socalfunplaces Chapter 35 Legend of Gods and Demons 2
Chapter 35 Legend of Gods and Demons 2
Cairo's chaotic streets became a dangerous hunting ground. Wang Lin, Chu Xuan, and others protected Evelyn and the old curator, sprinting through narrow, filthy alleys. Behind them, the commotion from the direction of the museum not only failed to subside but intensified, with more screams, gunshots, and a chilling, inhuman growl mingling together, while a faint, decaying smell of dust began to fill the air.
"It's a mummy! That bald man... he summoned the Mummy Guardians!" Zero's extremely calm voice came through the mental link, accompanied by several muffled sniper shots. "More than one, they poured out of the museum's basement, their movements were stiff but their strength was immense, ordinary bullets were ineffective. They didn't chase us, their goal seems to be to take control of the museum and find the key. That bald man is looking in the direction you left, he may have sensed the energy fluctuations of the key."
"Damn it! The Indian team really came, and they're making such a big fuss right off the bat!" Intense fighting and shouts came from Zheng Zha's side as well. "These two troublesome guys! Overlord, suppress that snake-playing woman with firepower! Li Shuaixi, help me take down this one with the knife!"
"Chu Xuan, where are we going now?" Zhan Lan asked while maintaining her mental barrier to block out any overly obvious mental and life fluctuations from the crowd. The three newcomers were already pale with fright, their legs weak, and they were practically being dragged along. The guide, 7341-ZJ, remained close by, his steps precise, as if the surrounding chaos had nothing to do with him.
"Go to the designated point C, the abandoned camel market in the east of the city. The terrain there is complex, making it easy to hide and defend. Zero, Ming Yanwei, find a way to escape and move closer to us, and be careful to clean up the tail. Zheng Zha, deal with the opponent as soon as possible, and bring O'Connor to meet up. If you can't take him alive... at least make sure he knows Hamunaptra's location!" Chu Xuan spoke rapidly, his brain like a supercomputer, processing information from all directions and planning the optimal route.
Wang Lin's mental resonance network was operating at full power, integrating Zero's vision, Zheng Zha's battle situation, the real-time dynamics of the surrounding streets, and the information captured by his own keen sense of danger and psychic vision into a three-dimensional, dynamic battlefield map, which he shared with Chu Xuan and Zhan Lan. He "saw" several streets behind him that several short mummies, stiff in movement, wrapped in tattered bandages, and with eerie green flames burning in their eye sockets, were tracking them with an agility that did not match their appearance, following their lingering scent. Further away, in the direction of the museum, the bald man was standing at the dilapidated entrance of the museum, his hands clasped together, chanting something in a low voice. He was shrouded in a dark golden aura, full of Buddhist power yet mixed with a dense death aura. On the ground beneath his feet, the fine sand seemed to writhe as if it were alive, condensing into more sand-like human figures.
"It's a combination of sand magic and necromancy... This captain of the Indian team is very skilled in using the power of the Necronomicon, and it seems... he's trying to control or guide some of Imhotep's power?" Wang Lin quickly analyzed, while trying to mobilize his mental energy to place weak but continuous mental disturbances at several key corners of the alley behind him to interfere with the mummy's tracking instincts.
The group rushed through a narrow alleyway overflowing with sewage, and suddenly the space opened up to reveal an open-air market piled high with discarded wooden crates, tattered tents, and camel dung. The air was thick with the pungent smells of animal scum and mildew. This was point C, the abandoned camel market. A few half-collapsed mud walls and piles of debris provided decent cover.
"Here! Set up defenses! Zhan Lan, expand the mental barrier, but be careful with its strength, don't become a target. Wang Lin, set up early warning and mental interference nodes. Newcomer, hide behind the thickest wall over there, don't come out if you don't want to die!" Chu Xuan quickly gave the orders, while taking out several simple remote-controlled mines and tripwires from his backpack and starting to set them up at several possible entrances.
Wang Lin immediately sprang into action. He released his mental energy like threads, leaving tiny "sensor points" bearing his mental imprint at key entrances and exits, high points, and blind spots in the market. These sensor points acted like highly sensitive alarms, alerting him to any approaching mental fluctuations or life energy that were not his own. At the same time, he began to experiment with his knowledge of "advanced basic energy manipulation," combining it with his mental energy to leave weak, chaotic energy fields on the ground and walls of several main passageways. While not enough to kill, these fields could interfere with precision instruments and energy perception, and produce a slight "burning" or "repulsive" sensation on undead creatures.
