King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 21

As we sidestepped each other, our eyes met, and I was shocked to see that his two eyes were completely different colors. One was blue, while the other was a standard Chinese black eye. He had a high nose, red lips, white teeth, and a very young appearance.

I was taken aback. The other person had already placed their right palm in front of their chest, nodded humbly, and made a gesture of "greeting and paying respects" in Buddhism.

I nodded in return and we passed each other.

I recall one such monk with unusual eyes; he practiced in a secluded cave on Mount Cheka in Thailand. However, that monk's name was "Chen Jian," and he entered Buddhism at the age of four, having practiced for over seventy years. He would have been over eighty years old, so he couldn't possibly be the same person as the one I just saw.

The camp had quieted down. I carefully placed the gold medal in my inner pocket and wandered aimlessly westward. Subconsciously, I hoped to get closer to the exposed Pyramid of Tulku to the west, hoping to learn more about it.

The camp was less than 100 meters in circumference, centered around the drilling site, with more than fifty earth-brown tents scattered around it. The higher-level tents, such as those of Yelan, Guye, Bancha, and the guests, were grass-green, and judging from the faded and indistinct markings on them, it was unclear which country's supply department had contraband from.

When I reached the westernmost edge of the camp, I found Suren sitting atop a pile of broken drill pipes, hugging her knees and gazing westward towards the setting sun. Her chin rested on her knees, and she radiated a pure and clean glow. If I had met her in a different setting, I suspect I might have fallen in love with her; after all, she was so young, beautiful, and capable—

"Suren, something on your mind?" I asked casually. Actually, this was completely pointless. The upcoming tournament of masters, starting tomorrow, would definitely put pressure on anyone following the Turkic Pyramid, including Gu Ye and Bancha.

Suren smiled, her posture unchanged.

In the western desert, a noisy earthen dragon suddenly appeared, soaring into the sky to a height of over ten meters, and raced towards the camp.

I knew it was a spectacular sight caused by a speeding SUV, so I picked up the binoculars next to Su Lun and looked westward.

That was a Mitsubishi SUV in the camp, driven by Tiger, and the other two were naturally Tang Xin and Song Jiu.

Tiger is the kind of person who's "fearless, lawless, and thinks he's the best in the world." I've known him for years, and this is the only time I've seen him so docile. Putting down my binoculars, I couldn't help but pinch my chin, lost in thought: "Could those three really have come only for the 'Millennial Corpse Worm'?"

My friends in the martial arts world in mainland China send me some anecdotes every month. According to the clues in those materials, the Tang Clan of Sichuan has great ambitions and seems to have a scheming ambition to unify the martial arts world.

The special term "jianghu" has never disappeared from ancient times to the present. Wherever there are people, there will be jianghu.

From the tyrannical Qin Dynasty with its assassins and wandering knights to the cowardly and incompetent late Qing Dynasty, from the rugged Heilongjiang River to the year-round spring-like Hainan Island, every city, whether bustling and vibrant or desolate and lonely, has its own underworld. Therefore, "unifying the underworld" is a synonym for unifying the city's criminal organizations.

Another noteworthy new development is that there is ample evidence that the Tang Clan of Sichuan has reached a peripheral alliance agreement with four globally notorious and infamous organized crime groups: the Yamaguchi-gumi of Japan, the Sanlian Gang of Taiwan, the Italian Mafia, and the 79th Brigade of the United States.

The last point further confirms the veracity of the matter: the secret blue files of the Ministry of Public Security of mainland China have designated the Tang Clan of Sichuan as the number one target for close surveillance, and within six months, the military forces in the Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan region have been strengthened three times, increasing the number of armed police, special police, criminal police, military police, and plainclothes police by more than five times.

"What did you see?" Suren looked up.

The Mitsubishi car was already speeding closer, its speed slightly reduced.

At this moment, three other people were also strolling out of the camp: Lu Jiacan, Elder Sahan, and Youlian.

