King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 173

Xiao Yan continued her narration: "Feng, what do you think Feng Lin Huo Shan is going to do with this super weapon? It's not going to destroy the Earth, is it? There are many biographies and books about him. After my 'Da Vinci Matrix Arrangement' analysis, I found that his genetic type is remarkably similar to that of Hitler, the mastermind behind World War II, with a similarity of over 95%, differing only in nationality and religion. Strangely, he disappeared without a trace on the eve of Japan's surrender in World War II, and now he's suddenly reappeared. This has made intelligence agencies around the world a bit 'frightened.' You happen to be in Hokkaido. If you have any information about him, please fax it to me. I'll pay a hefty price for it..."

When money was mentioned, Xiao Yan immediately smiled shyly. Of course, he knew that neither Su Lun nor I lacked money, nor did we care about it.

I asked another question with concern: "Xiaoyan, who do you work for now? Why are you stuck in Kuwait? The situation in Iraq is tense, and neighboring countries could be affected by car bomb attacks at any time. At this time, everyone is trying to avoid it, so why did you go there?"

He is Yan Xun's younger brother, and Su Lun and I also treat him as our own brother. He is a mischievous boy with high intelligence.

Xiao Yan let out a long sigh: "Ancient Chinese chivalrous men were known for their willingness to 'go to great lengths for their friends,' and I'm just doing the 'going to great lengths' myself. I'm an anti-war freedom advocate and will never serve any superpowers; all I care about is their currency. There's a super female hacker, codenamed 'Sweet Monroe,' you've probably heard of her, right?"

Xiao Ke sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at a landscape photo on the table. Her shoes and trouser legs were covered with snow and ice, indicating that she had been walking in the snow for a long time.

I know she must have slept very little last night. In my daze, I turned over several times and felt that she was leaning against the door, looking outside. The death from the plague, and the past related to Kim Soon-hee, must have reminded her of everything that had happened.

Xiao Yan exclaimed indignantly, "You don't know her? The Pentagon's mortal enemy, that super witch with mixed Native American blood?"

He mistook my silence for ignorance. In fact, the name "Sweet Monroe" had been frequently seen on the US global wanted list since 2001, with the bounty doubling every six months. She was a typical representative of female hackers worldwide. Her masterpiece was obtaining firsthand information from the UN military monitoring agency on "US military torture of prisoners" in late 2003 and publishing it on Arab websites, putting the Americans in an embarrassing position of public outcry.

“I know, if you help her, won’t you just be asking for trouble?” I got up, threw off the blanket, slowly got out of bed, and moved my aching joints.

The most unwise move in the 21st century is to antagonize the Americans. To futilely try to stop them would at best result in utter destruction, and at worst, bring ruin upon one's entire family. Xiao Yan is still young and has never considered this consequence.

Xiao Yan laughed heartily: "Yes, I know the consequences, but I believe the work she's doing is very meaningful—to sabotage the Americans' 'Skynet defense plan' so that our alien friends can freely enter and leave Earth, instead of constantly worrying about becoming guinea pigs in American special research labs. Never mind, you're just a worldly person, there's no point in talking to you about this. I'll arrive in Hokkaido in a few days, keep in touch by phone..."

The Fifth Undersea Mystery

— Chapter 3 — The Secret of the Two Lotus Flowers (Part 2) —

Hackers' actions are often unpredictable and leave no trace. If they truly pose a threat to "Project Skynet" and infringe upon the fundamental interests of the United States, their demise may not be far off.

After hanging up the phone, I was lost in thought for about ten seconds, both for the audacious Xiao Yan and for Yan Xun, whose voice I had once heard was so beautiful. A girl with that kind of voice must have been stunningly beautiful, radiant and glamorous, right?

Xiao Keleng suddenly spoke up: "Mr. Feng, Thirteen Brother from Xunfuyuan called and said that a Miss Gu has arrived at Sapporo Airport and will be at Xunfuyuan in three hours. She said she is your friend. Your phone was busy, so the call went to Xunfuyuan."

I tapped the back of his head: "Oh, I almost forgot, Gu Qingcheng is coming over."

