King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 70

As I've already stated, my shooting skills are more than enough to instruct sharpshooters in the military. This time, I'm certain that all twenty bullets were aimed at Youlian's head, chest, and abdomen—three vital areas—without any intention of holding back. Furthermore, I am well aware of the lethality of this large-caliber military pistol; twenty bullets are enough to kill a giant python or an adult polar bear.

Youlian raised her left hand, spread her five fingers, and the sound of bullets clattering to the ground was incessant, exactly twenty bullets, no more, no less.

I stood there, mouth agape, holding the empty gun, dumbfounded.

"It's no use, Feng. Earthlings' bullets can no longer kill me. These weapons that you consider your self-defense treasures are just children's toys in my eyes. I'm sorry, is it too impolite of me to call you by your name? I heard others call you that, so I'm calling you that too. I apologize."

My mind went blank for a moment. Youlian could actually speak, and she was speaking in Chinese—"Didn't Sahan say she was born deaf and mute? Calling me an Earthling? Who is she? An alien?"

Youlian pushed off her hood, revealing a grayish-brown mask, her eyes fixed intently on me.

The soldiers who had been tracking us had all died heroically. On the makeshift road in the dead of night, besides the two of us, there was only the endless desert sandstorm. I felt as if I had fallen into a bizarre dream. The moon was so round, the moonlight so enchanting, but I was facing a "non-earthling" from who-knows-where.

I had read countless UFO exploration magazines before, and many people had described encounters with alien UFOs and aliens. Many people used flowery and fancy words to describe the alien's spaceship, appearance, language, and actions. Now, there is an alien standing in front of me, an alien creature that looks no different from an Earthling.

"Are you an alien? Is Sahan an alien? Is the great god Turkhan an alien?" I asked three questions in a row. Thinking back to Sahan's appearance, apart from being too old, he was no different from an Earthling.

A strong northerly wind swept in, causing Youlian's gray robe to flutter wildly, making her appear even more mysterious and bizarre. The explosion just now came out of nowhere; if Youlian was responsible for it, she probably really had no good intentions.

"Do our identities matter? Do you have to uncover the truth of everything to feel at ease? Be rational. Many things on earth have no answers, meaning you could spend your entire life and still not see the truth. Human life is precious. Why waste it in a dark, narrow grave instead of doing something meaningful?"

She blinked incessantly behind the mask, her voice flat and monotonous, as if emanating from some kind of electronic loudspeaker.

I sneered, "Those who are not of our kind are bound to have different hearts. You can speak Chinese, so you naturally understand the meaning of this saying, right? This is Earth, and we do not welcome uninvited guests from your planet."

She reached up and pushed up her gray mask, saying with a hint of regret, "Then we can't talk anymore! The pyramids have existed on Earth for thousands of years. Wouldn't it be better to let those buried in their tombs cultivate in peace? Why do Earthlings have to dig a hole and crawl in? So, I destroyed that drilling machine, hoping that no one will ever create such a pointless machine again... As for you, if it weren't for the energy in your body, you would have been blown to pieces like them long ago..."

Youlian turned around and pointed to the still-smoking wreckage of the military vehicle, her tone nonchalant, as if killing four vehicles of soldiers was nothing to be surprised about.

"You...you live in the pyramids? What is your purpose—" I felt as if a huge ball of fire was burning inside my chest, and I was already beyond furious. We are human beings, not birds or beasts, how could we be arbitrarily slaughtered by aliens?

"Our purpose? That means nothing to you. I'm just warning you, some things are better left to lie dormant underground forever. Once they're unearthed by busybodies, the first thing to be destroyed will be the Earth, not any of the millions of stars in the universe..."

As her grey robe billowed, a huge planet symbol was revealed on her chest.

I wasn't mistaken. A gray planet, about the size of a bowl, was surrounded by a milky-white halo, which, whether embroidered or printed on her chest, looked fiercely burning and had a remarkable three-dimensional quality. That star was unique in the knowledge of Earthlings, because only it would be entwined with such a ring of light formed from accumulated cosmic dust.

