“Gukat, how long will it take to fix?” Lance's voice echoed in the cabin.

“It'll take at least seven hours, during which all power will be shut down. The anti-infrared system will be activated to avoid enemy radar detection. The sealed cabin may not have sufficient airflow for breathing…” said the pilot.

Zheng Rong opened his eyes, seeing stars and feeling a swelling pain in his elbow.

Xiang Yu held him tightly. “Don’t move.”

“I suggest you all go out for a walk and breathe some fresh air,” Gukat said nonchalantly. “And remember to take the heavy machine guns and the portable magnetic cannons.”

The clanking of metal continued, and in the darkness came a groan from Laini, followed by a sharp intake of breath from Jin Puae, seemingly preparing to scream.

Lance’s voice remained steady: “Let there be light.”

Lance’s words were like a sedative in the darkness. The side lamps of the cabin flickered, casting a faint red glow. Lance put on an anti-impact vest and adjusted the heavy cannon in his hands.

“Xiang Yu, stay here and protect everyone,” Lance said in a low voice.

“General Lance, I am the captain of this expedition team,” Zheng Rong retorted with displeasure. “Once safety is confirmed, please escort me, Ugos, and Joseph to the main peak to investigate the Moses Pillar. The women will stay here.”

Lance didn’t argue. His strong arm pulled open the cabin door, and a blast of cold air rushed in.

It was an ice world, a vast expanse of silver and white. The helicopter had crashed about three kilometers from the main peak, one wing scraping against the ice, leaving a charred crack in the glacier.

Lance leapt into the snow. Ugos adjusted his glasses and put them on, “The outdoor temperature is minus thirteen degrees.”

Lance crouched down, his eyes squinting in the dazzling reflection of the snow, like a vigilant lion. His steps were light and slow as he moved through the snow, tilting his ear to discern the sounds coming from the peak.

After a good five minutes, Lance said, “You can come out.”

Jin Puae jumped out of the cabin, and the majestic view made her let out a breath, feeling uplifted.

“Please keep quiet, so as not to...” Lance began.

Jin Puae cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and shouted into the vast valley, “Ah——”

Lance: “...”

“You’ll trigger an avalanche and attract the enemy,” Zheng Rong kindly reminded. “Kimchi girl, if it happens again, I’ll leave you behind to walk back to Ireland by foot, sumida.”

Jin Puae’s face turned bright red.

“Catch this, kid.” Gukat tossed a grenade from the other side of the helicopter.

Zheng Rong raised his hand and caught it accurately. “Thanks, got any more? Do I know you?”

“Your brother knows me,” Gukat said.

Xiang Yu caught a grenade mid-air. Zheng Rong instructed, “When in danger, remove the safety pin here… and then throw it at the enemy.”

He mimicked a throwing motion, while Laini and Jin Puae playfully tossed snowballs at each other.

Lance donned a single-lens infrared visor, the data flashing across his blue eyes until it finally locked onto the peak.

“Reporting to the captain, no nearby mechanical movement. Safety is confirmed for now,” Lance reported. “Permission to proceed with the investigation.”

Zheng Rong stowed the grenade in his coat pocket and started trekking towards the peak, his steps leaving deep and shallow prints in the snow.

The terrain leveled out as they climbed higher, offering a panoramic view of the endless undulating mountains. Under the sunlight, the Red Sea resembled a dark, deep cloth. Lance led the way, carrying a shoulder-mounted magnetic cannon. His physique was strong, impervious to the cold, with his bare arms exposed outside his alloy vest and glistening sweat trickling down his neck.

Zheng Rong followed closely behind Lance, walking alongside Xiang Yu.

“You should teach Xiang Yu how to use a gun,” Zheng Rong suggested.

“I will, but it’ll take time,” Lance replied.

After several hours of trekking, the tallest member, Ugos, was the first to succumb to fatigue, panting heavily.

“Control your breathing,” Zheng Rong advised. “The oxygen here is thinner than at lower altitudes.”

Joseph grabbed Ugos’s arm, slinging it over his own shoulder as they fell to the back of the group. Joseph remarked enthusiastically, “How do you think they climbed to the top over two thousand years ago? With no climbing gear, no grip on their shoes, just ropes and their own two feet.”

Ugos pushed up his glasses, squinting at the glare of the snow. “The granite makes it hard to climb. I guess Moses came during summer when the peak had less snow. The glacier erosion caused damage to the mountain…”

“Faith,” Zheng Rong said. “The peak might be dangerous, so let’s refrain from chatting.”

