King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 62

"Brother Feng, did he really say 'resurrection'?" Suren asked, his face full of confusion.

I nodded emphatically, believing that Suren wouldn't laugh at me as easily as others would, even if my words sounded as absurd as a fairy tale.

Suren carefully used a toothpick to poke at Gu Ye's eyelids, nose, and lips, and observed for more than five minutes before silently giving up completely.

Whether Tanino will be resurrected—this question doesn't have much impact on the excavation work. His death, along with Fujika's, merely reduces one faction vying for the "Eye of the Moon," thus easing the pressure on Tina.

It would be more gratifying to see Fujika awaken than to revive Tanino.

“Resurrection from the dead… what does this phrase remind you of, Brother Feng?” Suren seemed to be asking himself.

I can't make any connections. The excessive mental and physical exhaustion has made my brain just want to rest as soon as possible, and I've lost any ability to make any active associations.

"You're tired..."

These were the last words I heard from Suren, filled with concern and heartache, before she tilted her head and drifted off to sleep.

I keep having short, eerie, and terrifying dreams—snakes everywhere, black, golden, and colorful snakes of all sizes. They all have flat necks like angry cobras, flicking their tongues and hissing incessantly in front of me.

I saw another enormous snake, with the neck of a cobra, the body of a golden viper, and a bizarre, forked tail like a mermaid…

It swam around in the sea of snakes, constantly circling and coiling around the "Eye of the Moon Goddess".

The gemstone was so bright, like a tiny piece taken from the sun. Even just a tiny piece was enough to sting one's eyes and make one afraid to look directly at it.

For some reason, the giant serpent transformed into a completely black man named Tano, cackling savagely and repeating the same words over and over as if chanting a spell: "Never die, never die, never die, never die..."

I shuddered and immediately snapped out of my daze, jumping up to look at Tano's face.

He is dead, truly dead, that is an indisputable fact.

I found it amusing that I had agreed to his promise: "The Japanese always love to fantasize, just like decades ago when they tried to dominate Asia and turn China into their food processing plant, like a mayfly trying to shake a tree. How can the dead come back to life? You can't exactly take your soul back from the clutches of the King of Hell, can you?"

Tanino's words are as laughable as the dragon's "resurrection sand".

Only then did I realize that the coat I had been draped over my shoulders had slipped to the ground. It was Suren's coat. I picked it up and held it in my arms, and a faint, sweet scent of a young woman wafted softly past my nose.

Suren wasn't there. Outside the tent, the night wind picked up again. I could hear the sentries' boots rustling on the sand as they walked back and forth, and the clinking of their rifles. Apart from that, there was no other sound; it was deathly silent.

Breaking into the pyramids at night was an absolutely reckless mistake, and I truly regret encouraging Tanino's eagerness. If we had waited until the next day, with all the tools, personnel, and cameras ready, and proceeded with the project step by step, the outcome might have been far better. In that case, I wouldn't have had to resort to such near-suicidal recklessness as to jump into the pool to save Tanino…

My body was so tired. I was so shocked and terrified that I felt cold all over. I could only stand up and move my numb arms and legs.

I stepped out of the tent. In the campsite in the dead of night, only the beams of the tireless searchlights swept across the tops of all the tents. A fierce gust of northerly wind blew in, and my underwear, soaked with cold sweat, felt like a thin layer of ice against my back, making me even more uncomfortable.

I stomped my foot, turned up my collar, and paced back and forth in front of the tent.

Tani made such a solemn request that I watch over him for 24 hours a day; I absolutely cannot break my promise. Regardless of whether he can come back to life, I must keep this promise.

The Turkic Pyramid to the west, shrouded in the rolling dust of the desert, appears distant and indistinct.

Judging from its exterior alone, who would have thought that its interior has now become a world of venomous snakes? It is definitely different from the Great Pyramid of Giza, and its interior contains unimaginable secrets—to this day, I still cannot accept the reality that the burial chamber has changed from a chessboard format to a giant pool pattern.

Where did Elder Sahan and Youlian go?

Judging from Youlian's strange behavior, I suspect she is definitely connected to the secrets of the Tulihan Pyramid, and with an extraordinary and mysterious connection at that. As for Elder Sahan, he himself revered the Tulihan god, and had previously done a favor by unilaterally treating all tomb explorers as offerings to the god—

There is one key figure who has not yet appeared in this whole affair, namely the elusive and mysterious God Tu Liehan, that strange creature with a crocodile head and a human body.

