King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 272

“Ji San Niang, will she… hate me? I promised that after I succeeded, I would take her to the far reaches of the sea, to live together forever, to find solace in the blue sky and the waves, and never return to the Central Plains. But Ao Bai and I suddenly disappeared, without even leaving her a message…”

Situ Qiu left the mirror, but his palms remained pressed against it with lingering affection.

I took five deep breaths to calm my surging emotions before slowly pressing my right ear against the mirror. If I could hear the sounds of the bustling city of the Tang Dynasty here, it would be a truly rare and extraordinary event. I'd seen scenes of ancient capitals in many period dramas, expecting a cacophony of noise and shouts from vendors, but I heard nothing. Indeed, there was utter silence in the mirror, an absolute stillness, let alone any signal from Ji San Niang.

"Wind, did you hear that?" The Great God Tu Liehan looked slightly nervous.

I slowly shook my head and switched to my left ear to listen, but there was still no sound.

The great god Tu Liehan sneered: "I've been fooled by them many times. Once they even said they heard the sound of fireworks on the Lantern Festival in the capital, but I was disappointed every time."

Situ Qiu and Lei Aobai embraced silently, and the sight of two men embracing in such dire straits was particularly striking to outsiders. Regardless of what they had actually heard, disturbing them at this moment was the most inhumane thing to do.

I made a "shush" gesture to the great god Tu Liehan, and we walked back the way we came.

Once the gleaming mirror disappeared into the darkness, the Great God Tu Liehan suddenly let out a long sigh and laughed loudly. Being deceived was never a pleasant experience, especially for a highly civilized Saturnian to be tricked by two ancient Earth people from a thousand years ago; his frustration must have been even more profound.

I leaned down into the corridor and wondered how many unspeakable secrets were buried in that dark world.

“Feng, sometimes I really wonder if entering the other side of the mirror would trigger the reverse development of the human world? In a second, time would rewind a thousand years. If we passed through ten mirrors, wouldn’t we immediately enter the primitive world of ten thousand years ago, just like when I first came to Earth?” He twitched his nose uneasily, and a faint mist seemed to be floating in the air.

“I don’t think they’re lying.” I thought for a moment before cautiously replying to him.

If Lei Aobai saw Guan Baoling in the mirror, this cannot be explained by physics. It can only be said that what happened here is an "alien event," and only the experts from the American "Area 51" can solve the mystery.

The great god Tu Liehan waved his hand heavily: "You believe them?"

I paused for at least half a minute before slowly nodding: "Yes, I believe them."

He chuckled dryly and patted the railing in the corridor: "Okay, okay, you believe them. If what they experienced is absolutely true, then the 'reverse evolution theory' of the human world also exists, right?"

We both stopped at the same time, leaned against the railing, and stared at the endless darkness below.

"Wind, you still haven't answered me?" he urged me with a cold laugh.

I paused for a moment before smiling and saying, "I will answer you. At least on the topic of 'reverse evolution theory,' my mentor, Professor Paul Lamb, has a great deal of authority to speak on it. After all, he is one of the initiators of this theory and has published more than ten related books."

The core idea of the "reverse evolution theory" is as follows: taking the time of the Earth's rotation and revolution as an example, if one day it is subjected to a force in the opposite direction, causing a reversal and the direction of its revolution around the sun also reversed, what changes will occur in the world?

In October 1997, six of the world’s most renowned research institutions held a joint symposium in Iceland to debate the validity of this theory. Ultimately, the affirmative side, led by Professor Paulnmer, prevailed and reached the following conclusion: “When the Earth rotates backward at the same speed, the world will begin to regress. Both the objective world and individual survival will follow a trajectory of ‘backward, backward, and backward’.”

To give a simple example, the elderly become middle-aged, the middle-aged regress to youth, the youth regress to children, infants, and finally back to a fertilized egg. Every event and every object returns to its starting point, from existence to non-existence, from large to small, from tangible to intangible, from existence to disappearance.

This seemingly absurd theory has gained increasing support from various countries. Winds on Earth can shift from south to north and from east to west, and their rotation patterns would naturally change, much like the physics principle that "motion is absolute and rest is relative." If the Earth were to reverse direction, all formulas and conclusions applied to physics would have to be rewritten.

"I have to tell you, with the abilities of the Saturnians, they could easily do this, and do it effortlessly. Wind, I only revealed this secret because I consider you a friend. In the desert, I told you that I once expended energy to accelerate the Earth's rotation, causing time to advance at breakneck speed. Now, I can add another one: I even tried to exert a force in the opposite direction on the Earth, changing its orbital pattern to—"

The words of the great god Tu Liehan made me break out in a cold sweat: "What? Are you kidding me?"

