King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 43

The three questions above kept swirling in my mind. When I thought of the words "vegetative state," I suddenly remembered the dragon whose soul had drifted away.

If Tenga at the bottom of the well also had her soul taken away, that would be terrible, because even if we got her body back, we would know nothing about her amazing experience of mysteriously passing through the sand and crossing the outer wall of the pyramid.

I turned back to look for Suren, because only by discussing these issues with her could I gain some insight. When I finally spotted her, I was horrified to find her alone, heading towards the northernmost burial chamber on the axis, already more than thirty meters away from the central chamber.

The weathered "corpses" of Bawan, Oulu, and Dr. Tang have not been moved at all, and are at least in a safe state, absolutely not to be touched. Even the slightest breeze will bring some powder off their bodies.

"Suren—" I shouted desperately and ran over to her, grabbing her hand.

"Suren, what are you doing?" My voice was so loud that the soldiers guarding the tomb stopped and looked around.

"Brother Feng, I just wanted to see what people who have been weathered look like. It's okay, don't worry," Suren explained with a smile, trying to pull her hand away from mine. After all, holding hands like a couple in front of everyone is something that would make a girl feel embarrassed.

"No, we can't go over there!" I lowered my voice to avoid causing panic among the soldiers.

Looking down into the burial chamber from this vantage point, Bawan remained in his timid posture, his arms slightly outstretched, a corner of Oulu's body peeking out from under his armpits. Dr. Tang, on the other hand, was pressed against the stone wall, engrossed in meticulous research. However, they had now transformed into a special material form resembling a "sandcastle," capable of instantly turning into dust.

Suren asked in a low voice, "Brother Feng, do you remember that several forces have mentioned 'super weapons'? If the word 'weapon' refers to a mysterious force that can 'instantly weather people and animals'—wouldn't that be more terrifying than atomic bombs and nuclear weapons? This destructive process doesn't require elements like enriched uranium; everything changes silently..."

Of course I remember that Tanino, Fujika, and Watanabe Toshio all mentioned the "super weapon," but if it's really as Suren deduced, then this weapon truly deserves to be called "super."

I couldn't help but shake my head and whisper, "Impossible! Impossible! The fact that Dr. Tang and the others were defiled was just an accident, not a premeditated act..."

If someone could use such mysterious power as a "weapon," then hundreds of countries around the world would likely be firmly under that person's control.

I whispered in shock once again, "This is terrifying! Suren, your deduction is simply, simply insane! If these military fanatics in the small African countries heard this, I'm afraid a multi-nation war would break out on the verge of breaking out!"

The reason the United States can act with impunity and interfere in the internal affairs of other countries is because it possesses the world's most advanced weapons systems. Whether it's the Pentagon's "Skynet" deployment plan three years ago or the newly launched "Global Satellite Strike System" earlier this year, both dwarf the weapons arsenals of other nations.

In a sense, it can be said that "whoever possesses the most advanced and powerful weapons has the right to interfere in international affairs."

If a "super weapon" were to appear, the Americans would definitely not stand idly by and would soon send capable agents to the African desert.

We exchanged a glance and simultaneously gave each other a wry smile. I have to admit, Suren's idea wasn't crazy; quite the opposite, it might become a reality overnight.

“Brother Feng, now you should understand why Tina is so dedicated to excavating ancient tombs and leading from the front, right? Given Egypt’s current position on the African continent, if its military strength were to increase by another level, it would become the absolute hegemon of this continent, and might even be able to extend its influence across the straits, covering Europe and Asia in one fell swoop, and winning World War III with overwhelming superiority—therefore, they are determined to obtain the so-called 'super weapon,' and in the end, we will probably all be forced to keep quiet and help the Egyptian military keep this secret…”

Standing between the central burial chamber and the mysterious inner chamber, we were suddenly struck by a sense of bewilderment: "Is everything we're doing just? If we truly uncover the secrets of the Turkham Pyramid and help Tina and her group obtain the 'super weapon' they imagine, it might ignite an unprecedented war on the African continent. Then, we would be the sinners of the Earth, the fuse for all wars and disasters..."

