The air in Cairo was dry and dusty, with many residents in Giza yet to evacuate to the Mediterranean refuge cities. When the Mayans bombed the area heavily, the locals fled into the Sahara Desert, driven by their tenacious will to survive. They returned once the alien ships left.
New plastic tents were erected on the scorched ruins of their homes. The people continued to farm and trade with caravans arriving from the Arabian desert. This was the land of their ancestors, and many Egyptians stubbornly guarded it, even if it meant being scorched to ashes by alien rays.
In April, the water levels of the Nile River had dropped, awaiting the first flood season. A military helicopter brazenly skimmed close to the ground, heading southwest toward Cairo.
Lance peered down, asking, “Zheng Rong, want to check out the market? I could take you for a stroll—there might still be some souvenirs and specialties for sale.”
“They won't welcome us,” Zheng Rong scoffed. “Unless you plan to shop with a magnetic cannon in hand.”
The Sphinx's head had been mostly destroyed, leaving a shattered cross-section that seemed to have been sliced by a ray. Some villagers had tried to cover it with cloth.
The helicopter gradually descended, immediately drawing the attention of a dozen men surrounding it, all wearing headscarves and shouting loudly.
“Nobody gets out,” Lance ordered.
Lance pulled open the cabin door, and those in the surrounding circle raised their rifles, quickly loading them and aiming at the helicopter.
Holding a pistol, Lance raised his hands in a surrendering gesture, his finger away from the trigger. The clamor of the helicopter's blades ceased. He shouted in English, “We’re here to find a way to fight the aliens. We need to investigate the Sphinx.”
He added with emphasis, “It’s vital for humanity…” When suddenly, he felt a buzzing at the back of his head.
“Move aside.”
Zheng Rong lifted the magnetic cannon, its barrel amassing energy that condensed into a white light. The light quickly intensified, transforming into a yellow orb, then red, and finally purple.
The cannon emitted an electronic warning: “Warning: Barrel overheating. Please fire within ten seconds. Ten... nine...”
“What are you doing?!” Lance roared.
Zheng Rong pulled the trigger, firing a blast at the base of the Sphinx. At maximum power, the Sphinx was blasted at a sharp angle into the air, fragments of stone flying everywhere. The shockwave flipped the Egyptian men in the circle upside down.
The buzzing sound of electrical energy filled the air as the ancient statue, a witness to 4,000 years of Egyptian civilization, was blown skyward. A massive, dark hole appeared in the ground where it once stood.
The electronic warning continued: “Cooling of overcharged energy in progress. Cooling time: thirty minutes.”
In English, Zheng Rong yelled, “What you’re trying to protect isn’t here anymore. Go over there! Thanks for your cooperation.”
The Sphinx, weighing over a hundred tons, flew almost a hundred meters away before crashing to the ground with a thunderous boom, shaking the earth.
All around, people struggled to rise from the ground, staring at Zheng Rong in disbelief.
Zheng Rong calmly put on gloves, instructing, “Jin Puae, use ultrasound to examine the passageway. Computer, analyze the underground space. Lance, escort Ugos to collect and test the subterranean air samples. Joseph, organize the equipment. Once the entrance cools, we’ll proceed.”
The helicopter extended its support stands, anchoring into the ground, and deployed four machine-gun turrets, prompting all the Egyptians around to flee in panic.
Lance gazed at the toppled Sphinx for a long while, speechless.
“Dr. Zheng Rong… Do you know what you just did?!” Ugos demanded, still panting heavily.
“The Sphinx is sturdy; it won't break, right?” Zheng Rong replied nonchalantly as he adjusted his gloves.
Ugos struggled to breathe. “You… the Sphinx is a symbol of ancient civilization! It’s... it’s witnessed thousands of years of Egyptian history… and you…”
Zheng Rong didn’t look up. “It’s actually ten thousand years, not thousands, as you have argued yourself. We can just hang it back up later.”
Lance wiped the sweat off his brow and asked, “Is this going to be our approach from now on?”
“Not necessarily,” Zheng Rong said, hands in the pockets of his coat as he stepped off the helicopter. “Depends on whether the local residents cooperate.”
