National treasure

In the early morning, on the tarmac, there was a strong wind.

Cheng Ling watched the slender Gulfstream IV parked there like an egret. He took off his sunglasses and prepared to board the plane. "All airway permissions have been directly opened, and you can take off at any time, and the destination is up to you."

"Hong Kong. There is one thing that will appear in Hong Kong's autumn auctions. Without such a thing, it would be meaningless to steal 003." Not only did Zhong Zhe not retreat from the previous night's press, but he asked to prepare the plane that night .

He stepped forward, "Just borrow the section to Hong Kong. The domestic air traffic control is too strict and the procedures are cumbersome. I'm used to not bringing a plane into the country. I don't need to bother with it for the next itinerary."

Cheng Ling has no objection to this.

Fifteen minutes later, the huge egret spread its iron wings and flew to the Xiangjiang River.

"What the hell is 003?"

In the quiet cabin, it was finally time for the mystery to be revealed.

Zhong Zhe put down the teacup and thought about where to start.

"In this world, there is a list that has never been verified.

This list began around the first century AD, and was formed after 1500 AD. At the beginning, it was just a single thing distributed in a certain civilization. Afterwards, as the world explored and merged, this list continued to grow and converge.Especially in modern times, this list was confirmed, drafted and finally officially recognized by various countries.

Almost every item recorded in this secret list has a story in a book. Over the long centuries, various civilizations fought desperately for the items on the list, and they did not hesitate to break out of war and change dynasties.This entire list can be said to represent the entire history of human civilization. "

"003 is on this list?" Cheng Ling just needed an official confirmation from Zhong Zhe, and he didn't doubt his own deduction. What really puzzled him was another thing, "If this list has been handed down for thousands of years?" , and has created so many bloodbaths in history, and has been refurbished and confirmed in modern times.

Technically speaking, it is almost impossible for this list not to be leaked.At least, it can't be in its current state, it is not mentioned at all, and even within the organization, it has always been kept top secret. "

Zhong Zhe smiled, looked at the floating clouds passing by outside the porthole, and said, "That's because this is a list of 'non-existent'."

He tried to see a surprised expression on Cheng Ling's face, but no, he didn't show any emotion, he just calmly waited for Zhong Zhe to speak.

"Every treasure recorded in this list, in all official records, in the eyes of the world, really "does not exist". Therefore, even if someone puts this list in front of you, you will never believe it.

It perfectly guarantees its secrecy by its own non-existence. "

"Is there no such thing? The ancient and most effective way to cover up." Cheng Ling pondered slightly.

"As for 003..." Zhong Zhe folded his hands and put them on his chest, "Have you heard of 'Hetu Luoshu'?"

There was finally a hint of disbelief on Cheng Ling's face, "You mean the Hetu Luoshu that says 'He Chu Tu, Luo Chu Shu'? That legendary mysterious book?"

"Yes. It is considered mysterious, but it is not the legendary Hetu Luoshu. Both Hetu and Luoshu are real. The fact is that there is only one real Hetu, while there are many Luoshu circulating. , 003 is Hetu.

The list kept by various countries is recorded according to the time when the treasure was discovered. As one of the oldest civilizations in Chinese civilization, the discovery of Hetu was designated as the Yin and Shang period, so it was ranked as 003 in the catalogue. "

Cheng Ling stared at Zhong Zhe for dozens of seconds to confirm that every word he said was true.

After one or two minutes, he accepted this fact, and began to be eager to know more, "About this list, what else is on it? If the river map in the Yin and Shang Dynasties can only be ranked third, then what is the first and second ?”

"001 is a mysterious starry sky map engraved on stone, which contains a complete solar system star map including Tianhai Pluto, which belongs to the earliest Sumerian civilization of mankind."

"You mean Tianhaiming?" Cheng Ling interrupted suddenly, "I remember that the three planets were only discovered in the last few centuries."

Zhong Zhe raised his eyebrows, "You're right." He didn't care about Cheng Ling's doubts at all, but expressed it with a bright expression - I knew you wouldn't believe everything I said.

He simply let go, anyway, no matter whether Cheng Ling accepts it or not, to find 003, these are the backgrounds he needs to understand.

"002 was originally a classic of more than 40 volumes of stone carvings, but it is now incomplete. This set of encyclopedias in the early dynastic period of ancient Egypt is called "BookOfThoth" in legend. Thoth is the god of wisdom in ancient Egypt. The secrets and wisdom of the universe are written into it, and left to those who are qualified to discover and inherit."

"010 is the Jade Seal of the Kingdom; 012 is the Holy Grail, the most important sacred object in Western culture; 013 is the golden ark of the covenant of King Solomon, the foundation of Israeli culture; further on, 032 is the Preface to the Lanting Collection, and 063 is Michelangelo Luo's "Leda and the Swan"... With the passage of time, natural or man-made destruction, the birth and addition of new treasures, but no matter how they are added, modified or deleted, all the treasures recorded on this list are masterpieces of human civilization It has never been more than a hundred pieces."

When Zhong Zhe stated these things, Cheng Ling did not let go of any subtle expression on his face. No matter how unbelievable these words sounded, even if judged by Cheng Ling's most professional and harsh standards, they could only Can admit that everything Zhong Zhe said is true.

