<h4>Chapter 1345: Chapter 1653: The Eerie Ancient Tomb (3)</h4>


    After leaving the ancient tomb, Ling Chen went straight to the tent where Su Lin was. ording to Tang Yuan’s orders, Su Lin was kept alone in the tent, with dedicated personnel guarding it outside. "You can leave now," Ling Chen gestured, and the soldiers guarding the tent responded and immediately withdrew.


    Entering the tent, Ling Chen saw Su Lin sitting on a folding bed, with leftover meal boxes and a bottle of mineral water beside her. Upon hearing footsteps at the entrance, Su Lin turned her head, saw Ling Chen approaching, and immediately got up to greet him, displeasure evident on her face as she said, "Ling Chen, what do you mean by this? Why are you restricting my freedom and even took away my phone?"


    "Miss Su, don’t be anxious, I’ll exin to you slowly."


    After both resettled, Ling Chen spoke, "Miss Su, regarding everything you saw in the ancient tomb, I hope you can keep it a secret and not reveal it to anyone, including Wanqing."


    "Why? You must give me a reason."


    "Miss Su, do you think if such a matter were to spread, how many people would believe it? Ordinary people would only treat it as a topic for idle chatter and dismiss it with augh. However, if those in power knew about it, they would undoubtedly stop at nothing to get to the bottom of it. You must know, for longevity, many people are willing to give up everything. At that time, as the whistleblower, do you think you would be safe? Besides this, there’s another very important reason: the government will take over this ancient tomb, and they will definitely issue a gag order to you. If you dare to reveal even a word, the government will definitely hold you ountable, and even those around you would be implicated. So, for the sake of yourself and others, it’s best to keep this matter locked in your heart forever."


    "What about Professor Hao and the others?"


    "They are not aware of this matter, so you don’t need to worry about them. When the government people arrive, they will talk to you, and you just need to agree to their terms. Remember, do not go against them; it won’t do you any good," Ling Chen advised.


    If possible, Ling Chen wanted to keep this matter hidden, not even telling the government. However, this idea was too unrealistic. After all, too many people knew about the existence of this ancient tomb; it was impossible to conceal it. Moreover, if they did try to hide it, by the time the government pursued it, they would definitely face dire consequences. So, for now, all they could do was let the government handle this significant discovery.


    Su Lin pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Alright, I’ll listen to you."


    Hearing these words, Ling Chen couldn’t help but smile, "Miss Su, this is the most sensible choice. Now, you should rest, I have other matters to attend to." With that, Ling Chen stood up and started to walk out of the tent. Just as he reached the entrance, Su Lin’s voice suddenly came from behind, "Have you encountered simr matters before?"


    Ling Chen turned back, "Why do you ask?"


    "I just suddenly thought about your initial reaction upon learning about this matter. If it were an ordinary person, they would definitely think this was a bizarre story. But your first question was ’How did you know about it,’ which shows that you’ve encountered simr matters before. Am I right?"


    After listening to Su Lin’s analysis, Ling Chen couldn’t help but be taken aback. This girl... How had he never noticed her quick mind before, able to deduce so much from just one sentence?


    Seeing Ling Chen hesitating to speak, Su Lin nodded to herself, "It seems my guess was correct. No wonder you asked me about the mutation gene thing, you’ve already been researching their reasons for longevity, haven’t you?"


    "Miss Su, it’s the first time I’ve truly admired you in all the time we’ve known each other."


    "I want to participate."


    "What?" Ling Chen was momentarily at a loss.


    "No matter what research you’re doing, I want to join in." Before Ling Chen could refuse, Su Lin continued, "If you reject me, when the government peoplee, I’ll surely tell them about this matter. At that time, don’t me me."


    Ling Chen chuckled, "Miss Su, it seems you’ve really grown up a lot, now you even know how to threaten people."


    "Be straightforward, do you want me to join or not?"


    "Miss Su, let me ask you first, what’s your purpose for wanting to join? To research why they live so long? Don’t forget, your specialty is in archaeology, not scientific research. And, to be honest, I have indeed encountered simr people, but only met them. So, seeking me is useless. Even if you tell the government personnel about this, I will say the same. Alright! If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave; I still have a lot to do." After saying that, Ling Chen turned and walked out of the tent.


    Under Tang Yuan’s arrangement, everyone was stationed at the entrance of the ancient tomb, leaving only Ling Chen inside. After spending about an hour in the room, Ling Chen had taken photos of all the materials with his phone and sent them directly to Hu Fei for safekeeping.


    After finishing all this, Ling Chen returned to the main burial chamber. Staring at the stone brick in the main burial chamber, a hint of doubt arose in Ling Chen’s heart. Since the tomb owner of this ancient tomb, like Ling Gengqiu, had lived for hundreds of years, why did he die? It’s essential to know that Ling Gengqiu had been dismembered centuries ago but survived after hundreds of years. So, this mysterious tomb owner might not be dead, but merely in a state of deep slumber.


    Thinking this, Ling Chen walked straight to the stone coffin, hesitated for a moment, leaned down, and pressed his ear against the surface of the stone coffin, carefully listening to the sounds inside.


    Thump thump! Thump thump!


    Although the sound was extremely faint, Ling Chen, with his sharp hearing, heard it clearly. He suddenly lifted his head, staring intently at the stone coffin before him.


    A heartbeat... there was a heartbeat! It seems his guess was right, the tomb owner of this ancient tomb is not dead; he is still alive.


    Ling Gengqiu... and the mysterious figure from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, both of them have been alive for hundreds of years. Besides that, there’s one more thing they have inmon: they are both terrifyingly powerful. It seems, those who have lived this long are remarkably powerful individuals.


    So Ling Chen couldn’t help but worry whether the person lying in this stone coffin possesses extraordinary abilities, just like Ling Gengqiu and the others.


    No! Immediate action is needed, who knows when the person in this stone coffin will wake up. In a sh of thought, Ling Chen quickly walked towards the exit of the ancient tomb. This matter must be reported to Tang Yuan right away, and defensive measures should be taken to prevent any incidents.


    However, just as Ling Chen was about to exit the main burial chamber, a faint sound suddenly came from the stone coffin behind him.


    Ling Chen quickly turned back, his face changing dramatically, only to see that the coffin lid of the stone coffin had moved a fraction.