"Brother Feng, are you still determined to go down the well?"

"Of course, I never change a decision once it's been made!" Besides, with Scalpel and Natura behind the camp's surveillance system, it's almost impossible to back out halfway through.

In this vast, empty tomb, the lighting system was incredibly dim and yellowish, making it difficult to see clearly when looking up into the upper chamber. The thought that the two people and the dog there had been "weathered" right before my eyes, and that I myself was very likely among them, sent a sudden, sharp pain through me, making my heart pound and my breathing quicken.

"Suren, don't take any risks. Do you understand? I brought you down here, and if I can't get you out of here safely, I won't rest in peace even if I die!"

I don't know why I said such dejected things; maybe I was infected by Suren's inexplicably sad expression.

Suren reached out and firmly grasped my right hand, her eyes glistening with grateful tears: "Brother Feng, in this world, besides my brother, you're the only one who's ever been truly good to me..."

"Hmph, have you two finished your private chat? The real business has begun. Would you like to come and watch?" Tina's sharp, high-pitched voice rang out.

I took Suren's hand and slowly walked back to the central burial chamber, letting my emotions, which had just been fluctuating, calm down.

The metal box has currently descended to a depth of 160 meters. After descending another 20 meters, it will—

Suddenly, the jade coffin we had seen before appeared on the monitor screen. Let's just call it a jade coffin for now, since everyone already considered Fujika to be dead. Any box containing a dead person, regardless of its material, must be called a "coffin."

Yelan exclaimed, "Strange! How could the depth have changed? Last time it was clearly 180 meters..."

No one paid him any attention; all eyes were fixed on the monitor screen. It was a platform about two meters square, or rather, the bottom of an ancient well. There was no water, no mercury, no gold or silver treasures—just a flat, jade-like surface.

Jade is transparent, so the vines lying below the surface can be seen very clearly.

Her full set of golden armor needs no further description. Before we could give any instructions, Yelan had already directed the workers to move the iron box toward Tenga's head.

"She's breathing! Oh God! She's breathing..."

Cheney yelled, raising his arms and waving them wildly in the air, as if only in this way could he express his excitement.

What I felt wasn't just excitement, but more confusion.

Tengjia had her eyes closed, her expression serene, and her breathing steady, appearing to be in a deep sleep. It could be concluded that the oxygen at the bottom of the well was plentiful, and the surface of the jade coffin must have had many hidden ventilation holes to allow her to rest comfortably.

Driven by curiosity, the soldiers all crowded behind the monitor, making excited "tsk tsk" sounds.

It's an extremely simple process. I just need to go down into the well, open the jade coffin, take Tengjia out, and then return to the tomb—and everything will be done.

Yelan was still muttering, "The depth has shrunk by twenty meters in twenty-four hours. What does that mean? What does that mean?"

No one paid attention to this profound question; everyone was wildly excited by the mystery that was about to be revealed.

The calm voice of a surgeon came through the earpiece: "Wind, may we begin?"

I slowly tightened the zipper at my collar and answered loudly, "Okay."

Part 4: The Battle Between Heaven and Man

— Chapter 9 — The Beauty in the Jade Coffin —

I glanced at Fujika on the screen one last time, then walked toward the well and stepped into the iron box that the workers were quickly retrieving.

The tripod wobbled, and the iron box swayed from side to side, bumping against the well wall a few times with loud clanging noises.

Yelan stood by the well, looking nervous, and asked, "Mr. Feng, should we make any further preparations?"

Egyptians have always held the pyramids in awe, so they found it incredible that they suddenly saw an Easterner like me casually venturing into the interior of an ancient well.

I patted the powerful flashlight in my hand, smiled, and shook my head.

The toolbox specifically designed for tomb raiding was placed right at my feet; this preparation was more than sufficient. Moreover, when I sent out a distress signal, Yelan and the others could quickly lift the iron box to the ground within a minute. As for firearms and ammunition, I didn't need to carry any. Compared to that theoretically "mysterious weapon," any firearms used by Earthlings were nothing more than children's toys.

