He tried to push open the hospital room door again, but his hands were too weak. Ca Qingchong and Fan Debiao helped—one pushed the door open while the other practically dragged his heavy body to the bedside. Taking the opportunity, Liu Dashao carefully examined the elderly man lying in the bed. The more he looked, the more shocked he became. Although the hair was silvery white, the hairstyle was exactly the same as Da Guozha’s. His face was full of wrinkles and age spots, yet the facial features bore a striking resemblance—about seventy percent similarity—making him look just like Da Guozha’s father. Somehow, Liu Dashao suddenly recalled the scene of Ge Shuanwa aging rapidly inside the tomb of Zhang Jiao. Instinctively, he felt this must be related to the Tai Ping Jing, a mysterious scripture that had been entangled with him all along. Where had Da Guozha gone this time on his tomb raid, to bring upon himself such a massive calamity?
On the other hand, Ge Shuanwa had brought it upon himself initially, foolishly insisting on practicing that cursed Tai Ping Jing, which gradually transformed him into that bizarre state between youth and old age. At least that had been a gradual process! But how could a strong, young man suddenly turn into someone who looked eighty or ninety years old overnight? It was simply inconceivable. Like Fan Debiao, Liu Dashao also refused to believe that the person before them was truly Da Guozha.
“Has the DNA test result come back yet?” Liu Dashao asked without even lifting his head.
“It has, and it matches,” answered some annoying doctor.
At that moment, the officer also walked in and helped Fan Debiao up from beside the bed. “Gentlemen, please accept our condolences. No one wanted this to happen, but to ensure the smooth progress of our future work and to uncover the truth behind this incident, I hope you can cooperate. This matter must absolutely not be disclosed.”
Liu Dashao naturally understood clearly what should or shouldn’t be said. Da Guozha had probably been sent to this military hospital precisely for confidentiality reasons. He nodded slightly, forcing a bitter smile. “What was the cause of death?”
“This…” The officer hesitated. “It’s still under investigation.”
“Do you really think I’ll believe you?”
The officer coughed lightly. “Let me put it this way—we’ve already sent experts to conduct carbon-14 testing using one of Mr. Zuo’s hairs. The results confirm it was indeed a normal death from aging.”
“Normal?” Fan Debiao suddenly sneered. “Are you kidding around? I was gone for less than a month, and my boss transformed from a middle-aged man into someone in their eighties. You’re telling me he died from natural aging? Go to hell with that!”
“Unfortunately, that’s exactly what the science shows,” the officer replied helplessly.
“Science? Your science can go to hell too! Say one more word, and I swear I’ll knock your teeth out!”
“Debiao!” Liu Dashao saw Fan Debiao’s temper rising and knew that if he started a fight with this high-ranking officer here in China, things would quickly spiral out of control. After all, both of them had a history of trouble during the Cultural Revolution. He shouted to stop him.
Fan Debiao paused, then silently placed Da Guozha’s cold hand on his chest and stared at him.
“Mr. Fan,” the officer, maintaining his composure, said without anger, “the death of your friend is already unfortunate enough. Please don’t misunderstand—I’m telling you the truth. Look—”
He pulled out a photograph from his pocket and handed it to Liu Dashao. “Mr. Liu, this is where the archaeological team met their fate. Take a look, and you’ll understand everything.”
Liu Dashao took the photo and examined it. The background seemed to be a dark, eerie altar. At each of the altar’s three corners lay a corpse. One of them looked like a thousand-year-old mummy—dark brown skin, no muscle, like a skeleton wrapped in skin. He looked closer and noticed a white, oval-shaped object next to the mummy, roughly the size of a human.
Fan Debiao grabbed the photo and shouted, “What’s that white thing?”
“A cocoon.”
“A cocoon? What the hell…” Before Fan could curse again, the officer shrugged and said with a bitter smile, “To be precise, it’s a white fibrous substance, oval in shape, resembling an oversized silkworm cocoon. The cocoon wall is about ten centimeters thick, soft but highly elastic. The mummy was discovered inside this cocoon.”
