Histoires de fantômes

Chapitre 247

I can't imagine what kind of amazing discoveries Xiao Yan made in the submarine and the underwater world that would lead her to such a state of obsession.

“I’m stuck in the mountains on the border of Sichuan and Tibet for a while before I can return to Hokkaido. Besides, if I can’t find Su Lun, I think I’ll give up everything and spend my life searching in these mountains. Miss Yan, why can’t you go to Hokkaido? You’re siblings, and he’ll definitely listen if you say it.”

If I were Yan Xun, instead of making an overseas call to ask for help, I would rather fly directly to Hokkaido and then figure out how to rescue them after landing.

"Me? I can't leave. Didn't Su Lun and Xiao Keleng tell you? Never mind, it's not an important issue. I wanted to inform you that my master, Guan Nan Wulang, will be flying to the Sichuan-Tibet border within a few days to personally rescue Su Lun. His abilities are so high that one has to look up to him, so don't worry too much about Su Lun. She will definitely return safely. She is my master's most beloved and last disciple. In addition to my master going in person, he is also bringing our eldest brother, Yesak. Don't worry, don't worry..."

I didn't understand what she meant by "can't leave." No matter how strict the Pentagon's regulations are, you can still get leave if you apply. The only explanation is that her relationship with Xiaoyan isn't at the point of being willing to live and die together, and she values work more than family.

With Guan Nan Wulang personally involved in the rescue, this ally was far more formidable than adding a hundred more martial arts masters. His eldest apprentice, Yesak, known as the "Eagle of Lake Ontario," was once the youngest Special Forces Instructor in the US Navy SEALs, boasting a distinguished record of fifteen successful hostage rescues in various complex and challenging environments. Their addition significantly increased the chances of rescuing Su Lun.

"Feng, please take care of Xiao Yan's matter. He's still a child. He's my only younger brother. Please help me."

No matter what he was talking about, Yan Xun's voice always had a measured rhythm and pace, which is something very few people can do.

The call ended at the 88th second. I put down the phone and suddenly felt a sense of relief.

Guan Nan Wulang is no mere figurehead; he enjoys immense prestige in Japan, Europe, and the United States, serving as a role model revered and emulated by countless martial arts masters. I hope he can reach the mountains sooner, so that Su Lun can be rescued sooner.

Stepping out of the tent, Gu Qingcheng stood deep in thought beside the jeep in the middle of the camp. The high-speed machine gun mounted on the vehicle had its camouflage removed, and its terrifying muzzle was pointed towards the tunnel to the south.

"Tomorrow, Tiger might actually use explosives. He just took away a box of grenades and twelve incendiary bombs. Mr. Feng, I feel that Tiger's volatile temper is really detrimental to our teamwork right now. If necessary, you should give him a warning. We are an expedition team, not a bunch of random rabble. Without strict discipline, achieving anything great is harder than climbing to heaven."

A hint of anger lingered on her cheeks; it seemed the tiger had gone far too far.

Twenty paces away, the tiger's tent was brightly lit, and there was a constant clanging sound.

I immediately replied, “I will definitely talk to him tomorrow. Now I have good news: Su Lun’s master, Master Guan Nan Wulang, is coming in person, accompanied by his chief disciple, Yesak, nicknamed ‘Eagle of Lake Ontario.’ With them on board, any difficulties will be easily resolved.”

Perhaps I was too excited and didn't realize that Gu Qingcheng's brows were furrowing. Let's ignore the tiger for now and walk together toward the tent where Flying Eagle and the others are lying on the right.

The tent was lit, and on three cots side by side, Fei Ying, Liang Wei, and Li Kang lay on their backs, covered with the same thin blankets, their breathing extremely faint.

“Perhaps we should have sent them out of the mountains long ago—” Gu Qingcheng sighed.

Unexpected events can happen at any time, and misfortune can strike at any moment. A figure as formidable as Flying Eagle, who was once a powerful and respected figure in the martial arts world, never expected to meet his end in these mountains and forests.

I looked down at his pale face, a sudden wave of sadness washing over me. I was the one who brought Feiyue to the ancient village, yet I hadn't been able to bring her back safely. If one day Feiying awakens and asks me this, how should I answer him?

