Histoires de fantômes

Chapitre 106

I don't understand where Yeran's words came from, but his mention of the "Sun Boat" reminded me of the "Sun Boat" figures facing due north inside the Turkham Pyramid.

“Yelan…Yelan…what do you know?” I shouted.

There was no answer; his voice had already faded away with the wind. My hands were still tightly gripping the marker when suddenly a wondrous green light swept across the world, and I found myself surrounded by incredibly beautiful green waves, halos, and glows, as if I were in a laser-lit plaza on National Day.

Having lost my footing, I could only cling to the marker, and no matter which way I looked up or down, all I could see was a straight, silver marker.

Climbing upwards was pointless, so I relaxed my grip and slowly slid down, hoping to return to the ground. At that moment, I had a sudden premonition: "Humans call the place where they stand 'the ground,' and this planet 'Earth.' If one day, a giant lawnmower were used to scrape away layer by layer from the Earth's surface—ten meters, fifty meters, one hundred meters, two hundred meters… and kept scraping—what would we find?"

My thought stemmed from noticing very distinct black markings suddenly appearing on the marker. The closest one to me was "280," a standard Arabic numeral with a short horizontal line indicating a negative sign. About ten meters further down the slope, another marking appeared: "290," also preceded by a short horizontal line.

"Ha! This is absolutely unbelievable—" No matter which direction I looked, my view was blocked by these green lights. Every year, many tourists flock to the Arctic Circle from all over the world just to see the mysterious aurora borealis, and I, without lifting a finger, found myself amidst it all. This is truly an honor.

Part 4: Reincarnation

— Chapter 2 — Troubled by Love —

I didn't know where I would slide down, because before the aurora borealis appeared, I was clearly standing on solid ground. If I kept sliding down, falling endlessly, would I reach the "mantle" as defined by physics? I had a vague premonition that my target was below, but I didn't know the exact location... My eyes stung, I turned over, and half-asleep, I covered my head with the blanket, hoping to continue this dream.

The sunlight had already illuminated the entire bedroom; it was around ten o'clock in the morning. This was a dream, but not entirely a dream. My sixth sense permeated the entire dream, constantly guiding its direction... The roar of car engines echoed continuously from the courtyard outside, interspersed with Wang Jiangnan's shouts.

The planned explosion was merely a prelude to the conflict between the two sides. As the clash between the two most powerful forces in the Asian underworld, it wouldn't be a simple brawl like a street fight between thugs, a chaotic melee ending with blood and gore. Frankly speaking, the outcome of this formal conflict could even influence the political landscape of various Asian countries. It's important to understand that many high-ranking members of the Yamaguchi-gumi hold positions in the Japanese Diet, occupying a semi-legal, semi-legal status. Their fate directly impacts the outcome of parliamentary debates.

"What am I looking for? Could it be that subconsciously, I'm not actually searching for my brother Yang Tian's whereabouts, but rather carrying a more important mission?" I threw back the covers, utterly bewildered, and stared up at the ceiling. Dreams are a legitimate outlet for the subconscious. As I slid down that marker, my subconscious clearly told me that the target was below—"Below?" I smiled bitterly. Physicists divide the Earth into three parts: the crust, the mantle, and the core. An endless descent would only send me into the scorching, steaming underground magma.

The bedroom door was locked from the inside, and more than once someone had knocked lightly on it from the outside. Judging from the footsteps, it had always been Xiao Keleng's voice.

I don't want to see anyone, and I don't want to answer the phone, not even Suren's. The path to reviving Tenga has been blocked. I can't find the "destined one" that the dragon spoke of. In fact, I can say that among the billions of people on Earth, there simply isn't such a "destined one." The most reasonable explanation is that the so-called "destined one" is the great God. Only God can return Tenga's soul, no matter where it is imprisoned.

I don't want to get involved in the mysterious "Epang Palace Incident" that Su Lun mentioned until this problem is resolved. Everyone has limited energy; it's impossible to be distracted in many things and end up achieving nothing.

I also want to go to Fengge Temple, and it would be best if I could meet Tanino Shinshu in person. "Knock knock knock knock," the bedroom door was knocked again, and it was Xiao Keleng again: "Mr. Feng, Sister Su Lun has called and wants you to answer it personally."

My phone was switched off a long time ago; Su Lun must have dialed the landline in the villa.

