Iron Bull taucht wieder auf

Kapitel 3

The scalpel nodded: "Please speak. Let alone five, even fifty or five hundred wouldn't be a problem—but let me be clear from the start, if these photos are fabricated by your Japanese computer experts, then five conditions won't be enough to resolve this..."

In an instant, the scalpel's expression became as cold as a cleanly wiped knife, its forehead gleaming with a chilling white light.

Volume One: The King of Tomb Raiders

The First Egyptian Tomb

— Chapter 5 — More Photos —

Bancha's eyes lit up, and like a trapped beast, two beams of emerald light shot out, making him appear even more eerie. This Thai tomb raiding expert was rarely mentioned in historical records, but throughout Southeast Asia and even West Asia, all the big and small experts in the tomb raiding business revered him like a god. Furthermore, the Thai royal family had once offered him a million-dollar annual salary to be the security designer for the Thai royal tomb…

“Of course, of course. Everyone in this industry knows the difference between genuine and fake. Mr. Scalpel, aren’t you overthinking this?” Tanino revealed the cunning smile typical of Japanese people, his lips twitching slightly. Above each of his eyebrows was a black mole the size of a peanut, making him look like he had two extra black eyes, which looked extremely strange.

He squinted again and waved his arm: "Mr. Bancha, please continue."

He was wearing a finely crafted Chinese Tang suit, with a beige background embroidered with freehand paintings of the Four Gentlemen (plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum), giving him the air of a refined and scholarly gentleman.

Bancha grumbled in dissatisfaction, then continued in his strange, accented English: "Five conditions. The first four represent four items, located in your treasure vaults number nine and fifteen respectively. The fifth condition—"

Before Bancha could finish speaking, I felt a rush of blood to my head, because the items in Vaults Nine and Fifteen all came from the ruins of Atlantis. Each piece, beyond its market value, possessed incalculable historical research value.

The scalpel paused, momentarily stunned. The fact that the other party could know everything about his treasure vault was enough to prove that there was a traitor among his men. He raised his head and chuckled to cover his unease: "Well, I didn't expect you two to be interested in the ruins of Atlantis? There's an old Chinese saying, 'A true friend is hard to find in this world.' If you like it, feel free to take it."

Gu Ye chuckled, pulling a large brown envelope from his Tang suit pocket and waving it in his hand. "Mr. Scalpel is indeed quick-witted. Consider this our deposit." The envelope was slightly bulging, indicating it contained other photographs rather than US dollars or pounds. At the level of these important figures, the number of times they handled cash in person throughout the year was extremely limited.

The scalpel slowly set down the wine glass, casually glancing at the envelope.

I was behind him and noticed a large patch of cold sweat soaking the back of his shirt, about the size of my palm. I was quite startled. In a face-to-face duel between experts, the most terrifying thing is to lose your composure first. The fact that he was sweating profusely showed that he hadn't gained the upper hand in this silent exchange.

With a sudden flick of his wrist, Tanino sent the envelope hurtling through the air, its height perfectly aligned with the scalpel's neck. This seemingly polite Japanese man had silently delivered a fatal blow. If the scalpel were someone with no martial arts skills, this envelope would be as deadly as a thin blade, easily severing his head.

The scalpel leaned back easily, resting against the sofa back, still smiling: "Thank you."

As the envelope passed over the coffee table, I took a half-step forward, swiftly extended my right hand, and with a whoosh, lifted it from beneath the envelope. At the same time, I unleashed a subtle, Tai Chi-like force from my palm, causing the envelope to spin rapidly in mid-air. The envelope, which had been open, slid out with a whoosh under the influence of my gentle force, lining up neatly in a row on the table.

I withdrew my hand, clapped my hands together, and the envelope shattered into thirty or forty pieces, falling like butterflies with broken wings.

After revealing his superior martial arts skills, Bancha began to notice me, glaring at me fiercely several times.

I stepped back, my gaze passing over the scalpel's shoulder to look at the photographs. What immediately drew my attention was a close-up of one of them: two hands clasped together, fingers intertwined, the knuckles filled with an indescribable tension. Anyone who saw it would know that the owner of those hands was straining desperately to break the other's finger bones.

