Though the heavy rain lashed down, He Yuqing could still clearly see the natives' faces after lowering the visor on her helmet. "Ah! Their eyes and noses are truly sunken deep into their faces—how terrifying!"

I recalled a previous discussion with Hua Qingqing and laughed, "You find it terrifying, but perhaps they consider it beautiful."

He Yuqing observed closely, "A difference in aesthetic perspective. It's entirely possible they believe this is the pinnacle of beauty."

The tropical rain came hard and left quickly. The great assembly in the clearing hadn't even finished when the moon, at some unknown time, revealed itself between the leaves. The shaman bowed toward the sky.

He Yuqing glanced up. "Hey, look where he's bowing—it's the moon. It seems we are inching closer to the truth of this matter."

I followed He Yuqing’s gaze. Sure enough, their reverence for the moon was profound. Could they really be descendants of the Moon People?

However, the perfectly round moon gave me another thought: were these two girls so excited tonight because of the moon’s gravitational pull affecting human biological clocks? It was rumored that tidal forces had a significant impact on a girl's cycle; I hadn't studied it, so I dared not speak definitively, but it was probably true that people's moods fluctuated more easily under a full moon.

I nodded to He Yuqing. "It seems the moon is their totem. From this perspective, a connection to the Moon People is highly probable."

"Exactly!" He Yuqing asserted firmly. "It seems this trip was not in vain. We really should go down there and talk to them to understand the situation better."

I quickly held He Yuqing back. "Don't do anything foolish. These natives are extremely hostile to outsiders. They might treat you the same way they dealt with those two foreign girls."

He Yuqing laughed. "Don't I have you? What am I afraid of? Surely you wouldn't just stand by and let them dishonor me? If you did, Qiqi would kill you, no doubt."

I deliberately adopted a serious tone. "If you are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of your research career, I suppose I shouldn't stop you, should I?"

He Yuqing blushed and spat at me. "Pah! You're talking nonsense again. I'm ignoring you."

Suddenly, the natives erupted in howls, bowing frantically toward the sky. I looked up at the moon. The once perfectly round and bright orb now displayed a dazzling white spot somewhere near its center, so bright it hurt the eyes. Even with my excellent vision, I couldn't discern what was happening on the lunar surface at that moment. No wonder the natives were acting this way; they must have spotted this anomaly on the moon before us.

He Yuqing urged, "Let's go."

"No, look at the moon! Missing this would be your mistake."

He Yuqing quickly looked up. "What in the world! A lunar explosion?"

I tried to use my phone to contact the observation satellites in Earth's outer orbit while saying, "I’ve never seen a phenomenon like this."

He Yuqing observed intently. "Me neither. I’ve only heard of sunspots, never a bright spot like this contrasting so sharply on the moon. Could some nation be testing a mysterious weapon up there? Or maybe a secret lunar landing mission failed, and the lunar module exploded."

"Neither of your hypotheses holds up. Testing a weapon on the moon—I doubt any country can manage that now. Even if you magnified the effect of a lunar module explosion tenfold or a hundredfold, it likely wouldn't cause such a bright spot. Perhaps it was a small, stray meteorite impacting the moon."

He Yuqing noticed I was checking my phone. "Did you find anything?"

"The phone has no signal. It seems this bright spot is affecting satellite operations in outer space. Let's wait a bit; the system should restore automatically once the interference passes."

"Look, the natives are leaving!" He Yuqing said urgently.

Following the direction of her finger, I saw the natives, led by the shaman, leaving the large thatched hall in the center of the village. He Yuqing said, "Follow them. They just witnessed the moon changing; there will likely be a major ritual."

The bright spot on the moon persisted, and its brightness had even increased. We quietly trailed the natives, soon arriving at the foot of a low cliff deep in the rainforest. Pulling aside layers of hanging vines, a cave entrance was suddenly revealed.

Several native men emerged from the cave. The shaman chattered a few words to them, and the men guarding the secret cave responded immediately. A few older natives, who appeared to hold some status in the tribe, entered the cave with the shaman. The rest knelt outside the entrance, continuing their chants.

He Yuqing whispered in my ear, "Can you find a way inside to look? This must be their religious sanctuary. Perhaps a monumental secret is hidden within."

"Of course, we have to go in and see. But not now; there are too many of them. Let's go somewhere else and come back later tonight."

He Yuqing nodded. "Yes, no matter what, we must investigate. And I know this won't be difficult for you. According to some 'silly' women, no obstacle can stop you."

