Histoires de fantômes

Chapitre 290

The fire was burning, but he couldn't feel any warmth. His body was firmly bound, and without external help, he had no chance of escaping.

Human tools on Earth have no problem cutting crystals, but there are no suitable tools available at the moment. The crystal is located deep inside a mountain, so getting me and Suren out will be a huge challenge.

"Stop arguing, stop arguing. Whoever can break through this crystal will be the true ruler. What's the use of arguing? You Earthlings only know how to talk big all day long, but you can't offer any constructive suggestions. Such a race should have been wiped out in the universe long ago. You should know that in order for the universe to maintain a good working state, it also needs to constantly eliminate garbage. Now, we have been given the mission of 'cleaning up garbage' and have come to Earth."

The illusion demon began to rage, but no one was afraid of his words.

“We are not trash,” Suren sneered, “nor are we trash who just talk big. You are merely native inhabitants of Mars. What right do you have to interfere in Earth’s affairs? I think the future space war will be started by a belligerent race like yours. So, if you want to maintain peace in the universe, you’d better watch your own hands first.”

When it comes to cosmological theories, Suren, who studied under Goro Kanan, is no less than a top-tier university lecturer and can certainly out-argue Illusion Demon.

Behind him, a narrow beam of light pierced through, blocked by his back. In fact, behind him was a dark stone wall, and the light shone through the wall to enter, casting two golden arcs on the gray clothes on his shoulders.

"Where did that light come from?" I didn't want to use Earthly names to refer to it, so I omitted that question.

"That's energy light, shooting straight from our spacecraft, providing me with the nourishment and mind to survive, and gradually shattering this crystal to release me as quickly as possible." He became smug, as if he had some powerful backup force.

"So, where are your advanced and magnificent spacecraft?" To date, all sorts of strange alien spacecraft have been discovered on Earth, but no one can say for sure that any one of them belongs to Martians.

"Haha, why should I tell you? Give me a reason!" He was excited and laughed loudly in his "inner voice".

Of course, even knowing the location of the Martian spacecraft wouldn't be useful. If that location is in the deep sea or more than 10,000 meters below the surface, even if its exact three-dimensional coordinates were determined, it would be completely meaningless. Humans cannot reach that depth, just as it's impossible to dig a tunnel on Earth to make the United States and China communicate without time difference.

I saw countless shadows cast on the ground in front of me, followed by the beams of four or five powerful flashlights shining in, landing on my forehead, face, and front of me. But I couldn't move or look up until a pair of short, thick hands reached down, hugged my ribs, and slowly pulled me up, from lying on my side to standing upright.

Opposite me was a wall of massive stones, and the Martian leaned against it, his posture looking strange and uncomfortable. The crystal had formed over a thousand years ago; by that calculation, he had been imprisoned in this half-squatting position for centuries. In truth, from the perspective of any Earthling, such an alien invader would be best imprisoned permanently, or simply taken to a museum for Earthlings to admire.

“Well then, farewell. You can remain imprisoned here. My friend has come to rescue me.” I recognized Morari’s hand and felt my body rising.

Suren was right beside me, frozen in a strange, floating position, her right hand still in her pocket. Her hair was loose, each strand clearly visible, like a perfect piece of amber, but I would rather not have this precious work of art, I just wanted the living Suren.

I couldn't speak or move, but my mind kept screaming, "Save her first! Save Suren first!"

Finally, I reached the surface of the crystal and almost blurted out, "Morari, save Suren first, save her first!"

The seventeen Qi cultivators stood in a row in the passageway, with the people behind them placing their hands on the shoulders of the people in front. Standing in the first row was Morari, whose face was constantly covered in sweat and whose head was constantly steaming.

“Mr. Feng, we will save... her, right away…” He gasped for breath, took a step to the side, and then slowly bent down, pressing his fingertips against the crystal surface.

A deep, resonant chanting arose as seventeen people spoke simultaneously, repeating the same single verse over and over. I understood their language; the verse belonged to a minor language spoken in Iceland, meaning "Infinite mysterious power arises from the deep sea, from which all things are born." Currently, there are no more than thirty people in the world who know this language.

