King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 258

The opening lines of the children's book "Three Character Classic" say, "At the beginning of life, man is inherently good." However, judging from many examples, it should actually be changed to "At the beginning of life, man is inherently evil." For instance, lying is an innate human instinct, and I keenly sensed a darker mystery hidden behind his flat, dull eyes.

"Of course, as an Earthling, I don't want to see any external force destroy my home. Although there are at least 40,000 planets in the Milky Way that humanity can live on, I would rather be born on Earth, die on Earth, and have my soul and body buried here. You probably have no experience with space travel, right? Every time I return from outer space and see this blue planet flashing in the vast expanse of dark celestial space, I feel like I'm coming home—"

He was lost in endless memories, but to me, it was an extremely bizarre thing for someone dressed in Qin Dynasty armor to be talking non-stop about the wonders of space travel.

"What about this time? I don't feel like I'm coming home?" I don't want to waste time. I hope to go to the Epang Palace. From that eerie drumbeat, I seem to have sensed the call from the great god Tu Liehan once again.

The experience in the Egyptian desert is not a complete story. General Tina was enjoying great success in her career, and the sudden disappearance of the Tsarist pyramids likely gave her quite a shock. The key point is that the Tsarist god's flying machine was not destroyed, but rather temporarily concealed, and will eventually remain on Earth.

"Is he really coming here?" I wanted a positive answer.

In a sense, they are allies of Earthlings. At least in the matter of saving Earth from the "Big Seven" crisis of 2007, we face the same annihilation and need to work together to resist the coming catastrophe.

Alpha sighed, "This is not my home, not now, and not even two thousand years from now."

His condition would be classified as severe amnesia in the medical field; he can only live in the present, and the more he tries to recall things, the more painful it becomes.

"Alpha, I need to go down. There's something strange about that courtyard. If, as you said, a third force emerges from there, could the massive tremors bring about a cataclysmic destruction to the world?"

I know the dimensions of the pyramid's sides very well, and that behemoth is the spacecraft the Saturnians traveled in; even letting just one spire in would wreak havoc on the Epang Palace. I don't want any further complications to occur until I find Suren and ensure her absolute safety.

"This space will be destroyed sooner or later. More than any third-party force, I'm worried about whether the door that seals the monster is strong enough." Under the mask, he could lie at any time and conceal his true thoughts.

The area beneath the rock face is covered in snow, which, if roughly estimated, is more than half a meter thick.

I walked towards the stone steps, carefully kicking away the thick snow one step at a time. The surroundings became even quieter, and the soft rustling sound of the snow falling was exceptionally clear to my ears.

"Be careful. Things can change at any time here, and nowhere is safe. Also, you'd better not get caught up in any strange formations. With my current energy, I can only protect myself, not you." His meaning couldn't be clearer: he was already in a vulnerable position, and in the event of a sudden change, he would definitely prioritize self-preservation.

I seriously doubt what Tang Xin can gain by attaching herself to him. I'm afraid it will only bring her increasing tension and imminent danger.

"I understand." I waved my hand with my back to him and walked away without looking back.

The snow was just above my knees. I glided lightly across the snow and landed on the steps in front of the Epang Palace. The two doors in front of me were made of the finest cypress wood. The bronze door knockers on the left and right were as large as large bowls, emitting a faint, cold light. The hundreds of copper nails inlaid on the door panels were larger than ordinary small wine cups in diameter, and despite the passage of time, they showed no signs of rust.

After disregarding the eerie surroundings, all that remained was an ordinary ancient building, the kind of quaint and secluded courtyard house that can be found in any historical city in China.

I looked up, but there was no sunlight; only a layer of grayish-white mist suspended in the air. The steep stone walls on both sides were as if they had been carved by a knife and axe, rising straight up with clean, smooth surfaces, without even a crack or crevice to climb over.

"A second Epang Palace? The most important goal of Suren's deep exploration of the wild frontier?" I couldn't help but smile bitterly, wishing that Suren was standing beside me at this moment, so that she could be the first to push open the door and enter as the first beautiful female visitor to this ancient palace.

Two stone lions, each over two meters tall, stood on either side of the entrance, their blue eyes glaring menacingly at the stone wall behind me. After all, no one had ever personally witnessed the splendor of the Epang Palace; their accounts were merely fragments of pronouncements copied from ancient written records, making their credibility questionable.

I instinctively reached out and grabbed the door knocker, knocking lightly twice. The good habits I had developed in the vast world outside the mountains were completely useless here, since there was no one else in this empty courtyard, and there was no way a maid or old servant would open the door for me.

Therefore, the Jiang brothers' accounts of the Epang Palace are utter nonsense, including Li Zun'er's records, which are all baseless and ignorant conjectures. If someone had actually visited this ancient building, the versions of its description would certainly be different.

