Chapter 26: Main Text Chapter Twenty-Six Final Stop

Main Text Chapter Twenty-Six Final Stop

Sand Sea Demon Nest 16

I knew the posture of a poisonous snake preparing to attack: the snake arches its body upward, then its head snaps forward, using its fangs to bite the prey. My neck and face are fully within its attack range, impossible to avoid, and I don't have time to block.

I was about to close my eyes and await death when suddenly a white light flashed with a crack, illuminating the pitch‑black valley like snow. The monstrous snake, which had already lunged at my neck, was startled by the flash of that dazzling white light mid‑way and slipped off my shoulder.

All of this happened within a second. I didn't wait for the snake to hit the ground; I swung my entrenching shovel down and smashed its head flat. Black, ink‑like juice oozed from the crushed snake head. I hastily stepped back a few paces, silently thanking my luck—this snake's venom is extraordinarily potent; if it bit me, the poison would instantly spread through my bloodstream, meaning certain death.

Looking up, I saw that the lifesaving white light came from the flash of Shirley Yang's camera. She is never without her camera, snapping pictures as she walks. I never imagined my life would be saved by the flash from her camera—thanks to her quick reflexes; otherwise, Lao Hu would already have gone to meet Hu Da.

But now is not the time for thanks. Who knows whether there are more of those monstrous snakes in this valley? Whatever the case, we should discuss it after leaving the ravine. I waved my hand, urging everyone to move forward quickly.

At this moment the camels seemed to sense that there were no poisonous snakes ahead, calming from their restless agitation. Chu Jian Sa Di Peng and the others lifted the unconscious Ye Yixin, Professor Chen, and the corpse of Ha Aiguo onto the camels' backs.

An Li Man whistled to guide the camel caravan forward. The group, relying on the glow of the cold fire and flashlights, hurried out of the pitch‑black Zagelema valley.

We walked until we reached the open space outside the ravine, then stopped and laid Ha Aiguo's body on the ground. It was still dark before dawn, with no starlight or moonlight; the moment before sunrise was this black. Ha Aiguo still wore the terrified expression he had at death, his lifeless eyes behind his glasses not yet closed, his body turned bluish. In the beam of the flashlight, this added a touch of grim eeriness.

A blast of cold wind from the ravine shook Professor Chen awake; he stumbled over to Ha Aiguo's corpse and burst into tears. I helped the professor to his feet, thinking to console him—people cannot be brought back to life—but the words died in my throat.

I had gotten along with Ha Aiguo for nearly a month, often teasing him and calling him 'old fossil'. I liked his straightforward, blunt personality, but now… thinking of this, I felt a sour ache in my heart and could not bring myself to comfort anyone else.

The others also wept silently. At that moment, a dark‑red slit split the distant horizon—the sun was about to rise—and we all turned instinctively toward the east.

The light gradually shifted to rose‑colored, then blood‑red, finally bursting into myriad golden rays as the sun's upper edge appeared. At that moment the endless sea of sand seemed transformed into the molten gold of God's furnace.

In that desert, which looked like molten gold, a vast city lay before us—countless broken walls and ruins, houses of brick, wood, earth and stone, towers and battlements without number. The most striking feature was a leaning black stone tower, silently standing in the city's center.

The scene matched exactly the black‑and‑white photograph Shirley Yang held in her hand. After two thousand years, the ruins of the Exquisite Absolute Ancient City truly still existed deep in the desert.

The Exquisite Absolute City could accommodate fifty to sixty thousand inhabitants; in its heyday, renowned cities such as Lofty Orchid housed only one or two ten‑thousands of residents and a military force of over three thousand.

The city as a whole lies in ruins, buried under the sand for over a thousand years; some sections are hard to tell whether they are dunes or fortifications. Most towers have collapsed and weathered, yet even so one can imagine its former magnificence and grandeur.

Here there is a massive magnetic field, making it difficult for aircraft and similar devices to fly overhead. Moreover, being deep in the desert's interior, few people could ever find this place. I do not know how many explorers and lost souls before us have set foot in this legendary ancient city, but one thing is certain: ninety‑nine percent of them could never return to their homeland.