“Mr. Feng, there’s no need to be too sad about Fei Yue’s death. Everyone dies; it’s just a matter of whether their death is worthwhile.” Gu Qingcheng leaned against the tent door, her voice also filled with sorrow.

I reached out and patted Flying Eagle's shoulder, whispering with shame, "I'm sorry, I failed to take good care of Flying Moon."

No one can predict what the future holds. Perhaps the three of them will also wake up suddenly, like Schiller, and then pass away within hours. Such an ending is truly heartbreaking.

I turned to look at Li Kang, and suddenly, a dazzling green light flashed around his neck. It was a jade pendant about the size of a thumbnail, strung with a double-stranded red silk cord and hanging around his neck.

Jade pendants can't possibly sparkle like diamonds. I bent down to examine it closely and discovered that there was a golden dot embedded in the center of the jade pendant, shimmering brightly in the light.

“Miss Gu, this jade pendant is a bit strange. Please come and take a look—” I turned the red silk rope and found a “multi-treasure knot” with knots connected to knots.

Gu Qingcheng comes from a family of antique dealers. When she saw the clasp, she was immediately taken aback: "Oh? Is this jade pendant very valuable? It actually requires a 'seven-fold interlocking multi-treasure clasp'?" There are seven knots in total, tightly arranged, and it will take a lot of effort to untie them.

She held the jade pendant on her fingertips, glanced at it a few times, and shook her head in confusion: "It's just ordinary Lantian jade. If you take it to the market, its fair price won't exceed one thousand US dollars. There's nothing special about it."

I was surprised by her oversight and immediately reminded her, "There's a gold bead set in the center of the jade pendant. Such a delicate design is definitely not something a modern assembly line could produce. Although the jade itself isn't exceptionally fine, I feel that the gold bead is exceptionally shiny; perhaps it holds some secret—"

Gu Qingcheng was taken aback again: "What golden pearl? Where is it?"

She stretched out her other hand and rubbed her index, middle, and little fingers together on the "multi-treasure clasp" several times, immediately untying all the knots. She held the jade pendant in her hand, examined it closely under the light, and finally shook her head: "I can't see the gold beads. Are you seeing things?"

When she looked up at me, a look of fear flashed across her eyes: "How can your eyes emit such a green light?" She slipped and retreated to the doorway, her right hand immediately reaching to her waist and gripping the gun handle.

I blinked hard, equally baffled by her words: "Miss Gu, what are you talking about? Give me that jade pendant. I remember you said there was an Osos magnifying glass in Li Kang's luggage. Go find it quickly—I feel that the secret of Li Kang's family heirloom is on this jade pendant."

It all stemmed from my sixth sense, because I've always believed that beneath Li Kang's seemingly honest and unassuming exterior lay a huge secret. He and Li Zun'er willingly contributed the ancient books precisely to create a false impression and divert everyone's attention.

True secrets cannot be put into writing. What can be printed into books and widely circulated are worthless, common information, only fit to be sold as waste paper to the garbage dump.

Gu Qingcheng smiled wryly outside the tent: "Mr. Feng, how do you explain the green light in your eyes? It really looks frightening."

I suddenly realized that after the village guardian spirit was hunted down by the puppeteer, He Jishang had given me a snake gall. Snake gall is a holy medicine for improving eyesight, and that village guardian spirit was a spiritually gifted breed carefully cultivated by He Jishang, so its effects far surpassed those of ordinary snakes, allowing my eyesight to reach a new level, enabling me to see details that others could not detect.

Of course, these things need to be explained slowly. The most urgent thing is to find a magnifying glass to see what's on that jade pendant.

I strode out of the tent, shielding my eyes with my hands: "Miss Gu, that's entirely due to the miraculous effect of snake gall, I'll explain later. This jade pendant is the key to unlocking the secret. Grab a magnifying glass, let's go back to your tent right away."

Gu Qingcheng, being a well-traveled and experienced expert, calmed down from her initial shock and replied in a low voice, "The magnifying glass is in my tent; let's go there now. You mean, is the jade tablet engraved with a miniature picture? What do the gold beads represent? Could it be some kind of 'golden egg' you mentioned before?"

