Iron Bull taucht wieder auf

Kapitel 286

Yesak looked back at the people on the ground, and that wet gaze made me feel as if a caterpillar was crawling all over my back.

Ten meters below the wellhead, it was completely dark, and nothing could be seen.

Goro Kanan's theoretical research once sparked a major debate in the global physics community. Those conservative scientists jokingly said, "As long as he finds the 'Asian Gear,' we will all bow down and follow his lead." Now that Goro Kanan has actually arrived, one wonders how shocked those people will be.

Yesak turned to me: "Feng, I must congratulate you. Master intends to reopen the school and accept you as his disciple. I hope we can all get along well in the future. Although I am the eldest brother, I lack the talent for enlightenment, so please guide me along with Suren—"

If this news had come to anyone else, they would probably have jumped up with joy on the spot. After all, gaining the favor of Guan Nan Wulang is more important than obtaining the throne of some small Asian country. But I just smiled politely and said, "It is my honor, and I am very willing."

Yesak stared at me in surprise for a moment, then sighed and turned his attention back to the steel cable.

"Using the magic harp, we play the strongest sound in the universe. This is the starting point for the rotation of the Asian gears. Beneath our feet are 69,000 gears, but this is only the known number. In my latest research, I discovered that the total number of gears is infinite. Beneath this metallic world, the gears extend downwards in a spherical shape for 13 kilometers, which is only the waistline. According to this ratio, the total number of gears constituting the mechanical body is about 900 million, with the diameter shrinking from the 20 centimeters we see to two micrometers. It is this constant rotation that generates a series of surface activities that power the Earth's rotation, revolution, gravity, wind, tides, quicksand, and so on. The wind cannot stop, but it cannot turn too fast either, like an old clock that cannot be too fast or too slow, otherwise it would lose its meaning."

Guan Nan Wulang looked at me, quickened his pace, and expressed these complex theories in simple language.

I nodded to indicate that I understood.

He pointed his right index finger at the old man guarding the wooden box on the ground: "Look, that box contains the 'Five Lakes Koto' from the Japanese Imperial Family. You should be familiar with it, right?"

This time I was truly taken aback. I never expected Gu Qingcheng to bring the zither all the way here. More importantly, the zither imprisons the soul of the thousand-year-old female monk Tengjia. Her life story is already difficult enough, why should she suffer in this world again?

I sighed. "Master, I know that the guqin was taken from Princess Tengjia's belongings in the royal family and was given to Miss Gu by me. However, I can't see anything special about this guqin."

Throughout the journey, Gu Qingcheng seemed to be hiding something from me. Now that her true intentions have been revealed, her trip from Hong Kong to Hokkaido to acquire guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) was actually a foreshadowing of her search for "Asian Gears." In this respect, her scheming is indeed deeply hidden, far more complex than Su Lun's.

"Yes, that's it. Feng, to be honest, I still have a question that I can't answer. I saw that zither when Princess Tengjia was little, and I even played it myself. I've scanned it many times with an X-ray machine, but I couldn't find anything strange about it. Until I received Miss Gu's call last time and got the zither back, I suddenly discovered that its volume limit had increased fifteen times, reaching the limit of human hearing, but without falling into the ultrasonic range. This is the sound described in ancient Chinese books as 'awakening the gears of Asia.' So, Miss Gu and I gladly cooperated and came here together. She wanted another zither, while I took it upon myself to save the future of the earth. In the end, I have to thank you completely. I wonder what kind of magic you used on the zither to turn something rotten into something magical?"

He truly didn't understand, and no one but me understood, because it was a secret between me and Fujika.

I smiled and said, "It is my honor to contribute to saving the Earth."

When he swept his probe-like gaze at me again, I quickly stepped back: "Master, I'm feeling a little unwell, I need to go downstairs for a while."

I'm furious about being deceived by Gu Qingcheng. If I stay here any longer, I'm afraid I might lose my composure. So, before I lose my temper, it's best to avoid everyone.

"Go on, young man, spend more time with Suren." He waved generously, the light from his platinum ring stinging my eyes like needles.

