Lu Zong pondered for a moment, his eyes suddenly widening. He urgently asked Ma Xiong, "Ma Xiong, did you watch the footage from the exhibition? I was so caught up in the rush, I forgot to look at the tapes. Maybe there's a clue there. How exactly did the mummy disappear? Did it evaporate, or was it stolen?"

Ma Xiong replied smugly, "You don't need to worry about that. I’ve studied the footage no less than ten times. It was taken while you were on the phone. Several people dressed as staff members walked up and moved it in plain sight. Everyone assumed it was being moved because the exhibition was over, so no one objected. That’s the brilliance of the perpetrator."

"Then did you see their faces clearly? Were they actual exhibition staff?"

Ma Xiong sighed in disappointment. "The footage didn't capture their features, but judging by their builds, most were short and stout. The actual exhibition staff were worlds apart from them, not even remotely similar. So, the suspicion of an inside job can be ruled out."

Lu Zong fell into deep thought again. He was completely stumped; it was like a persistent fly buzzing around his head, impossible to ignore, his anxious heart thumping wildly. He was beginning to feel disheartened about recovering the mummy. Yet, he had no intention of giving up; he would find it even if it cost him his life.

He pressed on, "Based on their general build characteristics, can you determine their race or ethnicity?"

Ma Xiong thought for a moment, racking his brain, speaking without much conviction. "I can't be sure which specific race they belong to, but I still feel they have very distinct Europoid features. However, considering the overall context—like their proximity to Lop Nur, the history of conflict with China, and the degree of reverence for the mummy—I broadly deduce they are of the Russian ethnicity. Beyond that, I can’t be certain."

Lu Zong's admiration for Ma Xiong elevated to a new level. He hadn't expected that his quick detective skills hadn't diminished at all over the years; in fact, his reactions were even faster now.

"Russian," Rosa murmured to herself, a hint of doubt in her voice. It seemed Rosa had realized something. The two dared not speak loudly, fearing they might interrupt her train of thought.

Rosa suddenly jolted upright with a gasp and declared with absolute certainty to Lu Zong and Ma Xiong, "I understand, I understand! Oh, I am cleaning up."

Ma Xiong stared at Rosa with wide eyes, while Lu Zong, filled with curiosity and excitement, gently pressed Rosa back into a chair and eagerly asked, "What do you know? Tell us quickly!"

Rosa painstakingly managed to remove Lu Zong’s hand from her shoulder, then said unhurriedly, "Wait a moment, I'll find some materials for you." With that, she walked away.

When she returned, she indeed held a few more scrolls of paper. She handed them over to the two men. "Look at these. They are about the beliefs of ancient Russians."

Lu Zong devoured the text greedily. At this moment, what lay before him wasn't just a book; it was the priceless mummified body of a beauty.

The scrolls contained a detailed explanation of Shamanism, a primal religion:

Shamanism is a global phenomenon. Shamanic culture is a worldwide cultural occurrence, concentrated primarily in Northern and Central Asia, as well as Northern Europe, North America, South America, and Africa—this is the broad definition of Shamanism. In the narrow sense, Shamanism is practiced by Altaic-speaking peoples, such as the Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Tatars, Mongols, and Sibes. Their core beliefs revolve around animism, ancestor worship, and nature worship. The fundamental characteristics of Shamanism are: no founder, no dogma, worship of multiple spirits, no formal organization, no fixed temples or churches, and no specialized clergy. The primary activity in Shamanism is the divine trance dance. Furthermore, a significant characteristic of Shamanism is that Shamans are often female.

After reading this, Lu Zong sensed something. He asked, his voice tinged with panic, "Do you mean that large ear shape is a symbolic marker of Shamanism?"

Rosa shook her head. "Didn't it say they have no fixed organization or dogma? They wouldn't have some silly symbol. But that very point is suspicious. In this world, regardless of whether a religion is savage or civilized, Eastern or Western, there is always a unified symbol to represent its basic faith and modes of worship. This religion would be no exception. Look, the Silk Road allowed Russians to easily transmit Shamanism to Lop Nur in Xinjiang. Since Lop Nur is shaped like a large ear, it would undoubtedly shock the local Shamanic believers. Subconsciously, they would adopt this large ear as their own religious symbol, passing it down, and perhaps it even evolved into a symbol of their faith?"

Lu Zong and Ma Xiong listened to her excited chatter with blank confusion, not understanding a single word.

Rosa finally noticed the incomprehension hidden in their perplexed gazes and summarized her conclusion in one final sentence: "This symbol might very well be a symbol of the Shamanic tribe that never fully spread."

