a prominent position while my uncle only took the photo?” I asked.

Wen Jin sighed, “You are quite perceptive; you should sense the problem here. In the version your third uncle told you, there are fundamental issues that appeared right from the start.” She paused, “Let me tell you, actually, the person who came to establish connections to get me into the archaeological team was not Xie Lianhuan, but your third uncle, Wu Sanxing.”

“Ah?” I was momentarily stunned.

“Think carefully about it. Although the things your third uncle told you seemed very smooth, there are actually small logical flaws in them. How could Qiu Dekao, a smuggler with such rich experience, choose someone like Xie Lianhuan, who had no field experience, to execute his plan? At that time in Changsha, the most outstanding person he could find through connections, who was also the most interested in overseas smuggling, should be your third uncle. Only your third uncle would have the audacity and the connections to collaborate with such a shady old fox. Therefore, the person Qiu Dekao was working with at that time was not Xie Lianhuan, but your third uncle. Moreover, choosing Wu Sanxing had another advantage: I was his girlfriend at the time, which made it very convenient for him to infiltrate the archaeological team. So, this is the most logical explanation.”

I nodded, suddenly recalling that my third uncle had mentioned something similar. At the time, I thought he was complaining to me; it turned out he was playing games with me regarding this matter.

“And at that time, Jie Lianhuan was indeed working in my archaeological team. He was a student at the Archaeological University, and due to family connections, his father arranged for him to attend my school. This person is not as useless as your third uncle said. Although he has some spoiled tendencies, Jie Lianhuan is exceptionally gifted. The name ‘Lianhuan’ was given to him by his father when he was three years old because he could already solve the ‘Nine Linked Rings’ on his own. This person is quiet and introverted, but he is very meticulous in his thinking and performs excellently in his studies. His admission to university was entirely his own choice.” She paused. “Do you understand? Your third uncle has turned everything around.”

I was momentarily unable to process such a complex situation, so I waved my hand and tried to sort it out in my mind: At that time, Qiu Dekao found my third uncle and talked about the Xisha Islands, so my third uncle devised a plan to join the archaeological team to search for ancient tombs in Xisha, while Jie Lianhuan had nothing to do with this matter at all.

“But why did he say it the other way around? There’s no reason for that. I’ve known what kind of person he is for a long time. Did he really go to such lengths to maintain his status in my heart by telling such a huge lie? That doesn’t fit his character.”

“Why do it? Do you still not understand? He reversed everything, but the events before the departure to Xisha were not everything. What he truly wanted to cover up were the events that followed.”

I carefully recalled the entire process my third uncle had described, and suddenly it felt like I had fallen into an abyss of ice; all the blood in my body froze: if everything was reversed, then the most terrifying part wasn’t these trivial details, but what happened on the night of the incident!

So it wasn’t Jie Lianhuan who was discovered by my third uncle while entering the water; instead, it was my third uncle who secretly entered the water and was discovered by Jie Lianhuan. Jie Lianhuan might have threatened my third uncle to bring him into the ancient tomb, or he would tell Wen Jin everything. Afterward, my third uncle brought him into the tomb, and then Jie Lianhuan must have triggered the mechanism inside the tomb.

Everything began to make perfect sense without any flaws. All the events started to align with the characters’ qualifications and personalities.

At the critical moment, the version my third uncle told me was that he left Jie Lianhuan inside the ancient tomb and then escaped. This led to the most unimaginable scenario.

If everything were completely reversed, to keep the logic intact, it should be Jie Lianhuan who came out of the tomb, while my third uncle was knocked unconscious and left behind in the tomb. Then, the one who died at the bottom of the sea would actually be my third uncle!

So who is the current third uncle I know? Oh my, I couldn’t dare to imagine further.

Wen Jin looked at my expression and said, “Now you finally understand. The so-called third uncle you have is not Wu Sanxing at all. This is also the reason why your third uncle would never tell you the truth, because from the very beginning, everything has already gone wrong; he has swapped places with someone else at the bottom of the sea.”

