King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 127

The glass box hovered above the vanished sandpit, remaining motionless for a long time. Guan Baoling and I calmed down and sat on the steps, watching the seaweed that had drifted back, preparing to take root. The red light, the sandpit, the skylight, and the underwater structures we had just experienced all felt like a documentary film; once the film ended, it was all over.

Guan Baoling's face was streaked with tears, making it impossible to tell which were water stains and which were tears, but having escaped the catastrophic disaster of the sandpit, she finally managed a slight smile.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

We could all hear our stomachs rumbling, but unfortunately there were no small fish in the glass box to eat raw; we had nothing but seawater and rocks.

I shook my head, but what I was thinking about at that moment was a scene from a horror movie—"A couple trapped in the earthquake ruins, after seven days and seven nights of hunger, the male protagonist cuts his own flesh with a knife to keep his girlfriend alive..." I shuddered and dared not think any further; it was too gory.

If I were to starve to the extreme, would I be like that male protagonist and sacrifice myself for Guan Baoling?

Our eyes met unintentionally, and Guan Baoling suddenly smiled and asked, "Do you know what I was just thinking about?"

A thought flashed through my mind, and I smiled as I asked, "What are you thinking about? It's not that movie called 'Love in Distress,' is it?" That was the title of the horror movie I didn't want to think about any further.

Guan Baoling nodded vigorously: "Yes, that's the movie."

The two of them burst into laughter at the same time, suddenly feeling as if they were telepathically connected.

“I watched that movie a long time ago, and I often thought, would there be a man who would sacrifice himself for me in a difficult situation someday? Actually, I don’t really want him to sacrifice himself. Just the thought or the words he says would move me deeply. Perhaps, instead of accepting his sacrifice, I should destroy myself so that he can survive smoothly…”

I shuddered several times. When two people truly love each other, no matter who sacrifices for whom, the one who is given will likely suffer for the rest of their life, unable to extricate themselves. Although their life is saved, they will be mired in this inescapable guilt for the rest of their lives.

"If I truly fall in love with someone, and they have to leave me, I will be extremely sad and unable to bear it. Therefore, if one of us is destined to leave first, I would rather it be me, because I cannot bear the heart-wrenching pain of having and then losing someone..."

Guan Baoling spoke as if in a dream, her head resting on my shoulder.

Neither Guan Baoling nor I knew when the glass box started to float up. Excessive hunger and exhaustion caused us to fall into a deep sleep, embracing each other on the cold stone steps. We didn't even have the energy to dream.

When I opened my eyes in confusion, a huge deep-sea bream swam across the floor, spitting out bubbles and steadily shaking its gray dorsal fin.

I was jolted awake: "The box is floating? Otherwise, this big fish wouldn't have been able to swim to that spot!" This was a huge discovery that brought both joy and sorrow. I was joyful because the box was floating, and we were finally no longer trapped on the sandy seabed; but I was sorrowful because in the vast ocean, who knew where it would drift to? Until Guan Baoling and I starved to death?

The box floated up quickly, and fish and algae of various colors kept flashing past from under the floor. Some of the more lively fish even chased after it, pecking at the glass floor with their mouths, as if they regarded this strange big guy as some kind of fresh bait.

I woke Guan Baoling up. In any case, it was a good thing to be able to leave that terrifying deep-sea sand bed.

“We…are we going up? We’re going back to the ground? That’s wonderful!” Guan Baoling laughed happily. I couldn’t bear to shatter her fantasy, so I didn’t say anything, but just hugged her even tighter.

We were as if we were in a bizarre underwater elevator, rising at an incredibly strange speed and in an uncanny way. The situation was already terrible, and I could accept it even if it were ten or a hundred times worse; I had even prepared for the worst, like in the novel "Robinson Crusoe."

Her stomach kept rumbling, and eventually, even Guan Baoling's stomach started growling.

“I don’t think I’ve felt this hungry in a long time, except when I was very young, when I was with my mother—more than ten years ago. Life is really a strange thing; so many years have passed in the blink of an eye. I miss home, I miss my mother…” She let go of me, rested her chin on her knees, and looked helplessly at the underwater scenery that kept flashing by on the glass floor.

“We…are on our way home!” I tried to encourage myself, even though I knew how unlikely it seemed.

