Imhotep roared incessantly, a stream of ancient Egyptian utterances issuing from the skull mouth, which was already sprouting new flesh. Immediately, the squad of Mummy Guards began to snarl at Zheng Zha and the others, leaping from the distance to charge them. It wasn't just the Mummy Guards; the Sphinxes also roared loudly, closing in on the group simultaneously.
Zheng Zha yelled, "Jonathan! Hurry and read those inscriptions! You can control the tomb guardians!" Jonathan, however, ignored everything, shoving himself into the center of the group. "There are so many Sphinxes chasing me from behind! Where am I supposed to find the spare time to read some inscription?" "Damn it!" Zheng Zha cursed loudly. He urgently stated, "Zhao Yingkong, you take care of the pursuers behind us; I'll hold off the front! Evy! Hurry up and finish reading the text from the Book of the Living!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Zheng Zha slammed a fist into the nearest Mummy Guard. With a sharp crack, the guard disintegrated into ash upon contact with his left fist. Simultaneously, Zheng Zha pulled out the High-Frequency Particle Cutting Dagger, disregarding whether it could inflict physical damage; he swung the dagger at the Mummy Guards before him.
The sound of a lion's roar traveled from the depths of the narrow passage. Jonathan frantically handed the Book of the Living to Evy. He then shouted, "O'Connell! If you don't show up soon, we're all going to die for real!" "Shut up, Jonathan!" A series of sharp pop-pop-pop gunshots erupted from a high platform on the other side of the main altar hall. O'Connell, the bearded man in black, and the museum curator were all sweeping the area with machine guns. The two Sphinxes closest to them were instantly turned into Swiss cheese. Although it was still conventional physical attack, under such dense fire, the Sphinxes were shattered into pieces—at least they posed no immediate threat.
All three were clad only in boxer shorts; their pale bodies were glaringly conspicuous. The bearded man in black was the most violent, wielding not only a heavy machine gun stripped from an aircraft but also continuously tossing grenades downward. Soon, the entire altar hall was thick with the smell of explosives and the shockwaves of detonation, making the very tomb seem to tremble.
Imhotep roared mightily and beckoned with one hand, summoning a swirling sandstorm hurricane toward the three men. While the power of their weapons was considerable, it proved utterly useless against Imhotep transformed into a vortex of sand. Just as the trio was about to be engulfed, a chanting voice suddenly rang out from Evy's position: "By the name of the Sun God, I command you: Banish demons and slay evil!" The Mummy Guards who had been surrounding Zheng Zha instantly froze in place. By this moment, Zheng Zha was covered in cuts. Although his left fist delivered a one-hit kill to any Mummy Guard it struck, the mummies wielded long weapons, and under such a massive siege, it was nearly impossible for him to remain unscathed. Fortunately, Evy was fluent in ancient Egyptian—unlike her brother, who was only mediocre. In the critical moment, she quickly finished reciting the words from the book, thus halting the assault before Zheng Zha sustained worse injuries.
Evy shouted, "Annihilate Imhotep and his minions!" The Mummy Guards simultaneously turned around, pointing the swords and blades in their hands directly at Imhotep and the Sphinxes. Then, these agile Mummy Guards swarmed toward Imhotep and his Sphinxes from all directions.
Imhotep spun around violently and roared, "Hand over the Book of the Sun!" With that, he transformed into a hurricane, rushing toward Evy's side. O'Connell and the other two exchanged glances, then resumed their brutal assault on the numerous monsters below. Their bombs and bullets rained down almost incessantly. These three looked like absolute hooligans; their fervor was even more maniacal than that of Zheng Zha and his companions.
Zheng Zha let out a deep sigh of relief. He knew everything had returned to square one. Although the scene was slightly off-kilter, it was fundamentally mirroring the moment from the movie. He retrieved the key—two books opened—from his Ring of Holding and tossed it to Evy. "Let him rest in peace."
Saying this, he raised his fist and charged headlong into the sandstorm hurricane.
A tremendous force struck, sending Zheng Zha and the sandstorm hurricane tumbling apart in opposite directions. After being hit by the Ring of Holding, Imhotep was forced out of his sand form. Flames continuously burned on his chest, but the fire was gradually extinguishing. He struggled to his feet and lunged at Zheng Zha once more.
Zheng Zha wiped the blood gushing from his mouth. He had retreated from his activated Gene Lock state. For some inexplicable reason, facing Imhotep stirred a sense of complex emotion within him. Having seen the two Mummy films, he knew Imhotep wasn't entirely evil; only his love for Anck-su-namun was genuine. From beginning to end, he never abandoned Anck-su-namun, even at the conclusion of the first film; he still loved her. It was only when Anck-su-namun betrayed him and fled alone that the man finally perished in despair. In essence, he was merely a tragic, ordinary man—wicked in heart, perhaps, but not the absolute epitome of evil.
Zheng Zha felt a wave of sentiment, and he punched Imhotep in the stomach. As Imhotep was blasted backward amidst burning, Zheng Zha was simultaneously struck in the left side of his face by Imhotep’s punch, sending him reeling back as well. As he landed, Evy’s voice finally cut through: "Dust to dust, ashes to ashes; those who must go, do not remain."