While he was turning the Earth around like a plaything, all of us Earthlings were completely oblivious, still following the work method of "working at sunrise and resting at sunset," unaware of anything whatsoever.

"I'm not joking. The consequences of doing that would be seawater flooding the land, rulers of various groups acting tyrannically, hens turning into roosters, the sun rising in the west... In short, all those strange events that fortune tellers call 'anomalies' are caused by changes in the Earth's own operating patterns. If the spacecraft's energy still exists, I can show it to you at any time—"

After hearing his words, I slowly broke out in a cold sweat, soaking my shirt without even realizing it.

Throughout world and Chinese history, countless wars and rebellions have occurred over thousands of years, resulting in the deaths and injuries of more than one-tenth of the world's population. Each tragedy began with the ruthless actions of a few national leaders, and from there spread globally, involving an ever-growing number of participants.

A perfectly healthy person cannot suddenly go mad. The transformation from gentleman to executioner, from virtuous to plunderer, requires an underlying cause. If everything was caused by the "experimental operation" of the god Tu Liehan, then he is the truly unforgivable sinner.

Part Three: Mirror Illusion, Chapter Four

The life-or-death crisis for the Saturnians

"Is that... real?" I managed to utter.

Without saying a word, the great god Tu Liehan pointed forward and led the way to the room where we had stayed before.

Saturn's technological civilization is many times more advanced than Earth's. The things he said are theoretically achievable, but could they really cause historical instability and devastation?

"Feng, come with me, I need to show you some documents." He stopped about twenty steps ahead and turned back to beckon me.

I followed him, feeling an unusual stiffness in my legs. What he said truly shocked me.

Upon entering the room, the gray-white walls slowly lit up, gradually reflecting images of mountains, rivers, lakes, cities, high-rise buildings, crowds, and cars.

"This is the world of Earthlings. Is it exactly the same as what you know? This example still uses Cairo, the capital of Egypt, as a model. Let's take a look at the result of an Egyptian old man's 'reverse evolution'—" The scene changes, and a man with completely white hair and beard appears. He is sitting in a park where yellow leaves are falling, with a narrow river in front of him.

"He's fishing, a sport enjoyed by everyone on Earth, a form of predation and slaughter by a large creature against a smaller one. Look, his fishing rod is exquisite, and he looks relaxed, enjoying his life. But he doesn't know that a disaster is quietly approaching..."

I stared at the text description that quickly appeared in the corner of the screen: "Aron, 60 years old, former official of the Cairo City Hall Political Review Department, in good health, with no bad habits."

“I know him. He’s a nice guy who’s always smiling and never gets angry with anyone. People like to call him ‘Old Sharpi Elon.’” When we returned from the desert, at Tina’s invitation, Suren and I attended several private balls hosted by Egyptian dignitaries and met government officials at the middle and upper levels.

"Well, this is just one example randomly selected from Cairo's millions of people, like lab rats in a cage. There's nothing to regret." He resumed his cold and indifferent expression.

I really wanted to ask, "Why was he chosen?" but I forced myself to hold back. If this experiment had to continue, anyone chosen would be my kind, and someone would have to pay with their life, whether I knew them or not.

"When the earth begins to rotate backward, we can see that what was originally dusk when the sun was setting will turn into a bright afternoon with the sun shining high in the sky. Then the sun will move backward from west to east and then turn into the rising sun. And our Mr. Elon will also go back from fishing by the river to when he left home in the morning. And look at the water in that little river, it is slowly rising, rising to the level before the sun evaporates it."

The scene changed as Tu Liehan, the great god, explained, and indeed it went from dusk to morning in reverse.

"What if we sped up the speed of this scene by 365 times? A year would become a day, and if he went back one step, it would be equivalent to his age shrinking by one year; what if we imagined speeding it up by 100,000 times, or even 1 million times? Our poor Mr. Aaron would become a fertilized egg, and when the speed of time reversal increases infinitely and the process continues indefinitely, what would the result be? The wind, at that point, the Earth would no longer exist; it would return to the time when it was formed..."

Watching as Aaron on screen rapidly transforms into a younger, leaner, and more capable man, then shrinks in height to resemble a naive teenager just starting middle school.

I don't want to watch anymore: "Stop, please stop playing and tell me what you want to do?"

"If I could obtain unlimited energy from the 'Asian Gear,' I would adjust Earth's timeline to the era of the emergence of apes, allowing it to gradually rebuild itself, correct my mistakes, restore a real Earth to you, and completely eliminate the hidden dangers of the 'Great Seven.' Saving Earth would also be for the peaceful development of the entire universe. After all, only when Earth's technological civilization is highly advanced will the 'Saturn Migration' plan be developed, and only then will there be a Saturn world in the future."

