The former Europeans were German, and it seemed Xu Zhiwu possessed considerable learning, even managing to converse with them in German. Looking back, that young German fellow had given Old Li and me a particularly sharp glance before leaving. I hadn't paid it much mind at the time, but once Xu Zhiwu mentioned it, I remembered.

"Yes, yes, I think so too, but it's hard to pinpoint exactly what felt strange," I said. "But they are just a few tourists, what trouble can they cause? Forget about it."

Xu Zhiwu sighed, "I hope I’m overthinking things, and the situation isn't that complicated." There was an underlying meaning in his words.

I gathered from him that there was still something fishy about those Germans. I glanced at Old Li, who slowly shook his head, signaling me not to speak rashly or ask too many questions. After all, if Xu Zhiwu intended for us to cooperate closely, he would surely have to tell us everything he knew; otherwise, things might descend into chaos if trouble erupted.

Indeed, Xu Zhiwu was sharp. After a moment’s thought, he said, "Xiao Luo, Li Zeng. There are some things I must make clear to you... These matters are too complex, and I didn't want to mention them, but... after thinking it over carefully, I just can't shake the feeling that the German man’s look was off. During the Second World War, my grandfather went into Tibet again and encountered several Germans who had been captured by the then-British India but had escaped. They claimed to be German salesmen, and my grandfather dealt with them quite a bit."

This seemed rather far-fetched. I asked, "Are you suggesting those Germans might also know about the Golden Eye and Silver Pearl?"

Xu Zhiwu nodded. "Not only do they know about the Golden Eye and Silver Pearl, but I suspect their sudden blocking of our path was premeditated. Moreover, I suspect they recognize us." At this moment, Xu Zhiwu was composed and calm, intelligent and calculating—nothing like the simpleton he appeared at Ni’s place.

Old Li took over the conversation. "Could it be you're imagining things? You see all sorts of foreign tourists on the streets of Lhasa, both white-skinned and dark-skinned."

"..." Xu Zhiwu hesitated, then stated firmly, "No, his eyes were too strange. Ostensibly, he was just asking me how to get to the Potala Palace, but his eyes were darting up, down, left, and right. His gaze was evasive—he was clearly guilty and lying." After speaking, he paused to think, then added, "I wish I were overthinking this... but... never mind, never mind. They are just a few foreigners unfamiliar with the place; they won't cause any real trouble in Lhasa."

I remained silent, feeling somewhat dismissive, believing Xu Zhiwu was worrying unnecessarily. Even if his grandfather had seen the Golden Eye and Silver Pearl with Germans back then, so what? It didn't mean every German tourist visiting Tibet harbored sinister intentions.

After he finished speaking, Xu Zhiwu asked me, "Xiao Luo, what do you think?"

I shook my head. "That’s too much of a coincidence, isn't it?"

Xu Zhiwu sighed and fell silent.

Perhaps Xu Zhiwu’s nerves were frayed from fear, making him jumpy at every shadow.

Laba was sleeping soundly, his snores growing louder and deeper. Discussing serious matters in this environment felt somewhat absurd. Xu Zhiwu had previously described Laba's home as extremely perilous, but the interruption of Laba's snoring actually eased my tension. Besides, in broad daylight, with four grown men in the house, even the most formidable thief wouldn't dare approach rashly, right?

Thinking this, I said to Xu Zhiwu, "You should rest too; you probably haven't slept well either. With Old Li and me here, you can sleep soundly without worry."

Xu Zhiwu gave a wry smile. "How can I sleep? Laba’s Golden Eye and Silver Pearl have already stirred up so much trouble. Don't think that just because things look calm now, there aren't thieves lurking above our roof or in the corners." As he spoke, he deliberately glanced toward the roof and corners, as if thieves were actually present.

I felt Xu Zhiwu was being overly cautious. The Golden Eye and Silver Pearl had only moved from Ni's home to Laba's a few days ago; how could the Germans possibly know about it so quickly?

However... Xu Zhiwu was adamant that the Germans were also after the Golden Eye and Silver Pearl. Could it be that the Germans were also interested in the Guge High Priest? With that thought, I asked Xu Zhiwu if that was the case.

"You could put it that way," Xu Zhiwu replied. "Because my grandfather, and later my father, told me that those Germans who interacted with my grandfather back then were no ordinary people. They were likely members of a special operations team sent by H**itler to Tibet to seek the secret of eternal life."

This was becoming increasingly outlandish. I found it hard to accept what Xu Zhiwu was saying, so I asked, "Where is the proof? What evidence do you have to prove it?"

Xu Zhiwu looked astonished. "Xiao Luo, didn't you know that Hitler once sent people to Tibet? This plan was proposed by Himmler, one of Hitler's trusted subordinates... I thought you all knew..."

