Infinite Hunter

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Cheng Yijiu steered his boat directly out to sea. The weather was excellent, and he spotted many yachts sailing through his binoculars. "It seems like a holiday?" he muttered. Clear weather would improve visibility, but with so much "bait" here, would the sea monster still come looking for him?

Suppressing his impatience, Cheng Yijiu sailed to the area where the attack had occurred yesterday. He kept the boat moving at a low speed, following the current, while he scanned the surroundings with binoculars. At his waist, a single-shot shotgun was ready. No matter how mysterious the California sea monster was, it was just a fifteen or sixteen-meter-long "plesiosaur." A single bullet to its head would kill it—not to mention that its horse-like head wasn't much bigger than a horse's.

Compared to its relatives, the pliosaurs, this creature was far less dangerous. Cheng Yijiu regretted not bringing a drone—DJI drones have dominated the US market, but it was a shame he hadn't thought of that. Otherwise, from a high vantage point, he could have easily seen the shadows beneath the surface. The visibility in the water here was quite good. It was too late to regret now; he could only hope the sea monster would find him soon.

Sadly, there were probably too many people to even bring the sea monster out. Or was it perhaps full yesterday? Even if this monster were warm-blooded—though it didn't seem likely, since Cheng Yijiu noticed it had almost no fat—it wouldn't have starved so quickly after eating enough for at least two people. Besides, could it possibly have eaten two people at that size? It probably only took off a bit of meat or a thigh, at most.

Cheng Yijiu couldn't tell what kind of teeth this thing had; banana teeth or steak knife teeth would have made all the difference. "Maybe I'll have to get a punishment mission to figure out how troublesome this thing is," Cheng Yijiu thought, finding joy in the bitterness. It was three in the afternoon, and he hadn't found anything. He was practically hopeless. There was still a slight possibility, but if night fell, there was probably no way out.

Time ticked by. Cheng Yijiu had already been drifting in this sea for a day. He hadn't seen a single shark, let alone a California sea monster. However, he did seem to see a school of whales chasing seals in the distance. "What a loss," Cheng Yijiu muttered, turning the boat towards the harbor. Encountering a sea monster at night would be even more troublesome. Cheng Yijiu never liked hunting prey in the water, and in the dark, the sea monster would definitely have the upper hand.

Even when he reached the dock, nothing had changed. Cheng Yijiu walked along the long pier toward the shore. He wasn't the only one on the pier; two other people had also parked their boats and were walking along the bridge toward the shore. As he walked, Cheng Yijiu frowned. He felt something was wrong with the ground beneath his feet. "Run!" he shouted to the two people, a man and a woman, who were a few steps behind him. Cheng Yijiu noticed a shaking, something was hitting the pier.

This is very strange. The water here is only three to three and a half meters deep. What kind of animal would hit the pier? You have to know that to cause such vibrations, this creature must be quite large.

Although the man and woman didn't know what was happening at first, the pier began to shake violently, and they quickly ran. Cheng Yijiu had already rushed to the shore, turned around, drew his single-shot pistol, and placed it on the triangle formed by his left arm, ready to shoot. The two men also rushed to the shore breathlessly. By then, the end of the pier had collapsed, and the turbulent waves on the water even shook the anchored boats.

Sadly, even after the water calmed down and the police car roared in after the two men called the police, nothing surfaced. Cheng Yijiu cursed and put away his pistol. "Is it the California sea monster? I'm not sure, but I have a feeling it's this guy." Cheng Yijiu doubted the intelligence of the California sea monster because it didn't look like a very intelligent creature, and it was completely incomparable to the killer whale.

Midnight passed, and Cheng Yijiu disappeared into the United States. "Punishment mission? I've already prepared for it." Cheng Yijiu cursed as he sat at the table, unhooking his weapons and putting them away. He carefully disassembled the gun, cleaned the chamber and barrel with gun oil, then reassembled it and put it in the weapons room. He changed into a plain T-shirt and beach shorts, ready to carry out the punishment mission. Cheng Yijiu casually glanced at his computer.

"Hmm? What do you mean by a real punishment mission?" Cheng Yijiu looked at the title. "Does it mean there's great danger?" Cheng Yijiu was immediately puzzled. He thought for a moment, then decisively pushed open the door...

The seawater enveloped the massive sea monster. As a megalodon before, Cheng Yijiu had already experienced frequent blackouts, and this time was no different—though only slightly better than with the shark. "Seawater..." was all he could think of. He felt his long neck, realizing its limited range of motion. The cervical vertebrae, at their maximum bend, could only form a quarter of a circle.

He was quite large, though. At least sharks didn't dare to appear before him. As he passed under the boat several times, Cheng Yijiu deliberately used his tail to poke the bow, using this to determine his approximate length. It took him a while to determine that he was probably sixteen or eighteen meters long.