Xiao Keleng's reaction became sluggish; she didn't even ask who Gu Qingcheng was, but just stared blankly at the landscape photo. The photo was filled with pink cherry blossoms piled high on the branches—

“Mr. Feng, I want to ask you a question. If the Crimson Flame Army offers me a ‘super weapon’ to exchange for my brother’s release, what should I do? Will you help me?” Her voice was full of bitterness. Overnight, her short hair became dry, messy, and unstyled. She was no longer the capable and free-spirited girl who used to be in charge of Xunfu Garden.

Without a second's hesitation, I immediately replied, "I will help you."

She said "Oh," and slowly turned her head to look at me: "Really?"

I nodded vigorously: "It's true! The sudden change in the Korean court back then was clearly due to the slander and persecution of Mr. Kim Sun-hee, who was accused of 'overshadowing the emperor's power.' Mr. Scalpel once said that if Mr. Kim had successfully taken power in Korea, the country would have undergone a complete transformation in the next ten years, catching up with the development level of top Asian countries. Unfortunately, 'the tallest tree in the forest catches the most wind,' and his outstanding performance naturally attracted the jealousy of others. There are very few precedents of a person in a vegetative state recovering, so perhaps we can take him out and seek medical treatment for him, just to give it a try. You are Su Lun's sister, so your affairs are my and her affairs."

What I'm saying is absolutely true. Not only does the scalpel say so, but even America's most astute political observers have said that if Kim Sun-hee comes to power, the "Four Asian Tigers" will naturally become the "Five Asian Tigers," and North Korea will become the second "Pearl of the Orient" in Northeast Asia—Hong Kong.

Xiao Keleng's eyes suddenly began to sparkle, like sweet dew suddenly seeping from a dried-up spring. People in adversity, regardless of gender, need affirmation and encouragement from others.

"Thank you, Mr. Feng. If... if it's convenient, please give me a hug..." Her cheeks flushed.

I walked over, opened my arms, and sincerely hugged her shoulders tightly. Her hands naturally wrapped around my waist, holding me tightly. Her body wasn't as supple as Guan Baoling's, nor as strong and upright as Su Lun's; she carried the faint awkwardness of a girl who had just fully developed, and she squirmed nervously and uncomfortably in my arms.

Hugs can convey courage and strength to each other. At this moment, I had no romantic feelings for her at all. I only saw her as a little sister who was prone to crying, someone I could shelter from the wind and rain and protect from all the harshness and danger.

Someone gently knocked on the doorframe, three times in a row. Xiao Keleng let out an "Ah!" and shyly slipped out of my arms, her forehead turning bright red with embarrassment.

"Oh... excuse me, would you two be interested in visiting the temple in the snow, or perhaps enjoying the snow scenery outside? It hasn't snowed this pure on Hong Kong Island in almost five years; it would be a waste not to appreciate this magnificent sight."

Guan Baoling smiled, her eyebrows arched and the corners of her mouth upturned, seemingly understanding everything, yet she remained silent. Sunlight fell on her smooth forehead, gilding it with a brilliant golden halo, and her flowing hair still exuded endless charm, making my heart flutter involuntarily. However, another tooth mark had appeared below her ear, making it all the more startling.

She gently stroked her newly changed black fox fur coat and repeated, "Neither of you are interested?"

When the tycoon came, he brought her a whole suitcase of clothes, all of which were the latest Parisian collections from that season. But she had a particular fondness for black dresses, black fox fur coats, and black high heels, which were unique and elegant.

Xiao Keleng regained her composure and shook her head: "No, perhaps we have something more important to do—"

I stopped her from continuing, not wanting Guan Baoling to know about the dead body covered under the eaves, and said urgently, "We need your help to draw some more things."

Guan Baoling frowned: "Hmm? Drawing? Is it still those weird underwater stone doors and other scary things like last time? Isn't there anything new?" When she frowned, my heart felt like it was being pierced by a needle out of nowhere, causing a brief pang of heartache.

"Just two flowers, lotus flowers." I wasn't sure if I could use Shao Hei's "mind-reading technique," after all, he had said that if I couldn't combine my swords with Shao Bai's, either of their special abilities would be greatly diminished.

Guan Baoling's brows relaxed again: "Okay, I like lotus flowers. I'll go back and prepare paper and pen first. We'll start in ten minutes, okay?" She gave Xiao Keleng a meaningful smile, then went back to the next room.