Zhan Lan then erected a thicker and more stable mental energy shield that covered most of the market. This shield was not completely invisible, but it could effectively isolate internal mental fluctuations and the leakage of life energy, and also interfere with external mental probing.
After setting up the physical traps, Chu Xuan quickly hid behind a half-collapsed earthen wall and contacted Zero again: "Zero, report your location and situation. What's the movement of the Indian team's main force?"
"They've left the museum area and are approaching you. We cleared out two local thugs who were trying to follow us (they were suspected of being mind-controlled by the Indian team). The main force of the Indian team... that bald captain with about five men, has taken control of the museum and seems to be setting up some kind of ritual. There are three others: one completely shrouded in a black robe, making it impossible to see his face; one tall and muscular like a wild beast; and the other is the bald woman with a cinnabar mark between her eyebrows whom we saw at the port earlier. They left the museum, heading... seemingly also towards the east of the city, but their route is different from ours, and their target is unknown." Zero calmly reported, accompanied by the faint sound of a gun being cocked.
“That bald woman is dangerous,” Ming Yanwei added, her voice tinged with seriousness. “My Eagle Eyes can see that she has at least seven different colored, tattoo-like energy nodes on her body, each radiating powerful mental fluctuations, and… she seems to be able to see through my concealment.”
"She might be a mentally gifted individual or a shaman-like being with enhanced abilities. Be careful of her mental attacks and curses," Chu Xuan cautioned. "Zheng Zha, how are things on your end?"
"It's done!" Zheng Zha's voice was panting and tinged with satisfaction. "The one with the knife was fast, but his defense was so-so. Li Shuaixi and I took him down with a combined attack. The snake-playing woman's summoned snakes were troublesome, but they were burned clean by Ba Wang's flamethrower. She herself was also slit in the throat by Zhao Yingkong from the shadows. We got the key, and I woke up O'Connor, that drunkard. He's now cursing and leading us towards the rendezvous point. But he says Hamunaptra is deep in the desert, and without enough camels, supplies, and a guide, going in is suicide. And... he insists on going to find his 'friend' Jonathan, and that 'stupid woman' Evelyn."
"Tell him that Evelyn is with us, and we'll figure out a way to get Jonathan to join us," Chu Xuan said.
Just then, a strong warning signal came from a mental sensing point that Wang Lin had set up in the northeast! Immediately following were signals from the southwest and northwest!
"Something's approaching! And it's not just one wave! It's moving very fast!" Wang Lin shouted sharply, while simultaneously sharing the images he sensed through a mental link.
From the northeast, three figures rapidly approached, leaping across the low rooftops. Leading them was a gigantic man of exceptionally tall and muscular stature, bronze-skinned, bare-chested except for an animal hide around his waist, wielding a massive stone axe. With each step he took, the rooftops beneath his feet groaned under his weight. Behind him was a figure shrouded in a tattered black robe, his face obscured, yet radiating an aura of death. Finally, there was a bald woman with a dot of cinnabar between her brows, dressed in a brightly colored sari. She walked barefoot, yet her movements were as light as a cat's, her face bearing a strange expression that mingled with pity and indifference.
To the southwest and northwest, came the same few short mummies that had been tracking them earlier. They emerged from different alleyways, their eerie green flames locked onto the market, emitting hoarse growls.
"It's the Indian team's pursuers! That giant is their main melee fighter, the black-robed man is probably a necromancer or a curse user, and the bald woman is a mentalist! The mummy is for harassment and attrition!" Chu Xuan instantly judged. "Prepare to engage! Zheng Zha, how much longer until you arrive?"
"Five minutes! Five minutes at most!" Zheng Zha roared.
"Hold on for five minutes! Wang Lin, prioritize using mental interference to restrain the bald woman and the mummy! Zhan Lan, focus on using mental barriers to defend against mental attacks and curses! Ba Wang, Li Shuaixi, Zhao Yingkong, coordinate with Zheng Zha to take down that giant first! Ling Dian, Ming Yanwei, provide remote support, prioritize eliminating the mummy and interfering with the black-robed figure! Chu Xuan, protect Evelyn and the curator! Guide, provide enemy energy analysis data within the scope permitted by the agreement!" Wang Lin quickly assigned tasks, and the mental resonance network instantly transmitted his instructions to everyone.
