r18novel Chapter 36 Legend of Gods and Demons 3
Chapter 36 Legend of Gods and Demons 3
Scorching, boundless, deathly silent.
The scorching yellow sand stretched out beneath my feet, reaching the horizon where it met the leaden sky. Not a breath of wind stirred; the air was so dry it felt like it could suck the last moisture from my lungs, each breath accompanied by the painful chafing of sand against my throat. The blazing sun, like molten platinum, mercilessly baked the desert, sending up waves of heat that distorted my vision.
The Central Continent team, like tiny black dots in the desert, trudged laboriously through the dunes. They had been away from Cairo for most of the day, the silhouette of the chaotic city long since swallowed by the sand. They had no camels, not enough water, only some hastily "purchased" (or rather, plundered) dry rations and water sacks from Cairo, and a meager supply scavenged from the two unfortunate members of the Indiana team. O'Connor walked ahead, grumbling and cursing, barely guiding the way with his hazy memory and sense of the sun's position. Evelyn and the old curator (Jonathan had been separated in the chaos of Cairo, another problem) supported each other, their lips cracked, their faces pale, sustained only by a will to survive. The three newcomers had long since lost their initial fear, leaving only numbness and mechanical steps.
The atmosphere within the group was as heavy as solidified lead. Although the daytime battle had repelled the Indian team's pursuit and severely injured their mental specialist and a melee fighter, their own losses were immense. Wang Lin and Zhan Lan were completely exhausted, carried in turns by Zheng Zha and Li Shuaixi, still unconscious, only the faint rise and fall of their chests proving they were still alive. Zheng Zha, Ba Wang, Li Shuaixi, Zhao Yingkong, and Ming Yanwei were all wounded, their ammunition depleted. Zero silently patrolled their surroundings, his sniper rifle ammunition nearly empty. Chu Xuan was pale, his rib wound only simply bandaged, yet he still insisted on walking in the middle of the group, holding the micro-terminal, constantly trying to receive signals or analyze the fragmented data brought from Cairo. The guide, 7341-ZJ, moved like a precise timer, his steps unwavering, occasionally reporting data such as the surrounding temperature, humidity, and wind speed, but never offering any subjective suggestions.
"Damn it... this godforsaken place... how much further is Hamunaptra?" Overlord licked his dry, chapped lips, his voice hoarse. The huge backpack on his back contained most of the supplies and heavy weapons, making it his heaviest burden.
"According to that drunkard... it's still at least two days' journey... if we're heading in the right direction." Li Shuaixi glanced at O'Connor, who was stumbling ahead, his tone uncertain.
"We're on the right track," Chu Xuan's voice rang out, calm yet undeniably authoritative. "Based on the celestial phenomena, the dune alignment, and cross-verification with the incomplete map we retrieved from the Cairo Library, we're roughly on the correct path. But the problem is supplies. Fresh water will only last until noon tomorrow at most. Food is manageable, but the high temperatures and dehydration are our biggest enemies. And..." He looked up at the undulating horizon of the distant dunes, "The Indian team hasn't caught up, which is unusual. Either they have a more important objective in Cairo, such as completely awakening or controlling a portion of Imhotep's power, or... they're waiting for us to wear them down, or they have an ambush ahead."
"An ambush?" Zheng Zha frowned. He carried Wang Lin on his back and could feel the extremely faint life force and signs of mental recovery emanating from Wang Lin, which gave him some reassurance, but he was mostly anxious. "How can they set up an ambush in this vast desert?"
"The desert itself is the best ambush," Chu Xuan said. "Quicksand, sandstorms, extreme temperature differences, venomous scorpions, sand snakes... and ancient creations awakened by the power of the Book of the Dead. Don't forget, this is Imhotep's home ground. The Indian team seems to be able to communicate with or utilize his power to some extent."
As if to confirm Chu Xuan's words, O'Connor, who was walking at the front, suddenly let out a scream, and his whole body sank into the ground! The sand beneath his feet collapsed without warning, forming a rapidly spinning vortex!