In my hesitation, I suddenly had a bad feeling, like a hunter being watched by a monster, and my body reacted instinctively. The murderous aura came from the front, left, right, and bottom, with only the top and back being temporarily safe. I spread my arms and sprang backward in a "Wild Goose Descending on the Sand" style, landing gracefully on the snow.

The gate remained unmoved, and the eerie gaze of the stone lions loomed over me, positioned precisely at the vent of the surging murderous aura. For a fleeting moment, I even had the illusion that they were alive and well, merely silenced by some artificial restraint.

The Yin-Yang Five Elements formation must prioritize grandeur, supplemented by illusions, based on geographical dimensions, and imbued with the essence of Feng Shui. I now fully believe that the Epang Palace is a magnificent formation laid down by the square-eyed warrior Alpha, brimming with unpredictable changes. Beyond the formation's imposing aura, there lies a vast power, like "a storm brewing, dark clouds pressing down on the city, threatening to crush it," lurking in unseen corners, ready to erupt at any moment.

Perhaps only the continuous, heavy mountain range outside could block such intense killing intent, preventing it from being discovered by scientists and allowing it to remain silently buried underground for thousands of years.

"Why aren't you going in yet?" Alpha asked, looking at me.

"I'll go in, but not now." I didn't turn around, but a smile was already playing on my lips.

Because I have already discerned his good intentions; he only intended to use me as a spearhead in the charge or simply as bait to test the enemy. A "human" who has existed for thousands of years has experienced far more and considered far more profoundly than ordinary people. He would never easily accept others, even if I had just helped him repel the enemy's relentless advance.

Historians have long concluded that private ownership is the driving force of social progress. The primary characteristic of any person is "selfishness." When this characteristic is developed to the extreme, it becomes the imperial logic of "I have power in my hands, I own the world," treating fellow human beings as tools or ants. No matter how many die or how tragic their deaths are, they do not care. Such people only care about the result and will stop at nothing to achieve their goal.

Alpha is undoubtedly such a person. When I explored his mind, I learned another more important message—his goal was not to destroy the enemy, but to use their energy to create a more advanced aircraft and leave this strange Earth.

"Going in now, it's safe in the 'Central Earth' direction. You can see that door. You know, even the 'King of Tomb Raiders,' Yang Tian, once praised it highly. Perhaps you'll find it interesting." His voice gradually rose, probably recovering from the severe damage he suffered in the energy battle with the enemy.

My position was safe; at least there was no danger behind or above me, but I couldn't see the entire Epang Palace. After a moment's hesitation, I leaped up and landed on the top of the gate tower. This was the western entrance to the great formation, belonging to the "Western Geng and Xin Metal" direction. To the left was the "Northern Ren and Gui Water" direction, and to the right was the "Southern Bing and Ding Fire" direction. The entire situation remained at a delicate balance.

Looking ahead, a straight blue-brick avenue divides the pavilion into two parts. The left side consists entirely of square high-rise buildings, while the right side is filled with gray octagonal buildings. At first glance, they could almost be mistaken for a cluster of columbarium stupas in a temple. If it weren't for the backdrop of white snow, the entire courtyard would appear a lifeless, somber dark gray, devoid of any vitality.

“I told you, it’s absolutely safe to go in now.” His tone had become impatient.

The main road led straight to the empty courtyard. I looked into the distance and saw a section of the courtyard wall that was broken in the middle. It turned out that the courtyard didn't have a gate at all, but only a deliberately left gap, like a strange mouth lying across the snow.

"The Earth position is certainly safe, but what about further ahead? Is the position of 'Eastern Jia Yi Wood' still safe?" Although it's not the time to discuss the Yin-Yang Five Elements formation, he was clearly hiding something, repeatedly reminding me that the area ahead was absolutely safe. In reality, any flaw in the formation could plunge me into utter ruin.

“Safe,” he answered without hesitation.

I turned around and gazed at the cave entrance where he stood: "If all five positions are safe, where is the enemy's breakthrough point? Isn't what you're saying a contradiction?"

Because I genuinely sensed the imminent approach of a large-scale potential danger, I had reason to suspect that the real danger lay behind that empty courtyard, in the space that intruders traveling from west to east would face after passing through the core of the great formation.

"I'll prove it to you. Shall we go into battle together?" He suddenly swooped forward, like a light kite, effortlessly riding the wind, and landed beside me in an instant.

I didn't want to say much, so I waved my hand and gestured for him to go first. He leaped up again, flying towards the first small building on the right. He barely touched the eaves before flipping over and running towards the second and third buildings. His movements were even more agile than those of a gibbon leaping and traversing the jungle.

