Zheng Rong’s second expedition caused quite a stir, and three days later, the Alaskan Ground Command provided six helicopters for him. After the main helicopter took off, the other six would escort him along the way.

Lance was still responsible for protection, but this time there was a difference: Zheng Rong accepted the military’s final request to carry a miniature camera and communication equipment to Babylon, maintaining contact at all times.

"We respect every scholar and will not interfere with any of your actions," said General Sikos solemnly. "However, the images and sounds you transmit might help us judge some more important matters."

Zheng Rong wasn’t arrogant enough to think that he represented the truth itself. After much deliberation, he accepted the proposal.

When the expedition team arrived at the Mesopotamian plain in Iran, Zheng Rong would selectively activate the image transmission equipment, sending filtered information back to the Central Pillar, where a temporary team of scholars would analyze it and provide in-depth recommendations.

Xiang Yu didn’t quite like the feeling of being watched, but Zheng Rong understood.

Zheng Rong crouched down and broke off a large piece of ice, looking through it towards the sky. Alaska’s winter sun was bright yet not warm, rising in the east and setting in the west, unchanged for millions of years—regardless of who ruled the Earth.

Lance and the soldiers loaded the supplies onto the helicopters. The wilderness stretched endlessly, covered in snow, with white as far as the eye could see and dark rock ridges protruding from the ground.

The team still included Ugos, Jin Puae, and the new addition of Anthony, replacing the deceased Lenny. A group of people escorted an old woman toward the military helicopter preparing to depart.

“This isn’t funny at all,” Zheng Rong said coldly. “I just need a linguist, not a grandmother who tells bedtime stories.”

The old woman raised her cane and tapped the pine tree beside her. "Life begins at eighty. When I was fifty-two, I won the Cross-Country Medal from the Geological Exploration Society, young man."

"Yevchenko Zabaluyeva," the old lady introduced herself kindly. "I won’t hold you back."

"Oh, come on!" Zheng Rong was at a loss for words. "Lance, what’s going on?!"

Lance replied, "She’s been sent by the Scientists’ Association."

Ugos added, “She’s a legendary living dictionary, Dr. Zheng Rong. You know, she’s proficient in nearly a thousand ancient languages and is familiar with almost every religious story and myth, from Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, Islam, and Catholicism to Chinese Taoism and some ancient Native American totem secrets. She’s a living fossil of the worlds of religion and linguistics. Even Dr. Joseph is her student.”

Zheng Rong was exasperated. “Thank you very much! I know she’s highly knowledgeable, but she’s at least seventy years old!”

Yev corrected him, “Sixty-eight, Mr. Zheng Rong.”

Zheng Rong: “...”

Xiang Yu chuckled, “Old but vigorous!”

The Russian lady, fluent in Chinese, leaned on her cane with both hands and nodded. “An old hero still has the will to strive.”

Zheng Rong couldn’t help but laugh. He felt utterly defeated by her. After careful thought, he said, “This won’t do. We have a long journey ahead, and it’s dangerous...”

Yev replied, “I can take care of myself. Don’t underestimate old ladies.”

“Hey! Zheng Rong!” Joseph’s voice came through the communicator. “Teacher Yev will replace me on the expedition to Babylon, and I’ll stay at the Central Pillar. Old friend, I’ll always support you from behind—”

Joseph joyfully whistled.

Zheng Rong felt utterly hopeless about the world.

“Let her come,” Xiang Yu said with a smile. “Respect the old and cherish the young.”

Zheng Rong grabbed Xiang Yu by the neck. “This isn’t camping!”

Xiang Yu raised his eyebrows, amusement in his eyes, as if to say that he had a feeling the old woman’s participation would be an immense asset to the team.

Zheng Rong understood and could only nod in agreement after a moment.

“Hi, Dr. Zheng Rong.”

“Hello.”

Anthony shook hands with each of the team members, and Lance harbored a faint sense of caution toward this man.

“We can set off now,” Lance said.

Zheng Rong reluctantly pushed the wheelchair onto the military helicopter, settling in Madam Yev. Lance pulled up the cabin door, and the helicopter emitted a deafening roar, blowing snow in all directions as it took off into the air.

