Midnight draped Ulong City like a moth-eaten blanket. The moon, moody and sulking, kept darting behind clouds as if playing hide-and-seek with the few streetlights still functioning. On the shadowed side of the Ulong City Museum, Zhang Xiaowai stood shivering in a borrowed black beanie, looking like a poorly microwaved sticky rice dumpling. Sweat soaked his palms despite the cold.
In his trembling hands, he clutched the crumpled map they'd unearthed from beneath the amusement park's carousel. A red scrawl on the back read:"The Eye of Ulong — Guardian of the Curse."
It sounded like a line from a B-grade action movie, but Zhang knew all too well—this wasn't a movie. Not even a funny one.
"Gear check complete," announced Liu Piaopiao, squatting on the sidewalk with a flashlight spinning circles across her palms. Her expression was dead serious—like a street magician who moonlighted as a war general. "This map is our key to solving everything. The Eye of Ulong might not just explain the masked man—it could blow this whole thing wide open."
Zhang tried not to sigh out loud.
Next to her, Wang Dazhuang leaned casually against the museum's stone wall, spinning his polished baton like it was the hammer of some gym-addicted Norse god.
"Pfft. Doesn't matter what it is," he grunted. "Eye, curse, ancient demon—I'll bash it back to the Neolithic. When destiny calls, the Chosen One answers."
Zhang gave him a sideways glance. "Why does it feel like your brain's wired like one of those bronze statues inside?"
He whispered under his breath, "Last time we broke into a place, I almost got strung up on a carousel by a night guard who thought I was a street-performing ghost."
Just as he turned to leave—fully intending to bail—Liu Piaopiao grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back. Her deer-antler beanie was askew, and her bangs clung to her forehead with determination.
"Zhang Xiaowai," she said, eyes sparkling like a cat locked onto a tuna can. "Don't chicken out. Your Ulong Aura is our lucky charm. Every time it goes haywire, we find something big."
Zhang scowled. "You mean like that time a haunted dummy almost flattened me?"
"But you survived, didn't you?" she grinned.
To avoid another security disaster, they'd chosen a time when the museum guards were most likely asleep. Liu Piaopiao had somehow secured a key to the back door. She claimed it was part of her "detective network." Zhang was 98% sure she'd bribed the janitor.
The key clicked into place with a satisfying clack. The door creaked open like the mouth of a sleeping beast, silently inviting them into its belly.
The trio slipped inside.
Darkness swallowed them whole.
Flashlight beams cut through the gloom, sweeping across rows of exhibits: shadowed busts with broken noses, cracked stone murals, and glinting glass cases that reflected their own anxious faces. The air was thick with the scent of dust, varnish, and something more ancient—like pickled history.
Zhang sneezed. The sound echoed down the marble corridors like a cannonball.
He clapped both hands over his mouth. "Sorry," he whispered, "reflex."
"Move!" Liu hissed. "We follow the map to the northwest Jade Hall. The Eye of Ulong is hidden near a carved stele, protected by a sealing key."
"Why does this sound more and more like a dungeon crawl?" Zhang muttered. "What's next, a final boss?"
Dazhuang pumped his fists like a barbarian entering an arena. "I hope there's a boss. My baton's hungry for violence."
The Jade Hall loomed at the end of the hallway. As they entered, the beam of their flashlights fell upon walls lined with jade ornaments, amulets, and ancient carvings. Each artifact sparkled coldly, as if watching them through millennia of superstition.
They stopped before a massive bluish-green stele at the center of the room. Its carvings looked like a child's doodles gone demonic. In the center was a small keyhole—perfectly shaped for the strange key they'd found at the amusement park.
"This is it," Liu whispered, reverently sliding the key into place.
Click.
The stele trembled. A display case next to it hissed open with a slow mechanical groan, revealing a hollow compartment.
Inside: a glowing green gemstone, roughly the size of a clenched fist. It shimmered with a light that wasn't quite alive—but wasn't dead, either. It pulsed like a silent heartbeat.
"The Eye of Ulong!" Liu gasped, eyes sparkling like she'd just won the detective lottery. "We've found the core of the mystery!"
"That's not treasure—that's a cursed eyeball," Zhang said, taking an involuntary step back.
Just as he stepped away, his heel caught on something rope-like.
Thunk.
Down he went, sprawling across the floor like a live-action ragdoll.
Before anyone could laugh or help him up, a shadow darted out of the darkness.
"Look out!" Dazhuang shouted.
The masked man.
Same hooded sweatshirt. Same grinning plastic mask. Same chill running down Zhang's spine.
He launched into a roll, gracefully dodging Dazhuang's attempted tackle. In a single, fluid motion, he snatched the glowing gem and made a dash for the exit.
"HEY!" Liu roared. She leapt after him.
And immediately twisted her ankle.
"OW!"
She landed hard, toppling a nearby exhibit. Artifacts clattered like bowling pins.
Desperate, she threw the only weapon she had—her words. "WAIT! Handsome stranger! Give me the gem, and I'll buy you dinner! All-you-can-eat skewers! My treat!"
The masked man stumbled. He visibly recoiled.
"Gross," he muttered, voice muffled. "Keep your weird flirting to yourself!"
And he bolted.
Zhang stared in disbelief. "Did you just use psychological warfare or… a dating app tactic?!"
"Shut up!" Liu yelled from the floor.
Summoning his remaining courage, Zhang sprinted after the thief. But his coordination betrayed him once again—he tripped over a display stand, which collapsed like dominoes into three others.
CRASH!
Artifacts tumbled. Glass exploded. One rogue sculpture flew off its pedestal like a missile—smacking the masked man squarely in the back.
He fell with a grunt, skidding across the floor.
The Eye rolled from his hand, bumping to a stop at Zhang's feet.
Dazhuang swooped in and grabbed it, hoisting the gem above his head like it was the Olympic torch. "We did it! The Eye is ours!"
Liu hobbled over, brushing dust off her coat. "See? I told you Zhang's Ulong Aura works. He's a disaster magnet with benefits."
Zhang collapsed onto the floor, gasping. "Can my aura at least switch to a model that doesn't involve blunt-force trauma?"
The masked man pushed himself up, panting. His voice cut through the tension.
"You'll regret this," he snarled.
Then he turned and disappeared into the shadows—swallowed by the museum's dark corridors.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Zhang finally broke the silence, staring at the gem. "So... what now? What does this actually do?"
Liu took it from Dazhuang and examined it under the flashlight. "According to the notebook, the Eye of Ulong is more than an artifact. It influences the city's fate. It's tied to a ritual, maybe even the curse we keep hearing about."
Dazhuang twirled his baton. "So what? We've got the Eye. Let the curse come—I'll beat it back to the Bronze Age!"
Zhang didn't share their enthusiasm.
Something about the gem's glow burrowed beneath his skin. It wasn't just cold—it felt aware. Watching. Waiting.
"Can we... get out of here?" he said finally. "Before a real security guard shows up and I have to explain why my 'confession letter' includes the phrase 'failed seduction tactic'?"
The trio slipped back out into the night. Behind them, the museum's hidden door creaked shut with an ominous groan.
No alarms.
No witnesses.
No trace they'd ever been there.
But deep within the museum's farthest chamber, a forgotten statue stood alone.
Its stone lips—untouched for centuries—twitched ever so slightly.
As if smiling.
Or... waking up.