“But, but how is that even possible? Why hasn’t anyone in my family discovered this?”

“That’s because your third uncle has a peculiar personality. He left home to live in seclusion when he was just a teenager, and he rarely meets with your family. As long as you disguise yourself a little and have some understanding of your third uncle’s character, you can easily deceive others. I think you’ve also noticed that your current third uncle is completely different from the one you remember from your childhood.”

My clothes were completely soaked. After being apart for five or six years, his temperament or appearance had changed; others could accept that. I also sensed that my current third uncle was much more composed compared to before. In his youth, he was utterly reckless.

After Wen Jin finished speaking, I found myself unable to think clearly. Or rather, my mind was overwhelmed with so many puzzles and speculations that I needed to take a moment to reorganize my thoughts. It was all so chaotic.

“But why… Jie Lianhuan, why did he do that? Why did he switch identities with my third uncle?”

“This is an incredibly complex situation. First, it might be related to the files. After he returned from the underwater ancient tomb, we all disappeared. If he were to appear at his workplace without a care, it would raise serious issues. Others would investigate him, and his background in Changsha is too special. Any investigation could lead to significant trouble. At that time, Wu Sanxing was not officially on the records, so no one knew about his connection to this matter. Therefore, the Jie family weighed the pros and cons and might have chosen this approach. Additionally, he could gain control over all of Wu Sanxing’s assets, which would be a huge benefit to the declining Jie family. However, once this act begins, it cannot easily be stopped. You know your second uncle; he was notorious for being a troublemaker in Changsha when he was young—definitely not someone to provoke. If he discovers that his brother was harmed and switched out, he would undoubtedly come after the Jie family. With the influence of Wu Gouye and your grandmother’s family, it would lead to a bloody storm.” Wen Jin said, “I’ve been secretly monitoring this situation, hoping to find a way to inform your family about it. However, Jie Lianhuan’s capabilities have made me extremely fearful. This person is incredibly meticulous. I feel that if I rashly reveal this information, it may backfire on me. So, I can only remain in hiding.”

I covered my face, beginning to resist in my heart, feeling that all of this couldn’t possibly be true. I said, “Then what exactly happened at the underwater site in the Xisha Islands? Why did you all suddenly disappear? And why are there bloodstains on the top of the tomb saying ‘Wu Sanxing harmed me’? If Jie Lianhuan harmed my uncle, then it should mean the opposite! No, no, this doesn’t make sense; you must be lying to me!”

Wen Jin looked at me, seemingly pained as she grasped my hand gently, saying, “Xiao Xie, you’ve lived with him for so many years. I know you can’t possibly believe all this, so I had considered not telling you. But your obsession with this mystery is too strong. Even if I don’t say it now, I think he can’t keep it hidden for too long, because the situation has reached this point, and there are too many loopholes. Besides continuously deceiving you, he has no other way to get through this. Choosing not to believe it at this moment is already too late.”

I thought to myself that it wasn’t that I didn’t believe, but rather that I already did; otherwise, I wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable. After calming myself down, I asked, “I understand. Please continue. I’m just venting a bit; it’s a little hard to bear.”

Wenjing placed my hand in her small palm and patted it. I immediately felt a warmth pass through me, and she continued, “What comes next is something you might find even harder to believe.”

Uncle San suddenly drowned, and when he was found, he was holding a snake-browed bronze fish, clearly harboring ill intentions that ultimately led to his demise. Wenjing was devastated, but later, due to the urgency of the situation, she had to continue overseeing the work and led people down to the seabed.

The subsequent events aligned closely with what “Uncle San,” or Jie Lianhuan, told me afterward. He probably feared that the real Uncle San had left some clues about him in the ancient tomb, so he pretended to be unwell. When they started to explore the tomb, he secretly followed behind but ended up being blocked outside the mysterious formations.