"Hehe, twenty photos, please enjoy them at your leisure. It's clear that Mr. Scalpel is very interested in them. We really need to have a drink first, and once you two have calmed down, we can discuss the terms in detail..." Gu Ye was cunning and shrewd; he could guess what Mr. Scalpel was thinking from any unintentional movement of his body.

Indeed, there were exactly twenty photos, no more and no less, and they were from the same series as the photos taken out by the scalpel earlier, still in that dimly lit tomb.

Besides the close-up I mentioned, there are several other shots where the camera zooms in, deliberately focusing on the person's face. The stubble, chapped lips, ashen face, and clenched jaw muscles all indicate that the person is exerting all their strength to maintain their posture and resisting immense external pressure.

Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the shooting angle, we could only see his face drooping at a 45-degree angle, so neither I nor the scalpel could determine whether it was the legendary "King of Tomb Raiders" Yang Tian.

The scalpel picked up the close-up image and flicked it lightly with its fingernail, seemingly examining its authenticity.

Both hands, one bronze in color, the muscles and bones bulging from exerting all their strength, the skin on the back of the hand completely taut.

The scalpel exhaled and shook its head thoughtfully. At that moment, we were probably thinking of the same question: "The eldest brother has a blue rosebud tattooed on the back of each hand. The hand in the photo doesn't have a tattoo, so we can be sure that person isn't the eldest brother!"

My heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled, and a string of beads of sweat silently dripped from my forehead onto my chest. I couldn't believe that my older brother, who had been missing for fifteen years, could still be alive, and in fact, alive in an ancient Egyptian crypt.

With a flick of his finger, the scalpel sent the photograph landing on the coffee table.

Suddenly, Tanino laughed strangely.

Bancha released his handprint, shrugged, and grinned silently.

“These photos—” the scalpel began slowly, its tone low, but the heavy weight that had been hanging over its heart had finally been lifted. Since that person wasn’t its elder brother, all these photos were now worthless, and there was no need to exchange them for precious artifacts from Atlantis.

He only said half a sentence before reaching for the glass of wine, but his eyes were glancing at Gu Ye's face out of the corner of his eye.

"What? Mr. Scalpel seems to have suddenly lost interest in these photos?" Gu Ye asked knowingly, knowing that the old fox could instantly detect any change in Scalpel's mood.

The rose on the back of the elder brother's hand, according to the scalpel, was to commemorate two very special girls in his life. They were twins, the elder sister Lan Yao and the younger sister Lan Ji, both of whom possessed unparalleled beauty.

The scalpel had described the sisters' beauty with fascination more than once: "In any setting, the moment one of them appears, all the men in the room stop drinking, dancing, and talking; even their heartbeats and breaths seem to be suppressed by their beauty. At that moment, all words describing beauty, such as 'as beautiful as a fairy,' 'as beautiful as a fish sinking in the water,' and 'as beautiful as the moon hiding its face and flowers blushing,' become pale and powerless—"

"Their beauty is unmatched by any other person on Earth."

"Only a girl like that is worthy of the great tomb raider Yang Tian."

Volume One: The King of Tomb Raiders

The First Egyptian Tomb

— Chapter 6 — The Pyramid of Turkham —

Scalpel smiled and was about to speak when Suren quickly emerged from behind the wall. With a rustling sound of her skirt, she walked to Scalpel's side and whispered something in his ear.

Even though we were so close, I couldn't understand Suren's words. Perhaps they were just a few short syllables, or more likely, some kind of secret language used by the indigenous people. The scalpel paused, its eyes darting around a dozen times, its chest heaving violently.

“Since Mr. Scalpel isn’t interested, then our deal is off!” Gu Ye reached out to take the photos away.

“Mr. Tanino, please don’t be impatient.” Su Lun spoke in a melodious voice, in fluent and standard Japanese, and bowed deeply in the manner of Japanese etiquette. She wore a loose-fitting cheongsam with a white background and red flowers scattered around, the petals of which were none other than cherry blossoms, a flower unique to Japan in spring.

Gu Ye glanced at Suren with great interest, like a night owl spotting a snow-white rabbit, as if he might pounce at any moment.

“Mr. Tanino, my master, Kanan Goro, often mentions your name to the younger generation, and says that if we have the opportunity to meet someday, he must ask you more about the stories of the treasure-sunken ships in the Japan Strait and the Taiwan Strait.” Su Lun said softly, causing Tanino to suddenly lean back, reach out and touch his forehead, utterly shocked.

