King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 291

"Suren, are you alright?" I gently patted her shoulder.

Tensho Jubei's soul has already secluded itself in the crystal, together with the illusion demon. The girl in front of me is just Suren, and she will no longer be troubled by those strange souls.

"Brother Feng, I suddenly feel like playing the zither. Thousands of pages of sheet music are swirling in my mind, but I don't know how to choose." Her right hand pressed on the strings, trembling slightly.

"Did you feel like there was another person in your mind? Just now, when Tensho Jubei invaded your body, you completely changed—" I carefully reminded her.

Suren smiled faintly: "Brother Feng, I know. My elder brother described this feeling to me back when he was troubled by the shadow of the Illusion Demon. Now, I know I'm fine and can completely control myself. It's just that I'm worried about something else—" She raised her head, glanced at the group of people in white robes, and then looked down at the zither again.

Within five minutes, the white-robed men under Morari's leadership had rapidly assembled a silver dish antenna, approximately five meters tall. One of them even had a videophone with an LCD screen hidden on his back. These advanced communication products, from landing to assembly, took only fifteen minutes in total. Morari then loudly reported to Guan Nan Wulang, "Master, the communication equipment is functioning normally."

"Brother Feng, in your opinion, what kind of person is my master?" Su Lun bit her lip, trying her best to hide her unease.

Before the "ultimate weapon" appeared, I thought he was a legendary god of the martial arts world, an object of admiration for heroes all over the world, but now, I no longer think that way.

American media once bluntly revealed that "weapons of mass destruction" can also have a corrosive effect on people's minds. The most common manifestation is that it can instantly turn a humble and cautious person into a violent and rude person, just like throwing a piece of quicklime into a basin of water, which will immediately cause intense boiling and decomposition.

"I don't know," I could only answer truthfully.

She abandoned the guqin, stood up and put it back in the wooden box. Taking the opportunity to bend down, she said in a very fast voice, "If anything strange happens, please follow my lead. We must not let anyone control the situation. My elder brother said that the 'Asian Gear' does not belong to anyone and should not be controlled by anyone. In other words, when the mechanical body is under the control of some kind of human force, that will be the day it collapses. In any case, this time you will follow my command, okay?"

I casually glanced around and nodded slightly.

“Brother Feng, the ancient saying ‘sacrificing oneself for righteousness’ has been passed down for thousands of years. We all understand the meaning of these eight words, don’t we?” She smiled, but her calm and sharp analysis sent a chill down my spine.

“Suren, if there’s any danger, let me handle it. You’re not allowed to run ahead.” I told her firmly, leaving no room for negotiation. “If anyone’s going to die, it’ll be me first. This time, I won’t let you be in danger alone again. Just like when we fell into the crystal, I wanted someone to save you first. Only when you’re alive can I truly feel at ease.”

This is my honest opinion. After experiencing the pain of separation and death, I have realized that she is more important to me than my own life.

“Brother Feng, isn’t this exactly what I’m thinking?” She lowered her head and silently fastened the hidden lock on the wooden box.

We all sensed the shadow hanging over the world because Goro Kanan's plan sounded very suspicious. He claimed to have the power to destroy the earth, which was a very dangerous sign. Such words are usually spoken by vicious terrorists, not him.

"Morari and the others admire you a lot, don't they?" Suren changed the subject, trying to break the heavy atmosphere.

The seventeen Qi cultivators of the Azure Dragon Society, seemingly mysterious and enigmatic, have fallen into slavery to money, which fills me with immense sorrow. The power of money is immense; it can even erase all education and moral boundaries that humanity has received.

According to the precepts of Master Qifu's lineage, practitioners of unusual arts must never serve money or do anything that goes against the laws of the world, especially not to act as accomplices to evil or harm their fellow practitioners.

Now, I hope that what Guan Nan Goro is doing is still a good thing that "concerns the country and its people," just as he said, "adjusting the gears of Asia will make the world peaceful and friendly." Otherwise, he will also implicate Morari and his ilk and become sinners in history.