Youlian, as always, trailed her gray robe, the old robe, its original color unrecognizable, its hem rubbing against the sandy ground, stirring up a light dust with every step. Elder Sahan's face was calm, revealing no emotion whatsoever, while Lu Jiacan, walking on the other side, was composed and steady, a pair of wide-rimmed sunglasses perched on his nose, utterly unassuming.

So, the eight of us who weren't part of the camp met together.

Tiger jumped out of the car, solicitously went around to the other side to open the door for Tang Xin, and then reached out his arm to help her out of the car. Seeing this unfathomable girl again, I felt a little uneasy all over.

Tang Xin walked straight towards me, stopping five steps away from the pile of drilling rods. She bent down and called out in a sweet, melodious voice, "Mr. Feng, I have a few small questions. Could you spare a few minutes to come to my tent and we can talk?" She stretched out her dazzlingly white hand and pointed towards the camp.

Although I didn't know her intentions, my first reaction was to refuse without hesitation: "I'm sorry, Miss Tang, Miss Su Lun and I have important matters to discuss, so I cannot comply."

I have no interest in dealing with people from the Tang Clan, even if she is Tiger's idol.

Despite being rejected, Tang Xin still smiled and said, "Then we won't bother you any longer." After saying that, she led Tiger and Song Jiu into the camp.

The other three walked straight into the depths of the desert. Suddenly, Elder Sahan bent down, scooped up a handful of sand, held it high above his head, and then scattered it down with the wind, forming a "sand rainbow" in the light and shadow of the setting sun. The rainbow formed by the sand was equally dazzling and colorful.

He started chanting incantations in a low voice again, using a profound and obscure ancient Egyptian language that I couldn't understand at all.

"Brother Feng, a beautiful woman has invited you, why don't you go?" Suren smiled sweetly, temporarily putting aside her sorrowful expression. The matter of the dragon had dealt her a heavy blow, because in front of that strange stone wall, she had personally sensed a soul leaving its original body, slipping into the pyramid like a gust of wind.

This isn't a scene from a second-rate movie with a pre-edited plot; it's a real event that actually happened right before our eyes.

I laughed helplessly: "We haven't finished our business yet, how can we be in the mood for dating some beautiful woman? Besides, if we get too close to the Tang Clan of Sichuan, we'll either lose our lives or be poisoned. What's the fun in that?"

The thought of the tiger possibly being infected with the "Emperor's Gu" made my head throb. Once the matter of the Tuli Khan pyramid is settled, I need to find a way to cure the tiger of the Gu poison first.

Suren kicked the drill rod under his feet, making a clattering sound, and his worries returned: "I know that if someone is poisoned by a Gu poison ranked in the top twenties of Miao territory, unless the person who cast the Gu is willing to detoxify the victim, other Gu masters can hardly help. Moreover, once the person who cast the Gu automatically retracts the Gu seed they sent out, they will immediately suffer the consequences themselves—so, if Tiger has really been poisoned by the 'Emperor Gu,' I'm afraid he'll be in serious trouble for the rest of his life..."

The Second Part: Underground Horror

— Chapter 16 - Expert Conference —

Indeed, the art of Gu poison cultivation is passed down through generations of families. Once you enter this profession, you must first extinguish your humanity and compassion. How could someone devoid of humanity possibly poison themselves to save others? We can only silently pray that the tiger will meet a good end—

“Brother Feng, just now, that girl, Youlian, was secretly watching you, you know?” Suren pointed at the shadows of Elder Sahan and Youlian, which had already disappeared into the twilight of the yellow sand, and frowned deeply.

I don't like it when people make fun of me about my relationships, especially with a strange and unpredictable girl like Youlian.

“Really, her gaze has been fixed on you. If I’m not mistaken, she probably has something to say to you…” Suren fell into thought, while I chuckled. “To me? Suren, your imagination is running wild! We’ve only met once, she’s deaf and mute, can’t make a sound, and has absolutely nothing to do with me. It’s like comparing apples and oranges. Forget it, I should think more about how to handle tomorrow’s expert conference!”