She suddenly turned to me, smiling shyly, "I've never let a stranger hug me for so long before. You remind me of when I'm with him..."

This "he" must be a tycoon.

I responded mechanically, feeling numb: "Really? Me too. I've never spent so much time with a girl before. This is a very strange experience for both of us, isn't it?"

Exhausted, I no longer had the strength to vent my anger.

Guan Baoling hummed a tune softly, seemingly lost in distant memories.

The algae and fish that had slid under the floor were gradually changing, showing signs of life that are usually only found in shallow waters, and the transparency of the seawater was gradually increasing.

Just as a sense of joy was rising in my heart, that heart-stopping "boom" sound rang out again, and the seawater instantly became extremely turbid. Many fish of all sizes were twisted and turned by the invisible whirlpool, rising and falling in panic.

If I had any extra energy, I would rush out of the tower without hesitation to take a look, but now, apart from my desire for a delicious meal, I have no other expectations in my mind.

"What was that sound?" Guan Baoling looked up, a look of confusion flashing in her tired eyes.

"It's nothing, just an underwater earthquake or a dormant volcano starting to erupt. It's probably far away, so don't worry about it."

Our ascent is slowing down, much like an elevator decelerating as it approaches its peak.

Guan Baoling sighed, "Where did that girl named Reese go? Could something have happened to her? She's so pitiful..."

She didn't know that we were the most pitiful ones. After that bizarre transformation in the underwater sandpit, what awaited us might be endless drifting at sea. I didn't want to talk about it, nor dared to think about it. I forced myself to endure the burning hunger in my stomach, walked down the steps, and hugged the sign to my chest.

Normally, I could easily lift it by inserting a finger through its small hole, but now, I almost used all my strength to stumble and hug it tightly, and get back onto the steps, feeling dizzy and exhausted.

My stomach and intestines were roaring like thunder, as if an invisible hand was constantly squeezing and kneading all my intestines.

“If only this were a big piece of chocolate—” Guan Baoling sighed, licking her chapped lips.

"Chocolate? Even a crepe would be fine—" Actually, she had gotten up several times before to drink some seawater to fill her stomach, but I stopped her each time. The salty seawater would only cause her empty stomach to vomit, plunging her into an even more dangerous state of exhaustion.

I weakly patted the plaque: "Could this... plaque be the one Reese was talking about? I can't see the words on it. Didn't you say... she mentioned the words 'Sea God's Plaque'?" It took me three or four breaths to get the words out; my strength was completely depleted. If anything else happened, I could only leave it to fate.

The sign was cold, dark, and hard. Although its composition couldn't be clearly identified, it was clearly a product of some kind of synthetic metal. Because of Resica's earlier statement, I specifically searched it carefully, but I couldn't find any writing, not even a single character.

Guan Baoling frowned. Every time she mentioned Reese, she felt a slight sense of guilt, believing that Reese's disappearance was largely due to her failure to stop her in time.

"She said with certainty that the sign she found had those words written on it, or perhaps it wasn't this one, but another one?"

With Guan Baoling's limited imagination, she could never have participated in such a mysterious underwater exploration. You see, I've already circled the base of the tower twice, almost thoroughly searching the entire surface around the glass box. If there were any hidden holes or eye-catching signs, I would have discovered them long ago.

The only conclusion is that this is the plaque Resica found, the one originally embedded above the tower gate. Perhaps its appearance changed after being corroded by the red light, and the inscription was completely melted away. But who would embed such a plaque on a random stone tower? And with ancient Chinese characters?

My hand unconsciously traced the surface of the plaque. Countless tiny holes of varying thicknesses formed a continuous, strange pattern. But the openwork pattern of Hou Yi shooting down the sun was incredibly realistic. Anyone familiar with Chinese mythology would think of this legend.

It's unknown what advanced tools the sculptor used, but they managed to meticulously carve out even the individual strands of Hou Yi's flowing hair as he tilted his head back, including the rough rope binding it. Viewed from the side, it resembles the most detailed silhouette painting illuminated by a mercury lamp on a white screen.

The painting occupies a quarter of the plaque, while the rest is filled with various round holes. Some of these holes resemble flowers or running animals, while others look like continuous palace walls. However, I can say with certainty that the holes do not form any characters, let alone Chinese seal script.

