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Capítulo 29

We flew at breakneck speed, taking the route past the Great Pyramid of Egypt. Damn it, it was a grueling journey, a real nightmare. Along the way, I genuinely wished Fatty were a zombie, with a talisman stuck to his forehead, being herded along by me with a Taoist sorcerer's soul-shaking bell, arms outstretched, hopping and skipping forward—that would be hilarious and funny.

Unfortunately, this guy was drooling the whole way, his mouth was crooked, his eyes were slanted, and his limbs were stiff—he was a complete idiot version of Sammo Hung, and there was nothing I could do. I tried to feed him, but he wouldn't eat, so I had to force him to eat.

Worst of all, he would suddenly become startled and jump around, sometimes pretending to be a beggar chanting prayers, sometimes acting like the warrior Temujin shouting and fighting, making Shirley Yang and me extremely embarrassed. We had to desperately explain to people that this was my younger brother who had lost his mind. At Ulaanbaatar International Airport in Mongolia, we almost missed our flight, which drove me to the brink of despair. I almost wanted to hang myself to atone for this lifestyle.

The journey from Ulaanbaatar to Cairo, the capital of the Arab Republic of Egypt, took three days. During the trip, Shirley Yang consulted materials about Egypt and learned that there are 107 pyramids still standing in Egypt, and another 100 in Sudan to the south. She didn't know where to begin.

I looked at Fatty and thought we should start with the largest pyramid, the Great Pyramid of Giza. The bigger the building, the greater the chance of releasing Fatty's soul from the Soul-Capturing Pearl, right?

The Great Pyramid of Giza, also known as the Pyramid of Giza, originally stood 146.59 meters tall. It was constructed from 2.3 million blocks of limestone and granite, each weighing an average of 2.5 tons, with the heaviest blocks exceeding 100 tons. Its base is square, with each side measuring over 230 meters; walking around it would take approximately one kilometer. It, along with the later, equally famous Pyramids of Fulai and Menkaure, are collectively known as the three great pyramid complexes of Giza, located five miles west of Cairo on the Giza Plateau, where the desert meets an oasis. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the tallest and most famous of the three. Some say it was built by extraterrestrials as a landing site, while others claim it was built by the ancient inhabitants of the lost island of Atlantis.

The word "pyramid" in Arabic means "to place a cone," and because its shape is very similar to the Chinese character "金" (gold), it is also known as the pyramid.

We didn't dare delay for a moment, prepared supplies, and rushed to the Giza Plateau. Near the Great Pyramid of Giza, we found a motel. The motel owner claimed to be a foreign tourist who had traveled a long way with his relative, Fatty Wang, to seek medical treatment and pray for blessings. He said he would be staying for about a month.

Upon hearing this, the motel owner, a very cheerful and enthusiastic woman, beamed and told Shirley Yang and me that the Great Pyramid of Giza, the largest pyramid here, is very effective and has cured so-and-so of a strange illness. She said it would be best to stay for a year or two before leaving, as it would be beneficial for the patient.

I chuckled to myself, thinking to myself, "This woman, you wish we could live here forever, providing for all our food, drink, and expenses. We'd better be able to wait that long."

After settling in, Shirley Yang and I drove the SUV we rented in Cairo toward the Great Pyramid of Giza to check it out. We were hoping to tie Fatty to the top of the pyramid right away and give him a good rest.

Shirley Yang was driving, and I held Fatty in the back seat. I had prepared a big bunch of lollipops for him to eat, just in case this idiot version of Sammo Hung suddenly jumped out of the car, which would be a big problem.

Actually, standing in front of the motel, we could look up at the Great Pyramid. As we got closer, we could see more clearly the surrounding complex of buildings. There were many smaller pyramids built nearby, the purpose of which was unknown.

The most eye-catching feature is the Sphinx, standing majestically in a crouching position. It is said that the ancient Egyptians worshipped lions, considering them a symbol of power. So the pharaohs attached their own heads to the lion's body, creating a new sculpture representing the worship of wisdom and power. Isn't this just a disguised way of showing off? How is it any different from some officials today hanging large portraits of themselves at the entrance of their workplaces or in the hallways, impersonating national leaders?

