165: Archaeological live stream

The next day, just as dawn was breaking.

In the supreme conference room of the headquarters, the atmosphere was solemn.

Lin Feng and Wang Dalong sat on one side of the long table; opposite them was Zhou Zhenguo, the general's stars on his shoulders appearing exceptionally heavy in the morning light.

Overnight, the world had changed completely.

That fifteen-minute video, like a perfectly orchestrated storm of public opinion, had not only swept away the previous panic-inducing rumors about the "Kunlun Monster," but had also sparked an unprecedented craze for Chinese culture on a global scale.

"Beautiful."

Zhou Zhenguo looked at the two young men before him, his words sparse, but the approval in his eyes was unconcealed.

"You two kids used a single video to achieve an effect that our propaganda department couldn't have reached with a hundred press conferences."

The weight of these words was so heavy that Wang Dalong almost bounced out of his chair.

He hurriedly scratched the back of his head, chuckling foolishly: "No, no, it's all because Brother Feng is awesome! I'm just the guy carrying the camera, a handyman!"

"Less of your lip." Zhou Zhenguo glared at him, then immediately turned his gaze toward Lin Feng, his expression instantly switching back to the seriousness characteristic of a soldier.

"Let's talk business. The supreme instructions regarding the follow-up treatment plan for those ruins and the monsters have come down."

The atmosphere in the conference room instantly grew heavy.

Lin Feng and Wang Dalong's hearts both leaped into their throats at the same time.

"The military and those experts from the Academy of Sciences argued all night, and finally came up with a compromise plan." Zhou Zhenguo tapped his finger on the table, producing a dull sound.

"Using that insect-repelling bead you left behind, we successfully replicated its scent and special frequency. Late last night, a joint action team consisting of the Dragon Tooth Special Forces and top biologists secretly entered that snowy valley."

Zhou Zhenguo didn't speak fast, but every word fell clearly into the ears of the two men.

"The operation was a success. Using specialized anesthetic rounds, they successfully captured two smaller Death Worms—alive. They were flown to a secret base overnight for research."

"As for the largest one..." Zhou Zhenguo paused, "It's become quite cunning. It seemed to sense the danger and retreated deep underground ahead of time; we've lost its radar signal as well. It's currently untraceable."

Lin Feng nodded silently.

This was already the best possible outcome. Humanity had obtained samples while avoiding a direct confrontation with that giant beast.

"Therefore," Zhou Zhenguo added with emphasis, "as of midnight today, that area, along with the entire Qinian Valley, has been officially taken over by the military and designated as a top-level 'Permanent Restricted Area' and 'Special Biological Research Zone.' Any unauthorized individual or organization that dares to intrude will be regarded as a highest-level threat to national security!"

"Understood," Lin Feng replied crisp and clear.

"One more thing."

Zhou Zhenguo took the remote and pressed the switch for the conference room's giant screen.

The screen flickered, and a familiar scene jumped out.

It was precisely that altar!

"Just an hour ago, the National First Archeological Team, personally led by Dr. Jiang Wanqing, officially entered the site. CCTV, People's Daily—all official media outlets are conducting a simultaneous global live stream."

On the screen, focused under countless high-definition cameras, members of the archeological team dressed in white dust-free protective suits moved as gently as if they were handling newborn babies.

They carefully 'invited' that golden chest out of the secret room.

Under the sunlight, the golden chest shimmered with radiant colors.

In the live stream, an elderly expert wearing glasses—likely the overall head of the archeological team—adjusted his spectacles, his hands trembling with excitement.

Facing the camera, with a voice that was nearly choking up yet incredibly resonant, he announced to the whole world:

"I announce! The imperial seal of china, after being lost for six hundred and eighty-four years—"

"Has. Reappeared. In. This. World!"

Boom!

In that instant, the bullet-chat of the entire live stream room completely filled the screen.

[Holy crap!!!!!!!!!!]

[Witnessing history! I'm actually witnessing history!]

[No regrets being born in China in this life!!!]

[I've got goosebumps! My whole body is shaking!]

[Great Emperor Lin is awesome!!! (Voice cracking)]

Meanwhile, Lin Feng and Wang Dalong's Bilibili channel was pinned to the top of the live stream sidebar by officials, marked with golden characters saying "Sole Discoverer of the imperial seal of china."