Extreme hunger limited my thinking ability; I even felt dizzy and saw stars. I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold on. Although Taoism has the concept of "fasting," it is done in a calm, meditative state in a warm, dry environment, certainly not in this strange glass box.

"Would you... sacrifice yourself for me?" Guan Baoling murmured.

I fumbled for the tactical knife tucked into my wrist, held it in my hand, and stared at the blinding glint of the blade.

"Will it?" She was trying to conserve her energy as much as possible; her once sweet and gentle voice was now as dry as a string that hadn't been oiled in a long time.

"I will." Saying these two words should perhaps be the result of long and careful consideration, rather than just a casual remark. The reason I could say it without hesitation is because I know I love her more than the tycoon, and I certainly don't care about self-proclaimed romantic figures like Wang Jiangnan.

"Cough cough, hehehe..." Guan Baoling coughed, accompanied by a series of bitter laughs.

The blood of a living person is the most nutritious liquid in the world. My sacrifice is enough for Guan Baoling to survive for seventy-two hours or even longer. I am willing to do anything for her, even if in the end, I sacrifice myself and she is not saved. Loving someone can make you foolish and impulsive, and no one is an exception, whether they are a wandering swordsman or a beggar on the street.

I looked at the faintly pulsating veins on my wrist and imagined the scene of blood splattering as I cut it open.

"I am willing to sacrifice everything for you, my body and my life." This was my vow, but before flying from Egypt to Hokkaido, I always thought that the girl I was destined to marry was Suren.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that no more fish were darting past beneath the floor; it was completely dark again, as if the glass box had entered another dark space.

I used the steps for support, trying to stand up and walk towards the tower gate to see what was happening outside. My back and legs ached terribly, and at least four places where my joints rubbed against my wet clothes burned, but I finally stood up and gritted my teeth as I walked towards the tower gate.

“Wind, don’t leave me… don’t leave, I’m afraid you’ll leave like… like Reese, and never come back…” Guan Baoling also struggled to stand up, leaned on the stone wall and walked down the steps, her body swaying as she fell towards me, landing in my arms.

I smiled bitterly. If I were to disappear mysteriously like Reese, Guan Baoling would probably lose her last hope of living.

"I just wanted to go out and see what was going on... It seems like things have changed again outside..."

“Let’s go out together… together, even if we disappear, we’ll still be together!” Guan Baoling laughed, as if disappearing had become a fun thing. A girl’s mood is always changing in an instant; just a moment ago she was in a state of extreme weakness and anxiety, and a few seconds later her face was full of a mischievous smile.

“Alright, hopefully this disappearance will lead us back to Maple Temple—” I gripped her wrist, took a step forward, and passed through the pagoda gate, holding my breath as I had countless times before when entering the water from land. However, my foot suddenly slipped, my body lurched, and I tumbled backward, my fingers not having time to loosen, pulling Guan Baoling down with me.

The Sixth Sea God Plaque

— Chapter 4 — Trapped in a Dire Situation Again —

I felt no resistance from the water, and rolled three times on the ground, feeling only the hard ground. In the rapid spinning, all I could see were endless stretches of dark rock walls.

"Ah—ouch..." Guan Baoling cried out in pain, hugging her knees with both hands, her voice extremely pitiful.

I sat up and went to check her wounds. A piece of skin had been torn off her left knee, and two white cuts had opened up, with bright red blood slowly seeping out.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry—" In my haste, I couldn't find anything to wipe the wound, so I bent down and sucked on it. In this predicament, if someone's wound became infected and festered, it could be life-threatening. Her blood was salty, yet carried a faint rose scent, making me completely forget the fishy smell that blood usually carries.

"Wind, where's the water? Why is all the water gone?" Guan Baoling breathed heavily, her arms waving in the air.

"What?" My mind was only focused on her wound.

"Water! The water's gone, don't you feel it?" she shouted again.

I abruptly released her knees. It was true, there wasn't a single drop of water left in the glass box; we were in complete freedom in the air—"Ah…" I jumped up, raising my arms and shouting, my excitement beyond words. I had thought I'd be trapped at the bottom of the sea, unable to escape the salty water, or even forever suffocated in the tower. Now, this glass box was in the air, but not on land; it was slowly rising in mid-air.