The deep pit blown open by the blast revealed a dark stairwell.
“How did you know there was a hidden passage here?” Xiang Yu asked as he received a backpack from Joseph and slung it over his shoulder.
“Classified information,” Zheng Rong answered. “It was discovered by an archaeological team many years ago. At the time, there were political and cultural heritage concerns, so they couldn’t just open it.”
Zheng Rong gazed into the stairwell, which resembled the gaping mouth of a giant beast, waiting to devour the group.
Jin Puae positioned the probe, sat on a rock, ran her fingers through her hair, and opened her laptop. The display was pitch black.
“Nothing yet?” Zheng Rong asked.
“The speed of the sound waves is 360 meters per second,” Jin Puae replied.
Zheng Rong furrowed his brow. Nearly ten minutes passed before the computer beeped, displaying a mass of data that quickly compiled.
Lance was teaching Xiang Yu how to use a pistol, aiming at a distant target. Noticing Zheng Rong’s expression, Lance got up. “What does that mean?” he asked.
“It means the underground space is vast,” Zheng Rong replied.
“Very vast,” Jin Puae added, her expression grave.
The screen displayed a large labyrinthine passage, like an underground city. Lance couldn’t help but be moved. “This is like a giant interconnected…”
“Underground city,” Joseph interjected. “I think it connects to other places.”
“More precisely, I suspect it links to the underground sections of all the pyramids,” Zheng Rong nodded.
The green grid lines intertwined, forming a 3D structure map with clear pathways. Zheng Rong continued, “Switch to a 2D view and print six copies with scale measurements.”
Jin Puae swiftly tapped on the keyboard. “Am I going down with you?” she asked.
“No, you'll stay here and guide us through the labyrinth,” Zheng Rong answered. “Joseph, bring enough food and water for three days for everyone. Let's move. Lance, issue each person a guided pistol.”
Lance led the way, with Xiang Yu taking the rear. Zheng Rong, Ugos, Joseph, and Laini donned their gear and entered the bottomless underground passage.
Lance opened a flare stick, which rolled down the stairs, the red light fading to a tiny dot in the distance.
Zheng Rong toyed with a silver pistol as he followed behind Lance.
“You’re a rogue, Dr. Zheng Rong,” Ugos muttered irritably.
“I’m not; my brother is,” Zheng Rong replied, his attention fixed on the map. “Physicists spend their days obsessing over ways to destroy civilizations, and politicians and soldiers bring their ideas to life.”
Lance didn’t say anything but chuckled after a moment. “And who’s destroying civilization now?”
Zheng Rong coldly answered, “Destruction to you, brute force decryption to me. Laini, stay away from my brother, or I’ll send you back to the surface.”
Laini’s face turned dark, and she stopped whispering to Xiang Yu.
It took almost two hours to descend the staircase. Ugos glanced at his luminous wristwatch and said, “We’re about 1,400 meters underground now.”
“No wonder you can't dig through Cairo's surface,” Joseph remarked.
“Listen up,” Zheng Rong said, gathering the team. Pointing to a spot on the map, he continued, “This is the center of the entire underground area.”
The location he indicated was a circular hall.
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Zheng Rong pulled out a walkie-talkie and brought it close to his face. “Jin Puae, do you read me?”
A red dot flashed, and Jin Puae's voice came through the comms, “You're at map coordinates 7, 39, all six beacons together. Confirmed.”
“We’re here,” Zheng Rong marked a point on the 2D map with a pencil. “The walkie-talkies can track everyone’s position. If you get lost, contact the surface. Let’s keep moving.”
In the darkness, nobody spoke as Lance’s shoulder lamp guided their way.
Laini whispered something to Xiang Yu and then laughed, her laughter clear and crisp. “Shall I sing for everyone?”
“Oh no, Laini, please conserve your energy,” Joseph advised. “Believe me, the more excited you are now, the sooner you’ll tire.”
“Xiang Yu can carry her. Lance too,” Zheng Rong said sarcastically.
At the back of the group, Xiang Yu asked, “Are you tired?”
“No,” Zheng Rong replied indifferently.
