The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

Chapter 132 The Exploration Team is Complete! The Mysterious Tomb Owner
Imperial City...Guards?

Cao Zhigang's expression changed repeatedly. He knew very well that no one in the entire country had awakened memories of an emperor. But upon hearing the Imperial Guards' self-identification, he naturally thought that this Qingshan Tang Tomb... might very well belong to a Tang Dynasty emperor!
Which one could it be?
All the emperors recorded in history have corresponding tombs, and no matter what, Qing City is thousands of miles away from both Luoyang and Chang'an. No matter how you look at it, no emperor should be buried here...

However, Cao Zhigang had no time to think. This villager, who was clearly controlled by some kind of secret technique, was pointing his hoe at him.

This one person posed no threat to Cao Zhigang whatsoever.

But in Hanjiacun, which was originally eerily quiet, more and more people came out from the streets and alleys. They carried all kinds of farm tools, and some even just carried wooden sticks. More than three hundred people may not seem like many, but when they appeared at the intersection at the same time, they still gave people a sense of a huge crowd.

"The Imperial City... Guards... are here..."

"Who... has invaded?"

The indistinct sounds merged together, making Cao Zhigang's scalp tingle.

The hoes, sickles, and forks in their hands resembled the long spears of the Tang Dynasty garrison. They pointed these weapons at themselves, and their almost featureless faces highlighted a strange and terrifying aura.

If they were enemies, Cao Zhigang would have already taken off his sunglasses and rushed into the crowd, reaping them one punch at a time.

But it was clear that these villagers were no match for him.

At this moment, the communication equipment also stopped working, and Cao Zhigang was at a loss as to what to do.

Forced back step by step by those farm tools and weapons, he was filled with confusion.

"Whoever awakens from that tomb, having already killed so many people, why doesn't it appear on its own now?"

"He must already know that I entered his mental field. This so-called 'mysterious domain' was originally within the perception range of his mental field..."

"Could there be some other variables?"

In addition, he noticed other problems.

"Did those archaeological teams that went missing before also end up like this?"

"If it has become like this, why were there no traces found in the previous search operations?"

"Or perhaps it's related to the sudden expansion of the mental energy field?"

He gritted his teeth; the villagers' farm tools were almost within reach, and he had to make a decision…

But Cao Zhigang, who was originally very decisive, was now caught in a dilemma.

He had several options in front of him.

Either act without hesitation, or put in the effort to knock them unconscious, or leave on your own.

However, all three options clearly indicated that he had no way to take them out of the ghost realm.

"If we abandon them..."

"They are doomed in this strange realm... Even if they are not dead now, they certainly won't live much longer in this state..."

"But what else can I do besides give up?"

He gritted his teeth, then leaped towards where the car was parked.

Even Cao Zhigang would eventually run into problems if he stayed in the mental field for too long. Since there's no way to get these uncommunicative villagers out now, let's contact the command center first, at least to let them know that these villagers are still alive for the time being.

……

Although Cao Zhigang's portable communication device was damaged, the cable in the car was not damaged.

After returning to his vehicle, he immediately used the equipment on board to contact the command center.

Xu Chenggong frowned: "The Imperial City Guard?"

Chen Xingyang's expression changed slightly upon hearing these five words.

Upon hearing this, General Cui Chang's eyes flickered even more.

If it really was a Tang Dynasty emperor, then the previous idea of ​​using firepower to cover the area would have to be reconsidered.

No one has ever awakened the memories of any emperor, which is enough to show that these emperors must have held some unknown secrets. Perhaps this tomb can answer some of the mysteries about memory awakening for them.

In that case, the measure of firepower coverage seems less desirable.

Xu Chenggong asked Cao Zhigang, "What are your thoughts?"

Cao Zhigang said, "I have no choice. The villagers of Caojia Village are impossible to communicate with. Their first instinct upon seeing me is to kill me."

"I'm reporting our current findings now. If I die here, even this little bit of discovery won't be able to be passed on."

"..."

"And what am I supposed to do now? Without any communication, I can't take these 300 people out by myself."

Xu Chenggong frowned.

He was certainly aware of Cao Zhigang's predicament.

Just as Xu Chenggong was thinking about whether there was a perfect solution, Cao Zhiqiang sent a contact request.

The same situation occurred on his side. The villagers' self-perception was changed. They believed that they were the imperial city's garrison and needed to eliminate all enemies who intruded into the "imperial city" area.

The situation has reached a stalemate.

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Xingyang said, "The alteration of cognition—that must be the power of a spiritual imprint, right?"

"But all facial features have been erased? What kind of trick is this?"

"Since we can't save everyone, we should at least bring back one person as a subject of observation."

"If stunning someone can restore their sanity, then stunning them is now a last resort."

General Cui Chang seemed to share this view, and he nodded solemnly: "It's the only way, there's no other way."

Xu Chenggong gritted his teeth. Of course, he didn't want to give up, but there was clearly no better way now. Moreover, he couldn't let the Cao brothers, Cao Zhigang and Cao Zhiqiang, stay in the Ghost Realm forever. It was already incredibly lucky that nothing had happened yet.