I pulled He Yuqing toward the river valley. "You're talking about the gods in the sky; I'm just a lustful man."

"You are a god, otherwise how can you fly?"

I explained to He Yuqing, "This isn't flying; it’s because my speed has reached the limit required to break Earth's gravity, allowing me to hover in mid-air. If my speed drops, I can’t sustain hovering for long and will eventually land. However, my wife recently developed a small anti-gravity device that allows sustained hovering without relying on sheer speed to overcome Earth's gravity."

"Zhao Qian, you will certainly become a very accomplished man," He Yuqing said seriously.

I laughed. "Many girls tell me that, and they all eventually become my wives."

He Yuqing smiled and ignored my comment. We stopped at the entrance to the river valley to stretch our limbs. He Yuqing declared, "The air here is so fresh; it makes one feel light. Maybe I'll settle in the rainforest someday; it would surely prolong life."

"There are too many dangers here. I doubt longevity is likely; the chance of an early demise is much higher."

He Yuqing chided me. "Be serious. Don't you feel the oxygen content is extremely high? The body is very relaxed here, giving a sense of floating."

"I hadn't noticed that aspect. Last time, I only noticed giant mosquitoes flying overhead and man-eating crabs and fish in the river. Don't stray too far from me; even the ants on the ground could become giants and try to kill you."

He Yuqing jumped behind me in fright. "Then you had better carry me on your back. What if ants burrow up from the ground and drag me into a hole?"

Girls seem to be much the same; Hua Qingqing also insisted I carry her. Just as He Yuqing settled onto my back, a deafening buzzing sound echoed from the distance. "Zhao Qian, what is that noise? A helicopter?"

I was familiar with that sound. "No, it’s the giant mosquitoes arriving. Hold on tight, or if you fall, you'll be sucked dry."

He Yuqing clung tightly to my neck in terror. Whether her full chest was pressed against my back, she had no time to care about at that moment.

"Let's fly up the valley a bit first. If the giant mosquitoes catch up, we won't be able to complete our survey."

He Yuqing nodded frantically at my suggestion. "I'll do whatever you say. What if I don't obey and you just abandon me here?"

"Heh heh, you're acting like a child. I wouldn't do that."

He Yuqing looked at me earnestly. "I am a child, really. There’s no need to pretend to be mature in front of a highly capable boy, don't you think?"

I activated the anti-gravity feature in my boots and carried He Yuqing upward along the river valley. The sound of the giant mosquitoes grew louder behind us. Due to the swollen river, we occasionally saw several giant fish leap out of the water during our flight, causing He Yuqing to shriek.

After flying a considerable distance, He Yuqing had an epiphany. "Something here must be environmentally abnormal, or else species wouldn't develop to such colossal sizes. First, supporting such large bodies requires a high oxygen supply. Do you remember I mentioned the air here is fresh? It seems the oxygen content is sufficient for these giant species."

I found He Yuqing's analysis very sound. "It seems you are the one needed for this. Qingqing and I didn't think about these aspects back then. As for those foreigners, they were already heavily injured by the time they reached this area, leaving no mind to consider anything else."

He Yuqing laughed, holding my neck. "Because you are protecting me, I can afford to think things through peacefully."

"Qingqing wasn't afraid either; she just isn't as professionally specialized as you are."

"Don't underestimate archaeology; it involves many scientific disciplines. It's normal that Hua Qingqing, focused on medical research, wouldn't be familiar with these things. Did you bring any instrument to measure gravity?"

I shook my head. "Why?"

"Think about it. Under normal gravity conditions, even with sufficient oxygen, the Earth's gravity would crush the bodies of these giant species. Although gravity varies slightly across the globe, the human body won't easily detect these subtle differences. We need instruments to analyze the gravitational variances between the area outside the valley and the area inside."

I suddenly realized, "I've been wondering why these giant species don't migrate outward. Perhaps they can sense the difference in Earth's gravity themselves; outside the valley, increased gravity would make it impossible for their massive bodies to move normally."

He Yuqing agreed. "That must be it. It seems the underground area of the river valley or the mountains on either side must be different. We need to investigate carefully when we have the chance."

"But we encountered the giant ants outside the natives' forest. Is the gravity different there too?"

He Yuqing said, "A deviation of a few kilometers isn't much. The mosquitoes are catching up; hurry and take me to see the pyramid."