Lance turned his head, and the walls of the passage were covered in murals. Rows of ancient Egyptians depicted in the same pose seemed to move toward them along the wall, their colors vivid in the low-power xenon lamp.
Ugos scraped a piece of pigment from the wall and placed it into a small device hanging from his belt for analysis.
He paused. “How old is it?” Zheng Rong asked.
“Over 11,000 years…” Ugos murmured, looking up at Zheng Rong.
“What do these people in the murals represent?” Lance asked.
“It’s hard to say. It should be another major archaeological discovery,” Ugos answered.
“Except no one was ever allowed to come down here before. In fact, all these people look exactly the same—it's quite curious... But maybe we’re overthinking it. They could just be decorations, or friezes?” Joseph suggested.
“No, I think it’s different,” Zheng Rong disagreed.
Staring at the murals for too long made Lance dizzy from the repetitive images of identical figures. He eventually gave up and said, “Maybe you’re right, I believe you.”
“In fact, I can’t really pinpoint what's different either,” Zheng Rong admitted innocently.
The first three-way intersection appeared ahead. Ugos checked his watch. “4 p.m., we’ve been walking for six hours.”
“Rest for fifteen minutes, replenish food and water,” Zheng Rong ordered.
Everyone sighed in relief and sat down. Xiang Yu shrugged off his backpack, dropping it with a heavy thud.
“You’re really strong,” Laini remarked.
Xiang Yu moved his arms and shoulders, smiling modestly.
Zheng Rong frowned. Xiang Yu immediately scurried to Zheng Rong’s side and sat down obediently, wagging his tail like a loyal dog. Zheng Rong took out his walkie-talkie. “Jin Puae, respond.”
A static hiss came from the walkie-talkie, and Lance quickly sensed that something was off.
“Jin Puae,” Zheng Rong repeated.
“What’s going on?” Xiang Yu asked.
Suspicion filled Zheng Rong’s mind, and Lance tensed up, pulling out a small military walkie-talkie. “Gukat, Tostanra, respond.”
“Kimchi girl is probably in the bathroom,” Zheng Rong mocked.
Gukat’s voice, full of enthusiasm, came through on the other end. “Got it, Boss. What’s up?”
Lance sighed in relief.
Zheng Rong waited a moment before speaking into the walkie-talkie. “Miss Kim, lonely kimchi everywhere, with no doors to open the way—respond.”
Everyone chuckled.
A man wearing red silk gloves pressed the walkie-talkie’s speaker button, brought it close to his lips, and replied with a smile, “Got it.”
Jin Puae lay unconscious to the side, her hair disheveled.
Zheng Rong found the voice a little strange. “What were you doing? Report your coordinates,” he said after a pause.
Jin Puae’s voice came through the walkie-talkie: “Umm… 47, 118. You’re at the first fork, six kilometers from the target.”
Zheng Rong turned off the walkie-talkie and was lost in thought for a moment. Lance nudged him with his elbow, offering him dinner. “Zheng Rong, you’re not eating enough,” Lance said with concern. “You’ve hardly eaten since we started. Xiang Yu, is this normal for him?”
Zheng Rong didn’t answer, instead dumping his half-eaten meal into Lance’s plate like he was feeding a dog, then got up to study the murals.
The murals had indeed changed a bit.
With a flashlight, Zheng Rong examined them inch by inch, noticing that the Egyptian figures’ noses and mouths had altered significantly, and their hair had grown longer.
“You should take some mineral salts. You lose fluid and appetite with all this sweating…” Lance suggested.
“Doctor,” Zheng Rong commanded, “give him a sedative. He’s too noisy; it’s disturbing my thinking.”
Lance: “…”
“I can’t go on,” Laini complained, rubbing her knees. “Let’s rest a bit longer.”
Zheng Rong grabbed her medical kit, slung it over his shoulder, and walked ahead.
By now, even Joseph had noticed something off with the murals. “These Egyptians are changing,” he said, furrowing his brow.
Zheng Rong nodded, and the group slowed down to examine the murals as they walked. Suddenly, Xiang Yu turned around, shouting, “Who’s there?!”