Its name is Saturn, as everyone on Earth knows.

My mind raced.

He exclaimed, "Ah!" He continued, "You...you come from Saturn! You are Saturnians!"

Using planet patterns as clothing decorations is an outdated method of embellishment. Moreover, with my discerning eye, I can tell that the Saturn mark on Youlian's clothes was definitely not created using Earth-based drawing techniques; otherwise, it would be impossible to achieve such a three-dimensional shape with its powerful, silent appeal.

Youlian looked down at her chest and let out a strange laugh: "He wasn't wrong, you really are an Earthling with superpowers! Amazing, amazing..."

She mentioned someone—"him"—which gave me a jolt.

"Youlian, who is this 'he' you're talking about? Is it your master Sahan or the great god Tuli Khan?"

Youlian's smile faded as she turned to look at the camp, a hint of unease flashing across her face. I wonder what these incredibly powerful aliens could possibly fear on Earth. Given their strength, they could easily accomplish what the ancients described as "lifting Mount Tai across the North Sea." What terrifying, immense power could possibly make them fear?

"It was the Great God who said this. I'm leaving now. My master said that once I start speaking, the Shadow of the Illusion Demon will sense me and follow this clue straight to me... Remember what I said, don't always try to dig anything out. Let those secrets belonging to the ancient Earth remain buried under the pyramids forever..."

She also mentioned the illusion demon, but I don't want to trust anyone right now. Judging from the way she caused the explosion to eliminate the pursuing soldiers, it was brutal enough.

I didn't know what I could do to stop her. I watched helplessly as she soared into the air, gliding westward until she disappeared behind the Turkham Pyramid. The moonlight cast a half-shadowy glow on the pyramid, contrasting with the endless, silvery-white sand dunes around it, giving me only the tension of watching a horror movie alone.

Youlian's words didn't offer me any clues to solve the mystery; on the contrary, they only increased my confusion: "Saturnians? Saturnians live in the pyramids before us—and there are some 'ancient secrets they refuse to reveal'? Then, why did the Saturnians capture Tengjia and put so many golden cylinders on her? And where did those mysterious Bengal variant golden vipers come from…?"

Scientists have long conducted thorough research and determined that Saturn's surface temperature is extremely low, reaching -125 degrees Celsius, with strong winds prevailing on its surface. Furthermore, numerous sources confirm that Saturn's surface is covered with a thick layer of solid ice, resembling the Ice Age on Earth before the emergence of humans. In such an environment, even the most resilient algae and fungi cannot survive, let alone advanced life forms.

My strongest evidence that Youlian is a Saturnian is the planetary pattern on her chest. Since she's an alien, she wouldn't bother with displaying someone else's symbol on her chest.

After staring blankly for more than ten minutes, I could only start the car and go back to the camp alone.

A large crowd had already gathered around my and Suren's tent, and from within the crowd came Xiao Yan's furious roar: "That ugly woman! I will definitely kill that ugly woman!"

The air was thick with the acrid smell of burning electronic components. Logically, extraterrestrial visitors with far superior technology than Earthlings could easily destroy Earth's computer and electronic devices. Just now, I didn't even see how Youlian made her move, yet she had already laid the groundwork for destroying the drilling rig.

This time, Su Lun stood with the scalpel. The two of them had tried almost everything to suppress Xiao Yan's curses, but to little avail.

Standing at an angle to the left of the scalpel's face, I could clearly see his left ear twitching incessantly, like a small sound receiver working at high intensity. His face was ashen, the muscles in his cheeks taut, as if in a state of extreme spasm. Occasionally, he would turn his head and glance westward over the heads of the crowd—

The reason I described his actions in such detail is all because of Youlian's words—"When she opens her mouth to speak, the shadow of the Illusion Demon will hear it." This sentence sparked my wildest imagination and connected it with what Su Lun had said, "He is another person."