The materialistic education I received from a young age has left a deep-rooted impression in my mind: we humans are the most advanced intelligent beings on Earth, constantly struggling against the heavens, the earth, our own kind, and nature... and we have the ability to develop rapidly. Often, we only regard "gods, ghosts, immortals, and Buddhas" as spiritual support, without truly believing that they exist and will one day appear vividly in our sight.

Part Six: The Divine Appearance Revealed

— Chapter 2 — The Mysterious Prophecy on Mount Everest —

Who is the Earth-Cracking God? Where does it live? Is it male or female...?

More importantly, what is its purpose? Is it a ferocious beast that has come to life? An alien creature? Or some highly advanced Earthling with supernatural abilities in disguise...?

I have many questions to ask, if anyone can answer them all.

These are no different from the complex questions posed by the ancient poet Qu Yuan in his "Heavenly Questions." Perhaps it's best to leave them buried deep inside. I should forget those mysterious summons I heard before, and just consider them nightmares that dissipate with the morning mist. That way, life will be a little easier and more enjoyable.

Thinking about it this way, the terror brought by the venomous snake gradually dissipated in my heart.

From the watchtower, the eerie glint of sniper rifle scopes could be seen at any moment, but the dozen or so gunmen huddled there remained motionless, not even a cough could be heard.

The silence was so profound that it felt like the deathly stillness before a major battle was about to erupt, making one's heart leap into their throat and their body tense involuntarily. Inside Natura's large tent, it remained brightly lit, with more than thirty guards standing ramrod straight at the entrance.

I noticed something keenly: more than half of the guards' weapons had been replaced with light machine guns with terrifying rates of fire, and at least ten others were armed with "overwhelming weapons of victory"—ultra-short-necked shotguns—used only in close-quarters combat.

In engagements within five meters, this firearm is virtually unstoppable. It holds twelve rounds and boasts a rate of fire of 0.4 seconds per shot, with each bullet creating a one-meter diameter circle of lethal damage. Furthermore, due to its unique "ultra-short neck" design, the probability of malfunction during high-frequency firing is reduced to one in 120,000, practically negligible.

The seemingly calm camp was quickly enveloped in a suffocating pressure due to the sudden appearance of these sophisticated weapons.

Before dawn, the desert was gripped by extreme cold.

I checked Tanino's face almost every ten minutes, my hope dwindling and crumbling with each disappointment. Two Japanese men who had been key figures in the pyramid excavation were now lying here, proving the truth of the proverb "life is unpredictable."

His mind was filled with bizarre and incomprehensible things, because Tengjia was still wearing those golden tubes, a strange outfit that would probably not pass through security at the Egyptian airport—

The scene of Tiger playing chess with Song Jiu resurfaced in my mind. After all, when we first entered the pyramid, the tomb's structure was definitely in the shape of a Go board. I've always suspected that this type of building might have been intentionally designed to accumulate some kind of energy, just like how the ancient Egyptians insisted on building the pharaoh's tomb in the shape of a four-sided pyramid.

Tiger and Song Jiu have both disappeared, and no one knows where they've hidden themselves on Earth. What about the mysterious Tang Xin? Is she with them? And what about the *Azure Heaven and Yellow Springs Scripture* that Tiger stole? What secrets does it hold? Does another copy exist...?

Unfortunately, Fujika was unable to speak, and all the secrets about the ancient scriptures were abruptly cut off here.

I paced to Tengjia's bedside eleven times in total. If only I had Elder Sahan's "mind-reading" ability, I could decipher all the secrets in her mind and surely obtain many secrets about the Turkic Khan Pyramid. After the tomb's structure changed, where did the ancient well where the jade coffin was placed go? Did the jade coffin rise up and seal the entrance to the well? What kind of immense power, capable of moving mountains and filling seas, could so easily alter the tomb so drastically...?

"Who's there?" I heard soft footsteps and turned around abruptly.

The person who came in was Tina, her face showing extreme exhaustion that she couldn't hide, but she still managed to force a smile at me: "Mr. Feng, this trip down the well to retrieve the treasure has been so tiring for you!"

