Chapter 840 Hope
"Let's leave here first..."
Zhuang Rui "saw" King Kong chasing goats in the mountains and stopped his experiment with spiritual energy. However, when he looked at the treasure room, which was worth at least several billion US dollars, Zhuang Rui was stunned.
Because he didn't know what he should bring with him. Gold coins? That's useless. A gold anchor? It seems he can't lift it himself, so Zhuang Rui went up and lifted it again.
"Huh?"
Zhuang Rui was surprised to find that the golden anchor, which he had felt was as heavy as a thousand pounds, was lifted up by Zhuang Rui with one hand. Could it be that his spiritual energy had evolved and his physical fitness had been enhanced at the same time?
However, since he could carry it, Zhuang Rui naturally wanted to take it with him. In case he was able to leave the island in the future, the golden anchor in his hand alone would be enough to cause a sensation among archaeologists and explorers all over the world.
Zhuang Rui first put the golden anchor aside and started picking through the treasures in the secret room. He couldn't leave empty-handed; he wanted to take as much as he could.
On this deserted island, it's more worthwhile to find some practical items. Zhuang Rui rummaged through the mountain of gold artifacts and found several gold bowls and wine vessels, which had a distinct Persian style.
It must be said that Klaus's pirate business was really quite large. In the secret room, even silverware was rarely seen. The pearls scattered on the ground were all carefully selected. There were a few black pearls with a jet-black and translucent color, which could be called priceless treasures.
The sheer variety of gold coins piled on the ground left Zhuang Rui speechless. In addition to gold coins minted by Persia, England, Greece, and other countries, there were even Chinese gold ingots and copper coins, encompassing almost all the currencies of economically developed countries at that time, which broadened Zhuang Rui's horizons.
Of course, Zhuang Rui would never let go of those three luminous pearls. If he could really escape this calamity, he could keep the luminous pearls at home and save on electricity bills at night. As for the claim that the luminous pearls emitted radiation, Zhuang Rui didn't care at all, because he had used his spiritual energy to examine them and found that the luminous pearls contained a faint spiritual energy that was only beneficial to the body and would not cause any harm.
Zhuang Rui took a luminous pearl from the hole in the wall, examined it for a while, and then walked towards the deerskin box. The box wasn't big; Zhuang Rui planned to put all the good stuff inside and carry it out later.
"Hmm? There's something else in the box?"
After Zhuang Rui took out the crystal skull, he didn't pay much attention to the box. When he was putting away the luminous pearl, he noticed a golden object in the box and took it out without thinking.
"Holy crap, Klaus stole the Egyptian king?"
Zhuang Rui initially thought it was just a piece of gold jewelry and didn't pay much attention. But now, after taking it out of the box, he was stunned. It was a gold mask made of gold leaf, not the kind that was simply pasted on the face. It was a mask for the nose; perhaps "mask" would be a more accurate description. The mask had hair combed back, with each strand clearly visible, a high, prominent nose, and two extremely precious Sri Lankan rubies set in the eye sockets. At first glance, it looked like a lifelike human face.
Judging from the mask's style, Zhuang Rui could immediately tell that it had been unearthed from an Egyptian pharaoh's tomb. However, he couldn't determine which pharaoh it belonged to. It's important to know that Egypt had over 30 pharaoh dynasties. Although most of the tombs have been discovered, many had been looted over time, and what valuable items were unearthed inside was perhaps only known to the tomb raiders.
Of course, the most famous pharaoh's tomb is the Golden Tomb, the tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun, which is also the only pharaoh's tomb that has remained intact for more than three thousand years.
The discovery of the golden tombs became the most thorough shock and mockery of modern humanity by ancient civilization. The pure gold masks, coffins made of pure gold, thrones carved from pure gold and inlaid with gemstones, pure gold reliefs covering the walls of the tombs, and the perfectly preserved mummy under the golden masks... all of these things amazed humanity.
British archaeologist Howard Carter once said: "Tutankhamun's only outstanding achievement in life was that he died and was buried." This statement is very insightful. The pharaoh, who was unknown during his lifetime, caused a sensation around the world after his death, all thanks to his tomb.
