Chapter 1272 Lost and Found
"Li Zhen, how is the situation?"
About 50 kilometers into the Congo forest, in a jungle, three figures, about 100 meters apart, were quietly moving forward under the cover of night.
"Brother Zhuang, we've found the village. David's intelligence is accurate. Wait a moment while Peng Fei comes over..."
Li Zhen's voice came through the earpiece. He was an expert in infiltration and counter-infiltration. If you wanted to silently eliminate the people left behind in David's lair, you really couldn't do it without him.
In preparation for this operation and to wait for Li Zhen's return from "Xuanrui Island," Zhuang Rui postponed the project of moving the Golden City by a day. In any case, the castle was deep in the forest and would not be discovered for a while.
David wasn't a tough nut to crack. After Peng Fei used some "dislocating tendons and bones" techniques on him, the guy confessed everything without hesitation.
"Okay, be careful. David wouldn't lie. There are only three people inside. Keep an eye out for houses with lights on..."
Zhuang Rui had already taken in the small village. Right now, the three people left behind were drinking in a treehouse. Without women, these people could only relieve their boredom with alcohol. They couldn't very well find a monkey to vent their frustrations on, could they?
"Brother Zhuang, kill them all?"
Li Zhen asked a question.
"Leave no one alive, David is enough..."
A few years ago, Zhuang Rui might not have been so ruthless, but after that sea adventure, Zhuang Rui's mentality changed a lot. He no longer liked to leave hidden dangers behind, and the best way to eliminate hidden dangers was to physically eliminate the enemy.
Moreover, during David's interrogation, he learned that these Russian thugs had committed countless atrocities in Africa, including arson, murder, robbery, and all sorts of evil deeds. Zhuang Rui felt no remorse whatsoever for killing them.
"Brother Zhuang, don't worry, none of them will escape..."
While Li Zhen and Zhuang Rui were talking, Peng Fei also rushed over. The two of them sneaked into the village one after the other. Without even searching, they heard a noisy commotion coming from a treehouse.
Li Zhen and Peng Fei exchanged a glance, then silently climbed up the huge tree that one person couldn't encircle from either side. After a few crisp gunshots, the forest returned to silence.
"Damn, aren't you two disgusting?"
After climbing up to the treehouse, Zhuang Rui was immediately shocked by the scene inside. He saw three naked men embracing each other, with drops of blood seeping from the wooden planks beneath them.
Peng Fei laughed upon hearing this and said, "Hehe, Brother Zhuang, we didn't do this. They were being all lovey-dovey when we came in..."
"Yeah, damn, it's a threesome, foreigners are so open-minded..."
Li Zhen joked from the side, saying that homosexuality is an extremely common behavior in foreign militaries. For example, homosexuals make up a large proportion of the US military, and it is almost an accepted fact.
Zhuang Rui waved his hand and said, "Alright, throw them down the tree. Peng Fei, report the coordinates here and get Brother Li's plane over..."
After giving his instructions, Zhuang Rui went straight to a corner of the room and opened a box woven from withered vines from the forest.
"Damn it, what a waste..."
Upon opening the box, Zhuang Rui was immediately heartbroken, because he discovered that David had placed the Xuande incense burner together with some gold and silver artifacts that closely resembled those in the City of Gold, resulting in the incense burner being covered in rust.
However, the appearance of gold and silver artifacts also indicates that David's map was indeed found in this tribe. It is estimated that the people of the tribe had ventured deep into the jungle before, and it is unknown how much they paid to obtain these items in the City of Gold.
Zhuang Rui took out the Xuande incense burner and vigorously wiped it with his sleeve. Fortunately, the firing process of the Xuande incense burner determined its extraordinary quality. After Zhuang Rui's simple wiping, the rust on it went in, revealing a color that was almost purple-gold.
"Haha, the Bronze Ware Museum has gained another treasure..."