"Quicksand!" Zheng Zha shouted, trying to rush over, but the distance was too far and there was someone on his back.
"Grab him!" Zero reacted the fastest, instantly firing the grappling hook gun he had been holding. The hook with the steel cable precisely caught on O'Connor's belt! At the same time, Li Shuaixi and Zhao Yingkong also rushed over, each grabbing one of O'Connor's arms. The three of them worked together to drag O'Connor, who had already begun to sink, back from the edge of the quicksand!
O'Connor collapsed onto the sand, panting heavily, his face deathly pale. He stared at the sand, which had quickly returned to calm as if nothing had happened, still shaken by the experience.
"Look! There's something there!" Ming Yanwei suddenly pointed to a corner of a black, unnatural object peeking out from the edge of the quicksand.
Chu Xuan approached cautiously and used a tool to sift through the loose sand. It was a black stone slab half-buried in the sand, engraved with twisted, ominous ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. In the center of the characters was an open eye without a pupil.
"Warning stone tablet... or... a mark." Chu Xuan quickly deciphered the characters he could recognize: "'Blasphemers, halt!' 'Those who disturb the slumber will be devoured by the sand,' 'The Eye of Horus is watching you'... We've entered the warning zone of the City of the Dead. The sand in this area may have been eroded by Imhotep's power, becoming unstable, or even... sentient."
"Damn it, this godforsaken place..." O'Connor cursed again, but this time his voice was much softer, filled with awe.
"Rest for ten minutes. Replenish fluids and treat the wounds. Wang Lin and Zhan Lan need more time to recover," Chu Xuan ordered. "Zheng Zha, check on Wang Lin's condition."
Zheng Zha carefully laid Wang Lin down, letting him lean against a sheltered sand dune slope. Wang Lin's eyes were still closed, but his breathing had become more steady, and his face was no longer frighteningly pale. Zhan Lan lay beside him, also unconscious, but her brows were furrowed, as if struggling in her sleep.
"Their mental strength is slowly recovering, but very weakly. The main god's healing beam seems to have limited effect on this level of mental exhaustion; it's more about their own potential and that jade," Zheng Zha said after examining them, having exchanged for basic medical knowledge.
Chu Xuan nodded, took out a water pouch, and carefully fed Wang Lin and Zhan Lan some water. Then, he walked up to Guide 7341-ZJ.
"Guide Unit 7341-ZJ, with your current detection and analysis capabilities, can you assess the extent to which this area has been corrupted by Imhotep's forces, and predict potential threats? Also, regarding the Indian Team's possible movements, do you have any protocol-based analysis?"
The guide, 7341-ZJ, scanned the surrounding sand with its crimson electronic eye, then looked towards the distant sky. After a few seconds of silence, it replied: "Environmental Scan: Weak but persistent negative energy radiation detected, originating in the southeast direction. Intensity is inversely proportional to distance. The sand layer structure is unstable, with seventeen anomalous energy nodes, 89.3% of which overlap with natural traps such as quicksand and fissures. Biodetection: Thirteen local biological life signals detected, four of which exhibit anomalous energy responses, presumably eroded or controlled by negative energy. Threat Assessment: Moderate. Continued exposure to negative energy radiation may lead to a slow loss of vitality, hindered mental recovery, and a tendency towards negative emotions. Recommendation: Pass through this area as soon as possible, or seek shelter in a positive energy field."
Regarding Team Indiana: Based on the general combat mode of the God Realm and the opponent's demonstrated abilities, their actions in Cairo have a clear objective—to control key locations (the museum), acquire key items (keys), and prematurely awaken/utilize the power of the BOSS (Imhotep). They did not engage in long-range pursuit, with the following probability distributions: 37%—focused entirely on the awakening ritual, unable to attend to other matters; 29%—judging the desert environment is favorable for attrition, adopting a wait-and-see strategy; 22%—split their forces to detour, attempting to ambush us along our likely routes (such as water sources or oases); 12%—other unknown strategies. Recommendation: Increase vigilance, strengthen reconnaissance, prioritize finding safe water sources, and avoid pre-planning battlefields.