Xiao Keli stared at my profile and suddenly exclaimed from the bottom of her heart, "Mr. Feng, you are so considerate to Miss Guan. Are you afraid that the corpses of the plague will frighten her? Even Sister Su Lun did not receive such care, did she?"

I stroked my chin and replied with a smile, "Su Lun and you are both almost braver than me, do you still need to protect us? Wouldn't that be superfluous?" In fact, every girl needs to be carefully protected, but only Guan Baoling can make my heart ache involuntarily, more than any other girl.

Xiao Keleng was about to speak when I raised my hand to stop her: "Let's focus on the important matters first. Perhaps we can find some secrets within the two lotus flowers this time. Oh, by the way, that handle inside the clock—"

Her reaction was extremely quick; she took out the blue lotus key from her pocket and flashed it in front of me: "Here, I will keep it safe. Don't worry."

I breathed a sigh of relief, smiled and nodded, everything understood without words. When she regained her energetic and capable state, she would indeed be a great help to me.

The plague virus under the sheet had frozen stiff, and when I pulled hard on his arms, the joints were terribly stiff. Fortunately, it was winter, and even after more than seven hours, the skin on his arms had not changed color, and the two lotus flowers still had a mysterious and moving luster.

Xiao Keleng scratched her short hair, somewhat helplessly: "What should we do if we can't find a high-powered magnifying glass in such a hurry?"

I placed my hands over the two lotus flowers, silently concentrating, mimicking Shao Hei's actions, and tried to feel the presence of the lotuses. The plague's skin was cold and hard; it took about three minutes for it to warm slightly under my heat. According to the theory of "mind transmission," one must sense an image from somewhere, then transfer this highly condensed information, existing only in brainwaves, into another person's brain, and then express it through the other person's hands or mouth.

Gradually, I focused intently on feeling the concavity and convexity of the lotus, and my thoughts fluctuated strangely, like the tremors of a magnitude 5 earthquake. I sensed that in a very distant place, there were two people sitting cross-legged facing each other, palms facing each other, eyes closed and brows lowered, maintaining the Taoist posture of "dual cultivation".

The world was shrouded in darkness, except for these two people, who remained motionless, like yoga performers under a spotlight.

I noticed their meditation orientation, perfectly aligned north-south. Right where their palms were perpendicularly projected, a black compass rested. "Southern fire (丙丁火), Northern water (壬癸水), water and fire in harmony, yin and yang clashing, black and white clearly distinguished, truth revealed..." A hollow voice echoed, the voice of Shao Hei, now fully refined. My hearing was unmistakable. The silhouettes of the two figures clearly told me they were Shao Bai and Shao Hei.

"Isn't he already dead? Zhang Baisen threw his ashes into the sea, where they drifted away with the waves?"

A surge of restlessness welled up within me. The carvings on the lotus flower instantly sharpened, scraping my palm and causing a dull ache. But at the same time, I felt the presence of numbers, hundreds upon hundreds, imprinted in my mind. Time seemed to freeze; only those numbers flashed rapidly…

I opened my eyes and saw Xiao Keleng squatting opposite me, staring intently at me.

"Alright, I've read the secret within the lotus, but... but I sense that Shao Hei and Shao Bai are not dead. They are meditating and cultivating somewhere. Shao Hei can still enlighten me using the 'thousand-mile voice transmission' method, allowing me to continuously learn deeper knowledge."

Xiao Keleng jumped back, her eyes widening in shock, and asked, "What? They're not dead?"

I released the plague's hand, tucked it back under the sheet, and carefully covered it up.

"I sensed their presence in a very distant place, perhaps they are immortal souls... If only Master Zhang hadn't left, I could have asked him for detailed advice." I knew my words were hard to understand, after all, Xiao Keleng and I had witnessed the Shao brothers being cremated and their ashes being poured into the sea.

The complete images of the two lotus flowers are already imprinted in my mind. The next step is to transfer them into Guan Baoling's mind and express them smoothly with a paintbrush.

Xiao Ke hurriedly took out her phone, her fingers trembling as she dialed a number. She looked up at me and explained, "I'm calling Master Zhang to see if he has a reasonable explanation."

We can still communicate smoothly; what she did was exactly what I had just thought of.

