Histoires de fantômes

Chapitre 227

She always possessed a powerful ability to "strike back after the opponent has made a move," subduing her opponents without them even realizing it, including Little Red Devil.

Since 1998, an annual three-week hacking battle has taken place between civilian hackers from China and the United States, becoming a brutal event in the global hacking community. Previous competitions were closely contested, but starting in 2003, the emergence of Xiao Yan (a hacker) proved unstoppable. American hackers were forced to bring in Canadians and Brazilians, bringing together top hackers from North and South America in an attempt to uphold American dignity, but ultimately they were no match for her.

In the electronic world of the internet, even a difference in the horizontal distance of a single hair can cause a thousand-mile dike to collapse in an instant.

I know the name "One-Eyed Yama," he's one of the countless stars overshadowed by Xiao Yan.

Red Devil chuckled again: "Hmph, you've seen my file?"

Gu Qingcheng smiled faintly and nodded in agreement.

“This time, we’ll only talk about cooperation, not expose each other’s past. Moreover, I’m here on Xiao Yan’s behalf, for Feng’s great reputation. You don’t need to pay me a penny, nor do you need to owe me any favors. The only condition is—don’t mention my past, understand?” His small eyes radiated a cold light as they swept across my and Gu Qingcheng’s faces.

“Yes, we only talk about cooperation. No one dares to offend you on this turf, and you know that very well, right?” Gu Qingcheng raised her right hand and lightly touched her forehead, giving an informal salute.

I know the answers to all the riddles they were playing out.

Legend has it that Red Devil comes from an extremely noble background. His parents, brothers and sisters-in-law, sisters, brothers-in-law, aunts, uncles and cousins are all powerful officials. Some of his most important relatives are even powerful leaders in several countries in South Asia and West Asia.

This environment fostered his extremely arrogant and eccentric playboy behavior. Before meeting Xiao Yan, he claimed that the only human being on Earth he respected was Bill Gates. Now, apart from Xiao Yan, he would never submit to anyone, including the presidents of several superpowers.

"So, I wish us a pleasant collaboration?" I raised my hand and slapped his palm together.

“Alright, let’s get started right away. I want to see what unique ideas Xiaoyan’s most admired expert has—” He strode forward, dragging his travel bag, and entered my tent without hesitation.

Gu Qingcheng frowned: "How did he know that was your tent?"

I smiled and said, "It must be a super hacker's intuition."

A hint of worry crossed her face: "Feng, I'm increasingly feeling that our expedition is fraught with danger. Killing the Tang Clan members from Shu will likely lead to bigger trouble. Also, even after we get through the tunnel, there are still the Flying Serpents of Lan Valley ahead, which will probably consume even more of our energy. Do you have a more effective long-term plan?"

Kaku, who shot Tang Xiaogu, has been placed under mandatory guard and is resting. Uncle Wei is also worried that this "sniper god" who leaves no survivors will bring even greater panic to the camp.

Given her character and upbringing, she would never eavesdrop on my conversation with Yan Xun, so I briefly explained my thoughts: "If all the strange events are related to Qin Shi Huang, I want to get access to the world's most relevant database of Qin Dynasty research materials with the help of Red Devil—"

“Area 51?” Her reaction was unusually quick, but she immediately clasped her hands together and sighed, “A large part of the Americans’ secret information only stays at the surface level of logical analysis, and cannot provide the necessary theoretical support for our actual actions. The most urgent task, besides getting through the tunnel, is to find a way to control the flying snakes. Uncle Wei said that you have a good relationship with a Five Poisons Sect master on the way here. Could you borrow that magical ‘Azure Blood Night-Shining Toad’ to be prepared?”

Uncle Wei, a seasoned veteran, has his reach everywhere. He probably planted spies within the Flying Eagles' team before we even entered the mountains, which is why he knew everything about our initial actions.

If He Jishang were to seize the "Azure Blood Night-Shining Toad" by force, there would be a greater than 60% chance of obtaining the treasure that could restrain poisonous snakes. However, she is a woman who deeply loves my elder brother Yang Tian, and in a certain sense, she is my sister-in-law. I would never harm my own family to achieve my own goals.

I smiled and shook my head: "Uncle Wei thinks too highly of me. I only met him by chance."

Gu Qingcheng sighed in disappointment: "Alright, I hope everything goes smoothly tonight. Starting tomorrow, we'll move on."

I have never revealed the method of "following the sound of the zither to cross the tunnel" to Gu Qingcheng. It is an extremely risky plan. If it goes wrong, I will be trapped forever until I die and am dried by the ceaseless wind.

Gu Qingcheng nodded dejectedly and retreated to her own tent. For the first time, we felt like we couldn't see eye to eye.

Red Devil set up six laptops in my tent, then lay on the mattress, clutching a piece of dark Cadbury chocolate and chewing it in big bites.

