195: Chapter 195 Retrieving Treasure from the Secret Passage (Part 2)

It was nine in the morning, and the sun was already high.

Li Xin crouched in the wasteland, his hand pressed against the ground. The soil was scorching; after baking in the sun for half the day, the surface layer was hot. But he could feel that it was still cool underneath.

The progress bar was jumping. Fifty-five percent, fifty-six, fifty-seven.

The rate had dropped to 26 tons/hour. It was slow, but it was still moving.

The whispering was constant. It was very faint, like a radio not tuned to the right frequency, a buzzing sound. Occasionally, he could make out a few words, but he couldn't understand them.

His temples no longer hurt, but his ears were still buzzing.

Liu Mo walked over and handed him a bottle of water.

"Boss, drink some water. Your lips are cracked."

Li Xin took it and took a sip. The water was lukewarm and tasted a bit like plastic.

"What about those people on the outer perimeter?"

"They're still there, but there's no movement. At this hour, they should be sleeping in their cars."

"What about the direction of the castle?"

"Quiet. No cars, no people."

Li Xin nodded and continued staring at the panel.

Liu Mo stood to the side, looking at the castle in the distance.

"Boss, may I ask a question?"

"Go ahead."

"What exactly are you looking for? Are you here for treasure hunting too?"

Li Xin glanced at him.

"Guess."

Liu Mo smiled and didn't ask again.

The progress jumped to sixty-three percent.

Suddenly, a sound came from the Farmhouse. It wasn't an explosion, but a dull thud, like something collapsing. With a boom, the ground even shook.

Li Xin looked up. In the direction of the Farmhouse, a cloud of dust rose. It was grayish-white and very conspicuous in the sunlight.

Liu Mo spoke a few words into his headset.

"Ah Qiang says one room of the Farmhouse collapsed. It's the one you were staying in; the wall fell down."

"Is anyone hurt?"

"No, there's no one there."

Li Xin didn't speak. He knew it wasn't a natural collapse. That spirit was venting. The things had been taken, and it was angry, but since it couldn't do anything about it, it could only smash things.

The progress jumped to seventy percent.

The whispering suddenly grew louder. It wasn't chanting; it was a roar. It was louder than before, like it was exploding right in his ear. It made his head spin.

His temples throbbed with pain. It felt like someone was hitting them with a hammer, strike after strike.

He gritted his teeth and didn't move. The wound on his lips split open again, and blood trickled down. He wiped it with his sleeve.

Liu Mo's voice.

"Boss, your nose..."

Li Xin touched it; there was blood on his hand—a nosebleed.

"It's nothing, I've just been a bit overheated lately."

He tilted his head back and blocked his nose with his sleeve. There wasn't much blood, and it stopped after a while.

[Spirit energy surge detected. Emotional state: Rage, unwillingness.]

"I know."

[Suggest adjusting the frequency of the mental defense mode.]

"No need, continue."

The progress jumped to seventy-eight percent.

The sun was directly overhead. It was dizzying. Heat rose from the ground, and one could see the air distorting.

Li Xin crouched there, his clothes soaked through. Sweat streamed down from his forehead, running into his eyes and stinging. He didn't wipe it.

The whispering faded. The roar turned into whimpering, like someone crying. It wasn't loud wailing, but muffled sobbing, the sound suppressed in the throat, a woeful whimpering.

He knew "he" was crying.

The things were gone. He had guarded them for centuries, and now they were gone.

Li Xin didn't stop the Extraction.

The progress jumped to eighty-five percent.

Liu Mo's voice.

"Boss, in the direction of the castle... there's light again. Not green light, but another color. Orange-red, like firelight."

"How big?"

"Not big. It's flickering."

"Maybe it's tourists burning something."

"...Tourists wouldn't be burning things in that location. That's a restricted area."

Li Xin didn't respond. He knew what it was. "He" was burning his remaining energy. His final struggle.

The progress jumped to ninety-one percent.

The whispering was completely gone. The light was gone too. It was quiet.

It was unnaturally quiet. No birds chirping, no insects buzzing, no wind. Even the sound of breathing seemed loud.

Li Xin stared at the panel. Ninety-two percent, ninety-three, ninety-four.

Liu Mo's voice was very low.

"Boss, don't you think... it's too quiet?"

"I do."

"What's going on?"

"I don't know, maybe it's the calm before the storm."

"...Do you think there will be a storm?"

"Who knows."

The progress jumped to ninety-six percent.

Suddenly, the ground shook. It wasn't the small tremor from before, but a heavy one, as if someone were pushing from underneath. Li Xin couldn't maintain his crouch and braced himself on the ground.