It's very detailed, very cold, very "guided." But it also provides valuable information.
"Safe water source..." Chu Xuan frowned as he looked at the nearly empty water sack. In the desert, without water, all tactics are meaningless.
Just then, Wang Lin, who had been unconscious, suddenly began to twitch his eyelids violently and made a muffled hoarse sound in his throat.
"Wang Lin!" Zheng Zha quickly helped him up.
Wang Lin suddenly opened his eyes! His eyes were bloodshot, initially blank, but quickly regained focus and sharpness, though a deep weariness remained. He struggled to sit up, looked around, saw his familiar teammates and the unfamiliar desert, and instantly understood his situation.
"How long have I been unconscious? How are you?" His voice was terribly hoarse.
"About eight hours. We've left Cairo and are in the desert. The Indian team isn't chasing us, but the conditions are terrible—no water, traps, and we might be being watched," Zheng Zha said quickly. "How are you feeling?"
"My head hurts...it feels like it's going to split open...but at least I can think." Wang Lin rubbed his temples, the cool sensation from the ancient jade easing the stinging pain. He tried to mobilize a sliver of his mental energy, but immediately felt a sharp, needle-like pain in his brain. His mental energy had only recovered a negligible amount, not even enough to maintain the simplest mental resonance. "My mental energy is almost depleted; I need time. Where's Zhan Lan?"
"He's still not awake, but his vital signs are stable." Zhan Lan was right next to him.
Wang Lin nodded and looked at Chu Xuan and the guide: "What's the plan?"
Chu Xuan briefly reiterated the analysis and predicament he had just presented.
After listening, Wang Lin remained silent for a moment, then cast his gaze towards the distant sand dunes. His psionic vision was unable to activate due to depleted mental energy, but his instinctive sense of danger still allowed him to faintly perceive the chilling cold and deathly stillness emanating from the southeast. That was the direction of Hamunaptra, the core of Imhotep's power.
"Water is key. But blindly searching for oases or water sources is too risky, and might play right into the hands of the Indian team," Wang Lin said slowly. "Perhaps we can... utilize Imhotep's power."
"Hmm?" Everyone looked at him.
"Imhotep is a spirit of the dead, and the core of his power is death and aridity. But in ancient Egyptian beliefs, death is often associated with life and rivers. The Nile is Egypt's lifeline, and the Book of the Sun represents the power of 'life' and 'order.'" Wang Lin pondered, combining his memories of the original text with his understanding of the nature of energy. "Where Imhotep's power erodes, it becomes arid and desolate. But conversely, if a faint 'positive energy field' related to the Book of the Sun or ancient Egyptian beliefs in life remains, then Imhotep's power will be repelled there, and may even form a kind of 'sanctuary.' Such places often also mean... the possible existence of ancient ruins, sacrificial sites, or... underground water sources."
"That makes sense." A stream of data flashed in Chu Xuan's eyes. "The ancient Egyptians often built temples or cemeteries near oases. If we can find residual points of positive energy in the eroded area, it's very likely the remains of an ancient oasis or water source. Even if the surface is dry, there might be water veins underground. But how do we locate it? Your mental strength..."
"Rely on it." Wang Lin looked at Guide 7341-ZJ. "Guide, can your detection system, while scanning for negative energy radiation, also detect weak points of positive energy or life energy that are the opposite in nature? Even if the signal is extremely weak."
The facilitator, 7341-ZJ, paused for two seconds, seemingly adjusting the scan mode. After a moment, he replied: "Adjusting scan protocol. Initiating broad-spectrum energy differential scan... Four energy reading 'dip' points were detected in the negative energy radiation field. The negative energy concentration at these points is significantly lower than the surrounding average, and a faint to almost non-existent inert energy residue was detected, with a 0.7% match to the energy characteristics database of ancient Egyptian sun worship ritual objects. Coordinates marked."
