I recognized the viper’s striking posture—the body arching back, followed by a sudden lunge of the head to sink its fangs into the prey. My neck and face were completely exposed to the attack; there was no way to avoid it, no time to defend.

Just as I braced myself to close my eyes and accept death, there was a sudden crack and a flash of white light that illuminated the pitch-black valley brilliantly. The monstrous snake, already lunging for my throat, was startled by the dazzling glare mid-air and slid past my shoulder.

It all happened in a single second. Before the snake could even hit the ground, I swung the entrenching tool in my hand down with crushing force, flattening the serpent’s head. A stream of inky black ichor oozed from the crushed mass, and I quickly scrambled back a few steps, whispering a word of relief. The snake’s venom was notoriously potent; a single bite would instantly send its poison through the entire bloodstream, ensuring certain death.

I looked up to see that the beam of light that saved my life came from Shirley Yang’s camera flash. She was inseparable from that camera, constantly shooting as she walked. I never imagined my life would be spared by the flash of the camera in her hands. Thank goodness for her quick reflexes; otherwise, Old Hu would already be meeting Great Hu.

But this was hardly the time for thanks. Who knew if there were more of those two monstrous snakes in this valley? It was better to deal with everything after we cleared the mountain pass. With a wave of my hand, I urged everyone to move forward quickly.

By this time, the camels seemed to sense the immediate danger from the venomous snakes had passed. They calmed down from their agitated state. Chu Jian, Sa Dipeng, and the others loaded the unconscious Ye Yixin, Professor Chen, and Hao Aiguo’s corpse onto the camels’ backs.

Anliman whistled, guiding the caravan forward. Aided by the cold flares and the beams of our flashlights, the group hurried out of the inky black valley of Zagrama.

We only stopped once we reached the open ground outside the pass, setting Hao Aiguo’s body down. It was still dark, with no starlight or moonlight—the moment just before dawn is the darkest. Hao Aiguo still held the expression of terror from his final moments; his lifeless eyes behind his glasses had not yet closed. His entire body was tinged blue, made even more ghastly and bizarre under the harsh shafts of the flashlights.

The cold wind blowing out from the mountain pass jolted Professor Chen awake. He struggled free and collapsed onto Hao Aiguo’s corpse, weeping uncontrollably. I helped the professor up. A dead man cannot be brought back to life; I wanted to urge him to control his grief, but the words caught in my throat and wouldn't come out.

I had spent nearly a month with Hao Aiguo. I usually enjoyed joking with him and calling him "Old Antique," and I genuinely liked his straightforward, outspoken nature. But today... Thinking of this, my heart ached uncontrollably, making it impossible to console anyone else.

The rest of the group also shed quiet tears. At that moment, a fissure of dark crimson cracked open on the distant horizon—the sun was finally about to rise. We all turned our gaze eastward involuntarily.

That light slowly shifted to rose, then blood-red, finally transforming into ten thousand streaks of golden light as the arc of the sun emerged. At this instant, the boundless sea of sand seemed to have melted into gold within the crucible of a god.

Amidst this desert, molten like golden slag, a colossal city stretched out before everyone. Countless broken walls, ruins of brick, wood, earth, and stone formed structures, with innumerable towers and battlements within the city. Most prominent was a black stone tower, tilting slightly, standing silently amidst the ruins.

It was the exact scene from the black-and-white photograph in Shirley Yang’s hand. After two thousand years, the vestiges of the Jingjue Ancient City truly still existed in the deepest part of the desert.

The scale of this Jingjue City could accommodate fifty or sixty thousand residents. Even famous cities like Loulan, at their peak, housed only ten to twenty thousand people and an army of over three thousand.

The city was largely ruined, having been buried under the sand for no less than a thousand years. Some sections were hard to distinguish as dunes or fortifications, and most of the towers had collapsed and weathered away. Even so, one could still imagine the majestic grandeur it possessed in its prime.

The area possessed a massive magnetic field, making it difficult for aircraft or similar tools to fly overhead. Furthermore, situated deep within the desert, it was likely that very few people could find this location. I wondered how many explorers and lost souls had visited this legendary ancient city before us. The only certainty was that 99 percent of them would never return to their homelands.