We landed outside the smaller pyramid. Before we could even fully examine it, the giant mosquitoes dove down, their thick proboscises extended, their combat power no less than that of an ordinary armed helicopter. He Yuqing held onto my waist, hiding behind me. I punched away a few giant mosquitoes that landed on the ground, intending to lead He Yuqing inside the pyramid.

We both turned on the lights on our helmets. I stopped He Yuqing, who was about to rush in. "The helmet has a miniature oxygen supply system that can sustain life for a certain period."

He Yuqing exclaimed, "Right, I forgot there might be toxic gas in here. I would have burdened you with rescuing me otherwise."

The giant mosquitoes, hindered by their wings, couldn't enter the narrow passageways of the pyramid and buzzed furiously around the exterior. He Yuqing slowly advanced, scrutinizing the strange patterns carved into the walls on either side of the passage. When we reached the stone door that I had previously knocked down, she bent down to examine the carvings on it closely.

"What is it? Is there some secret here?"

He Yuqing looked while talking. "Not sure yet, but these patterns have a certain regularity; they might be some form of lost writing."

"Should I use my phone to copy them and study them later?"

He Yuqing stepped over the threshold into the stone chamber without looking back. "That would be a bother for you."

I had no choice but to turn back and record the carvings on both sides with my phone. When I entered the chamber, He Yuqing was staring intently at a stone wall.

"Another discovery?"

"All the patterns seem to radiate from here. Do you think this chamber was just for storing ritualistic artifacts?"

"I suspected its purpose, but I used my X-ray vision on this chamber. It's just stone, nothing else, so I found nothing."

"Hehe, Boss Zhao, you're not being honest. You said you only used X-ray vision twice, but I know it was three times."

I let slip again, causing my face to flush. "The last time was rushed; I forgot until you reminded me."

He Yuqing kept her gaze fixed on two flower-like patterns, observing as she spoke. "Eloquent speech is a man's nature. Although I study archaeology, I know a little about psychology. Qiqi was clearly fooled by your playful and unrestrained exterior. She's now frantic over you, even embarking on a political path her grandfather forbids. You must cherish her."

"Don't worry, I will treat Qiqi well for my entire life. I understand the sacrifices she's made for me."

"Qiqi and I are good friends. I’m happy you think that way." He Yuqing suddenly reached out, grabbed the two flower shapes, and pressed them inward. The patterns sank in. She then tried twisting them a few times left and right. Whether by coincidence or not, the stone floor of the chamber began to rumble with a deep sound. I was astonished. "Did you trigger a mechanism?"

He Yuqing replied, "Yes. There must be a secret passage underneath. Even though you have X-ray vision, if the passage is blocked by stone, you still see only stone. That’s why you didn't notice it last time."

Indeed, with the rumbling sound, the stones beneath our feet split apart to the sides. Beneath the splitting stones, more stone surfaces also cracked open sequentially. Soon, a stone staircase leading downward appeared, winding into a darkness where the light could not penetrate far.

We both peered down. He Yuqing asked me, "What do you think we should do now?"

"Let's go down. But this time, don't touch anything randomly. This chamber has been ventilated for a long time, so it should be fine, but the area below hasn't seen fresh air for ages; there might be pathogens breeding down there. Let me handle whatever needs to be done."

He Yuqing smiled. "Then you should carry me again. My feet can't touch the ground either, right? What if I get infected by germs?"

"You're right! That's a valid concern. Let me carry you."

He Yuqing hopped onto my back. "You've felt my backside countless times today. Haven't we gone too far? Qiqi and your other girlfriends won't be angry, will they?"

Carrying He Yuqing down, I replied, "They will! They'll blame me for not making a move on you."

He Yuqing bit my neck lightly. "Stop talking nonsense, or I swear I’ll drain your blood."

"A man dies gracefully beneath a beautiful woman's bite."

"You always have something to say. Watch your step carefully; don't drop me. All the beautiful women are at your house; I’m hardly a beauty—at best, I’m a female beggar, deeply in debt to you. I might not be able to repay it in the next life."

Walking down, I said, "I told you that staff is yours as a gift; no charge."

He Yuqing confessed, "Since we're this close, I won't hide it. Qiqi never actually took the staff from me. She was covering for me because I lost the staff you lent me. That's why she devised that plan to help me."

"I already knew, and I told you it didn't matter; I have no use for those things."

"But I can't think that way; I have my own principles. The identical staff you gave me later, I gave to Qiqi. So now, I owe you an invaluable staff. I will work for you for my entire life to compensate for this loss."