She was carrying a black plastic bag in her right hand, which, when opened, revealed a dark gray bulletproof vest. A faint sadness flickered in her eyes as she glanced at the Suren coat draped over my shoulders.

She's not done with using mind control to trick me yet; I really don't understand what she's up to now.

From the outside, it looks like an ordinary bulletproof vest, which should be an essential item for the Rainbow Warriors when they go into action.

“Mr. Feng, you might need this vest—let’s be frank! The presidential palace and the military are currently at loggerheads, and a coup d’état that could shock the world could happen at any moment. Although we are currently stationed in the desert, there are approximately two divisions of elite light infantry from the Desert Legion within a five-kilometer radius of us—”

Using two divisions to encircle and annihilate these hundreds of Rainbow Warriors in the camp is like a hungry tiger hunting a rabbit. A single group charge would level all the tents and military vehicles.

"So what? We hold American passports and enjoy diplomatic immunity. Even if the Egyptian army mutinis, it won't affect us." At crucial moments, Suren, Scalpel, James, and I can all stay out of it and let these native Egyptians kill each other.

In fact, the Americans and European powers wished for the flames of war to rage on the African continent for years to come; otherwise, wouldn't Lockheed Martin's light and heavy weapons be gathering dust in warehouses? Moreover, for nearly a century, Europeans have been hoping for a second invasion of Africa, to once again turn it into their adventure paradise and happy colony.

In the event of a mutiny, we can simply remain inactive and present our U.S. citizen passports to ensure our safety.

Tina sighed deeply, her expression sorrowful: "Feng, I know you are good at protecting yourself, and I admire your great wisdom in remaining calm in the face of adversity, but after thinking about it all night, I still can't help but give you this bulletproof vest."

She lifted her vest, shook it, walked closer to me, and handed it to me in her hands.

For a moment, I was confused again: "What is Tina really thinking? Is she really worried about me? Does she genuinely care about me?"

Her behavior—sometimes cold, sometimes warm, sometimes distant, sometimes close, sometimes angry, sometimes happy—left me completely bewildered.

"No need for you to go to all that trouble! I'll stay obediently in the tent and will never stick my head out to be killed by stray bullets—" I tried to refuse her. At times like this, it's best to remain cautious and defensive to avoid her coming up with any more tricks.

“This vest… is what I wear every day. It has six layers of aerospace-grade metal protective plates inside, enough to withstand ordinary bullets from a light machine gun. I’ve already apologized for what happened in the past, and now I repeat… I’m sorry! Feng, if I can return to Cairo safely, I will remember your face forever…”

Tina's eyes were filled with glistening tears, and her speech had begun to become incoherent.

I hesitated before taking the vest, because in this situation, I could hardly doubt her sincerity. The vest was very light, and under my kneading, it made a "shh" sound like high-tenacity asbestos mesh rubbing together. In the side pocket of the vest, there was a very short gray pistol, less than half the size of my palm.

"This 'Palm-Sized Thunder' is for your self-defense. The gun I gave you last time was too bulky and not suitable for someone as refined and composed as you. Feng, there are some things I need to make clear to you. From the first moment I met you, I've taken a liking to you. Of course, I had already thoroughly read your resume from the information submitted by General Lu Jiacan... Unfortunately, strange things are happening one after another in the camp, and time is flying by so fast that there's no time to chat or have a cup of coffee. I'll say it again: if we successfully get through this ordeal, I'll invite you to the Minaan Palace in the Presidential Palace and make you the best Egyptian pastries..."

I was once again captivated by Tina's tenderness and affection, so I took off my coat and put on my bulletproof vest.

It was already daylight outside, but the camp remained deathly silent, with no soldiers moving about freely, as if they were on high alert and ready for battle.

Tina stood straight as she watched me change, a sweet smile on her face: "Feng, before this, did you always hate me?"

I smiled wryly: "How could that be? You are the general who commands the Rainbow Warriors, how could I dare to hate you?"

Her military uniform was thin, and the morning chill made her cheeks pale and her shoulders tremble. If the setting were different, and her status as a general were different, perhaps I should have been more understanding and stepped forward to gently embrace her, warming her in my arms.

"Feng, I have to go. If I stay any longer, I'm afraid it will only hurt you..."