All these mentioned treasures are like thunder, but they have all been lost. This is the list of "non-existent".

After the shock, Cheng Ling quickly recovered and began to think about the theft of 003 Hetu.

"Whether it is the river map or the other treasures on this list, they are indeed extremely precious, and it is reasonable for countries to spend a lot of manpower and material resources to maintain and find them.

But now it is the 21st century, not just to fight for the Jade Seal of the Kingdom, or to send troops casually, or because of the Holy Grail, the era of the Crusades will come. "Cheng Ling paused for a moment, and said very seriously: "I can't tell you the level of this mission in detail, but what I can tell you is that it is a mission where failure can cause a local war, or even a full-scale war. "

He looked into Zhong Zhe's eyes and said, "Tell me, even if it really exists, why do you need to use such a level of power to find a river map that only has cultural relic significance?"

"The Sumerian star maps could predict the future.

The BookOfThoth contains the most subtle laws of the universe and knowledge beyond the mundane.

The Holy Grail can resurrect the dead.

The Golden Ark of the Covenant can bring down a city without using a single soldier.

And Hetu Luoshu can use time and space to 'change the world'. "

Zhong Zhe let go of his hands, raised the corners of his mouth slightly, met Cheng Ling's gaze and said, "What if these legends are true?"

"Even if those who guard it don't believe it, what if those who want to take it believe it?

Most of the treasures in this list belonged only to the emperors on earth, which is a symbol of the emperors exercising their heaven-given power.Maybe today's country will not start a war for the Jade Seal and the Holy Grail, but what if the person who snatches it will not hesitate to start a war for it?

In the eyes of these people, just snatching this symbol can be used as a reason to launch a bloody war, and thousands of innocent people have been involved in senseless killings.

Not to mention those long wars, the Nazis believed in it only a few decades ago. There are a large number of undestroyed leftover documents showing that the Nazis established a special secret department to rob and study the ruling power brought by mysterious treasures.

In addition, when these treasures left the civilization where it was born for various reasons in history, the civilization was destroyed.Maybe it's just a coincidence, but I don't think any civilization would dismiss the possibility. "

Cheng Ling looked at the man in front of him with a focused expression and a thoughtful face, citing scriptures and analyzing them layer by layer, and the previous carelessness had long since disappeared.For the first time, he completely ignored the impression of Zhong Zhe's appearance, and there was a complete expert sitting in front of him.

Zhong Zhe spoke so dryly that the flight attendant had already been rushed to the pantry so as not to overhear their conversation.He raised his hand as a signal, and soon tea and snacks were served.

Cheng Ling still only took a glass of water.

"Are you really not drinking anything but water, I mean pure water?"

From last night to today, Zhong Zhe was a little surprised when he came down several times, "Including sparkling water?"

"Yes."

"It's not like that for everyone in your line of work, is it?"

"No. I need to keep my senses sharp." Cheng Ling explained more difficultly, "Taste is also one of them."

"Where's the food?"

"If it is not required for work, no other seasonings except oil, salt and sugar."

"How on earth did you do it?" Zhong Zhe said in shock.

"self-discipline."

With an abnormal self-discipline, Zhong Zhe couldn't help but slander.

Hong Kong, southwest corner of Chek Lap Kok Airport.

In the bright sunshine, parked in front of Cheng Ling was a shiny dark green Rolls-Royce Phantom, standing there mammothly like a moving castle.

Zhong Zhe looked at Cheng Ling's expression of disapproval, and remembered the conversation in the cabin just now, the man who only drank water, it was difficult for him.

He said on the spur of the moment: "No, in order to cooperate with this operation, I also need to drink white water and eat tasteless food." He naturally changed the ending of the sentence into English, "In this world, 'I can resist everything, except lure.'"

"Oscar Wilde." Cheng Ling also replied in English.He took out his sunglasses, put them on slowly, and walked towards the phantom. He felt that it was necessary to explain to Zhong Zhe the principles of getting along with Zhong Zhe at this time, so as to ensure the smooth cooperation in the future.

"In principle, I will not interfere with any of your private life, whether it is your living habits, social interaction, or private space. If there is a need to cooperate with the task, I will discuss it with you."

Zhong Zhe nodded exaggeratedly, expressing his satisfaction with the arrangement.But he obviously didn't ignore Cheng Ling's expression when he first saw the phantom, "Then is this car something that needs to be discussed in advance? Does it need... er, a low-key cooperation?"

"So, would you change one?"

Zhong Zhe nodded, "I heard that the concierge department of Peninsula has [-] cars, and it shouldn't be a problem to change one."

"It's just," Zhong Zhe smiled slightly, "These fourteen cars are all phantoms."

It's a pity that Cheng Ling was wearing sunglasses, so no reaction to these words could be seen from his face.

After a few seconds, when Zhong Zhe thought he would not answer the phone again, Cheng Ling said: "I said before, I will not interfere with your life. The problem with this car is that it is not bulletproof, and the body is more than 6 meters long. Might be inconvenient in an emergency.”

Now, Zhong Zhe's amused mood flew to the sky, because he became a little uneasy because of one sentence.

Cheng Ling walked behind him, almost invisibly bent his mouth.