Chapter 266: The Death of a Tyrant (2)

He tried to push open the hospital room door again, but his hands were too weak. Ca Qingchong and Fan Debiao helped him—one pushed the door open while the other practically dragged his heavy body to the bedside. Taking this opportunity, Liu Dashao carefully examined the old man lying in the bed. The more he looked, the more alarmed he became. Though the hair was silver-white, it was styled exactly like Da Guozha’s. Though the face was full of wrinkles and age spots, its contours bore a startling resemblance—seven parts alike, like Da Guozha’s own father. Suddenly, he recalled the scene of Ge Shuanwa aging rapidly inside Zhang Jiao’s tomb. Somehow, he felt instinctively that this must be related to the Tai Ping Jing scroll that had entangled him for so long. Where had Da Guozha gone this time while grave robbing to bring about such a massive disaster?

Still, he thought, Ge Shuanwa had brought it upon himself in the beginning—insisting on practicing that damned Tai Ping Jing, which gradually transformed him into this bizarre state between old and young. At least that had been a gradual process. But how could a strong, young man suddenly turn into an elderly man aged eighty or ninety overnight? It was simply beyond comprehension. Like Fan Debiao, Liu Dashao also refused to believe that this person before them was truly Da Guozha.

“Has the DNA test come back yet?” Liu Dashao asked without even looking up.

“It has. It matches,” some unfortunate doctor replied.

At that moment, the officer also walked in and helped Fan Debiao up from beside the bed. “Please, both of you, accept our condolences. No one wanted this to happen, but for the sake of the work ahead and to uncover the truth, I hope you can cooperate. And this matter absolutely must not be disclosed.”

Liu Dashao naturally understood what should be said and what should not. He nodded, a bitter smile forming. “What was the cause of death?”

“This…” The officer hesitated. “It’s still under investigation.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

The officer coughed lightly. “Let me put it this way. I’ve already arranged for experts to perform carbon dating using one of Mr. Zuo’s hairs. The results confirm it was a natural death due to aging.”

“Natural?” Fan Debiao suddenly sneered. “Are you kidding me? I was gone less than a month, and my boss turned from a middle-aged man into someone in their eighties. You call that natural aging? Go to hell with that!”

“Unfortunately, that’s the scientific fact,” the officer replied helplessly.

“Scientific fact? Go to hell with your science! Say one more word and I swear I’ll knock your teeth out!”

“Fan!” Liu Dashao saw Fan Debiao’s temper rising and quickly intervened. If he started a fight with this high-ranking officer here, there would be no way to contain the fallout. After all, both of them had records from the Red Era. He shouted to stop him.

Fan Debiao froze, then silently placed Da Guozha’s cold hand back on his chest, gazing at the corpse in silence.

“Mr. Fan!” The officer, showing remarkable restraint, did not respond angrily to Fan’s outburst. “It’s already a blessing that your friend passed away this way. Don’t be angry—I’m telling the truth. Look—”

He pulled a photograph from his pocket and handed it to Liu Dashao. “Mr. Liu, this is the site where the archaeological team met their fate. Take a look, and you’ll understand everything.”

Liu Dashao took the photo. The background appeared to be a gloomy altar. At each of the 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, about the size of a human.

Fan snatched the photo. “What the hell is this white thing?”

“A cocoon.”

“A cocoon? What the—?” Before Fan could curse again, the officer shrugged and said with a bitter smile, “To be precise, it’s a white fibrous mass, oval in shape, like an enlarged silkworm cocoon. The cocoon wall is about ten centimeters thick—soft but highly elastic. The mummy was found inside.”

“Cause of death?” Cai Qingchong, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

“Still under investigation,” the officer replied seriously, then added, “When my unit arrived at the scene, the three archaeologists were positioned at the three corners of the triangular altar. Each had 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 thought hard but couldn’t piece anything together.

But one thing was clear—Da Guozha and Jackson, once close friends, were gone forever. The other two must have been Zhong Kui and Shu Lao, two loyal subordinates of Diao Shu. One moment they were laughing and alive, the next they were gone—such is the impermanence of life. He wondered how Diao Shu and Wang Feifei were doing now. As long as their bodies hadn’t been found, there was still hope. He could only hope they had survived. Liu Dashao knew that if Wang Feifei was with Diao Shu, given Diao’s experience traversing the desert, he wouldn’t be easily taken down.

“Boss, any findings?” Fan Debiao asked gravely.