If a pharaoh who died at the age of 19 could find such treasures in his tomb, one can only imagine the rare and precious artifacts found in the tombs of pharaohs who reigned for longer periods. For example, the gold mask in Zhuang Rui's hand is no less exquisite than the gold mask found in the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, and perhaps even surpasses it. Holding this gold mask, Zhuang Rui sighed inwardly. Besides China's 5,000-year-old civilization, many other countries also have histories that rival China's. It's hard to imagine that humans thousands of years ago could create such exquisite masks.
How these items were stolen from the pharaoh's tomb, and from which pharaoh's tomb, is completely impossible to verify. However, one thing is certain: these items must have been looted by Klaus from the sea.
Zhuang Rui carefully placed the mask back next to the crystal skull, then picked out twenty or thirty gold coins from the pile. These coins were exquisitely crafted; some, like British coins, had English inscriptions and a soaring eagle on one side, while the other side featured the portrait of their king, a bearded man. The other coins also featured animal and human figures, all exquisitely crafted, showcasing the advanced minting technology of the time.
Despite the passage of hundreds of years, these gold coins still look brand new and incredibly lifelike.
Don't be fooled by the fact that gold is the least valuable thing in this secret room. These gold coins cannot be simply measured in gold. They are also considered antiques, and if they were auctioned off, a single one could fetch tens of thousands of dollars.
Of course, only a very small amount should be taken out. If Zhuang Rui were to take out all the gold coins in the secret room, even the most precious items would become as common as cabbages.
After thoroughly ransacking the secret chamber, Zhuang Rui packed everything he considered valuable into a deerskin trunk. This trunk, only fifty or sixty centimeters square, was worth at least a billion US dollars. Finally, after carefully placing three luminous pearls into the trunk, the chamber became pitch black. Holding the trunk in one hand and grabbing the golden anchor in the other, Zhuang Rui left the secret chamber.
"Ho ho!"
King Kong, who had been waiting anxiously at the entrance to the mountain, jumped up excitedly with both arms raised when he saw Zhuang Rui come out. However, when he saw the golden anchor that Zhuang Rui was carrying, he immediately snatched it away.
"Damn, he's stronger than me..."
Seeing King Kong holding the golden anchor like a toy, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but gasp. According to Zhuang Rui's estimate, this thing weighed at least three or four hundred pounds.
"Alright, King Kong, whatever you do, don't touch this box..."
Zhuang Rui gave Jin Gang a few specific instructions: don't let his big size fool you, he's just a kid, curious about everything. But Jin Gang will listen to whatever Zhuang Rui says. ...
Time passed day by day, and half a month had gone by in the blink of an eye. If Zhuang Rui hadn't been researching the mystery of the Klaus Treasure, he would have felt that the days were even more difficult.
After leaving the treasure location, Zhuang Rui compared the two treasure maps and discovered that the one he obtained inside the mountain was completely different from the road inside the mountain; both maps were fake.
Therefore, Zhuang Rui made a bold deduction: more than six centuries ago, Klaus led a group of pirates to bury the treasures he had plundered throughout his life on this deserted island, and made more than one map. To protect his wealth, Klaus left a few men on the island, none of whom participated in the hiding of the treasure, and Klaus also left no ships behind when he left, in order to prevent his men from stealing the treasure.
However, Klaus didn't expect that when he returned to the sea, he would be captured and hanged. The pirates left on the island, having waited a long time without seeing Klaus return, realized things had changed, likely due to infighting over the treasure. The pirate who ultimately obtained the treasure map also died inside the mountain. The two fake maps suggest that Klaus didn't entirely trust his men left on the island.
Of course, these are just deductions made by Zhuang Rui based on various clues. Archaeology is like solving a case; it's about grasping the smallest clues and reasoning layer by layer.
After completing his archaeological research on the island, Zhuang Rui found himself with nothing to do. His longing for his family grew stronger day by day. He often dreamed of his mother and wife, and would wake up in tears.
Zhuang Rui had considered saving himself and escaping the deserted island. He had tried to build a canoe. The method was quite simple: cut a large tree in half, sharpen both ends, and then hollow out the middle of the wood.