Shirley Yang drove us around the foot of the Great Pyramid, but we still couldn't find anything. Were we really going to use a crane to hoist the senile fat guy to the top? Just kidding, that's too impractical.

Seeing my worried expression, Shirley Yang slowed down and said, "It really won't work. We still have to go back into the tomb."

I was startled and said, "This is a crime! Besides, going in might not be a good thing. There are too many terrifying rumors about this place."

We looked up, and in the sunlight, the Great Pyramid and the surrounding golden sands blended seamlessly, shimmering. Its 52-degree angle, its sloping sides reaching towards the sky, revealed the delusional dream of Khufu to send his soul into heaven after death.

What's most chilling is the inscription of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh on the tower: "Whoever disturbs the peace of the pharaoh, the wings of death will descend upon his head."

Shirley Yang said this is scientifically based. According to the latest issue of the American Medical Journal, a survey concluded that among 100 people who have entered the pyramids, the probability of dying from cancer in the next 100 years is as high as 40%. I think this is more likely because there are certain carcinogenic bacteria, viruses, or chlamydia living inside the pyramids, which can be transmitted through respiratory infection or skin contact.

We drove around and around, and to avoid arousing suspicion, we pretended to park in the shade under the tower, silently clasping our hands together and chanting prayers for the fat man. This time, the fat man actually did a pretty good job of pretending, and he also mimicked the "Bie Qi" gesture, clasping his hands together in silent prayer.

I secretly examined the pyramid; it was made entirely of massive, long stone blocks, making it impossible to dig a tunnel in. This is because the pyramid consists of both above-ground and underground structures, all encased in stone walls, making it simply impossible to breach.

To get inside, we had to work on the ground-level part of the tower. I squinted and looked up, and I could vaguely see a large rock halfway up the tower, showing signs of erosion from wind and rain. Could that rock be limestone?

Before I could react, the fat man suddenly leaped down and ran madly toward the tower.

"He really knows how to stir up trouble," I thought hurriedly, jumping out of the car and chasing after him. Shirley Yang started the car and stopped it far away from the Great Pyramid. The hotel owner had told us beforehand that, according to respect for local customs and traditions, vehicles shouldn't get too close to the Great Pyramid, or we'd be lectured.

The fat man started climbing the pyramid like a madman, and several people couldn't stop him. I chased after him, grabbed his hind legs, and pulled him down. The two of us tumbled down and landed on the ground in a heap.

Shirley Yang ran over and helped me up the fat man, saying to the people around us in English, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Shirley Yang and I pushed the fat man back into the car, coaxed him with lollipops, and drove back to the motel a mile away.

Inside the room, Shirley Yang and I discussed giving Fatty a sedative injection that night, then dragging him up halfway up the tower, climbing the ropes to get inside, and looking for something suspicious and helpful.

The problem now is that we don't know how to treat Fatty Wang. Even if we get inside the Great Pyramid in the middle of the night, how can we do it effectively?

Shirley Yang said, "How will we know if we don't try? Perhaps only by taking the Soul-Capturing Pearl in with Fatty will we be able to find out if it will work or not."

As she spoke, she handed me a fax containing a passage from Wilkinson, an expert in ancient Egyptian history at Cambridge University. The ancient Egyptians believed that the circumpolar stars near the horizon best symbolized the afterlife. To the naked eye, they appeared to perpetually revolve around Polaris, never fading, indestructible, and thus the best resting place for the souls of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs. Therefore, the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids as imaginary launch pads to send the pharaohs' souls into space, like staircases to heaven. Without exception, the apex of every pyramid points towards Polaris, allowing the revered pharaohs' souls to freely continue their afterlife on other planets.

This can be seen from the fact that before the Third Dynasty of ancient Egypt, Egyptians would be placed in rectangular mud-brick tombs called "mastabas" after their deaths, symbolizing protection and permanence. The "mastaba" was the predecessor of the original pyramids.

At the same time, the Egyptians deeply revered the sun god, who was believed to bring growth and maturity to all things and symbolize light. In the Temple of Amun-Ra at Heliopolis, a small, four-pronged stone, covered in copper or gold leaf, was always kept, shimmering in the sunlight as a symbol of the sun god. Later generations expanded upon the shape of this stone, constructing massive pyramids and placing these four-pronged stones at the top to absorb the sun's golden rays and guide the pharaoh's soul to heaven.