Her brow furrowed deeper and deeper because no one answered the phone; there was only the incessant ringing of the phone.

I walked towards Guan Baoling's door and gestured for Xiao Keleng to continue. The two of us working together, dividing the tasks, always achieved twice the result with half the effort; I had a lot of confidence in her. Especially after that warm and affectionate hug, our hearts were even closer, almost without any barriers between us.

Guan Baoling sat at the table, holding a pencil in her hand, with a stack of white paper spread out in front of her. She rested her chin on her other hand, as if she was thinking about something.

I told her very seriously, "Ms. Guan, I will be working with you using the 'telepathy' that Mr. Shao used to use. If you can sense my thoughts, just draw them. Each session will last about five minutes. If you feel any discomfort or discomfort, please let me know with hand gestures. Do you understand?"

"Mind communication" is the civilized name for advanced hypnosis. Any hypnosis technique used on outsiders will leave a shadow on the brain structure to some extent, which is irreparable for life. Scientists have used rigorous experimental data to infer that if a physically healthy man is hypnotized more than three times a day for a month, more than 70% of his brain cells will be damaged, which is dozens of times more damaging than a chest X-ray.

I couldn't bear to hurt Guan Baoling, and Shao Hei's "mind-reading technique" last time was something I had no choice but to do.

Guan Baoling nodded, but after only a moment's pause, she suddenly lowered her head and began to draw rapidly.

I leaned closer, and sure enough, she was drawing a lotus flower. In just half a minute, the lotus was clearly depicted. Without a doubt, everything—from the proportions and size to the expression in the ancient painting—was incredibly lifelike, without any deviation. Another half minute passed, and another flower appeared, exactly the same as the one on the plague's arm.

"You can sense me? So fast?" I felt that the "mind-reading technique" at this time was fundamentally different from the one Shao Hei used. Before I even used my power, Guan Baoling had already received the information in my mind.

"Yes, I understand what you're thinking. Just like I saw it with my own eyes, I can draw it freely. But I know that the center of the petals is not just painted with color, but is made up of countless Arabic numerals of different colors, shades of gray, and fonts. Those are what I felt with my heart, but I can't express them with the tip of my pen. I'm sorry."

She looked up at me, and in that instant our eyes met, my eyes lit up as I suddenly understood another question that had been lingering in her mind.

The Fifth Undersea Mystery

— Chapter 4 — The Oracle from Heaven (Part 1) —

Smoke from a gilded kylin incense burner on the table was constantly rising from it, carrying the fragrance of Udumbara flowers. This was also brought to her by the tycoon. But suddenly, I felt a sense of relief and no longer cared about the tycoon's presence. The knot that had previously bound me so tightly had been completely untied, and I just wanted to laugh heartily for a while.

"Feng, what's wrong?" Guan Baoling looked at me strangely.

I took a long, deep breath, suppressing my excitement, and shook my head with a smile: "It's nothing, I just remembered some old things and felt that I was too foolish before. I hope... I can make up for it as much as possible in the future."

Lotus flowers can be depicted, but the intricate numerical codes within the petals can only be reproduced under a high-powered magnifying glass—a difficulty that cannot be overcome by human effort.

Guan Baoling helplessly raised the painting in her hand, thought for a moment, and then tore it in half with a tearing sound. She understood that what she had drawn wasn't what she was thinking. "Those numbers are so dense, they make my head spin. What are they?" she wondered, perplexed.

Although the Yao family, known as the "Divine Needle," is currently considered a branch of the Korean martial arts world, they were actually a martial arts family originally from Henan during the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China period. They offended Long Xingtian, the most powerful martial arts leader at the time, and were hunted down by the "Green Forest Order." Left with no other choice, they fled to Northeast China, crossed the Yalu River, and entered the Changbai Mountains, a region known for its rugged terrain and numerous inhabitants. They lived in hiding for at least twenty years, never daring to reappear in the martial arts world. Later, Long Xingtian defied public opinion and began acting as an accomplice to Kenji Doihara's secret service in Beiping, persecuting fellow martial artists. As a result, they were surrounded and annihilated by the "King of Assassination" of the Divine Gun Society in a villa in Huairou outside Beiping.