That was a great suggestion. I had originally intended to tell He Yuqing the truth, but hearing her willing to work for me for a lifetime, I immediately changed my mind. "Fine. Since you’ve made your decision, I won't stop you. Whatever the company outside pays you, I'll pay double. You help me thoroughly research the Moon People, and then I'll equip you with several sets of excavation gear. You can spend your days digging for treasures underground."

"Really?" He Yuqing's tone was slightly excited.

"Why would I lie to you? Our future archaeology team will be world-class. All the most precise work will be handled by robots. And later, we'll excavate the ocean floor—there are countless treasures in sunken ships. You dig them up, and we'll split it fifty-fifty."

He Yuqing pouted playfully. "No, all of that is yours. Just don't let me starve. I already owe you money, and now you’re helping me realize my childhood dream. I’m grateful enough; why would I ask for those things? I only enjoy digging; I don't like collecting, because I'm not interested in excessive wealth. Enough to eat and use is sufficient."

"Wow, so your childhood dream was to dig up the entire Earth?"

"Roughly, yes. But then my parents had their accident, and my grandfather forbade me from getting involved in archaeology. But when it came to my college entrance exams, he finally consented to my choice."

I carried He Yuqing down the stone steps for more than half the way. We must have been two or three hundred meters underground by now. Finally, the long staircase ended, and the corridor began to proceed horizontally instead of descending. We hadn't noticed anything unusual on the way down; even the patterns present in the outer chamber were missing here. Was this just a simple hole in the ground?

I paused. "What do you think we will ultimately discover?"

He Yuqing pondered. "I don't know, but any discovery would shake the world. However, we couldn't make it public, could we? Let's keep moving forward."

This parallel corridor wasn't very long. We both stopped dead when we reached a large gate gleaming under illumination. He Yuqing asked me, "What is this thing?"

"It looks like a Daoist gate."

"I know it's a gate, but what kind of Dao gate?"

"Let me touch it... I confirm it's a metal door."

"Quickly, check if the Dadi Energy company drilled through here while mining and installed a door to seal the passage."

"I doubt it. They wouldn't be that bored."

"How long ago did you estimate the outer stone chamber was built?"

"Didn't you study it? Didn't you say it was five or six thousand years old?"

"Then do you believe a metal door like this existed five or six thousand years ago? Even if it was metal, would it still be gleaming today?"

I laughed at He Yuqing. "Haven't you always dedicated yourself to researching prehistoric civilizations? Seeing such an advanced door and reacting like this, I doubt your capacity for acceptance."

He Yuqing sighed sheepishly. "If you made me stand here, I would also be filled with curiosity and questions like any ordinary person. Having come this far, I am certain we are the first visitors in thousands of years. This stone door is still spotless—it's a miracle."

I examined it carefully. "The path ends here. How to open this door is up to you now. If you can't manage it, I’ll just have to push it down, too."

"Put me down. The upper and lower structures probably weren't built by the same people. The upper structure focused on material and decoration, while the lower one is very crude. The upper space contained poison, but this lower area should be fine."

If there was a problem, I could ask Su Xue to have Xiao Xue help. So, this wasn't a major issue. He Yuqing began carefully observing the metal door while I joked beside her, "Try 'Open Sesame'; maybe it works."

He Yuqing gave me an annoyed glare. "Stop joking and figure out how to open it."

I tried using X-ray vision to check the metal door’s thickness and what lay behind it, but surprisingly, I couldn't see through it—what a truly good door. Upon closer inspection, however, I found an indentation on the door resembling a fingerprint scanner. I pressed it several times with my hand, but there was no reaction, though I suspected my fingerprint was probably incorrect.

He Yuqing came over to examine my discovery. "This is very suspicious; it’s likely the switch activated by a fingerprint."

I told He Yuqing, "Step back. If 'Sesame' won't open it, I'll just have to hit it open."

He Yuqing pulled me back. "Don't damage it!"

I pulled her behind me and threw a punch. "If it breaks, it breaks. Do you have another way?"

With a resounding crash, a flash of electrical sparks erupted, and the metal door was blasted open with a hole punched through by my fist—precisely at that slight indentation. Inside, there was indeed an electronic device, which exploded with a crackling sound after I shattered it. He Yuqing gasped, "Wow, you believe that an electronic device from five thousand years ago still has power today?" I brushed the dust from my knuckles casually and replied, "I believe it.

I've seen robots from ten million years in the future." He Yuqing, unaware of the true identities of Little Raindrop and Little Hui, retorted, "Nonsense! Listen! The door is opening." Sure enough, scraping and clicking sounds came from behind the door, but they continued for quite a while without it opening.