Not only was Tanino shocked, but I was also startled.

Goro Kanan, a Japanese-American, currently serves as a military advisor for Asian affairs at the Pentagon and is a powerful figure within the Bush administration. Before joining the Pentagon, Kanan was a world-renowned authority on history, archaeology, and space science, and a four-time All-Japan Judo and Kendo champion…

This person is revered as a "grandmaster" by experts in the industry, and no one can compare to him.

Since Su Lun is Guan Nan Wu Lang's disciple, who would dare to look down on him?

Gu Ye's jaw drooped exaggeratedly, and his gaze lingered on Su Lun's face for more than thirty seconds: "Master Guan Nan's... disciple?"

His voice trembled involuntarily, which made me laugh a little.

"Yes, I am not very talented. I am ranked forty-ninth among Master Guan Nan's disciples."

This time, even Bancha exclaimed in surprise: "Miss—no, no, I should address you as Your Excellency… Your Excellency is actually Master Guannan's last disciple? 'Mark' Yagiku Sakurako?"

I had heard of a girl named "Yagiku Sakurako" in a global historian's chronicle. She was said to have an extraordinary photographic memory; once any text or image entered her mind, she could recall it at a speed comparable to a computer. Her nickname was "The Sign."

Suren smiled, exuding charm and allure: "My Chinese name is Suren. I hope you two seniors will give me your guidance."

The study fell silent. The appearance of Suren had taken Gu Ye and Bancha by surprise, leaving them feeling slightly frustrated.

Suren brushed her long hair aside and stacked the photos on the coffee table one by one. She believed that after scanning them with her eyes, all the photos would be perfectly preserved and no tiny details would be missed.

"Of the five conditions Mr. Bancha mentioned, I guess the last one is about 'Tu Lie Khan 361', right?"

Suren carefully put away the photos, gently sat down next to the scalpel, and placed her hand on the back of the scalpel's hand. Thankfully, her hand was there to soothe it; otherwise, the scalpel might have jumped up.

"Haha, haha—" Gu Ye swallowed hard and chuckled dryly, silently admitting it.

Bancha's turquoise eyes slowly began to swell with blood, a blurry, bloodshot light emanating from them as he stared intently at Suren: "Are you here representing your master's will, or Mr. Scalpel's opinion?" His hands suddenly reached down to the bottom, grasping both ankles with a rhythmic grip and release.

Thai metaphysical martial arts have a long history, especially the thousands of "mudras" (hand gestures) that ancient philosophers gleaned from Buddhist scriptures, which possess astonishing and mystical power. Although humans only have ten fingers, masters of "mudras" can conjure countless unique martial arts techniques from the variations of these ten fingers.

Of the thousands of hand gestures, even the most talented Thai martial artists, after exhausting their life's wisdom, can only master a little over a hundred.

“Mr. Bancha, I am here on vacation and have no hostility whatsoever. There is no need to treat me with the ‘Kalpa-Destroying Buddha Hand Seal’ as if I were facing a great enemy. My master said that there is a major flaw in the hand seal of the predecessor. If it is countered by a master, one’s blood will inevitably reverse and the temples will burst, resulting in death.”

Bancha cried out "Ah!" and his face turned yellow. He hurriedly let go, it seemed that Su Lun had hit the nail on the head regarding his martial arts weakness.

Suren's arrival tipped the scales of the negotiations in favor of the scalpel. However, "Tu Liehan 361" was a matter of great importance, and none of the people present dared to relax or openly discuss the outcome.

Gu Ye nodded silently, then turned his large scalpel hand over and grasped Su Lun's small hand.

After a long while, a night breeze swept in through the window, and I suddenly realized that my back was icy cold and completely soaked with cold sweat.

According to historical records, the pyramid tomb containing the Eye of the Moon was built by an ancient Egyptian king named Turkhan. The pyramid's interior rooms are arranged such that each level has 361 rooms, a number that coincides with the number of squares on a Go board. The layout is also 19 rooms horizontally and 19 rooms vertically, making it perfectly resembling a Go board in cross-section.