"Is there something urgent? Could you call her back in half an hour?" I didn't want to get out of bed yet; I could concentrate better on thinking things through in bed. But then, Yelan's anxious voice came from outside the door again: "Mr. Feng, I really need to discuss the treasure map with you. After thinking it over, you're the only one I can trust—please open the door, lest something goes wrong and someone else gets there first..."

His knocking technique was much rougher than Xiao Keleng's, making a loud "thump-thump" sound.

There was nothing I could do, so I got up, opened the door, put on my coat, and staggered into the living room.

The sunlight streamed in unrestrainedly, filling the air with dazzling light, which involuntarily reminded me of the green aurora borealis in my dreams.

Yelan eagerly followed behind me. Having lost half an arm, his gait was clumsy, like a penguin's, and he waddled constantly. "Mr. Feng," he said, "I'm certain there's a sea of gold beneath the Great Pyramid of Giza. The myths passed down through generations of Egyptians are actually true. Vast amounts of gold await our discovery. With your wisdom and my treasure map, soon we'll be the two richest people on Earth—I guarantee it! I guarantee it in the name of all the gods of Egypt, in the name of the Pharaoh's vengeful god…"

He rambled on and on, spitting out disgusting white foam. The allure of gold was so great that it turned a diligent engineer into an insatiable tomb raider.

I sat on the sofa and slowly turned on my computer.

“Mr. Feng, are you even listening to me? Gold, a vast amount of gold, enough to fill the Red Sea…” He started gesturing wildly, and the brand-new gray suit he had just changed into could not hide his dejected and defeated state.

Of course I was listening, and I kept thinking about what reason to use to ask him a question. After a good night's sleep, my mind started to work smoothly again, because of what he said yesterday, "There is only one Earth"—a question that a normal person wouldn't bring up so excitedly unless they knew some "secret."

Xiao Keleng stood beside me, holding the cordless phone, her expression complicated. She should apologize to me for what happened yesterday, because it was her deliberate concealment that led me into a pre-set trap.

Xunfuyuan Villa belongs to Scalpel and Su Lun. Xiao Keleng is only a temporary manager. She does not have the authority to take in all the members of the Divine Gun Society and turn this place into the Divine Gun Society's base for counterattacking the Yamaguchi-gumi.

“I’m listening, but you have to tell me, how much do you know about the ‘parallel universe theory’?” I looked Yelan straight in the eye, wary that he might lie again.

He paused, his eyes darting around rapidly.

I gave him no chance to breathe, and waved my hand with a cold laugh: "I only have this one question. If you can't answer honestly, we can't cooperate at all. You can leave—go talk to any adventurer about your treasure map, about your dream of filling the Red Sea with gold, it's none of my business!"

I have never had much interest in gold and wealth, otherwise I wouldn't have so easily handed over the world-renowned "Eye of the Moon" to Tina without feeling any regret.

“Mr. Feng—actually, it’s better not to know many things, isn’t it?” Yelan’s face turned a deep shade of liver, and I became more convinced that he harbored a huge, unspeakable secret.

Xiao Ke hesitated for a moment, and seeing that I really didn't intend to call Su Lun back right away, she could only smile wryly and turn to go downstairs.

As her short hair disappeared down the stairs, Yelan suddenly exclaimed, "What a beautiful Chinese woman! I really envy Chinese men, surrounded by all sorts of beautiful women every day, enjoying all the good fortune... Sigh..."

He sat down as well, facing me with an air of confidence. Perhaps it was because he had been away from the wind and sun of the desert for so long, but his face was no longer as dark as before, but a dull yellow from excessive drinking. Around his neck was a heavy, gleaming gold necklace. I really don't know what the people at the Crowne Plaza Casino were thinking, why didn't they take that necklace to pay off their gambling debts?

When he opened his mouth to speak, two points of gold suddenly flashed at the corners of his mouth. They were two newly replaced 24K pure gold teeth, more for show than for practical value.

"Mr. Feng, to make a long story short—we've only recently gained a clearer understanding of Earth's structure. It's not a homogeneous body, but rather has a distinct layered structure. Each layer of Earth has different compositions, densities, temperatures, and so on. In astronomy, studying Earth's internal structure is of paramount importance for understanding Earth's motion, origin, and evolution, exploring the structures of other planets, and even the origin and evolution of the entire solar system..."

He spoke with the air of someone giving an academic presentation, and with the smugness of a nouveau riche.