This little incident was quickly forgotten by me after dinner.

Gu Ye received a new fax document: the experts will arrive at the camp tomorrow afternoon, around 2 PM, in four private helicopters.

Tani was incredibly excited and even started humming "Cherry Blossom Song" in front of everyone, completely carried away by his excitement.

The security at the camp was more than double what it usually was. Perhaps Gu Ye knew this was a crucial moment that would determine victory or defeat? "Better safe than sorry," he was a China expert and naturally understood the meaning of this ancient Chinese saying.

The next day, I stayed in my sleeping bag until lunchtime before lazily getting up. Before any big operation, I like to rest my energy in bed and use the time when my body is relaxed to make my brain work at full speed.

I've always wondered: "What's inside the tomb? Will it be as clean and tidy as the Great Pyramid of Giza, with its sarcophagus and stone table? Will the walls be covered with magnificent murals? Are there invisible bacteria and insects that can kill without even a trace...?"

Strangely, I rarely think about "phantom demons." It's as if everything that happened before about this strange monster has become part of last night's nightmare. In broad daylight, people are always particularly bold, and they have no fear or belief that demons and monsters exist on Earth.

On the small bed opposite, the sleeping bag that Su Lun had used was already neatly folded.

I got up and dressed, and couldn't help but let my imagination run wild about what might happen inside the tomb. Based on the conventions of the pyramids that have been successfully excavated so far, the pharaohs of ancient Egypt liked to place large quantities of gold artifacts of extremely high purity in their tombs.

The ancient Egyptians had very advanced techniques for panning for gold in the sand. Some of their methods and tools are still amazing even by modern standards, which makes a very reasonable explanation for the enormous amount of gold stored inside the pyramids.

Some experts have even boldly speculated that the pyramids are named not entirely because their shape resembles the Chinese character for "gold," but because, in the ancient Sahara Desert, before gold became a global currency, all the pyramids were constructed covered in gold.

This is not an exaggeration, because the reserves of the three precious resources in the Sahara Desert—oil, natural gas, and gold—are still immeasurable.

A tense and oppressive atmosphere pervaded the camp. Several nimble workers were sweeping and wiping at the entrance of the tents in the valley, and a huge red carpet was laid on the ground, finally adding some festive atmosphere to the desolate desert camp.

This could be considered a simple welcoming ceremony for the four experts, right?

I saw Lu Jiacan standing with his arms crossed at the entrance of another tent, observing coldly. Meanwhile, inside Tang Xin's tent, it seemed to be Tiger, who was secretly peeking out from behind the curtain.

Everyone was paying close attention to the expert conference, eager to know what advanced tools they would use to open the first entrance to the Turkham Pyramid.

The creaking sound of helicopter wings breaking the tranquility of the camp was broken as four private helicopters, painted with colorful personal logos, gracefully landed on the east side of the camp.

When the four experts jumped out of the cabin, each of them had an irrepressible excitement on their face.

One of them, a tall, middle-aged man with a long blond beard, glanced at the derrick and excitedly made the sign of the cross, exclaiming, "My God, is that the passage to heaven? Mr. Tanino, you Japanese are really..."

I spat at my feet and said, "The entire excavation project should be considered the work of a scalpel; Tanino just reaped the benefits without lifting a finger."

The other three, not having lost their minds, briefly toured the area around the wellhead and, instead of rushing down, went directly into Tanino's tent. I imagine that in today's age of advanced communication, Tanino had already sent them all the drawings and written instructions about the tunnel project via fax, so there was no need for them to go down the well themselves; they had a clear understanding of the entire shaft and tunnel.