Four simple coordinate graphs appeared on Chu Xuan's terminal screen.
"These are the places!" Wang Lin's spirits lifted. "Let's choose the closest one. It doesn't matter if it's off-center. Let's solve the water problem first so Zhan Lan and I can recover some of our strength. If we're lucky, we might make some unexpected discoveries there."
Chu Xuan quickly calculated the distance and route: "The nearest point is about five kilometers away in our eleven o'clock direction. It's about fifteen degrees off the planned route. Acceptable. Let's set off immediately and remain vigilant."
With a clear goal, the team's morale improved slightly. They set off again, this time with guide 7341-ZJ leading the way, avoiding the energy anomalies he had detected. Wang Lin walked with difficulty, supported by Zheng Zha, while concentrating all his attention, using his newly recovered mental energy in conjunction with the Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade to try to soothe his mental wounds, and attempting to perceive his surroundings in the most subtle way possible, as a supplement to the guide's detection.
The desert twilight arrived quickly and was exceptionally magnificent. The blood-red sunset dyed the boundless sea of sand a golden-red, and the temperature began to plummet. As the last ray of light was swallowed by the horizon and the icy night wind began to howl, they finally reached their destination.
It was a small basin nestled between two massive sand dunes. In its center, several broken stone pillars, etched with wind-eroded patterns, lay half-buried in the sand, forming an irregular circle. The sand within the circle was slightly darker and appeared more solid. Most striking was a crookedly placed relief of the sun god Ra at the center of the circle. Despite its severe damage, under the cool moonlight, the surface of the stele seemed to faintly shimmer with a pale golden sheen.
"This is it! The positive energy field is weak, but it definitely exists!" Wang Lin could clearly feel that as soon as he stepped into the stone circle, the omnipresent cold and deathly silence in the air lessened considerably, and even his breathing became smoother. More importantly, his depleted spiritual energy seemed to recover at a slightly faster pace under the combined nourishment of the ten-thousand-year-old warm jade and this weak positive energy field.
"Inspect the ground! Look for water veins or entrances!" Chu Xuan immediately ordered.
The group dispersed and began digging and exploring with tools. Soon, Li Shuaixi discovered an unusually flat stone slab in the sand not far behind the stone tablet. After clearing away the loose sand, a square stone slab with grooves was revealed. The shape of the grooves... was somewhat similar to the key in Evelyn's hand, but seemed larger and more complex.
"It's a sacrificial well or the entrance to an underground passage!" Evelyn leaned closer, her archaeologist's instincts exciting her despite her exhaustion. "This groove... isn't an ordinary lock; it's more like a ritualistic mechanism that requires a specific 'key' or... the correct sequence of opening."
"Try the key," Chu Xuan said to Evelyn.
Evelyn took out the key she'd brought from Hamunaptrath, gestured with it, and shook her head. "The size and pattern don't match perfectly. This could be an entrance to a different place, or... it requires multiple keys?"
"Forcefully activated?" Overlord picked up his entrenching tool.
"Wait," Wang Lin stopped him. He suppressed his headache, focusing his last remaining bit of mental energy on his fingertips, gently touching the groove in the stone slab. As his mental energy seeped into the slab, he "sensed" a complex system beneath it, composed of rock and some kind of energy network. Deep within the system, he detected an extremely faint, cool…moisture!
"There's water below! And this mechanism... it's not just a physical lock, it's also connected to a simple energy loop. Violent destruction could cause a collapse or an energy backlash." Wang Lin withdrew his hand, his face paling even more. "We need the right method. Chu Xuan, the guide, can you analyze the structure and activation method of this energy loop?"