"They belong to the same school as me, but my teacher is like an all-encompassing supercomputer. He is familiar with all martial arts, supernatural techniques, and schemes from ancient times to the present. Even if you practiced under him for a hundred years without eating or sleeping, you probably wouldn't be able to learn all his skills. Therefore, each person can only learn a part of it. Like me, I only focus on martial arts, so my skills with firearms are much weaker, even less than yours—"

I don't want to talk too much about Master Qifu, as that would violate the vow I made when I entered the sect. Right now, I just want Su Lun to understand that while the seventeen Qi cultivators are not as capable as I am, they possess certain extraordinary abilities that I cannot have.

Su Lun smiled and said, "Brother Feng, you are too modest. My elder brother said that your talent in learning is ten times that of ordinary people, and you are on par with the great hero Yang Tian."

We fell silent at the same time because the name of our eldest brother had been mentioned. At least until now, his whereabouts remain a mystery.

Guan Nan Wulang walked confidently to the front of the antenna, clutching the lead box tightly in his hand, as if it were the power to rule the world.

Someone answered the phone and handed him the receiver. In the distance, a bald old man appeared on the LCD screen, sitting at a large desk.

Anyone with even a basic understanding of international news knows who he is. In recent years, he has been driving a series of global counter-terrorism operations, which have yielded good results in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

“Suren, let’s go up to the top of the mechanical structure. I have no interest in politicians’ haggling.” I took Suren’s hand, and we started climbing up another set of stairs.

“Brother Feng, I understand the steps involved. Senior Brother will create a shockwave through a small-scale explosion, causing one-thirty-sixth of the gears to stop turning, giving the corresponding region a small warning. Then, he will impose more stringent conditions, forcing the governors of countries around the world to comply. Master said that only in this way can the losses caused by the gears stopping be minimized.”

She looked back anxiously, but as we climbed higher, Guan Nan Wulang and his group became smaller and smaller.

"A warning? Is a plane crash the warning?" If such a serious warning is really necessary, then the cost of adjusting the "Asian gears" would be too high.

“Master said that someone always has to pay the price, that the sacrifice of a minority is exchanged for the future of the masses, isn’t that right?” She lowered her head in thought, seemingly not entirely agreeing with such a statement.

The hemispherical mechanical object should correspond to the structure of the Earth. Since no latitude and longitude markers can be found here, it is impossible to determine which part corresponds to Europe and which part points to Africa.

“Brother Feng, shall we take it one step at a time? In this situation, almost no one can control it. Even a top expert like Master can only do his best without asking about the outcome. What can we do?” She was helpless, after all, in Operation “Asian Gear”, she was only in the position of a subordinate.

The crystal sword was still stuck in my back. When the sealed gate opened, Suren didn't care about it, so I had to keep it safe. I took it off, carefully wrapped it in a strip of cloth, and handed it to Suren: "Take this. We might need it. But remember, I have the 'Blade of Transcendence.' You must never rush to the front in any dangerous situation."

Those who have been in the martial arts world for a long time have a subtle premonition of impending danger.

Suren took the golden sword and was about to say something when a set of gears beside us suddenly stopped. We had now reached the top of the mechanical structure, just a dozen or so steps away from the summit.

"They stopped? But we didn't hear any explosions? Hmm, was it an infrasound bomb?" Suren asked in quick succession, while we were both firmly rooted to the spot, unable to move an inch. After a long while, she reached out, across the metal wall on her right, grabbed a gear, and held it up to her eyes.

Infrasound bombs can indeed produce visible effects without being heard. Undoubtedly, this gear set will completely stop rotating from top to bottom. If Goro Kanan's prediction is correct, a certain region on Earth will instantly lose gravity and all power, becoming a vacuum. One can only imagine the consequences of such a change.

“Brother Feng, the worst has finally happened—” Su Lun lost his grip, and the gear clattered and tumbled all the way down.

"Hahahaha..." Guan Nanwu's laughter rang out loudly, "You may not believe me, but in five minutes, you will receive a national emergency warning, and the situation across the country will become terrible. Your Excellency, I await your call. See you later."

He got what he wanted, but the whole thing had degenerated into blatant extortion and repression, no different from what notorious terrorists do. I'm curious, what exactly does Goro Kanan want? He's already a globally renowned figure, with no shortage of money, fame, or status. Why would he orchestrate something like this? Does he really want to manipulate the world?