This is California, the world's sixth-largest economy. Its long Pacific coastline boasts numerous beautiful beaches, attracting numerous tourists. Legends of sea monsters have long been circulated here, but whether this is merely a tourist draw or if something truly thrives here is hard to say. A plesiosaur swam in the ocean, approximately six or seven meters below the surface. Previously, Cheng Yijiu had attempted to prey on fish and cephalopods—and he had failed miserably.

It wasn't that he couldn't hunt, but rather that he was inefficient. The fish and squid he devoured couldn't make up for his losses. Was he going to turn his attention to humans again? Cheng Yijiu still remembered the "danger," so he decided to hunt California sea lions or elephant seals. Both animals had plenty of fat and meat, and Cheng Yijiu planned to use his long neck to ambush them on land rather than hunting these nimble animals in the sea.

After Cheng Yijiu's slow brain figured this out, he prepared to head to Elephant Seal Beach to look for opportunities. His target was the reef, which would minimize detection. This was a famous tourist attraction, and many tourists would come here to watch wild animals. Cheng Yijiu was lying in ambush at the edge of a reef underwater. His nostrils were on the top of his head, so he only needed to expose a little to breathe. Because of the reef, yachts rarely approached here.

Just as Cheng Yijiu raised his head to breathe and observe under the cover of the reef, a yacht was suddenly attacked...

Chapter 6 Behemoth

Cheng Yijiu's brain wasn't very big, so his thoughts were slow and sporadic, but he was quick to process the situation. After all, if he was slow, his life would be in jeopardy. His upward-facing, stereoscopic eyes saw a yacht about a hundred meters away, about four hundred meters from the shoreline where the group of fat elephant seals were. Several men and women on board were watching the elephant seals through binoculars—this much his slow-witted brain had already understood.

At that moment, a huge wave suddenly erupted from the other side of the ship, out of sight of Cheng Yijiu, the plesiosaur, and a monster—even to Cheng Yijiu, it was a monster—pounced directly onto the ship. "Dragon?" Cheng Yijiu's first thought was this, and his second was to hide quickly. That creature was much larger than him no matter how he looked at it.

Cheng Yijiu watched as the massive, four-legged creature sank the ship. It didn't seem to devour the people, though its sharp shells and other sharp points sliced ​​through a few of the unfortunate souls as it moved. Cheng Yijiu genuinely didn't see any signs of the dragon-like monster's maw chomping at the sea. Thinking back, the creature simply boarded the ship from the stern, rammed its way to the bow, and then dived back down. The fact that the ship was shattered, its hull shattered, and sunk was another matter entirely.

This force caused Cheng Yijiu to retreat back behind the reef, motionless. He truly didn't dare to move. Sinking a ship like that wouldn't be easy for him. This monster must have been over thirty meters long and quite thick. Its combat power would have been enough to make even ten plesiosaurs like Cheng Yijiu a deadly threat. "The so-called danger..." Cheng Yijiu was now fuming about his slow thinking. "Is that what you're referring to? This thing should be able to...kill all creatures in the sea." He spent five minutes thinking through this sentence.

Cheng Yijiu passively absorbed the information from the water, and he also tried to listen to the sounds in the water—hearing and smell are more powerful than vision in the ocean. For five minutes, the sea dragon glimpsed briefly, then seemed to vanish. Cheng Yijiu listened to the sound coming from the water, a long, chanting melody, indicating that the monster hadn't left. Then, the sound grew louder and louder, and the next moment, the pale blue sea dragon rushed directly from the sea to the shore and bit a huge elephant seal—in full view of tourists and locals.

Cheng Yijiu knew full well that his four fins were powerless to support him on land. Yet, this monster before him, with its four powerful legs, could move freely and swiftly across land. This monster must weigh at least several dozen tons, right? Just look at that thick-looking carapace. And how strong could its limbs be to support such a weight? He slowly figured all of this out...

This monster is incredibly powerful—that's what Cheng Yijiu thought. This creature's head is much larger than Cheng Yijiu's, so its mouth is a weapon that Cheng Yijiu, a plesiosaur, can't compare to. Just look at the sharp bone-knife spines made of the carapace or bones on the sea dragon's mouth, plus the teeth inside. It's a terrifying bite weapon. Now this sea dragon has devoured an entire elephant seal right on the coast, then swaggered back to the sea, leaving endless flashes on the beach.

Cheng Yijiu knew he was in big trouble. Not to mention the numerous people who would try to search for the sea monster, the mere thought of being in the same waters with it made him feel like he was doomed. This was probably the true meaning of this punishment mission. A head-on collision would be a sure death. If a sea dragon discovered him and started hunting him, or even just wanted to see him, he would probably die too.

