text: August 18, 2020 It’s official. I have decided to set off to Xi’an by train, boat, car, whatever mode of transportation there is available to go on an archeology trip with Professor Langley to discover the secret behind the tomb of the Jade Empress. It’s funny how a month ago how I was still contemplating about the whole situation when I sat down with the good ol’ prof to talk about relics from Xi’an. The next thing I knew the professor had gone from talking about ancient relics and artifacts to telling me about the great discovery of the infamous Jade Empress’s tomb. “It’s just astonishing, and perhaps one of the greatest discoveries in archeology! You must come on this trip this time; it is a sight that you, my friend are not going to want to miss.” Gushed the professor, excitement evident in his eyes. I winced, knowing the last time I agreed to going on one of the professor’s archeology trips, how it turned from a peaceful trip at first to battling creatures like Candle Snakes, Vampire Beetles, and Human Faced Birds to survive. Thanks to my previous experiences as a grave robber and my wits, me and the prof were able to survive. Others of our party weren’t so lucky. Either smashed, eaten, or torn to pieces, the members of our party dropped like flies, leaving only me and the prof as the only survivors. If this trip down to the Jade Empress’s tomb was going to be anything like our last one, I absolutely was not going to go. “Prof, if this trip down to the Jade Empress’s tomb is going to anything like the last time-” “Of course not, I guarantee you it’s not going to be anything like Xuquetala’s Temple; I did my research.” “It better be. We almost lost our lives down there in that tomb. I still haven’t recovered from the amount of physical activity we had to do to keep our heads on. After what we went through, I’m not sure if I’m ready to go down another tomb this soon.” “My dear old friend, I assure you, there will not be any traps or mechanisms.” “You said that the last time when we went down that temple.” “If I am wrong, I will allow you to take some artifacts that you can sell in your shop.” “Deal.” And just like that, I found myself sitting on a train sharing a bunk bed with the prof, who is currently taking a nap. The prof had explained to me that we would first take the train to New York City before taking a plane to Beijing, China and then taking a bus to Zhejiang and then we are meeting our designated guide and going via car to Xi’an where we would meet up with the rest of the archeology team. The prof said the archeology expedition into the Jade Empress’s tomb would be more than a month in total and that our trip down to the Empress's tomb would be smooth as downing sake. I couldn’t help but think that this trip is too coincidental. Several days ago, my good buddy Chatterbox had gone off to China to earn some “big money” from a job he accepted. I pestered him for several hours trying to squeeze some information about his employers, but it was like trying to squeeze blood from a turnip. Even more strange, my Uncle Rosalind had gone off to China to take care of some “family business”, which left me, the heiress of the family, nothing to do except mind my antique shop and find something to do. Despite my family’s wishes for me to stay out of the family business and settle down and have children to carry on the family lineage, I was determined to prove to them that a woman could make her own way of the world and be just as good as a male relative of the family; particularly my Uncle Rosalind, who was infamous for his grave robbing skills. Uncle Rosalind did not agree to take me under his tutelage at first, but after months and months of trying to prove myself to him, he finally relented under the condition that I keep the fact that he was training me in the ways of grave robbing a secret from the elders of the family. So, at the age of twelve, every day after school, I underwent several hours of training for the next six years, until on the day of my eighteenth birthday, I secretly decided I was old enough and had enough experience to go and explore a tomb by myself. My uncle was furious when he found out and punished me with extra training for a week saying that I was not ready to go down a tomb and that he will decide when I am ready. That day eventually did come two years later, when my uncle brought me along to explore the tomb of a Qin Dynasty noble, which was anything but an ordinary tomb as we avoided traps, mechanisms, and mutated creatures beyond our imagination. We managed to come out alive, but that was the last time I would go down a tomb until four years later, when my uncle contacted me again. By that time, my shop was in a comfortable position as I had earned quite a bit of profit. And so, my adventures with Uncle Rosalind resumed, up until I met Chatterbox and Ace. My uncle had also decided that I did not need his tutelage anymore as I proved to be “a grave robber as good as himself, perhaps even better.” The three of us had explored many tombs together and encountered many weird and strange things. We never spoke a word of it to anyone and vowed to keep what we saw to ourselves. I ended up writing my experiences in a journal which turned into at least several notebooks that were kept in a hidden safe in my shop. Chatterbox thought I was an idiot to do that, but I didn’t care. “We might need them someday, if an emergency comes.” I said in a hopefully convincing tone. “The only emergency that you’re going to get is a knock side up the head for such a stupid idea.” Grumbled Chatterbox. I had to admit, he was right. But it’s better to leave some information behind for others to find instead of none at all. I can hear the prof snoring below me in great volumes. I better plug in my earplugs if I want to sleep soundly tonight. The prof snores like a volcano getting ready to erupt, which is why most of the time I always end up trying to sleep first. This is Reese Hurrikane, signing off. August 22, 2020 This cannot get any worse than today out of all days as I am sitting in a room with a big, buffoon of a goon of Lina Matejovsky, the one person I did not expect to see here, although actually now that I think about it, why wouldn’t she since