Is he someone else?

This desert night with its perfect moon passed by in a daze of frustration and despair.

The most frustrated person was Xiao Yan. He had gone to great lengths to crack the drill's code, only to have it completely destroyed by You Lian before it could even be put to use, greatly diminishing his sense of accomplishment. Even more terrifying was that all the laptops, electronic decoders, and electronic hacking dictionaries in his huge backpack had suffered a devastating blow, rendering them all inoperable and worthless.

"I finally understand, there are heavens beyond heavens, and people beyond people..." He kept repeating this sentence, even in his sleep-talking.

When I woke up and opened my eyes, it was already daylight.

Xiao Yan was nowhere to be seen beside me, and on the opposite bed, the sleeping bag that Su Lun had used was neatly folded. I sniffed hard; I could still smell the burnt odor. However, I felt like something was missing from the tent. After looking around carefully for a few minutes, I realized that Xiao Yan's liquor and backpack were gone.

As I got out of bed to put on my shoes, Suren came in breathlessly, clutching a note in her hand: "Brother Feng, Xiaoyan is gone, leaving this note. Sigh, that child, her temper is getting weirder and weirder, there's simply no way to discipline her!"

The note, written in a crab-scratching handwriting, read: "Embarrassing, I'm leaving, so shameful!" At the end, a hastily drawn swallow with outstretched wings was sketched.

Xiao Yan is really something else. If I were five years younger, I probably would have done the same thing.

Without the drilling rig, today's operations can only begin again from the shafts and tunnels, which more or less affects my mood. Every time I enter the tunnel, seeing the objects reminds me of those lives lost in the desert while trying to excavate the pyramids and obtain the "Eye of the Moon."

Sunlight streamed in through the doorway. I twisted my neck a few times, and with the rising sun, hope and courage began to rise again in my heart. If I could successfully obtain the "Eye of the Moon," it would finally bring the important task of excavating the Pyramid of Tulku to a close, at least making it a "complete end," right?

Suren seemed worried because my conversation with Youlian last night had brought her even greater confusion.

"With both a snake formation and visitors from Saturn, Brother Feng, aren't you even a little bit scared?" Suren was wiping her twin pistols again, her long hair falling down beside her ears, subtly gilded by the morning sun. More of her long, jet-black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, making one's heart itch, and one just wanted to reach out and gently touch it.

I got distracted again. Today's task is very difficult, and if I can't focus and concentrate, I'm afraid something bad will happen. So, I cautiously looked away, forcing myself to clear my mind of selfish thoughts and distractions, slowly reaching a state of mental clarity.

At eight o'clock in the morning, I, Su Lun, Tina, James, Scalpel, and thirty burly and strong soldiers went down the vertical shaft, passed through the horizontal tunnel, and silently headed towards the entrance of the pyramid.

Everyone was silent, especially Scalpel, whose mouth was tightly shut and whose eyes kept darting around. This was his first time entering a tunnel, so he was observing every detail with great interest.

As I got closer to the entrance, I noticed something was wrong. There was no hissing sound like a snake flicking its tongue in the tunnel; it was completely silent except for the clattering sound of our feet.

James was the first to whisper, pointing sharply forward: "Feng, look! The white light is gone! It's completely gone..."

Indeed, the entrance was pitch black, like the gaping maw of a ferocious monster. The natural light emanating from the "Eye of the Moon" was completely gone.

My heart skipped a beat: "Could something terrible have happened inside the pyramids again?"

In this atmosphere of widespread fear, the entire excavation team was on the verge of collapse, unable to withstand any further blows. Their goal was to successfully obtain the "Eye of the Moon" and complete the final mission of excavating the Turkham Pyramid.

After shouting that, James suddenly sprinted forward, reaching the pyramid entrance in less than a minute. He switched on his flashlight, peered inside, and breathed a sigh of relief: "Ah...it's alright, it's still the same. Thank God, thank God..."

He was the fastest one to run when faced with treasure.