Her leaps of thought, combined with my guesses, quickly formed a clear clue: "The Li family's ancient books are not all forgeries. On the contrary, most of the pictures in them are real. Only a few in key positions are missing or altered, making them impossible to understand."

As I mentioned before, in the eyes of the Li family, the egg standing in front of the round stone house was most likely made of gleaming gold. Their true purpose in following the expedition team was to find the golden egg and to acquire it with sufficient power.

In the value system of humankind, gold is the most immeasurable commodity. From ancient times to the present, the pursuit of it by emperors, nobles, and ordinary people around the world has never ceased. When gold and paper money are of equal value, the vast majority of people will choose the former without hesitation and be captivated by its dazzling brilliance.

Fifteen seconds later, Suren replaced the energy-saving light bulb in the tent with a powerful spotlight bulb, and carefully adjusted the photoelectric magnifying glass to be level at all four corners.

I carefully placed the jade tablet on the observation platform and smiled as I gestured for it to be placed there.

Gu Qingcheng shook her head modestly: "No, no, you discovered the secret, so you should be the one to observe it first."

No one can resist the curiosity to uncover a shocking secret. When I invited her a second time, she finally bent down, her right eye fixed on the observation camera. In just half a second, her shoulders trembled, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "It's true! Mr. Feng, your guess is a thousand times correct. It is a golden egg, a huge golden egg!"

She became incoherent, took two steps back, and couldn't help but look at me and clap her hands gently, her eyes filled with utter admiration.

This is indeed a shocking secret. There are three consecutive pictures on the jade plaque, and every detail is clearly visible under a magnifying glass.

In the first picture, a golden egg stands in front of a round stone house, and the square-eyed warrior is standing in front of the golden egg, arms crossed, head tilted in deep thought.

The second painting depicts the situation inside the stone house, which completely surprised me. It was not an ordinary dwelling with stone tables, stone benches, and stone beds as I had imagined, but a building that resembled the cockpit of a spaceship.

The artist stood at the entrance of the stone house, with rectangular monitors hanging on the walls to the left, front, and right. I can assure you those were definitely computer monitors, because the artist, in pursuit of a realistic recreation of the scene, meticulously depicted even the graphics and text on the screens. One of the screens displayed a pattern of galaxies in outer space, with zigzag lines marked with arrows next to it, presumably representing the direction of a spacecraft's movement.

The meaning of the third painting is very simple: the square-eyed warrior is sitting inside a golden egg, which is slowly closing. He is peacefully folding his arms and looking up, a perfectly standard human posture when thinking.

This painting reminds me of a person entering an elevator while deep in thought, with the closing golden egg resembling a spring-loaded elevator door.

“Mr. Feng, this matter is getting more and more complicated. If we put all the pictures together, we can get a logical conclusion: the square-eyed warrior is trapped in the golden egg, either in hibernation or dead. Whatever his purpose, he may still be in there. We may be about to make a fortune. A golden egg that is three sizes larger than an adult human body, although its weight cannot compare to the super gold ingots you found in Egypt, it is at least the number one treasure in Asia.”

Gu Qingcheng paced anxiously in the tent, constantly tugging at her hair, her mind in turmoil.

According to my line of thinking, I don't believe that the golden egg is the end of a certain process. On the contrary, the strange man entering the golden egg is just the beginning of the event. He is going to take the golden egg to another place.

The golden egg was located on the other side of the cliff. Since he couldn't fly, he could only go underground—"He wants to enter the underground world through the golden egg!" My mind suddenly clicked. Tiger and Tang Xin were ambushed by the Dragon Witch in front of the cliff. It seems that the cliff is the entrance to some mysterious world.

"But... but how could there be modern spacecraft equipment in that stone house? You know, these paintings were preserved from the Qin Dynasty more than 200 years BC. The extremely low productivity at that time had nothing to do with modern high technology. Mr. Feng, are we going to be like those boring scientists and attribute all the unsolved mysteries to aliens?"

Gu Qingcheng stopped, unconsciously crossed her arms, and looked up at me.

