68: Qin Lao's Archaeological Highlights

"It's here, it's here!"

In the Operations Center, Academician Qin Ming had long been waiting impatiently. He adjusted his reading glasses and leaned toward the screen excitedly.

"Quick! Focus the camera, let me see clearly!"

When the clear inscriptions appeared before his eyes, Old Qin took only a glance before smiling.

"Hehe, another riddle."

"This is simple; it's one of the most classic riddles of Ancient Egypt."

Old Qin cleared his throat and, in a storytelling tone, slowly recited:

"'I have no lungs, yet I need air; I have no mouth, yet I need water to live. What am I?'"

"No lungs but needs air? No mouth but needs water?"

In the Operations Center, Li Guodong rubbed his chin with a look of confusion.

"What is that thing?"

"Fire!"

Almost the instant Old Qin finished reading the riddle, Su Yuan and Wang Yi gave the answer in unison.

Su Yuan saw the answer through his system panel.

As for Wang Yi, he relied purely on his extraordinary logical reasoning ability.

"Exactly! It's fire!"

Old Qin nodded approvingly. "Look, below the stone door, there are four stone slabs that can be stepped on, engraved with symbols for 'Water', 'Fire', 'Earth', and 'Wind'. Step on the right one, and the door opens. Step on the wrong one... hehe, you're on your own."

"I'll do it!"

Chen Hu volunteered. He walked to the four stone slabs and, without hesitation, stepped on the symbol representing fire.

Rumble—

The heavy stone door slowly rose upward, revealing the passage behind it.

"Hey! It really worked!"

Chen Hu turned back and winked at his teammates triumphantly.

With Old Qin's remote guidance, these mechanical riddles that seemed like certain death to others were as simple as a kindergarten picture-matching game to them.

They continued forward.

This corridor, known as the Corridor of Truth, seemed to have no end.

Every certain distance, a stone door and a riddle would appear.

"'I tear my mother's womb, yet I am swallowed by my mother. What am I?'"

"Gold!"

Old Qin immediately gave the answer. "Gold is mined from Mother Earth, and after a person dies, it returns to the earth as a funerary object."

"'When you have me, you want to share me; but once shared, you have lost me. What am I?'"

"A secret!"

"'In the morning, it has four legs; at noon, it has two legs; in the evening, it has three legs. What is it?'"

"A human!"

...One riddle after another—which seemed tricky, strange, or even illogical to ordinary people—was easily cracked one by one before Academician Qin Ming, this titan of archaeology.

The members of the Dragon Team went from initial tension and novelty to being completely numb.

The way they looked at Old Qin now was no longer with mere admiration.

It was worship!

They were looking up to him!

"Holy crap... Old Qin, how is your brain wired?"

Chen Hu muttered softly in the channel as he walked, "This is literally a walking encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt!"

"This is the true treasure of the nation."

Wang Yi also sighed with heartfelt emotion.

He deeply realized that knowledge, at any time, is the most powerful force.

After successfully cracking nine riddles in a row.

Rumble—

The tenth stone door finally rose slowly.

And this time, behind the stone door was no longer that monotonous and oppressive corridor.

Instead, it was an incredibly grand, empty, circular central hall!

The dome of the hall was embedded with countless glowing gems, like a brilliant starry sky.

The floor was paved with smooth obsidian, reflecting the starlight overhead, making it appear mysterious and profound.

And on the wall at the very center of the hall was an immensely large, magnificent mural that occupied almost the entire wall!

"We... passed through."

Zhao Zihan murmured to herself as she looked at the magnificent sight before her.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They had passed through the legendary, perilous "Corridor of Truth" unscathed.

However, Wang Yi's heart did not relax in the slightest.

He knew the appetizer was over.

What came next was the main course.

His gaze fell upon that giant mural.

The mural was brightly colored and extremely well-preserved, as if it had just been painted yesterday.

The content of the mural was complex and grand, telling a complete story.

"Old Qin, what is depicted on this?" Wang Yi asked.

"Don't rush, don't rush, let me take a good look..."

Old Qin's voice carried unprecedented excitement and agitation. He had the team members zoom the camera focus to the maximum, carefully studying it detail by detail.

"My god... My god! This is the life of Pharaoh King Sekhmet!"

After a full five minutes, Old Qin finally let out a gasp of amazement.

"The mural says that this Pharaoh King was the greatest and most brutal ruler in Ancient Egyptian history. He craved eternal life, so he launched countless wars, using the blood and souls of millions to hold an evil ritual, transforming himself into a half-human, half-god Lord of the Undead."

"To completely finish this ritual and grant his soul eternity, he had to offer three holy relics upon the Soul Altar in the deepest part of the pyramid."

Old Qin's hand pointed to three parts of the mural.

"Look here, these three paths lead to three different secret chambers. The first chamber enshrines the Scarab emblem of the Sun God Ra; it represents rebirth and creation, and is the sun key."

"The second chamber is filled with deadly mechanisms and traps, guarding the Ankh of the Life Goddess Isis; it represents life and eternity, and is the key of life."

"And the third chamber is guarded by countless powerful undead creatures, hiding the Scales of the Death God Anubis; it represents death and judgment, and is the key of death!"

"Only by gathering these three keys can the door to the Soul Altar be opened!"

Old Qin's interpretation was clear and detailed, pointing the way for the Dragon Team's next move.

Three paths, three keys.

"It seems we have to split up," Wang Yi said decisively, looking at the three forks on the mural.

Time was pressing; they couldn't afford to clear the paths one by one.

"How do we split?" Chen Hu asked.

Wang Yi's gaze swept across the faces of the team members one by one, his brain working rapidly to determine the optimal configuration.

"The second path is full of mechanical traps. It doesn't require high combat power, but it demands extreme skill and intelligence."

His gaze fell upon the Locksmith Wu Qiong and the Architectural Engineer Zhang Wei.

"Wu Qiong, Zhang Wei, you two go get the key of life. Wu Qiong, your Space Flicker is a god-tier skill for traversing trap zones. Zhang Wei, you are an explosives expert; if you encounter a mechanism that cannot be cracked by normal means, use your professional knowledge to break it with force."

"Yes!" Wu Qiong and Zhang Wei immediately stepped forward, showing no sign of fear.

"The third path is full of powerful undead creatures; it will be a hard battle."

Wang Yi looked at Chen Hu and Zhao Zihan.

"Chen Hu, your strength and Berserker talent are sharp tools for a frontal assault. Zhao Zihan, your long-range sniping can provide the best cover and support for Chen Hu. You two go get the key of death."

"No problem! Leave it to us!" Chen Hu slapped his chest, his fighting spirit surging.

Zhao Zihan also nodded heavily.

"As for the first path, the sun key..." Wang Yi took a deep breath, "I will go personally."

"The rest of you, come with me. This path leads to the Sun Altar. According to the description on the mural, we might encounter enemies that require special methods to deal with."

"Captain, we'll go with you!"

"Right! We'll protect you!"

The remaining dozen or so team members spoke up one after another.

"Alright." Wang Yi did not refuse.