I didn't see Guan Nan Wulang or Yesak, but as long as we can rescue Su Lun, it doesn't matter who rushes to the front.

Morari's middle finger entered the crystal with the first joint, then the speed suddenly increased, and his fingers, palm, wrist, forearm, and elbow sank into the crystal in turn. However, the place where Suren sank was at least ten meters away from us, which was really beyond the reach of a single person's arm.

The chanting grew louder and faster, and I found myself involuntarily chanting along.

The ocean is the eternal home of humankind. Archaeologists and geologists have long provided evidence that all terrestrial life evolved from marine life. This is because the oldest Earth was covered by seawater. Later, the seawater receded, land appeared, and some organisms that were good at adapting to the environment underwent physical changes.

"Infinite profound power originates from the deep sea, from which all things are born; infinite profound power originates from..." As this voice spoke, Morari's arms slowly extended from below the elbows, more magical than hydraulically driven mechanical arms, reaching all the way to Suren, finally touching her shoulders within three minutes.

I held my breath and calmly stared at the forearms that had been stretched more than twenty times, their thickness proportions unchanged, like a piece of chewing gum that had been stretched out.

Suren was slowly pulled up, and as her hair revealed crystal, I immediately knelt on the ground, reaching out trembling hands to embrace her. Finally, her eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, and chin were fully revealed, and she uttered a deeply affectionate call: "Brother Feng—"

After our reunion, and especially after surviving a close call, once she was completely out of danger, I held her tightly in my arms, unable to utter a single word, just holding her tighter and tighter, as if afraid she would vanish into thin air again.

This is the real Suren. Looking into her eyes, listening to her breathing, and feeling the vibrant energy emanating from her body.

"Then, where did Fujika go? Was she taken into the mind of the illusion demon along with Tensho Jubei?" I couldn't help but feel a pang of regret that such a brilliant talent had been wasted. For a soul as loyal and steadfast as her, waiting patiently in the molting of a cicada, to end up like this was, to some extent, a cause for lament.

Morari fell silently, and the white-robed men behind him slumped in the same way, as if they had just gone through a life-or-death battle, with steam rising from their heads.

Suren looked around but didn't see Guan Nan Wulang or Yesak. She immediately jumped out of my arms and rushed towards the "Asian Gear." She was concerned about those two; having escaped, she could immediately look after others.

I knelt down in front of Morari, took his left hand, and placed it between my palms. He was too weak from overexerting himself, so my internal energy infusion was very effective for him.

"No...no, you can't give it to me..." he said breathlessly, his eyes half-closed.

"Why? You saved me, so of course I have to save you in return, right?" I stopped his movements and continuously channeled my inner energy into his body.

“You are our… little… little…” he cried out in a panic, then tumbled to the other side of the passageway, completely avoiding me, while shrinking back and curling into a ball.

Since he wouldn't accept my kindness, I had no choice but to give up and turn to stare at the shadow beneath the ground. It was indeed the shadow of the illusion demon, but unfortunately, we couldn't destroy it quickly enough and could only leave it imprisoned within.

"How much longer can he be imprisoned?" When Alpha was fighting the Great God Tu Liehan, the sealing gate was broken open. It seems that the Illusion Demon is occasionally able to move freely by "astral projection".

Morali slowly stood up, beckoned his companions to line up, and suddenly knelt down before me: "Junior Uncle, we disciples were blind to your greatness and failed to recognize your identity. We have been very impolite and ask for your forgiveness." All seventeen of them bowed their heads to the ground, then lay down and performed a full prostration.

I had already foreseen this outcome from the moment they began reciting that verse, and I quickly reached out to help Morari up: "Get up quickly. I have no master-disciple relationship with the Venerable Master of Saimaiwu Town in Iceland. There's no need for formalities."

It took a lot of effort to get Morari and the others up, but they still bowed their heads and clasped their hands, standing obediently on both sides, waiting for my instructions.

Master Qifu was the one who taught me all my martial arts and supernatural abilities, but his true identity was once the leader of the martial arts world in China. After going into seclusion in Iceland, he no longer mentioned his past fame and gave himself the new name "Qifu," hoping to start anew. He taught me a lot, but never let me call him "Master," so we had the reality of being master and disciple, but not the title.