I estimated my punch had ruined the circuitry. In a surge of impatience, I struck the door with both fists, and with a loud bang, it swung wide open to either side. The two of them stood outside, shining their lights inside.

He Yuqing pointed at a symbol behind the door and exclaimed, "Look! A lighting symbol. Turn it on!" It was indeed the sign for a light fixture.

Even if the script wasn't universal, an iconic symbol is instantly recognizable. Below the symbol was a small box. Opening it revealed a standard switch.

After several millennia, whether the power system was still active was questionable, but we had to try. As the switch was pulled down, snap, the area was flooded with bright, stark white light that sequentially illuminated overhead. He Yuqing jumped up excitedly, "Zhao Qian!

We’ve found a miracle! Remember, electric lights weren't invented until the 19th century, and this place is clearly not a few hundred years old!" I gazed at the massive array of machinery and the subterranean expanse, sighing, "Actually, we are constantly discovering miracles. This world holds too many secrets unknown to man.

Who dares guarantee that humanity's ancestors were absolutely apes? Perhaps they were birds, for all we know." He Yuqing finally got a clear view of the scene before her. "What are all these things?" Standing at the entrance, I felt a sensation similar to when I was at Little Raindrop’s underground base.

This place was immense. I suspected the entire river valley basin might fall within its domain. In such a vast space, there was nothing but machinery—machines upon machines.

I couldn't even decipher what kind they were. Pipes snaked one after another, extending from the machines into the stone ceiling. Judging by their exterior, the craftsmanship was exquisite, lacking modern construction features like screws; everything was seamlessly sealed.

A faint, low hum was the only proof that the machines were still operating flawlessly. He Yuqing and I proceeded along a pathway deliberately left clear between the rows of piped machinery. After navigating this group, we encountered another set of disc-shaped machines.

Each one resembled a mushroom, supporting a large metal disk. The disks spun at high velocity. Even if they had only been turning for a few centuries, the remarkable thing was the utter silence.

Simple display screens were mounted on the machinery, their data constantly fluctuating. He Yuqing stared for a while before concluding, "These machines are controlling surface gravity. Look, the values are always held within this specific range.

Compared to current technology, this is hyper-advanced." "If these truly are relics of the Lunarians, think about it: they could build lunar spacecraft. What’s a mere machine that controls gravity compared to that? It’s like child’s play." "You’re right.

Let’s not touch them; let them keep running. Come on, let’s look carefully for the power system for these machines." The two of us walked on until we finally located a sealed chamber within the stone wall. I identified the icon on the heavy door: "This must be it." He Yuqing looked at me questioningly.

I pointed at the icon, "Look, this is the symbol for the orbital path of an atom. Although it differs slightly from what we currently understand, that’s essentially the concept." He Yuqing was astonished, "You're saying this place is powered by a nuclear reactor?" "Exactly. Otherwise, how could so many machines maintain their required energy needs over thousands of years?

Nuclear technology is the best solution. Shall we go inside and take a look? We can’t hear the reactor operating from out here; it seems they employed noise-dampening treatments.

We can manage that level of technology currently." He Yuqing shook her head. "Even if we go in, I don't want you accompanying me. You’re always causing destruction.

I’ll lead my own team for this inspection. I will only notify you if there’s danger or something we can’t solve." I chuckled, "Fine by me. I’m not that interested in these things anyway.

Since the space here is so large, let's check out other areas." "Okay, but my legs are too tired to walk." I said helplessly, "I’ll carry you then." He Yuqing laughed and hopped onto my back. "Hurry up! I can’t wait!" I braced myself for the worst—encountering surviving Lunarians or automatons here.

However, at my speed, it took over three hours to cover more than half of the entire stone facility, yet I found no trace of any living thing. It seemed genuinely untouched for millennia. Finally, the two of us reached the farthest point from the entrance door.

This area was completely different from the orderly arrangement we saw before. The ground was covered in a chaotic heap of stones, and ten strangely shaped machines were parked in the open area. The end of the stone wall showed extensive signs of excavation.

He Yuqing observed, "So, this underground facility was never finished." "Yes. They left in a great hurry. Look, these two machines that resemble excavators appear to still be in a working state, only they’ve lost their power sources." He Yuqing wondered aloud, "I wonder what caused their sudden departure." "Indeed.

Perhaps it’s a monumental secret. I leave all of this to you."