"Feng, where are we going to get the documents?" He rolled over, scattering chocolate crumbs all over the bed.

I dragged a chair over and sat down, silently shaking my head at his slovenliness.

“Hmm, is it… Area 51?” He frowned, staring intently at my face, his cheeks puffed out into a strange triangle by the chocolate.

"You can read my mind?" I was slightly surprised.

“Just a little bit—when you're thinking hard about something, those intense desires will show in your eyes. Top masters in the martial arts world all have a strong sixth sense, and I believe you are too, right?” He started chewing again, extending his left pinky finger, painted with bright red nail polish, and typing rapidly and rhythmically on one of the computers.

There is an old Chinese saying: "In every profession, there are top performers."

To truly become the "top scholar" in a particular field, the most fundamental prerequisite is to possess more accurate foresight than others. While peers are still in the early stages of understanding, the "top scholar" has already accomplished everything they desire, taking the lead and leaving only minor details for others. This ability to anticipate events and act swiftly is, in essence, what psychologists call the "sixth sense."

Would following clues related to Qin Shi Huang help in rescuing Su Lun?

The eldest brother's movements have changed drastically. Could this be related to the mysterious data from Region 51? What is he searching for? What is the purpose of his constant migration around the world? If it is to save Earth from this "Great Seven" catastrophe, what must be done to prevent the tragedy from happening?

I was confused once again and couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.

"Alright, I've reached the core corridor of Earth Database 51. Which section is your item in?" Red Devil called out nonchalantly, pulling an LCD electronic timer from his backpack and pressing it twice. He muttered to himself, "Mutual destruction defense program, minimum frequency infrared electronic scanning eyes, minimum distance for manual retrieval—these useless people think these lousy rules can stop intruders?"

I calmly stated the information I wanted: "41 to 44, plus the 17 database, all of it."

His fingers flew across the keyboard as he muttered to himself, "Download, download, download... Good heavens, these Pentagon bureaucrats don't even think about allocating more funds. These crappy central servers are slower than a wooden ox or a flowing horse; it's incomprehensible. Alright, alright... Once I have the money, we'll all split it and get into our utopian ideal world ahead of time—"

A smile involuntarily crept onto my face. Dealing with hackers doesn't require wearing those worldly masks; it's absolutely carefree and liberating. It was like that when I was with Xiaoyan, and it's still like that now when I'm working with Hong Xiaogui. If all interactions between people on Earth were as pure and sincere as those among hackers, there would be far fewer despicable acts of backstabbing.

The little red devil lunged from one computer to another, his movements strange and clumsy, but his fingers were typing faster and faster, the clattering sound like the dense rain of early summer pattering against a windowpane.

"Everything is under control—"

The electronic timer emitted a pleasant child's voice: "Countdown, ten, nine, eight, seven..."

Red Devil leisurely pulled out another piece of chocolate, took a big bite, and said, "Mmm, not bad. Cadbury's production process is becoming more and more refined. In fact, no matter which country's products they come from, we will wisely choose the best and most suitable ones for ourselves, right?"

He rolled his small eyes at me, clearly displeased that I was daydreaming: "Hey, what are you thinking about? Women? Money? Fame?"

These jumbled, disjointed words kept pouring out of his mouth, leaving me no time to respond. I could only pretend to yawn and mumble my way through them.

What am I thinking? Am I thinking about Suren, or maybe my older brother Yang Tian—perhaps this time, the mystery of the Epang Palace, revealed by Suren's disappearance, will be one of the most significant discoveries in the history of human archaeology. Are those square-eyed monsters friends of Earthlings? Or deadly enemies? What exactly did they do for Qin Shi Huang…? Before the electronic timer counted down to "one," the little red devil had already made a "pipa sweeping" motion, instantly ending the operation of the six computers.

"Wow, the Americans have collected so much information, more than 600,000 pages! Good heavens, you'll probably be reading until summer!" He exaggeratedly did a somersault and crunched on chocolate like a naughty child.

I walked up to the computers, and as expected, all six computers bore military markings, suggesting they were custom-made versions recently procured by the military from a top-tier foreign manufacturer in 2005. All the compressed files displayed a red key symbol signifying "Top Secret."

"Thank you for your hard work, brother." I sincerely thanked him, but unfortunately, I didn't have any chocolate to offer him.

It seems that hackers each have their own unique habits. Back then, Xiao Yan liked to drink Beijing Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) during work breaks, while Hong Xiaogui's habit was to drink chocolate. It is precisely because the members of this group have their own unique personalities that they have achieved remarkable success.

After finishing his chocolate, the little red devil stretched out comfortably in a "spread-eagle" position and drifted off to sleep in just one minute.

Of course, I don't need to read all of the more than 600,000 pages of materials; I only need to search for the parts related to "gold".