Yeran raised his right arm, making a "ready" gesture.

I deliberately avoided looking at Suren and Tina, even though I knew they were both filled with worry and anxiety. Of course, everything happening underground was under the watchful eyes of the scalpel and Natura.

“Begin—” Yelan’s arm dropped down, the winch turned, and the iron box slowly descended.

A depth of 180 meters is considered extremely deep, even among surface wells. The air at the bottom of a well is undoubtedly thin, requiring oxygen facilities, let alone inside a millennia-old Egyptian pyramid. So, what extraordinary adventures did Tenga experience to suddenly overcome all obstacles and arrive here?

I'm increasingly convinced that there's something fishy going on inside the pyramids—for example, previous tomb raiding teams were thwarted dozens of times, unable to break through the walls no matter what kind of machinery they used. But when they got to Dr. Tang's drill, they simply increased the length of the drill bit and easily opened the passage.

Therefore, I believe the "ghost" has been constantly resisting the invasion of external forces, which is why it has always protected the pyramid's impregnable structure. Thinking further, why did the "ghost" give up resistance and allow us to break in? Was it a resigned defeat, or a strategic retreat to lure the enemy deeper into its territory?

The realm of thought knows no bounds, and in that instant, I was reminded of Tang Xin, who had suddenly departed.

She came for the "Millennial Corpse Worm," and now she's leaving in a hurry. The only explanation is that the "Millennial Corpse Worm" was just a cover, and her real intention was the scriptures in Gu Ye's hands. Having successfully stolen the scriptures, the tiger will naturally retreat quickly, unwilling to linger with these Egyptian soldiers any longer.

"Is the tiger dead?" My answer has always been no. Even if the physical characteristics of the corpse are very similar to those of a tiger, I will not easily believe it.

Lu Jiacan is no ordinary person, and he has been authorized by the High Priest to strike ruthlessly if Tang Xin reveals even the slightest weakness. I am very interested in the confrontation between these two, because Lu Jiacan's name has already spread throughout Europe and North America, making him an invincible nemesis for terrorists targeting the US president around the world—even so, I would favor Tang Xin more. Often, the most terrifying enemies are those hidden in the shadows, catching everyone off guard.

The iron box swayed gently and bumped against the side wall. By the light, I could clearly see the messy, red talismans scattered haphazardly across the four stone walls. Seeing them in person this time, they really resembled the flowing sleeves of an actor on stage—extremely long and supple, moving freely and endlessly.

"Brother Feng, how is it?" Suren's concerned voice came through the earpiece.

After a moment's thought, I asked, word by word, "Surlen, do you remember what I told you about the monster's red tongue?" As I spoke, I reached out my right hand to touch the stone wall. Of course, I was wearing a pair of specially made radiation-proof gloves woven from asbestos and lead wire.

"I remember." Suren answered shrewdly, but did not mention the "water sleeves," deliberately trying to avoid being seen by Tina and the others.

"So, what I see now is like the analogy I used last time. What do you think?" Water sleeves are a unique product of Chinese culture, and I can't think of any necessary connection between Egyptian tombs and water sleeves.

As we talked, the steel cable continued to be released downwards, and rows of red runes, some bold and powerful, others graceful and agile, flew and danced, keeping me dazzled.

Ancient Egyptian wall carvings are predominantly earthen yellow, occasionally punctuated by touches of gold, but overall they give the impression of a slightly dirty, earthy color. These red symbols, however, are entirely different. From the very first glance, they seem to ignite a surge of passion, making one want to dance, like a slender dancer adorned in red and colorful robes, freely and unrestrainedly fluttering across the earthen yellow landscape.

"Hehe..." Suren smiled bitterly, probably speechless.

“Suren, I think all the secrets of heaven are hidden in the ‘Blue Heaven and Yellow Springs Scripture’. The most urgent task is to force Gu Ye to reveal the secrets in the scripture.” No matter where the scripture is now, Gu Ye was once one of its holders, so of course he can remember the chapters that interest him the most.

Tina interjected, "I will put pressure on Tani as soon as possible in an official capacity to try to get those documents as soon as possible."