Finding gears and adjusting their rotation speed to maintain the balance of various action and reaction forces on Earth sounds mysterious, but I'm curious to see how it actually works.

"If keeping the 'Asian gears' running smoothly can change the Cold War landscape, wouldn't that be a good thing? It would save the UN Security Council from having to fly around mediating the war and getting themselves into a mess. After being sealed in the koto, Fujika said that his mission was to play the world's loudest note, and here he can finally make the most of it." I said as I slowly descended, cautiously observing the situation on the ground.

Seventeen white-robed figures stood in a neat arc around the Asian gear, all with their hands clasped together, their expressions solemn as they faced the mechanical entity. Behind them lay the straight passageway connecting the two worlds. Their combined power, capable of breaking the sealed gate, likely proved they had surpassed Alpha's level. The term "Qi Cultivator" was, in reality, a general term given to those who dedicated their lives to cultivating a supreme internal energy technique.

Their heads were covered by hoods, with only half of their faces showing, making it impossible to discern their full features.

Su Lun was standing next to Gu Qingcheng. As the only two girls present, they should have something in common, but their emotions were completely different. Su Lun was full of joy, while Gu Qingcheng became increasingly depressed.

When I was about ten steps away from them, Suren excitedly turned around and called out to me, "Brother Feng, I've reached an agreement with Miss Gu. We'll take her to the 'Third Epang Palace,' and she'll give me a special pass to 'Area 51.' You know, my brother was fascinated by the world of 'Atlantis' and was determined to find all the relics on Earth related to that lost continent. Miss Gu said that with her connections to the US military, she can take more than ten research objects from there."

This was indeed a good thing. The scalpel's treasure vault already contained over five hundred items related to Atlantis, ranging from large iron bricks used to build the city walls to small items used by women, such as rings, hairpins, and even toothpicks. Gu Qingcheng's use of this condition to lure Su Lun into a trap precisely hit the other party's weakness.

"That's a good thing. Miss Gu has connections everywhere, even areas that the military considers forbidden are treated with utmost care—I don't understand, what is Miss Gu's true identity?"

I stared at her, hoping to find some flaw in her demeanor.

"I'm just a small-time collector of guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument), an antique broker, and maybe a little bit of a business mind, that's all," she explained with a smile.

"Then, how does Miss Gu explain her purposeful acquisition of the Five Lakes Guqin? Is it to wait for a higher price or to hoard rare goods?" When I resolutely gifted the guqin, I didn't think about these things at all. I was just acting with the heroic spirit of "giving a fine sword to a brave man and a beautiful woman to a lovely lady." Now, looking back, I realize I really underestimated her.

Gu Qingcheng lightly flicked her nails: "Mr. Feng, if you think giving the zither as a gift was a mistake, then I can now give you a check. Logically speaking, the zither is mine now, so of course I have the right to dispose of it, right?"

Her tone gradually hardened, and the old man immediately became alert, squatting down, pressing his hands on the wooden box, and glancing at me sideways.

I maintained my smile: "A gentleman is always at ease, while a petty person is always anxious. Miss Gu, you are overthinking and suspicious. Of course, the zither is still yours. But I was just thinking that you truly are a shrewd businesswoman, having foreseen the zither's wondrous uses months ago. Could you tell me what you need Master Guan Nan Wu Lang to do for you? Is it to retrieve another zither?"

The situation around us has become very delicate. I suspect that the people Guan Nan Wulang brought may not be his trusted confidants. After all, judging from their skills, each of them is a hidden master, possessing extraordinary abilities, and they would never be easily manipulated. Therefore, Su Lun, Gu Qingcheng, and I should communicate and cooperate more, rather than fighting amongst ourselves.

"Can I keep this a secret?" she asked back, then suddenly turned to the old man and said, "Kunlun slave, you always talk about wanting to learn swordsmanship from Mr. Feng, now is the perfect opportunity."

Suren's expression changed: "What? He's actually Kunlun Slave, the great swordsman from Los Angeles' Chinatown? Miss Gu, isn't this a bit too much of a joke?"

