Histoires de fantômes

Chapitre 123

I smiled and said, "Very good, please continue. What did God tell you?"

In myths and legends, many people have received divine revelation. I had the experience of hearing the call of the god Turkhan in the Egyptian desert. Although it did not come from heaven, it was something similar to "divine revelation".

"That huge, hollow voice told me to worship at the 'Tower of the Dead,' and then I could get hints about the future from the 'Well of Spirits.'"

She twirled, her skirt billowing like a carefree butterfly.

I couldn't help but smile wryly: "Miss Guan, it seems you're not worried about our current predicament at all? Perhaps we should stop for now and conserve our energy." Although we weren't hungry yet, we would eventually feel hungry. This place was so clean, as if it had just been washed, that we definitely wouldn't find any food.

She looked at me in surprise: "Difficulties? With you here, wouldn't all problems be easily solved?"

I shrugged, not understanding why she had such faith in my abilities.

She glided toward me, performing a series of dazzling spins, and grabbed my arm: "You, the invincible Egyptian warrior, with unparalleled wisdom, right? I've read your autobiography, and I really hope to add a tomb raiding movie to my 2006 film contract. How about using the subject matter from your autobiography?"

After a good night's sleep, Guan Baoling was unusually energetic, completely different from her previous sorrowful and gloomy appearance, and she also spoke much more.

“Although I don’t know where we are right now, as long as I’m with you, I’ll be safe and sound, right?” She stared intently into my eyes, making me too embarrassed to shake my head and deny it.

I am the younger brother of Yang Tian, the "King of Tomb Raiders," but I am not as omnipotent as Tie Na and the others boast. Many things have to be done step by step in a down-to-earth manner, rather than just by moving a pen or moving a mouth.

Our feet were covered with endless seaweed. Some kind of unidentified, phosphorescent shrimp were startled by us and scurried away in a panic.

“Yes, we will definitely get out of here, and I really hope to bring our experience at the Egyptian pyramids to the screen. Now tell me, what did the Well of Spirits tell you?”

The ominous layout of Xunfuyuan, resembling "nine-headed birds struggling for their lives," is well-known. I hope to learn not only about Guan Baoling's reasons for acquiring the villa, but also about Watanabe City's acquisition motives. More importantly, given Yang Tian's profound knowledge of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, how could he so brazenly build a house with a predetermined fate?

The "Arrow Piercing the Heart" formation is not primarily aimed at Xunfuyuan, but as long as the "Tower of the Dead" exists as a soaring arrow, its trajectory can change at any time due to shifts in the annual cycle and feng shui. No one can guarantee that Xunfuyuan will not be harmed by it. This formation, once unleashed, will cause a catastrophic massacre, resulting in the deaths of both humans and gods. Hence, it is called the "Arrow Piercing the Heart" formation and is one of the ten most inauspicious formations in feng shui.

The reason why the surgeon felt that there was some kind of secret hidden in the Xunfuyuan villa might be based on the obvious mistake made by the eldest brother, because in his life, every decision he made was farsighted and wise.

“What appeared on the water was a text that said, ‘As long as the Xunfuyuan villa is demolished, all the obstacles suppressing the spiritual vein of the ‘Tower of the Dead’ will be removed. Next, I can bring my sick friend here and, with the help of the spiritual energy of Fengge Temple, break any curses planted in his body.’”

Her narration was understated, but the section on "water writing" was slightly perplexing: "Those writings were formed by the rolling waves, right? Did you have any other feelings, like wanting to jump in and retrieve those writings?"

I once saw a star split in two on the surface of the water and almost jumped in.

“No, no, why would I jump in? I don’t like swimming.” She shook her head in denial.

I sighed helplessly: "Alright, how did you get here? According to Wang Jiangnan, you just wanted to come in for one last worship, but you mysteriously disappeared without anyone witnessing it. What happened?"

Given Wang Jiangnan's dullness, he was completely incapable of responding to unexpected events. To make matters worse, he notified the tycoon in advance, which was like shooting himself in the foot.

Guan Baoling replied, slightly confused, "I'm not quite sure. I was in a bad mood after I left Wang Jiangnan's car that day. I hate him, but luckily he was with me, otherwise I would have had to slink away from the villa. I went into the tower and prayed that God would make my friend's illness heal quickly. Suddenly, I seemed to be hallucinating. Outside the tower was a vast ocean, and then I was here..."

This answer largely matched my expectations; only when the "Tide of the Gods" occurs could such a miraculous "time travel" event happen. I entered this place because of this mysterious tide.

I stood up, stretched my arms and legs, and prepared to search carefully, layer by layer, to see what else I could find.