Liu Mo also staggered and grabbed the car door.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know."

[Strong underground resonance detected. Spirit energy surge triggered physical fluctuations in reality. Estimated magnitude 3. The outside world may perceive a slight tremor.]

The vibration lasted for more than ten seconds, then stopped.

A crack appeared on the ground, extending from his feet, about two meters long and a finger's width wide. He could see that it was pitch black underneath the crack; nothing could be seen.

Li Xin stood up, walked to the edge of the crack, and looked down. Cold air blew up from below, carrying a musty smell.

[Spirit energy field intensity plummeted. Emotional state: Exhaustion, dissipation.]

"Did he die?"

[The spirit has not completely dissipated, but its energy is no longer sufficient to sustain consciousness. The remaining energy will naturally dissipate over the next few days.]

Li Xin crouched back down and placed his hand on the ground.

The progress jumped to ninety-eight percent.

He stared at the progress bar. Ninety-nine point one, ninety-nine point three, ninety-nine point five.

[Ding... The remaining 6 hours of Extraction are complete. Approximately 330 tons of gold, 10 tons of silverware, and 2 tons of religious artifacts. Total weight is approximately 342 tons.]

[Extraction of the Raj Mahal prince's hidden gold is complete. Summary: Approximately 540 tons of gold, 40 tons of silverware, and 3000 religious artifacts. Total weight is approximately 580 tons. The value of the artifacts cannot be precisely estimated.]

[Accumulated gold: 7372.7057 tons.]

[Inventory of Hidden Treasures of the Orchha Raj Mahal Palace]

I. National Treasures

1. Royal Octagonal Gold Throne: 1

2. Gold Scepter (1), Pure Gold Seals of successive princes (29)

3. Religious artifacts (over 3000 pieces)

Pure Gold Statue of Vishnu: 1, 1 meter in height, 50kg net weight

Group of Gold Sacrificial Statues: 22

Large Gold Incense Burners: 9

Jade carvings: Large Divine Beast jade carvings (35), small jade votive statues (128)

4. Ancient Gold Coins: Bundela Era gold coins (32,000), Mughal trade gold coins (18,000), totaling 50,000, sealed in 20 large wooden crates

II. Ancient Books and Art Treasures

1. Gem-encrusted gold painting boxes: 8, containing 42 volumes of Bundela court miniatures, with 27 rolls of matching blank court painting drafts

2. Gilded-cover palm-leaf scriptures: 16 sets of complete orthodox sacrificial scriptures, 39 rolls of supplementary incomplete scriptures

III. Rare Gemstones and Jewelry

(I) Finished Top-tier Gemstones

1. Star of Orchha main diamond: 1, 120-carat pear-shaped white diamond, set in the center of the gold throne

2. Myanmar Rubies: 108, individual weights 10–50 carats

3. Giant Emeralds: 110, individual weights 30–60 carats

4. Kashmir Sapphires: 76, individual weights 20–45 carats

(II) Natural Gemstone Rough Reserves

Total of 53 crates of uncut natural gemstone rough

1. Diamond rough: 15 crates

2. Ruby rough: 22 crates

3. Emerald rough: 16 crates

IV. Other Remains

Countless other treasures including remaining palace accessories, silverware, court furnishings, precious carpets, niche treasures, etc.

Li Xin checked the treasure list, feeling ecstatic, then let out a long breath.

"AI System, what happened to that spirit?"

[Spirit energy fluctuation weakened. Consciousness has dissipated. A final sigh was detected.]

"A sigh?"

[Yes. The emotion was full of helplessness and relief.]

He stood up, his legs numb and shaky; he couldn't stand steadily and braced himself against the car door.

Liu Mo walked over.

"Boss, is it done?"

"It's done."

"The castle... seems quiet. No sound, and the temperature is normal too."

"Mm."

Li Xin looked around. "Pack up. Get ready to pull out."

"Now? It's not dark yet."

"That's exactly why. We must disappear before dark."

Liu Mo nodded and spoke into his headset. Several people began to pack up. Folding chairs, thermal equipment, water bottles—everything was moved into the cars one by one.

Li Xin looked around and didn't find anything left behind.

Liu Mo also came over to check.

"Footprints have been swept. Tire tracks have been covered with branches. Thermal residue... will be gone once the sun sets."

"Split into groups for evacuation. You take the main road with me, the others take the side roads. See you at the villa."

"Understood."

The two got in the car. Liu Mo started the engine and turned around.