I shook my head and made a judgment that even I could hardly believe: "No, that square-eyed warrior is an Earthling, or rather, he is a 'person' with the same lifestyle as Earthlings. Except for his eyes, all his movements and postures are the same as ours."

At this moment, Gu Qingcheng's posture with her arms crossed is exactly the same as that of the warrior with square eyes in the painting. All Earthlings have used the same posture to some extent.

Gu Qingcheng smiled bitterly again in astonishment: "Earthlings? Mutated Earthlings from over two thousand years ago? Then how do you explain the layout of the stone house? Anyone with basic knowledge of aerospace engineering can see that it's a modern cockpit, filled with all sorts of instruments and meters—did you see that? There's even a round swivel chair inside? How could all of this have happened in the ancient and obscure Qin Dynasty?"

I did see that swivel chair, a product assembled on a modern, high-tech assembly line.

"The only explanation is that a modern astronaut entered a time tunnel and landed in ancient times. The spacecraft crashed into the mountainside and was buried forever. Miss Gu, I know these explanations are a bit far-fetched, but we'll have to wait until we get through the crevice to find the truth. Also, the tiger has been to the edge of the cliff, which will help us in our judgment. Please wait a moment, I'll go get him—"

Having experienced the bizarre events of the Pyramid of Tsar in Egypt and the Fuuki-ji Temple in Hokkaido, I can believe in any seemingly unbelievable conclusion. Time tunnels, extraterrestrial visitors, and traveling at the speed of light are all real, but they are firmly rejected by certain defenders of "pseudoscience," who use various seemingly reasonable explanations to deceive the global public.

If I were to ask the moralists to explain these paintings, they might accuse me of "faking alien spacecraft" or "hiring extras to impersonate square-eyed aliens." In any case, I'll stick to my guns no matter what.

Tiger was fast asleep when I woke him up. He looked annoyed: "What are you doing? Running around in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? Go back to sleep. We have important things to do tomorrow!"

I sat by his bedside, waiting for him to finish his tantrum, and then asked, word by word, "Tiger, when you were on the edge of the cliff, did you see the golden egg on the other side?"

Based on the proportions of the stone house, the human body, and the golden egg, the golden egg must be about three meters high and about one and a half meters in diameter. Even if the cliffs on both sides are far apart, it can be seen at a glance, but the tiger has never mentioned it.

"Golden egg? Where is it?" He scratched his head and glanced at me sideways.

“It’s right in front of that round stone house. If you’ve ever been to the edge of the cliff, you’ll definitely see it.” I answered very carefully, so as not to mislead his memory.

He scratched his head vigorously, rolled his eyes, and thought for half a minute before giving a vague answer: "It seems like there's something standing upright on the other side, but it's definitely not a golden egg. I thought it was just an oval-shaped stone pillar. I was ambushed by an enemy who suddenly appeared, and I was only on the edge of the cliff for no more than three minutes. Feng, how could you think there's a golden egg there? The cliff is about thirty paces wide; such a huge golden egg couldn't possibly be moved across, right?"

The tiger's way of thinking is far too rigid; it completely fails to grasp the concept of time. Even if there were a golden egg there, long-term oxidation and rust would change its color. More than two thousand years have passed; the world has changed dramatically, with seasons shifting and seasons changing. What, then, remains unchanged?

"Are you sure there are no golden eggs?"

Tiger nodded firmly: "Yes, no. Wind, stop daydreaming, okay? Finding that one-of-a-kind gold ingot in the Egyptian desert is one thing, but luck doesn't always favor the same person. Forget it, go back to sleep. Tomorrow we'll be fighting the snake formation; there's a lot of hard work to do."

Sure enough, there was a box of hand grenades beside his bed, and another backpack contained refitted napalm bombs, no more than three steps from his pillow. To be able to sleep soundly in such an extremely dangerous environment, besides a tiger, is truly impossible.

"No golden egg?" I'd rather believe that dust and moss adhered to the surface of the golden egg, growing thicker and thicker until it covered it up.

Walking back to Gu Qingcheng's tent, I saw her intently observing the camera, a pencil in her right hand, making notes on a piece of paper with a flourish.