Imhotep stared at Evy in astonishment. Under everyone's gaze, a carriage of ineffable gloom and mystery sped down from the high part of the altar hall. It flashed past Imhotep, dragging a translucent, ethereal form of him away into the distance, finally vanishing above a platform elsewhere.
Zheng Zha let out a heavy sigh. He gave a sharp flick of his right hand, the High-Frequency Particle Cutting Dagger in his grip, and walked step by step to the kneeling form of Imhotep. He murmured, "Forget some things. I wonder if your Egypt has legends of reincarnation. In your next life, do not fall in love with someone you shouldn't."
"Hiss!" The dagger sliced through. Imhotep's head flew into the air. All the surrounding Sphinxes dissolved into dust and vanished completely, and even the Mummy Guards began to crumble into particles. Just as everyone let out a collective breath of relief, the entire tomb shook violently, as if struck by an earthquake. Simultaneously, a voice from the "Main God" sounded near Zheng Zha and the others.
"Mission change: Escape the collapsing City of the Dead. Evy, O'Connell, and Jonathan must not die, or five thousand reward points will be deducted for each fatality."
"Holy hell!" Upon hearing this voice, Zheng Zha and the others involuntarily cursed aloud. Zheng Zha immediately shouted, "O'Connell! You three escape outward through the passage you just used! We'll meet outside the tomb! Zhao Yingkong, do you remember the way we came? Lead the way for them! Zhan Lan, speed up our pace, quickly!" As he spoke, he sprinted toward the altar, snatched the Book of the Dead, and stuffed it into his Ring of Holding. His eyes held a moment of blank confusion as he then rushed into the passage behind Evy and the others.
Everyone followed Zhao Yingkong, running outward continuously. After a short while, they arrived at the cliff where they had obtained the Book of the Living. Jonathan remarked while running, "We were surrounded by those Sphinxes back then! Thank goodness that old museum guy found the passage behind us, allowing us to escape through it—hahaha, what luck! Too bad about that thick, golden pedestal, though, sigh..." Evy instinctively looked up toward the statue of the Sun God atop the cliff. Before she could speak, the stone wall beneath her feet suddenly crumbled, and she slid downward with the falling rocks. Fortunately, Zheng Zha had been running right behind them. Seeing Evy slip toward the edge of the cliff, he leaped without a second thought, catching Evy with one hand while clamping his legs onto a protruding piece of rock, suspending himself in mid-air. With his other hand, he reached out for the Book of the Living, which was tumbling down after her.
"Acquiring the Plot Item allows learning of Light Restoration spells. The learner must possess Internal Strength, Mental Energy, Magic Power, Psychic Power, True Essence, Immortal Spirit Power, or Divine Covenant Power to use. Text can be interpreted and learned independently, or learning can be deferred until returning to the 'Main God' space, costing one thousand reward points for return. Must possess this book to utilize skills within. Can resurrect any member of the Reincarnation Squad the holder has witnessed. Each member can only be resurrected once. Resurrection will restore the state to immediately before death, costing twice the amount of previously owned and spent reward points and branch plot points. Remember, each member can only be resurrected once." Zheng Zha froze completely. At that precise moment, a rock overhead fell, striking the hand holding the Book of the Living. Before he could react, the book, shining with a golden light, plummeted down the cliffside. Finally, he could no longer see its golden radiance. "Ah!" Zheng Zha roared, using all his strength to heave Evy upward. Jonathan and Zhan Lan caught Evy as he flipped back onto the rock ledge. With a face ashen with fury, he roared, "Run! This place is about to collapse!" The group immediately resumed running forward. Although the path ahead continued to collapse, thanks to Zhao Yingkong’s familiarity with the route, everyone managed to escape the tomb just before the entire City of the Dead caved in. They then sprinted out beyond the boundaries of the dead city.
(Resurrection, actual resurrection! Even if it's just once, even if it's only for one time! I still wish—) Zheng Zha and the others finally reached the outside of the City of the Dead. Looking at the dusty, scroll-like ruins of the City of the Dead, they vaguely saw three figures sprinting out of the dust. Those three were O'Connell, the bearded man in black, and the museum curator—all wearing nothing but boxer shorts. By their appearance, they too had managed to rush out of the tomb unharmed.
"Farewell, everyone. I thank you on behalf of my teammates for your help during this adventure. Jonathan, if we meet again, and those gold bricks are still around, let's drink until we pass out once more."
Zheng Zha saw O'Connell and the other two were about to clear the boundaries of the City of the Dead. He took the book key from Evy's hand and muttered to himself. He also withdrew the remaining gold bricks from his Ring of Holding, then closed his eyes.
"Wait, wait a moment, there are only five gold bricks here..." Jonathan's voice barely reached him before Zheng Zha drifted into a hazy, semi-conscious state. GOLD CONTROLS THE POWER OF LIFE! BLACK COMMANDS THE TERROR OF DEATH! And when the two teams clash within the Pyramid Tomb, Life and Death wage their fierce battle here! The victor shall possess the Golden Power and the Black Terror. Book Four: Secret Treasure of the Gods, Complete! Jump to
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