At this point, no one questioned the authenticity of the video anymore.

Official certification is the most lethal!

Their credibility and authority were, at this moment, pushed onto the altar of divinity.

Immediately after, the live stream image shifted.

Technicians pulled up the scanning images from the underground exploration radar and projected them onto the screen.

Directly beneath the altar, over ten meters deep.

The outline of an underground palace, so grand it was breathtaking and perfectly intact, was clearly presented before the eyes of the world.

That wasn't just a simple tomb; that was an imperial city buried underground!

Jiang Wanqing's voice came through the live stream equipment clearly, carrying a hint of the awe and wonder unique to scholars:

"Based on our preliminary exploration and comparison with historical records, we can confirm that this should be the legendary 'Great Ordo' of 'Qinian Valley' secretly built by Kublai Khan for Genghis Khan... in other words—the true Mausoleum of Genghis Khan!"

The world was once again blasted into silence by this news.

They found it!

They really found it!

The ultimate puzzle that had troubled the world's historical circles for centuries had actually been revealed in this manner!

"However," Jiang Wanqing's tone shifted, "we have not discovered any tomb passages or entrances in the conventional sense. The entire mausoleum is a single integrated unit, sealed by the Mongols of that time in the most primitive yet most resolute manner—using soil mixed with giant stones, gravel, and clay, rammed layer by layer. Its hardness is comparable to modern high-grade concrete."

"In order to maximize the protection of this unparalleled underground imperial city, the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the highest levels of leadership have jointly decided:"

"To permanently and technically seal the Mausoleum of Genghis Khan. We will not actively carry out any form of excavation!"

This decision once again caused jaws to drop all over the world.

They found it, but they're not digging?

What does that even mean?

Found, yet not fully found.

The eternal mystery of Genghis Khan's mausoleum had its answer revealed in a way no one expected, yet it was personally stamped with an even larger seal, leaving behind an eternal suspense... Three days later, Quanzhou.

Lin Feng and Wang Dalong finally returned to their familiar studio, which was filled with the smell of takeout boxes.

Having experienced that dreamlike journey to Kunlun, smelling the oily smoke of fried rice noodles wafting from downstairs again gave them both the illusion of having lived another life.

"We're rich! Brother Feng! We've really hit the jackpot, ahhh!"

"Do you know how many advertisers want to find us right now? My inbox is exploding! There's a game company that specifically wants you; the endorsement fee they offered is nine figures! Nine figures, Brother Feng!"

Wang Dalong was rolling on the sofa in excitement, spit flying everywhere.

"We don't have to worry for the rest of our lives—no, for the next two lifetimes! We can just lie down and scroll through videos every day!"

Lin Feng paid no mind to his frantic euphoria.

He silently cleaned up the leftover takeout boxes the two had eaten from the table and threw them into the trash can.

Then, he sat back down at his computer and turned it on.

The computer screen lit up, and message notifications and friend requests in the bottom right corner popped up frantically, instantly lagging the mouse so much it couldn't move.

In the center of the screen, on the Bilibili creator backend page, that eye-catching follower count of '91,324,587' was still ticking upward at a visible speed.

On Lin Feng's face, there was not a hint of the excitement of becoming an overnight sensation, only a kind of return to a familiar peace after washing away all the dust.

He skillfully operated the mouse, ignoring all the pop-ups and private messages, and opened a professional video editing software.

Seeing this, Wang Dalong crawled over from the sofa and leaned his head toward the screen.

"Brother Feng, what are you doing? Still editing videos? Aren't you going to rest for a couple of days to recover?"

Wang Dalong was truly bewildered.

This immense fortune had literally hit them in the face; shouldn't a normal person go to a club for some models first—oh no, shouldn't they go plan their life first? Why was he still sitting here editing videos like nothing had happened?

Lin Feng didn't look back, his fingers tapping on the keyboard as he typed a line of text into the title bar of the new project file.

[One Person's Two Thousand Years]

Wang Dalong looked at this title and froze.

"Rest?"

Lin Feng finally turned his head. He looked at the familiar street scene outside, full of the breath of life, with a seriousness in his eyes that Wang Dalong couldn't quite understand.

It wasn't exhaustion, nor was it excitement.

It was an unprecedented brightness and focus.