When I jumped up, I hurt Guan Baoling's wound, causing her to cry out "Ouch!" again. However, she was already excitedly standing up on tiptoe and quickly doing four or five spinning movements while holding onto her skirt.

The ground was very dry, and I couldn't contain my excitement. I ran two laps around the base of the tower, letting out all the frustration I had been holding in. The distance from the tower to the edge of the box was like a balcony on a high-rise apartment building, while outside the box were only dark, rocky walls that stretched upwards.

When she returned to Guan Baoling's side, she pointed to the hollowed-out stone wall above the tower gate: "Could that be the place where Reese found the 'Sea God's Plaque'?"

At this point, we can clearly see the seven-story tower, which is constructed using the same white stone as the "Tower of the Dead," and its structure and design are exactly the same as the pagoda of Maple Temple.

Looking up, in the extremely distant high place, there seemed to be a small, blurry white spot of light, its distance unknown.

Guan Baoling suddenly gasped: "Wind, wind—wind..." She almost jumped to my side, grabbing my arm with both hands at the same time, her body trembling like a withered leaf in the north wind.

"Wind, wind... I'm so scared, hold me tight... hold me tight..." Her body pressed tightly against me, her voice trembling with extreme terror.

I hugged her and felt her heart suddenly beat faster, and the temperature of her cheeks rose rapidly.

The rock face in front of me was very smooth, with a flowing, rounded shape, as if it had been deliberately carved out for this cylindrical glass box. I saw a section I had just passed through where, amidst the dark rock layers, there were some withered white tree trunks, each with a diameter of over two meters.

The tree rings tell the whole story. I roughly counted one of the trees, and it had well over a hundred rings. What does that tell us?

Assuming the tree has two hundred growth rings, its lifespan is two hundred years. What force compels these trees to lie horizontally, buried deep within the rock strata? Trees grow vertically, pointing towards the sky; only violent earthquakes or flash floods would cause them to fall. Could this strange tunnel we're passing through be carved into a mountain prone to earthquakes?

More and more trees were interspersed among the rock layers, and I came into view a dozen or so thick tree roots, each more than fifty centimeters in diameter. The roots had all withered naturally, but I knew that tree roots buried so deep in the rock face could often survive for decades or even centuries.

The saying goes, "Even a centipede with a hundred legs will not die." The same is true for trees. Countless century-old trees can sprout new branches. In other words, after the trunk and branches above ground have completely died, the roots of a tree can often survive for a very long time. They can sprout and grow again when the opportunity is right. The roots will only die automatically if they are closed off for too long.

Further up, the rock strata revealed neatly cut cross-sections of pebbles, varying in size and shape, but all formed by the impact of seawater and river water. Their color and texture were exactly the same as the pebbles we had seen, but they were all cut by some kind of sharp, round blade.

"What kind of force could possess such immense energy to carve such a straight passage out of rock? At the very least, Earthlings are not capable of this level. Even removing the waste material after cutting it out would be a massive, costly, and labor-intensive super project..."

From the pebble layer upwards, the rock face turns entirely blue, similar to the building stone widely mined on Earth.

“Feng, do you still remember… that hallucinatory adventure I told you about? The underwater palace—do you remember?” Guan Baoling groaned weakly, her nails almost digging into my flesh.

I could sense her extreme tension, so I gently patted her back to comfort her silently.

After Guan Baoling disappeared and reappeared in the restroom of Xunfu Garden, she described her "hallucination." She entered a palace where the air seemed to be filled with ocean waves, and she constantly felt like a frog in a well. I subconsciously looked up, and the small patch of light seemed to have magnified a little.

If that place is an exit, wouldn't we be like "sitting in a well and looking at the sky" right now?

"The wind here feels exactly like the hallucination I had back then. Could it be... that we also mysteriously disappeared from the real world for so long?"

I forced a smile: "Maybe! But the earth will keep turning no matter who leaves, even if the US president leaves, let alone us? Once we return to the real world, everything will be alright."

Although we don't know what lies at the end of the light spot, going anywhere is better than being imprisoned in the deep sea, right? However, we are suspended in the air, and we don't know what kind of force is supporting or pulling us. Once that force disappears, won't we fall endlessly like an elevator that has gone out of control?

Now that things have come to this, I can only try to think positively and hope that the spot of light, about the size of a one-yuan coin, will bring us new hope.