“We brothers are disciples of Gaia, the Dutch sorcerer and apprentice of Master Qifu. After Master Gaia passed away, all the disciples wanted to go home and return to their old ways. Only the seventeen of us were recruited by the Azure Dragon Society and given important positions. Now, as long as we help Master Guan Nan Wulang settle the local affairs, we will soon receive a large reward.”

Morali seemed helpless. He had entered this line of spiritual practice with the intention of escaping the mundane world and becoming a hermit free from the constraints of money, power, and lust. But instead, they had returned and were once again deeply mired in the world of fame and fortune. Wasn't this the greatest irony of their original intention to cultivate the Tao?

I went straight to the point and asked, "What does Master Guan Nan Wulang want you to do? Is it just as simple as opening the sealed gate? Are there any other more important tasks?"

Since everyone was a disciple of the Master of Blessings, they immediately became "one of us" who could have heartfelt conversations.

Morari pointed to one of the white-robed men with a high bulge in his back: "He carries a powerful wireless communication antenna on his body. He might be sending out some kind of radio signal next. As for the rest, I don't understand. If we're talking about killing people by force, wouldn't Mr. Yesak and you, Junior Uncle, be better than a thousand troops?" He patted his forehead and then remembered something else, "The Master carries a black lead box. Although it's only the size of a book, it's locked with a nine-digit lock. He keeps it safe himself and would never entrust it to anyone else."

This statement came out of nowhere, but Guan Nan Wulang wouldn't carry around anything random. Anything that appears in the world of "Asian Gear" will definitely be useful, whether it's a person or an object.

The man in the white robe stood up and stepped back, with only Morari remaining by my side.

“Junior Uncle, when you unleashed the ‘Samadhi True Fire’ just now, the entire passageway was filled with flames, which is why I recognized this supreme divine skill of the Blessing Master. After these days have passed, could you please give me a hand? After meeting with Master Guan Nan Wulang a few days ago, he praised you three to five times almost every day. Once, I overheard him muttering to himself that if the ‘Great Weapon’ were entrusted to you for operation and safekeeping, he would be truly at ease.”

Morari is too old to smile anymore, and his flattery seems rather childish. When he deliberately says these things, it sounds stiff and cold, and it doesn't achieve any effect at all, because I'm not someone who likes to hear flattery.

"A weapon of mass destruction?" I patted his arm, stopping him from narrating. "Where is the 'weapon of mass destruction'? In the lead box?"

My thoughts immediately shifted, and I recalled the battles in Hokkaido between the Shinshokai and the ninja group over the "ultimate weapon." How could this focal point, which had attracted the attention of ambitious individuals worldwide, suddenly appear in the hands of Goro Kanan?

"Junior Uncle, I don't know anything. I was just quoting the master's words. Besides, I overheard it secretly and didn't even know what he was doing at the time," Morali defended himself. Eavesdropping on others' private matters is a major taboo in the martial arts world and is definitely not a respectable thing.

"Are you sure he mentioned something called a 'weapon of mass destruction'?" I asked cautiously.

Morali swallowed hard, then hunched his shoulders and thought for a moment before nodding heavily: "Yes, that's it, that's the 'ultimate weapon.' Junior Uncle, I swear on my life, there's absolutely no mistake."

We were almost at the cave entrance. I patted him on the shoulder and said, "Morali, once we get back to the surface, I'll write you a check. It should be enough for the seventeen of you to live on for the rest of your lives. Money in the underworld isn't easy to earn. It's best to quit as soon as possible. Besides, working for the Azure Dragon Society will only bring more trouble. Do you understand?"

Master Qifu only had Gaia as his disciple, and he was naturally detached from worldly affairs, having retired from the martial arts world, he no longer wanted to pursue fame and fortune with others. If it weren't for the fact that Scalpel had persuaded eleven masters in mainland China to jointly recommend me, he wouldn't have accepted me as his disciple. Therefore, even without the formal master-disciple relationship, my gratitude towards him is beyond words.