Before the words were even finished, the Indian team's attack had already begun!
The giant roared and leaped from the rooftop twenty meters away, hurtling towards the center of the market like a human cannonball! The massive stone axe, carrying the force to split mountains and cleave rocks, cleaved down from the sky! Its target was precisely the direction from which Zheng Zha's group, seemingly the greatest threat, was approaching!
"Well done!" Overlord roared, advancing instead of retreating, and fiercely fired his shoulder-fired rocket launcher (brought from the Main God Space, but never had a chance to use it)! The rocket, trailing a plume of flame, hurtled straight at the giant in the air!
However, the giant, still in mid-air, neither dodged nor evaded. He changed his stone axe from a slash to a sweep, slamming it hard onto the rocket! Boom! The rocket exploded in mid-air, flames and shrapnel engulfing the giant! But the next second, he was enveloped in a layer of earthy yellow aura, having withstood the impact of the explosion. He only had some charred marks on his body. After landing, he staggered, roaring as he continued his charge! His defensive capabilities were astonishing!
At the same time, the black-robed man raised his withered arm, chanting incantations. From the shadows of the market floor, countless pale, bony arms and claws suddenly shot out, grabbing at everyone's ankles! It was the necromancy spell "Bone Prison"! The few short mummies also roared and pounced forward, as fast as cheetahs, their target being Evelyn and the old curator hiding in the back!
The most dangerous one was the bald woman. She clasped her hands together, the cinnabar between her brows radiating a brilliant red light, and an invisible, intangible yet alluring and chaotic mental wave surged towards them like a tide! Zhan Lan's mental barrier collided violently with this mental wave, producing a hissing sound and flashing light! Zhan Lan groaned, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth; the bald woman's mental attack was far more powerful than expected!
"Wang Lin!" Zhan Lan exclaimed urgently.
"Leave it to me!" Wang Lin's eyes narrowed as he withdrew most of his mental energy from the resonance network, condensing it into a powerful yet more refined mental energy spike, which he then fiercely stabbed at the chaotic fluctuations! At the same time, he activated "Advanced Basic Energy Control," attempting to transform some of the invading chaotic mental fluctuations into harmless, warm life energy within the barrier, feeding it back to Zhan Lan and relieving her pressure.
Two spiritual forces clashed silently in the void! Wang Lin felt that his opponent's consciousness was like a bottomless ancient well, cold and lifeless, yet containing countless twisted thoughts and fanatical beliefs, constantly assaulting his defenses. He gritted his teeth and persevered. His 28 points of willpower and the nourishment from the millennium-old warm jade allowed him to stabilize his position. He even began to try to reverse-analyze the frequency and structure of his opponent's spiritual fluctuations, searching for weaknesses.
On the other side, Zheng Zha, Li Shuaixi, and Zhao Yingkong were already engaged in battle with the giant. The giant possessed immense strength; his stone axe whistled through the air with each swing, each strike capable of shattering stone tablets. Zheng Zha activated the first level of his gene lock, unleashing his vampire energy and inner strength at full power, his movements as swift as lightning as lightning, clashing head-on with the giant, their fists and feet exchanging muffled thuds. Li Shuaixi's blade flashed like snow, targeting the giant's joints and lower body. Zhao Yingkong, like a ghost, moved around the giant, her short sword seeking out gaps in his armor and vital points, leaving trails of blood. However, the giant's defense was extremely high, and his regenerative abilities were also strong; his wounds quickly stopped bleeding, and he roared repeatedly, making it impossible for them to defeat him for the time being.
Zero calmly fired, blasting the heads of the two mummies lunging at Evelyn, extinguishing the dark green flames, and turning the mummies into piles of bones. Ming Yanwei drew her longbow, unleashing a barrage of energy arrows that precisely struck the eye sockets and joints of several other mummies, slowing their movements. Overlord's heavy machine gun unleashed a furious barrage, suppressing the new skeletal arms that were breaking free from the Bone Prison spell and constantly emerging, creating an opportunity for Zheng Zha and the others.