Professor Chen lifted Ha Aiguo's body from the ground, trembling as he pointed to the Exquisite Absolute Ancient City and said in a hoarse voice: "Look… haven't you always wanted to see this mysterious ancient city? Open your eyes—we've finally found it."

I thought, 'This is not good—the old man is grieving too much; has he lost his mind?' I hurried over and pulled Professor Chen away from Ha Aiguo's side: "Professor, Teacher Ha has passed; let him rest in peace. It's a pity he never got to see this miraculously preserved ancient city; his wish now falls to you to fulfill, so you must pull yourself together."

Shirley Yang and a few students also came over to console him, so I handed the professor to them. Feeling guilty about Ha Aiguo's death and grateful to Shirley Yang, I told her: "I won't thank you for saving my life—I'll consider myself indebted to you for one life. But a deal's a deal: we've reached the Exquisite Absolute City, and as per our earlier agreement, that's twenty thousand dollars."

When Pangzi heard about the money, he hurried over and added: "Each gets twenty thousand, a total of forty thousand dollars, payable in cash."

Shirley Yang glanced at us both, bit her lip, and said: "Rest assured, not a cent will be missing; I'll pay you as soon as we get back."

I thought bringing up money just then was really inappropriate; my heart was in turmoil like an overturned spice bottle, and I had blurted out the wrong thing. I tried to change the subject, but didn't know what to say, so I stumbled over my words: "Um… the city… it's not small…"

Shirley Yang fixed her gaze on my face and said: "After these days of contact, I see that you two are both highly skilled and have extraordinary experiences. It's surprising that you're so fixated on money, which tells me my first impression of you was correct. Let me advise you: life holds many precious things besides money."

I had nothing to say, so Pangzi interjected: "Miss Yang, you live under the Stars and Stripes of the United States of America, and your father is a titan of Wall Street. I'm sure you've never used grain coupons or experienced wartime rationing, so you don't understand our living conditions and have no right to judge our values. Besides, stop lecturing us about 'life' over and over—the poor have no life; merely surviving is all they have. Anyway, these truths, when told to you rich folks, you wouldn't grasp them either. I can't hold back any longer—if you don't want to hear it, fine; even if I hadn't spoken, we've found the Exquisite Absolute City, so tell us what to do next."

Pangzi had begun speaking with confidence, but then remembered that Shirley Yang was the boss's employee, worried that if he upset her she'd withhold pay, so he shifted his tone and ended up sounding like a mere laborer.

I said to her: "Regarding Teacher Ha… I've done all I could. I'm sorry."

Shirley Yang nodded at me, then ignored Pangzi, took out a kettle and gave water to Professor Chen and Ye Yixin. Professor Chen, disturbed by Ha Aiguo's death, was not himself; after drinking some clear water he gradually improved. We discussed it briefly and decided to bury Ha Aiguo in the desert at the ravine's mouth, since his lifelong pursuit was studying Western Regions culture—laying him to rest here would let him forever accompany this mysterious ancient city, which I'm sure is what he would have wanted.

We dug a deep pit in the yellow sand, wrapped his body in a blanket, and buried him on the spot. Finally I plunged an entrenching shovel upside‑down before his grave, making a makeshift tombstone for Ha Aiguo.

The remaining eight of us stood solemnly at Ha Aiguo's grave, mourning for a long time before we left.

The dead are gone, but we must still save the living; we need to enter the city at once to find water, otherwise the next person to be buried in the sand will be Ye Yixin, who suffers from severe dehydration.

At that moment everyone packed their gear and prepared to set off for the city; we had finally reached our destination, hoping nothing else would go wrong—because if another accident occurred, even if I'd pocketed this money, I wouldn't be able to spend it.

Seeing that everyone was almost ready, I asked Shirley Yang whether we could set out.

About to depart, Shirley Yang felt a little excited, her body trembling slightly, though it wasn't clear whether she was afraid, nervous, or excited; all I saw was her taking out a cross and whispering a prayer.

Yahweh is my shepherd; I shall not want. He lets me lie down in green pastures, leads me beside quiet waters, and revives my soul. In his name he guides me along righteous paths. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me. Before my enemies you prepare a table, you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of Yahweh forever. Amen.

Then she calmly said to us: "Let's go."