Because this monster, at least when swimming in the sea, was quite fast, Cheng Yijiu felt that his four fins might not be able to match it. The days ahead would be difficult, and Cheng Yijiu felt that he had to persevere cautiously until the punishment mission was over. But for now, he decided to find a place with many reefs and complex sea conditions on the California coastline and starve himself - Cheng Yijiu felt that as a marine reptile, he should be able to endure hunger for a while.

So Cheng Yijiu carefully swam in the opposite direction of the sea dragon's disappearance. On the way, he was very lucky to pick up a seal killed by a shark, and the remaining meat filled his stomach. He really didn't dare to attack the cruise ship for fear of attracting attention. During this time, Cheng Yijiu once again confirmed that he was capable of attacking the cruise ship. Fortunately, this time, there was no sign of losing control.

Facts proved that one cannot stand alone. Just as he was contemplating the fact that he was lucky not to lose control, his body instinctively rose to the surface and began to follow a yacht from behind. His eyes, emerging from the water, saw the men and women moving around on the boat—though he couldn't be sure how many people there were, it was definitely more than one. Cheng Yijiu's consciousness was a little fuzzy, and he began to lose control.

A long neck suddenly emerged from the sea, biting the fattest man on the boat and disappearing into the sea with a splash. The splatter of blood created a trail on the side of the boat. This was the beast's instinctive choice, choosing prey with plenty of fat and nutrition - this was the privilege of the beasts at the top, otherwise they would only choose the old, weak, and sick prey.

The next process was the same as before. By the time Cheng Yijiu regained control, the fat man had already sunk into the sea—he had been bitten to pieces. Cheng Yijiu confirmed that the plesiosaur's teeth were like steak knives. Cheng Yijiu also knew that the situation was not good because he heard a chanting sound coming from the sea. This sound, like whale song, was something he had heard not long ago. This only proved that the huge sea dragon was nearby.

Cheng Yijiu immediately followed the coast and found a spot near a cliff, where he wedged himself in and hid. This spot looked good. Outside the cliff were several large reefs. Hiding next to the underwater reef, he was inconspicuous at all - even from above, it was difficult to distinguish him from the reef. If possible, Cheng Yijiu planned to hide here for at least a week - he could hold out longer, and if he didn't move too much, he could survive by catching fish, squid, and crustaceans.

The sound grew louder and louder, then suddenly vanished. It seemed the monster had stopped chanting. Soon, Cheng Yijiu, whose head, still pressed against the reef, saw the sea dragon, practically right in front of him. His heart was pounding as the sea dragon, its limbs folded together and twisting its body, passed only about five or six meters in front of him. This moment seemed so long that Cheng Yijiu wondered if the dragon would never finish swimming. Could it be several kilometers long?

Chapter 7: Pursuit

The ferocious sea dragon swam leisurely underwater, gradually approaching the seabed. The water depth here was about ten meters where Cheng Yijiu was, but beyond the reef was a trench that was perhaps fifty or sixty meters deep. The sea dragon gradually sank, and Cheng Yijiu couldn't see the scene below, but he didn't dare move, for fear of being discovered by the monster.

The enormous sea dragon gradually sank into the trench, while Cheng Yijiu's neck, like rust, slowly and gradually rose. Finally, seconds before suffocating, his nostrils peeped out of the water... Had the sea dragon left? He didn't dare bet, but surely this monster needed to breathe? In short, Cheng Yijiu remained there for an entire day without moving, and ultimately, he wasn't captured by the sea dragon.

Cheng Yijiu's slow deliberation also allowed him to notice the sudden increase in the number of ships on the sea—many Coast Guard vessels appeared, apparently searching for the sea dragon that had attacked the ships, and of course, him as well. Two attacks at sea occurred in one day, both witnessed by numerous witnesses and recorded on video. The two attacks involved two completely different sea monsters; these were undoubtedly two massive bomb explosions.

The explosive news of two different sea monsters off the California coast, both ferocious beasts, was much fresher than even Bigfoot. Consequently, numerous media vessels and helicopters were searching the area, along with an expedition organized by the University of California. Relatively speaking, Cheng Yijiu was the less noticeable one—he appeared and disappeared so quickly, dragging away a fat man. The only people who saw him were probably half the people on that side of the boat.

It appeared and disappeared so quickly that half the crowd didn't get a good look. They could only vaguely recall its appearance—long neck, horse head, and then nothing. The sea dragon, on the other hand, made a grand appearance, taking the world by storm. Because it looked like a reptile, but no one could pinpoint its evolutionary lineage, and because it resembled dragons from East Asian legends, it reignited various Asian dragon legends.