After the gear hit the bottom, it rolled towards the metal wall, then tipped over with a "clink" and remained motionless, still gleaming with a silvery metallic light. Undoubtedly, if Yesak could stop one set of gears, many more sets would face the same fate. The consequence would be an increasing number of strange events occurring on Earth, threatening the lives of the people.

"We'd better stop Yesak. If there's no proper way to adjust the 'gears of Asia,' there's no need to take action and artificially increase the disaster on Earth, is there?"

This was my first reaction in a state of emergency. There is no fundamental difference between letting people's lives and homes be destroyed by war or by the sudden halt of the "gears of Asia." The former is a human action, while the latter is a simpler form of human manipulation.

“But once the operation begins, it will not stop unless—the killing is used to stop the killing.” Suren succinctly stated his point of view. “But how easy is it to use killing to stop killing? Brother Feng, my master’s martial arts are not as weak as they seem on the surface. In fact, his special abilities are by no means inferior to any known master in the world. I’m afraid the two of us alone are no match for him.”

She frowned, spoke faster and faster, and kept fluttering her long eyelashes, revealing her considerable anxiety.

In his battle against Tensho Jubei, Kanan Goro only retreated, without retaliating in the slightest. On the surface, he seemed to be forced into a series of defeats, but I could feel his deep and domineering aura of "drawing back the attack, like a storm brewing," which was something that even ten Tensho Jubei could not match.

"Yes, we are no match for him." I frankly admitted, and there was no suitable terrain here for cover, ambush, or sniping; only an open expanse. Once we clashed, it would only be a contest of strength between the two sides. However, when I used the "Disintegration Technique and Samadhi True Fire," my internal energy was severely depleted, and I could not continue the fierce battle for a short time. To act blindly would only lead to certain death.

My gaze swept over the stopped gears once more, and my mind kept replaying the horrific scenes of several recent notorious air disasters. If Yesak continued his actions, the frequency of air disasters would increase exponentially.

“Suren, we have no way out, we can only take this one gamble. So many plane crashes are a huge disaster facing the whole world. If the skin is gone, where will the hair attach?” I’m really worried that one day when we leave the mountain, we will see a completely destroyed world that is unrecognizable.

Part 5: The Source of Energy

— Chapter 4 - The Resurrection of the Illusion Demon —

"Hahahaha..." Guan Nan Wulang laughed again, followed by Ye Sak's flattering and agreeing laughter.

"Morari, turn the volume up to the maximum, project the image onto the metal wall. I want to see the magnificent image of these big shots bowing their heads in submission under the control of the 'Asian Gear,' and preserve it forever as a memorial," he ordered loudly.

Within seconds, a huge image appeared on the metal wall directly in front of us. The bald politician smiled wryly at us: "Mr. Guan Nan Goro, thank you for reminding us in time. So, how do you want us to cooperate to stop that 'Asian cog' from harming the country?"

Without hesitation, Guan Nanwulang replied, "Withdraw all your control over the Arctic, and incidentally clear out the observation posts set up by other countries, so that the Arctic can remain pristine and clean. Then, we'll make contact again—" His answer suggests that all the steps in his plan were carefully considered.

"Alright, I'll do as you say." The image disappeared, leaving only the other party's long sigh. Even a superpower that holds absolute power globally seems powerless against Guan Nan Wulang's treacherous plan, and can only temporarily submit.

“Our next target will be Antarctica,” Suren whispered to me.

If Goro Kanami's target was merely the open areas of the North and South Poles, it might not be such a bad thing for densely populated metropolises. Unfortunately, Suren is not him, and naturally, he couldn't guess his true purpose. Now, scientists worldwide have been fooled, all believing that this Japanese man's search for the "Asian Gear" was for the purpose of maintaining peace.

Countless examples have appeared in history where those who shout the loudest slogans of "maintaining peace" are often the first to jump out and trample on "peace agreements." Such clowns are all too common.

"I never imagined he was this kind of person! It's a pity that Scalpel admired and respected him so much!" I felt sorry for Scalpel's mistake in judging people.