Tina left me with a sentence unfinished, leaving me with a lingering sense of wonder, before turning and walking away. The air was filled with the faint, sweet scent of her body, which heavily masked the subtle fragrance of "Thousand Flower Bird" emanating from Tengjia.

She left at the perfect moment, because perhaps half a minute later, I would start to feel sorry for her, and be willing to bear anything for her safety...

I am still young. Young people are always easily fired up and willing to give up their entire future for someone's smile or frown.

Fortunately, she left in time, allowing my blood, which had just begun to boil, to slowly cool down.

The pistol in my pocket began to feel warm after I touched it several times. This "Palm Grenade" pistol was produced by San Mano, the third-largest arms company in Europe. It only had a single-round magazine and a pitifully short range of 1.5 meters, so it was probably a self-defense weapon specifically for girls.

The vest was one Tina had worn, and the gun was naturally hers too, making me constantly recall all the good things she had done for me. Today, she gave me her most personal protective gear. If I still have any conscience as a man, I will definitely fight to the death to protect her safety during the mutiny.

A new day dawned, and the campsite was unusually quiet.

Without the workers' clamor and the worry of going down the well to search for treasure, all the soldiers were focused on holding their guns.

The weather was clear and dry, with a strong northerly wind blowing. This sudden leisure made me extremely uncomfortable. I paced back and forth, looking at the faces of Tanino and Fujika. I even had a sudden urge to go down into the well again and take the opportunity to retrieve the "Eye of the Moon Goddess".

The ancients said: "The hardest thing to bear is the kindness of a beautiful woman." The vest I'm wearing constantly carries the lingering scent of Tina, so I can't help but urge myself to do something extraordinary to repay her tenderness. If I hadn't promised Tanino to protect him 24 hours a day—I would have been by Tina's side long ago.

Su Lun brought me lunch, her face serious and tense. She had at least four bulging concealed firearms in her waistband and trouser pockets, and under the tray was a submachine gun prepared for me.

"The situation is critical. Natura has sent messengers to contact the Desert Legion several times. I suspect that something terrible is about to happen in this seemingly peaceful camp. Brother Feng, if anything happens, I hope you will immediately abandon all illusions and retreat westward with me..."

Her sharp eyes spotted the bulletproof vest through the opening in my collar, and she sighed with a complex expression. Clever as she was, she naturally knew who the vest belonged to.

"Don't try to interfere in military affairs. Although the camp is full of Rainbow Warriors under Tina's leadership, reliable sources indicate that the military has already sent internal security forces to imprison at least half of the Rainbow Warriors' families as leverage to coerce soldiers into defecting. Therefore, this time..."

This was a subtle warning. Suren's words were not alarmist. Upon careful consideration, it became clear that High Priestess Natura would never put herself in the "tiger's mouth" of Tina and rashly make a move while surrounded by Rainbow Warriors.

When I first arrived in Egypt, I was already aware of the open discord between the military and the government. In any country, whether it is as large as the United States or as small as Lebanon, the government must keep the military firmly in its own hands. Once military control is lost, the political throne can never be held for long.

Throughout the meal, Su Lun spoke at length, and I listened quietly, occasionally nodding to show my agreement.

The oppressive and tense atmosphere outside eventually affected Suren's mood. She ended the less-than-harmonious lunch with a somber expression and asked with a worried look, "Brother Feng, will you... take action for Tina?"

I reached for the "palm grenade" in my pocket again, asking myself the same question: "Would I? Would I just watch Tina sit and wait to die?"

"You will? Is that right?" Suren confirmed her worries, yet she knew clearly that she couldn't change my stubborn opinion.

I straightened my chest, took a deep breath, and exhaled all the pent-up air—"Suren, sometimes, men have to stand up and take responsibility for things. You're a girl, you don't understand these things."

Suren interrupted, "Of course I know. A scholar will die for his confidant, and a woman will adorn herself for her lover. You consider Tina your confidante, but what about her? Could it be just another cruel exploitation? Brother Feng, even now, do you still think that everything she has done and said was entirely from the heart?"

Her voice suddenly rose so high, sharp and biting, something I had never seen before.

"So, what do you think? She's using me? She's been using me from beginning to end—" I gripped the gun tightly in my hand, once again feeling the extremely smooth feel of the handle, made by its original owner's countless caresses.

"I don't know, maybe everything I said was wrong, I'm sorry." Suren said sadly, hanging her head and remaining silent.