Ayan descended quietly. The tunnel opened into a large basement lit by flickering lanterns. He saw Tithi tied to a chair. Standing over her were three men, including the one from the alley.
He overheard them talking about "The Blue Butterfly"—a legendary cache of stolen colonial artifacts. Tithi's father had hidden the map years ago to keep the treasures out of the hands of smugglers. The blue envelope was the final key they needed. Ayan realized he couldn't fight them alone. He managed to send his GPS location to a friend in the local police before his phone signal died.