He didn't know what to do; leaving felt like too much of a loss when he couldn't see what was inside. But opening it? According to the tomb raiders, there was a thousand-year-old Zongzi inside, and how could he possibly fight such a corpse? Finally, he glanced at Ganda and Ma Xiong lying on the ground, thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, and cursed, "Damn it all, who's afraid of who? These two are already like this, can anything inside possibly be worse?"

He instantly resolved to open the coffin lid. He summoned all his strength, throwing his entire weight onto the edge once more. The cracks in the lid widened, the grating sound like bones crunching on flesh. He paid it no mind, put all his might into it, and with a thump, the lid sprang open. Lu Zong, caught off guard, tumbled to the ground, cursing vividly as he winced in pain.

The coffin didn't reveal the thousand-year-old Zongzi he had imagined. Instead, it lay there silently, utterly still, not even a whisper escaping. He let out a deep breath of relief, feeling considerably better.

He stood up and walked towards the coffin lid, intent on seeing what was inside. But the very instant he straightened up, he felt the slightest breath behind him, like the sound of a human inhaling, and simultaneously, a hand clapped him on the shoulder. Lu Zong felt his entire body tremble, his chest tight, his head swimming. He cautiously turned around, desperate to see what was tapping him.

He saw a familiar face. He recognized Ma Xiong.

At that moment, the blood flowing from Ma Xiong had drenched his entire face, a vivid crimson. Ma Xiong hadn't wiped it away; he just stared blankly at Lu Zong and asked gravely, "Why did you knock me out?"

Lu Zong fearfully raised his eyes, taking in the stern expression, and replied apologetically, "You both looked completely out of your minds just now, and I was terrified you might hurt yourselves, so I took it upon myself to knock you unconscious."

Ma Xiong didn't press the issue, but Lu Zong knew that if this were the real Ma Xiong, he absolutely wouldn't bother chasing after this matter. Getting knocked out was old news; it barely warranted another meal.

He chuckled inwardly, then shook his head with resignation. Suddenly, he noticed Ma Xiong heading toward the coffin. Sensing trouble—fearing Ma Xiong would disturb whatever was inside—he rushed ahead, positioning himself in front of the coffin first.

Because of the darkness inside and the dense shroud of Shi Qi (corpse energy) filling the space, a white, mist-like vapor clung to Lu Zong's mind. He knew this gas was harmful; at best, it would cause fainting for half an hour, and at worst, it could lead to possession. Though these were folk tales, caution was paramount inside this bizarre and terrifying tomb.

Lu Zong pulled his head back from the coffin, simultaneously drawing Ma Xiong away from the edge, and they waited briefly to the side. Once the mist dissipated, he stepped forward and peered into the coffin.

What met his gaze astonished Lu Zong completely. Inside lay a middle-aged woman in modern attire, her face kind, her expression vivid, her skin damp and smooth. She looked as if she were merely sleeping, leaving Lu Zong speechless for a long time.

Ma Xiong stammered, "Lu Zong, what is going on? How can there be such a perfectly preserved mummy in this desert region?"

Lu Zong shook his head, muttering in confusion, "That’s not right either. How could there be a wet mummy here? A dry mummy might make sense, but a wet mummy is utterly illogical."

Ma Xiong looked puzzled. "Lu Zong, what are dry mummies and wet mummies?"

Lu Zong explained, "A dry mummy is one where the body's moisture has been drawn out and air exposure blocked, preserving the body from oxidation by airborne bacteria, thus forming a dry mummy. A wet mummy is much rarer, like the mummies of Egypt; creating one without highly advanced scientific techniques is impossible. To date, China has never discovered a wet mummy older than two thousand years. Finding one here that is at least two millennia old could shock the entire world."

Ma Xiong appeared unimpressed, looking at Lu Zong without expression as he finished speaking, then lowered his head, silent. It was unclear what he was thinking.

Seeing Ma Xiong pay him no further mind, Lu Zong turned his gaze back to the corpse. But upon looking a second time, he suddenly noticed something astonishingly strange—he felt as if he had seen this woman somewhere before.

He racked his brain, searching from the trends of the metropolis to the mass graves, feeling certain the face belonged somewhere in the recesses of his memory, yet he couldn't pinpoint it. He stamped his foot in frustration.

He crouched down, clasping his head, trying to dredge up the face from within his mind, but the search ended in failure.

