"Trust me, you can't bring cameras inside; it's all boring stones with nothing to see—look at our goods; buying any one of these will make your relatives and friends envious for a long time," Soren urged, promoting his wares.
The middle-aged couple couldn't help but be tempted by his words, clearly torn between choosing to explore the interior of the pyramid or following this vendor to "pick up a bargain."
Soren noticed their hesitation but didn't rush them to make a decision. Instead, he continued to carry his briefcase and approached another pair of tourists, once again peddling his wares.
… At this moment, a small wireless earpiece was snugly tucked inside his ear, concealed beneath the tightly wrapped headscarf.
The voice of Jason Todd came through the earpiece, clear as day: "So, how many people have you intercepted?"
"More than twenty," Soren replied, covering his mouth. "How about you? Is the pyramid cleared out yet?"
"I've already disabled the ticketing system; they're currently fixing the machines, so there's no way to issue tickets. There are less than one tour group's worth of tourists left inside," Jason said. "Alright, there are still seventeen minutes left; let's aim for fewer tourists to be affected." Soren closed his briefcase and glanced around. "I'm going in now."
He blended into the crowd, hurrying towards a gray sedan parked behind the tour bus. He took off his disguise, slipping out of the robe, and donned an Edman alloy bracelet. After a moment's thought, he tucked a concealed firearm into a hidden holster on his back.
13:28 PM.
A terrifying roar echoed through the interior of the Great Pyramid of Giza right on cue.
Dust fell in the narrow hallways of the pyramid, and the handrails installed along the passage began to shake uncontrollably.
A group of tourists, about to exit, looked up in confusion, searching for the source of the sound. Suddenly, someone screamed, trembling as they pointed towards the entrance of a nearby burial chamber. "What is that?!"
Emerging slowly from the dark doorway was a head painted in gold.
Followed by a bent arm, it crawled into view from the right side of the head, fingers tapping, as if climbing on the stone, appearing in their line of sight at an agonizingly slow pace.
The twisted limbs, as if possessed by a demon, drew nearer to them in the dim, cramped passage.
The golden face on the head, with wide-open eyes, stared blankly at the crowd—
Tourists immediately screamed in terror, with several collapsing in fear, rolling down the escalator.
People scrambled to escape, but the movement of this grotesque creature seemed slow, yet it could adeptly cling to the walls of the narrow passage. It chased after the tourists, the dark pupils of its eyes expanding like two gaping black holes. Anyone who accidentally met its gaze felt a chill run down their spine.
"Help—! Someone save us! Help!!" the tourists cried, rushing towards the exit, but due to the narrow stairs being slippery from previous months' accidents, the crowd became congested, trapped with no way to escape.
As the monster was about to catch up with them, its breath, carrying a peculiar scent, blew coolly over their heads—
A tourist, his voice nearly hoarse from screaming, fell to the ground, his back pressed against the stone. He trembled in fear as he stared at the creature, suddenly feeling a weight on his shoulder.
Turning his head, he realized it was the monster's foot, with its brown toes resting on his shoulder.
"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah—!!!!"
He let out a desperate scream, tears streaming down his face, "Help me!! Save me!! I don't want to be eaten!!!!"
In utter despair, he thought he was about to be devoured by this creature. Crying, he tried to scoot backward, but was suddenly knocked forward by a gust of wind, causing him to crawl and fall.
From above, a confident and loud voice boomed.
"Hey hey hey, don't take another step forward, or I won't let you off easily."
A figure draped in the stars and stripes stood defiantly before the monster, like a savior before the apocalypse.
The crowd immediately stirred, as if they had seen a glimmer of hope, shouting:
"Oh my God, it's Homelander, it's Homelander coming to save us!"
"Homelander! Save me! Save us!"
"Homelander! Help! Drive this monster away!"
Homelander stood proudly in front, revealing a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I will definitely save you. Trust me, you will be very safe, and I won't let you come to any harm."
"...I won't let you come to any harm."
This line was faithfully captured by the open cameras. Soren quietly pressed himself against the wall, the Edman alloy bracelet on his wrist emitting a faint blue glow.
His gaze crossed the hallway, locking eyes with Jason, who was already hidden in the corner at the far end of the corridor.
Jason gave him a nearly imperceptible nod.
Soren glanced at Homelander and then silently checked to ensure the devices hidden in the stone crevices at the top of the corridor were intact.
At the four corners of this hallway, the energy disruption devices they had previously installed were operating silently.
Homelander confronted the monster for only a few seconds before impatiently launching an attack.
He fired crimson heat rays from his eyes, shooting them like laser beams at the creature, but the monster moved with unexpected agility, contorting in unimaginable ways to evade multiple waves of heat ray attacks, causing all of them to slam against the stones in the narrow passage.
Chunks of stone from the pyramid's interior shattered one after another, unevenly sized rocks rolling down from above. Lime and dust poured down like a sandstorm, filling the entire pyramid with a deafening roar.
"They're fighting! Now's our chance—let's go, move quickly!" Soren shouted amid the chaos, his voice cutting through the crowd.
He helped an elderly man to his feet, gripping his hand tightly, and led the disoriented tourists toward the exit.