Photos of keels from the last century were once again unearthed, but no matter how they looked, they couldn't be reconciled with the majestic sea dragon, except perhaps for the two horns. Numerous ships ply the waters off California, and individuals of all stripes try to "fish" the sea dragon with various baits—unfortunately, none succeed. Two days later, Cheng Yijiu quietly made his way north along the coastline in shallow waters, moving cautiously for fear of colliding with the sea dragon.

If he really ran into a sea dragon, his career so far would be over. Apollo's blessing probably wouldn't help him, and he wasn't sure if Poseidon's blessing would help. Cheng Yijiu swam carefully, his slow brain pondering memories. "If it was... the little flying dragon... the Arctic plesiosaur from Ah Zhong, maybe there would be a chance."

That creature was about 40 meters tall, and with its more flexible neck and large head, as well as decent mobility on the ice, it could probably avoid being killed by the sea dragon, or at least prevent the sea dragon from targeting it. In his current state as a 16 or 17-meter plesiosaur, he was a dead giveaway, and there was no hope of encountering it, so Cheng Yijiu could only pray and move in a evasive manner.

He desperately hoped those people would find the sea dragon quickly. It would be even better if they could capture him. If that didn't work... Cheng Yijiu wondered if he had walked into a trap. Would that count as passing the punishment mission? He figured it probably wouldn't. Cheng Yijiu took a deep breath, and then, with a throbbing heart, he quickly lay flat on the seafloor, feigning death and remaining motionless. Less than a minute later, he looked up and saw a massive shadow passing overhead.

A pale blue sea dragon circled in the water, seemingly searching for prey. Cheng Yijiu persisted for a moment, then saw his opportunity and began to frantically flap his four flippers, swimming forward—he was certain the sea dragon had spotted him. The sea dragon's speed wasn't slow, but it was still a bit behind Cheng Yijiu, who was fighting tooth and nail. Cheng Yijiu didn't surface, while the sea dragon's back would occasionally poke out of the water as it twisted its body.

This attracted a number of boats—the first to spot it were helicopters and small seaplanes. They first spotted the sea dragon, then, from their high vantage point, spotted another sea monster, which was frantically fleeing ahead. It looked like a plesiosaur. Now it was a blast, two sea monsters in one frame, one apparently hunting the other—it was the best news. But the Coast Guard got there first, pulling out their nets.

To avoid causing animal casualties, they used thick fishing nets, primarily hooked around the two sea monsters to slow them down. Cheng Yijiu instinctively thought and decisively dove down to bypass the nets from below—this was due to the other party's mistake. If they had thrown the nets closer, Cheng Yijiu would have been entangled before he could dive, and would have been killed by the sea dragon behind him before he could be caught.

It seemed the sea dragon hadn't dodged the attack in time, or perhaps the monster simply ignored the fishing net. The thick net entangled itself around it, and the weight of the lead weights hanging from its body effectively slowed it down. Cheng Yijiu didn't bother looking back. He fled frantically, occasionally peeking out of the water to breathe—the intense exercise consumed a lot of oxygen and caused lactic acid to accumulate in the plesiosaur's muscles.

If this continued, Cheng Yijiu's muscles would soon ache and become incapacitated. He needed to relax and allow the blood to carry away the lactic acid from his muscles—this was a disadvantage for reptiles over mammals. Cheng Yijiu was undoubtedly a warm-blooded reptile, but the sea dragon behind him was unknown. Regardless, the monster behind him was moving powerfully and rapidly closing the distance. Lactic acid accumulation was something that defied willpower. Even an iron will could not overcome the muscle soreness and restricted movement it brought, forcing the muscles to shut down.

Cheng Yijiu felt that his limit was just ahead, and his escape route was about to end. His limbs were moving much slower, and the pain was getting worse, and his swimming speed had also decreased significantly. The sea dragon was getting closer.

But at this point, the sea dragon was already tangled in a lot of fishing nets, and its speed inevitably slowed down. Cheng Yijiu took a deep breath and dove down. This time, he moved his limbs very little, hoping to quickly eliminate the lactic acid through this slow relaxation. The sea dragon's movements were now restricted, and those damn fishing nets had trapped it. Although many of them had been cut by the sharp spines, there were still many left.

The dragon began to coil, and the long spines on its back and the twin horns on its head began to glow with a bluish-white light...

Chapter 8: Luck

Even with the pain of his muscles tearing, Cheng Yijiu swam desperately forward. Behind him, the circling sea dragon suddenly erupted with blue-white lightning. The hanging fishing nets collapsed, and the seawater boiled to the point of exploding. The sea dragon moved underwater and used its spines to rip open the bottom of the boat that surrounded him.

Cheng Yijiu received an electric shock, his limbs completely out of control, and his entire body slowly sank. Fortunately, Hailong was focused on counterattack, so after sinking for a while, he regained control and took the opportunity to escape. Cheng Yijiu didn't consider what kind of counterattack Hailong would launch. He found a relatively complex bay and dove in, not intending to come out.