Almost hugging the tunnel wall, Lance swiftly yanked the leather strap on his shoulder, pulling the magnetic cannon to aim.
“Close your eyes!”
With a "pop," Zheng Rong cranked the xenon lamp to its maximum setting, and the blinding light cut through nearly a mile of the tunnel.
Lance, now backlit, shook his head.
Zheng Rong dimmed the light. “Anyone there?” he asked.
“No one,” Xiang Yu said. “Just a breeze.”
Lance let out a breath of relief.
“Look here!” Joseph shouted, cracking open a flare.
The figure on the mural had its nose and mouth merged into an elongated bird beak, wings sprouting from its back, and four legs standing on the ground.
“Is this an ancient species?” Ugos wondered aloud.
“No, this is fusion. Humans gradually… These murals depict the fusion of humans with special species...” Joseph surmised.
“No, this is evolution,” Zheng Rong corrected. “You didn’t notice they’re moving away from this tunnel? This isn’t fusion. They started evolving 10,000 years ago to become human.”
Joseph took a deep breath.
“This could be the origin of the Egyptian race,” Zheng Rong continued. “Ancient Egyptians were a branch of the Semitic people. Before Moses led them across the sea, the native people might have looked like this.”
“That’s absurd! Forget the origin of humans—what is this bird-headed lion-bodied creature?” Joseph demanded.
Zheng Rong glanced at the map before stowing it away. “We’re nearing the hall, and we’ll find the answer soon.”
At the end of the passage was a huge, wide-open space, about the size of a soccer field and over ten meters high. At the far end of the space was a stone wall with four sets of symbols arranged in groups of three.
Lance raised his hand and fired a flare. It hissed as it struck the ceiling of the hall and fell, bouncing on the ground.
“Jin Puae,” Zheng Rong called into the walkie-talkie.
No response came from the ground.
“We should be here,” Zheng Rong pointed to the large circle on the map, indicating the outer perimeter of the central hall, at the end of the stone passage.
“Correct,” Joseph agreed.
Ugos approached the expansive wall, which resembled a massive prehistoric stone gate, flanked by two statues: one of a desert hawk with outstretched wings and the other of a roaring grassland lion.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t touch them,” Zheng Rong’s voice echoed through the hall.
Ugos withdrew his hand from the statues and asked, “Can I have a shovel?”
Lance tossed him one, and Ugos knocked on the stone wall before pressing his ear against the door. “It’s hollow inside.”
Zheng Rong nodded, looking up at the ancient symbols. “Are those symbols the key to opening the door?” Xiang Yu asked.
“Yes,” Zheng Rong replied approvingly as he pulled out his notebook. “Now, listen to my instructions, gentlemen. Open the folding ladder and move the first symbol to the right, placing it over the blue one.”
Xiang Yu shrugged off his backpack, crouched, and leaped almost two meters high, gripping a crack in the stone wall like an eagle's claw. He bellowed, “Lift!”
The red stone block moved rapidly, sliding to the right and fitting perfectly into place with a boom.
Laini gasped, but Zheng Rong remained unfazed. “Next is the purple one,” he said.
“Is this a puzzle?” Lance asked.
“The puzzle has already been solved,” Zheng Rong explained. “It’s in Moses' oracle. When he crossed the sea and left Egypt, the symbols on the pillar and this door must have an inseparable connection.”
“You’re smart,” Joseph remarked.
“It’s just a guess… And if I'm wrong, there's no loss,” Zheng Rong murmured, a victorious smile curling at the corners of his mouth. In no time, Xiang Yu had pushed all twelve stone symbols back to their positions, and with a rumbling sound, dust fell from the massive gate.
The ten-meter-tall stone door didn’t budge.
“The mechanism didn’t activate,” Xiang Yu said, wiping sweat from his brow.
“Oh, it activated,” Zheng Rong countered. “Otherwise, the dust wouldn’t have fallen. The symbols you moved were the latches—it’s confirmed.”
At this moment, both Lance and Xiang Yu admired Zheng Rong almost to the point of worship.
“What now? Wait for it to open?” Joseph asked.