I shielded Morari from Tensho Jubei's flying wheel attack, and he rescued me and Suren from the crystal. We immediately reached a tacit understanding of sharing weal and woe. I've always felt that people in the world of supernatural arts shouldn't be swayed by money, shouldn't live for money, and shouldn't be overly greedy for wealth and luxury.

Master Qifu once said that Gaia's aptitude was very ordinary; he couldn't even grasp one-tenth of what he taught him. Therefore, opening a school and teaching students would be more like misleading them. Such a person, wandering the world, would one day lose his life.

Morali perked up, rubbing his hands together and beaming, "Thank you, Junior Uncle, thank you, Junior Uncle. May I ask what the amount on that check is?"

Those who can be bought off by the Green Dragon Society with money seem to have had their moral compass tipped, only interested in colorful banknotes and disregarding their personal dignity.

"Seventeen million, one million for each person, surely they can find a new profession and start over?" I hope my actions will make them understand that they should never abandon martial arts, and that they should walk the right path and not become someone else's henchmen.

Part 5: The Source of Energy

— Chapter 3 — The Real Weapon of Destruction Appears —

We walked out of the cave together and saw in the distance that Su Lun was sitting upright on a wooden box, with the ancient zither resting on his knees.

Morali suddenly paused, "Junior Uncle, I saw Miss Suren once before, and she still seemed a little off. You'd better keep an eye on her." He rubbed his eyes hard, shook his head slightly, and then sighed again, "The guqin is an ominous object. It's best not to let Miss Suren touch it."

Although I don't admire his character, everyone possesses different special abilities, and their cultivation methods vary. I should still listen to what he has to say.

"Wind, come this way!" Guan Nan Goro stood on the metal steps and waved vigorously at me.

Despite having just finished a chase and battle with Tensho Jubei, his clothes were not disheveled, and everything, including his hair, was neat and tidy, showing no signs of being in a sorry state.

As I approached him, I noticed that his hands were always behind his back, and his expression was serious.

"Feng, I have something to show you. I wonder if you'd be interested?" He didn't waste any words, which is what I admire most about him. He gets straight to the point, without beating around the bush or holding back—that's the true nature of a hero who accomplishes great things.

"Interested? May I guess?" I smiled, hoping to ease the tense atmosphere surrounding the mechanical body.

"Guess? No need, because you already know what it is. Interested?" He didn't respond to my smile, but immediately took his right hand out from behind his back, holding a rectangular box between his five fingers. The box was about the size of a three-hundredpocketbook, and it was all black with a faint, dim light.

If it contained a "weapon of mass destruction," I should probably avoid it, after all, it's a dangerous item with extremely high radiation levels. He pressed the mechanism with his middle finger, and the lid opened silently, revealing a dark blue-gray inner box, probably made of lead-tungsten alloy, engraved with a strange skull symbol, with two thin leg bones crossed and inserted into the skull's mouth. Of course, such a thing wouldn't be without radiation markings, right next to the skull.

"It is said that the coalition forces even used the most powerful ray detectors, cosmic metal search systems, and tens of thousands of radiometric survey teams to find it, but to no avail. They finally admitted their incompetence at the United Nations Joint Conference on the Middle East and judged the Pentagon's intelligence on 'Iraq's weapons of mass destruction' as a terrible mistake. Now, it is in my hands and will play a world-shaking role."

Guan Nan Wulang was so proud that beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

"To play a role? Here?" I didn't say another word, but instead used an increasingly deep smile to entice the other person to continue.

“Yes, right here, in the deep well of the ‘earth veins,’ what do you say?” He stated his intentions frankly without any reservations.

"It's said that the 'weapon of mass destruction' is powerful enough to tear North America apart and sink it into the sea. I am but a junior with limited knowledge and skills; please, master, offer your guidance." My mind immediately becomes sensitive when international issues are involved. On this point, not a single detail can be overlooked. Though the Earth is small, it has produced many heroes and powerful figures vying for supremacy. At the very least, Sun Long of the Divine Gun Society is one; the Tycoon, the Wind Forest Fire Mountain, and others are all sharpening their knives, ready to carve a piece of flesh from this "deer." I wonder what Guan Nan Wulang is planning?

