As much as we don't want to believe it, some diseases will suddenly appear out of nowhere and start to break out again and again in the world.
Now, a new disease has appeared in the world, it's called AIDS. There is no doubt that we will be faced with a cruel war. Many people will die, and we will be at our wits' end, helpless against it. I only hope that humans can find a cure, and it doesn't take a long time.
— Dr. Martin Fred, Khartoum, Sudan, 1982
…
The scorching sun scorched the African continent, turning the Sahara Desert into a furnace. It was one of the most unsuitable places on Earth for life.
However, even the most vile soil could give birth to life. There were also countless creatures in this great desert, including humans.
"Look at this pottery, we're going to be rich …"
"You think it's only pottery that's valuable? I know some rich people in America have been looking for this. Those pagans want to eat the powder ground from these bodies that have been dead for thousands of years. They think it can grant them immortality. What a bunch of lunatics."
"Yes, those pagans think these mummies have some power. We have to take them all away."
"Of course, we have to take them all. Don't leave a single rag behind. These are all money."
"Ella, Bashir, calm down. When we go back, we can't leak the news. Otherwise, we won't be able to keep anything, and we'll be robbed and killed."
"Do you think we're idiots? Eldin, mind your own mouth first, and your wife's. "
"Don't take it lightly, I'm thinking about our lives! Just this clay animal statue alone is enough to kill us ten times over. "
"Wait, be quiet, there's another mummy down there, there's another one!"
"Dig it up, quick, see if there's any metal ware?"
This part of the desert was uninhabited, an old pickup truck was parked on the sand. Not far from the truck, three men were digging something in a large pit with shovels. The soil that was dug up was piled up.
On the opposite side of the pile were a few ancient pottery that had just been unearthed, and a few broken pieces.
Even though they had been buried underground for who knew how many generations, time had not caused much erosion to these pottery. Most of them were in the shape of jars, and there was only one animal figurine among them. It should be the most valuable one. It was the image of a ram's head and lion's body, about the size of a bucket, and the workmanship was vivid.
Next to these relics, there were two nameless mummies. They were not in the tomb, nor were they placed in the coffin. Their bodies were wrapped in corpse cloth and mud, like withered old trees. However, it could be seen that they were in human form, and the facial features of their heads were vaguely visible on the mud.
This place was first discovered by Bashir. He had always been a grave robber and had always been looking for treasures.
But before that, the biggest reward he got was just the leftovers that the large party rewarded him with.
After Bashir found out that this place was suspected to be an ancient tomb, he did not inform the rest of the team. Instead, he found two of his most reliable friends.
Ella was strong, ruthless, and a good marksman. If he really wanted to fight, he could take on several people at once. However, he was easily hot-headed. Eldin had always been the wisest person among them. He knew a lot of people, so he could better sell the treasures that they dug up.
However, when Bashir drove the two of them here, and even when he dug the first shovel, he did not expect to get such a rich harvest.
There were actually mummies.
So it was a little strange … Although Bashir was not an archaeologist, he had been in this business for a long time, so he more or less knew a thing or two.
Although this place was bordering Egypt, no mummies had been unearthed before. The ancient Egyptians would only be made into mummies after the death of the nobles, so mummies were usually found in large tombs. Could it be that these were not Egyptian mummies, but just ordinary mummies? If that was the case, then it would not be so valuable.
But the ancient Egyptian-style pottery also indicated that this was an ancient Egyptian tomb.
All these questions in Bashir's mind were overshadowed by a surge of ecstasy when he saw the third mummy.
Three mummies! How much was this worth? There might really be a large tomb in the barren land under his feet, with more treasures and more mummies …
"Bashir, calm down. Dig slowly. If you damage the body, it will lower the value," Eldin advised from the side.
"Haha, there are so many, it doesn't matter if it's lower the value …"
In the large pit, Bashir said joyfully as he waved the shovel and dug deeper. The upper body of the mummy was already visible.
"Look, its shroud seems to have some texture." Ella was also digging with all her might. She even saw something. "Could this be an Egyptian princess?"
Bashir was the most knowledgeable about archaeology here. He took a closer look. The soil that covered the body was easily loosened, and some parts of the shroud were not even stained with soil. The surface of the shroud was not just dry and tattered, but it seemed to have some color and elasticity. There were also some strange words or symbols, but it was not clear if they were made by rust or painted.
"Princess? That's impossible … "Bashir muttered." If it's a noble, it's impossible that it doesn't even have a coffin. "
Ella was just joking, but when she heard what her companion said, she argued, "Dig its head out and see what it looks like."
At the same time, Eldin stopped. He vaguely felt that something was wrong …
However, he couldn't explain why. After being shouted at by his two companions, he continued to dig with them. However, because he was distracted, he used too much strength in his hands. The shovel went too deep and directly hit the mummy in the soil, making a muffled sound.
"Damn it!" Bashir immediately cursed. He almost knocked Eldin down with the shovel. "You asked us to slow down, but what are you doing! Its hand is broken, it must be broken. F * ck, Eldin, put it on you. Take whatever you lose from it. "
Ella's eyes were glowing fiercely. "Eldin, it might not even be your money. What if you die before you get your share?"
"I feel like …" Eldin said in a muffled voice. "I touched a stone. It doesn't feel like soil or bones. It's a stone."
"What?" Bashir was also surprised. He changed to a small shovel and slowly shoveled away the soil on the mummy's right arm.
Soon, they saw a few sections of the shroud had been broken, and the thing inside was exposed.
They were curious earlier. If it was a mummy, then the body was too intact. Not only the bones, but even the muscles were still there.
Now they seemed to have the answer. Inside the shroud was not a mummy, but a human-shaped stone statue.
The 'bones' inside were actually stones.
But the three of them looked at each other, not knowing what this meant. Was it more valuable or less valuable?
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