“Zheng Rong, are you alright?” Lin Siyen’s voice came from the communicator.

Zheng Rong said coldly, “Not at all, pregnant lady. You’d better go rest.”

Lin Siyen’s laugh was pleasant, and she passed the communicator to Joseph, who said, “Wow—I'd suggest you keep the wireless communicator on in the helicopter. It’s been so long since I heard—”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Without thinking, Zheng Rong shut off the communicator.

Jin Puae distributed microwave meals as the helicopter ascended into the clouds, flying against the cold wind above the peaks.

Ugos snapped his fingers, and after a moment, said, “Uh, okay, Mr. Rain, would you like some rum?”

Xiang Yu accepted Ugos’s bottle and casually asked, “Have you figured out the results of the underground liquid you brought back from Egypt?”

Ugos glanced at Madam Yev, seemingly in doubt, and both Anthony and Zheng Rong keenly caught this moment.

“No...no,” Ugos said uneasily.

Anthony frowned slightly, and Zheng Rong nodded, saying, “Nothing at all?”

Ugos relented, “Okay, the chemists reached one conclusion—it’s not something from our world.”

Zheng Rong said, “The liquid that soaked the Sphinx isn’t from our world?”

Pushing his glasses, Ugos said helplessly, “Yes, its molecular composition is very peculiar. It’s something extraterrestrial. Its atoms are made up of twelve kinds of spinning particles, without electrons and...”

Zheng Rong nodded, “No need to explain. That’s not my field.”

Ugos nodded in return.

Jin Puae was tapping on a keyboard, and Madam Yev, wrapped in a blanket, turned to ask, “What is this?”

Jin Puae smiled. “It’s a little game I coded myself. Would you like to play it?”

“These are mountains, these are rivers... You can use materials to build things here, and once you make a planet...”

Anthony and Zheng Rong both laughed.

“What are you laughing at?” Anthony asked.

Zheng Rong said, “They never forget to create a world, ssi-mida.”

Yev tried tapping the touchscreen a few times but was dissatisfied with what she made. “So, if I don’t like the layout and civilization...”

Jin Puae replied, “Press this button, and a flood will wash them away.” She pressed a key, and the planet was repeatedly flooded. Zheng Rong stared thoughtfully at the 3D projection on the screen and muttered, “Flood.”

“Our destination is Babylon,” Zheng Rong said. “The data packets in your hands contain just the brief outline General Sikos put together. Now, let’s delve into the real plan.”

Madam Yev said, “You know that flood story?”

Zheng Rong frowned. “Our research is incomplete. Do you know more?” He gestured for her to continue.

Yev pondered for a while and said, “Do you know the flood recorded in the Bible?”

All team members nodded, except for Xiang Yu, who was utterly baffled.

Zheng Rong said, “According to the Bible’s ‘Genesis,’ the first humans populated the earth, living sinful lives. In an era that cannot be dated—perhaps tens of thousands of years ago—God conveyed a divine message to Noah, telling him to build a great ark, to bring on board pairs of clean and unclean animals, and after seven days, a flood would engulf the whole world, destroying civilization and starting anew.”

Ugos commented, “There’s no historical evidence for this. According to the Bible, Noah’s ark’s final resting place is Turkey’s Mount Ararat, yet no signs of a flood that submerged an entire mountain range have ever been found on Earth.”

Zheng Rong didn’t respond. Madam Yev said, “In our research, we believe that a flood did happen, but not near the Black Sea. Some have even explored the ancient sites of the Phoenician Empire, but I think it’s simply a story passed down by word of mouth.”

Zheng Rong asked, “Since it’s a story, there must be an original source. Where do you think it started?”

Yev said, “I believe it originated from ancient Babylon, from the Mesopotamian plain in Iran.”

“A king of Babylon, it’s not clear whether it was the king of Ur or the king of Akkad, once saw a deity in his dream, who personally conveyed a divine message to him, warning that a flood would soon submerge the entire Mesopotamian plain. The king was instructed to bring animals, seeds, and family members onto an ark.”

“I believe the story of Noah in ‘Genesis’ originates here. According to geological analysis... Dr. Ugos?”