The problem I'm thinking of, Tina will also be thinking of. Since she hasn't even been able to borrow scriptures in so long, it's clear that Tanino isn't so easy to deal with.

After the iron box descended to a depth of more than 100 meters, Suren would ask me about the air quality almost every half minute.

I still didn't use the oxygen tank because I didn't feel any pain from oxygen deprivation. This made me think of another question: "Could there be an air exchange device connecting to the outside world at such a deep bottom of the well? So that I can get fresh air anytime, anywhere?"

The red runes on the stone wall grew larger and larger, with many strokes exceeding two meters in height, as if the person who wrote the runes was holding an extremely long brush and could write such enormous characters with great ease.

When I saw the series of linked circular symbols, I couldn't help but think of the name "Dance of the Rainbow Feathers." I had seen actors on stage countless times making such undulating movements with their flowing sleeves, except that the sleeves were white then, while the entire wall of symbols was red.

At 120 meters, I turned on my powerful flashlight, the beam shooting towards the bottom of the well. The jade coffin reflected a cold, chilling light, and as the angle of the beam changed, the golden armor on Tengjia gleamed in the darkness.

Then Yelan was heard asking loudly, "Mr. Feng, can you sense that the jade coffin is very close now?"

Indeed, judging by the distance, I am no more than thirty meters away from that jade coffin at this moment.

"Yes, about thirty meters away. What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Yelan shouted in exasperation, "The survey we just conducted showed a depth of 160 meters from the wellhead to the jade coffin. Now it seems the depth will become 150 meters—meaning the jade coffin automatically rose 10 meters in just a few minutes. How can we explain this inexplicable phenomenon?"

Before I could answer, Tina quickly interjected, "That's perfect! Mr. Feng, why not use the ingenious ancient Chinese method of 'marking the boat to find the sword'? Make clear scale marks at the bottom of the well, and if the jade coffin is indeed rising, then..."

She swore in English again because this theory of "ascent" simply didn't work.

If the jade coffin could rise automatically without limit, there would be no need for anyone to go down into the well to rescue people. They could simply wait for it to rise to the same level as the well opening and then reach out to pull Tengjia out. Wouldn't that be much more convenient?

Yelan sighed helplessly, "With the steel cable as proof, I wouldn't dare have someone deliberately cut off ten meters of the cable, would I?"

A minute later, the iron box was still more than two meters away from the jade coffin. I ordered Yelan to stop the winch.

"How is it? How is it..." Suren kept asking anxiously.

Many questions can only be answered by those who have been there in person. For example, regarding the question of altitude, I found that many red strokes were abruptly cut off at the junction of the jade coffin and the stone wall, which should fully prove that the jade coffin was moved after the incantation was written, thus covering up the incantation.

When we lowered the camera to investigate last time, we thought the jade coffin was the bottom of the ancient well. Now it seems that this conclusion may not be correct.

So close, watching Tengjia lying peacefully in the stone coffin, his arms hanging straight at his sides, wearing this strange golden armor, he looked just like a prop in an ancient costume film with stiff movements.

Suren asked in a low voice, "She...she's really still alive?"

Before her voice faded, Cheney arrogantly shouted, "Wind, open that lid and let us see these beautiful golden armors! Hurry, open the lid!"

The people in the tomb were in an uproar, as if I were facing a treasure vault door that would open with a single pull.

“Suren, there’s no doubt she’s breathing and her face is calm.”

"Brother Feng, wouldn't that be exactly the same as a dragon?"

I couldn't help but shudder. Indeed, when the dragon was out of the stone wall, he was smiling, reeking of alcohol, and was fast asleep.

"No matter what, let's get her out first!" I grabbed the edge of the iron box and slowly hung my body on the outer wall of the box. Then I ordered Yelan to slowly lower the iron box until my feet were firmly on the jade coffin.

A cheer came through the headphones, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief because the situation was still unknown.

The jade coffin beneath my feet was incredibly solid, giving me a feeling of "finally landing," so I released my grip on the metal box. The headphones fell silent instantly; everyone was probably intently watching me on the monitor screen.