Chu Xuan held an energy pistol in one hand, precisely firing at the skeletal arms that had slipped through the net and the approaching mummy, while his other hand protected Evelyn and the old curator, his sharp eyes observing the entire battlefield. Guide 7341-ZJ stood beside him, its crimson electronic eyes constantly scanning the enemies, reporting a series of cold data: "Target A (Giant), Physical Strength Assessment: B+, Energy Resistance: B-, Slight Earth Attribute Enhancement present… Target B (Black Robe), Undead Energy Concentration: A-, Curse-type Skill Casting Frequency: High, Physical Defense: Low… Target C (Bald Woman), Mental Strength: A-, Faith Enhancement Fluctuations, Mental Pollution Characteristics present…"
The three newlyweds huddled behind the wall, trembling with fear, while stray bullets and flying pebbles occasionally landed around them.
The battle reached a brief stalemate. The Indian team clearly held the initiative; although their numbers were evenly matched, the bald woman's mental attacks posed a significant threat to the Central Continent team, tying down Wang Lin and Zhan Lan's attention. The black-robed necromancy continued relentlessly, draining everyone's stamina and ammunition. While the giant was temporarily held back, his defense was formidable, and prolonged fighting would be detrimental.
"Chu Xuan! This won't do! That bald woman's mental attacks are too annoying! Zhan Lan and I can't hold on much longer!" Wang Lin said urgently in the mental connection. He felt his mental energy being rapidly depleted, while the other party's mental energy seemed inexhaustible, and it also carried a strange, mind-corroding pollution.
Chu Xuan's eyes were icy, his mind racing. Suddenly, he looked at O'Connor, who was being protected by Zheng Zha, cursing but observing the battlefield with sharp eyes, and then looked at the key he had "borrowed" from Evelyn to study.
"O'Connor!" Chu Xuan suddenly shouted in English, "Want to save Evelyn? Want to leave this hellhole alive?"
O'Connor, hiding behind a pile of wooden crates and occasionally firing a shot at the giant with a revolver he'd somehow produced (though it was largely ineffective), roared, "Nonsense! If you have a plan, just say it! Where did these monsters come from?!"
"See that bald woman chanting scriptures? She's one of the keys to controlling these monsters!" Chu Xuan said quickly. "I need you. Use your best method to attract her attention, even if it's just for three seconds!"
"How do I attract her? By flirting with her?" O'Connor cursed, but his eyes became serious.
"No, use this!" Chu Xuan suddenly raised the key high in his hand. In the sunlight, the ancient Egyptian runes on the key reflected an eerie light. "Tell her you know how to use this key to open Imhotep's coffin! She knows what that means!"
O'Connor was taken aback, but then he understood what Chu Xuan meant. He was a daring adventurer and instantly grasped the crazy plan.
"Hey! Baldy!" O'Connor suddenly poked half his body out from behind cover and shouted at the bald woman in the distance in broken Hindi (which he had learned while working on ships) mixed with English, waving his hands at the same time, "Look here! Look what I have in my hand! You want this thing, right? Want to know the biggest secret of Hamunaptra? Come beg me!"
He shouted as he made all sorts of exaggerated and provocative gestures, even putting the key to his mouth as if to bite it.
This sudden, uncharacteristic move caused the bald woman, who had been chanting scriptures with her eyes closed and focusing on her mental attack, to pause slightly. She opened her eyes, the cinnabar between her brows flashing, and looked at O'Connor and the key in his hand. The unique aura of Imhotep's tomb on the key was like a torch in the night for someone like her who was well-versed in the power of the Necronomicon.
It's that instantaneous pause and shift in attention!
"Wang Lin! Now! Mental assault, maximum power, target the bald woman!" Chu Xuan shouted.
"Zhan Lan! Cooperate with me!" Wang Lin roared, recklessly condensing all his remaining spiritual power, along with the nourishing power from the ten-thousand-year-old warm jade, into an invisible and intangible sharp cone, yet imbued with unwavering will and pure spiritual essence. He pierced deep into the bald woman's consciousness through the tiny gap created by her distraction in her mental fluctuations! At the same time, Zhan Lan, enduring her headache, transformed her last bit of spiritual power into a "Mind Blast," which, in conjunction with Wang Lin's impact, exploded with a deafening roar!
"ah--!"
The bald woman let out a piercing scream, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on! The light from the cinnabar between her brows suddenly dimmed, blood seeped from all seven orifices, her clasped hands abruptly released, she staggered backward clutching her head, the compassionate and indifferent expression on her face replaced by pain and contortion. Her mental connection with Wang Lin and Zhan Lan was forcibly severed, and the mental pollution fluctuations she released instantly became disordered and dissipated.