Cheng Yijiu planned to rely on some fish and cephalopods in the bay and a few seals that came in to feed to survive until the end of the entire punishment mission - there are reefs everywhere in this place, and the coastline is a rugged stone cliff that is quite steep. The water is actually very deep, about sixty to seventy or even hundreds of meters. The underwater reef terrain is very complex, so hiding is the best place to go.

He stayed huddled there, clinging to the reef's surface all day, breathing in its shadow with one nostril exposed. He didn't care if the world outside was shattering, just trying to survive on a minimal daily diet. He did lose control, but luckily not often, and mostly when hunting.

This place has many reefs and is not a sea area that human fishing boats like to approach. Therefore, the out-of-control Cheng Yijiu had no chance to prey on the two-legged sheep. Several times, he swam out of the reef area out of control, but fortunately he woke up in time and returned to the deepest part. In order to give himself enough time to wake up, Cheng Yijiu pressed himself to the deepest part near the shore, and it took some effort to swim out.

He could hear the sound of ship engines in the open sea, and see helicopters circling in the sky through the water. Perhaps the sea dragon had really done something great, but it was just too small for him - the honor of the California sea monster should go to the sea dragon. By the way, how did this only child come into being?

Since he was hiding here anyway, it might be nice to use his slow brain to think and kill time. Putting aside the rumors about the California sea monster, his own existence proved that there should be at least dozens or hundreds of similar creatures. If he was the last California sea monster, it would be too tragic.

As for the sea dragon? How could such a ferocious and violent sea monster be discovered only now? Cheng Yijiu felt that it was just as unreliable as he himself. After all, it was probably just a quirk of the world. It was difficult to calculate time in the sea, especially with such a simple brain. In short, when Cheng Yijiu returned to the hall, he was still groggy and his mouth had a strange taste of rust.

He even fell asleep while lying on the sofa in the living room. When he woke up and his mind gradually became clear, it was already a day later. Cheng Yijiu flipped through a series of new books in the study that introduced the California sea monster, and he almost figured out the ins and outs of the so-called California sea monster.

"Ha...it's just as I expected." Cheng Yijiu nodded. Sure enough, this thing was just an urban legend or a rumor in the beginning, and then it became more and more true. As a result, from some point on, the eyewitness records were investigated as no longer a prank, hysterical attack or a mistake.

This book is quite thick and it examines in detail all the eyewitness records that could be collected. Those from older times were almost all considered to be pranks or misjudgments, while those from more recent times - at least those after the 1970s - began to show some situations that could not be explained by pranks or misjudgments.

There have never been many sightings of the California sea monster, which is relatively rare compared to those lake monsters on the North American continent. Like the lake monster, video and photo records are also scarce and always so blurry. After careful verification and hypnosis and polygraph tests on some witnesses, the book confirmed the authenticity of some records and also collected cases of disappearances at sea in California over the years.

There is a strong positive correlation between disappearances and sightings—this is true in terms of location. From the 1980s to the new century, the number of cruise ship disappearances off the coast of California has increased. However, due to economic development, more and more people own cruise ships, and the number of cruise ships off the coast of California has been increasing year by year, so the disappearances hidden among them seem less conspicuous.

But the book only described the situation as "shocking" after statistics were compiled. In the first decade of the new century, disappearances soared to a new high, with an average of three yachts disappearing in this area each year. Fortunately, they were all small yachts, and in total, about seven people disappeared each year.

As for the true identity of the California sea monster, the book also puts forward an opinion, "I guessed right, the book also wrote that it is a plesiosaur-type creature, and even provided a restoration diagram - there are only slight differences from the punishment task." Cheng Yijiu nodded. It seems that the author has strong investigative capabilities, but even such an author cannot explain how this creature can exist.

A plesiosaur that survived 65 million years ago is clearly improbable, and the fact that it remained unchanged is even more improbable. Combined with the previous analysis, this California sea monster simply appeared out of nowhere, with no context or explanation.

Sea dragons appeared after this book was published, so the second book that Cheng Yijiu took was even more exaggerated. The cover was a very clear photo of a sea dragon, and the content described in detail the sea monster that suddenly appeared but suddenly disappeared - a monster called a sea dragon.

A third of the catalogue describes the real California sea monster during Cheng Yijiu's punishment mission, describing the "plesiosaur" being hunted by the sea dragon. This was the most sensational news at the time and the sea dragon's most eye-catching moment. The sea monster launched an electric shock, destroying three ships, resulting in eleven missing and four deaths. The sea dragon appeared in the pursuit of the pursuers' sights more than once, even coming ashore for a period of time, and finally disappeared into the ocean without being captured.