The structure of the stairs and stone walls, on the surface, resembles that of the "Tower of the Dead," consisting of rough white stone blocks. Each floor's entrance is sealed by mysterious seawater, yet not a single drop of water can seep in. We are as if we are inside a giant bubble in the ocean; as long as the bubble doesn't burst, the seawater will never be able to submerge us.

The roof on the top floor and the floor on the bottom floor are made of extremely thick glass, which I estimate to be more than 20 centimeters thick, making them extremely sturdy.

"Who built this strange thing? Could this be the so-called 'Underwater Tomb'?" I went up and down the stairs more than a dozen times, my mind racing. If this is the legendary "Underwater Tomb," then it's truly a misnomer. A "tomb" must contain human remains, but this place is spotless, like a constantly cleaned exhibition hall, having absolutely no connection to a "tomb."

Finally, I went back to the bottom level. Guan Baoling was in good spirits, humming a tune the whole time, bending over to look for different creatures among the seaweed. Almost every few minutes she would cheer loudly, whether it was for a shrimp, a crab, or some crooked and shy sandworm.

As the sandworms appear more and more frequently, I know that this space will soon fall to the seabed.

"We're dead, so calling this space a 'grave' is quite fitting!" I said with a wry smile, trying to console myself.

"What? Haven't you found the exit yet?" Guan Baoling looked up at me nonchalantly. Perhaps in her mind, I was more courageous and invincible than Superman, with supernatural powers, and could break through space at any time to bring us back to Earth.

“I think I’ll swim out from there and see if there’s a way—” I pointed to the tower gate. I had studied freediving diligently and achieved excellent results, but I had never tried it at such a deep sea.

Guan Baoling suddenly changed her expression: "No! You can't swim out! Someone went out from there and never came back!"

I froze, my heart pounding wildly, and I yelled, "What did you say? Another person? Who is it?"

She had kept such an important matter a secret all along; it was utterly unreasonable. I rushed up to her, grabbing her wrist in a fit of rage: "Tell me, who is it? Is it an American girl? Is it?"

That was my first instinct, because I felt there was a special scent in this space that belonged to Resica.

Guan Baoling nodded frantically, "Yes, yes, her name is Reese, she's a reporter for Discovery magazine. She got here before me, and we talked for a long time and got along very well. She swam out hoping to find a way back to Fengge Temple, but she never came back."

I shook her arm hard until her eyes filled with glistening tears from the pain.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why?" Actually, whether Reese's existence or not is completely unimportant to me. I'm just angry that Guan Baoling didn't explain everything to me, afraid that she has a secret she's not willing to tell me.

“I forgot… I’m so tired, I really forgot. Besides, this matter has no necessary connection to our predicament. She can’t compare to you. You definitely have a way to get us out of here, right?”

Guan Baoling kept crying, and I was once again overwhelmed by her tears, so I forgave her unconditionally.

“The tycoon’s woman! The woman before me is just the tycoon’s woman. She has the right to keep all her privacy, including the tycoon’s illness… Perhaps, once we leave this space, we will soon be separated from each other, and no one will have anything to do with anyone else!” I stared at the tears on her cheeks and suddenly had the urge to kiss her forcefully, because I felt that each of those tears was more precious than a pearl worth a thousand pieces of gold.

"Don't cry, it's okay, it's really okay..." I gently comforted her, hating myself for shouting and scaring her.

I stared at the dark tower gate, imagining the fate of the American journalist, her body now adrift in the water. Without oxygen, survival in water is impossible for more than a minute. A whole night has passed; even a miracle might not be able to save her.

There seemed to be a tremor beneath our feet, and the silvery-white sand of the seabed was clearly visible on the floor. We had reached the bottom. Without any measuring instruments, we couldn't estimate the exact depth, but from the various mysterious deep-sea creatures, we could imagine that the outside world was a pristine seabed that had never been set foot on by humans.

Guan Baoling wiped away her tears and continued, "We hit it off really well. She said she used to be a swimming champion in the UCLA league, which is why she risked swimming out there. I really forgot to tell you—since you came along, I suddenly feel incredibly calm and at peace, and I'm no longer worried about anything..."

Regardless of what Resica did in the past, it doesn't matter anymore. The only thing that puzzles me is that the legendary "Tower of the Dead" is supposed to be the entrance to the "Underwater Tomb," but we've inexplicably entered this space. Does this really count as the "Underwater Tomb"? I need to at least prove this point; I can't just stay stuck here.

I want to go out and follow in Resica's footsteps, but I'm confident in my diving skills. I don't want to become a floating corpse in the Pacific Ocean or bait for deep-sea fish. I want to get out safely and come back safely, because there's still Guan Baoling here who needs my care.

