The other one was Zhang Heng; having come into this horror movie reincarnation from the real world, he undoubtedly still carried the naivete of that former life. Although he hadn't been acknowledged as a team member by Zheng Zha and the others, witnessing those who fought alongside him die before his eyes was an experience bordering on schadenfreude, though one wonders if he would be so composed if he were the one to die someday.

As the three stood in silence before Zero Point’s corpse, a sudden cry echoed from the tomb entrance. All three started, and Zheng Zha and Zhao Yingkong spoke in unison: “Imhotep!” Imhotep had infiltrated the tomb earlier, and concurrently, the Indian Team had landed and was making its way toward the City of the Dead. Thus, when Zero Point’s gunshots rang out, everyone’s attention had been diverted to him. With Zheng Zha and Zhao Yingkong present, the not-yet-fully-recovered Imhotep posed little real threat; at the very least, their respective weapons were a complete counter to his existence.

However, Zero Point’s sudden demise drew Zheng Zha and Zhao Yingkong away. In other words, those gathered at the tomb entrance now lacked the strength to resist Imhotep’s attack, left only to watch helplessly as he struck them down one by one.

The thought spurred Zheng Zha and Zhao Yingkong into a swift dash toward the tomb entrance. Their speed was considerable, yet upon reaching the entrance, they realized they were a step too late. At Imhotep’s feet lay a desiccated corpse; judging by its attire, this was the sole surviving American. Imhotep himself was convulsing violently, and the few decayed patches on his body began to regenerate.

In mere seconds, a perfectly restored bald priest stood before them.

As everyone watched, Imhotep actually offered them a slight smile—a gesture that sent a chill down everyone's spine. In that frozen moment of shock, he abruptly raised his hand.

Outside the City of the Dead, the yellow sand billowed into the sky, thick plumes rising dozens of meters high. They roared toward the thousand-strong cavalry unit charging toward the Indian Team. Less than a thousand meters separated the cavalry from the Indian Team when the howling sand descended and buried them.

The cavalry unit was engulfed instantly. At the same time, the Indian Team pressed forward toward the City of the Dead with even greater urgency, realizing that the thousand-man cavalry force that could have annihilated them would likely not catch up now.

Zheng Zha and Zhao Yingkong lunged simultaneously at Imhotep. One channeled his inner strength into his left fist, while the other drew the Netherfire Fang.

Both weapons were capable of harming Imhotep, but this time, the Undying Priest was noticeably more cunning.

With a slight whirl, he conjured a sandstorm hurricane. Before the two could reach him, the vortex swept up Evie and Zhan Lan. He roared and fled deep into the tomb.

Zheng Zha’s face was ashen. He grabbed Jonathan up, demanding, “What did he mean by what he said as he left?” Before Jonathan could answer, the bearded man in black spoke up: “He’ll trade the Book of the Living for the Book of the Dead, or he’ll turn the two women into mummies. He gave us two water clocks of time—about an hour.” Zheng Zha’s chest heaved violently. The previously excellent situation seemed to have dissolved into nothingness in an instant. Zero Point was dead, Imhotep had recovered his power, and Evie and Zhan Lan had been abducted. Was their team truly facing annihilation here? “O'Connell! Jonathan! You two hurry and find the Book of Life!” Zheng Zha suppressed the despair in his heart and decisively ordered the two men. Then he looked toward the bearded man in black: “You accompany them and protect them.”

The Museum Curator quickly interjected, “Let me go too; I can read ancient Egyptian!” Zheng Zha remembered Jonathan’s half-baked knowledge of the language.

He could only nod helplessly, then continued, “Zhang Jie, you are responsible for protecting Zhang Heng and Xiao Honglü. As the Indian Team approaches the City of the Dead and moves into the tomb, we’ll be safe from their ranged attacks once inside. However, that Indian woman with psychic control is very troublesome, Zhang Jie?” Zheng Zha then noticed Zhang Jie’s look of agony, but what chilled him further was a strange, momentary divine light flashing in Zhang Jie’s eyes. The light vanished instantly, and then Zhang Jie slumped unconscious. Even more terrifying, the skin across his body began to split, capillaries burst open, and his entire form seemed to dissolve into blood.