Liu Dashao shook his head with a bitter smile. “From just one photo, it’s hard to tell. Each death looks completely different, unrelated, yet they all happened at the same time. Clearly, this wasn’t caused by human hands. These facts alone defy logic.”

“Here’s the thing,” the officer said. “The Chinese government needs your help. You should head to Xinjiang immediately to find what’s beneficial to the nation.”

“Immediately? No way! My boss just died, and his family is gone. You expect me to leave right now? Come on, do you have any humanity left?”

“Mr. Fan, you must weigh family matters against national duty,” the officer replied, his tone shifting. “Besides, I have a full record of your real identities. Don’t think no one remembers what you did ten years ago. During the Cultural Revolution, you abandoned your posts in the construction team and illegally fled to Hong Kong. If it weren’t for the village head Mr. Tian from Xiushui stepping in during a crisis, and later Mr. Zhao from the neighboring village, who became a political commissar and quietly covered for you out of gratitude, would your parents have lived in peace? To be honest, even if I slapped you with a charge of treason now, it wouldn’t be baseless, would it?”

“You… this…” Liu Dashao was momentarily at a loss for words. That incident from ten years ago was indeed his weakness.

He tried to push open the hospital room door again, but his hands were too weak. Caicai and Fan Debiao, one pushed the door open for him, while the other almost dragged his obese body to the bedside. Liu Dashao took the opportunity to carefully examine the old man on the bed. The more he looked, the more shocked he became. Although the hair was silver-white, it was exactly the same style as Big Guoguo’s. The face was full of wrinkles and age spots, but the轮廓 was strikingly similar to Big Guoguo’s, almost as if he were Big Guoguo’s father. For some reason, he suddenly remembered the scene of Ge Shuanwa aging in Zhang Jiao’s tomb. He felt in his heart that this must be related to the “Taiping Jing” that had been haunting him. Where exactly had Big Guoguo gone on this tomb raid to bring such a catastrophic disaster upon himself?

But then again, Ge Shuanwa had brought it upon himself by insisting on practicing that damned Taiping Jing, slowly turning into this neither-old-nor-young state. At least there was a process to it! But for a man in his prime to suddenly become an eighty or ninety-year-old man in the blink of an eye—this was truly unbelievable. No matter what, Liu Dashao, like Fan Debiao, absolutely refused to believe that the person before them was Big Guoguo.

“Has the DNA test result come out?” Liu Dashao asked without looking up.

“It has, and it’s a match,” some annoying doctor answered Liu Dashao.

At that moment, the officer also walked in. The officer helped Fan Debiao up from the bedside: “Gentlemen, please accept my condolences. None of us wanted to see this happen, but for the sake of proceeding with the work and uncovering the truth of this matter, I hope you can cooperate. This must absolutely not be leaked.”

At this point, Liu Dashao knew very well what should and shouldn’t be said. Big Guoguo being rushed to the military hospital was likely also for the sake of confidentiality. He nodded, forcing a bitter smile: “What was the cause of death?”

“Well…” the officer hesitated, “it’s still under investigation!”

“Do you think I believe you?”

The officer coughed lightly: “Let me put it this way, I’ve already sent experts to conduct a carbon-14 test using a strand of Mr. Zuo’s hair. It indeed shows normal aging…”

“Normal?” Fan Debiao suddenly sneered, “Are you kidding me? I was gone for less than a month, and my boss went from a middle-aged man to an eighty or ninety-year-old man, and you’re telling me he died of natural aging? Go to hell with your nonsense…”

“The facts are indeed as such, though neither of us may believe it, but you have to trust science,” the officer said somewhat helplessly.

“Science? Screw your science! If you say one more word, I swear I’ll knock your teeth out!”

“Debiao!” Liu Dashao saw Fan Debiao’s temper flaring up. If he were to get into a fight with this high-ranking officer in the country, there would be no way to settle it, especially since both of them had past records from the Red Era. He had to shout at him.

Fan Debiao paused, not saying anything more, just gently placing Big Guoguo’s cold hand on the corpse’s chest, silently watching him.

“Mr. Fan!” The officer, with great composure, didn’t get angry at Fan Debiao’s rough temper. He said, “Your friend’s death is already a great misfortune among misfortunes. Don’t curse me, I’m telling the truth. Look—”

The officer pulled out a photo from his pocket and handed it to Liu Dashao, adding, “Mr. Liu, this is where the archaeological team met their demise. Take a look, and you’ll understand everything!”