her company is all over the country, thanks to her boss, the ever so cunning Hendry Maddox, aka the long time enemy of my Uncle Rosalind. We would be on our merry way to Zhejiang by now, but clearly Lina’s boss had other ideas for me and the prof. So now, in addition to being camera monitored in our own hotel rooms, we are not allowed to leave our until we agree to go back from where we came from and forget about Xi’an. Something tells me that Maddox has some sort of development project up his sleeve with the tomb, or he just wants to exploit the tomb and its treasures. I can imagine the professor is just sweating it right now and trying not to lose his sanity as he knows I’ll be the one to rescue him and get us out of any situation. Later One thing I would like to say before I start where I left off, WHAT IN THE ACTUAL HELL JUST HAPPENED. To sum it up, little miss lady agent decided to bust me and the prof out, with the help of Ace, who managed to cause a brief distraction for about five minutes to make sure we gave the goons the slip before they made haste with the chase. With Ace’s help, we managed to get away and hide out in a shop. Afterwards, we ended up staying at another hotel, where I angrily questioned Ace about how in the name of god he knew where I was and how he ended up working with Lina to bust me out. Ace being the moody person he is, answered my questions with succinct answers before he bugged off, while the prof was just grateful to Ace. As for me and Lina, well Lina and I have a complicated relationship. Despite the fact that we’re on opposite sides, she’s shown me kindness and mercy to me at least several times in the past when we crossed paths. But then again, there were times where she was selfish when it comes to survival and tried to protect herself first. She almost never smiles and for some reason doesn’t know how to take a joke much less seem to have a sense of humor. She’s just as cunning as that boss of hers and just as shrewd when making deals to collaborate. I never quite understood Lina and her motives, as her character was like a chameleon, changing its color to fit its surroundings. I still remember the first time we met, and how she elbowed me in the face and knocked me out with a hit to the neck deliberately. Good ol’ times. I never said this in front of her face, but she’s grown softer and slightly merciful as time passed, and once I managed to get just a glimpse of her vulnerable side that she kept so hard to hide away. I just hope she doesn’t hear that from me, or else she’s probably going to have to kick me in my reproduction parts for calling her soft hearted. Speaking of Lina, after dropping me, the prof, and Ace at another hotel, she told us this was the only time (and last time probably, knowing Lina) that she was doing us a favor and left. Typical Lina. Always once in a blue moon she ends up helping us out whenever we get into a sticky situation. In my opinion, she should do that more often, but she’ll probably never want to help us again if I say that. Ace is still moody as ever, just sulking in a corner near the window, looking at the cityscape that’s dotted with lights, illuminating the shape and design of the buildings down below. Despite the fact that we were safe for now, I knew we couldn’t stay here another day longer, without arousing the suspicions of Maddox. I declared to the both of them that we would rest here tonight and depart for Zhejiang tomorrow morning immediately. Ace nodded in approval at my words before he slipped back into gazing out the window. The prof had busied himself with relaying to the archeology team at Xi’an of our situation, and his face couldn’t look anymore irritated than ever. He couldn’t help but mutter unintelligible curses under his breath as his fingers typed furiously on his laptop at a fast speed, something about “darn plans being dragged out” and “that ape of a goon”. I couldn't help but softly chuckle at the prof, hunched over at his screen, his eyes moving back and forth across the bright screen. Clearly, it must’ve been his first time encountering Lina's men. Those big goons of hers don’t know the meaning of gentle. The amount of times that I’ve fought with them, is enough to make sure my fighting skills are on par and make sure I kept up my exercise. “It’s for you.” said Ace tapping my shoulder, handing me his phone. “Hello?” I answered casually. “Oi, Hurrikane. I heard you got yourself in trouble with Lina.” I shook my head smiling. I knew that British accented voice anywhere. Good old Chatterbox. “Hello to you too. So, you’ve heard?” “It figures since I caught wind of one of Lina’s men while I was on business.” “Business? I thought you were making big money?” “I was, until some bloke botched the expedition and left the whole team hanging. Now the expedition is supposed to take 3 more days before reaching our destination.” “Are you still in Beijing?” “Does that concern you?” “Never mind. How did you know Ace was here with me and the prof?” “I have my sources. What are you and the old geezer are up to this time?” I paused, trying to figure out if I wanted to tell Chatterbox about the Empress’s tomb, but he beat me right to it by saying, “You wouldn’t happen to be going after the bloody Empress’s tomb would ya mate?” My eyes widened in surprise as I quickly regained seriousness and hissed out “How do you know about that? Nobody knows except for me and the prof!” “It doesn’t matter how I know. Listen, I heard that tomb is going to be a real piece of work. You’re going to need all the help you can get to survive down there.” “Chatterbox, I’m sure I’ll be fine-” “What do you mean you’ll be fine; you bloody won’t be. You’re a nitwit if you think you’re going down that tomb with just Ace and the old geezer. Blimey, I’ll be damned if you come out of the tomb in one piece.” “Chatterbox-” “Don’t Chatterbox me, I’ll meet you blokes at Xi’an as soon as possible. Now quit yakking and get some sleep. You’ll need all the rest you can get. Toodles mate.” The line went dead before I could say anything else to refute. I sighed. Looks like things are going to get shaken up pretty quick. As Chatterbox used to say "Something is cooking, and it ain't stew." This is Reese Hurrikane, signing off.