Zhong Tian and the others exchanged glances, seeing the helplessness mirrored in each other's eyes. This scene had also occurred in the original plot of The Mummy: when the High Priest Imhotep recovered most of his power, he would reanimate the dead into moving corpses, and some living people would also fall under his magical control. When this happened in the original story, the likes of O’Connell were driven to the brink of despair, and the museum director perished amidst the swarming dead.

Zhang Heng and Gao Hongliang also rushed in. Zhang Heng immediately stated, "It's not just that. I've seen this... cough—I've seen this too. Wasn't it supposed to be just the reanimated corpses? The Spirit Bullets could kill them all. But now, chunks of flesh are starting to fall off the corpses, looking utterly disgusting. Once they are reduced to mere skeletons, the rocks and earth on the ground transform into their armor and weapons, making them look like..." O’Connell immediately picked up the thread, saying, "Yes, those skeletons look just like the Mummy Guards you summon. About three or four out of every ten corpses turn into Mummy Guards. We were nearly discovered by a few of them when we returned; luckily, we ran fast. They seem to be searching for something nearby. Let’s hope they haven't found us yet..." Zhong Tian sighed, offering a bitter smile, "The plot has changed. It seems we've truly reached a dead end this time..." Xiao Honglü, however, pondered aloud, "I'm quite curious. What is the mission of the Indo Team? To resurrect Anck-su-namun, right? And what is ours? To bury the undead priest... That seems highly illogical, doesn't it? They are practically allied with the High Priest Imhotep, while we are positioned at an absolute disadvantage. This is extremely, extremely unreasonable... unless we've forgotten something crucial."

The moment he finished speaking, a bird chirped suddenly from the bell tower window ledge. Everyone turned to look and saw a small, snowy-white eagle. This little eagle was delicate and spirited, entirely white like snow. It perched on the windowsill, chirping softly until the bearded man in black waved his hand, and the eagle obediently landed on his wrist.

The bearded man in black retrieved a note from the bird's leg, read it, then took out another note from his inner pocket and tucked it onto the eagle's leg. With another wave of his hand, the little eagle flew out of the bell tower window amidst its cries.

"Mighty strangers, I and my kin, descendants of the Pharaoh’s guard, have watched over the City of the Dead for millennia. To prevent the High Priest Imhotep from rising and destroying the world, my clan is prepared to pay any price to defeat him. Rest assured, my people have already gathered our forces and await you on the passage from the desert to the City of the Dead. Be it Imhotep’s army of undead creatures, or those powerful strangers attempting to resurrect Anck-su-namun, my kin and I... by the blades in our hands and the glory of our era, we swear! We will stop and destroy them at any cost!" the bearded man in black stated solemnly to Zhong Tian and the others.

"Part Two!" Zhong Tian and the others roared in unison.

The Mummy had two parts. In the plot of the second film, to combat the powerful army of the Egyptian god of death, the elite of the bearded man's clan emerged, with tens of thousands of cavalry gathered in the desert to confront Anubis’s army. In that battle, the combat prowess of the bearded man’s cavalry was astonishing; they managed to repel the first wave of the Anubis army entirely. Facing countless corpses and Mummy Guards now, their fighting strength was surely not to be underestimated.

"That’s right! They have the undead priest Imhotep and those Mummy Guards, but we have the help of our comrades... We will not lose to them! Absolutely not!" Because a fresh force had unexpectedly joined them—though their individual strength might not be overwhelming, this massive influx of manpower was enough to alter the outcome of this horror film for both the Indo Team and Zhong Tian’s group. To coordinate with this new force, Xiao Honglü drew up another detailed plan.

Ling Dian was positioned not far from the cavalry unit. When the cavalry intercepted the Indo Team members midway, he would snipe from a distance amidst the chaos. It was highly probable that in such a confusing situation, the chances of the enemy discovering and attacking Ling Dian would be extremely slim. Meanwhile, the others would use the distraction of the interception to hurry to the City of the Dead to retrieve the Book of Life. Once Imhotep’s power was stripped away, they would finally hold the absolute upper hand.

Since the decision had been made, the group decided to eat something and rest briefly. As soon as their strength was restored, they would rush to the port, hijack a merchant vessel or some other boat, and sail downstream. They were certain to reach the City of the Dead before the Indo Team arrived. Of course, the safest method was still to have the cavalry intercept them along the way; killing them off with sheer numbers, if possible, would also be excellent.

While the others were eating, Zhao Yingkong silently walked out past the management office door, carrying a medical kit and a bottle of liquor. Zhong Tian noticed her movement, sighed, and followed her out quietly. Once outside, he saw Zhao Yingkong take a few steps toward the staircase leading to the upper floors. After turning a corner, she opened the medical kit and took out a small scalpel.

"You who are watching over there... come and assist."

Zhao Yingkong suddenly said softly.

Zhong Tian scratched his head, stepping out slightly awkwardly, just in time to see Zhao Yingkong decisively cut open her clothing. The tender, pale skin beneath her neck and the gruesome wound on her shoulder were immediately exposed... Of course, the unsightly chest wrap also caught Zhong Tian's eye.

"That wolf's tooth carried a strange virus. I've lost feeling in the wound on my shoulder. Legend says those bitten by a werewolf become new ones. While his virus isn't that severe, almost half of my body is paralyzed... See the wound? The completely blackened flesh is the part saturated with the virus. Cut it away for me..." Zhao Yingkong stated in the same calm tone. She then lit the alcohol lamp in the medical kit and briefly heated the scalpel over the flame. Only when Zhong Tian approached her did the young woman silently hand the scalpel to him.

Zhong Tian steadied his mind and closely examined the gruesome wound. Indeed, a large circle of skin and flesh had turned purplish-black, looking terribly frightening. The hand holding the scalpel trembled slightly until Zhao Yingkong suddenly murmured, "...The last person who operated on me... he was my comrade, we were paired together in training and missions, but he died by my hand... Just like that jackal doctor, Arrott. As an assassin, one often descends into madness and perversion due to excessive killing and brutal training. When an assassin cannot withstand the trials and deteriorates... that is when they must disappear. Arrott deserved the same..." Hearing this, Zhong Tian took a deep breath. When he exhaled, his eyes became distant, and then he began skillfully and accurately slicing away the black flesh, bit by bit, the scalpel dancing over Zhao Yingkong's shoulder... Leaping to