In my opinion, since Gu Qingcheng can command a top-tier martial arts master like Uncle Wei, it's not surprising that she can also have the great swordsman Kunlun Slave as her servant. It's just that the Kunlun Slave, who claims to be "unbeatable" in Chinatowns of America's top ten cities, is actually so unremarkable in appearance?

The old man slowly rose, rubbing his hands together, nodded to me, and then bowed slightly: "Mr. Feng, according to the secret documents, you once fought someone and unleashed tens of thousands of sword strikes in a single second. Such swordsmanship has already broken through the limits of human martial arts. I've always bet people that it's a myth, a complete fabrication; it's impossible for a human to achieve that kind of sword speed. I became famous for my fast swordsmanship, reaching three strikes per second at twenty, and four at thirty. But once, I sparred with Bruce Lee, the 'King of Chinese Kung Fu,' and was defeated by his ability to kick five times per second. So, I secluded myself to train, increasing my sword speed fivefold within eight years. Now, I can thrust twenty times per second—"

He reached for his belt and touched it. With a clang, a trembling two-foot-long fine steel soft sword appeared in his palm.

"Mr. Feng, please enlighten me." He slowly rolled the soft sword in his palm, then suddenly released it. The sword snapped straight up with a whoosh and pointed at my brow.

The battle, where a sword could be drawn ten thousand times in a second, took place in the fantasy world of the Saturnians. I have no idea how it got into the martial arts world. It seems there are no secrets that last forever; once something is done, someone will find out. Right now, I could never reach that transcendent level, but I possess the "Extra-Distance Blade," enough to fend off any enemy.

"Now is not the time. If you want to fight, there will be plenty of time once we're out of this mountain." I shook my head unhappily.

If Gu Qingcheng is using this to distract me, she is really too heartless. Why is she pressing me so hard?

“Yes, it’s not the right time. We both have important things to do. But Mr. Feng, Miss Gu promised me that we would duel. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have traveled all this way to this remote mountain village. We can refuse the duel, but you’d better mutilate your arms and publish an announcement in all the media declaring that you are a defeated opponent of Kunlun Slave. If that happens, I will immediately return to Los Angeles and will not bother you again.”

Kunlun Nu's face showed an almost obsessive fanaticism. When he poured all his inner strength into the sword, a silver sword light, half an inch long, actually came out from the tip of the sword.

This was a blatant provocation. Gu Qingcheng had already taken three steps back, clearing the area, clearly intending to sit back and watch the two tigers fight.

Suren leaned closer to me with concern: "Brother Feng, how are you feeling? Can you keep going?"

I nodded, and she lowered her voice even further, "I suspect that Gu Qingcheng's background is quite complicated. You see, everything is done with ease for her. Even the President of the United States has never been so arrogant."

“Because she has the right to be arrogant.” I laughed. Compared to her, Suren seemed a bit impulsive and unable to maintain a calm demeanor.

Kunlun Slave's soft sword trembled, emitting a strange whistling sound. With the sword in hand, all the dejection, defeat, and bleakness on his body disappeared, replaced by a high-spirited and burning fighting spirit. Even his full head of gray hair seemed to be awakened from a dream, standing straight up.

A true swordsman, once he draws his sword, transforms his own body into a sword, throwing himself into battle like a moth to a flame.

This unexpected duel became a trivial matter I had to deal with. In truth, given Kunlun Slave's reputation, there was absolutely no need for him to challenge a junior like me. His fame was hard-earned, and I didn't want to needlessly crush his confidence; for a swordsman, that would be the cruelest thing imaginable.

"Mr. Feng, please enlighten me?" He had already kicked the wooden box away, it seemed that apart from his obsession with swords, he didn't care about anything else.

My gaze fell on his prominent Adam's apple, the most vulnerable spot for a swordsman. Once the "Exceeding Distance Blade" was unleashed, he would immediately fall, with no other possible outcome.

“Mr. Feng, what are you hesitating about? Kunlun Slave loves the way of the sword more than his own life. If he could die under the sword of a master, it would be his lifelong wish.” Gu Qingcheng saw through my thoughts and added a few words slowly, forcing me into a dead end where I had no choice but to take action.