"What did you find this time?" I didn't feel tired at all; it seemed I wouldn't need to sleep tonight either.

"I think your conclusion is self-contradictory. To date, no registered human race on Earth has ever had square eyes. Furthermore, I doubt the authenticity of these drawings. If the drawings truly date back to the Qin Dynasty, and the Li family has passed them down for two thousand years, wouldn't there have been at least one generation who coveted the golden egg and risked venturing into the mountains to search for the treasure? Why wait until Li Kang's generation? Now, we can't explain where the spacecraft equipment in the stone house came from. If it was explained as a spacecraft falling from the sky and crashing into the mountainside, the final result should have been an explosion and destruction, not turning into a round stone house. The stone tablet in front of the stone house has the words 'Heavenly Ladder' inscribed on it. Who erected this tablet? Could it have been the square-eyed warrior himself? And what do these two words mean?"

Gu Qingcheng stepped away from the observation camera and looked at the many big question marks on the record sheet, and came to her own conclusion: "This matter was a fictional prank from beginning to end, just like the 'crop circles' in history."

The Sixth Part: The Mystery of the Heavenly Ladder

— Chapter 10 — Leaping Over the Heavenly Barrier to See the Heavenly Ladder —

It was precisely because of these many questions that I judged that Gu Qingcheng had subconsciously accepted my point of view, but she just wanted to find out the doubts and further verify them.

"Tomorrow, the truth will be revealed." Just as I was certain He Jishang wouldn't lie to me, I was even more certain that my own viewpoint was 100% correct: that square-eyed warrior must be a modern Earthling who had traveled through time. Of course, in my memory, there was no other creature with square eyes; from humans to insects, from birds to fish, I couldn't find a single case.

"Yes, tomorrow, all hope really lies in tomorrow."

For the next few hours, I sat at my desk, repeatedly examining the jade tablet, while Gu Qingcheng, lying beside me, tossed and turned, unable to sleep. It's truly incredible that someone could sleep soundly after discovering such a profound secret.

I posed a new question to myself: "When the Saturnians landed on Earth, they messed up their timeline and ended up in a very ancient historical period, surviving until the 21st century, progressing along with Earth's timeline. They didn't age or die; their predicament was only caused by the excessive energy depletion of their spacecraft. So what about this square-eyed warrior? Could he also possess superpowers like the Saturnians, allowing him to live underground indefinitely?"

In Gui Luo's account, the "King of Catchers" saw his elder brother standing with the square-eyed warrior. Assuming his words are entirely true, this proves that just over a decade ago, the square-eyed warrior was still alive and well.

Unfortunately, all the existing clues are suspected of being hearsay, based on certain assumptions, and without any real evidence to support them, so they can be easily overturned.

As dawn broke, I rubbed my sore and swollen eyes and sighed, "Another tomorrow has arrived. Will we have any new discoveries?"

As the dismissed team escorted the three unconscious men away, their watches had just turned eight o'clock.

The two jeeps were loaded with as much food, fresh water, lighting equipment, fuel, weapons, and of course, the grenades and petrol bombs that Tiger kept in his arms.

Uncle Wei, Tiger, and Little Red Devil rode in one car, while Gu Qingcheng and I were in another, heading towards the tunnel. Just before we started moving, Tiger stood on the roof of the car and swore a solemn oath: "Today, we will not turn back until we reach the edge of the cliff!"

The little red devil was still grinning, like a middle school student about to go on a picnic, constantly chewing gum.

Nothing changed in the tunnel, and the strangely arranged stone pillars did not reappear. We passed through the first four pentagram spaces without any problems. When we entered the fifth starlight passage, we suddenly heard the commotion of the snake formation from the farthest point. The hissing sound was also increased by more than ten times, and it sounded extremely terrifying.

"Something seems off. Wind, could it be that the flying snakes have rebelled and crossed the platform to attack?" Little Red Ghost, oblivious to the danger, still had the leisure to joke.

Gu Qingcheng took out her binoculars and observed for a few minutes, then shook her head in confusion: "I didn't find anything. I can see the platform, but I didn't see any strange snakes crossing over."

Uncle Wei had already parked the car and was looking at me and Gu Qingcheng with a worried expression.