Chu Xuan and Guide 7341-ZJ immediately began working. Chu Xuan connected several miniature probes to a terminal and inserted them into the cracks in the stone slab to probe the internal structure. The Guide, meanwhile, used some kind of invisible scanning wave to analyze the frequency and nodes of the energy loops.
"The circuit structure is based on a simple principle of elemental resonance. The stone slab material contains trace amounts of energy-conducting metal, which resonates with a certain crystal structure deep underground. It requires the input of pure energy of a specific frequency and nature to activate the resonance before it can be safely opened." Chu Xuan quickly analyzed, "The energy nature... is required to be biased towards 'light,' 'life,' or 'order.' It has a 3.2% similarity to the basic energy code of a certain ancient civilization that we previously analyzed in the fragments of Relic Zero."
"Pure 'light' or 'life' energy..." Zheng Zha frowned. His vampire energy and inner energy were inclined towards "destruction" and "life (but with a dark side)".
"Perhaps... we could try this," Wang Lin suddenly said, looking at the ancient warm jade hanging around his neck. This jade had long nourished his soul, and the energy it contained was neutral and peaceful, leaning towards "life" and "nurturing." Moreover, after the Zero Relic absorbed some of the strange energy, it seemed to have gained an indescribable spirituality.
"You want to use the energy of the warm jade?" Chu Xuan looked at him.
"My mental strength is insufficient to precisely control external energy. However, Wen Yu is mentally connected to me, so perhaps I can try to guide a trace of its primordial energy into this circuit to simulate the 'key'," Wang Lin said. This was a risky idea, and failure could damage Wen Yu or even himself.
"Success rate?" Chu Xuan asked.
"I don't know. But this is the most feasible method at the moment. Moreover, I have a feeling... that this mechanism, the warm jade, and the Zero Relic may have some kind of faint connection that we have not yet understood." Wang Lin stroked the warm jade.
"I agree to try. Everyone else, step back and prepare for any unforeseen circumstances." Chu Xuan said without hesitation.
The crowd retreated to the edge of the stone circle, watching nervously. Wang Lin sat cross-legged in front of the stone slab, placing the ten-thousand-year-old warm jade in the center of the groove. He closed his eyes, cleared his mind of distractions, and tried to establish a weak connection with the warm jade. He transformed his barely recovered spiritual power into the gentlest "fuse," carefully "touching" the warm and vast energy within the jade.
One tap, two taps... Wen Yu showed no reaction, like a sleeping giant beast.
Wang Lin remained calm and focused all his will, conveying without reservation his yearning for "life," his expectation for "water," and his desire to protect his "companions." It was not a demand, but rather... a resonance.
hum...
Just as Wang Lin was about to exhaust his energy again, the millennia-old warm jade suddenly trembled slightly. Immediately afterward, a tiny, yet incredibly pure, warm, and vibrant milky-white light seeped from the jade's core, slowly flowing into the groove of the stone slab under Wang Lin's spiritual guidance.
The moment the light entered, the entire stone slab suddenly lit up! The blurry patterns on it seemed to come alive, emitting a soft, pale golden glow! The light rippled outwards like water, seeping downwards along the cracks in the stone slab. A dull, clicking sound, like a mechanism turning, came from underground.
A few seconds later, the light faded. The stone slab silently slid to one side, revealing a dark, downward-sloping entrance to a staircase. A cool, damp, and slightly musty air wafted out of the entrance.
"It's open!" Everyone was overjoyed.
Chu Xuan immediately threw down a cold light stick. The light illuminated a stone platform about three meters below, and from the edge of the platform, the sound of flowing water could be heard.
"I'll go first." Zheng Zha led the way, carefully descending the slippery steps. A moment later, his voice came from below, filled with surprise: "Safe! There's a small stone chamber down there, with a small pool! The water is very clear, it must be running water! And... some murals and... jars?"