Ugos slipped, almost falling, but Xiang Yu caught his wrist.

Lance signaled for everyone to get down and then carefully climbed up the rocks to the open area at the top of the peak.

As he landed, the magnetic cannon powered up, aimed at the stone pillar.

“Safe,” Lance whispered.

Xiang Yu helped the other three up one by one. Lance pressed his fingers against his ear-mounted infrared visor, scanning the surroundings, then hesitated. “Safe… Wait, Zheng Rong.”

The moment Lance declared safety for the second time, Zheng Rong was already walking toward the stone pillar in the center of the peak.

“Zheng Rong!”

Zheng Rong’s hands were in his coat pockets, the black coat flapping in the cold wind. “What?” He paused.

Lance felt something was off, while Zheng Rong raised his head to examine the massive stone pillar.

Its surface was covered in ice, every inch reflecting the sunlight.

“Anyone got sunglasses? Or even mountain goggles?” Zheng Rong asked, feeling a bit dizzy from the light. “The ice on the pillar is blocking the text inside…”

“Step aside,” Xiang Yu said.

He channeled energy into his arm and struck the Moses Pillar with a punch, creating a muffled sound. The force was perfectly controlled. At the point of impact, a web-like crack spread out.

With a "ding," the fissures swiftly expanded across the entire ice surface of the pillar, and with a crash, the thick ice crumbled away.

The Moses Pillar was inscribed with countless glowing symbols, arranged in a spiral.

“My God…” Joseph murmured.

Zheng Rong inspected the entire pillar. “An oracle,” he said, tapping on the pillar’s surface with his finger. “Dr. Ugos, please collect a sample for lab analysis. Determine its age and composition. Joseph, look, beneath each symbol are smaller inscriptions.”

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Joseph moved closer. “This isn’t ancient Hebrew… What language is this? Do you have a notebook?”

While gazing up at the pillar, Zheng Rong slowly moved to its shadowed side.

A massive mechanical reaper suddenly rose from its icy hiding place, shedding ice and snow as it stood.

In less than a second, Lance shouted, “Get down!”

Zheng Rong, with incredible agility, tucked into a roll, evading the reaper’s sharp front limb that swung down to skewer him.

The magnetic cannon, fully charged, released a burst of white energy, striking the reaper’s head and sending it crashing down the cliff.

At the same time, five more mechanical reapers emerged from their snow-covered ambush!

They had spider-like forms, with meat-grinding forelimbs and eight legs, quickly turning and rushing toward Lance!

“The weak point is underneath!” Zheng Rong called out, his shout meant for Xiang Yu. Lance turned the cannon around, the recoil slamming him back two meters, and another reaper was blown off the peak, exploding in midair.

The spider reapers' underbellies revealed machine guns, bullets whizzing around. Joseph and Ugos scrambled away in a panic while Zheng Rong darted behind the pillar. With four remaining, he pulled out a grenade from his coat pocket.

Lance drew all the enemy fire but still found time to shout, “Stay back! Leave it to me!”

“Be careful!” Xiang Yu warned, diving to tackle Joseph away from an oncoming reaper. They tumbled on the ground, ending up face-up.

An alloy spider rushed past, and Xiang Yu deftly pulled the grenade’s pin and tossed it into its underbelly.

The electromagnetic grenade silently activated, crackling with electricity within three seconds, sending electric currents through the alloy spider's limbs, propelling it into the mountainside and erupting into a massive fireball.

Lance took down two more in quick succession. By the time he shot the last one off the peak, Zheng Rong finally breathed a sigh of relief and got up.

He watched as the damaged reaper glided across the sky, its front limb hooking onto Zheng Rong's coat collar, dragging him off the cliff as it fell.

It all happened in less than three seconds.

Lance felt a chill run through his body as Xiang Yu lunged behind the stone pillar.

A shadow leapt out of the snow—another ambush!

Lance’s infrared visor emitted a piercing alarm: Danger! Combat power level: SS!

A mysterious figure threw out a grappling hook, which latched onto the peak. As he descended, he swung in a graceful arc and grabbed Zheng Rong’s wrist.

“Wait!” Zheng Rong exclaimed, but before he could finish, he was flung back onto the flat ground, slamming his shoulder against the stone pillar with a muffled grunt.