That is beyond doubt.

Under Tina's command, all twenty soldiers turned on their tactical flashlights, lined up in five-man parallel formations, and slowly advanced.

The tomb's structure remained unchanged, and under the flashlight's beam, ghostly shadows flickered on the walls, making one feel uneasy. We continued forward until we reached the pool.

In the center of the pool stood only a two-meter square stone platform. At one end of the platform was the "Eye of the Moon," while the other end was empty—no venomous snakes, and no mummy that had once lain there. The tomb was deathly silent; everyone held their breath, gazing at the now-dull gem.

Under the bright beam of the flashlight, the gem shimmered with a crystal-clear light, but it was definitely not the dazzling white light that had illuminated the entire world when we entered. It appeared to be only slightly larger and brighter than an ordinary gem—I heard Suren gasp, and then she murmured in my ear, "Brother Wind, remember my 'light bulb' theory?"

Like a light bulb that has lost its power, the "Eye of the Moon" has lost its original brilliant light.

The powerful beams of flashlights tore through the darkness, leaving fragmented pieces in the room. Everyone huddled together, not daring to relax for a moment, fearing some deadly monster might leap out from the shadows. Especially those writhing, entwined venomous snakes—how could they have suddenly vanished?

The walls and bottom of the pool are still covered with patches of earthen yellow murals and bright red talismans, as if the eerie and ferocious venomous snakes that once filled the pool are just a fragment of a fantasy in memory.

For a full half hour, no one had time to speak. The soldiers' fingers, gripping the triggers, cracked softly from tension. Everyone's breathing became unusually slow and long, afraid to make the slightest sound—as if we were completely isolated from the world. Those half hour felt like suffocating.

I pointed my flashlight countless times at the roof directly above the stone platform, my shock beyond words. There was no opening; the roof was a smooth stone wall, without a single visible crack. This was understandable; if the pool could be restored to its original state, the fallen stone could certainly be returned to where it was before the incident.

This bizarre transformation is somewhat reminiscent of a plot from a Hollywood science fiction movie, where everything changes methodically with the progression and rewind of time. Completed actions can be reversed, like a videotape suddenly returning to its starting point. Such scenes are ubiquitous in any film related to the "time machine" theme.

"Haha, it's nothing special, just time flowing backwards..." James shouted, waving his hands exaggeratedly. Whether he was being sincere or joking, he was the first to recover from the shock, easing everyone's tension.

Tina, who had been observing the "Eye of the Moon" through her telescope, turned to me and said, "Feng, I think only a true warrior can obtain that gem. Would you be the invincible warrior in my eyes?" In the messy beam of the flashlight, her curls formed a beautiful silhouette on her forehead, cheeks, and shoulders, and her eyes were even more captivating, with a seductive charm that made one's heart race.

Suren took a step forward, blocking Tina's view, and silently took my hand.

If the scenes inside the pyramids were simply repetitive processes, I certainly wouldn't choose to rashly enter the pool or, like Tanino, swing across the rooftops and stone walls to seize the gems. Both methods have proven to be absolutely impossible, as evidenced by the soldiers swallowed by the snake formation and Tanino's fate.

“Brother Feng, don’t go down. I have a premonition… an unknown danger is… is…” Suren raised his hand, pointing to the “Eye of the Moon Goddess” that had lost its mysterious radiance. Beside the gem, a very clear human-shaped groove was carved into the stone platform. It was obvious to the naked eye that the groove was exactly the same as the place where Tengjia had once lain.

I'm not entirely certain that the stone platform is the jade coffin where Tengjia lay, but I'm deeply impressed by the ingenious mechanisms and intricate designs within the tomb. Danger is certainly present; who knows which mechanism those venomous snakes, appearing and disappearing in an instant, might be hiding beneath?

Tina personally directed the soldiers to erect two steel cables along the north-south and east-west axes of the pool, with the intersection point directly above the stone platform. Anyone who wanted to risk lowering down to retrieve the gems could slide across the steel cables, then attach their own cable at the intersection point and lower themselves down to the stone platform.