Ten young people in silver-white protective suits were also on board the plane. They quickly and efficiently carried more than a dozen cube-shaped wooden crates out of the cabin and directly into the tent. The crates likely contained the so-called "advanced drilling tools," something Suren should know a little about.

The expert conference started promptly at 3 p.m. Those who were fortunate enough to attend included myself, Su Lun, Elder Sahan, and Lu Jiacan, the Egyptian military representative, while Tang Xin and the other two were politely turned away.

The tent was converted into a temporary meeting room, with a silver-white projection screen hanging on the wall and a projector already turned on, its lens pointed at the screen.

There were no lengthy speeches, no applause, no self-introductions; the bearded man began his first statement. I had seen his photo before, on the cover of the latest issue of the US military's *Superweapons* magazine—Tang, a leading authority on global chemical research.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I've brought with me a newly developed drilling 'weapon.' It's called a weapon because inside this seemingly ordinary large drilling rig, I've incorporated a 'micro-directional blasting' system that can be precisely controlled by computer. Based on the previous failed drilling records of archaeologists and tomb raiders at the Pyramid of Tulku, I've concluded that there's a kind of flexible or adhesive substance inside the pyramid's stone walls. Its properties are similar to the high-strength asbestos commonly used in bulletproof vests, specifically designed to 'overcome hardness with softness'..."

That makes sense, and I saw Suren nodding in agreement unconsciously.

Tang's blue eyes lingered on Suren's face several times with a lecherous glint, possibly mistaking her for a diligent and studious archaeology student. In American research institutions, it's commonplace for knowledgeable professors to sleep with young and beautiful female students, and it's often considered a romantic story.

Tang's "asbestos" theory has been accepted by many drilling experts because the high-speed rotating drill bit carries an enormous, sharp impact force, enough to penetrate a five-centimeter-thick alloy steel plate. Such a sharp system, however, cannot penetrate the outer wall of the soil crack, which is why drilling experts are helpless.

"My design concept is that when the drill bit touches these flexible materials, it will release state-of-the-art 'gas explosives' through 24 hidden holes in the drill bit via computer remote control. This will produce an explosion with minimal vibration but enormous penetrating power in a straight line, equivalent to the explosive effect of one-tenth of a milligram of TNT. Such an explosion can be easily operated 100 times in a single drilling process. Therefore, I believe that by impacting, blasting, advancing, then blasting again, and advancing again, it is very easy to open the gap in the pyramid."

No one applauded, because everyone was awestruck by his groundbreaking theory of "gas explosives".

At last year's global weapons experts conference, the series of theories and rumors about "gas explosives" were still just a vague product that existed only in "theoretically feasible". Now, Tang has shamelessly claimed that he has already manufactured such a thing.

Such fallacies would have been met with scorn if uttered by someone else, but now they're coming from Tang's mouth with ease. Keep in mind, he was one of the two inventors of liquid explosives, and it was his research theories that guided the tireless work of over two hundred explosives research laboratories worldwide in the groundbreaking improvements to TNT.

Therefore, all his theories about explosives can be considered irrefutable truths.

The assembled drilling rig was placed on the left side of the screen, roughly two meters wide and two meters high, with a depth of no more than five meters. It was entirely shiny, as if coated with some kind of reflective material. Overall, it wasn't much different from a regular oil drilling rig, except that the drill bit was tightly wrapped in black radiation-proof fabric.

Tang walked to the drilling rig with a frenzy, hugged the iron contraption tightly, and shouted in an inflammatory tone that made people's blood boil: "Look, everyone, look! This guy will make all the tomb raiders in the world ashamed!"

The people in the tent finally began to clap listlessly. I noticed that Lu Jiacan had been frowning the whole time, intently watching Dr. Tang's every move.

I silently warned myself: "We must be extremely careful of Lu Jiacan's actions and never underestimate the immense destructive power of the Egyptian army."

In scientific research and archaeology, the military is completely incompetent, but their aircraft and artillery have sufficient control over this desert. If we don't take precautions early, all our work will become "doing the work for others," and we will be in constant danger of being "silenced."