"Whoosh—Squeak," a sharp whistle sounded from the top of the mechanical body. Except for Kunlun Slave, the three of us turned our heads at the same time and looked at the tall dome.

"What is Senior Brother going to do?" Suren reacted the fastest, his face immediately darkening. He grabbed his gun in a flash, released the safety, and slid to my side. "Brother Feng, be careful, that's a signal to kill."

Almost the instant she opened her mouth to speak, Kunlun Slave was struck. A white-robed figure darted forward like a ghost, first snatching the soft sword from his hand, then slamming his other fist heavily onto Kunlun Slave's Adam's apple. A soft "crack" was heard in the air before Kunlun Slave was thrown back, crashing against the metal wall with a thud before landing with a thud. His body curled up, his limbs twitching futilely; he was essentially dead.

The man in white chuckled coldly twice, then suddenly raised his hand, shoved the soft sword into his mouth, and chewed it fiercely, like a hungry wolf that had just snatched a bone. A few seconds later, he choked and swallowed a sword that was described as "refined steel yet supple enough to be wrapped around a finger."

He turned to walk back, his gaze meeting mine. Suddenly, he gave a chilling smile, revealing two rows of sharp, yellow teeth.

The change happened so fast; she barely had time to explain her intentions to Kunlun Nu before he was struck dead. Gu Qingcheng's expression remained calm; the death of Kunlun Nu was no more important to her than the death of a stray dog or cat.

"Swift as Thunder, Ice-Swallowing Skill, which school of thought do you belong to on the Pamir Plateau?" I raised my voice, but did not stop him, letting him retreat back to his companions.

There are four major powers on the Pamir Plateau: the former Soviet mercenaries, Snow Mountain Fortress, the Divine Dragon Cult, and Kanakana City. Each faction has its own elite assassin groups. I suspect the man in white robes is a savage refugee from Kanakana City, because his bloodthirsty gaze is unlike that of a normal person; rather, it's more like that of a wild wolf that has roamed the snow-capped mountains for generations.

"Feng, anyone who disrespects you is challenging the honor of my sect. So, I, your senior brother, will take care of him for you first, how about that?" Yesak's voice drifted from afar, filled with undisguised smugness.

Suren and I exchanged a glance, a chill running down our spines: "If one white-robed man is already so lethal, then seventeen of them working together would be nothing short of a super-powerful special forces unit. What is Guan Nan Wulang's intention in bringing them here?"

"Mr. Feng, please open the box and take a look. These are relics of a deceased friend. Please accept my condolences." Gu Qingcheng's calmness was unbelievable even to Su Lun.

I stepped forward, bent down, and pressed a spring lock on the wooden box. Gently lifting the lid, I first saw a layer of milky-white tempered foam board, and then the Five Lakes Guqin, wrapped in layers of fine Suzhou silk. If Tengjia's soul possessed sight and hearing, she would surely have seen me as I gazed upon the guqin.

"Play the strongest sound in the world?" I shook my head and smiled wryly, rubbing my fingers on my knees before slowly touching the strings. The black silk strings and dark red soundboard were still familiar, including the two small red characters on them—"Five Lakes".

"Tengjia, can you see me?" I murmured to myself. Suddenly, the strings of the zither vibrated in the wind, producing a series of clear, flowing sounds, tinkling and melodious, extremely smooth and beautiful!

I seemed to see the image of Fujika bending over to play the zither in the secluded bamboo forest, and suddenly a soft, ethereal whirlwind swept around us, carrying a girl's low sigh on the wind, its long, drawn-out lilt: "Ah—"

"Who?" Suren shouted in a low voice.

"Nobody's here, don't worry." I put my index finger to my lips in a shushing gesture. Fujika has become a spirit, forever invisible to anyone, but I can feel her fluttering and moving across the strings.

“Brother Feng, I can smell a girl’s fragrance—” Suren frowned and immediately called out the words “Thousand Flower Bird”, “It’s Princess Tengjia, isn’t it?”

She stood beside me, gazing at the slowly vibrating strings.

The music stopped, but the lingering notes still floated in the air.

"She's gone." Suren smiled faintly, a hint of bitterness on her lips.