As the car drove out of the wasteland, Li Xin looked back. In the direction of the Farmhouse, dust was still drifting. That collapsed house was nothing more than a pile of rubble.

He turned back and closed his eyes.

The car bumped along the dirt road.

Back at the villa, it was two in the afternoon.

Rajiv was sitting in the courtyard; seeing Li Xin, he stood up.

"Mr. Li, you're back. Have you had lunch?"

"No, just fix something simple."

"Alright, I'll have the kitchen prepare something."

Li Xin went upstairs and took a shower. The water was cool, washing over him, making him feel more alert. He changed into clean clothes and went downstairs.

Several dishes were laid out on the dining table. Fish curry, rice, vegetables, and naan bread.

He sat down and ate slowly. The fish was tender, the curry wasn't spicy. The rice was a bit hard, but acceptable.

Halfway through the meal, Rajiv walked over.

"Mr. Li, something happened at the palace today."

"What happened?"

"An old house collapsed. It's that abandoned Farmhouse to the north. I don't know if you've been there."

"Haven't been there. If it collapsed, it collapsed; no one lived there anyway."

"That's true." Rajiv nodded. "But some tourists said they saw light there before it collapsed. Green light, flickering."

"Maybe it was an electrical short circuit."

"There are no power lines there."

Li Xin put down his fork and looked at him. "Then what do you think it was?"

Rajiv smiled and didn't answer. "Finished? Would you like some fruit?"

"No. That's enough."

Li Xin stood up and went upstairs. He lay on the bed and closed his eyes.

He couldn't sleep. The numbers were spinning in his head. 540 tons of gold. 3000 religious artifacts. Plus the 200 tons from Jaigarh Fort, that was nearly 750 tons.

This trip was worth it.

His phone vibrated. Liu Mo sent a message: "The foreign team has left. Heading south, possibly to Kerala."

"What about the local treasure hunters?"

"Still there. But they're like headless flies, they have no idea where to dig. The informant said they dug around the perimeter of the palace all day today and found nothing."

"Let them dig, we leave tomorrow."

"Understood."

Li Xin put his phone on the nightstand and closed his eyes.

The next morning, Li Xin got up early.

He packed his things and went downstairs. Rajiv was waiting in the courtyard.

"Mr. Li, leaving so soon?"

"Mm. Next stop."

"Where's the next stop?"

"South. Kerala."

Rajiv nodded.

"The scenery there is nice. But be careful, don't go to the temples there at night."

"Why?"

"There are many rules. In some places, outsiders are not allowed to enter."

Li Xin smiled.

"Don't worry, I don't go out at night."

Liu Mo drove the car to the gate. Li Xin got in.

Rajiv stood at the gate and waved.

"Come back next time."

"Alright."

The car drove out of the alley and onto the main street. There weren't many people on the street; a few old men were playing chess by the side of the road. A dog was lying in the middle of the road; the car drove around it, and it didn't even lift its head.

Once out of the town, the road widened. Liu Mo accelerated.

Li Xin leaned back in his seat, looking out the window.

The wasteland rushed backward. Telephone poles retreated one by one.

The car drove for nearly an hour and entered the mountainous area. Mountains lined both sides of the road, with lots of rocks and few trees. He could see the castle in the distance, grayish-white, standing on the mountain.

Liu Mo glanced at the rearview mirror.

"Boss, there's a car behind us that's been following us the whole way."

"What kind of car?"

"A white SUV. It's been stuck to us since we left the town."

"How many people?"

"Can't see clearly, the tint is pitch black."

Li Xin didn't speak, tapping his knuckles on his knee twice.

"Accelerate, shake them off."

The engine roared, the car surged forward, tires screeching as it overtook several cars while cornering. In the rearview mirror, that speck of white was clinging on tightly.

"Can't shake them." Liu Mo's voice was tight.

"Pull over."

As soon as the car stopped, the SUV also braked two hundred meters away, like a stalking wolf.

Li Xin pushed the door open and got out to light a cigarette. The smoke blocked his vision, but he could feel that someone behind the car window was watching him too.

The car doors were tightly closed, and the engine wasn't off.

After finishing the cigarette, he crushed the butt under his shoe.

"Let's go. Ignore them."

Back on the road, that speck of white followed like a shadow.

Until they dove into a small town, where the flow of people surged onto the street like a tide. The white SUV was swallowed by the red light and the crowd, and the distance between them gradually increased.

Liu Mo jerked the steering wheel, diving into a narrow alley. After twisting and turning, when they rushed out, the rearview mirror was clear.

"Shook them off."

"Mm."

Li Xin leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

The car continued to drive south.