After reading the translation, I asked Shirley Yang, puzzled, "You don't mean you want us to take Fatty to the top of that Great Pyramid that symbolizes the sun god, do you? It's just a symbol."

Shirley Yang shook her head and said, "Don't say the four pyramidal stones are symbolic. Even if they really existed, they wouldn't be placed so unguardedly at the top of the pyramid now; they would be hidden somewhere mysterious inside. The pyramids on the ground are just an illusion, a deception."

It seems that, no matter what, Shirley Yang and I will have to go inside the Great Pyramid tonight to verify whether the rumors are true or false.

Considering the possibility of carcinogenic bacteria inside the tower, Shirley Yang and I prepared gas masks and oxygen cylinders in detail, and we might also wear hazmat suits to protect our bodies if necessary.

Black donkey hooves are still indispensable, because legend has it that monsters such as mummies often appear inside the pyramids, so it seems that having some lethal weapons is better.

At 11 p.m., Shirley Yang and I lied to the hotel owner, saying that tonight was the auspicious full moon night of the 15th of the lunar month, and we were going to pray for the sick all night. We had brought a soft tent and wouldn't be coming back to stay.

The hotel landlady nodded repeatedly, praising our sincere hearts and saying that we would surely recover soon.

As she spoke, she lightly touched the brow of the dim-witted version of Sammo Hung in the back seat of the car with her finger. Unexpectedly, the fat man barked and bit her. He must have mistaken the proprietress's chubby finger for a sausage.

No matter how anxious Shirley Yang and I were, we couldn't pry open his big mouth. The proprietress was screaming in pain, and even the shop assistants ran out to help.

In my haste, I slapped him from both sides, and the fat guy, who was imagining himself as a little dog, obediently let go, shaking his head left and right as if he had been slapped, and he wouldn't stop.

Seeing the deep teeth marks on the proprietress's chubby fingers, Shirley Yang took out a hundred-dollar bill and handed it over, repeatedly apologizing.

The proprietress, in her thirties, beamed again, pocketing the colorful banknotes as she winked and mumbled, "I swear by God, he really is quite ill." With that, she swayed her ample breasts and hips into the motel.

Taking advantage of the situation, Shirley Yang took out a tranquilizer and had me inject it into Fatty's right arm. She turned on the headlights, and under the bright white moon, she stepped on the gas, carrying me and the still-swaying Fatty towards the Great Pyramid.

Volume Two, Chapter Sixty: The Return of the Mummy (Four Kingdoms Campaign)

When the off-road vehicle arrived at the Great Pyramid, Fatty Wang, who had been given a sedative, had already lowered his head and fallen into a deep sleep, snoring loudly.

Shirley Yang found a secluded spot to park the car and set up a soft tent against the ground. She lit white candles in front of the tent, placed two plates of offerings and a small incense burner burning sandalwood, creating the illusion of a ritual for prayer and blessings.

I dragged the fat guy out of the car. Damn it, I didn't know what I was getting into until I dragged him. This guy was incredibly heavy, covered in flabby fat. I was so exhausted I almost vomited blood. I almost fainted.

I dragged the fat guy straight into the tent. I figured with this tranquilizer, he'd sleep soundly until dawn. Shirley Yang and I discussed it and decided not to bring the fat guy in yet. If something happened, we'd all be in trouble. It was better for the two of us to go in alone and see how things went.

Shirley Yang thought for a moment, glanced at the soundly sleeping Wang Pangzi, and nodded in agreement.

Without this big bag, we could free up our hands to carry a lot more things. Shirley Yang and I first put on a set of radiation-proof chemical suits that had been mailed from the United States, then prepared gas masks and small oxygen cylinders, put on our backpacks, and also put the egg-sized Soul-Soothing Beads in our bags.

Shirley Yang and I circled into the shadows of the Great Pyramid, taking turns climbing with grappling hooks. We quickly reached the remnant rock we had spotted during the day, widened the opening slightly with a crowbar and a folding entrenching tool, secured the climbing ropes, put on gas masks, and slid down.