The three-headed hook grated against the ice and snow, sliding toward the edge before finally dislodging a chunk of ice and falling into the valley.

Lance was dumbfounded.

Zheng Rong barely made it back to solid ground, with Xiang Yu gripping his collar.

Zheng Rong looked down into the valley. Cold winds blew up, revealing nothing but emptiness.

“Was that a person?” Lance asked.

Zheng Rong stared into the dim depths, remaining silent.

“A person... a man...” Xiang Yu murmured.

“Shut up,” Zheng Rong said quietly.

The group regrouped in front of the stone pillar.

Ugos, still shaken by what had just happened, leaned against the pillar, panting to regain his composure.

“Those who are too frightened should return to the helicopter,” Zheng Rong ordered. “The rest, continue.”

Joseph chuckled, patting Ugos on the shoulder. “What do you think they were doing here?”

Zheng Rong eyed the stone pillar. “Who knows?”

Lance raised his magnetic cannon, and Zheng Rong taunted, “There were only six mechanical spiders spotted in the air earlier. All have been destroyed. You can put the cannon away.”

“Understood,” Lance replied but didn’t stow his weapon, only deactivating its charge.

Joseph examined the symbols. “Each main symbol has a smaller one beneath it, providing explanation. What’s being interpreted here? Are these the Ten Commandments?”

“The original ten symbols could be the source of the Ten Commandments,” Zheng Rong said. “Moses likely expanded upon their pronunciation and interpretation… I think he might have missed a few of God's intentions.”

Joseph and Zheng Rong’s gazes moved down the pillar, examining the symbols from top to bottom.

“Ten Commandments,” Joseph nodded.

“No, twelve commandments,” Zheng Rong corrected.

They crouched down in unison, clearing the ice and snow from the base of the pillar with their hands.

“There are two more symbols buried underneath the ice,” Zheng Rong noted. “Oh, this is… great, they left us a gift.”

Zheng Rong felt around the base of the pillar, uncovering a small black box with three blinking lights and a row of numbers jumping on its surface.

“Uh, L-L-L... Lance, I-I-I think you might… need to drop your weapon,” Joseph stammered.

“Understood,” Lance said dismissively.

Xiang Yu tilted his head, examining the box. “Fifty-nine. What’s that?”

Zheng Rong straightened up, pulling out his notebook. “It’s a timed bomb, set to explode in fifty-nine seconds. Now it’s fifty.”

Joseph and Ugos screamed, fleeing for their lives, while Lance tossed his weapon aside and dove for the bomb at Zheng Rong’s feet.

Fifty seconds.

Lance, shaking, swiftly opened the toolkit strapped to his leg, pulling out several screwdrivers and tweezers. He bit down on a blade as he quickly pried open the bomb's outer casing.

“What’s wrong with you two?!” Xiang Yu shouted at Joseph.

Without turning back, Zheng Rong continued to copy the symbols from the stone pillar into his notebook, saying, “There’s no point in running. This bomb will cover the entire Mount Saint Catherine. Even if the explosion doesn’t kill you, the avalanche will bury you.”

Joseph calmed down, while Ugos sat in the snow, breathing heavily in fear.

Joseph knelt, making the sign of the cross on his chest, closing his eyes, and murmuring prayers to the sky.

“What can I do?” Xiang Yu asked.

“Pray, to any god you like, on my behalf too,” Zheng Rong replied.

Xiang Yu: “?”

Thirty seconds.

Lance unscrewed the metal sphere’s core, revealing a small transparent tube filled with nitroglycerin. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he carefully tilted the hemisphere to an angle facing the sun, exposing the tangled wires inside.

“Brother, step aside,” Zheng Rong said. “Your shadow is in his way.”

Twenty seconds.

Lance twisted several wires around his fingers, cutting them with the blade.

“Is it stopped?” Lance asked.

Zheng Rong glanced at the casing placed to the side, still holding its wires. The numbers were still counting down:

Nineteen, eighteen, seventeen…

“No,” Zheng Rong answered nonchalantly, stepping away to continue transcribing.

Ten seconds.

Lance knelt on one knee, head down, holding his breath. His fingers grasped the last two wires, one black and one red.

He took a deep breath and looked up.

Zheng Rong looked back down, their eyes meeting. There was a quiet, mutual trust in his gentle gaze.

Swallowing hard, Lance cut the red wire with the blade.

The countdown stopped at three.

“Stopped,” Xiang Yu said.