Almost simultaneously, on the Indian Team’s side, the young monk and the others were ecstatic. When that sandstorm erupted, they knew Imhotep had regained his power. That tempest had saved their entire team; otherwise, a thousand cavalrymen armed with firearms would have pushed them toward total destruction. Moreover, they had eliminated the long-range sniper. This was perhaps their most relaxed moment, as they no longer had to fear becoming casualties of gunfire at any second.

“Ram! Are you alright?” the young monk shouted without looking back.

Among the group, the handsome Indian youth had his left arm severed cleanly at the shoulder. He was coughing up blood continuously, relying on the two women beside him to keep moving. He said weakly, “If my needle hadn’t hit him first, it would have been a shot straight to the heart. Such terrifying power; even though it missed me, the mere graze shattered my arm.” The blindfolded beauty next to the Indian youth murmured, “Nothing strange about it. From his memories, we know that Gauss sniper rifle was powerful enough to destroy a chariot in one shot. You’re not a chariot!” The blindfolded beauty suddenly shrieked, clutching her head and rolling on the ground. Everyone froze in shock. The young monk and the blond doctor, who had transformed into a giant werewolf, both rushed toward the blindfolded beauty simultaneously, for they all knew that while she might not be the strongest in terms of combat prowess, she was the absolute core figure of the entire team—a captain without formal command.

The blindfolded beauty screamed, her voice turning hoarse within seconds. She kept roaring, “The Captain—the Guide—attacked me! He couldn't have attacked me! I was just probing them, and suddenly he invaded my mind—a psychic backlash, a backlash!” As the blindfolded beauty’s voice faded, blood began to stream from her features, making her look horrifyingly ghastly, yet even then, her body continued to spasm uncontrollably.

The giant werewolf reverted to the blond doctor as he reached the blindfolded beauty. He grabbed her head and then checked her left breast. After a few seconds, the blond doctor let go, his shoulders slumping. He stated, “The heart is still beating, but the brainwaves are extremely abnormal. Her consciousness has been forcibly wiped. If nothing unexpected happens, the body will die within minutes. It seems even her bodily instincts have been erased; her breathing and heart rate will slow to a stop.”

The young monk took a deep breath and muttered, “There’s no way to save her? Not even by draining life force into her?” The blond doctor shook his head, offering a bitter smile. “No way. The mental domain is the most unfathomable realm; I am truly unfamiliar with that aspect. Her vitality is incredibly strong, and the opponent is a master of the mental domain. He invaded her mental system while she was probing and forcibly erased everything. Her life force cannot recover her spirit.” The young monk’s face suddenly twisted with ferocity. He raised one hand, and a massive snake head materialized above him, lunging through the air to bite the blindfolded beauty. Before everyone’s eyes, the giant snake head completely shredded the blindfolded beauty and swallowed the pieces. The young monk declared with harsh resolve, “If she’s going to die, she’ll die by our own hands! We will absolutely not give the Central Continent Team a chance to score! They’re at negative one point right now, aren’t they? I will make your entire team pay with your lives!” As the young monk spoke fiercely, the woman in Indian attire, who had been docile until then, suddenly shrieked. She looked around in confusion at the young monk and the others. This was Qin Zhuiyu, who had been under psychic control. With the blindfolded beauty’s agonizing death, she too lost control and awakened. However, her awakening was perhaps unfortunate, as she was surrounded by the ferocious gazes of the Indian Team members. Compared to her, Gao Hongliang, who had died quietly and without realizing it, was undoubtedly much luckier.

“Central Continent Team—heh, Central Continent Team! I will make you all die a miserable death, hahahaha!” At this moment, Zheng Zha and his group were utterly baffled. Zhang Jie’s sudden collapse had created a new gap in his arrangements. Now, only he and Zhao Yingkong were capable fighters, and Zhao Yingkong had an injured shoulder. If he let Zhao Yingkong guard Xiao Honglü, a strategist of this caliber was extremely rare; he doubted a new talent like this would appear among the next batch of newcomers.

“If you don’t mind, allow me to protect Xiao Honglü and Zhang Jie.”

Zhang Heng suddenly spoke up.

The cheerful young man smiled slightly, still holding that English longbow. He said, “If we are sneaking into the tomb, the opponent shouldn’t find us so easily. Moreover, I will try to conceal myself in the depths. Let me contribute my part to surviving too—please!”