He turned off the screen and continued his impassioned speech.

"If we go back to the age of apes, what about all those big cities that have already been built on Earth? Would they all be destroyed without exception?" I couldn't help but refute him. Such a dangerous act of disrupting the Earth's rotation frequency was simply unacceptable.

"The Earth will rebuild itself over time. I'm just making up for my mistakes. Wind, if the Earth continues like this, it will surely perish. No matter how beautifully it's rebuilt, after death, won't it just be a speck of dust among countless others?"

He tried to persuade me, but I couldn't listen anymore and raised my hand to stop him: "Forget it, that's too crazy a plan. You should just give up on blindly manipulating the Earth and let it fend for itself."

“You—Feng, I think you should really calm down and consider the future of the Earth. The ‘Big Seven’ is coming soon, why push the Earth into the fire of destruction?”

Hurried footsteps came from one end of the corridor. Sahan appeared at the door with a livid face: "Master, we have chosen to retreat. The poisonous insects are very powerful. I suggest that we temporarily seal the 'ley line' exit and think of another way. If we continue to charge forward, I'm afraid there will be even greater casualties."

Two soft, green snakes draped over his shoulders, their tails dangling down to his heels. Between his fingers, he held two brown centipedes that were still baring their fangs and claws, wriggling and shaking their heads and tails.

Tu Liehan's face darkened, and Sahan immediately continued, "Master, we underestimated the enemy. The snake formation, aided by the power of the crystals, is at least ten times stronger than we expected. The one who set up the formation is not Alpha alone, but rather borrowed another, even more powerful force."

He threw the centipede on the ground, quickly drew the curved knife from his waist, and swiftly slashed it down, cutting the centipede in half.

His suspicions coincided with mine. It was obvious that Alpha and Tang Qing had acted simultaneously to seal off the empty courtyard so tightly. They were enemies; how could they possibly cooperate amicably, and so seamlessly, with such perfect coordination?

Sahan used the tip of his knife to pick up a piece of centipede and presented it to the great god Tu Liehan: "They can regenerate at any time, just like the tails of earthworms or geckos. Cutting them off with a knife will not kill them, but will instead give birth to a new life. In this state, no matter how we attack, the number of poisonous insects will never decrease."

The centipede, from head to waist, was still wriggling, and a pale yellow limb extended from the cut, its vitality completely unaffected.

“But we have no way out. Forward or die, it’s that simple,” the Great God Tu Liehan answered with difficulty, pointing outside the railing. “The energy won’t last long. Once the spacecraft’s main control system shuts down, we’ll all be in freefall within about three minutes—”

Sahan gave a bitter smile: "Master, so you're saying that the future you promised everyone was never going to be fulfilled from the very beginning, is that right?"

The great god Tu Liehan coughed, frowned, and fell silent.

He said he "never lies," but that in itself was a compelling lie. Last time, he piloted a large aircraft underground due to energy depletion; this time, in a state of near exhaustion, he prepared to forcefully break through the "ley line" exit and seize Alpha's world. Although he was the "god" revered by the desert people, he was essentially just a "human" who had mastered an advanced civilization. Now, with his energy gone, "human" could only remain "human" and could not undergo any fundamental leap forward.

Blood was flowing from Sahan's forehead, dark red blood trickling down his cheek like an even uglier, blood-red centipede. His grey robe was torn in more than a dozen places, revealing his bronze-colored skin beneath.

“In that case, Master, may I send Mr. Feng out to avoid being implicated by us?” He remained respectful to the Great God Tu Liehan.

The great god Tu Liehan waved his hand, silently turned his back, and said no more.

Sahan gazed sadly at the other's retreating figure, finally shaking his head: "Never mind, Mr. Feng, please come with me."

He led me back up the spiral escalator, ascending floor by floor. In the darkness, his blood dripped onto the metal steps, making a "drip, drip" sound from time to time, and a few drops landed on me, emitting a strange, fishy smell.

"Sahan, are you alright?" I looked up and saw a gray dot at the end of the room, which looked very similar to the scene when Guan Baoling and I escaped from the glass box.

"It's alright, it's alright," he replied in a muffled voice.

As I walked through the ground floor hall, I glanced several times into that long, winding corridor, struggling to suppress the urge to rush towards it. After so long apart, seeing Suren for the first time, all my pent-up emotions erupted in that instant. I was willing to bleed for her, to do anything for her, even give my life.

Separation is for a longer reunion. I'm not going to see her now only to focus my mind and find a way to save her more quickly.