He stopped thinking about it and prepared to move the upper body to see what was buried beneath. If this coffin was constructed according to sacrificial rites, there should be burial jewels underneath. Given the appearance of this noblewoman, she must have been wealthy in life, and the accompanying treasures certainly wouldn't be few.

The more he thought, the happier he became. He hadn't expected to get rich on this trip. He was secretly delighted. Although he knew clearly this violated national regulations, he also knew that violating regulations always brought a certain pleasure—at least he was getting away with something at the state's expense.

He called out to Ma Xiong to help him lift the coffin. Ma Xiong rose from the ground, looked at the lid, tested its weight, then walked to the coffin and, with Lu Zong, heaved the lid open.

To Lu Zong's great disappointment, what lay beneath wasn't treasure, but another body—also a wet mummy, preserved almost as perfectly as the one above, looking as if she were asleep.

Though no jewels were present, his heart soared. Discovering two wet mummies was worth a fortune beyond measure.

He examined the features of this second body and was instantly stunned. His first glance brought the same jolt of familiarity as before, yet he couldn't place where he had seen her. This one had a high nose bridge, slightly deeper-set eyes, and pale skin—likely Caucasian. Since this area was historically a vital hub connecting China and Europe in ancient times, finding a European mummy here was not entirely unexpected.

Despite finding two thousand-year-old wet mummies, a nagging feeling persisted: he truly had seen these two bodies before, but the context remained elusive.

He pondered, "Since they are buried together, they must have been close. I've seen them both, which means they are modern people, and probably my good friends. And one is European... when did I acquire this circle of friends?"

"Ah, could it be Han Chong and Luisa?" A shock went through his nerves, and his gaze frantically swept over the two bodies. The more he looked, the more alike they seemed, until he was utterly dumbfounded.

They hadn't even sorted out the identity issues of Ganda and Ma Xiong, and now this massive problem had surfaced. He shouldn't have thought that way earlier; he truly had a jinxed mouth.

He suddenly recalled the slight breathing he detected outside the coffin earlier. Could the two still be alive?

He placed his fingers near Luisa's nose—sure enough, he detected a faint breath. He then moved his finger to Han Chong's nose and felt a weak respiration there too.

Frantic, he urged Ma Xiong to help save them. Ma Xiong squatted down, checked Luisa’s complexion, and then began administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Lu Zong mimicked Ma Xiong’s actions, performing CPR on Han Chong. As he kissed her, he thought: Why do these two look so much older? By at least a decade or more. Could they have run into the same problem as Ganda and Ma Xiong? He looked at the two figures before him.

At this moment, their bodies began to tremble faintly, and their fingers started to twitch slowly. The realization that he might be responsible for their current state made Lu Zong feel deeply apologetic and distressed. He stepped forward, took Han Chong's hand, and looked at her face, which should have been tenderly smiling but was now lined with wrinkles. Her soft, moist skin was now rough and thin. A wave of sorrow washed over him.

Finally, Han Chong weakly opened her eyes. She surveyed her surroundings, then looked at Lu Zong holding her, and asked, "Lu Zong, what's wrong? Where are we?"

Lu Zong replied, "It's nothing. We encountered a little accident while surveying Xinjiang and got trapped here. But don't worry, this is just a small detour. With me here, I guarantee we will successfully get out."

To his surprise, Han Chong became agitated, asking in a tone of disbelief, "What? Xinjiang? Are we still in Xinjiang? Didn't we leave the desert twenty-five years ago? Why are we back?"

Lu Zong was stunned, unable to understand why Han Chong would say such a thing.

He felt a chill wind rise behind him and turned quickly. He saw Luisa also beginning to open her eyes, her body stirring, while Ma Xiong stood motionless to the side, staring blankly.

Lu Zong walked over and pulled Luisa into an embrace. When she woke, she had the same reaction as Han Chong, asking where they were and what was happening. Helplessly, Lu Zong once again patiently explained the situation to Luisa. To his astonishment, her reaction mirrored Han Chong's: "What? We're in the desert now? We got out over twenty years ago, why are we crossing the desert again?"

Lu Zong silently cried injustice. Why did fate assign such a daunting task to him?

Resignedly, he told them both, "It’s a long story. It can’t be explained in a couple of sentences. We’ll discuss it once we are out."

Han Chong looked at Luisa. Lu Zong caught a flicker of something strange in their eyes, and he couldn't decipher what it meant.

At that moment, he could only inwardly despair. It seemed they too had time-traveled—returning from today's future to today's past, twenty years ago. How was he supposed to live through this?