"Hehe, after my careful calculations, its power is more than that. If the most suitable starting point is found, it can even separate the two hemispheres, splitting the Earth in two in space, allowing each half to operate and survive independently. But unfortunately, that's just the imagination of many space fanatics. After all, the planet we live on is actually a raw egg with a hard shell. Once it's cracked open, there's nothing left."

He still didn't smile, even when telling a very funny joke.

I wholeheartedly agree with him. This is exactly the starting point he's looking for. He's even skipped the deep drilling and blasting point because the ley lines have always existed. He can just throw the blasting system into the wellhead.

"Now, what can we do? We can't really break this raw egg, can we?" I just followed his line of thought without trying to break through that barrier.

This time, he frowned. "Feng, what I really mean is that adjusting the speed of the 'Asian Gear' is extremely dangerous. We have to stop all the gears and then restart it. We're safe inside this metal space, but you should realize what the Earth's surface will look like once the gears stop. Everything will lose power; everything that relies on gravity will be lifted into the air. Even a one-second delay will cause billions in financial losses and human deaths—"

I nodded humbly: "Yes, you've made that assumption in your previous works as well. The most illustrative example is that the moment the gears stop turning, an airplane flying in the sky will have its engines shut down, lose the support of the wind, and then plummet straight down. Of course, you can also consider the opposite: the airplane loses gravity and will drift aimlessly into space. When the oxygen supply system completely runs out, all the passengers will die. That was in 1996. In your book, you roughly estimated the number of airplanes to be around 9,000, and the number of passengers who died as a result to be around 950,000. Is that correct?"

Now, ten years have passed since his book was published, and the number of airplanes in the sky has nearly tripled, naturally resulting in three times the losses.

“Yes, I did say that. I would still say it now: the loss is too great. I need to speak with the US and Europe and ask them to suspend flight operations for a certain period of time until the second startup of ‘Asian Gear’ is stable.” He turned to the busy white-robed men, “Look, they can set up an extremely sensitive satellite antenna in half an hour. Everything depends on the other party’s cooperation.”

It allows you to see everything at a glance and enjoy the pleasure of reading!

Such an idea is truly far-fetched. Perhaps those arrogant politicians don't believe in the "Asian Gear" concept at all, and are only concerned with important national matters such as who to ally with and who to share profits with.

I expressed my skepticism: "What means could possibly convince the other party that danger is truly imminent?"

He pointed to Yesak, who was coming around from the other end of the machine: "Look, he will precisely control the number and range of gears at the first stop, making the US president believe that we have this capability, and then obediently issue an emergency presidential order to give us the opportunity to adjust the gears."

Yesak held an electronic notebook in his hand, pressing down a set of numbers every few steps, his concentration running high.

Suddenly, the guqin began to play, its sound soaring and resonant, as if carrying the power to pierce the clouds and tear through the heavens. I had heard Su Lun play the guqin before, but they were all quiet and elegant tunes; I had never heard a melody like this one, intertwined with the sounds of clashing swords and the clash of spears.

“She’s fine, don’t worry,” he said again, patting my shoulder.

Without hesitation, I turned and walked down the steps. He called after me, “Wind, you haven’t finished speaking. I need you to stay and help me, just like Morari and the others, willing to sacrifice yourself for the great cause of saving humanity. I know you have a transcendent master as your teacher, but we are now in the mortal world, so we have a responsibility to protect the Earth—”

If anything were to happen to Suren, I would not linger here for even a minute longer, and I would withdraw from this operation completely along with her. So I simply waved my hand behind my back, declining his full invitation. In this world, every day there are so-called "madman's games," some of which can be achieved in the blink of an eye, while others are nothing but delusions, adding another joke to the world.

"Which type of game does Guan Nan Goro play?" I couldn't be sure, but I knew that if it threatened the world we live in, I wouldn't stand idly by. The Americans named that thing capable of destroying the earth a "weapon of mass destruction" because they had a very clear understanding of the harm it would cause, which is why they launched a large-scale military operation.

Suren rested her chin on the strings, her eyes half-closed, seemingly lost in thought. I walked up to her and watched as she stared blankly ahead.