Su Lun is not Guan Baoling. Even in hopeless predicaments, she can survive alone because she is the only sister of the legendary martial arts master, Scalpel, and is also a master among the "Three Heroes of Flying Flowers" and the last disciple of Master Guan Nan Wu Lang.

I sighed silently, burying my reluctance to part with Suren deep inside, and at the same time, I straightened my chest and quickened my ascent.

After ascending the last section of the escalator, I stood once again in that small building with its dilapidated gable. Outside, snowflakes were still swirling in the air, and the footprints I had left on my last visit were long since covered by the heavy snow. Every inch of the alleyway was blanketed in a thick layer of snow.

Sahan kicked a blue brick away, sending it tumbling out of the gap and landing on the soft snow.

"That's enough for now, Mr. Feng. As half-Saturnians who have undergone the 'alienation' process, we cannot leave from here. We can only break through through the 'ley lines'. Our master's wisdom is unparalleled throughout history, surpassing all Earthlings. If he says there is nothing he can do, then I think it must be an incurable apocalypse. So, this is probably the last time we meet. Take care."

When the term "half-Saturnians" was mentioned, his smile became bitter and forced. The "alienation" process of this special group always goes through a procedure wrapped in layers of white cloth, like a silkworm spinning its own cocoon. When they are in this neither-here-nor-there evolutionary state, they are actually the most vulnerable and helpless, unable to transform into butterflies and fly away, nor able to escape in the most primitive crawling way.

"Perhaps I can do something, but..." I hesitated, because the "recreating the Earth" theory of the great god Tu Liehan truly stung me. If his plan were to be implemented, wouldn't the world outside this mountain's interior space immediately become unrecognizable? If I helped him break out of the "earth's veins," would I become the culprit for the destruction of four billion Earthlings?

That wasn't a trivial matter concerning my life or death; it was a decision so significant that I couldn't afford to make it.

Sahan shook his head: "I have seen through the emptiness of life on Earth and have never been attached to this body, which is why I chose the path of 'alienation'. Mr. Feng, the only thing I need to remind you of is, what about Miss Suren? She was Mr. Scalpel's most beloved younger sister. Can you save her? That crystal wall cannot be broken through, and the master said that it is a shortcut to enter the 'Asian Gear'. Once our spacecraft crashes, this shortcut will no longer exist."

He looked down at the black hole at his feet, then suddenly frowned: "Hmm? It seems like someone's following us? How absurd!"

Sure enough, dragging footsteps came from the escalator, and there were two people, one in front of the other.

"There's no good solution right now, but I'm sure I can get her out." I forced a smile onto my face. A smile in adversity is the best encouragement you can give to others.

Sahan sighed three times in succession: "I hope you can, as the master said, we all don't have much time left."

In my opinion, opening the sealed gate is the most direct and feasible path. If Alpha's energy is restored, this will be easily accomplished.

Emerging from the black hole were Situ Qiushi and Lei Aobai. The two of them, as if sleepwalking, dragged their heavy steps onto the ground, and immediately felt the chill of the heavy snow that was blowing in from outside, and shivered at the same time.

"What are you trying to do? If you leave the spacecraft from here, you won't be able to get Saturn's energy, and soon—" Sahan sneered, finding the two untimely people incomprehensible.

Lei Aobai shrank his neck and asked absentmindedly, "What?"

"What would happen if a fetus that can't breathe on its own left the mother's uterus and the umbilical cord connecting its body to its body was cut?" Sahan used the most apt analogy, but it was clear that Lei Aobai didn't understand anything and just stared blankly at the heavy snow outside.

"What we...are seeing is the world that girl lives in?" he asked me, turning his head to look at me.

Ignoring Sahan's sneer, I answered seriously, "Not entirely. Only by breaking away from the outside world a second time can one enter the space where she lives."

With Guan Baoling's global fame, she has tens of millions of fans, and Lei Aobai is probably the most eccentric and unique one among them.

"Alright, I'm going out." He took a few unsteady steps forward, stepping on the broken bricks scattered on the ground, about to step out of the small building.

Sahan grew agitated: "Hey, you two, without the master's orders, you can't even go to your deaths. Come back with me."

He stepped past me, seemingly intending to grab Lei Aobai, but in the instant his foot slipped, Situ Qiu suddenly swung his palm, a gust of wind stirring up dust, instantly turning the small building into a misty world. At that moment, Lei Aobai stepped out, standing beneath the swirling snowflakes. He tilted his head back, mouth agape, greedily absorbing the snowflakes falling from the sky, like a complete madman.

With two sharp, clattering sounds, Sahan drew his two curved swords. His Egyptian martial arts and Situ Qiushi's Chinese martial arts were evenly matched, especially in the instant when dust rose, neither could gain any advantage over the other.