Liu Dashao took it and saw that the background of the photo seemed to be a sinister altar. At each of the three corners of the altar lay a corpse. One of the corpses looked like a thousand-year-old mummy, with skin a dark brown, no muscles, just a skeleton wrapped in a layer of skin. He looked closely and noticed that beside this mummy was an oval-shaped white object, about the size of a person.

Fan Debiao snatched the photo and exclaimed, “What is this white thing?”

“A cocoon!”

“A cocoon? Damn it…” Fan Debiao was about to curse when the officer shrugged and said with a bitter smile, “To be precise, it’s a white fibrous substance, oval-shaped, like an enlarged silkworm cocoon. The cocoon wall is about ten centimeters thick, soft but highly resilient. And this mummy was found inside this cocoon.”

“Cause of death?” Caicai, who had been silent all along, spoke coldly.

“The cause of death is still under investigation!” the officer answered seriously, then added, “When my troops arrived at the scene, the three deceased archaeologists were distributed at the three corners of this triangular altar, each with a different manner of death.”

“A triangular altar with different causes of death—what does this mean?” Liu Dashao’s mind was flooded with questions, but after thinking for a long time, he still couldn’t make sense of it.

The only thing he knew for sure was that Big Guoguo and Jackson, those two old friends, would never return. The other two deceased were likely Uncle Diao’s two loyal subordinates, Zhong Kui and Mouse. Life is so unpredictable—one moment you’re laughing, the next you’re gone. He wondered how Uncle Diao and Wang Feifei were doing now. As long as there were no bodies found, there was still hope. He hoped they could turn danger into safety. Liu Dashao knew that as long as Wang Feifei was with Uncle Diao, given Uncle Diao’s expertise in navigating the desert, they wouldn’t be easily taken down.

“Dashao, any findings?” Fan Debiao looked over with a grave expression.

Liu Dashao shook his head with a bitter smile: “From just one photo, it’s hard to tell anything. Each person died differently, with no apparent connection, yet it all happened at the same time. Clearly, this wasn’t the work of human hands. Just these points alone are already beyond reason.”

“Here’s the deal,” the officer said after some thought, “The Chinese government needs your help. You should head to Xinjiang immediately to find something beneficial for the country.”

“Immediately? No way! My boss’s family is no longer in this world, and he just passed away. You want me to leave for Xinjiang right now? Have you no humanity?” Fan Debiao was furious.

“Mr. Fan, you need to weigh between family matters and national affairs,” the officer said, then changed the topic: “Moreover, I have a record of your true identities. Don’t think that just because ten years have passed, no one knows about you. During the Cultural Revolution, when you were in the construction team, you deserted and fled to Hong Kong. If it weren’t for the village chief Tian from Xiushui Village helping you in a critical moment, and the neighboring village chief Zhao, who later became the secretary of the Political and Legal Committee, remembering your past kindness and quietly suppressing your case, would your parents have had a good life? To be honest, even if I were to slap a treason charge on you now, it wouldn’t be baseless!”

“You… this…” Liu Dashao was momentarily speechless. The events of ten years ago were indeed his Achilles’ heel.

The officer smiled indifferently: “Now I’m giving you a chance. As long as you help the country complete this mission, I’ll amend your records and let bygones be bygones. I’ll also prepare two brand-new Chinese citizen IDs for you. How about that? Also, it’s been ten years. Don’t you miss your families? Rest assured, after this is over, I’ll bring them here to reunite with you. I’ll even give you both a professor title in the Archaeology Department of Peking University, with special State Council allowances, so you can return home in glory. How about it? Isn’t this offer tempting?”

“Fine! I agree, and I hope you keep your word,” Liu Dashao agreed without hesitation.

“Good, I like straightforward people like Mr. Liu!” the officer smiled. “Actually, we found and caught Mr. Zuo, or Big Guoguo as you call him, but we didn’t take action. Do you know why?”

“Why?”

“Because he was a good man,” the officer said with a pained expression. “Even now, I can’t associate him with a ruthless tomb raider. I was always curious why a man of his wealth couldn’t even afford medical expenses and had to rely on his subordinates to scrape together funds. After an investigation by the National Security, I found some things in his home.” With that, he opened the folder in his hand and handed a stack of items to Liu Dashao.

Upon opening it, Liu Dashao found it filled with various certificates of honor from the Hope Project. He randomly opened one, and a photo fell out—it was Big Guoguo with a group of children, the background being a dilapidated elementary school.

The certificate read: “All teachers and students of a certain Hope Project school thank Mr. Zuo Mingtang.”