The Second Part: Underground Horror

— Chapter 17 - Tang Clan's Deadly Poison —

When Dr. Tang stepped down from the stage, he deliberately sat down next to Suren and smiled at her with feigned gentlemanly manner: "Beautiful lady, if you are interested in my weapons theory, we can go to my luxurious laboratory in California and have a leisurely chat, how about it?"

I couldn't stand the nationalistic inferiority of American playboys, so I coughed loudly and glared at him until he wisely removed his hairy hand from Suren's arm.

Berrenlange's statement was concise: "What I'm going to do is create a tight shielding layer at the shaft opening, then evacuate all the air from the tunnel, creating a localized vacuum. Of course, I will continue to inject oxygen into this space—please note that the 'oxygen' I'm referring to is not the 'compressed air' we usually talk about collected from Earth, but rather oxygen atoms obtained through 'water decomposition' under special conditions. Based on previous experience excavating pyramids, many bacteria and beetles would reawaken and multiply in Earth's atmosphere, causing incalculable damage and lethality. Using my theory and oxygen products, the chance of these microorganisms reviving is no more than one in ten thousand. Therefore, once we enter the tomb, we can observe and study to our heart's content without worrying about damaging Earth's biological environment."

He was the quintessential university professor: fair-skinned, with a gentle expression, even tinged with a hint of inexplicable shyness. When he spoke of chemical terms like oxygen, bacteria, and atoms, a religious fervor constantly emanated from his slightly brownish-blue eyes.

His appearance rendered the figures from the Tang Clan of Sichuan utterly useless. The Tang Clan's methods of making and administering poison were based solely on rudimentary methods and old traditions, lacking any scientific theoretical foundation. Compared to chemical experts like Berrenlang, they were worlds apart.

The other two, James and Cheney, did not make any comments. Both of them were dark-skinned and looked like they often worked in the field.

The expert conference concluded, and a neatly dressed Gu Ye delivered his closing remarks: "Tomorrow morning, our groundbreaking project, which will astound the world, will begin. Therefore, I hope everyone has a pleasant first night at the camp, and I further hope that this cross-border, interdisciplinary joint expedition will be a complete success—"

Tang waved his hand, interrupting Gu Ye without any politeness: "Mr. Gu Ye, we Americans believe in this principle of doing things: 'What needs to be done today, should be done today'—since all the preparations are complete, why not start working down the mine now? Do you know that there are still more than twelve hours from now until sunrise tomorrow morning? If we make good use of these twelve hours, by this time tomorrow, we should already be sitting on top of the Pharaoh's sarcophagus, drinking coffee, hahahaha..."

The arrogance and conceit of Americans are on full display in Dr. Tang. I had long heard that he was an academic madman, daring to despise and sweep away everything, and now I see it for myself.

His proposal surprisingly received unanimous approval from the other three experts.

These elites from all walks of life are definitely a generation of workaholics who value time more than gold.

Two hours later, the experts' entourage had completed all the preparations and sent the drilling rig onto a makeshift elevator to descend into the shaft.

I wasn't in a hurry to follow them down the well, because I knew that in tomb raiding and exploration, the first to suffer are often not the biggest beneficiaries, but the first victims.

After a brief deliberation, I went to Tang Xin's tent.

Unexpectedly, she was applying nail polish at the table, meticulously working as if she were conducting a highly valuable scientific study.

Tiger and Song Jiu sat cross-legged on a bamboo bed, with a Go board in the middle containing only a few black and white pieces.

Tiger had a natural passion for Go and was very talented at it. He had participated in the China-Japan Go Tournament that made "Go Saint" Nie Weiping famous. If he hadn't ended up in the business of tomb raiding and wandering knights, he could have become a professional Go player on par with Nie and Ma.

"Mr. Feng is here? Please have a seat—" Tang Xin greeted him without getting up.