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- His men stood at attention, none of them moving, even though the news they had received had increased their overall blood pressure by a few thousand points. ././
A recruit stood in the back of the room, wishing he was one of the 99 percent of applicants who were not qualified to be here. The recruit is twenty years old and is the youngest guard in the army. He had been in the land of the prophets only three months. Like everyone here, the recruits were trained in the army and received an additional two years of training abroad before they were eligible to take the rigorous Prophet's Land test held in a secret barracks outside the City of Cities. However, any training he received was not enough to prepare him for such a crisis.
At first the recruits thought the brief instructions were for some bizarre military exercise. Extremely advanced weapons? An ancient sect? A kidnapped cardinal? They were then shown live footage of the weapons they were talking about. Obviously, this is not a drill.
"We are going to cut off the power supply in several selected areas," said the Grizzly Bear. "This is to eliminate external magnetic interference. We are divided into four groups and wear infrared glasses. We still use traditional eavesdropping electronic detection during reconnaissance. controller, readjust the resistors. Is there a problem?¡±
No one said a word.
The recruits felt very heavy. "What if we don't find it in time?" he asked, immediately wishing he hadn't said anything.
The grizzly bear's eyes fell from under his red beret to the recruits, and then he saluted glumly: "I hope everything goes well, brothers."
There are still two blocks away from the Pantheon. Zhiqiu and Momo walked there. They passed a row of taxis, and the drivers were still sleeping in the front seats. Nap time is also timeless in the Eternal City ¨C the ubiquitous public nap extends the Spanish-origin lunch break.
Zhiqiu tried to concentrate his thoughts. But the situation was too strange for him to grasp rationally. Six hours ago he was sleeping soundly in bed. But here he is, caught in the middle of a surreal battle between ancient giants, with a semi-automatic weapon hidden in his Helix tweed and arm in arm with a woman he's just met.
He looked at Momo. She looked ahead intently. She grabbed him with strength in her hands - the strength of a passionate and courageous woman. Her fingers wrapped around his, with a natural trust that made people feel comfortable, without any hesitation. Zhiqiu felt a gradually increasing attraction. This is serious, he said to himself.
Momo seemed to feel his uneasiness. "Relax," she said. He didn't even turn his head. "We should look like lovers."
"I'm relaxed."
"You're squeezing my hand."
Zhiqiu blushed suddenly and relaxed his hands.
¡°Breathe through your eyes,¡± she said.
"What?"
"This relaxes the muscles. It's called pranayama."
¡°Piranha?¡±
"It's not fish, it's breath control. Leave it alone."
They rounded the corner and reached the Circus, where the Pantheon stood before them. Zhiqiu looked up, as usual. My heart was filled with awe. Pantheon, a temple dedicated to all gods. Pagan gods. God of nature and earth. The building looked squatter from the outside than he remembered. Vertical columns and triangular gallery walls almost obscure the rounded vaults behind. However, the bold and impudent nomination at the entrance convinced him that they were on the right track.
How humble, he thought, and turned his eyes to the surroundings. A few tourists wandered around with cameras, while others sat in outdoor cafes enjoying the most delicious iced coffee in the City of Cities. Just as Paul said, four heavily armed policemen of the City stood at attention at the entrance to the Pantheon.
"It looks so peaceful." Momo said.
Zhiqiu nodded, but he felt very uneasy. Now that he was here in person, the whole scene seemed bizarre. Although Momo clearly believed that he was right. He still realized that he was putting everyone here in danger. The poems of the cheating school are still echoing. You start from the tomb of Santi, where there is the Devil's Den. Yes, he told himself, here it is, Santi's grave. Many times he stood under the skylight of the Pantheon and before the tomb of the great Raphael.
"What time is it?" Momo asked.
Zhiqiu looked at his watch. "Seven fifty. Ten minutes until the killer shows up."
"I hope these people are okay." Momo said while looking at the scattered tourists entering the Pantheon. "If something happens in this dome, we will be attacked from multiple sides."
They walked towards the entrance, Zhi QiuHe let out a heavy breath. The gun felt heavy in his pocket, and he wondered what would happen if the police searched him and found the weapon, but the officers didn't give him a second glance. Apparently, this disguise is very convincing.
Zhiqiu whispered to Momo: "What should I do if there is an accident?"
"Don't you believe me?"
"Believe you? I barely know you."
Momo frowned. "But here, I feel like we are lovers."
The air in the Pantheon is cold and humid, with a heavy sense of history. The ceiling hanging overhead stretched out as if weightless¡ªthe unsupported span of two hundred meters was even larger than a church dome. As usual, Zhiqiu shuddered as she entered the cavernous room. It's a remarkable combination of technology and artistry. Above them, the famous oculus in the roof shone in a narrow ray of sunset. Skylight, knowing autumn thoughts, the devil's cave.