Suren shook her head and smiled: "Brother Feng, my elder brother can't compare to the 'King of Tomb Raiders,' Yang Tian, but his wisdom is still quite high. He predicted this event long ago, which is why he sent me to Master's tutelage. Using one's own sister as a 'suicide spy' is the most ingenious move. The most regrettable thing is that I have no power to stop this operation and can only watch helplessly as a bystander. Fortunately, you're here. I hope that by joining forces, we won't disappoint my elder brother—"

I was a little surprised: "He saw through Guan Nan Goro's facade?"

Suren nodded: "Of course, if the shadow of the Illusion Demon hadn't suddenly invaded his body, perhaps things would have turned out differently. Brother Feng, some things in this world are unpredictable. What happened to Big Brother is a small matter. He has mentioned countless times that the mysterious disappearance of Hero Yang Tian is a huge loss for all mankind. The god of fate manipulates the world at will. Who can break free from these vicious cycles of misfortune?"

Heroes can make the world, but the world can also erase heroes, and Big Brother is undoubtedly such a person.

He could roam the world and become the legendary "King of Tomb Raiders," but he vanished like smoke in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace. Even now, the younger generation in the martial arts world no longer mentions his name.

"Boom—boom, boom—" Two loud noises came, and Suren swayed and leaned on my shoulder.

"What was that sound?" she cried out in horror, and the set of stationary gears beside her began to vibrate. The antenna that the white-robed man had just set up suddenly tilted over and crashed to the ground with a clatter.

"Get the antenna set up quickly and connect me to the Australian government!" Guan Nan Wulang shouted angrily.

I keenly realized that the sound came from the tunnel, and only an illusion demon could make such a terrifying noise, but it was still imprisoned in the crystal and was not in any danger for the time being.

"It's just an illusion demon struggling, it's alright," I whispered to comfort her.

We sat down on the steps, deciding to remain inactive until things took a turn for the better, unless a particularly effective plan emerged. It seemed to be the first time since we reunited that we had sat so close and quietly together.

Suren leaned on my shoulder, stretched out her right hand, and placed it in my palm, as obedient as a child who had just grown up.

The calm before the storm left us speechless. The unfinished mission of the scalpel weighed heavily on her shoulders. Perhaps when we weather the storms again, we will mature step by step. At least compared to when we were in the Egyptian desert, we are more patient and patient, and we will never expose our weaknesses.

"Brother Feng, I know you sometimes miss Hero Yang Tian. Only those who have lost loved ones can truly understand that kind of pain. A while ago, I frantically searched for information about the Epang Palace, spending all my time poring over ancient texts, just trying to forget the pain of losing my elder brother. That pain is something others can't understand, something they can't describe. It feels like there's a liquefied gas cylinder buried in my chest, ready to explode at any moment, and then I'll be reduced to fragments, vanishing into nothingness. I was so scared, I hid under the covers and cried, I hid in the library and cried—"

I held her cold hand tightly, hoping it would warm her.

"Xiao Xiao called and said you met Guan Baoling. Xiao Xiao, Yan Xun, and I are very close; we've never had any private secrets. She said you fell in love with Guan Baoling at first sight, and it was obvious from your expressions and mannerisms, so she urged me to go to Hokkaido to be with you immediately. At that time, I was under immense psychological pressure, on the verge of collapse. I wished a massive earthquake would strike Cairo, wiping out everything, so I could leave this world and escape the pain of loss. But the earthquake didn't happen. Before boarding my flight at Cairo Airport, I was still weighing whether to go to Xianyang, China, or Hokkaido, Japan. I admit, my choice was a mistake. Seeing you after your disappearance at Fengge Temple, seeing the expression on your face when you and Guan Baoling looked at each other, broke my heart..."

Without her noticing, her tears began to fall silently.

The disappearance of the Tower of the Dead, the adventure in the underwater glass box, Guan Baoling and her incredible painting skills are all stories of yesterday. No one can compare to the importance of Su Lun in my heart, but I only realized this after losing her. Fortunately, I found her again.

“Suren, that’s all in the past. I won’t get lost again,” I told her softly.