As a result, people lost sight of the real California sea monster. The sea dragon was sighted twice more, only to disappear completely a week later—a mystery that remains unsolved. It's clear that sea dragons are not simply marine creatures. They even require the ability to move on land more than pinnipeds like sea lions, seals, and walruses—otherwise, why would they have such strong and complete four legs?

It also demonstrated strong terrestrial mobility. Judging purely by its size, it was undoubtedly the largest terrestrial and marine carnivore ever. Experts argued furiously over its classification, with no consensus, as it subsequently vanished.

Cheng Yijiu was also shocked when he looked at the locations of the last few sightings. In fact, this guy was just moving back and forth in the sea not far from the outside of the reef. If Cheng Yijiu had gone out, he would definitely have encountered him. This time, he might not be so lucky...

Chapter 9: Trouble Again

"The world is incredible..." Cheng Yijiu grabbed another book. Seeing that the author was Japanese, he almost guessed what it would say. The California sea monster incident had indeed shocked the entire world. From its appearance to its disappearance, there were so many things that could not be explained. Cheng Yijiu looked at the bookshelf in front of him. There were three rows of books on this subject, but after flipping through them, he only found this much.

Because the entire incident occurred within a week, from appearance to disappearance. Even after months of exhaustive investigations by the expedition team and the Coast Guard, nothing was found. The newly discovered sea dragon disappeared, and even the previously rumored California sea monster itself vanished. Aside from elephant seals and whales, which are considered relatively large sea beasts, no other sea creatures were found in the waters off California.

Sea monsters that are tens of meters long or even dozens of meters long do not exist at all, just like in the past.

"Are you a fan of the New World Four?" Cheng Yijiu was quite proud. He had narrowly escaped his punishment mission and created a legend at the same time. Looking at the other legends on the bookshelf, he couldn't say he didn't feel a sense of accomplishment—of course, the most fulfilling one was the tiger. The punishment mission was over, and he felt a lot more relaxed. He could continue to run the shop.

After the door opened that day, Liu Tao walked in with a smile. "How are you?" Cheng Yijiu greeted him and saw that he looked good. "No one comes here for no reason. Last time I came, I almost killed you guys. What good news do you have this time?" Cheng Yijiu's words were quite sarcastic. The man, who was worthy of being a manager of the relevant department, just laughed it off as if nothing had happened. "It's a good result after all. It's best that nothing happened."

Then his face turned serious. "I really need your help this time. How about a trip?" Cheng Yijiu reached out and rubbed his hair, pushing it back. Unfortunately, he wasn't good with hairspray, so it wouldn't stick to his hair straight back. "What kind of thing? I don't think China is that big, so they might need to ask me for help. Are the relevant departments so short-staffed?"

"The fewer people who know about it, the better." ** simply added, "Besides, you always encounter this kind of thing, don't you?"

"What's this place?" Cheng Yijiu sighed. His shop assistant was tidying up the shelves. As for whether he heard it or not? ** didn't care, so why should Cheng Yijiu care?

"Kunlun Mountain," ** said, "Eastern section. We'll tell you the specific address when we get there." Cheng Yijiu thought for a moment, "Xiao Tang, come here. Here are the keys. I have something to do and I'll be out for a few days. You can just open and close the door." The girl still looked indifferent - Cheng Yijiu suspected she probably wouldn't even know how to open the door...

"Let me pack my luggage—at least a change of clothes, right? Or do you provide work clothes? I have a bad feeling. Maybe you should provide work clothes," Cheng Yijiu muttered, covering his head. Not long after, he followed the ** away. It was the same two young people from last time, a man and a woman. "Are you okay too? You look stronger than ever," Cheng Yijiu said. Xiao Zhang, on the other hand, looked a little shy.

A simple Wuling Hongguang sedan and a completely unremarkable departmental vehicle took the group directly to the airport. It was still a Gulfstream business jet, with the same crew—this time the flight was no less time-consuming than the last, yet Cheng Yijiu felt as if he had arrived in Qinghai. The plane landed at an airport, undoubtedly a military base, as it didn't look like a commercial airport at all. The airport was surrounded by mountains and wilderness, though there were also some buildings and a few roads.

The wind was strong, incredibly strong. With his hands in his pockets, Cheng Yijiu regretted not wearing a windbreaker—his clothes felt like they were leaking air everywhere, like a fishing net. Yes, the wind was damn strong. They arrived at a building near the airport and took the elevator down to the basement. "Rest first. We have work clothes. We'll have to drive a while to get to the specific address," said the doctor, assigning everyone a room.

There was hot water, and the room was nicely furnished—even TV, though only CCTV. There was no cell phone signal, and no local area network, so all I could do was shower and go to sleep. The next morning—"There's actually sunlight in this place? Is it guided by fiber optics?" Cheng Yijiu was awakened by the light. He checked his wristband: 6:30 AM. After getting up and washing up, he found a full set of "work clothes" by the door.