The first piece of useful information comes from an ancient book called "Tianyu" (Heavenly Language). It records that at a certain time, the rooster crowed exceptionally early, and the gates of heaven opened. A procession of golden warriors descended, standing on the rooftops of the inner city, uttering divine incantations that shook the heavens and earth, incomprehensible to anyone. The warriors carried a mysterious earthenware jar, also cast in gold, which spun continuously in the sky.

The term "瓦缶" (wǎ fǒu) was undoubtedly the ancient Chinese name for flying saucers, just as we use the modern term "碟" (dié) to refer to them.

What are the Golden Warriors? They were probably aliens who stepped out of a UFO and were called "gods" by ignorant Earthlings. In an era when calendars were not widely used and developed, many records did not specify a time, only vaguely indicating autumn, winter, or after rain or snow, which was almost equivalent to having no verifiable evidence.

Using "gold and Qin Shi Huang" as keywords, I quickly obtained another useful piece of information: "Before attacking Han and Wei, the Qin king was short of troops and was furious. He set up an altar to worship heaven, and the heavenly gate opened wide. A heavenly god descended, with golden armor and square eyes, and stood on the altar, calling himself 'Afang'."

Part Four: The Star Array, Chapter Nine: The Tiger Appears, The Transparent Cell

This information really should have been shown to Gu Qingcheng. I believe that more and more information will reveal the true identity of the square-eyed monster, and these records clearly show that it was precisely because of the "setting up of an altar to worship Heaven and the descent of the gods" that the six states collapsed and the Qin Dynasty unified the country. Therefore, the role of the gods cannot be ignored.

Little Red Devil was sleeping soundly, occasionally letting out soft snores.

I quietly stepped out the door and headed towards Gu Qingcheng's tent, intending to invite her to come and examine these materials together. The square-eyed monster was Qin Shi Huang's right-hand man, and should be one of countless aliens. So, after the Qin Dynasty unified China, why did he remain on Earth and seal himself inside a strange golden egg? What was his purpose? Could it be something as simple as retiring after achieving his goal and leaving no trace?

What was the significance of the second Epang Palace? Was it Qin Shi Huang's original intention? Or was it something the eccentric with square eyes had demanded? Why was it built in the infinitely deep underground, instead of nestled against a mountain and by a river, like the well-known Epang Palace at Mount Li?

What was their purpose in creating a Longa witch? Could it be that my elder brother had also encountered and fought with "them"...? I sighed to the heavens, suddenly realizing that human wisdom is truly extremely limited. Amidst countless seemingly related clues, we were unable to unravel a clear main thread. The road ahead was shrouded in mystery, and we had no idea where the pinnacle of light lay.

Suddenly, Gu Qingcheng's voice rang out: "Uncle Wei, what do you think the chances are of obtaining the 'Azure Blood Night-Shining Toad'? Will the Five Poisons Sect show some mercy and lend a helping hand to He Jishang? Also, what exactly is the number of troops that the Ancient Village can commit to the battle?"

I suddenly stopped and hid in the shadows of the tent.

Uncle Wei coughed softly, "Miss, everything is uncertain. We don't even have a definite answer as to where He Jishang hid that treasure. I can only guarantee that we will successfully occupy the ancient village, wipe out all resistance forces, and then we will make further plans. What do you think?"

Gu Qingcheng sneered in dissatisfaction: "Then forget it. Why provoke the Five Poisons Sect if we're not absolutely certain? Besides, it's definitely not worth offending Feng for such a petty gain. We brought five boxes of serum to resist the flying snake venom; that should hold out for a while, right?"

Her voice carried a hint of restlessness, and her pacing shadow was cast on the tent.

Uncle Wei bowed respectfully to the side and tentatively asked, "Miss, in that case, should we be wary of He Jishang following us and taking away our research results? The Five Poisons Sect members are all about poison; they are capable of anything."

Gu Qingcheng sighed deeply: "Results? Uncle Wei, so far, what results have we achieved? Apart from the deaths of a few people?"

Uncle Wei stepped forward and lowered his voice: "Miss, are you upset that I didn't help Sun Gui today?"

The mournful howl of wolves echoed from the distant mountaintop, making my heart tighten suddenly. When Sun Gui was in danger, Uncle Wei's light-footed skills should have enabled him to make an appropriate emergency response, just like when he cut off the index finger of the gunman outside the cave.

In every crisis that strikes suddenly, everyone reacts in their own unique way, with no two being alike. A master like him would never simply retreat with his men without offering an effective solution; otherwise, how could he possibly subdue this group of unruly mercenaries?

Gu Qingcheng shook her head: "I didn't. My brother once told me to trust you unconditionally."

Her voice gradually turned cold, clearly concealing her true thoughts.