“Cause of death?” Cai Qingchong, who had been silent, finally asked coldly.
“The cause of death is still under investigation!” The officer answered seriously, then added, “When my unit arrived at the scene, the three archaeologists were positioned at the three corners of a triangular altar. Each of them died in a completely different manner.”
“A triangular altar with different causes of death—what does that mean?” Liu Dashao’s mind was flooded with questions. He pondered for a long time but couldn’t make sense of it.
But one thing was clear: Da Guozha and Jackson, once close friends, would never return. The other two deceased were likely Zhong Kui and Mouse, two loyal subordinates of Lao Diao. One moment someone is laughing and alive, and the next, they’re gone forever. Life is so unpredictable. Liu Dashao wondered how Lao Diao and Wang Feifei were doing now. As long as their bodies hadn’t been found, there was still hope. He hoped they had survived. He knew that if Wang Feifei was following Lao Diao, with Lao Diao’s vast experience in the desert, he wouldn’t be easily eliminated.
“Boss, any findings?” Fan Debiao asked solemnly.
Liu Dashao shook his head with a bitter smile. “From just one photo, nothing conclusive. Each death appears unrelated, yet they all happened simultaneously. Clearly, this wasn’t caused by human hands. These points alone defy logic.”
“Here’s the situation,” the officer said after a pause. “The Chinese government needs your help. You should head to Xinjiang immediately to find what’s beneficial to the country.”
“Immediately? No way! My boss has just passed away, and you want me to leave for Xinjiang right away? Come on, do you have any humanity left?”
“Mr. Fan, you must weigh family matters against national duties.” The officer’s tone shifted. “Besides, I have records of your real identities. Don’t think no one remembers what you did ten years ago. Back during the Cultural Revolution, you left the construction team without permission and fled to Hong Kong. If it weren’t for the village head Mr. Tian from Xiushui Village helping you in a critical moment, and the neighboring village head Mr. Zhao, who later became a Political and Legal Committee director, quietly covering for you out of old friendship, would your parents have lived peacefully? To be honest, even if I slapped you with a charge of treason right now, it wouldn’t be baseless.”
“You… this…” Liu Dashao was momentarily speechless. The events of ten years ago were indeed his weak spot.
The officer smiled indifferently. “Now I’m giving you a chance. If you help the country complete this mission, I’ll erase your records and let bygones be bygones. I’ll even provide you with two brand-new Chinese citizen IDs. What do you think? Also, after ten years, don’t you miss your families? Don’t worry. After this mission, I’ll arrange for your families to reunite with you. Plus, I’ll secure you professor titles in the archaeology department at Peking University and have you receive special government allowances. It’s a chance for you to return home in glory. How does that sound?”
“Fine! I accept. I hope you keep your word,” Liu Dashao replied without hesitation.
“Great! I appreciate your decisiveness, Mr. Liu!” The officer smiled. “Actually, we tracked down Mr. Zuo—whom you call Da Guozha—but chose not to act. Do you know why?”
“Why?”
“Because he was a good man.” The officer’s expression turned pained. “Even now, I can’t connect him with the image of a ruthless tomb robber. I was always curious why a man of such wealth couldn’t even afford medical fees without his subordinates collecting money. After a state investigation, I found something at his home.” He opened his folder and handed a stack of documents to Liu Dashao.
As Liu flipped through, he found numerous certificates of honor from the Project Hope program. He opened one randomly and found a photo inside—Da Guozha standing with a group of children in front of a dilapidated elementary school.
The certificate read: “Certificate of Appreciation from the Entire Faculty and Students of XX Hope Primary School to Mr. Zuo Mingtang.”
“There are many more like this—so many that I couldn’t bring them all,” the officer said, his voice trembling with emotion. “Later, when I met Mr. Zuo Mingtang in the hospital room, I learned that for the past ten years, he had lived on only a few dozen yuan per month, while donating a total of ten million yuan to China’s Project Hope!”