Guan Baoling stood pitifully in front of me, with glistening tears hanging from her eyelashes.

I couldn't resist her allure, and unconsciously opened my arms to pull her into my embrace. "The tycoon's woman! The tycoon's woman!" A sour voice kept calling out from the bottom of my heart, as if trying its best to separate us, but my arms kept tightening, holding her tighter and tighter.

Guan Baoling's arms encircled my waist, her face pressed against my chest, and the fragrance of her hair filled my nostrils.

The tight hug lasted for at least ten minutes, and my arms went numb from the exertion.

"I'm so cold, hold me tight, don't let go..." Guan Baoling's sad, nasal voice vibrated in my chest, making my courage rise to unprecedented heights time and time again.

“Don’t worry, we will definitely get back to the ground, and I will succeed in what I’m about to do!” I solemnly swore in her ear.

"I know, I believe, you are a true warrior..."

I wish I could stay like this forever. I'm becoming more and more certain that Guan Baoling is the girl I love most in this life. If I survive this, I'll pursue her, snatch her away from the tycoon, and make her my girlfriend.

I never imagined that one day I would be in a completely unfamiliar environment, holding the girl I love, with such an uncertain future. Imagine, we are alone, sinking on the sandy seabed at an infinite depth, without any means of communication, with no one knowing our whereabouts, so there is no possibility of effective rescue.

On the vast ocean floor, even the wreckage of a Boeing plane or a massive ocean liner is incredibly difficult to find, let alone a strange building like this. I can't imagine what this space looks like; perhaps it resembles the remains of some ancient chimney?

Time seemed to fly by as I held Guan Baoling in my arms. I even began to disbelieve the message on my watch: "Four hours have passed? But I feel like we've only been sitting here for a short while—no, I have to try and think of a way out, I can't just sit here and wait to die!"

I gently pushed open the bell to calm my love-struck mind: "I want to swim out and take a look, at least figure out the outer wall of this thing, maybe, just maybe there's a way to get to the surface of the sea..." These words were nothing short of a fantasy, but I always believed that even if the myths in "One Thousand and One Nights" were made up by humans, at least there would be a prototype of the creation, rather than something made up out of thin air.

Humans created myths, and presumably before these myths appeared, there existed a race on Earth that was like "gods," which provided the basis for the compilation of myths.

Guan Baoling stopped trying to stop me, and the trust in her eyes moved me deeply. She was completely different from Su Lun, Tie Na, Xiao Keleng, and Teng Jia; she was gentle yet wise, and she trusted me so deeply, as if our fate had been predetermined for a thousand years, rather than just a few days of knowing each other and a few hours of embracing.

"I believe in you, we will definitely get back." She extended her right little finger and hooked it around my left little finger.

Her lips were so pale that I dared not look into her eyes again, afraid that I would succumb to the temptation of desire. Those in the martial world uphold the ancient adage, "A gentleman does not deceive even in the dark." If I were to do anything to Guan Baoling at this moment, even if she did not resist, I would forever despise myself.

"Wait for me to come back—" I approached the tower gate, took a deep breath, and suddenly stepped out.

We were indeed on the seabed, where countless phosphorescent deep-sea creatures shimmered everywhere. As far as the eye could see, countless giant seaweeds stood like a dense primeval forest. When they swayed with the underwater currents, they resembled the filthy hair of a terrifying sea witch, swaying with a terrifying and awe-inspiring power.

I only had one minute to swim underwater, and I had to be careful not to get caught in the underwater currents, so as soon as I stepped into the water, I tried to keep my body close to the tower. After a dozen seconds of feeling around, I gradually relaxed. At least the outer wall of this space still looked like a pagoda, as if a section of the "Tower of the Dead" had broken off in the water.

"So, I simply rushed down from the top of the tower, entered the tower's hidden underground section, and then broke apart by a mysterious force, falling into the sea? Is the Maple Temple directly connected to the sea? Could it be that the long-standing legend that the 'Tower of the Dead' is used to suppress the sea eye' is true, and we are currently in the sea eye?"

With the air stored in my lungs depleted to its limit, I quickly reached the tower door and jumped inside.

This was the first successful experiment. Although I was soaked in seawater, I felt a little more relaxed. We were still inside a human-made structure, not in some mysterious space of unknown origin.

Guan Baoling rushed over, ignoring how soaking wet I was, and hugged me tightly, her eyes reddening once again.

This strange space became our home, a place where we could call home. Like a gentle and lovely little wife, it awaited my return. At that moment, I suddenly longed for a home, to no longer be a lonely wanderer, sitting or walking alone, but to have someone waiting for me under the lamp every time I came back.