In the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches system, Jia (甲) represents Heaven and Yi (乙) represents Earth. Therefore, any Yin-Yang formation will prioritize the control of "Eastern Jia and Yi Wood". In contrast, Alpha's formation uses palaces and pavilions, with the west high and the east low, and the north and south level. It uses that empty courtyard as its core, connecting the four directions of south, west, north, and center to create a towering and oppressive force, rushing towards the east. This clearly shows that in his mind, the east is the main battlefield for the decisive battle with the enemy.

"This formation has already lost control; he is merely struggling to maintain it." This is my conclusion. In other words, the East has already spiraled out of control, which is why he was forced to build a defensive line in the West to deal with the enemy's counterattack.

Once I understood this, I realized that any truly great discovery would have to be made at the far east.

I followed Alpha and jumped twenty-five times on the rooftops before finally reaching the rooftop near the empty courtyard.

The courtyard didn't just have one gap; it had four gaps in the east, west, south, and north, each seven meters wide. The east-west avenue continued straight out after passing through the courtyard, intersecting with another north-south avenue in the center of the courtyard to form a cross.

"'Cross Star Killing Formation'? Was your energy a hundred times stronger than the enemy's back then?" I couldn't help but smile slightly.

According to Alpha, he deployed his formation during the Qin Dynasty, more than two thousand years ago. The fact that he could create such a "cross-shaped killing formation" at that time, capable of "the strongest defeating the weakest, sweeping away all obstacles, and dispelling the clouds to reveal the sun," demonstrates a profound contempt for the enemy's fighting capabilities. What unexpected event occurred over those two millennia that caused the balance of power to suddenly reverse?

At the heart of the intersection of the main roads, there is a deep circle, ten meters in diameter, which stands out conspicuously against the white snow.

“Yes, it’s more than a thousand times stronger. At the beginning of the formation, I could even seal it in the ‘formation eye’. There’s a natural deep well at the location of that circle, which goes straight down into the earth’s veins and never ends. It’s the perfect place to be the ‘formation eye’.”

Alpha sighed repeatedly, then leaped downstairs, slowly stepping through the gap in the empty courtyard, and walked towards the circle.

Volume Five: The Millennium Labyrinth

Part 1: Deep Underground

— Chapter 10 - The Gears of Asia Are There —

Everyone has times when their plans fall through. The eight characters "Man proposes, God disposes" apply to all human activities, without exception, from ancient times to the present.

His silhouette as he walked across the snow appeared somewhat hesitant and flustered, like a deposed king mourning his ruined homeland. In fact, after the energy balance reversed, this "Cross Star Killing Formation" lost all its function and became nothing more than a useless decoration, which might even be exploited by the enemy for a major counterattack.

I also went into the empty courtyard. The snow here was thinner than outside, only reaching my calves.

Although it is an ancient well, it lacks the usual well curb and platform; it is simply a round hole in the flat ground, with the surrounding blue bricks arranged counterclockwise, forming a dynamic vortex. The well is indeed very deep; looking down gives one a dizzying feeling. As far as the eye can see, the rocks gleam with a faint bluish light, silent and austere.

"You should know what ley lines are, right?" He leaned into the well and looked down.

My caution was mistaken for cowardice, but this didn't need clarification: "I know a little."

"From here, you can reach the infinite distance. On this blue planet, there are fewer than ten caves that can be called ley lines, and this is the largest one. Listen, the voice comes from the Earth's core—" He turned to the side, pretending to listen intently.

"Earth veins don't have a size limit, because no one can explore their end point," I calmly corrected him.

The term "earth veins" has held a very important position in physics, archaeology, biology, and geography since ancient times. It can be compared to blood vessels in the human body, running through the whole body, yet hidden deep within the framework of flesh and bones.

Modern astronautical research has shown that countless planets capable of supporting life once existed in the universe, with development processes similar to Earth's. However, the "earth's veins" on these planets were broken and damaged, directly leading to the fragmentation of their food chains. When the food chains were destroyed, the entire planet suffered annihilation, losing its vitality and ultimately disintegrating into the cosmos, eventually turning into meteorites or dust.

"No, that theory is wrong, just as humanity verified the error of the geocentric model and then replaced it with the heliocentric model—this ley line connects to the 'Asian Gear,' and is the foundation of Earth's existence. If someone were to be so ruthless as to attempt to destroy Earth, destroying the ley line and then blowing up the Asian Gear would be the quickest way."

He mentioned "Asian gears" again, and intentionally or unintentionally emphasized those four words.

I will no longer be easily fooled and let him talk on and on. Entering a certain location on Earth through ley lines is theoretically possible, but practically impossible, because its physical properties are like a "black hole" or "wormhole." Once you fall in, you will be assimilated and then transported to an unpredictable place, always going in the opposite direction from your initial goal.