I understood her heart and immediately grasped her fingertips: "Sulun, I said we would be together forever, never separate, and we would not be influenced by anyone." Girls immersed in love are always fickle and suspicious, and even someone as intelligent as Sulun was no exception.

“Brother Feng, I know, I know…” She avoided my gaze, withdrew her hand, and looked up at the top of the mechanical body. Over there, Guan Nan Wulang and Yesak were exchanging whispers, occasionally letting out a loud laugh.

Gu Qingcheng lifted the lid of the wooden box and snapped it shut again. Her right hand was in her pocket, as if she had been holding something.

“Miss Gu, it seems you are completely indifferent to the life and death of others? Neither Uncle Wei nor Kunlun Slave can arouse your sadness at all. In this respect, it is truly admirable.” I couldn’t see through her relationship with the two deceased, but even if they were master and servant, they should have shown a trace of sadness.

"In the world of martial arts, life and death are separated by a moment. Besides, when you do things, someone will have to sacrifice. So what?" She answered my question indifferently, and withdrew her hand. In her palm was an old-fashioned Omega pocket watch, gleaming with a bright gold light.

In this world without a concept of time, a watch is the most useless thing. I originally thought she was holding a pistol.

“Mr. Feng, may I speak to you in private?” She flicked open the gold-plated crystal watch cover, gazing at the ticking hands on the dial, a faint smile always playing on her lips.

“Okay, let’s listen together, you don’t mind?” I squeezed Suren’s fingertips again.

From this moment on, there will be no more secrets between the two of us; we will always be together.

Gu Qingcheng frowned: "Is that so? Okay!" She looked around and pointed to a group of three horizontal and three vertical holes on the right. "Shall we talk there?" Before Su Lun and I could say anything, she had already led the way.

Su Lun sighed, "Brother Feng, you should be able to tell that Miss Gu is preoccupied with something. Is it appropriate for me to go along and listen?" Her brows were also furrowed, and she was no less preoccupied than Gu Qingcheng.

I nodded: "Of course, if anything happens, we'll know at the same time immediately, there's no need to hide or conceal anything."

As I passed behind the men in white, I observed their feet one by one. After all, you can tell a person's origins from their posture. The seventeen men came from almost every corner of the world. Three of them, short and stout, had dark, glossy skin and over thirty gold anklets, clearly indicating they came from the gold mines of the South African jungle.

"An elder of the Golden Gang?" Suren quickly wrote a few words in my palm.

I nodded calmly. The Golden Gang claims to be under the command of the "God of Blessing" in Africa and is the largest criminal organization in south-central Africa. Even governments of various countries have to be mindful of their behavior.

After the rise of the Azure Dragon Society, the most shocking thing it brought to the world was that every member had quite a background, and it was almost impossible to see any unknown person getting the opportunity to join.

"Guess what Miss Gu is going to say?" Su Lun changed the subject, her little fingernail tickling my palm.

I shook my head. The watch gave me a strange feeling because I suspected it weighed far more than a normal pocket watch. Gu Qingcheng wasn't an overly delicate girl, and she seemed to be struggling to hold the watch, so I judged it to weigh more than three kilograms.

Gu Qingcheng was already standing in front of the metal wall, looking up at the nine holes with a desolate expression.

Suren and I checked earlier, and every entrance to the cave was blocked by a stone wall, leaving no way out.

“Mr. Feng, first of all, I have to apologize to you because I have been lying to you all along.” She turned around and showed me the dial, which was actually a constantly rotating LCD screen with various colored icons and crisscrossing dotted lines on it, which should be a flattened world map.

"What are you trying to lie to me about?" I smiled calmly.

"I am not Gu Qingcheng at all, or rather, there is no such person as Gu Qingcheng in the world. She is just a fabricated identity. I only have one code name, 'Pompeii,' a ruin buried in volcanic ash, which will be forgotten by the world forever. Now, I will disappear again, disappearing forever from both of your worlds. The next time we meet, we will probably not recognize each other, because the identity 'Gu Qingcheng' will only be used once, and then not a single word related to her will be found in any household registration server in the world."

She possessed a composure bordering on despair, as if she were narrating someone else's story.