After spending a whole week and damaging one of Zhuang Rui's precious saws, the canoe was finally completed. The completion of the canoe gave Zhuang Rui hope of leaving the deserted island.
Tragically, Zhuang Rui's canoe capsized the first time he went into the water, before he had even experienced any wind or waves.
After another week of arduous training, Zhuang Rui mastered the skills of paddling a canoe. However, as he was paddling his canoe to survey an area fifty kilometers around the island, a sudden storm arose at sea, and a large wave separated him from the canoe. Zhuang Rui went through countless hardships to finally return to the island, but the canoe he had painstakingly built disappeared into the sea.
After this incident, Zhuang Rui finally understood that the stories of natives driving canoes in the sea in movies were pure bullshit. Relying on these things to leave the island was absolutely a pipe dream.
Feeling somewhat desperate, Zhuang Rui simply stopped thinking about leaving the island. Apart from standing on the mountaintop every day to observe whether any ships were passing by, he spent the rest of his time hunting and fishing.
Time flies. It's been two months since Zhuang Rui last stayed on the island. Luckily, he has a watch, so he doesn't have to carve lines on the stone wall like Robinson Crusoe to keep track of time.
However, Zhuang Rui would still carve some of his observations and experiences on the stone walls of his cave every day, leaving them for those who might find them. Also, when he was extremely bored, Zhuang Rui would make several trips to the pirates' treasure room, bringing out a large amount of gold coins and storing them in his cave, satisfying a bit of his wicked hobby.
Zhuang Rui is now tanned dark, holding a spear and a broadsword. He even made his own bow and arrow, intending to shoot a few birds to roast and eat, but his skills are so bad that he has never succeeded.
If an outsider were to come to this island now, they would definitely think that Zhuang Rui is a local native.
Swimming became Zhuang Rui's main way of passing the time. He discovered that while advancing his spiritual energy level couldn't help him leave the isolated island, it did increase the time he could hold his breath. During that time he encountered a storm while canoeing, if he hadn't held his breath and submerged to the seabed, he might never have made it back to the island. Now, Zhuang Rui can stay underwater for half an hour at a time. During this time, he swam almost all over the ten-plus nautical miles around the island, and even managed to collect quite a few high-quality pearls from the shallow seabed.
Zhuang Rui originally planned to go and take a look at the shipwreck site, but the pressure on the seabed was too high. Most of the shipwrecks were in the water at a depth of 60 or 70 meters. Zhuang Rui did not have gravity equipment and it would be difficult to dive that deep with his bare hands, so he had to give up in the end.
"King Kong, faster, swim faster..."
Zhuang Rui and Jin Gang were having a swimming competition, which was their daily routine.
"Haha, King Kong, I got ashore first, you lost..."
Zhuang Rui was the first to step onto the beach, and he looked back at Jin Gang and laughed.
"Awooo!"
Jin Gang was somewhat unconvinced and pounded his chest hard, indicating that he wanted to go again with Zhuang Rui.
"Come on then..."
"Gah! Gah gah!"
Zhuang Rui was bored anyway, and just as he was about to go back into the water, he suddenly heard a clear eagle cry from the distant horizon.
There are eagles on this island, but they are not very big, at most like a rooster, and they definitely cannot make such a penetrating sound.
Zhuang Rui looked up at the sky and saw a dark shadow swooping down from the sky towards the beach at the speed of an arrow.
"Golden Feather! It's Golden Feather!"
Hearing the familiar cry and watching the dark shadow on the horizon grow larger, Zhuang Rui was overwhelmed with emotion. His knees buckled, and he involuntarily knelt in the seawater that had submerged his feet.
"I can go home now..."
Zhuang Rui covered his face with his hands, and the tears that welled up slid through his fingers into the seawater.
Chapter 841 Life
This winter in Beijing is particularly cold. In February, Beijing was caught in the coldest period of winter, when even your breath could freeze.
Long icicles hung from the eaves of Zhuang Rui's courtyard house.
Early in the morning, Hao Long took a long stick and went from house to house knocking down the icicles. If these things fall down on their own when they thaw, they are almost like daggers and can easily hurt people.
