Chapter 250: Carefully Inspecting the Repair Shop

Seeing my distressed look, the butler quickly added, “Madam, there’s no need to worry too much. Mr. Carter asked you to come and pick him up, so it shouldn’t be too serious.”

With that, everything clicked. Carter knew I’d been wanting to visit the auto repair shop, but with my sensitive identity, showing up directly would raise suspicions. The investigators he’d sent earlier found nothing amiss, and I’d already scoped out the place in my spiritual form. Perhaps a visit in person would reveal more. He must have used the car repair as a pretext for me to fetch him, neatly tying everything together.

“Okay, get the car ready.”

Even though I suspected this was his plan, I couldn’t help worrying about the severity of the car accident. I was tense the entire way there. Perhaps I was always worried for him, but as the car pulled into the auto repair shop, my fear surprisingly vanished.

Stepping out, my mind was full of thoughts about Carter. I rushed to him, my face clouded with concern. “How are you?”

Before he could respond, I was already in his arms. “I was so scared when I heard the news. How could this accident happen out of the blue?”

At that moment, I didn’t notice Luke’s desolate look or the glances from others; my concern for Carter was paramount. Perhaps I had stopped depending on him without even realizing it.

Carter patted my back, soothing me, even though this ruse was his doing. “It’s okay, it was just a minor accident.”

Having once faced death, I was overly sensitive to accidents. One mishap could end everything, and that terrified me. Even knowing it was a setup, this tactic felt too risky.

I couldn’t stop the tears, and he drew me onto his lap, comforting me patiently. “It’s fine, stop crying. I’m really okay; it’s just Luke who got a small scratch.”

I then turned to Luke, who was now essentially part of the family. “Luke, are you alright?”

He met my teary gaze and responded in a raspy voice, “I’m fine, Aunt Zoey.”

Carter asked a young man nearby, “Could you get me a glass of water, please?”

“Sure, just a moment.”

The young man handed over a cup of warm water, which Carter gave to me. “Here, drink this; it’ll help calm you down.”

I took a sip of the warm water and began inquiring about the car. “How’s the car? Was it a bad hit?”

“You really need to see it for yourself to be reassured.”

I wiped my eyes, continuing our little charade. “I just wanted to know what happened exactly, and you wouldn’t tell me.”

“Then let’s go take a look.”

I stood up, and we started walking around the shop. This auto repair shop was huge, specializing in a wide variety of car parts, from domestic to imported. The actual repair area was even larger than the retail space up front. The scent of engine oil permeated the air, and mechanics worked methodically at their stations. Everything seemed normal. Carter’s car was parked nearby; the headlights and bumper were damaged, but it didn’t look too serious.

“Now can you relax? I told you it was nothing major.”

“Can you please not worry me like that again?”

“It’s not like I made it snow and the roads slippery.”

I crouched down to thank the mechanic. “Thanks for all your hard work.”

“No worries, it’s what we do. Just be careful around here; it’s easy to get your clothes dirty with all this oil. The car won’t be ready today, especially the headlights. We’ll let you know when it’s all set.”

“Thank you.”

“Not a problem at all.”

As we prepared to leave, I asked, “Could you point us to the restroom?”

The young man promptly rose from the repair pit and led the way. As we followed, I struck up a conversation. Carter observed the young man. “You look young. Are you supposed to be in school?”

The young man replied, providing details about the accident and the repair process. He explained that they handled the repairs themselves to avoid delays with insurance and police. He also mentioned that if it were his car, he would have been devastated.

The young man was quite chatty. Pulling out my phone, I suggested, “Let’s exchange contacts. My husband’s mobility is limited, so it’d be great to reach you directly about the car or any issues.”

“Of course.”

He cleaned his hands on his work pants before taking my phone and adding his contact.

“There, the restroom is just down there. I’ll stay here with your husband.”

“Thanks.”

I headed toward the restroom, passing under a surveillance camera. Keeping my face neutral, I entered.

I still recall that, at first, I wasn’t located in the stone chamber, but rather, I was moving through a labyrinthine underground setting. I concentrated on remembering the configuration of the underground area to figure out its potential location above ground. Considering the blueprint I’d seen upon entering, the repair section was left unfinished, with the walls and floors merely covered in a basic cement layer. The surrounding area was dusty, and places lacking light were particularly dim. The ceiling soared, supported by nine stone columns.

Hold on! Why nine columns? Typically, self-constructed buildings in rural areas stick to six support columns, modern ones reinforced with steel. Nine three-dimensional columns were unprecedented in my experience. Plus, the main lighting was installed below the midpoint of these columns, leaving the upper halves shadowed in darkness, out of reach. The floor beneath these pillars was smooth and even, but the top appeared to be carved. However, the expanse above was too vast and open, shrouded in shadow, making details hard to discern. Nine, after all, was a significant number. Like in mythology. These massive, towering stone columns, plunging into the earth and linked by stone discs, probably formed underground chambers. Back then, what I saw was merely a section of the floor. How does one access the subterranean levels?

Until now, nothing unusual had caught my eye. No wonder Carter sent different teams here, all returning without a clue.

Not wanting to linger, I exited the restroom shortly. Outside, Luke was fiddling aimlessly with car parts. “Took you long enough. I was starting to get restless.”

“Sorry, my stomach was upset.”

He gave me a fleeting look. “Let’s get going.”

I wheeled Carter out.