Professor Chen gently lifted Hao Aiguo’s body lying on the ground and pointed, trembling, at the Jingjue Ancient City. In a hoarse voice, he said, “Look… Look at it… Didn’t you always want to see this mysterious ancient city? Open your eyes and look quickly—we finally found it.”

My heart sank. Was the old man losing his mind from excessive grief? I quickly went over and pulled Professor Chen away from Hao Aiguo: “Professor, Teacher Hao is gone. Let him rest in peace. It’s a pity he never saw this miraculously preserved ancient city. His final wish must now be carried on by you; you must pull yourself together.”

Shirley Yang and a few students also came over to console him. I left the professor in their care. Feeling a profound sense of regret over Hao Aiguo’s death, and grateful toward Shirley Yang, I said to her, “I won’t thank you for saving my life just now; consider it a life owed to you… But a debt is a debt. We’ve reached Jingjue now, so according to our prior contract, that’s twenty thousand US dollars.”

As soon as the Fat Man heard about money, he quickly chimed in, “Twenty thousand each, forty thousand US dollars total, settled in cash.”

Shirley Yang gave us both a sharp look, bit her lip, and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll get every penny. I’ll give it to you immediately upon our return.”

I realized that bringing up money just then was inappropriate. My emotions were a jumble, and I spoke without thinking. I should quickly change the subject, but I didn't know what to say. I stammered, looking around vaguely, “That... city... it’s quite large...”

Shirley Yang stared at my face and said, “After spending time with you these past few days, I can see you two are exceptionally capable and have extraordinary experiences. I didn’t expect you to be so concerned with money. It seems my first impression of you wasn't wrong. Let me advise you both: there are many things in life more valuable than money.”

I was speechless. The Fat Man interjected, “Miss Yang, you live under the stars and stripes of the United States, and your father is a titan on Wall Street. I imagine you’ve never used ration coupons for meals, nor experienced food shortages in your childhood, so you don’t understand the environment we survive in. You have no right to comment on our values. And stop lecturing us about ‘life’—poor people don’t have a life; poor people are just surviving. Anyway, people like you, rich people, wouldn’t understand these truths even if I explained them. Today, I simply couldn’t hold back. If you don’t like hearing it, just pretend I didn't say anything. We’ve found the Jingjue City now; tell us what to do next, Ma’am.”

The Fat Man started off sounding righteous and bold, but as he continued, he remembered Shirley Yang was the one paying the bill. Fearing he might anger her and jeopardize the payment, his tone shifted, becoming that of a diligent laborer.

I said to her, “Regarding Teacher Hao’s matter… I did my best. I’m sorry.”

Shirley Yang nodded at me, ignoring the Fat Man, and took out her canteen to give water to Professor Chen and Ye Yixin. Professor Chen had been severely shaken by Hao Aiguo’s death; drinking some clean water helped him gradually stabilize. After a brief discussion, the group decided to bury Hao Aiguo in the desert near the pass. His life’s pursuit was the study of Western Regions culture; burying him here, forever accompanying this mysterious ancient city, surely met his wishes as well.

We dug a deep pit in the yellow sand and wrapped his body in a blanket, burying him on the spot. Finally, I inverted an entrenching tool into the earth at the head of his grave, serving as a makeshift tombstone for Hao Aiguo.

The remaining eight people stood silently before Hao Aiguo’s grave for a long time in mourning before departing.

The dead are gone; we must save the living. We needed to enter the city immediately to search for water, otherwise, the next person to be buried in the desert would be Ye Yixin, who was suffering from severe dehydration.

Everyone packed their gear and prepared to head into the city. We had finally reached our destination. I hoped no more mishaps would occur. If anyone else met with misfortune, what good would it do me to have earned this money?

Seeing that everyone was almost ready, I asked Shirley Yang if we could set off.

As departure neared, Shirley Yang seemed slightly agitated, her body trembling faintly. However, it was impossible to tell if she felt fear, tension, or excitement. I watched as she took out a crucifix and whispered a prayer:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.

Then, she calmly told us, “Let’s go.”