“There are many more like this, too many for me to bring,” the officer said, struggling to control his emotions. “Later, when I saw Mr. Zuo Mingtang in the hospital room, I realized that for the past ten years, his monthly living expenses were only a few dozen yuan, while the total amount he donated to China’s Hope Project reached… a staggering ten million yuan!”

“On his deathbed, he said he was an orphan who never had the chance to go to school, so he hoped that Chinese children wouldn’t follow his path of crime and lawlessness. Over the years, he traveled across the country, using the Hundred Tombs Scroll to excavate royal tombs all over China. But he told me he swore that not a single artifact was lost to foreign hands. That was the only effort he could make. He also said that instead of letting those useless burial items remain buried in the earth, it was better to turn them into hope—a hope that would allow some children to escape the mountains.”

Tears streamed down Liu Dashao’s face. He suddenly felt that the only good deed he had done in his life was saving Big Guoguo’s life on Bodhisattva Mountain. That one act of kindness had accumulated so much virtue! Fan Debiao and Caicai were already embracing each other, weeping, wishing they could see their boss one last time.

“As someone who has experienced this, I think you should know that the sooner you get to the scene, the more likely you are to uncover the truth, and even have a chance to find traces of the other two explorers,” the officer said gravely. “Moreover, Mr. Zuo’s body cannot be cremated.”

“What do you mean?”

Su Yougui, standing nearby, sighed deeply, giving Liu Dashao a meaningful look and then shaking his head.

The officer stood up, sympathetically patting Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao on the shoulders: “Gentlemen, I won’t hide it from you. Mr. Zuo’s body must be handed over to the military for processing.”

“Why?” Fan Debiao stepped forward, shouting.

The officer sighed deeply: “The military needs to conduct research.”

“My boss is already gone. What the hell do you need to research?”

“To be honest, when neutrons collide with cells at sub-light speed, it can accelerate cell aging. The military suspects that Mr. Zuo and the deceased archaeologists were struck by some form of neutron or even smaller quark energy, causing their cells to age rapidly and die in a very short time. But don’t worry, we won’t perform an autopsy. We’ll just take some tissue samples for research. The military will handle the aftermath; you don’t need to worry. You just need to complete your mission. At the same time, we’ll assign a government official to assist you.”

“A government official?”

“Yes, an excellent soldier from our People’s Liberation Army, Captain Yang Weidong.”

Liu Dashao nodded. They were just sending someone to monitor him; there was no need to make it sound so grand.

“But I don’t understand. Your government has so many talents. What use are we three?”

“Because beneath the ruins of Guge lies an unparalleled tomb complex! Only your abilities can get you inside!”

“A tomb complex?” Liu Dashao wanted to laugh but couldn’t. He also didn’t feel like arguing with the officer anymore, so he just nodded and said, “Alright, I understand. Can you all leave now? Let us spend some time with our old friend.”

The officer and the doctor exchanged glances, nodded, and left the room. Inside the hospital room, Liu Dashao looked at Big Guoguo’s aged face, and tears silently fell once more.

It wasn’t until the next morning that the three were awakened. Looking up, they saw the same officer. The officer sighed deeply and handed Liu Dashao something resembling a scroll: “Gentlemen, this is something Mr. Zuo asked me to pass on to you. It might be of use. Also, he said you should look for a man named Jia Zhuangyuan. This man’s tomb-raiding skills are unparalleled, and he could be of great help to you.”

Liu Dashao nodded and said, “Can I take my girlfriend’s belongings and documents with me?”

The officer thought for a moment, neither immediately agreeing nor refusing.

Liu Dashao added, “I know these documents are for official research, but they are also crucial for this mission. Wang Feifei has a habit of keeping a diary. She must have recorded some things during the expedition. Without these documents, it would be difficult for me to start the investigation.”

“Alright!” the officer nodded. “The military has already backed up those documents. Besides, these are your girlfriend’s belongings, so it’s only right that you keep them.” With that, he turned to the soldier behind him and said, “Give it to him.”

The soldier complied, handing a folder to Liu Dashao with both hands.

Back at the hotel, Liu Dashao took a thorough shower. In the harsh environment of Tibet, water resources were extremely scarce. Taking a shower was a luxury, let alone drinking water, which had to be conserved. After the shower, he took out a canvas bag, placed Wang Feifei’s documents and some photos inside, changed his clothes, and was hesitating whether to wake up Fan Debiao and Caicai to study the scroll together when the two of them knocked and entered.

“Fine. I agree. I hope you keep your word,” Liu Dashao said without hesitation.