Zheng Rong didn’t answer, hands in his pockets, tilting his head as if waiting for a sound.
Ten minutes passed, and nothing moved.
“Looks like it’s manual,” Zheng Rong concluded. “Let’s all push together.”
Everyone: “…”
“Can I take a picture?” Laini asked.
“I suggest… you... bloody… don’t…” Zheng Rong grunted as he pushed, yelling, “Put your stupid camera away! Don’t film us!”
Lance set the spotlight high, shining it on the ancient door. All the men except Laini rolled up their sleeves and placed their hands on the door.
“On my mark,” Xiang Yu said, gritting his teeth. “One… two…”
“Hey ho!” Zheng Rong shouted in sync.
They all pushed hard, shouting in unison.
“This is like... the legendary... Wailing Wall!” Joseph nearly slipped and fell.
Ugos’s face turned red as his glasses nearly fell off.
Everyone panted heavily as they pushed, until Xiang Yu removed his combat boots, tied the laces together, and hung them around his neck. “Step back! I’ll do it!”
Exhausted, Zheng Rong stepped back, having spent all his strength.
Despite all his might, Xiang Yu couldn’t budge the door.
A chilling wind blew through the crack in the door.
Leaning against the door, Xiang Yu panted before getting back up. “Just how heavy is this door?!”
Zheng Rong was just as puzzled. As Xiang Yu examined it, he noticed a small round hole at human height in the door.
An idea struck him. He inserted his finger into the hole, hooked it, and pulled outward.
The door opened slowly and silently.
Zheng Rong: “…”
The door revealed a circular hall as wide as a stadium. Around the hall were twelve glowing symbols, seemingly made of some special crystalline material.
In the center stood a black, mirror-like reflective surface with an altar at its heart, upon which was carved a symbol in an icy blue color.
“What’s this material? Marble?” Zheng Rong wondered aloud.
“No, it’s water,” Ugos corrected.
Zheng Rong took a step forward, but Lance quickly warned, “Careful.” He immediately drew a military-grade double-edged knife, stepping in front of Zheng Rong.
Xiang Yu, still barefoot and sitting on the ground, called out, “Wait.”
Lance took the first step, his flashlight darting around. Zheng Rong, studying the ground beneath Lance's feet, said, “No traps. Congratulations, you got lucky.”
Lance laughed awkwardly.
“Finally, a symbol I recognize,” Joseph said, pointing to the altar. “Do you know what it is, Zheng Rong?”
Zheng Rong shook his head.
“It’s pronounced ‘Nu,’” Joseph said.
“Nu—the Egyptian god of water,” Zheng Rong understood.
Joseph nodded. “The Egyptians believed that water was the source of all things. It had no deity, no divinity, just an abstract concept.”
“So, this place is a shrine to the water god?” Zheng Rong asked.
Zheng Rong and Lance entered the hall together, with the sound of a camera shutter clicking behind them as Laini took pictures. Joseph scrolled through data on a handheld computer, Xiang Yu put on his combat boots, and Ugos cleaned his glasses.
The moment Zheng Rong stepped into the circular hall, it began to spin.
Lance shouted in alarm, while Zheng Rong called out, “Grab me—!”
Zheng Rong and Lance vanished from the team’s view in an instant. With a thunderous crash, only a wall remained in front of Xiang Yu.
The centrifugal force caused Zheng Rong to fall to the side. Lance quickly flipped his double-edged knife, offering the handle to Zheng Rong, but he was a split second too late—Zheng Rong’s fingers missed the handle by barely a centimeter.
Three seconds later, Lance was spun back to his original position while Zheng Rong was flung to a corner by the centrifugal force. A small hidden door on the opposite side opened, and Zheng Rong fell headfirst into the dark passageway.
At the same time, a gray shadow darted from the opposite direction and dove into the passage.
With another loud crash, Xiang Yu lunged at the stone wall but stumbled. The circular hall spun open to the expedition team once more, but Zheng Rong was gone.
Zheng Rong’s head slammed into the narrow passageway, and as his vision blurred, a strong arm wrapped around his waist.
“Careful, babe,” a soft, sexy, gentle voice whispered in his ear.