The number of burial chambers in the Pyramid of Tsarist Russia has never been definitively determined. Initially, Egyptian tomb raiders identified seven chambers, while Norwegian treasure hunters concluded that there were fifteen. However, the latest data shows that even below these fifteen chambers, powerful ultrasonic detectors still reveal huge hollow echoes, indicating that the burial chambers are far more than fifteen, possibly extending hundreds of meters underground into the desert.

The Scalpel Project, also known as the Sun God Project, was a massive, secret plan to excavate the Pyramid of Giza.

"The fifth condition is that the entire excavation project of the Turkham pyramids be handed over to us."

"Hahahaha—" The scalpel suddenly burst into laughter, its gaze fixed intently on Bancha, who had spoken. Even a novice tomb raider could estimate the excavation value of the Turkic Pyramid—

This is a complete, unexcavated pyramid. Its construction methods and defensive measures are vastly different from those of ordinary pyramids that have already been excavated and looted. Therefore, many tomb raiders, blinded by experience, have failed miserably. According to reliable records, since the Pyramid of Tirakihan was discovered by the first tomb raiders in 1976, at least five hundred master-level figures have lost their lives in the attempt to break into its interior.

The stark data clearly demonstrates that the Pyramid of Tsar is the only Egyptian tomb discovered on Earth to date that has not been looted.

As is widely known, the pyramids have contained a wealth of potentially groundbreaking discoveries in physics, biology, and archaeology over thousands of years. The value of these discoveries alone, if someone were to own the tomb of Turksham, could buy all the most luxurious universities in Europe.

Any monetary figure pales in comparison to the value of the Turkic pyramids, and none can accurately estimate their true worth.

Volume One: The King of Tomb Raiders

The First Egyptian Tomb

— Chapter 7 — Reaching a Cooperation Agreement —

Bancha was somewhat exasperated: "Compared to our achievements in exploring tombs using satellite imagery, what are the Turkic Khan Pyramids?"

He had abandoned his attempt to attack Suren using hand seals, and huddled on the sofa, his eyes no longer gleaming. Six words from his speech caught my attention—"Satellite imagery for tomb exploration? Have these two mastered the latest technology?"

Suren gripped the scalpel tightly once more, as if communicating telepathically.

The scalpel suddenly sighed, its eyes flickering, its eyebrows raised as if asking a question. Suren nodded slightly, silently acquiescing.

The scalpel sighed again: "Mr. Tanino, I believe the core value of the Turkic Pyramid lies in the Eye of the Moon treasured within it, don't you think?"

With a drooping mouth and a listless, powerless gaze, Gu Ye replied, "Yes, that's certainly the case at the moment."

"Then, I'll still do the excavation. When the tomb is opened, the gems are yours, how about that?" After weighing the pros and cons, the scalpel proposed this semi-compromise plan, which was already a huge concession.

I was a little puzzled: "Since those photos are completely worthless, why bother trying to get something out of something so valuable?"

The photos were neatly stacked on the sofa next to Suren, the top one being a close-up of two hands clasped together. I haven't even mentioned the other hand yet—that's… probably the hand of a statue, bluish-gray, stiff and lifeless. The carving was clumsy and rough; it didn't even depict the hand lines or the horizontal wrinkles of the skin between the knuckles, just five smooth "puppet" fingers.

I can only describe it as a "puppet," because in the stone carving art of ancient Egypt, anything involving the limbs of a "human" figure was meticulously and exquisitely crafted. However, the details of the head and body structure are sculpted without any proportion, looking incredibly bizarre. And the shape of this hand is completely inconsistent with the characteristics of Egyptian statues.

"Ha—" Gu Ye let out another dry laugh, surprisingly offering the complete opposite opinion: "The Moon Goddess's Eye is yours, and the rest is mine, how about that?"

The focus of their argument seemed to be that the Tsarist pyramids were the common property of all people, and everyone who saw them had a share.

The scalpel fell silent again, and Bancha seized the opportunity to jump out: "Mr. Scalpel, are you really willing to spend so much money to exchange for a few worthless pictures? Hmph, we've changed our minds, the deal is off!" He quickly stood up, making a gesture as if to leave.

The situation immediately reached a stalemate, and the initiative returned to Tanino's side.

Are photos important?

"What did Suren say to the scalpel?"

"Could the person in the photo really be the eldest brother?"