Lu Zong stated, "So, does this imply the mummy was a believer of the Shamanic tribe? And that the ones who stole the mummy were also Shamanic believers? But why would they steal the body of the 'Beauty of Loulan'?"

Ma Xiong continued to stare blankly at the two, finally erupting in a decisive manner. "In my opinion, they must have stolen it for money. Why all this fuss and indecision?"

The other two ignored Ma Xiong and continued to debate the issue of religious symbols.

Rosa explained, "I think this mummy might have been an important figure within the Shamanic tribe. Or perhaps there is indeed a secret hidden within his person."

The group fell silent, each lost in thought about their next move.

According to Lu Zong’s thinking, if the mummy was stolen, it would certainly be preserved carefully. Because mummies are easily corroded by air in such environments, the thieves would undoubtedly go to great lengths to protect the body, which would inevitably alert the funeral home or storage facility. With the resources of the CIA, searching every funeral home in the United States should be effortless.

However, according to Ma Xiong’s view, since they could infiltrate a major exhibition and brazenly steal the mummy, their influence must be considerable and organized. Therefore, they would have already prepared the means to store the mummy, and no one would dare move it immediately after the crime. So, they must be storing it secretly or using it to achieve some objective.

After speaking, he turned to Rosa and asked, "How do they generally handle the bodies of their ancestors?"

Rosa flipped through her materials, speaking as she read. "Because Shamanism has gradually faded from the mainstream society and hasn't drawn much attention for a long time, I haven't focused on it much. I haven't seen a lot of the material. But I see here that they transport the body back to their homeland and then conduct a series of sacrificial rites, such as tying bear heads or deer tails along the surrounding paths to ward off evil spirits."

As she spoke, Lu Zong's phone suddenly rang. He saw it was the Dean's number and answered.

The Dean’s hurried, heavy gasps came through the receiver. Lu Zong vividly compared the Dean's wheezing to the sound of a moaning ghost.

"It's terrible, it's terrible! Lu Zong, I just called the people at the museum and learned from the director that several staff members haven't shown up for work in a long time. Their phones are off. We went to their homes, but they are all gone. Everything at home is fine—luggage, bankbooks, clothes are all neatly arranged—but the people are missing. They've already called the police!"

"What a storm on top of a storm!" He rubbed his head in frustration. "Which scoundrels are missing?"

The Dean rattled off the names: "Skinny Cai Yun, Fatty Old Lu, Widow Man Ye Zi..."

Lu Zong trembled as he heard the familiar names. His face turned ashen, and he pulled the phone away from his ear, stammering as he asked Rosa, "If they find the people who killed their ancestors, what will they do to them?"

Rosa continued flipping through the documents and replied, "It's recorded here that they will flay the enemy alive and wrap the human skin around the ancestor's coffin. As the skin dehydrates, it tightens, snugly encasing the coffin to isolate it from external air, thus better protecting the ancestor's body from decay and turning it into a mummy."

Lu Zong felt a wave of weakness wash over him. He sank onto the floor, his vacant eyes dull, muttering brokenly, "Retribution, retribution."

Seeing Lu Zong’s expression, Ma Xiong knew something terrible had happened. He snatched the phone from Lu Zong's hand and heard the string of names.

He asked Lu Zong curiously, "What exactly happened?"

Lu Zong burst into a wail, "The same people who excavated the mummy with me back then have all disappeared—gone along with the mummy?"

Ma Xiong and Rosa trembled violently, their eyes fixed tightly on Lu Zong, afraid he might do something rash.

After a long while, Lu Zong finally cleared his mind of grief. He stood up, his teeth clenched, and said fiercely, "Ma Xiong, are you my true brother?"

Ma Xiong nodded loyally.

Lu Zong continued, "Good. Then you come with me to Xinjiang. I must rescue my colleagues."

Rosa looked at the impulsive Lu Zong and tried to persuade him, "Don't rush. I don't think they simply want to perform a sacrifice for the mummy; they must have found some secret in it. If it were just a ritual, they wouldn't need such elaborate measures to steal it. Besides, they certainly wouldn't bury the mummy in its original location. I think we should plan this carefully."

Lu Zong couldn't heed anyone’s words now; he vowed to rescue his teammates. Without saying goodbye to Rosa, he walked straight out.

Rosa watched their resolute figures move farther away. She suddenly sprang up, tossed the materials aside, and ran after them, grabbing Lu Zong’s arm and pleading, "Take me with you, please! I want to go to Xinjiang too. Trust me, I can help you."

Lu Zong looked at Rosa’s pitiful expression, then considered that her knowledge of religion might indeed prove useful. He pulled Rosa up, and together they walked toward the inn. He planned to pack his things, fly directly back to Beijing, make brief preparations, and then head straight for Xinjiang.