"Guan Baoling is beautiful, and the tycoon is incredibly wealthy. With those two qualities combined, almost no man in the world could resist her. Brother Feng, I asked Xiaoyan and Yanxun to work together and obtain irrefutable evidence of the relationship between Guan Baoling and the tycoon—they are father and daughter. The tycoon abandoned Guan Baoling's mother, causing her to die of grief, leaving only Guan Baoling behind. When the tycoon found his daughter, to compensate them, he poured all his wealth and resources into making her a world-class star in the shortest possible time. I burned this information after reviewing it, and I also instructed Xiaoyan not to reveal it to you. Will you blame me?"

I suddenly realized why Xiao Yan had repeatedly told me she couldn't find anything meaningful about Guan Baoling when I asked her to investigate her background. At the time, I only thought the tycoon was very good at keeping secrets, and I didn't consider that Su Lun was actually obstructing things.

“Why would they blame you? They are your friends, so naturally they should help you.” I smiled. When I guided Guan Baoling in her painting using my “mind-reading” ability, I had read the truth hidden in her thoughts. From that moment on, the tycoon and I stopped being at odds and instead maintained a certain unspoken understanding.

“Next time I see Guan Baoling, I’ll introduce you to her like this—‘Ranger Su Lun, my girlfriend,’ okay?” I let go of her hand and gently put my arm around her shoulder so she could feel more warmth.

"Okay." She obediently rested her head on my knees.

"Of course, first we must escape alive before we can see the tycoon, Guan Baoling, Xiao Yan, and so on. Most importantly, we must live forever to find my elder brother, Yang Tian. As for Su Lun, I firmly believe he is still alive, just trapped somewhere, roughly near the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Therefore, we still need to see General Tina and use her military power to conduct a massive excavation. While we are doing all this, I hope you can stay by my side. We will never be apart."

I believe I can get out alive and accomplish all my planned tasks, achieving great things. True masters are capable of rising again after weathering storms and will never be defeated by hardship. The world of martial arts changes daily, but every era produces a great hero who shakes the heavens and earth. For example, my elder brother Yang Tian is the number one master in the last fifty years, and his esteemed status is unmatched.

"In the future, I will become that kind of person too." I silently repeated this sentence to myself. In that instant, I suddenly looked down on Guan Nan Wulang, Yesak, and the others. They were not enough to take my and Su Lun's lives. In the final battle, the outcome was still uncertain.

“Brother Feng, what are you thinking about? I can feel your body trembling.” Suren looked up.

"It's not me trembling, it's the earth trembling, can you feel it?" I stared at the downward-extending metal staircase in front of me, my gaze stretching into the distance to the abandoned gear, which was also sliding across the ground, heading to the right.

This was not an earthquake, but a far more terrible disaster; it seemed that the entire mechanical structure, dome, and ground were tilting to the right.

The man in white exclaimed, "Oh no! The ground is going to flip over! What's going on? What's going on?" Within seconds, the scenery in front of us tilted more than fifteen degrees, and then this strange change of shaking and flipping stopped.

"Is it connected? Is it connected?" Guan Nan Wulang shouted impatiently. But when his ambition began to be revealed, he probably no longer cared about his elegant image and became no different from an arrogant and irritable yakuza boss.

"I want to go back to the tunnel and take a look." I stood up hurriedly.

If a mutation were to occur at any point, it would most likely be at the crystal. Although the Illusion Demon is sealed away, it is fully alive, possessing thought and the ability to speak. Given the right opportunity to break the crystal, it could potentially reappear. While Goro Kanan is, after all, one of our own kind, and even for his own survival, he wouldn't easily launch an attack to destroy Earth, the Illusion Demon is different. It comes from outer space, and its purpose in arriving on Earth is nothing but slaughter and conquest, offering no benefit whatsoever to the inhabitants of Earth.

“Okay, let’s go together.” Suren stood up, but I pressed her shoulder down.

"You stay here and wait for me to return." I sensed the impending danger, so I left her here to await news. Once the illusion demon is unleashed, the consequences are unpredictable. I wanted to risk it alone rather than drag Suren into it.

"Brother Feng, didn't you just say that no matter life or death, good or bad, we would never be apart?" Su Lun's lips curled into a smile, remaining calm throughout. She was also the kind of person who was good at handling important matters. The more significant the event, the more composed she was, never at a loss or panicking.