To him, Wenjing and the others disappeared into the ancient tomb and never reappeared. That’s why he came up with the idea of impersonating Uncle San and switching identities. After being rescued, when others asked for his name, he used Wu Sanxing’s name in front of the fisherman who saved him. Otherwise, he would have definitely exposed himself later. This was clearly a well-thought-out plan; Wenjing said Jie Lianhuan was meticulous, and that was indeed true.

As Wenjing and the others delved deeper, they finally reached the hall where the sample of Yunding Tiangong was placed, but they were knocked out by someone who closely resembled Uncle San. What was going on there?

Wenjing said, “If I tell you, you might find it even harder to believe.” I thought to myself that at this point, there was really no distinction between believing and not believing, so she didn’t need to worry about my feelings.

Wenjing continued, “The person who knocked us out wasn’t someone who merely resembled your Uncle San; he was actually your Uncle San.”

With one Uncle San here and another there, I was a bit confused about which was real and which was fake, so I said to her, “Why don’t we use his real name? Are you saying that the one who knocked you out was indeed Wu Sanxing? But wasn’t his body found?”

“We were mistaken. The body we found in the sea was not Wu Sanxing; it should have been one of the first batch of hired people by Qiu Dekao. This group failed but brought out a detailed map of the tomb, which is why Qiu Dekao was able to provide such good information. The face of that corpse had been smashed by rocks and was already swollen from soaking, plus the diving suit he was wearing was the same style as the one Wu Sanxing received from Qiu Dekao, which is why we identified him as Wu Sanxing. At that time, I also had some doubts, but I had no experience in identifying such corpses, and that diving suit was very peculiar, which was quite convincing.”

“Then, according to what the younger brother recalled, when you first saw him, he disguised himself as a woman and then hid from you, escaping into the cave behind the mirror and knocking you out. Why did he do that?”

“Because he thought that Jie Lianhuan had already told me everything,” Wen Jin said. “He believed I had come to confront him. If it were just me, it would be one thing, but since the entire archaeological team had come down, he clearly thought that his affairs had been completely exposed, which was an extremely serious crime at that time. As the team leader, I couldn’t show favoritism in front of so many people; he had to take measures on his own without implicating me. So, he decided to knock us out and then make plans.”

“Thus, the final scene occurred,” I continued. “That makes sense, but what about those blood characters?”

“Those blood characters are your problem; you misunderstood them,” Wen Jin replied. “Think about how those characters were arranged.”

I thought to myself, could it really be misunderstood? It was so clear. I dipped my hand into the water jug and wrote down those characters on the stone wall according to my memory.

Wu Hai Jie San I Lian Sheng Si Huan Bu Ming Mu

As soon as I looked at it, I was stunned and immediately understood what was going on: “Heavens, I got the order wrong!”

Having done rubbings for so long, everything on the rubbing was reversed. I had been reading everything upside down, and I was used to reading from left to right, but this could be read from both sides, and the meanings were completely opposite.

“Damn it,” I cursed, thinking that my uncle’s cultural level wasn’t high. He was proficient in pseudo-academic and esoteric knowledge, and he could write without using his brain. This kind of blood writing was simply infuriating.

“Now you don’t have any doubts, right?” Wen Jin asked.

I awkwardly nodded. “What happened next?”

Her expression changed slightly as she continued, “As for what happened afterward, I still can’t understand it, because when we woke up, we were no longer in the underwater tomb, but in a basement. A very old basement, like a civil defense shelter from the 50s or 60s, with a black stone coffin inside. We could see the exit of the basement, but it was sealed shut, and we couldn’t open it no matter what. Moreover, looking at the date on the clock, it had already been more than a week since we fell unconscious.”

“Was it in that sanatorium in Golmud?” I asked.

She nodded, paused, and said, “We were missing a few people; Qi Ling was no longer there, and the others were trapped there as well. Furthermore, we discovered that we were being watched.”