"Where does it lead ahead?" I changed the subject, pointing to the gap to the east.

"It's that door, the sealed door." He returned to normal from his state of listening intently.

"I want to go take a look--" Before he could respond, I had already bypassed the well and stepped forward through the snow.

"Stop, stop! Listen, the drums are beating again! The third power is... is right below..." he shouted.

The monotonous sound of African drums reached my ears a second before his shouts. I turned around quickly and saw him retreating rapidly, kicking up snowflakes that flew everywhere.

The sound definitely came from down the well. The knocking and echoing echoed each other, sometimes very close, sometimes very distant. I took a step closer and looked down into the well. My vision was still dark, and the uneven well walls looked like the gaping maw of a monster grinding its teeth and sucking blood.

Because the well walls block, reflect, and diffract sound, it's impossible to pinpoint the location of the sound source; it can only be roughly estimated to be between fifty and two hundred meters deep. If it truly is the flying machine of the Earth God, it should be able to break through the ground very quickly.

"Look at the snow on the ground—" he shouted again.

Our reaction times were roughly equal. As I made my call, I noticed the snow near the well opening slowly sliding forward and silently falling into the well.

"Did suction occur downhole?" It's a pity we don't have a powerful searchlight or similar tool on hand, otherwise we could at least see what's going on at a depth of 100 meters.

Alpha had retreated ten steps away, slightly bent over, its feet firmly gripping the ground, in a "thousand-pound drop" stance.

"Is this not the first time you've encountered suction?" I asked casually. Since he took such a defensive stance first, he must have suffered from this well before, and was afraid of being sucked in a second time.

The suction was increasing, and my trouser legs were being pulled forward again and again, as if I were standing in front of a giant exhaust fan that was slowly starting up.

"The suction will get stronger and stronger until it sucks everything in this yard away, whether it's people or snow..." He smiled bitterly, his fists across his waist, his knees bent even more, forming a "steady and stable" long bridge stance.

I looked around the empty courtyard and now I could vaguely understand why there was such a strange, large open space in the center of the buildings. The suction increased again, and the snow under my feet was spinning counterclockwise along the blue bricks on the well's edge, gradually forming a massive snow column that slid straight up and down into the well.

"Shall we retreat for now?" Alpha didn't wait for my answer and quickly turned around and backed away.

Suddenly, the suction increased several times, blowing the golden mask off his face, which tumbled in the air. Anyone's first reaction at that moment would be to leap up and grab it. As he spun around and raised his hand, I finally saw his face. It was a slightly pale "human" face, with a straight nose, ingot-shaped lips, thick black eyebrows, and a broad forehead—a face that could be considered "handsome."

His movements were nimble and light; he sprang up, grabbed the mask in his hand, but then his gaze met mine.

"I... my eyes..." He raised his hand to cover his eyebrows.

"Square eyes, just like the ones drawn in the Li family's ancient books." I sighed inwardly in horror, but still pretended to be nonchalant.

"I've said it before, I'm an outcast among Earthlings. No matter how I try to explain, no one will believe we're the same kind of people." He put his mask back on and looked at me through the two holes in his eyes.

The shock those eyes gave me was like a flash of lightning in the dark of a rainy night—a fleeting moment, yet forever etched in my mind. His eye sockets were oval, with square pupils firmly set within, as clear and distinct as the eyes of all of us.

"I understand how they feel. If I were in their shoes, I would never think we were the same kind of people either." The surging whirlwind caused by the suction was no longer enough to distract me. I even forgot to leave the yard for a while. Only two questions kept echoing in my mind: Is he from Earth? Where did he come from?

"Therefore, I'm used to not arguing, not explaining, not communicating. You are you, and I am me. Let's retreat first; once we're sucked into the earth's veins, it will be too late."

He began to back away, pressing his hands firmly against the mask to prevent it from being blown off by the wind again.

I didn't heed his advice to go around the well and retreat towards the gap in the western courtyard wall. Instead, I turned and walked due east, struggling to maintain my balance amidst the swirling snowflakes. When there were too many distractions, I preferred to ignore them all and get straight to the point: the iron gate that sealed the monster.

"Where are you going? Where are you going?" he yelled angrily behind me.

Without turning my head, I said, "Go to the weakest point in the formation."

The balance of this world is about to be broken. Continuing to stick to the old ways will only lead to death. We must find a new path. Alpha's extreme conservatism has become unbearable for me. He has many secrets and is aware of all the dangers in this world, but he keeps them all closed up inside and doesn't reveal a single thing to the outside world.

"This is it... We've arrived..." From the depths of the darkness, someone sighed deeply, as if someone who had endured a dark and hopeless night had finally stood in the dawn's light, and the joy of relief was fully expressed in those two sentences.