A beam of silver light slanted through the dark opening of the Great Pyramid, clearly landing on its side wall. Perhaps it was the effect of the rumors, but I vaguely sensed that some light, invisible, fluffy germs were swirling in the air inside the pyramid.

I slid down the rope, and when I was halfway down, I was suddenly stunned. In the direction the wolf-eye flashlight shone, deep at the bottom of the tower, a row of burlap zombies were leaping around, trying to absorb the slanted moonlight shining in.

They were all thin and weak, wrapped in thick white linen from head to toe, with no eyes showing. It was hard to imagine how they had gotten out. Some of the strips of cloth on their arms and legs had come undone and were waving around in a dragging manner, resembling female characters in Chinese Peking Opera who were wailing at a funeral. It was both funny and terrifying. They were mummies.

I gently stopped Shirley Yang from sliding down overhead, and we both fell silent. I carefully pulled up the climbing rope that was hanging down to the bottom of the tower, one handful at a time, and coiled it around my waist.

Damn it, I ran into this bunch of monsters as soon as I entered the tower. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were filming a movie down there; their appearance order is way too early! I thought angrily, not knowing what to do. Should I go back? Time waits for no one; Fatty's waiting to be saved. This whole ordeal wasn't easy.

I looked up at Shirley Yang, who was also clearly stunned, shaking her head, unable to think of a solution. Looking at the beam of the signal flashlight, I suddenly thought, "You want light, right? I'll give you that."

I raised my flashlight and shone it straight down the white moonlight, illuminating a tall, thin mummy. The creature paused, then turned around, sensing the light. Its nose twitched under the burlap, as if it could smell the light. Damn, for a moment I wondered if it had a mouthful of buck teeth under that white cloth; that would make gnawing on a watermelon rind much easier.

I twisted the flashlight beam around, and the creature circled back and forth, searching for the light, refusing to give up. When I shone it on a slightly higher wall, it hopped up and reached out to touch it. Seeing that these things couldn't climb walls, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, no longer worried about them attacking.

Shirley Yang pulled out another wolf-eye flashlight, turned it on, and shone it on a short, stout mummy, luring it into a corner of the tower. After thinking for a moment, she lit two cold sparklers and threw them down, landing them among the pile of mummies. The mummies scrambled for them, picked up the sparklers, and hopped away, chasing after them until they disappeared behind a stone door at the bottom of the tower.

With the remaining two mummies controlled by the wolf-eye flashlight beam, Shirley Yang and I simultaneously shone the beam at the center. The two creatures ran towards the center together, each faster than the other, and collided with a bang. The short, fat one landed on top of the tall, thin one, and they rolled around like two gourds, their teeth scattered all over the ground.

Shirley Yang and I exchanged a knowing chuckle. We tried again, and the two creatures collided repeatedly, leaving them completely disoriented and disoriented. Their burlap layers were torn apart, revealing their dark, emaciated, mummified bodies, reeking of a foul, chemically-soaked stench that could be smelled from miles away. I could see right through them; two stinking men, not pharaohs, but rather lowly experimental subjects or sacrificial offerings.

However, they seem to be silent and stealthy, incredibly fast, and vicious, with heavy punches. They primarily use their hands to strangle, tear, choke, and rip open chests, exhibiting little behavioral awareness and belonging to a blindly obedient group. Encountering two such mummies would not be easy to handle for a short time.

Shirley Yang bit her lip, then tossed down two more folded, cold fireworks. The two mummies bent down to pick them up and dashed towards the back of the stone gate like lightning. The way they picked things up was quite amusing, as if they had been bound too tightly by the burlap, their elbows and toes unable to bend. They bent down in mid-air to pick things up, then stood upright like a roly-poly toy, just like herding a donkey in a hutong—straight to the point.

Shirley Yang and I carefully landed one after the other, using our infrared night vision goggles to survey our surroundings. We discovered that the Great Pyramid was indeed quite spacious inside. The floor was paved with uniform large stones, but there was nothing there. Aside from the different shape, the interior was very similar to the domed tomb in Genghis Khan's secret mausoleum. Is simplicity really beauty? Damn it, what a waste of manpower and resources!