They have arrived.
Zhiqiu¡¯s eyes followed the curve of the ceiling, which was tilted. His eyes fell on the wall with columns, and finally fell on the bright marble floor under their feet. The echo of footsteps and the murmurs of tourists echo under the dome. Zhiqiu glanced at the dozens of tourists wandering aimlessly in the shadows. are you here?
"It looks so peaceful." Momo said, and she held his hand.
Zhiqiu nodded.
"Where is Raphael's tomb?"
Zhiqiu thought for a moment, trying to figure out where he was. He measured the perimeter of the house. tomb. altar. Beams and pillars. niche. He pointed to a particularly ornate coffin placed across the room on the left, "I think that's Raphael's tomb over there."
Momo glanced at other places in the house. "I don't see anyone who looks like a killer out to kill the Cardinal. Shall we look around?"
Zhiqiu nodded. "There's only one place here where someone could be hiding. We'd better check the alcove."
¡°Alcove?¡±
"Yes," Zhiqiu pointed, "the niche on the wall."
A series of niches are carved out along the surrounding walls. Some graves are scattered among them. Although small, these niches are large enough to hide in the shadows. Sadly. These niches once housed ancient Greek gods, but when the Vatican converted the Pantheon into a church, the pagan statues were destroyed. He felt a pang of frustrated grief when he knew he was standing on the first altar of science and that the sign was no longer there. He wanted to know which statue it was and in what direction it was pointing. Zhiqiu couldn't imagine anything more exciting than finding the symbol of a cheating sect - a statue that secretly points to the path of light. He once again wondered who the unknown, cheating sculptor was.
"I'll walk along the arc on the left." Momo said, pointing to the half ball on the left. "You go to the right and we turn 180 degrees to meet you."
Zhiqiu smiled faintly.
After Momo left, Zhiqiu felt a weird and terrifying aura slowly seep into his brain. He turned and walked to the right, and the killer's voice seemed to echo lowly in the blind spot he was in. At eight o'clock, a pure sacrifice on the altar of science. The mathematical progression of death. Eight, nine, ten, eleven twelve o'clock in the middle of the night. Zhiqiu looked at his watch: seven fifty-two. Only eight minutes left.
When walking towards the first alcove. Zhiqiu passed the tomb of a religious Italian emperor. Like many sarcophagi in the City of Cities, this sarcophagus was placed crookedly against the wall, looking uncoordinated. Many tourists seem confused by this. Zhiqiu didn't stop to explain. The tombs of formal religious believers are usually staggered from the building so that they face east. This is an old superstition.
"This has nothing to do with it!" When Zhiqiu was explaining why the tomb faced east, a girl blurted out. "How could a religion want their graves to face the rising sun? We are talking about religionnot sun worship!"
"Good evening." A man's voice said.
Zhiqiu was startled. His thoughts returned to the Pantheon. He turned around and took a look. I saw an old man wearing a blue cloak with a red cross hanging on his chest. The old man smiled at him, showing his gray teeth.
"You are Taiwanese, right?" The man spoke with a thick accent.
Zhiqiu blinked, confused. "Actually no. I am Chinese."
This person looks a little embarrassed. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. You were dressed so well and I thought I'm so sorry."
"May I help you?"Zhiqiu asked, his heart racing.
"Actually I thought maybe I could be of service to you. I'm a tour guide here." The man pointed proudly at his government-issued badge. ¡°My job is to make your trip to the City of Cities more interesting.¡±
More interesting? Zhiqiu is sure. This particular trip to the City of Cities was interesting enough.
¡°You look different,¡± the tour guide fawned. ¡°There is no doubt that you are more interested in culture than most people. Maybe I can tell you a little bit about the history of this fascinating building.¡±
Zhiqiu smiled politely and said: "You are somewhat right, and -"
"Great!" The man's eyes were shining, as if he had won a jackpot, "Then you must have had a great time!"
¡°I think I¡¯d rather¡ª¡ª¡±
"The Pantheon," the man said loudly, beginning to recite the words from his memory, "was built by Marcus Agrippa in 27 BC."
"Yes," Zhiqiu burst out, "it was rebuilt by Hadrian in 119 AD."
"This was once the largest unsupported dome in the world. It was not until 1960 that its reputation was surpassed by the New Orleans Superdome!"
Zhiqiu sighed. This man talks endlessly.
¡°In the fifth century, a theologian once called this Pantheon the House of the Devil, warning that the hole in the roof was an entrance prepared for the devil!¡±
Zhiqiu ignored him. He moved his gaze upwards to the skylight, remembering the plot Momo hinted at, and a horrifying picture flashed through his minda branded cardinal fell from the hole and fell to the marble floor. This will soon become news. Zhiqiu unconsciously looked around the Pantheon to see if there were any reporters. not a single one. He took a deep breath. This is a ridiculous idea. The military deployment for such a thrilling display is absurd.