Liu Chuan's wife, Lei Lei, has returned to Pengcheng. Last month, she gave birth to a big, healthy baby boy, making Liu Chuan extremely happy. He searched everywhere for Zhuang Rui, wanting to share the joy with his best friend, but he couldn't find him anywhere.
Ouyang Jun also left the courtyard with his wife and daughter. He knew about Zhuang Rui's disappearance and felt uneasy staying in the courtyard. He was also afraid that his wife would let it slip, so he simply went home to live.
The once bustling courtyard has become deserted. Even Zhang Ma and Li Sao, who were unaware of the situation, felt that something had happened, and the atmosphere in the courtyard had inexplicably become tense.
In their view, the hostess, Ouyang Wan, who was originally easy to get along with, seemed to have suddenly lost interest in going out to sing and dance. Apart from smiling at her daughter-in-law, she would usually just sit alone in a daze and would sometimes cry for no reason.
Mrs. Qin from Hong Kong was the same way. Zhang Ma and Li Sao also sensed something was wrong and went back to their rooms every day after finishing their work.
With only about ten days left until the Lunar New Year, the patriarch was nowhere to be found. Normally, the family would be busy preparing for the holiday at this time, but this year, the courtyard house felt lifeless and the atmosphere somewhat oppressive. ...
"Mom, is Zhuang Rui's business going well? Why hasn't he even called?"
With the Chinese New Year just around the corner and Qin Xuanbing about to give birth, Zhuang Rui not only didn't come back, but he didn't even make a phone call, which made Qin Xuanbing very dissatisfied.
"Xiao Bing, when you get back, I'll talk to him. He's been so outrageous. By the way, didn't Peng Fei call to say his satellite phone was stolen? Your dad is really something, why did he send Xiao Rui to that place in Africa?"
Fang Yi's eyes almost welled up with tears again after hearing her daughter's words. She had been struggling to keep the lie all this time, but for the sake of her daughter and the baby in her womb, she had no choice but to try her best to hide it.
Fortunately, Qin Xuanbing focused her attention on her two unborn children; otherwise, with her exceptional intelligence, she would have surely noticed something amiss.
More than two months have passed since the plane crash. Not only the Qin family, but also the Ouyang family has accepted the fact that Zhuang Rui is gone. After being missing in the vast ocean for so long, no one believes that Zhuang Rui is still alive.
Of course, perhaps only Peng Fei, who is still sailing his yacht and wandering the ocean, doesn't think that way. For some reason, Peng Fei still firmly believes that Zhuang Rui is still alive.
The reason Peng Fei was able to stay in the ocean for more than a month with a stolen yacht was because Ouyang Lei told him that the navy provided him with supplies; otherwise, the yacht would have been useless once it ran out of fuel.
"By the way, Mom, it seems like we haven't seen Jin Yu in a while, has it?"
As the weather got colder, Qin Xuanbing spent less and less time in the yard, but she felt a little strange that she hadn't heard Jin Yu chirping for several days.
"Yes, I didn't think of that until you mentioned it. But these animals are naturally wild, who knows where they flew off to?"
Fang Yi replied casually, "How could I possibly care about eagles right now? Let alone golden eagles, even if those two Tibetan mastiffs ran away, Fang Yi wouldn't care."
"That won't do, Mom. These animals are Zhuang Rui's lifeblood. He'll be so worried when he comes back and doesn't see them..."
Upon hearing her mother's words, Qin Xuanbing became anxious. Jin Yu was very cute when she was little.
"It's alright, don't worry..."
Seeing her daughter's anxiety, Fang Yi quickly offered a few words of comfort. However, Qin Xuanbing still stood up, supporting her waist, and walked towards the door. She not only wanted to see if Jin Yu had returned, but also wanted to check on the situation of Bai Shi and his wife.
After winter arrived, White Lion and Snowy noticeably reduced their outdoor activities, not because of the cold weather, but because Tibetan mastiffs had entered their mating season.
Xue'er seems to be pregnant. During this time, when feeding them, the meat is placed at the door and carried in by the white lion. Apart from Ouyang Wan and Qin Xuanbing, the white lion refuses to let anyone enter its room.
Perhaps in another month, Zhuang Rui's family will welcome a few more lively and adorable little ones.