As the chains slid down with a sound, the container door opened a small gap, and blinding sunlight shot through the crack.

We were all somewhat unaccustomed to it, shielding our eyes with the backs of our hands.

At that moment, the person at the door spoke in somewhat clumsy Mandarin: "Not dead yet? If you're not dead, come down for dinner."

Hearing that we could go out for some fresh air, we didn't dare hesitate, immediately stood up, and walked towards the carriage opening.

Jumping down from the carriage, two Russians in white tank tops blocked our path.

Both Russians were over six feet tall, big and burly, with powerful muscles, and you could vaguely see curly chest hair peeking out from their collars, exuding a wild aura.

This immediately reminded me of the brown bears Andrei had mentioned earlier; I thought these two Russians were quite similar to those bears.

Both giants had pulled their baseball caps low, and upon seeing us exit the vehicle, they stretched out two arms like massive bear paws, blocking the three of us.

One of the young men with a full beard said, "If you don't want to die, don't speak carelessly, don't... just don't say anything at all, let's go..."

The three of us followed the two Russians forward.

We saw that we were halfway up a low hill. The large truck we were riding in was parked by the roadside on the slope, and opposite us, closer to the mountainside, were a few interconnected, low concrete buildings.

Although these few small buildings were very crude, two of them housed eateries: one was a stir-fry restaurant specializing in Sichuan cuisine, and the other served Dao Xiao Mian (hand-cut noodles). Next to the noodle shop, there was also a small supermarket.

When the two men in front weren't paying attention to me, I glanced at the supermarket's name—it was Xiaofang Supermarket in Guangyuan XX Town.

This confirmed that we were still within Sichuan, deep in the mountains of Guangyuan, and I figured our next destination would be Shaanxi.

The two Russians led us into the Sichuan restaurant. Aside from the five of us, all the other Russians went into the noodle shop, and some didn't even eat, instead buying snacks at the supermarket before returning to their vehicles.

The Russians ordered dishes in their imperfect Chinese: Mapo Tofu, Twice-Cooked Pork, and Sliced Pork with Asparagus.

We ate silently, not saying a word, and were then led back out.

Before returning to the truck, I took a look at the convoy: there were four vehicles in total—one was the black SUV that Xie Yuting was driving, and the other three were heavy-duty tractor-trailers hauling containers.

All four vehicles had Beijing license plates, though everyone knew that sometimes a Beijing plate was equivalent to no plate at all.

After we got back into the carriage, one of the tall Russians, just before locking the door, said, "This is the last decent meal you'll have. You all need to take care of yourselves."

We didn't know what he meant, so we didn't reply.

Without hesitation, the Russian firmly locked the door, and we were plunged back into darkness.

Because of our previous experience, we remained silent until the vehicle started moving.

About half an hour after the truck began driving, Xiao Feiyang finally broke the silence, saying, "Mr. Andrei, what did that Russian mean just now? How exactly are we getting to Russia?"

Andrei thought for a moment and replied, "Actually, I predicted their route from the beginning. This kind of large trailer we are in cannot navigate overly treacherous mountains, so going through Mongolia and Outer Mongolia to Siberia is impossible. We are most likely heading to the Northeast region first, and then transferring to a ship to reach Siberia."

I nodded, picking up his thread, "But going to the Northeast, taking the main roads would definitely pass through places like Xi'an and Zhengzhou, where checkpoints are very strict. So the route we take must avoid major cities via mountain roads."

Andrei said, "Correct, exactly so. We should be going from Longnan towards Baoji, then passing through Linfen and Zhangjiakou, finally exiting the sea near Yanbian Eastern Coast, taking a ship across the Sea of Japan to reach Chukotka. This stretch is mostly desolate wilderness, with virtually no sign of people."

Hearing this, I teased him, "Mr. Andrei, it seems you haven't just learned Chinese, but you are also extremely proficient in Chinese geography."

Andrei let out a loud laugh and said, "If I can remember such complex Chinese pronunciation, mastering a mere Chinese map only takes me a few seconds."

I smiled helplessly, thinking this old fellow was truly an extraordinary man.

Over the course of the day, Andrei and I had become much more familiar with each other. After a moment of silence, I asked, "Mr. Andrei, actually... when I was in the tomb, I overheard your entire conversation with Xie Yuting, where you mentioned your leader interfering in Chinese affairs. What is that about? Is there some connection between the Yakut people and the Han ethnicity?"

Andrei hadn't expected me to bring up this sudden question. He looked at me, then at Xiao Feiyang, pondered for a moment, and then stated, "Oh, yes, not only is there a connection, but the connection is extremely deep."

I immediately grew interested and asked, "What kind of connection? From your conversation, it sounds like the Yakut people are much more powerful than Han civilization, and once had the capability to make the Han submit to you."

Andrei rubbed the beard on his chin, his eyes darting around as if contemplating something.

After a while, he said, "I think it would be better if we changed the subject, perhaps talking about whale hunting, or the techniques for catching seals in the ice layers."

As soon as he mentioned that, Xiao Feiyang became animated and eagerly nodded, saying, "Great! Great! I love hearing about that!"

I kicked him lightly from the side and said, "Don't change the subject. This is very important to me."

Seeing my serious expression, Xiao Feiyang fell silent.

I then turned back to Andrei and said, "Sir, please just tell me. There are too many mysteries before me right now; I feel like I'm going crazy."

Andrei rubbed his beard again, appearing very hesitant. After a pause, he finally sighed and said, "Since you insist, I will tell you, but I cannot tell you everything, only what I am permitted to disclose."

I quickly nodded and said, "Alright! Please go ahead."

Andrei lifted his broad palm and placed it on my shoulder, saying, "In fact, long before the Stone Age, there were many branches of our Yakut people. A portion of them migrated and settled in what is now China. That branch of the Yakut people is still active in China today—it is your Nie family."

While I was surprised, he added, "Actually, saying it like that isn't entirely accurate. It should be said that your Nie family and our Yakut clan share the same ancestors, ancestors who lived for a very long time."

I remained silent, just looking at Andrei with an expression that clearly indicated I wanted to hear more.

Seeing my look, Andrei shook his head and smiled, "Alright, I really can't do anything about you. I'll tell you a bit more. In truth, the Nie family was not always as small as it is now. Your clansmen were even more numerous than the current Yakut people. Our civilization was distinct from the Hemudu civilization or the Peking Man civilization; we possessed far superior handicrafts, agriculture, and even technology."

"Technology?" I was somewhat startled by that word, as 'technology' shouldn't really appear in civilizations tens or even hundreds of thousands of years old.

Andrei nodded and affirmed, "Yes, indeed, technology. Precisely because our technology was advanced then, and the so-called Huaxia peoples were still uncivilized barbarians, we were fully capable of controlling that race. Therefore, at the dawn of human civilization, we Yakut people were the supreme leaders ruling the world—the gods often referred to in many civilizations."

"Gods?" Both Xiao Feiyang and I found this word incredibly unbelievable.

I pointed to my own nose and asked Andrei, "Are you saying that our ancestors were the gods of all human civilization?"

Andrei nodded and replied, "That's right. At first, I couldn't believe it myself, but after more than a hundred years of investigation, that is indeed the truth. However, our glory did not last long. After ordinary humans established feudal dynasties, we gradually faded from the curtain of history. But it seems those feudal rulers did not wish to forget us so easily..."