Zhiqiu continued to look around, and the chattering guide followed him like a puppy eager to be petted. This reminds me. Zhiqiu thought to himself, there is nothing worse than meeting a fanatical art historian.
On the other side of the Pantheon, Momo was concentrating on exploring. Standing alone for the first time since hearing the tragic news about her father, she felt the harsh reality of the past eight hours coming to a close. Her father was murdered¡ªbrutally and suddenly. Almost as heart-wrenching was the discovery that my father¡¯s invention had been tainted¡ªand now a tool of terrorists. Thinking that she had invented the device to transport negative matter, she felt deeply guilty That storage device was currently counting down in the Land of the Prophet. Originally, she wanted to help her father pursue simple truthbut she became an accomplice to those who caused chaos.
Strangely, at this time in her life, the only thing that seemed reasonable to her was the appearance of a complete stranger, Zhiqiu. She felt an indescribable sense of comfort in his eyes as peaceful and harmonious as the ocean she had left early that morning. She felt happy to have him there. Zhiqiu is not only her source of strength and hope. And use his sharp mind. jumped at the chance to catch his father's killer.
Momo continued to search, she took a deep breath and walked along the perimeter. All she could think about was personal revenge, and those unpredictable scenes made her excited. Like a devoted lovershe wanted to find the executioner so badly. Even with her determination today, she couldn't pull back nine cows. She felt panicked and excited, feeling that something she had never noticed before was flowing in her Italian blood It was the whisper of the ancestors of the Thili Islanders who wanted to defend the family honor with ruthless laws. feud. Momo thought, understanding the meaning of this word for the first time in his life.
The sight of revenge inspired her to move on. She walked towards Rafael Santi's grave. Even from a distance, she could tell that this man was different. His coffin was different from others in that it was embedded in the wall and had a plexiglass protective screen on the outside. Through the bars, she could see the front of the sarcophagus.
Momo observed the tomb carefully, and then read a sentence written on the sign next to Raphael's tomb.
Then she looked at it again.
After thatshe looked at it again.
After a while, she rushed towards the opposite side in fear. "Zhiqiu! Zhiqiu!"
The inspection process on the other side of the Pantheon that Zhiqiu was responsible for was quietly delayed by the tour guide following closely behind. At this moment, he was preparing to inspect the last niche. The tour guide continued to explain tirelessly.
¡°You will undoubtedly like these niches!¡± said the docent, looking cheerful. ¡°Did you know that it is these gradually thinning wall panels that make the dome appear weightless?¡±
?Zhiqiu was about to check another alcove. He didn't hear a word at all, but he still nodded. Suddenly someone grabbed him from behind. It turned out to be Momo. She pulled hard on his arm, panting. Looking at the horrified expression on her face, Zhiqiu could only think of one thing, she found the body. He suddenly felt a sense of terror coming over him.
"Ah, your girlfriend!" the commentator exclaimed. Another guest came, and he was obviously very excited. He pointed at her shorts and sneakers and shouted, "Looks like this, I really think you are Chinese!"
Momo narrowed her eyes, "I'm Italian."
The tour guide¡¯s smile suddenly faded, ¡°Oh, my God.¡±
"Zhiqiu," Momo whispered with her back to the tour guide as much as possible, "I want to see the activation diagram."
"Illustration?" The tour guide turned around and said, "Ah! You two must know your history very well! Unfortunately, that information cannot be seen at all. It has been kept as a secret in the Land of the Prophet. files¡ª¡ª"
"I'm sorry, can you go away for a moment?" Zhiqiu said. He was confused by Momo's panicked look. He called her aside, reached into his pocket and carefully pulled out the illustrated page, "What's wrong?"
"What's the date on this?" Momo asked while looking at the page roughly.
The tour guide followed over again, staring at the document with his mouth wide open. "That is not true¡¡"
"A replica for tourists." Zhiqiu excused. "Thank you for your help. Please, my girlfriend and I would like some time alone."
The tour guide took a few steps back, but his eyes never left the piece of paper.
"Date," Momo repeated to Zhiqiu, "when will that guy publish"
Zhiqiu pointed to the numbers on the bottom line. "This is the date of publication. What's wrong?"
Momo recognized the number. "1639?"
"Yes, what's wrong?"
There was a sense of ominousness in Momo's eyes. "We're in trouble, Zhiqiu. Big trouble. These dates don't match up."
"What date doesn't match?"
"Raphael's tomb. He was not buried here until 1759, more than a century after the illustration was published."
Zhiqiu stared at her, trying to understand the meaning of this sentence. "Yes," he replied, "Raphael died in 1520, much earlier than the illustration." (Your support on this site is my biggest motivation.)
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