Shirley Yang looked around, pointed to the stone door where the mummies had gone down, and waved to me. Knowing there were seven or eight zombie mummies there, she still wanted to go in. It was really tough on me.

I waved and, ahead of Shirley Yang, reached for the stone door, gently pushing it open. Below the door was a series of stone steps leading downwards. Shirley Yang and I cautiously descended the steps, about nineteen in total, until we reached the bottom of the cave, where there were rows of stone rooms.

Each room had a thick, tightly closed stone door; there were about seventeen or eighteen rooms in total, arranged along both sides of a passageway. Shirley Yang looked at me, and I was equally puzzled. The layout of these rooms was quite ordinary; it didn't seem to follow any mysterious principles of divination or the gates of life and death. How could I possibly figure it out? To find out what was behind the doors, we'd have to open them one by one.

I thought for a moment and whispered to Shirley Yang, "I figure these rooms are nothing special. Let's go straight to the heart of the matter and check out the end of the passageway."

Seeing Shirley Yang nod, I took her arm and we walked quietly through the passageway, heading straight to its end. But before we'd even gone halfway, the stone door to the next room suddenly opened, and Shirley Yang was abruptly pulled into the room by something.

I jerked my hand away abruptly, and Shirley Yang screamed as she was pulled away. I hurriedly turned around, sidestepped, and crashed into the stone door. The room behind the stone door was only a dozen square meters in size, cramped, and contained a stone bed. At the end of the stone bed was a groove carved into it, which connected to the grooves carved around the sides of the bed, making it look like an operating table. At the head of the bed were some old scalpels, scissors, gauze, and other items, as well as a stone bucket. This was clearly an operating room for making mummies.

I peered under the stone bed, but Shirley Yang was nowhere to be seen; she had vanished right before my eyes. In a panic, I retreated outside and pushed open several stone doors, only to find the same arrangement behind the first three. When I opened the fourth door, I was shocked to find seven or eight mummies huddled together, playing with the cold fireworks Shirley Yang had tossed to them.

As soon as I pushed open the stone door, the group of mummies howled and pounced. Luckily, I was wearing infrared night vision goggles; otherwise, I would have been caught long ago by their wolf-eye flashlight. I dodged back into the first operating room, quickly closed the stone door, and bolted it shut. Hearing the sounds of the seven or eight mummies hammering and tearing at the door from outside, I couldn't help but take two steps back, panting heavily as I clutched my wildly pounding chest. Fortunately, the door was sturdy enough to hold out for a while.

But where did Shirley Yang go? I clearly saw her being pulled into this stone chamber. I calmed myself and decided I had to find out the secret of this chamber. The mummies were blocking the entrance, and Shirley Yang had mysteriously disappeared inside. Without finding a clue, I had nowhere to retreat.

After thoroughly examining the stone bed, I concluded that there were no hidden mechanisms. I then turned over the pile of old gauze, stone knives, stone scissors, and swung the stone bucket, but found nothing suspicious. Strangely, there were no hidden doors or mechanisms on the ground or walls.

I slumped onto the stone bed, listening to the mummy's roars outside the door, my mind racing with anxious thoughts of a solution. But as soon as I sat down, I felt the stone bed shift slightly, as if it were unstable.

Suddenly enlightened, I lay down on the stone bed without thinking. As soon as I settled, the stone bed creaked and groaned, then suddenly sank, plunging me into darkness. Just then, the stone door was flung open, and a mummy tumbled down the entrance, landing on top of me, before falling with me to who-knows-where.

After the stone bed moved down a few feet, I felt it move a few feet to the left, and then it stopped abruptly. Before I could push away the mummy that was pounced on me, I suddenly felt myself being immersed in some kind of liquid, and something suddenly stretched out from all around and grabbed my right foot tightly.

I felt something was wrong, so I quickly held my breath and struggled to lift my head off the stone bed. Through my infrared night vision goggles, I saw that the mummy was also suffering terribly, howling as it was being penetrated into the large pool of medicinal liquid beneath its body.

Four dark, bronze mechanical arms suddenly appeared around the pool. Three of them were upside down on the unfortunate mummy, binding its hands and left foot tightly, suspending it in mid-air and immersing it in the medicinal liquid.