“In his final moments, he said he was an orphan who never got to go to school. He hoped Chinese children wouldn’t follow his path into crime. Over the years, he traveled across the country, using the Hundred Tombs Scroll to excavate imperial tombs. But he told me he swore none of the artifacts ever left China. That was his only effort. He also said he preferred to exchange useless burial goods for hope—a hope that would allow some children to escape the mountains and build better lives.”
Tears streamed down Liu Dashao’s cheeks. Suddenly, he felt that the only good deed he had ever done in his life was saving Da Guozha’s life back at Bodhisattva Mountain. What a virtuous act that must have been! Fan Debiao and Cai Qingchong had already embraced each other, crying bitterly, wishing they could have seen their leader one last time.
“As someone who has experienced this, I believe you understand that the sooner you arrive at the scene, the better your chances of uncovering the truth—even possibly finding traces of the two other explorers,” the officer emphasized. “Also, Mr. Zuo’s body cannot be cremated.”
“What do you mean?”
Beside them, Su Yougui sighed deeply, gave Liu Dashao a meaningful look, and shook his head.
The officer stood up and compassionately patted Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao on the shoulders. “I won’t hide anything from you. Mr. Zuo’s body must be handed over to the military for processing.”
“Why?!”
Fan Debiao stepped forward and shouted furiously.
The officer sighed again. “The military needs to conduct research.”
“My boss is already gone, and you still want to research him?!”
“To be honest, when neutrons travel at sub-light speed and penetrate cells, they can accelerate cellular aging. The military suspects that Mr. Zuo and the deceased archaeologists were killed by neutron radiation or even smaller quark energy that pierced their cells, causing rapid aging and death in an extremely short time. But rest assured, we won’t perform an autopsy—we only need to collect some body cells for research. The military will handle all the post-mortem arrangements, so you don’t have to worry. You just need to focus on your mission. Also, we will assign a government official to assist you.”
“A government official?”
“Correct. Captain Yang Weidong, an outstanding soldier of the People’s Liberation Army.”
Liu Dashao nodded. He understood it was just someone to monitor them, though the explanation sounded overly polite.
“But I don’t get it—why send us three when the government has so many capable people?”
“Because beneath the ruins of Guge lies a vast, unprecedented tomb complex. Only you three have the ability to enter it.”
“A tomb complex?” Liu Dashao wanted to laugh but couldn’t. He didn’t feel like arguing anymore and simply nodded. “Fine, I understand. Can you all leave for a moment? Let us spend some time with our old brother.”
The officer exchanged glances with the doctor and nodded, exiting the hospital room. Inside, Liu Dashao gazed at Da Guozha’s aged face, tears silently streaming down his cheeks once more.
The next morning, the three were awakened early. Looking up, they saw the same officer again. He sighed deeply and handed Liu Dashao a scroll-like object. “Gentlemen, this was entrusted to me by Mr. Zuo. It might be useful to you. Also, he mentioned you could seek out someone named Jia Zhuangyuan. He’s the best tomb raider in the world and could be of great help to you.”
Liu Dashao nodded. “Can I take my girlfriend’s belongings and related documents with me?”
The officer thought for a moment, neither immediately agreeing nor refusing.
Liu Dashao added, “I know the government wants to study them, but they’re also crucial for this mission. Wang Feifei had the habit of keeping a diary. She must have recorded some events during the expedition. Without these materials, it would be difficult for me to investigate.”
“Alright!” The officer finally agreed. “The military has already made copies. Besides, these are your girlfriend’s personal items—they should rightfully be in your possession.” He turned to the soldier behind him. “Give it to him.”
The soldier responded with a nod and handed Liu Dashao a folder.
Back at the hotel, Liu Dashao took a thorough shower. In Tibet, water was extremely scarce—bathing was a luxury, and even drinking water had to be rationed. After showering, he took out a canvas bag and carefully placed Wang Feifei’s documents and some photos inside. As he changed clothes, he hesitated over whether to wake Fan Debiao and Cai Qingchong to examine the scroll together. But before he could decide, the two knocked on the door and walked in.
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