"What are you talking about?"
Professor Qin said angrily, "If you don't believe me, I can prove it to you later!"
The person on the other end suddenly laughed, "What are you going to prove it with? A video?"
Professor Qin was momentarily stunned, then coughed twice and said, "No."
"How about a photo?"
"Don't have that either."
"Then a recording? You must at least have that!"
Professor Qin became impatient and said, "Enough, enough! Where do you get all these questions? If there's nothing else, that's it for now."
"Wait! One last question: where are you holding the press conference?"
"At the convention center."
After saying this in a fit of exasperation, Professor Qin quickly hung up, fearing that if the conversation continued, his wife would completely ruin his mood.
At that moment, He Bin, sitting in the passenger seat, stifled his laughter and turned to report to Professor Qin, "Professor Qin, I've already contacted the well-known domestic media journalists. They're waiting for you to arrive."
"Good, thank you for your hard work!"
Professor Qin immediately perked up!
He had a very strong feeling that once the existence of that small village was made public, it would cause a huge reaction in society and trigger a nationwide uproar in public opinion!
At that point, the pressure would shift to the higher authorities. He didn't believe they would remain indifferent and would definitely send some experts into Kunlun Mountain to investigate and verify.
As long as those experts found some clues, or discovered the existence of the small village, wouldn't that prove that everything he had claimed was true?
By then, his geological survey team would be confirmed as the first in the world to discover the existence of gods!
Thinking of this, the light in Professor Qin's eyes burned even brighter, and his whole being seemed to ignite with excitement.
…
In an old residential building, on the third floor, unit 306.
"That old man, so stubborn even at his age, still throwing childish tantrums with me..."
An elderly woman with salt-and-pepper hair, wearing reading glasses, with a kind and gentle face, put down the phone and complained softly.
She was none other than Professor Qin's wife, Jiao Chunling, who was also a professor.
At the moment, she sat in a chair, gazing at a stack of documents on the table, lost in thought.
On top of the pile, the title of the document read: "Summary of Strange Events in Kunlun Mountain."
This document was something she had spent the entire night organizing.
Ever since she had received Professor Qin's phone call last night, she had been uneasy and had started researching and compiling information on the news and historical events related to Kunlun Mountain.
And, in the process, she had indeed discovered some clues.
Especially about that "Valley of Death" inside Kunlun Mountain—it was incredibly mysterious!
"Maybe the things that old man saw weren't fake..."
If they weren't fake, then they must be real!
Once the existence of that small village was made public, the impact and sensation it would cause... would definitely be earth-shattering!
Jiao Chunling also understood the gravity of the situation. She immediately stood up and picked up the phone to call her assistant.
"Xiao Li, can you come pick me up? I need to go to the convention center!"
…
Meanwhile, at the Qintianjian (Imperial Astronomical Bureau) in Jingzhou.
A cool breeze blew across the Si Tian Platform, lifting the robes of an elderly man with a long white beard, making them flap in the wind.
He held a duster in one hand and continuously performed hand gestures with the other, muttering with a frown, "The stars are shifting, this could be either auspicious or ominous! It seems something big is going to happen today..."
The old man raised his head and gazed into the clear sky, his eyes deep and penetrating, as if they could see beyond the void and glimpse scenes from beyond the heavens.
He could even see the satellites floating in outer space.
But if he tried to look farther, his forehead would begin to ache and throb, his mental strength exhausted, and he would no longer be able to see.
After watching for a while, the old man withdrew his gaze and murmured, "It's either a natural disaster or human calamity! So the big event I just calculated must be what Old Qin mentioned."
Clearly confident in his divination, the old man couldn't help but stroke his beard and smile, feeling that the secrets of the past might soon be revealed.
"Well then, let Old Qin stir things up a bit."
He called over a disciple, instructing him to immediately head to the convention center in Silver Star City to attend a press conference in support of Professor Qin's statements.
The disciple, tall with thick brows and lips, wore a blue robe. Upon hearing his master's order, he was taken aback. "Master, what if Professor Qin says something astonishing..."
However, the old man merely glanced at him calmly without saying anything.
That gaze was piercing like a sword, shocking the disciple so much that he quickly assured the old man that he knew what to do. He bowed and retreated to carry out his master's instructions.
The old man shook his head and chuckled, "As long as I'm here, even if Old Qin pokes a hole in the sky, that's his business. There will naturally be people to deal with him; it has nothing to do with me."
…
In Silver Star City, at the convention center.
The first-floor hall was packed with renowned reporters who had rushed over.
They set up their cameras and microphones, ready to pose various questions to Professor Qin of the geological survey team.
Some reporters had already filled their notepads with dozens of different questions.
After all, Professor Qin's geological survey team held a very high reputation and authority and rarely held press conferences.
So, this opportunity for an interview was incredibly rare and precious, and they naturally wanted to seize it!
"Professor Qin is here!!"
Suddenly, someone shouted in delight.
Immediately, the venue erupted in a noticeable stir!
All the reporters and photographers looked up in unison.
As expected, they saw Professor Qin, accompanied by the deputy leader, emerging from backstage, confidently walking onto the stage and taking a seat in the center position.
In an instant, camera flashes were going off nonstop.
Some reporters were eager to throw out questions one after another.
"Professor Qin, are you holding this press conference to reveal some special discoveries?"
"Professor Qin, there were rumors some time ago that your expedition team entered Kunlun Mountain. What was your purpose for undertaking such exploration?"
"Professor Qin, is what you are going to reveal today related to Kunlun Mountain?"
Qin Zhengcheng patiently listened to the reporters' questions without interrupting.
Once the noise subsided, he nodded and began to deliver the speech he had prepared.
"I called you all here today because I indeed want to share some of my discoveries in Kunlun Mountain. However, before I reveal this discovery, I would like to show you a piece of news first..."
Qin Zhengcheng nodded towards the deputy leader on his right.
He Bin immediately made an "OK" gesture and pressed the remote for the projector.
As a result, the media reporters on the scene could clearly see a short video beginning to play behind Professor Qin.
The content of the short video was a news piece from two years ago about a boy searching for sheep.
Soon, the short video finished playing.
Many reporters and photographers were left puzzled, not understanding why Professor Qin had shown this news.
Could it be that this news was closely related to what Professor Qin was about to reveal?
At that moment, Qin Zhengcheng observed the audience's reactions and confidently announced his findings from Kunlun Mountain.
"Everyone, the reason I brought up this news is simple!"
"That is, on our vast land of Longguo, throughout our five thousand years of history, many mysterious events have concealed some myths or the shadows of deities!"
"To uncover these myths, I specifically led my team into Kunlun Mountain and explored for two years!"
"Finally, just yesterday! We discovered an astonishing truth! That is..."
"In Kunlun Mountain, there resides a living deity!!!"