“Great! I appreciate your decisiveness, Mr. Liu!” the officer smiled. “Actually, we tracked down Mr. Zuo—whom you call Da Guozha—but we didn’t act. Know why?”

“Why?”

“Because he was a good man,” the officer said, his expression pained. “Even now, I can’t associate him with a vicious tomb raider. At first, I was puzzled why a wealthy man like him couldn’t even afford medical fees, relying on his men to collect the money. After a state investigation, I found something at his house.” He opened his folder and handed a bundle of documents to Liu Dashao.

As Liu flipped through, he saw 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.

“Certificate: The entire faculty and students of XX Hope Primary School express our deepest gratitude to Mr. Zuo Mingtang.”

“There are many more like this—so many I couldn’t bring them all,” the officer said, his voice trembling with emotion. “Later, when I met Mr. Zuo in the hospital room, I learned that for the past ten years, he had lived on just a few dozen yuan a month, yet he had donated a total of ten million yuan to China’s Project Hope!”

“In his final moments, he told me he was an orphan who never got to go to school. He didn’t want other children to follow his path into crime and ruin their lives. Over the years, he traveled far and wide, using the Bai Mu Scroll to excavate imperial tombs across China. But he swore to me that not a single artifact ever left the country. That was the only way he could make amends. He said that instead of letting useless burial goods rot in the earth, he’d rather turn them into hope—a hope that would help some children 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—saving Da Guozha’s life at Bodhisattva Mountain—had brought immeasurable blessings. Fan Debiao and Cai Qingchong were already hugging each other, crying, wishing desperately they could have seen their leader one last time.

“As someone who’s been through this, I think you understand—getting to the site as soon as possible increases the chances of uncovering the truth, and may even give you a chance to find traces of the other two explorers,” the officer said gravely. “Also, Mr. Zuo’s body cannot be cremated.”

“What do you mean?”

Beside them, Su Yougui sighed deeply, exchanged a meaningful glance with Liu Dashao, and shook his head.

The officer stood up and gently patted Liu and Fan’s shoulders. “I won’t hide this from you. Mr. Zuo’s body must be handled by the military.”

“Why the hell would you need it?”

The officer sighed again. “The military needs to conduct research.”

“He’s already gone, and you still want to research him?”

“To be honest, when neutrons strike cells at sub-light speed, they can accelerate cellular aging. The military suspects that Mr. Zuo and the deceased archaeologists were hit by neutron or even quark-level energy that caused rapid aging and death in an extremely short time. Don’t worry—we won’t perform an autopsy. We’ll only take some body cells for research. The military will handle the rest. You needn’t worry. You just focus on your mission. We’ll also assign a government official to assist you.”

“A government official?”

“Correct. Captain Yang Weidong, an outstanding officer of the People’s Liberation Army.”

Liu Dashao nodded. He understood—it was just someone to monitor them. No need to sugarcoat it.

“But I don’t get it. The government has so many capable people—what the hell do you need us three for?”

“Because beneath the Guge ruins lies an unprecedented burial complex. Only you three have the ability to enter it.”

“A burial complex?” Liu Dashao wanted to laugh but couldn’t. He didn’t bother arguing. He simply nodded. “Fine, I understand. Can you all leave for a while? Let us spend some time with our old brother.”

The officer exchanged glances with the doctor, then nodded and left the room. Liu Dashao gazed at Da Guozha’s aged face, tears quietly slipping down his cheeks once more.

The next morning, the three were awakened early. It was the same officer again. With a deep sigh, he handed Liu Dashao a scroll-like object. “This was entrusted to me by Mr. Zuo. It might be useful to you. Also, he mentioned someone named Jia Zhuangyuan. He said you should seek him out—he’s a master tomb raider, and he might be of great help to you.”

Liu Dashao nodded. “Can I take my girlfriend’s belongings and documents with me?”

The officer hesitated, neither agreeing nor refusing immediately.

Liu continued, “I know the government wants to study them, but they’re also crucial for this mission. Wang Feifei had the habit of keeping a journal. She must have recorded something during the expedition. Without these materials, it’ll be hard for me to investigate.”

“Fine,” 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 nodded and handed Liu Dashao a folder.

Back at the hotel, Liu Dashao took a thorough shower. In Tibet’s harsh environment, water was extremely scarce—bathing was a luxury, 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, changed his clothes, and hesitated whether to wake Fan Debiao and Cai Qingchong to study the scroll together—when unexpectedly, they knocked on his door and walked in.