Zhuang Rui was overjoyed at the recovery of the Xuande incense burner. This object, which has been the subject of numerous forgeries since the Ming Dynasty, has yet to be identified as genuine. He believed that the discovery of this Xuande incense burner would fill this gap.
After waiting for more than half an hour, the roar of a helicopter sounded above the jungle. Peng Fei climbed to the top of a tree, turned on a powerful flashlight, and after obtaining their exact location, a rope was lowered from the helicopter.
Carrying the Xuande incense burner and the box containing the gold and silver artifacts, Zhuang Rui and his companions boarded the helicopter and returned directly to the "Xuanrui." In Zhuang Rui's mind, the value of this Xuande incense burner surpassed even that of the Golden City, and it was absolutely not to be lost. ...
The next morning, the helicopter purchased by Zhuang Rui's "Xuanrui" and the three large transport helicopters dispatched by Li Shaohua flew into the Congo jungle at different times. Because a lot of work had been done beforehand, no local armed forces intercepted them.
The helicopter carrying Zhuang Rui and his group arrived first. Fortunately, there was a large open space by the lake, enough to park several helicopters.
On the bluestone slabs by the lake, cracks have appeared in layers, caused by the python's body falling from a height of more than 20 meters after its head exploded.
However, the bloodstains on the lakeside had decreased significantly, as they had been licked away by the animals in the forest. Even more astonishingly, in less than two days, the flesh of the python and the prehistoric crocodile had been completely devoured, leaving only two enormous skeletons exposed to the sun.
After getting off the helicopter, the seven or eight people who had come with Zhuang Rui stared in disbelief at the two huge, snow-white skeletons. They thought that even the dinosaurs in the movie "Jurassic Park" were not this big.
After a long while, Li Zhen was the first to come to his senses. He grabbed Zhuang Rui and exclaimed, "Damn, that was so exciting! Brother Zhuang, no way, I'm going with you next time. We can't let Peng Fei get all the good stuff..."
Such an experience is something that even those explorers who spend their days venturing into mountains, climbing snow-capped peaks, and traversing jungles would rarely have in their lifetime. Yet, Peng Fei, following Zhuang Rui, experienced constant thrills. To be honest, Li Zhen was genuinely a little envious of Peng Fei.
"You think it's comfortable, kid? Damn it, that giant python almost swallowed me whole. You have no idea, my heart almost jumped out of my chest..."
Although Peng Fei's words were very truthful, they were also very boastful. Li Zhen's eyes almost turned red as he listened. These audacious guys don't usually seek thrills in ordinary times.
Zhuang Rui interrupted their argument with a smile, saying, "Alright, Li Zhen, we'll be doing a deep-sea salvage operation in a few days. You can go diving then; there are plenty of killer whales and tiger sharks in that area. It'll be quite exciting..."
On the return voyage, they would pass through a deep area of the Atlantic Ocean. Zhuang Rui knew there was a shipwreck there, and the salvage difficulty was not too high. Zhuang Rui planned to salvage it as well, as the wealth contained inside would be of some benefit to him.
"I'd better not, I'm not a good swimmer..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Li Zhen shrank back. In the forest, he could use the terrain and automatic weapons to evade and fight back when he encountered danger, but he didn't have the guts to fight sharks in the vast ocean. He just wanted to seek thrills, not to die.
"Alright, everyone get to work and pull out all these crocodile teeth, otherwise when those soldiers arrive, you won't get any..."
The greatest value of these two skeletons lies in their teeth, especially the sword-like sharp teeth of the prehistoric crocodile, which not only have extremely high value for paleontological research, but are also highly sought after by collectors.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, several crew members grabbed tools and began prying it open. Even Peng Fei and Li Zhen rushed forward to grab it, believing that keeping this thing at home would ensure protection from all evil.
Instead of fighting them for the crocodile's teeth, Zhuang Rui took a chainsaw and sawed off the entire head of the python, which was the size of a millstone, while preserving the fangs inside.