I unconsciously moved the mouse, bringing up the pictures Su Lun had sent, and scrolled through them one by one. There were many pictures of the compass, at least twenty or more, taken from various angles, including two close-ups of the red pointer.

"The existence of the pyramids is a miracle of human architecture and the pride of the Egyptians..." Yelan's words were a bit off-topic, and I impatiently typed a few words on the keyboard to signal him to get to the point as soon as possible.

"Mr. Feng, if my discovery were to be published directly, it could very well cause confusion in the field of space science, potentially influencing the direction of space technology development for at least the next ten or even a hundred years. The value of this discovery is roughly estimated to be over several hundred million US dollars, but I will never reveal it. There is an old Chinese saying, 'Heavenly secrets must not be revealed.' Carelessly revealing the secrets of the heavens would likely bring utter destruction along with the wealth..."

I sneered, "You're quite self-aware!"

Listening to his rambling nonsense is less enjoyable than looking at pictures. Judging from the size of that square compass, it should be larger than a popular magazine, about twenty centimeters thick, and its entire body has a dark, almost black color, darker than copper, somewhat like the "black gold" described in ancient Chinese iron and steel smelting texts.

The transparent dial is undoubtedly made of glass, with a diameter of 20 centimeters. The markings and hands on the dial are no different from those on a regular compass.

Perhaps the reason why Suren found it "strange" was its shape and size, which is not hard to explain - compasses used for mountaineering tourism and scientific expeditions are designed to be small and easy to carry, while the one in the picture is fixed to some kind of platform or installed on a vehicle or ship, which is why it has a huge outer shell.

Yelan stopped narrating, noticing my impatience: "Mr. Feng, I can only say that I received divine guidance. Before taking over the excavation of the Great Pyramid of Giza, I had many recurring strange dreams—an incomparably tall god standing before the Great Pyramid of Giza, leading the Lion of the Sphinx and standing on the sun boat..."

I was so angry I wanted to storm off, because what he said could be compiled into a third-rate mythological novel.

Wang Jiangnan was shouting outside the window again, giving orders loudly, seemingly urging his men to move some heavy objects.

Whenever I think of Wang Jiangnan, I think of Guan Baoling; the two names seem inextricably linked. I even mischievously wanted the tycoon to appear as soon as possible, so that Wang Jiangnan could experience the terrifying consequences of seducing the tycoon's woman—Su Lun is the owner of the villa, and after I finish communicating with her, I hope to sever ties with the Divine Gun Society and restore Xunfu Garden to its former tranquility.

My mind started racing again. The images of Su Lun and Guan Baoling flashed through my mind, especially the terrified expression on Guan Baoling's face after being frightened by the "Gemini Killers" yesterday noon, which was deeply etched in my memory... "Mr. Feng, do you still want to hear me? The gods told me to open the passage and obtain the gold..." Yelan's narration had come to an end. His treasure map was nothing more than a drawing he made from memory after waking up, based on the instructions of the gods in his dream.

"You still haven't made it clear what your understanding of the 'parallel universe theory' is," I sneered. His vague and evasive answers only aroused my greater suspicion.

I stood up, grabbed his intact arm, and lifted him up like an eagle snatching a chick: "Forget it, Yelan, since you have no sincerity in cooperating, you'd better leave Hokkaido and Japan as soon as possible. You've offended the Yamaguchi-gumi, and if you stay here, you might lose your life at any time, right?"

Like all the treasure map stories passed down through generations of Earthlings, Yelan's narrative is also bound to fall into clichés. The best way for me to deal with this kind of wishful thinking is to just laugh it off and ignore it.

Yelan cried out anxiously, "Mr. Wind, Mr. Wind, please listen to me..."

I didn't want to hear any more of this boring story. I carried him downstairs with one hand, and began to regret why I had believed him and the ridiculous trick of "resurrection sand".

At least a dozen shrewd and capable young people were busy in the hall. Sofas and dining tables were stacked high, and several sections of floorboards had been dug up. Two people were standing on ladders, intently peering at the ceiling lights. The floor was piled high with wooden crates of all sizes. Several crates that had already been opened contained various dark-colored pipes, wires, detonators, and more. Every single crate was labeled with the letter "AT".

I froze for a moment, then couldn't help but shout, "Xiao Xiao! Xiao Xiao!"

Xiao Keleng responded and came out from the direction of the restroom. There was a "clanging" sound coming from there, which meant that someone was also "operating" on the restroom.