"Just as I expected," Cheng Yijiu sighed. Over the next layer of skin-tight cotton-blend stretch underwear was a set of equally stretchy long-sleeved, long-pants autumn clothes, made of a material Cheng Yijiu had no idea what. Cheng Yijiu felt they possessed a strong warmth-retaining, breathable, and waterproof quality, capable of maintaining body temperature and humidity. Next came the socks, made of a similar material, and finally, the outermost layer, a durable, waterproof, and breathable camouflage uniform.

"There are quite a few pockets, and you can tie the cuffs and trouser legs. Even the neck has a layer of protection, but it has a fake collar... Is it for aesthetics?" After putting it on, Cheng Yijiu found that there were accessories - hard sheaths that can be put on the elbows and knees, and there are also shoulder pads that can be installed on the forearms and shoulders to protect the outside of the upper arms - these are all black, light and strong composite materials, which are probably resistant to high and low temperatures and acid and alkali.

There is also a sheath on the neck that can be connected to the external hard vest worn on the chest and shoulders, and there are also sheaths on the waist and hips - all made of the same material - "Why do I feel that they are similar to karate protective gear?" Cheng Yijiu looked at the armor protecting the calves and the tactical gloves that also had small armor - fully enclosed, the palm part has wear-resistant material to increase friction and it is not thick, it feels pretty good.

The same goes for the boots on his feet. They are not heavy, but Cheng Yijiu can feel that they have a soft, puncture-proof sole, and they are connected to the trouser legs to form a closed shape. In this way, the protective gear is complete. The design is quite flexible and does not hinder movement. It is also very light. There is even a small mechanism that can open the crotch armor to urinate, so it is not difficult to go to the toilet. There is a slightly higher sheath behind the neck, which is connected to the helmet and can cover the face armor and anti-gas filter when necessary. "Is the place you are going to so dangerous?"

As for weapons, Cheng Yijiu didn't bring any - one still had to be careful when dealing with relevant departments. After he was fully dressed, he went to the cafeteria. Sure enough, ** and the others were already waiting there dressed similarly. "Let's eat, and after that, choose your personal equipment," ** said.

Chapter 10 Kunlun Mountains

The food was quite good, and breakfast was even self-service—porridge, pancakes, and other typical Northwest-style breakfasts were available, but there was also toast, bacon, and milk. The four of them ate their fill, then put on their accessories and grabbed their helmets and visors—all made of composite materials, lighter than steel helmets but just as strong. Cheng Yijiu casually asked, "Are we going to fight?"

Liu Moutao also laughed and said, "No, it hasn't gotten that far, but safety comes first."

Choosing a weapon was easy. Xiao Zhang was definitely active duty, so he chose an assault rifle. Cheng Yijiu shook his head, but that was a personal choice, so he couldn't say for sure. "I think since we're not going to fight, a semi-automatic rifle with full-power ammunition is the most suitable—if we encounter anything dangerous enough, we can take it down with one shot," Cheng Yijiu thought. Liu Moutao picked up a pistol—the latest Model A.

The girl also picked up a pistol—a compact B-type. As for Cheng Yijiu, he glanced at the Type 09 rifle next to him, curled his lips, and decided not to use it. Although he knew that even if he picked up the gun, it wouldn't be a big deal. The other party would probably think that he had learned how to use a gun in the United States and might have killed dozens of people. But Cheng Yijiu still didn't want to use a gun in front of the authorities. So he chose a long hunting knife with a hand guard and a recurve bow.

I don't know what brand this modern recurve bow is, but it looks like it might be a custom model from somewhere. The handle fits Cheng Yijiu's hand perfectly, and the weight is just right for him, though it might be too heavy for others. The handle appears to be made of aluminum or some other metal. Then there are the two limbs, which feel light and are likely made of carbon fiber. "65 pounds should be plenty," Cheng Yijiu said, looking at the markings.

"Can't we just use a compound bow? The place we're going shouldn't be that harsh, right? Aren't American hunting compound bows good enough?" Cheng Yijiu complained casually. But it didn't matter—compound bows are powerful and accurate, but recurve bows are also powerful and fast. At a distance of about thirty meters, they're about the same for Cheng Yijiu. The arrows were also made of metal tubes with plastic tail feathers. They were indeed very straight, but also quite heavy. It would take a lot of effort to bend them.

Arrows are the real killer—the sharp arrows made of three-edged blades are quite heavy, and when paired with heavy arrows, they can unleash tremendous damage at a distance of about thirty meters. Cheng Yijiu chose this thing, equipped with twenty arrows, a box of replacement arrows, and some special purpose arrows. "That's it," Cheng Yijiu said, and then everyone got their own backpack.