The soldiers were extremely efficient, completing the erection of the steel cable in less than ten minutes. The dark blue steel cable reflected a trembling, cold light under the beams of flashlights. This high-altitude rappelling method was merely a very simple item in special forces training courses, but this was the first time it had been used in such a terrifying environment.

Tina looked at me again, without saying a word, but her eyes were clearly urging and tempting me to make a move. Her expression was so charming, yet her eyes revealed an incomparably pure and innocent look, like a cute child who wanted something but was too shy to say it out loud.

My heart softened, and I took two steps forward, stood by the pool, and gazed at the gem.

"Brother Feng, don't go! Please don't go, for my sake, okay?" In her haste, Su Lun rushed over and grabbed my wrist. She was definitely not the type of girl who liked to openly express her emotions, and to do this and say these words in front of so many people was already the limit of her verbal expression.

Her hands were cool, smooth, and soft as if boneless. Even so close, I could smell the faint fragrance of her long hair, and I noticed she kept giving me meaningful glances, gesturing for me to look due north. Sometime later, the scalpel had wandered alone to the northernmost point of the north-south axis, standing forlornly before the stone wall.

Today, he wore a snow-white Egyptian robe, with neat rows of golden flowers embroidered on the collar, cuffs, and hem. These flowers seemed to shimmer with golden light in the darkness, swaying with the robe like a swarm of eerie golden fireflies. As he stood proudly before the stone wall, he emanated a dazzling, almost malevolent, radiance.

Suren flicked her finger and placed a tiny, extremely discreet earpiece into my palm, then blinked.

Part Six: The Divine Appearance Revealed

— Chapter 11 — The Saturnians' Secret Chamber —

I understood immediately and, using the act of combing my hair, quickly put on my headphones. Xiao Yan's languid and carefree voice instantly filled my ears: "Heh, heart rate 400, blood pressure off the charts, body temperature off the charts, blood flow rate... wow, it's even more bizarre, fifteen times that of a normal person! What on earth is this guy doing? Aside from this skin, he doesn't look like a human at all..."

The data he mentioned are standard medical examination items for all humans on Earth; heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and other data are benchmarks for comprehensively assessing whether the human body is normal. It's unimaginable how high the internal organ temperature would be if a human's surface temperature could cause a thermometer to explode. It would certainly be high enough to turn living muscle into boiled meat—

Xiao Yan laughed heartily, her voice accompanied by the faint, wild rhythm of rock music.

At such a critical moment, no one has time for idle chatter. Of course, I know this data comes from the scalpel, although I don't know exactly how Suren and Xiaoyan collaborated.

Suddenly, Xiao Yan's voice disappeared, as if the tape had suddenly finished playing, and I couldn't hear anything anymore. Then, a mysterious drumbeat sounded dryly, initially gentle and distant, but after only three seconds, the drumbeat surged and roared like a tide, as if it were going to rupture my eardrums.

I gripped Suren's hand tightly, using my legs to brace myself and keep my balance.

“Surren…Surren…I feel it…the summoning…” I gritted my teeth and focused my gaze on the “Eye of the Moon Goddess.” This time, I could clearly feel that the source of all the sounds was that gem.

"Brother Feng, hold on! Hold on, your heart is beating so fast!" Two warm currents surged from Su Lun's palms, flowing into my hands and then through my arms to my whole body. I knew she was gathering all her inner strength, sacrificing her blood and energy, to forcefully help me.

"Come e e on...right here...right here..." The deep voice I had heard countless times rang out, right beside my ear, crystal clear, and filled with an inexplicable allure.

Apart from the gemstone, the stone platform was empty. So where did the sound come from? Intuitively, I felt a sudden clarity, as if landing on the stone platform would provide all the answers. Unconsciously, I took a sudden step forward, my right foot already halfway over the edge of the pool.

Suren used her arms to pull me down forcefully.