64: Chapter 64 Artificial Mirage

Seeing this scene, Professor Zhou's brows knitted together once more, and he became even more perplexed.

This bronze bell truly had no clapper, so it was all the more impossible for it to make a sound.

Then... how did the Archaeological Team beneath the tomb hear the ringing? And how did the sound shatter everyone's hallucinations?

For a moment, not only Professor Zhou but all the experts couldn't help but fall into confusion.

Seeing the questioning gazes of the group, Ye Xiao pondered for a moment and said:

"Actually... I think I know the reason why Professor Yang and the others entered the hallucination!"

Just now, while shaking the bronze bell, Ye Xiao's mind had been clear, casting aside all distracting thoughts.

It was precisely at that moment that Ye Xiao suddenly realized the true reason why Professor Yang and the others had fallen into the hallucination.

Meanwhile, Professor Zhou remained lost in thought.

Hearing Ye Xiao's words, he replied subconsciously and mechanically: "Oh."

But immediately after, Professor Zhou jolted to his senses, his eyes widening instantly.

He quickly turned to look at Ye Xiao and asked, his voice cracking:

"What??? You found the reason?"

The expressions on the faces of the other experts were almost identical to Professor Zhou's, all filled with disbelief.

Ye Xiao nodded slowly, looked at the large screen in the center, and said slowly:

"Do you remember... the dust that was released when Professor Yang and the others opened this door?"

The experts all nodded thoughtfully. Upon hearing this, Professor Zhou's brows immediately furrowed again, and he said:

"Are you saying... this dust is the problem?"

"That's right!" Ye Xiao nodded and then continued:

"You must know that to make someone fall into a hallucination, you must rely on some kind of medium!"

"This medium can be sound, it can be a visual impact, or even something that alters the brain waves received by the human body!"

"However, based on my observations, the three methods above do not fit the conditions here."

"Then only one remains, and that is... an airborne hallucinogenic toxin."

As soon as Ye Xiao finished speaking, all the experts fell into deep thought.

Meanwhile, the audience in the Live Stream Room kept spamming the chat, making the Live Stream Room very lively.

"Is this for real? Why does it feel like Ye Dao is talking like a charlatan?"

"Ye Dao isn't the same Ye Dao he used to be! He's even learned how to keep us in suspense!"

"Hahaha, you bunch of devils, he just stopped for a second and you say he's keeping us in suspense? Holy crap!"

"But honestly, Ye Dao's understanding of hallucinations seems quite profound!"

"Of course, as a professional 'underground worker,' this is actually common knowledge! These are things he frequently has to deal with at work!"

"This shows that Ye Dao's professional knowledge is solid!"

The audience in the Live Stream Room teased one after another.

In the Seminar Hall, Ye Xiao rubbed his chin, also lost in thought.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Ye Xiao's mind. As if he had suddenly remembered something, he immediately said:

"I know! It's shen powder!!!"

This exclamation drew everyone's eyes toward Ye Xiao. All the experts stopped their contemplation, and their gazes toward Ye Xiao became even more confused.

"shen powder???" Professor Zhou asked in confusion.

Ye Xiao nodded slightly, then explained to the camera:

"I suddenly remembered that in ancient times, there seemed to be such a powder that could induce hallucinations!"

"Legend has it that a wicked dragon lived above the East Sea, and its name was Shen!"

"It is said that this wicked dragon only needed to breathe gently to create a brilliant mirage! It seemed like a miniature version of the entire celestial and mortal world!"

"This is also what we often call a mirage!"

"There were brave souls who specifically fought the wicked dragon just to pluck its scales and grind them into powder."

"That is the hallucinogenic — shen powder!"

After Ye Xiao finished speaking, the many experts present could not help but widen their eyes.

Although it seemed like another allusion or a folk legend to them, they had never heard this story before.

So when Ye Xiao brought it up, everyone couldn't help but feel suspicious. Were these stories real, or were they fabricated by Ye Xiao?

Just like with Liu Bowen controlling the floods, they had no way of knowing.

But in the end, the inscriptions underwater told everyone that the historical event of Liu Bowen controlling the floods was real.

In other words, Ye Xiao knew about events that they hadn't heard of and that history hadn't preserved, and he hadn't been wrong.

So for a moment, although these experts hadn't heard of this allusion, they treated it as twenty percent truth and eighty percent fiction.

Of course, if they had heard such an outlandish story otherwise, the experts present certainly wouldn't have kept even a shred of it as truth.

If someone else had told this story, the experts would likely have kicked them out immediately. Because in their view, it was pure nonsense.

However! When the person telling the story was changed to Ye Xiao, the experts still felt the story was a bit nonsensical, but they still cautiously reserved twenty percent "truth" for it. This was entirely because — the person telling the story was Ye Xiao.

After Ye Xiao finished speaking, he continued to explain:

"This shen powder was likely a tribute given to our country by a small nation on the southeastern border of ancient Daxia!"

"As for the legend of the wicked dragon 'Shen,' it was likely just a beautiful fantasy from ancient times regarding mirages!"

"As for the true origin of this shen powder... it might just be coral powder mixed with some drugs that can induce neural hallucinations!"

"It was probably because of Professor Yang's timely reminder that everyone didn't inhale too much 'shen powder,' which allowed them to wake up at the last moment."

As soon as he finished speaking, the experts in the hall all showed expressions of sudden realization. At the same time, the audience also understood immediately.

So it turned out that when the Archaeological Team opened the door just now, the dust that rushed toward them was the "shen powder" that caused the team members to hallucinate.

And Professor Yang, for the sake of safety, did not let the Archaeological Team inhale too much of this "hallucinogenic" shen powder. That was why they were able to wake up in time at the end.

After learning the truth, the audience in the Live Stream Room couldn't help but become lively again.

"Damn, so that's it! No wonder it was so eerie!"

"Right! I never believed that there was such a thing as being possessed in this world! But after watching Professor Yang and the others just now, I almost believed it!"

"Seriously, they really looked like they were possessed just now! It was just too terrifying!"

"It was also like they were hypnotized! They couldn't hear anything, couldn't feel anything, and were immersed in a dream world!"

"It was just too terrifying! It's a good thing they only inhaled a little bit; if they had inhaled too much... the consequences would be unimaginable!"

"But have you forgotten? The Archaeological Team heard the ringing at the end, what was that about?"