Ma Xiong saw the astonishment on Director Lu’s face and instantly knew something bizarre must have occurred, prompting him to quickly crowd closer.

But upon looking, he too was paralyzed with shock, for outside, he saw a massive crowd gathered.

Crowds weren't frightening; what was terrifying was that every single person possessed three faces, muttering incomprehensibly amongst themselves.

“What in the world are you two doing?” Hearing the familiar voice, the two spun around, only to see Ge Mei standing silently behind them.

“Hey, what are you two up to?” Ge Mei called out again. The two men started, hastily replying, “Nothing, nothing at all.”

Ge Mei smirked slightly. “Startled by those people outside, were you?” At these words, the faces of both men instantly drained of color.

Ge Mei, however, remained calm. “Odd, isn’t it? If it’s strange, then come with me. I’ll explain exactly what’s going on.” Hearing this, the two quickly followed.

Before long, they arrived at the study, where Ge Mei pulled out a device resembling a mobile phone from beneath a drawer. It was heavily corroded with rust, indicating it had been buried underground for an unknown, vast amount of time.

“What is this?” the two immediately inquired.

“This? This is the legendary Time Machine. It’s what we used to travel to this place.”

The two were instantly dumbstruck; how could they possibly believe in such a contraption? They stared at Ge Mei, mouths agape.

Ge Mei shook his head as if mocking himself, then laughed, “You two must be quite astonished that I possess such a treasure. Let me tell you, long before your so-called experts found Cao Cao’s tomb, I had already located it and gone inside. My family, you see, is a lineage of tomb raiders. My other windfall was this Time Machine—it’s what guided us here.”

The two were already stunned, bordering on vacant, utterly unwilling to accept the reality before them. Yet, their current predicament could indeed be explained away by Ge Mei’s narrative.

“Then tell us, what do we do now?” Director Lu asked. “How can we get back?”

Ge Mei let out a booming laugh. “Heh heh. Since I could bring you here, naturally I can send you back. However, I didn't bring you over just for a visit; I require you to agree to one condition!”

“What condition? Tell us quickly.”

The two asked in unison, their sanity nearly fractured by the pressure of reality.

“This is simple,” Ge Mei said, smiling at them. “As long as you help me alter history, I will help you return. Of course, you can change some things in the process, so that in the future, you won't be reduced to such a wretched state in university, nor will you have to risk your lives every day digging up other people’s graves.”

“Alter history?” The notion was astounding.

Ge Mei continued his explanation. “Do you remember the burning of Chibi all those years ago? Heh heh. Our story begins there. Simply put, if you can help Cao Cao win that battle, your task will be complete, and you can go home.”

The two finally understood why Ge Mei had been so insistent on them meeting Cao Cao—this was his objective. “But even if the Battle of Chibi succeeds, what benefit do you gain? What does it have to do with you?”

Ge Mei roared with laughter. “That’s none of your concern. In any case, this is a monumental secret, one you won’t know now or ever. That secret was buried with Cao Cao long ago.”

Ma Xiong glanced at Director Lu. “Could it be related to that Demon Pagoda?”

Director Lu nodded. “Yes, it must be related to the Demon Pagoda. Also, this Time Machine—I can’t shake the feeling it’s something that creates black holes. Could it be that black holes generated by this machine transported us here? Is that a possibility?”

Director Lu nodded again. “Yes, that must be it.”

Ge Mei continued, “Whether you choose to help me or not is up to you. But I don’t trust either of you entirely; I have a second method. See those people outside? To guard against your failure, I have traveled to the future countless times, naturally bringing versions of you from different ages. See? If you fail, countless others will follow to take your place. Haha!”

Upon hearing this, the two were utterly frozen.

Should they become historical traitors and change the past? How could history permit such reckless tampering? Even sacrificing their own lives, they could not casually rewrite the annals of time.

Instantly, the two decided not to cooperate with the Ge Mei before them.

They exchanged a look, then charged forward. Before Ge Mei could react, Ma Xiong snatched the Time Machine. He slammed his hand onto one of the red buttons, and a black hole manifested before them.

Their heartbeats accelerated as they leaped into the vortex; the familiar sensation returned.

Behind them, Ge Mei merely smiled faintly. It was clear that every move they made was entirely within his grasp.

The two were transported back into Cao Cao’s tomb. And they retained all their prior awareness.

Now, they stood in the secret chamber just moments after entering the tomb, flanked by the corpulent Company Commander Ge Mei and several others.

Their only path now was forward.

“You few had better obey and move forward, or I’ll smash your skulls in.”

Hearing this, the nerves of Director Lu and Ma Xiong snapped taut.

What was happening? Commander Ge Mei and the others were supposed to be dead! Why was Ge Mei here? Furthermore, they distinctly remembered that the current scene was identical to the previous one, not differing by even a fraction.

Could it be…?

A single word flashed in Director Lu’s mind.

A loop!

They were reliving past events.

Ma Xiong was also stunned. He looked at Director Lu and cried out, “A loop! We are trapped in an infinite cycle!”

Only the others seemed oblivious to the situation, merely urging them, “Hurry up and walk.”

At that moment, Director Lu frantically searched his mind, trying to locate memories pertaining to this journey—memories looped countless times.

He discovered that within his mind, there were countless iterations of memories of this trip!

Infinite terror began to blossom in his mind once more.

He had no idea what to do next!