What could be more surprising than discovering the existence of aliens?
Of course there is! That is learning that an old tomb raider excavated an alien artifact from an unknown ancient tomb.
Looking at the black metal plate in front of me, continuously vibrating and emitting a faint buzzing sound, my mind was instantly filled with scenes from countless movies and novels, with strange and bizarre stories welling up one after another.
A powerful warrior from the depths of the universe, having survived countless brutal battles, crash-landed on an uncivilized Earth, unable to return home. This warrior was revered as a god by the local natives, leading the Earthlings against tyranny and dictatorship time and again. Ultimately, he spent his lonely life on this distant planet, and his belongings were treated as holy artifacts by the respectful Earthlings, buried in the annals of history, until one day, a man named... uh, I forgot his name, but it was a sleazy old man who discovered a forgotten tomb, thus revealing a glimpse of the alien warrior's story, and then the credits rolled...
"Ah Jun?" Qianqian's voice suddenly rang in my ear, snapping me out of my fantasy mode.
"Ah?"
"What are you doing, why are you daydreaming again?" Qianqian looked at me somewhat dissatisfied, seemingly helpless against my sporadic daydreaming. Lin Xue even blurted out, "Could it be that you are cursed by the ancient items here? As far as I know, some ancient mysterious items can cause mental confusion—how about getting you checked out?"
"Uh... no need, I was just thinking about something... So, can we now confirm that this item can resonate with Qianqian. But what exactly is this thing?"
Everyone's eyes focused on Gu Zhengfeng.
The old tomb raider coughed dryly and said, "Actually, I'm not very sure either..."
We all glared at him fiercely.
The old tomb raider quickly shrank his neck and said, "But I can confirm that this item is useful—years ago, my friends and I found the ruins, and discovered this item deep inside a tomb. There was an introduction about it on the tomb walls, saying it was the 'Beacon of the Lost,' and only the chosen one could take it. I got greedy and ignored my companions' advice, taking it out of the box, which triggered a mechanism, and all my companions died in the tomb. Only I managed to escape, guided by this item, but I was pursued and ended up like this…"
After hearing Gu Zhengfeng's account, I roughly understood the history of the "Spirit Beacon" and said, "So you made a rule that only those who could establish a connection with this 'Beacon of the Lost' could take it?"
The old man nodded and said, "Exactly. Actually, I didn't expect anyone to resonate with it. I entrusted the Superpower Team with this task, thinking it was worth a shot. It turned out they really found an archaeologist named Xu... Unfortunately, that person didn't listen to my advice and even scolded me... Ah, Old Gu finally did a good deed..."
Lin Xue snorted disdainfully and said, "If I were you, I would have thrown that thing away early on."
"If he really threw it away, wouldn't our troubles have been greater?"
Lin Xue snorted again but didn't habitually refute my words this time. Instead, she stood up and changed the topic, "Anyway, now that we have it, let's set off quickly. I feel like I'm being buried in a tomb staying here for so long."
********************************************* Heading to the ruins *********************************************
"There it is." Getting out of the specially made desert off-road vehicle, Lin Xue pointed to a spot not far ahead.
"Where? I don't see anything." I looked around but saw nothing but a sand dune.
Lin Xue walked ahead, saying, "You dummy, how could such a mysterious ruin be placed where anyone could see it at a glance—it's under this desert!"
Underground again? Did ancient people share the same interest as Lin Xue and her team and love building underground bases?
At the base of the sand dune, we saw the entrance to the ruins.
A passage about two or three meters high, supported by gray-white stones. Standing at the entrance, one could see only the stone steps extending downward, gradually swallowed by the deep darkness, giving rise to an illusion that "this might lead straight to hell."
Lin Xue closed her eyes, seemingly sensing the surroundings carefully, then said, "Sure enough—the sand dunes here are stationary, so this entrance hasn't been buried by shifting sands."
No need for Lin Xue's reminder; I already got a more accurate description from Pandora.
Centered around this entrance, all the sand within a kilometer presented a peculiar "pseudo-static" state. By "pseudo-static," I mean that they were not completely still but moved slowly due to the wind. However, every once in a while, these sands would return to their original positions under some mysterious power. Thus, this entrance had existed here for countless years without being swallowed by the flowing desert.
A place full of eerie phenomena.
"Sicaro," I communicated through a spiritual connection to the knight-faced uncle beside me, "stay alert. Protect Qianqian and Lin Xue first in case of any accident; they have the weakest self-defense capabilities."
At this moment, Lin Xue finished sensing the surroundings and opened her eyes, saying, "It's safe ahead; everyone, let's go in."
I felt someone tugging at my clothes from behind, so I turned around to comfort softly, "Don't be afraid, Qianqian, we have six superpower users protecting you here."
This passage had existed for countless years. The stone steps under our feet had been battered by time, leaving them full of pits. Some places would even collapse with a single step, and the broken stones would roll into the boundless darkness with a clattering sound. We leaned on the rough stone walls, cautiously advancing with the dim light provided by blue and white cold light tubes, while Lin Xue led the way, sensing any imminent danger with her abilities.
"Strange..." Lin Xue suddenly remarked, "How long have we been walking?"
"About an hour, I think," I said uncertainly. Due to the dark environment and oppressive atmosphere, it felt like I had been walking in this eerie place for a long time.
"Twenty minutes," Pandora's calm voice sounded in all our minds.
"Hmm..." Lin Xue murmured, "In such an oppressive environment, one's sense of time tends to be wrong. Lili, being blind, is unaffected, so we've been here for almost half an hour..."
"Sis, what have you found?" Lin Feng asked.
"Air—we have walked so deep, yet the air in this passage hasn't become thin or stale—this is highly abnormal in an ancient underground structure."
Again with that peculiar "pseudo-static" phenomenon?
"Though abnormal, but better than lacking air. At least we don't need the respirators we brought for now," Lin Xue said, speeding up her pace, and we followed closely.
I didn't know how long we walked, but just as I was beginning to doubt if this seemingly endless staircase would lead to the core of the earth, a glimmer of light appeared ahead of us.
After Lin Xue confirmed the path ahead was safe, we swiftly headed towards that faint light.
"Ah—this is..." Lin Xue cried out in astonishment at the sight before us.
We were now in a massive stone hall!
Pandora's voice suddenly echoed in my mind, clearly excited, "This is the tomb of the Xyrin Warriors!"