The group descended one by one. The stone chamber was about twenty square meters, with a natural stone pit about one meter square in the center. Clear groundwater gurgled from the cracks in the stone walls, gathering into a small pool in the pit before overflowing and flowing along a shallow ditch into the dark depths. On the walls of the stone chamber were relatively well-preserved colorful murals depicting scenes of ancient Egyptians worshipping the sun god, drawing holy water, and... sinking some shimmering objects into the water. Several sealed pottery jars were piled in the corner.
"It's an ancient sacrificial water cellar or refuge!" Evelyn excitedly stroked the mural. "Look! This depicts a holy water ritual... and these jars, they might have been used to store offerings or valuables!"
"The water is fine, it's drinkable." Chu Xuan had already checked the water quality with a simple tester. "Replenish the water immediately, fill the water bladders. Check those jars, be careful."
The group drank deeply from the spring and filled all their water bags, feeling as if they had been reborn. Ba Wang and Li Shuaixi carefully opened several pottery jars, inside which were some carbonized grains, several rusted bronze artifacts, and... in a small, well-sealed jar, they found several bone fragments wrapped in gold foil and engraved with hieroglyphics, as well as a thumb-sized, cloudy yellow gemstone that felt cool to the touch.
"The bone fragment is written in an even more ancient script, containing some kind of... prayer to purify evil spirits and appease the dead?" Evelyn tried to decipher it. "This gem... feels very strange, somewhat like... the material of a scarab beetle? But not quite the same."
Chu Xuan took the bone fragment and the gemstone and examined them carefully. In particular, the yellow gemstone, under the illumination of the cold light stick, seemed to have an extremely faint, flowing luster inside, like grains of sand.
"Guide, analyze the energy characteristics of this gem and bone fragment," Chu Xuan said.
After scanning, Guide 7341-ZJ replied: "Gemstone: Weak spatiotemporal perturbations and highly concentrated compressed 'order' and 'purification' energy tendencies were detected. There is less than 1% indirect correlation with the Solar Golden Book energy signature. Bone Fragment: The recorded content contains specific purification incantation fragments targeting 'illegal resurrection' and 'blasphemy against the dead.' The incantation structure contains 'regular' expressions similar to some energy codes in the Zero Relic Fragment."
"Space-time attributes? Order purification?" A glint flashed in Chu Xuan's eyes. "Could this be... a leftover from the legendary Golden Scripture of the Sun? Or perhaps some kind of 'medium' or 'catalyst' used to assist in unleashing the power of the scripture?"
"Whatever it is, if we found it in a place like this, it must be useful." Wang Lin drank some water, feeling his energy recover faster. "Keep it safe. We'll rest here for the night. It's relatively safe here, with water and a weak positive energy field, suitable for Zhan Lan and me to recover. We'll take turns keeping watch and be vigilant about the entrance."
The group settled into the unexpectedly discovered underground shelter. They lit a small smokeless stove to warm themselves and dry their clothes, and distributed food. Wang Lin and Zhan Lan were placed in the spot closest to the water pool, where the positive energy was strongest, to rest. The three newcomers finally relaxed and fell into a deep sleep.
Night had fallen, and the only sounds in the stone chamber were the gentle murmur of water and the even breathing of the people inside. Wang Lin leaned against the wall, holding the cool yellow gemstone in his hand, feeling the strange energy fluctuations within it. He then glanced at the Guide 7341-ZJ, who stood quietly not far away, like a statue, his mind filled with countless thoughts.
Is Zhang Jie's consciousness truly still locked beneath that cold shell? Can this gem, and the secrets of the Zero Relic, become the key to breaking free? What are the Indian Team and Imhotep planning?
He slowly closed his eyes, his spiritual energy quietly growing like spring grass under the dual nourishment of the warm jade and this sanctuary. He knew that after this brief period of peace would come the final and most perilous journey to Hamunaptra.
Meanwhile, in the distant city of death deep in the desert, the vengeful spirits imprisoned for three thousand years seemed to sense the approach of the "key" and the arrival of the "sacrifice," and in the endless darkness, they let out a silent, hungry roar.