"What are they trying to do? Are they going to turn this place into an anti-terrorism bunker?" I was furious, pointing at the wooden crates and casually tossing Yelan aside.

"AT" is the code name of a private arms factory in Europe that manufactures weapons of any specifications for people with special needs around the world, making it a favorite among lone assassins.

Wang Jiangnan stood on the steps with his arms crossed, his expression aloof, completely ignoring my commotion. His demeanor only fueled my boundless anger; I was certain that everything was at his behest.

Xiao Ke smiled bitterly, "Mr. Feng, listen to me, this was a prior agreement between Sister Su Lun and Mr. Sun. Actually, the Sharpshooter Society only wanted to strengthen the Xunfuyuan Villa's ability to resist external attacks; they had no ulterior motives..." Her hands were covered in black machine oil. One could imagine that, in addition to conventional offensive weapons, there must have been heavy firearms or even grenade launchers lurking in some hidden corners, because only large-caliber weapons would use professional black anti-rust oil.

I grew even angrier. After what happened last night, the Sharpshooter Society offered me no explanation whatsoever. Instead, they became even more arrogant, acting as if they were the masters, and did things without my consent at all. I turned around and went upstairs, turning on my phone as I went and dialing Suren's number.

The phone rang only once before being answered, and Suren's voice, tinged with a smile, came through: "Brother Feng, you finally called. What's wrong? Were you too tired yesterday? Xiao Xiao has already explained that matter to me, and Mr. Sun Long from the Sharpshooter Society also called me from overseas. In these extraordinary times, perhaps we should adopt a cooperative attitude of appeasement. Besides, the Yamaguchi-gumi is a huge cancer in Asia; what's wrong with the Sharpshooter Society removing it?"

I was speechless, my mouth agape in embarrassment, unable to move forward or backward.

"Have you seen those pictures? Brother Feng, I'm sorry, we can't make it to Hokkaido right now. You're enough there, along with Xiao Xiao, and the strongest team from the Divine Gun Society—I've just assembled an amateur expedition team, preparing to head southwest to explore the location of that underground Epang Palace. There's an American biology expert named Schiller…you should have heard of him, he won the 'New Zealand Butterfly Evolution Research' annual award—he's joined us. I believe that in the semi-primitive forest, his extensive biological knowledge will make our expedition twice as effective…"

Suren kept talking at length, and I held the phone tightly, barely able to get a word in edgewise. It wasn't until she finished her narration that I said "Oh" and asked perfunctorily, "I looked at that picture of the compass carefully, and it doesn't seem to have anything strange about it."

Suren exclaimed, "How is that possible? Didn't you see my instructions? They're in another email document!"

I really didn't pay attention to any documents. I was so confused by last night's strange dream and Yelan's narration that my head was spinning and I couldn't think of anything else.

"Looking at a compass alone, it certainly doesn't seem special at all, but it was discovered in an underground palace that had been sealed for thousands of years. Brother Feng, although compasses originated as early as the Warring States period, they were just simple prototypes of the 'Sinan,' and couldn't possibly have had such a sophisticated structure—"

I interrupted her: "Suren, just because it was found in the underground palace doesn't mean the compass was the original thing that existed when the palace was formed. Why wasn't it accidentally lost there by later explorers? Don't associate everything with ancient people, like Xiao Xiao, who connected a random piece of parchment with a treasure map from the Qin Dynasty..."

The mere mention of Xiao Keleng fills me with rage.

Perhaps my impatient tone annoyed Suren, because she immediately fell silent on the other end of the phone.

A young man's voice came through the receiver, speaking fluent American English: "Suren, everything's ready, we can leave anytime."

A sour feeling welled up inside me, and I casually asked, "Who is that? Is it the American Schiller you mentioned?"

"Yes." After a moment, Suren gave a brief reply.

An invisible chasm was rapidly expanding between us. I softened my tone: "Suren, I need you to come to Hokkaido. There are many things I want to discuss with you. I... need your... help..."