Ugos pushed his glasses again and added, “Between 4000 and 3000 BC, at the end of the last Ice Age, the Mesopotamian plain was warm and moist. At that time, the Euphrates River indeed experienced a flood, or perhaps it was a massive flood caused by the flooding of both rivers.”

Zheng Rong frowned in thought; this line of reasoning was far from his own.

“I’m merely suspicious about the ‘Gate of the Gods,’” Zheng Rong said. “Also, their legends predate the creation of the images of the gods, which is very peculiar.”

Yev said, “Young man, the ‘Gate of the Gods’ indeed existed at one time. Ancient legends speak of the construction of the Tower of Babel, which defied God. It was rebuilt several times but was completely destroyed by foreign invaders. When Alexander the Great’s restoration plan failed, it became a complete ruin.”

“Yes, our goal is the Tower of Babel,” Zheng Rong said. “Additionally, we’re looking for a supposedly nonexistent structure—the Hanging Gardens.”

Ugos couldn’t help but laugh.

“That doesn’t exist, Dr. Zheng Rong,” Ugos said bluntly. “The World Heritage Exploration Association has conducted a carpet search of Iran, and there’s absolutely no record of the Hanging Gardens.”

Zheng Rong said, “Not necessarily.”

Yev asked, “What drives you to search for something that doesn’t exist? As far as I know, the Hanging Gardens aren’t even mentioned in Babylon’s own history. They’re merely the fantasy of the Greeks, who weren’t serious...”

Anthony finally found a point to jump into the conversation, teasing, “Just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, right?”

“Oh?” Ugos asked, “Do you think it’s invisible?”

Anthony replied, “We can’t see it. Perhaps it’s invisible, or it could be due to a blind spot in human perception, like a small stone by the roadside, cleverly disguised or distorting your vision... Humans are sensory creatures.”

“The world is materialistic,” Yev said politely.

Anthony did not argue, simply smiling.

Days later, the helicopter arrived at an Arabian military base for fuel replenishment. The team members disembarked to stretch and rest, while Zheng Rong stood outside the helicopter, lost in thought.

“Dr. Zheng Rong, I have something very important to tell you,” Anthony whispered from behind him.

Zheng Rong turned, frowning. “What is it?”

Anthony said, “Yevchenko Zabaluyeva—do you know who she is?”

Zheng Rong looked at Anthony silently. With a serious expression, Anthony said, “She’s a KGB member, an important member of the Federal Security Service of Russia. Please be very careful with your words and actions.”

Zheng Rong was shocked. For days, Yev had acted entirely like an elderly scholar, yet since Anthony brought it up, he had to take it seriously.

“I thought that after Eurasia completely fell, there was no such organization anymore.”

Anthony replied, “No, they still exist, disguising themselves as all sorts of people and infiltrating the West, among whom are many elites in various fields.”

Zheng Rong asked, “Why would they send a KGB agent to investigate with me?”

Zheng Rong remained silent, and Anthony kept quiet, leaving him to his thoughts.

Zheng Rong then asked, “You’re American.”

Anthony nodded. “Yes, Dr. Zheng Rong.”

Zheng Rong sensed something odd. This clue seemed to lead to many more reasons, and after finding the first answer, countless assumptions flooded his mind.

“What’s your connection to the CIA?”

Anthony didn’t answer, and Zheng Rong spoke softly, “Is the United States and Russia already planning for the post-war power structure? The human alliance is still intact, and nothing has been settled...”

Anthony said, “You’re very perceptive.”

Zheng Rong suddenly realized the ultimate answer.

“They’ve already figured out a way to eradicate the Mayan aliens?!” Zheng Rong’s voice had an almost imperceptible tremor. “They’re that confident?”

Anthony said, “No, this is just a proposal from the teacher. Science knows no borders, but politics does. The teacher’s hypothesis has not been confirmed, and he announced it freely to the top military leaders of various countries. Now, everyone is closely monitoring your actions.”

“And ultimately, whether it can be put into practice rests in your hands.”

“I’ve thought long and hard, and I trust you,” Anthony said. “In light of my honesty, please consult with me if you find anything amiss.”

Zheng Rong neither agreed nor disagreed, and Anthony patted him on the shoulder before turning to leave.

Zheng Rong walked slowly, hands in his coat pockets.