The python's flesh had been completely devoured, and even the rotten matter in its eyes had been eaten away by the scavengers. The huge snake skull was exceptionally smooth, and together with its jawbone and teeth, it looked extremely ferocious.
Zhuang Rui is an expert in collecting. He knows that if such a trophy were seen by wealthy European collectors of animal specimens, it would probably fetch hundreds of millions of dollars.
Although connections had been established with all parties involved, the helicopters still entered the forest at different times. After waiting for almost a whole morning, all three large transport planes dispatched by Li Shaohua landed by the lake, and the person leading the team was Zhou Liang, whom Zhuang Rui knew well.
As Zhuang Rui had expected, the hundred or so soldiers who arrived later, along with some sailors from Zhuang Rui's ship, were shocked and immediately became envious upon seeing the corpses of the two prehistoric monsters.
After Zhou Liang obtained Zhuang Rui's consent, they carried the two enormous skeletons onto several helicopters like wolf cubs.
Fortunately, the helicopter's return did not affect the subsequent work. Under Zhuang Rui's arrangement, a total of more than 150 people began to get busy.
As the saying goes, many hands make light work. In just seven or eight hours, all the vines around the castle, which covered a considerable area, were cleared away, and for the first time in countless centuries, it appeared in its entirety in the world.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the golden castle, giving it a dazzling golden light and coating the lake in the distance with a golden glow.
Chapter 1273 Astounding Wealth
For the first time in centuries, the Golden City was revealed to the world, the veil of vines covering the castle was lifted, and the entire castle appeared magnificent.
The building in the center of the castle is over twenty meters tall, with various exquisite and mysterious patterns carved on its huge stone pillars. It looks more like an ancient temple used by foreign gods to worship than a castle.
Judging from the arched shape of the building, it looks very much like a religious building in Europe. However, why such a building would appear in the primeval forests of Central Africa remains to be investigated by Zhuang Rui in the future.
Bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, the golden city shimmered with dazzling golden light, mysterious and unpredictable like a mirage. No one knows why it was built; all of this has been lost to the long river of history.
"I...I mean, Brother Zhuang, this...this is what you call an archaeological site?"
Standing next to Zhuang Rui, Zhou Liang was so shocked by the magnificent building that he could hardly speak. Not to mention the golden walls surrounding the castle, even if they were all plated with copper, they would still be incredibly valuable.
"Ahem, Brother Zhou, I just discovered it myself. I haven't had a chance to explore it yet. Wasn't it always hidden by vines before?"
Observing the castle with spiritual energy is very different from looking at it with your eyes. The visual shock is so powerful that it goes straight to the heart and is hard to describe in words.
So Zhuang Rui wasn't lying. This was indeed the first time he had seen the entire golden city. Like everyone else, he had just been captivated by the magnificent architectural wonder created by the ancients.
"Brother Zhuang, if this were all gold, how much would it be worth?"
Zhou Liang was quite perceptive. While clearing away the vines, he carefully observed some objects inside the castle, including the walls. He could tell that this magnificent building contained a large amount of gold.
Upon hearing Zhou Liang's words, Zhuang Rui laughed and said, "Brother Zhou, you're so vulgar... Art is priceless. How can such a precious work of art be measured in money?"
Although it was half a joke, Zhuang Rui was quite serious on the other hand. The gold reserves in this castle were astonishing, even richer than the gold reserves in the Golden House of Genghis Khan's Mausoleum.
However, compared to the patterns engraved on those walls and gold and silver utensils, the value of gold becomes insignificant. The precious documents and patterns left by our predecessors are more worthy of attention and study.
"Alright, I'm just an ordinary person. I'm just following orders. No matter how valuable it is, I'll pretend I didn't see it. Brother, what do you say... how should we arrange this?"
Logically, Zhou Liang should have reported the discovery of such a large sum of gold to his superiors, but firstly, Zhou Liang and Zhuang Rui had spent more than a month together in Central Africa and had a very good relationship.