Uncle Wei coughed again: "Sun Gui's true identity is that of a member of the Shandong Divine Gun Society, and a direct disciple within five degrees of kinship, who has been drifting aimlessly in the underworld. At the same time, there are at least a dozen others with similar identities, scattered throughout the Hong Kong, mainland, and American underworld. I have reason to believe that these people are spies deliberately planted by Sun Long, the leader of the Divine Gun Society, to strike at the opportune moment, becoming the Divine Gun Society's undercover agents and vanguard in infiltrating other factions. With him dead, our group will truly be safe, right?"

Gu Qingcheng held her head high, her sharp chin raised, her contemplative posture resembling a solitary orchid blooming alone in the dark night, solitary and proud.

Uncle Wei's words brought a wry smile to my face. Sun Long's Divine Spear Society had lofty ambitions, coveting the entire martial arts world. During my brief meeting with Sun Long at Fengge Temple in Hokkaido, I could already deeply feel the fierce and domineering aura hidden in his chest.

The struggle for supremacy in the martial world will inevitably bring more losses and bloodshed, and Uncle Wei's scheme of using someone else to do his dirty work is a testament to his insidious and cunning nature.

I suddenly realized that while they appeared to be tireless helpers who had traveled thousands of miles, in reality, each of them harbored their own selfish motives. What secrets lay hidden in these deep, secluded mountains that warranted such a massive undertaking? Just like when Suren ignored my earnest advice over the phone and insisted on entering Lan Valley and the Heavenly Ladder, what was she searching for?

As the night grew darker, gazing up at the towering cliffs of the distant mountains, my spirits began to sank. If a team cannot unite sincerely and instead engages in deceit and infighting, the ultimate outcome will likely be nothing more than being reduced to dust under the weight of external forces, leaving them with nothing.

Faced with this predicament, I began to miss the days I spent with Su Lun and Xiao Keleng, and even thought of Tina—the invincible Egyptian female general amidst the desolate desert. After all, they were people with lofty ambitions who wanted to accomplish great things, who would consider the big picture, and who would cultivate the fruits of their labor before discussing distribution. Unlike this group of people, who were already sabotaging each other and plotting against each other before the fruits of their labor were even in sight.

Suren, where did you go? I quietly retreated to the edge of the camp and exhaled the pent-up anger from my chest.

If we remain here stagnant, our exploration will likely have to be halted. Just thinking about the mysterious world beneath the stone pillar sent chills down my spine.

"Mr. Feng, what are you thinking about?" Gu Qingcheng's voice rang out quietly five steps behind me. It was still elegant and gentle, but when it reached my ears, it had completely changed.

I turned around and stared into her bright, star-like eyes.

"What's wrong? You look terrible." She shrugged easily, raised her hands, and flexed her long, slender, fair fingers.

When she used her "clothes as strings" technique to subdue that tiny insect, I was extremely shocked. I never imagined that she, who appeared so calm and composed, possessed such unfathomable inner strength and musical skills.

“Miss Gu, I’m thinking, shouldn’t we call off this operation? The person we’re looking for is nowhere to be found, and we’re losing men and women. Besides, we can’t get through those stone pillars. If we keep waiting, it’ll be all for nothing, right?” I said, using a retreat as a tactic to avoid revealing my true feelings to her.

"Mr. Feng, did you hear anything?" Gu Qingcheng raised her dark eyebrows in amazement, her clear black and white eyes turning leisurely, revealing a smile with a complex meaning.

I calmly shook my head: "No."

“I was talking about over there—” She nodded south with her chin, her smile deepening.

I initially thought she was referring to my eavesdropping outside the tent, so I vehemently denied it. Now I suddenly realize she was referring to the sound coming from the cave, that faint, ethereal piano music.

“Following these sounds, we can at least find the tools used to make the sounds and the person playing the instrument. I plan to go into the cave tomorrow following this line of thought. As the ancients said, ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’ To get anything, you have to have the courage to take risks. What do you think?” She looked down at her fingers, as if asking me, but more like asking herself.

I had the same thought, but now that I understand there's a hidden world fraught with danger beneath the stone pillar, I immediately rejected my initial, flawed plan. The dead cannot be brought back to life; Sun Gui has already paid the price, and I have no right to put anyone else in danger.

Unseen dangers are always more frightening than visible ones.

"If you ask me? I don't know. I only know that if I can't find Suren, I will never be happy again in this life—" In an instant, Suren's image popped into my mind, especially the first time I saw her at Villa No. 13. Her long hair was flowing, and her slender waist was etched on the screen of my memory.

My eyes suddenly felt hot, and my chest suddenly ached.

Gu Qingcheng smiled as if reciting a poem: "To have one true friend in life is enough; such a person should be treasured like a priceless gem. If Miss Su Lun knew your heart, she would surely... surely—listen, what's that sound?"

Just ahead, on a distant mountain peak, a sharp whistle suddenly rang out, three long and three short, followed by three long and three short whistles.