A deep hug dispelled the endless fear of the deep sea in my mind.

"We just fell into the sea along with the broken 'Tower of the Dead,' and I believe someone will come to rescue us soon." I looked at the empty staircase and imagined the underwater scenery revealed through the transparent glass at the top.

"Really? Are you sure someone knows we're here?"

I nodded emphatically: "Of course! Master Shinbeki of Fengge Temple, and Princess Fujika, who was once in a vegetative state, are both on the tower. They know you're missing, and with me too—you know what? Princess Fujika has a mysterious relationship with the Japanese Imperial Family. She can easily mobilize the military to take any action, so we don't need to worry too much. We'll see reinforcements soon."

Actually, I don't know if Fujika can mobilize the army, but it's certain that the tycoon can mobilize the US troops stationed in Japan. I just don't know if Fujika and his team will notify the tycoon again.

Guan Baoling stared at the dark tower gate and suddenly shivered: "Is it... very cold outside? Is the seawater very cold?"

I was dripping wet, my hair plastered to my forehead, but I still tried to act nonchalant: "It's okay, I was a two-time Hong Kong Island winter swimming champion, and cold-water diving is my specialty. Hmm, I want to swim out one more time, from the doorway at the top of the tower—"

In this predicament, I was her hope and support. No matter how desperate I felt, I couldn't show it on my face. At this time, what everyone needs is confidence; once confidence collapses, the will to survive vanishes.

The water was indeed icy cold, but what puzzled me was that I didn't feel the immense pressure of the deep sea at all. When I moved my arms in the water, it felt like I was in a giant ocean swimming pool. To be more precise, I didn't even notice the turbulence of the waves, let alone the surging currents on the seabed.

"Does the seawater in this area have some kind of property?" I searched through all the knowledge I had about deep-sea diving, but I still couldn't explain this strange phenomenon.

The fifth film, Sea Horror

— Chapter 10 - The Glass Box —

Guan Baoling readily believed my lie: "Alright, I knew you were the best, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to display such amazing skills in the Egyptian desert. After we get back this time, I will definitely recommend you to Mr. Ye..."

The mere mention of the tycoon brought a happy smile to Guan Baoling's face.

My face immediately burned, and I instinctively backed away from her. In her mind, those who could be appreciated by a tycoon were extraordinary, while I only deserved to be appreciated by a tycoon, not to be his equal. He was the emperor, high above all others, while I, no matter how brave or wise, was at best a civil or military official groveling at the emperor's feet.

"Do you think Mr. Ye will come to save us?" She became excited, tossing her long hair and twirling lightly on the glass floor.

"Maybe, he likes you so much." I said this against my will, suppressing my jealousy.

The tycoon clearly cared deeply for Guan Baoling, and was furious at her sudden disappearance. What were my chances of snatching her away from him? Watching Guan Baoling's flowing skirt, waves of jealousy surged within me, growing increasingly intense until I finally lost control and turned to walk towards the stairs. While I still had enough energy, I wanted to explore the outer walls of this space further.

Without food and fresh water, even with the protection of Taoist internal energy, my chances of surviving for a week are extremely slim, let alone with the frail Guan Baoling by my side.

As I ascended the dimly lit stone steps, my thoughts gradually filled with depression and fear. Entering this space was beyond my control and imagination; it only happened under extremely rare circumstances. Therefore, if we wanted to escape, we could only patiently wait for the next such "accidental event" to occur.

"When? Three days? Five days? A week?"

I tried my best to calm myself down and casually whistled, only to find it was the same tune Guan Baoling had been humming. I had never spent so much time in an enclosed space with another person before; I had become like her.

As I walked to the top floor, I looked up at the glass ceiling. A kind of purple seaweed had automatically covered the area, seemingly intending to build a nest on it. The seawater appeared a lifeless, dark gray, stretching as far as the eye could see. The further I looked, the more terrifying it became.

I know that the deepest part of the ocean is the Mariana Trench, with a maximum depth of 10,911 meters, located east of the Mariana Islands in the western North Pacific. I wonder what it feels like for a submarine to look up at the sky when it enters that trench. In my opinion, the deep sea only inspires more despair with each passing moment.

A group of small, silvery-phosphorescent fish swam quickly over, followed closely by two large black fish, each over three meters long, with their mouths wide open, revealing two rows of serrated, white teeth.

The ocean floor is also a world where the strong prey on the weak. I wonder if I will be able to come back safely after I jump out of the tower next time?

Standing in front of the tower, I kept taking deep breaths. This time, I hoped I could climb up to the top of the glass to see how it was embedded in the building and, incidentally, check if it was sturdy enough.