After Long Xingtian died, the Yao family gradually returned to its original form and became the pride of the Korean martial arts world. After all, their family's embroidery needle concealed weapon skills, passed down through generations, could accurately hit an ant's leg from thirty paces away, a skill that was simply inconceivable to the Koreans.

To gain entry into the Yao family, exceptional eyesight and endurance are essential. For example, with the help of a telescope, Shan Yi was able to use the skin of his own arm as material to skillfully carve these two lotus flowers using micro-carving techniques, which has already surpassed the highest level of "tattooing".

"So, has Brother Yang Tian cracked the meaning of these codes?"

Xiao Keleng's loss of composure reminded me of Su Lun once again. Only a girl as resilient and courageous as her could personally press the control button at the foot of the pyramid, detonating the bomb inside the scalpel. Xiao Keleng can never compare to Su Lun; this is determined by one's own qualities, limited by innate talent, and no amount of hard work can ever catch up.

"It seems that even the best painters have their own unexpressed thoughts, right?" Guan Baoling turned the pencil upside down, looked at the pencil tip that had been sharpened to an extreme point, and shook her head helplessly.

That's the realm of art. If a painter can paint whatever comes to mind, and if his hand and heart are in perfect harmony, then he has reached a "divine" state like Picasso, and is only a hair's breadth away from "madness."

“I know what you want me to draw is similar to the ‘micro-carving and nut carving’ that North Koreans are most proud of. I have met with Ms. Yao, who is most skilled in this art, a few times. If all else fails, I can call her and ask her to come out of retirement. Well, she is over ninety years old, so her journey here will be slower. Will that interfere with your business?” Her hand slowly touched the teeth marks below her neck, a look of bewilderment flashing across her face.

My attention immediately focused on the teeth marks: "Don't move, is it itchy there?"

Tooth pupae are something beyond medical and biological theory, leaving us completely helpless. We shouldn't go to the hospital and let quacks treat it as "allergic dermatitis," which would only make things worse.

"No, it was just a tingling sensation, like being touched by a weak electric current." She removed her hand, then suddenly paused, startled: "Huh? What about the codes? They've disappeared from your mind?"

Sure enough, the moment I shifted my attention, it was as if all the thoughts in my mind had been erased, leaving only a blurry lotus pattern. I was startled and, without saying a word, immediately opened the door and went out.

Xiao Keleng remained under the eaves, guarding the plague corpse, his face full of confusion.

"I still can't get through to Master Zhang on the phone. I don't know why. If he's on a plane, his phone should be off. It's not like no one is answering."

I strode over to her side, bent down and lifted the sheet, and suddenly discovered that the lotus pattern on her arm had mysteriously melted away, like two wet ink paintings, becoming increasingly blurred until they turned into a bluish-green and a pink bluish-green.

"Oh? How could this be?" Xiao Ke gasped.

A chill ran through me. The "mind-transfer technique" seemed to be more than just "copying thoughts." What one perceives in one's own mind must be time-limited, disappearing within a limited time, whether slowly or quickly, and causing a large-scale depletion of internal energy. This also explains Shao Hei's "death from exhaustion."

“It’s simple, we’ve lost our last chance to salvage this batch of codes—” I slapped my forehead in frustration, and as I hurriedly got up, I felt dizzy, the sunlight seemed blinding, and my stomach was churning.

I missed out on this opportunity before I even figured out what the "Book of Purgatory" was for. I was much better off than the Golden Finger and the others, who at least took back a wooden plaque with the words "Book of Purgatory" written on it to report their success.

Xiao Keleng gave a dejected bitter smile: "Fortunately, at least we still have a blue key. Perhaps we can unlock the code on it and get something useful."

She took out the key again and examined it closely in the sunlight. Perhaps she was right; when Xiao Yan arrived and deciphered half of the code, it would be helpful for our upcoming exploration.

I tried hard to recall those groups of four Arabic numerals, each group starting with "zero" and "one". The most intuitive association should be the two most basic control elements representing the field of numbers. "Xiao Xiao, if there are many combinations of numbers, each group starting with 'zero' or 'one', what can you think of?" The dizziness was getting worse and worse, and I staggered into the house.

Xiao Keleng answered without hesitation: "Digital basic elements, the fundamental springboard from the analog era to the digital era."