Never before have I humbled myself so much to beg a girl, perhaps because Xunfuyuan is now in a precarious situation for me. I miss the time I fought alongside Sulun in the Egyptian desert; she could fill in all the problems I had overlooked—"Brother Feng, I've never told you this, but my master, Guan Nan Wulang, has placed great hopes on me. That is to find the legendary 'Central Hub of Asia,' to reverse the 'Scales of Good and Evil,' and to extinguish all the war and hatred in Asia… Everyone exists in this world with their own mission to complete, doesn't they? Your goal is to find the 'King of Tomb Raiders,' the great hero Yang Tian, while I must fulfill my master's entrustment…"

Once again, my chest was filled with intense frustration, because what Suren said was as empty and boring as Yelan's story, utterly meaningless and baseless.

The above description comes from the "Asian Gear Theory" of the renowned Japanese theologian Hiroshi Kawa. In his most acclaimed work, *Ceasefire*, Kawa described it this way: "The Asian continent is actually composed of two enormous, constantly meshing gears, both residing in the temple of the gods. Suddenly one day, the temple is shaken by an external evil force, causing the gears to shift and no longer mesh properly. Instead, they rub against each other, break down, and become damaged. In the human world, this manifests as war, famine, natural disasters, and man-made calamities. Therefore, a warrior of immense strength is needed to find the center of the two gears, readjust their distance and angle, and allow the gears to rotate in the correct order. In this way, all war and greed in the human world will naturally be purified and eliminated..."

I couldn't help but sneer, feeling my throat slowly drying out: "Su Lun, you even believe those things? Your master, Guan Nan Wulang, is a highly respected senior figure in both the righteous and the underworld. How could he believe such absurd nonsense?"

I don't know if I'm crazy or if others are crazy. It's a bizarre theory that clearly seems like pure nonsense, but some people still insist on pursuing it.

“Brother Feng, everything in the world, whether people believe it or not, will always exist. It just depends on whether you dare to face its existence. I can’t go to Hokkaido, but you can trust Xiao Xiao unconditionally, just like you trusted me in Egypt.”

Suren's tone was firm. If the expedition started, it would take at least a month or even several months. They really couldn't count on her for what was happening in Hokkaido.

"Su Lun, could you tell me about Xiao Xiao's background? Can I really trust her unconditionally?" Since Su Lun insisted, I couldn't force her.

Suren's voice began to waver noticeably: "Xiao Xiao's uncle was a core member of the Sharpshooter Society, and he sacrificed his life during a mission. So, although she didn't officially join the Sharpshooter Society, all the leaders, big and small, including Mr. Sun Long, treated her like their own sister. She's very smart, and her problem-solving skills are second only to mine..."

I didn't know how to respond. Actually, my hope for Suren to come to Hokkaido was more of a longing in my heart, but I didn't want to expose my feelings to her so quickly.

“Surren, are you really not coming?” My heart sank, and I began to picture the young American biologist on the other end of the phone in my mind.

"I'm so sorry, Brother Feng, I hope you had a good time in Hokkaido... especially... with the famous actress Ms. Guan Baoling..."

After saying this, Suren hurriedly hung up the phone.

I paced back and forth a few times with a wry smile. Xiao Xiao was Su Lun's informant, so it seemed that even the news of me stepping forward to act as a hostage in exchange for Guan Baoling yesterday had reached Su Lun's ears immediately. There must be a reason why she refused to come to Hokkaido.

Forget it, the more I explain, the more complicated things become. Once she knows that I have nothing to do with Guan Baoling, the misunderstanding will naturally disappear.

Since the renovation project in the villa was approved by Su Lun, I had no say in it and could only stand aside and let things take their course. But with the clanging and banging noises downstairs, it was impossible to even sneak into the study to read a book.

I hurried downstairs, stepped out the door, and brushed past Wang Jiangnan. Two small vans were parked at the bottom of the steps, their doors open, revealing even more wooden crates piled inside. With so many rooms in the villa, it seemed Wang Jiangnan intended to turn every single one into a fortress, capable of both offense and defense, to withstand any potential attack from the Yamaguchi-gumi.

How utterly foolish was his approach? An Associated Press report from three years ago revealed that the Yamaguchi-gumi repeatedly used lightweight shoulder-fired rocket launchers in their terrorist operations, with an effective range exceeding 300 meters. No matter how meticulously and securely the Xunfuyuan compound was arranged, could it withstand a sudden, storm-like attack of dozens of rockets from the enemy?

In my opinion, some of Wang Jiangnan's actions were extremely foolish. It's really unfair to Xiao Keleng that she had to cooperate with such an idiot.

Part 4: Reincarnation and Resurrection

— Chapter 3 — The Wizard's Son —