Zheng Rong closed his notebook. “Well done. Thank you, Lance.”

Lance let out a long breath, collapsing onto the snow in exhaustion, closing his eyes to the brilliant sunlight in the sky. A contented smile played on his lips.

“A timed bomb? So there was real danger to our lives just now? Why didn’t you react at all?” Xiang Yu asked, puzzled.

Zheng Rong stared at Xiang Yu for a while, nodded, and didn’t explain.

Outside the helicopter, repairs were three hours away from completion. The power was fully restored, the aircraft entrenched on the ground, with several magnetic cannons deployed from its body and a high-energy spiral tower extending from its roof.

This military helicopter, built over several years with the combined efforts of the United Army and enormous financial resources, was amphibious and could function as a small defensive artillery platform when grounded.

The expedition team returned to the helicopter's defensive perimeter, all drenched in sweat except for Zheng Rong and Xiang Yu, who remained composed.

Laini crossed her arms. “Are you feeling unwell? Do you need a sedative?”

Lance wiped his sweat. “It’s nothing.”

Zheng Rong handed his notebook to Joseph and sat aside in thought. Lance carefully put the metal sphere into his jacket pocket, tidied up his weapon, and pulled out a cigarette, offering it to Xiang Yu, Zheng Rong, and the others.

“Thanks,” Joseph said without looking up. “I quit smoking when my wife got pregnant.”

Ugos laughed as he declined, “Smoking is bad for your health. I need to contribute more to humanity.”

Lance’s expression grew serious. “Who was the person hiding in the snow?”

Zheng Rong shrugged. “Since you already know, why ask me?”

“I don’t know, it’s only my guess…” Lance replied.

Xiang Yu asked, “I also felt something was off earlier. Do you know the person hiding in the snow?”

Zheng Rong didn’t answer. Lance raised a hand. “Listen, the wires in the timed bomb were black and red, not blue and red.”

“Yes,” Zheng Rong said. “Red and black, blood and darkness—that’s his signature.”

“What black and red?” Laini asked, alarmed. “Who did you encounter on the mountain?”

Neither Lance nor Zheng Rong answered her. Lance pressed on, “If he saved you, why plant a timed bomb at the pillar? If it exploded, you’d be killed as well.”

Zheng Rong replied impatiently, “Why are you asking me? How could I know?”

“He could have warned you earlier. Did you hear him say anything when you were falling?” Lance pressed further.

Zheng Rong coldly remained silent.

“That person is humanity’s most wanted criminal. Zheng Rong, why did you lower the helicopter’s altitude? Did you see him from the helicopter?” Lance asked.

Laini gasped, covering her mouth in disbelief. “Lance—! Did you see Li Ying?!”

Zheng Rong replied icily, “Laini, I swear on my deceased brother’s name. If you mention that name again, I’ll shove this thing into your mouth...” He fished the spherical core of the timed bomb out of Lance’s jacket pocket and raised it threateningly. “It contains five milliliters of nitroglycerin.”

Laini’s eyes instantly reddened, and she burst into tears.

“How can you do this—!” she screamed hysterically at Zheng Rong.

Zheng Rong responded coldly, “You’ll trigger an avalanche. Control your volume. You should give yourself a sedative and maybe treat your delusional disorder as well.”

Laini’s crying quickly died down. She turned, sobbing, to the other side of the helicopter, where Jin Puae held her hand, whispering comfort.

Xiang Yu asked, “Who is Li Ying? Please don’t put that thing in my mouth.”

Zheng Rong burst out laughing.

“Li Ying is my lover,” Zheng Rong said. “The helicopter’s been repaired. Let’s go.” With that, he stood up.

Lance added, “He used to be, but not anymore.”

Zheng Rong stood by the helicopter door. “He is now, and always will be.”

“You don’t know the whole story, Zheng Rong!” Lance shouted. “He used to be an undercover agent, but now he’s surrendered to the Mayan invaders! He’s killed over a thousand members of the United Army's Special Forces!”

Zheng Rong didn’t turn around, only replying, “I know, you’ve emphasized that countless times. If there’s ever a chance, I’ll personally put a bullet in his head, but that doesn’t change what he is in my heart…”

Before he could finish, the helicopter’s rotors deployed, and the deafening sound drowned out his voice, kicking up a whirlwind of snow.

The expedition members quickly boarded the helicopter, which lifted off, skimming over the mountain range, crossing the Red Sea, and heading toward Egypt.