Secondly, he also knew that Li Shaohua's dispatch of helicopters and personnel was also a way of compensating Zhuang Rui for handing over the mastermind behind the American robbery. Moreover, this was discovered by Zhuang Rui during his private exploration, and if the state were to intervene, it would be rather unseemly for him to be favored.
"Let's set up the lights first. We'll work through the night, move all the items inside into the helicopter, and then remove the murals from the wall tomorrow..."
As the last rays of the setting sun slowly faded, Zhuang Rui felt an extraordinary excitement as he gazed at the castle, which still radiated endless golden light. He had a very peculiar feeling, as if he had traveled back to Dunhuang more than a hundred years ago, watching those foreign adventurers frantically plundering Dunhuang cultural relics.
Zhuang Rui no longer seems to harbor much hatred towards those people. Everyone has a different stance and perspective on things in different situations, and what Zhuang Rui is doing now is essentially no different from what those people are doing.
However, it's impossible to get Zhuang Rui to give up this golden city. He will only try his best to preserve the integrity of these cultural relics during the dismantling and transportation process, and then restore and reassemble them in the future.
If the origins of this golden city can be uncovered, Zhuang Rui's Dingguang Museum could easily join the ranks of world-class museums. After all, such ancient architectural wonders are only found in the British Museum.
"Alright, let's get to work..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Zhou Liang directed his men to get to work. Fortunately, the trellis had already been set up when the vines were being cleared, so all that was needed now was to install lights on the trellis.
Such a project was a piece of cake for the logistics support personnel who maintained the fleet year-round. Before the Central African sun had fully set in the forest and surrounded the entire castle, it was already brightly lit.
Zhuang Rui did not offer any assistance. Instead, he called Peng Fei, Li Zhen, and others, and each of them took a video camera to film the entire castle, inside and out. This footage would become important data and evidence for Zhuang Rui's future reconstruction of the castle.
Although the castle looks magnificent, it actually consists of only three large buildings. The first one is the front hall, which is not very large and is mainly where the servants live. The items inside are relatively rough.
The second temple is located in the middle, which was also the former residence of the giant serpent. The entire temple consists of one large room, which is over twenty meters high and has the most spacious area. Various mysterious and exquisite patterns are engraved on the walls and the top of the temple.
Apart from a few items left inside the temple, the ground was littered with animal carcasses, their stench making people want to vomit, and it was the most difficult place to clean.
As for the third building, it is the rear hall, which is the most ornately decorated and contains the most gold and silver artifacts.
According to Zhuang Rui's guess, this should be the residence of the people who built this city. There are more than fifty rooms, and there is also a special bathroom. Although it is unknown how many years it has been sealed, you can still see its former magnificence and luxury through the thick dust.
Over the centuries, although many things have been lost, the items inside the castle still far exceed everyone's imagination. More than 20,000 items, including gold and silver wine vessels and daily necessities, have been unearthed.
Unfortunately, many of the textiles inside were damaged, and the head of a statue standing in the very center of the temple was missing. It's unknown whether it was kicked away by the gorillas while they were playing.
Throughout the night, the four helicopters barely stopped, returning as soon as they were fully loaded, shuttling between the "Xuanrui" and Golden City all night long.
Although the castle was completely cleared out, there were only three buildings in total. The more than one hundred people worked all night and only managed to clear out a small portion of the items. Fortunately, the people involved in the cleanup were all young men, so no one complained about the hardship or fatigue.
The lights outside the castle have been turned off, and the African morning sun is high in the sky. If the monitoring satellites of various countries were to observe this scene, they would discover that a spectacular scene of ants moving house is unfolding deep in the forest.
"Damn, no wonder there were so many explorers in the world over the centuries, this is the fastest way to make money..."
As he watched the artifacts being unearthed, Zhuang Rui now understood the actions of those "explorers" from before.
Zhuang Rui estimates that the artifacts already unearthed are worth at least one billion US dollars, and this is only one-third of the items. One can imagine how much wealth the entire castle contains.