I was completely unaware that H**itler had engaged in such schemes and quickly asked Xu Zhiwu for the full story.

"If it weren't for Hitler's action, and if I weren't acting out of line, I wouldn't be so intensely nervous upon seeing Germans." Having said this, he picked up his glass, took a sip of water, and then began recounting the reasons behind Hitler's dispatching of people into Tibet years ago.

It turned out that H**itler had a deeply fanatical ideologue among his subordinates, Himmler, who insisted that Tibetans were descendants of the Germanic ancestral race—the Atlantean divine race. He therefore dispatched a special action team into Tibet, hoping to find evidence of the Atlantean gods' existence there and, further, to forge a mighty empire capable of altering time and possessing an immortal army based on Atlantean legends.

When Xu Zhiwu uttered the word "immortality," I suddenly remembered the murals in the Dry Corpse Cave—the Guge King wearing a golden crown, leading his people toward an intensely radiant, unknowable object. Could that object be the source of eternal life? If true immortality were possible. Furthermore, didn't Ni also firmly believe that all subjects of the Guge Dynasty achieved eternal life? When viewed together, these elements seemed more than mere coincidence.

Xu Zhiwu and I had reached the same conclusion. He said, "Ni also mentioned eternal life. I wonder how much he actually knows. If he knows all the secrets, as I suspect, then the Germans I encountered today are definitely people of great consequence."

"Forget it, forget it. H**itler has been dead for so many years. Are his descendants really trying to inherit his legacy and build some immortal army? What era is this? A single missile or something similar could turn even the immortal into ash." I was starting to get fed up with Xu Zhiwu obsessing over the Germans.

Xu Zhiwu was perceptive; seeing my impatience, he immediately dropped the topic and shifted to Ni. "Ni is really something. Why would he sell the Golden Eye and Silver Pearl to Laba instead of keeping such a precious heirloom? Truly... it's an ancestral treasure, sold so easily..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the saying "speak of the devil" proved true—his mobile phone rang just in time. It was Ni calling. He asked if Xu Zhiwu was in Lhasa, mentioning he planned to arrive in Lhasa within the next couple of days to visit Laba and him, and inviting Xu Zhiwu for the most authentic Tibetan cuisine on Xianzu Island.

As soon as Xu Zhiwu answered Ni’s call, he immediately reverted to appearing somewhat clumsy. Judging by his sharp analysis of the Germans moments before, this clumsiness was likely an act. Ni frankly told us everything he was willing to share, so why did Xu Zhiwu still feel the need to play the innocent lamb? I truly couldn't understand it.

After hanging up with Ni, Xu Zhiwu instantly returned to normal and chatted with us about irrelevant small talk. Old Li and I chimed in half-heartedly.

The small talk eventually, inexplicably, drifted back to the Guge ruins. Xu Zhiwu remarked, "Ni said there is still a High Priest from the Guge Dynasty living among us. I truly believe that."

I was the complete opposite, utterly unconvinced by Ni’s claim. The Guge Dynasty vanished so many years ago; even if one High Priest didn't perish with the others, after several centuries, any descendants would be unrecognizable, perhaps not even aware of their Guge ancestry. Thus, I was dismissive: "Who knows if that High Priest still knows he's Guge royalty."

Old Li nodded in agreement. "Technician Luo’s point is not without reason."

Xu Zhiwu said, "I believe that if something is meant to exist, it will exist." Seeing our puzzled faces, he added, "This is simply my intuition. Although my research demands rigor, intuition is essential." Since he put it that way, we didn't press further and changed the subject, praising the traditional style, richness, luxury, liveliness, and harmony of Laba's home décor. This just showed how bored we were.

Laba slept until nightfall. He woke up once, glanced at the three of us, and then thankfully drifted back to sleep. However, upon waking and seeing that it was dark, he immediately became distressed. "Xiao Luo and Li Zeng must go back... What do we do... What do we do?"

I understood what he meant—he was afraid of the 'gentlemen from the rafters' visiting again after we left. However, we had an established rule against staying out past curfew; even the bravest person wouldn't dare break discipline arbitrarily, especially since Xu Zhiwu had spent the entire afternoon spouting paranoid nonsense with no evidence whatsoever. I was feeling annoyed myself and intended to use this as an excuse to leave quickly.

Unexpectedly, Xu Zhiwu proved incredibly resourceful. Just as Old Li and I were bidding Laba farewell, a call came through from the squad leader: "Luo Lian, you and Li Zeng do not need to report back for roll call for the next few nights. Stay at Laba’s place... Why are you so long-winded? Asking whose decision? Whose decision? The higher-up's decision. Understand? This is an order!"

Since it was a direct order, there was nothing more to say. I had no choice but to stay, albeit reluctantly. Old Li, on the other hand, looked quite composed, with a faint hint of concealed delight.