Thank goodness it was this thing. If I hadn't been crouching and trying to push the mummy off me, I would have been finished. Limbs upside down, submerged in the potion, I would have drowned or been poisoned in no time.

I watched as the mummy was submerged in the potion, thrashing about in the pool like a landlubber. I frantically grabbed my right foot, cowered under the mechanical arm, and tried to pry open the iron clamp. But the clamp was incredibly tight. After a moment of panic, I suddenly realized what was happening, slapped my forehead, drew my pistol from my waist, aimed at the base of the clamp, and fired. The clamp shattered, and I tumbled into the potion pool, scrambling to my feet.

Suddenly, I remembered that Shirley Yang had also disappeared in the same stone house. Could she have been submerged in the medicinal pool? I frantically circled the black pool, which reeked of medicinal liquid, and called out to Shirley Yang.

At this point, I didn't care that the light would attract mummies. I turned on the wolf-eye flashlight and shone it into the pool. I saw a pool the size of a bathhouse, filled with a dark purple liquid. I didn't know how deep it was. I saw that the stone bed that had come down with me had also fallen into the pool and was completely submerged, leaving no trace.

The poor mummy was firmly strapped to the operating table in the medicinal pool, struggling violently, splashing the liquid everywhere and making the pool murky. Its white linen cloth had come undone, revealing its black, desiccated body, which thrashed against the stone bed like a log. Its teeth were exposed, its face was withered and charred, its large eyes bulged out, only its teeth were snow-white; at first glance, it looked like a coal miner who had just crawled out of a coal pile.

Ignoring the mummy, I shone my light into the pool. Aside from the stone bed, I couldn't see anything clearly in the water. I circled the pool, using my wolf-eye flashlight to confirm again that Shirley Yang wasn't in the potion pool, before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

I looked up at the ceiling. After the stone bed fell below, the ceiling immediately closed, leaving no gap. It was impossible to get out from there, especially with several giant mummies on top of it.

I tapped the mummy's head on the stone bed with my gun and chuckled, "Guys, you guys can keep playing around like ducks, I'm off." The guy seemed restless; he turned and opened his mouth as if to bite the pistol. I dodged backward and turned to leave.

Suddenly, a pair of large hands grabbed me around the waist from behind, squeezing so tightly it felt like my back was about to break. I was shocked and flung my wolf-eye flashlight backward, trying to shine it back, but a giant, golden mouth bit half of the flashlight in its jaws, threatening to swallow it whole.

In that instant, I was startled to discover that the thing holding me from behind was wearing a gleaming gold-plated mask. Could it be another high-class mummy?

I raised my hand to deflect the bullet, which only dented the golden mask, but this only fueled its ferocity. Its arms tightened around me, making it impossible for me to cough. I thought, if it weren't for the excellent steel flashlight stuck in its mouth, it would have already opened its blood-red maw and bitten me to death, drinking my blood.

I was so anxious, I mustered all my strength, raised my foot and kicked back, breaking the guy's leg bone on the ground. From his hands and feet wrapped in white cloth, it was obvious, wow, that he was indeed a giant mummy.

Wearing infrared night vision goggles and protecting my gas mask with my left hand, I looked around. The room was quite spacious. I found a wall in front of me, charged forward, and slammed it against the wall repeatedly. I heard a crack as the thing's head was smashed off and rolled a few times in its mouth, still holding the wolf-eye flashlight.

I breathed a sigh of relief, pointed my pistol at the mummy's hands at my waist, and was about to pull the trigger when I heard a splash from the pool behind me. Something jumped onto the ground. Damn it, I realized something was wrong; the black mummy in the potion pool had broken free.

Looking up, sure enough, the stone bed had somehow retracted into the upper stone chamber, and the four copper mechanical arms at the corners had also released and retracted into the wall, allowing the black mummy to escape.

The black mummy growled, baring its teeth and spitting out some medicinal bubbles, then lunged straight at me. Realizing the danger, I disregarded my hands at my waist, rushed forward, and with a single kick, lifted the golden mask head and wolf-eye flashlight, then used the instep of my foot to kick the oncoming black mummy like a soccer ball.