The backpack contained emergency medicine, food, a water bladder, a waterproof and fire-resistant blanket, and, of course, a power bank and a small camera—a device that could connect to a special phone. There was also a small handheld device that Cheng Yijiu couldn't figure out what it was for. It looked like a phone with a medium screen and dial keys, but with a movable antenna that extended out. The backpack wasn't heavy, but the material on the outside felt a bit strange. It was pitch black, a bit like a solar panel.

The top of the backpack could be opened, and with a clever little bracket, it transformed into something like the bamboo bookshelf used by ancient scholars to shelter themselves from the wind and rain—a similar device Cheng Yijiu had seen Ning Caichen use in A Chinese Ghost Story. The brackets were definitely solar cells, and before putting the backpack on, Liu Moutao and someone from the army had mysteriously produced some rather strange and crude brackets.

The brace is shaped like a "big" character. I-shaped metal bars on the arms and legs are fastened to the body through buckles. Stirrup-like structures underneath buckle to the soles of the feet, with movable joints like those in the human body. A multi-jointed metal bar supports the spine. Two buckles attach to the shoulders, and a belt-like buckle at the waist, along with several metal blocks, is located there. "Here, an experimental powered exoskeleton," Liu said.

Cheng Yijiu looked at the marker-sized hydraulic cylinders and springs on his thighs, calves, and arms and was amazed. "They can recycle some of the kinetic energy and be charged by solar energy. The battery pack can last for eight hours and can carry a maximum load of 150 kilograms—not counting your body weight," the leader explained. "How about changing your mind and getting something bigger?" He grinned and encouraged Cheng Yijiu to go for the large spray gun.

Cheng Yijiu grinned as he switched to a 100-pound bow. Now he could draw with less effort and greater stability—even though he could already draw easily. With everything ready, Cheng Yijiu felt quite at ease—the bow and arrow came with quick-carry bags, so once they were stowed, they wouldn't interfere with walking or climbing. They walked out to a lightweight all-terrain vehicle. This time, Xiao Zhang was driving, while Liu Moutao, grinning, began fiddling with a digital map...

Cheng Yijiu didn't even want to ask where they were going. Judging by the fuel drums in the truck bed, they probably had a long drive ahead of them. Sure enough, the car soon entered the mountains, following a simple road until the road disappeared, leaving only a seemingly flat slope. By this time, they were deep in the mountains. Cheng Yijiu saw that his phone had no signal, so he simply turned off the 5G signal to save battery.

Snow began to accumulate on the ground, and it seemed they were already above the snow line. Fortunately, they were all in good health and had no altitude sickness. Cheng Yijiu and Xiao Zhang got out of the car, installed snow shovels in front of the car, and continued to climb slowly until they reached a place with a huge cave in the mountain. "Is this it?" Cheng Yijiu was a little curious. "It's here," Liu Moutao said. Cheng Yijiu stood up and looked into the distance.

"I have a feeling..." He looked up and sniffed the air. "There's something big here," he muttered. But now the car was parked at the cave entrance, and Liu Moutao was beckoning him in. They each had a flashlight, but they didn't need it right now—the cave was almost completely open-air, the mountain above obscuring the snow but not the light. "How strange... There shouldn't be any light. Is there refracting quartz here?" Cheng Yijiu was curious.

"No, this place has actually been artificially renovated." Liu Moutao, not one to be a riddler, directly revealed the mystery. "We've investigated before, and at an undetermined time, someone installed a 'mirror' here to reflect light." He glanced at Cheng Yijiu. "I don't know if this is a palace or a tomb. We don't know yet. The last investigation was thirty years ago, and there were some incidents. Recently, there have been reports of strange changes here."

Chapter 11: Mummy

"What do you mean?" Cheng Yijiu asked. "There are some abnormal things, um, similar to what happened when we noticed you before." Liu Moutao said, "In short, our responsibility is to investigate and evaluate, and provide a preliminary investigation report on how to solve the problem - Oh, don't look like that, I'll write the report, you don't have to."

Xiao Zhang led the way, activating the direct-beam flashlight at his waist and heading deeper into the cave. Given the current brightness, he didn't need to use the flashlight, but he adjusted the flashlight to focus, effectively serving as a guide. Cheng Yijiu was second, Liu Moutao, the leader, was at the end, and the young girl was third. "This is indeed man-made," Yijiu exclaimed shortly after entering. "The ground beneath my feet must have been flattened."

Indeed, there were even lines on the ground, which, after sweeping them with the soles of their shoes, they discovered were patterns. Walking a little deeper, they discovered bricks and murals on the cave walls—in this environment, the murals painted with minerals were remarkably well-preserved. "This style? It's a bit like those in tombs," Cheng Yijiu, though not an archaeologist, offered his own thoughts. "Is this a diagram of ascension to immortality?"