The mental suppression has been lifted!
"Zheng Zha! Now's your chance! Take down the giant!" Wang Lin shouted hoarsely, then collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, his vision blurring. Zhan Lan also slumped to the ground, her mental energy completely exhausted.
A fierce glint flashed in Zheng Zha's eyes as he seized upon a fleeting opening created by the giant's injury to the bald woman! The vampire energy and internal energy within his body collided and compressed at an unprecedented speed, and then—exploded!
"Die!"
boom!
Zheng Zha's speed and power instantly increased several times! He transformed into a red and white afterimage, instantly passing through the gap in the giant's stone axe, and his fist, wrapped in violent energy, slammed hard into the giant's unprotected throat!
Crack! A tooth-grinding sound of bone breaking rang out! The giant's copper-bell-like eyes bulged out, filled with disbelief. His massive body was thrown backward as if struck by a battering ram, crashing heavily into an earthen wall and being buried under the bricks and stones. He struggled a couple of times and then lay still.
Meanwhile, the mummy, deprived of the bald woman's emotional support, froze, becoming stiff. Zero seized the opportunity, firing a barrage of shots, blowing the remaining mummies' heads off one by one. Ming Yanwei's energy arrow also pierced the black-robed man's withered arm, interrupting his spell. Li Shuaixi and Zhao Yingkong, like two bolts of lightning, rushed towards the bald woman, who was suffering from the backlash and teetering on the brink of collapse, and the enraged black-robed man.
However, just as Li Shuaixi's knife was about to touch the bald woman's neck, and Zhao Yingkong's short knife was about to pierce the black-robed man's heart—
hum!
A vast, cold, and terrifying pressure, filled with the ancient aura of death, suddenly emanated from the direction of the city center! It instantly enveloped the entire city of Cairo! The sky seemed to darken for a moment, and a sandstorm suddenly arose!
Immediately afterwards, a low, hoarse voice, like the wailing of countless dead souls, resounded directly in everyone's minds:
"Those who blaspheme...those who disturb the sleep...will all...pay the price..."
It's Imhotep! Or rather, a part of Imhotep's will has been awakened prematurely?! And the intensity and scope of this oppressive aura far exceed that of the early stages of the film!
Not only the Central Continent Team and the Indian Continent Team, but the entire city of Cairo seemed to tremble under this oppressive force. The distant clamor instantly turned into deathly silence, followed by even more intense panic and commotion.
Li Shuaixi and Zhao Yingkong's attack faltered. The bald woman and the man in black robes took the opportunity to retreat, their faces showing a mixture of fear and fanaticism, muttering unintelligible scriptures.
"It's the power of the Book of the Dead... The ritual that Indian team captain performed at the museum might be more than just summoning the mummy guards... He was trying to awaken a portion of Imhotep's power ahead of time, perhaps even... communicating with his will?" Chu Xuan's face was extremely grim. "We must leave Cairo immediately! Imhotep's wrath will engulf the entire city! In the desert, we still have room to maneuver!"
"Let's go! Take Evelyn, O'Connor, and the key!" Zheng Zha also felt the chilling pressure and knew that they could not stay here any longer.
The group ceased fighting and quickly regrouped. Zheng Zha carried the exhausted Wang Lin on his back, Li Shuaixi helped Zhan Lan up, Ba Wang hoisted the still-cursing O'Connor onto his shoulder, and Zhao Yingkong and Ming Yanwei held Evelyn and the old curator hostage. Lingdian covered the rear. Chu Xuan and the guide 7341-ZJ provided support from the center.
The bald woman and the man in black robes seemed to have received some kind of instruction. Instead of giving chase, they glared at them with resentment and quickly retreated towards the museum.
With key figures and intelligence at their disposal, the Central Continent Team, like stray dogs, seized the brief chaos in Cairo caused by Imhotep's oppressive power, broke out of the abandoned market, and raced towards the desert outside the city.
Behind him, in the city of Cairo, more mummies crawled out of the shadows, a sandstorm was gathering in the city center, and Imhotep's roar, full of death and vengeance, echoed in the wind.
The first round of the team battle ended with both sides suffering losses, the Indian team prematurely awakening part of the BOSS's power, and the Middle Continent team narrowly escaping. But the real battle has only just begun. The road to Hamunaptra is destined to be stained with blood.