Xu Chenggong said, "Let's do as Captain Chen suggests."

……

With communication temporarily suspended, Xu Chenggong and the others began to ponder the information that Cao Zhigang and Cao Zhiqiang had given them.

Chen Xingyang said, "We initially determined that they were nobles, but we didn't expect them to be of such a high status."

"The Imperial City Guard, are they the Imperial Guards or the Forbidden Guards in the Imperial Palace?"

“I’ve never heard of that title before.” Cui Chang nodded. “I know a little about Tang Dynasty history…”

"But I've never heard of this name before."

"Perhaps one of the emperor's own guards?"

"After the An Lushan Rebellion, the only thing the Tang emperor could trust was the Imperial Guard. As the number of personnel increased, the organizational structure became increasingly chaotic."

"There are many armies such as the Left and Right Imperial Guards, the Left and Right Dragon Warriors, the Left and Right Divine Warriors, the Left and Right Divine Strategists, and the Left and Right Divine Might Armies. Perhaps this Guardian Army is just a general term?"

Although Xu Chenggong knew some of it, he wasn't as knowledgeable as General Cui Chang. He simply asked one question:
"Regardless of which emperor it is, what is his purpose in doing this now?"

"They have remained shrouded in mystery by not showing themselves, and yet they have already caused such enormous casualties..."

What exactly is he trying to do?

After the question was raised, silence fell over the command vehicle.

Yeah... what does he want to do?
Chen Xingyang frowned, completely baffled.

Choi Chang added:

"Just by referring to themselves as the Imperial City Garrison, we cannot know which emperor they are, or even if they are emperors at all."

Chen Xingyang said, "Actually, there's still something I don't understand."

"..."

He thought for a moment, then spoke:
"The entire expedition team that entered the Ghost Realm was wiped out."

"In the past three days, the first three exploration teams have all perished."

Why did Cao Zhigang and Cao Zhiqiang's operation go so smoothly this time?

"Could it be that the comrades in the fourth group have even entered the tomb passage?"

This problem, of course, gave them a lot to think about.

Xu Chenggong nodded, and even added to Chen Xingyang's point: "Moreover, we haven't discovered any so-called 'guardian army' before."

Wang Zhi said, "It could be because of the expansion of this mental energy field."

"Maintaining such a massive mental energy field must require an extremely high level of energy expenditure."

"The only variable is the expansion of this mental energy field; nothing else has changed."

Choi Chang rubbed his temples: "It feels like there's a layer of fog in front of my eyes."

"Um……"

"If expanding the mental field would weaken the tomb owner's own strength..."

Why did he do that?

"What is the purpose?"

At this moment, Wang Zhi spoke up:
"In any case, let's wait for news from the exploration team first."

"Thinking about it now won't lead to any conclusions."

"Before that, it is crucial to find some excellent historians to see where the title of this so-called 'Imperial City Guard' actually came from."

Xu Chenggong agreed with Wang Zhi's explanation, and Cui Chang also nodded.

The command center quieted down, but it was clear that the eyes of the three leaders, Xu Chenggong, Cui Chang, and Wang Zhi, were still extremely complicated.

This question lingered in their minds for a long time.

……

At the same time, on the other side.

Wu Qingqing brought three other people with her on the transport vehicle.

"All members of the fifth exploration team have arrived."

"Fang Yi has been appointed as the captain of the exploration team."

"You guys get to know each other first."

Jiang Chuan saw the three people standing behind Wu Qingqing.

There were two men and one woman, but unlike Fang Yi's casual clothes, they were all wearing headquarters uniforms, which were similar to the inspection team uniform that Jiang Chuan had received, except for the different insignia.

After Wu Qingqing finished speaking briefly, she immediately turned around and prepared to leave.

But before she left, Jiang Chuan quickly asked a question: "Sister Wu, how's the situation with the previous team?"

Wu Qingqing answered quickly:

"The previous exploration team has already entered the tomb passage, and judging by the time, they should be leaving just now."

"If everything goes smoothly, you won't have a chance to show your skills."

"But you still need to be prepared, so that it won't be difficult to cooperate later."

Jiang Chuan nodded, and only then did Wu Qingqing leave quickly.

As soon as Wu Qingqing left, a man with naturally curly hair spoke first: "I am Fu Qiang, specializing in mental strength. Headquarters Field Team Six, Class B2."

After he finished speaking, he pointed to the calm-looking man next to him: "This is Su Qiwei. He is in excellent physical condition and works in the same field team as me, Group 6, Class B3."

This Su Qiwei, with his explosive power like a leopard, nodded at Jiang Chuan and the others.

The insignia for field operations is a pair of crossed swords, with the character "陆" (Lu) embroidered below the swords, which means they belong to Field Operations Team Six.

The other was a middle-aged man whose uniform was marked with a half-open bamboo scroll as an insignia.

The middle-aged man looked very mercenary. He smiled and said, "Hello, gentlemen. I am Shi Changzai and Ding Shang from the Special Field Operations Team."

"Knowing some basic techniques of feng shui and geomancy."

"Please give me your guidance, everyone."

(End of this chapter)