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Chapter 274: Tomb
"Y-you guys, don't come any closer!"
Adrianna hugged her arms to her chest, backing away in terror like a helpless rabbit.
"Go ahead and scream," the lead cultist snorted. "Even if you scream your lungs out, no one will—"
*Bang.*
A fist landed on his face.
It came from one of his Blood Cultist comrades behind him. A sudden, unexpected punch sent one of the leader's front teeth flying. The other cultists behind them were momentarily stunned, completely blindsided by this turn of events.
Then, the Black-robed Person raised his hand and shouted something like "Eternal Radiance!" An unnerving green light erupted from his hand. Countless green particles materialized out of thin air, reshaping and transforming into a giant palm that swept across them with the force of a tidal wave, clearing out a large swathe of the cultists.
The entire team was dumbfounded on the spot.
Holy shit.
A heavyweight spy has infiltrated our ranks!
"There's a mole!"
The cultists scrambled to react.
Some of the higher-ranking cultists quickly activated their magic, unleashing a barrage of magical orbs, flames, and other spells. But with a wave of his hand, the spy erected a transparent shield in front of him, blocking all the attacks instantly.
With another wave of his hand, two machine guns materialized in mid-air. Not only did they aim automatically, but they also fired on their own, letting out a burst of bullets, *rat-a-tat-tat*, sweeping across both sides.
"Sorry, but I still have use for this cover," the spy sneered like a villain while directing the green light to wreak havoc. "Since you've seen this, none of you can dream of escaping."
Adrianna took advantage of the chaos, turned, and ran, plunging deep into the forest.
As she ran, she couldn't help but find it incredible.
Once was one thing, but to encounter a mole among the enemy twice in a row was something else. Besides, she seemed to recall seeing that ability on TV. It was a bit like that Green Lantern from Coast City, a member of the newly formed Justice League.
If it was really him, then he was a truly heavyweight figure. Especially now, in the early days of the Justice League's formation, after they had successfully repelled the forces of Apokolips, each of its members was regarded as a deity by the outside world.
To be infiltrated by such a Big Shot—and possibly more than one—how was this pathetic organization not finished yet?
After running for a while, Adrianna stopped to rest and realized she had made a crucial mistake.
A moment ago, she was only thinking of escaping the chaotic scene, running frantically without choosing a path. Now that she had calmed down and looked back, she realized the gravity of the situation.
She was lost.
There were no road signs or markers in the forest. Trees were everywhere, and it all looked the same. Adrianna had been running for her life for quite some time before she noticed this serious problem.
But looking around at the terrain, she saw she was surrounded by earthen slopes, right in the middle of a sunken area. If those people had set up an ambush here...
Wait, stop.
She quickly reined in her thoughts and began to mutter to herself. "I won't say it. Don't even think about it. Don't try to trick me into jinxing this. I'm absolutely not raising any flags this time..."
However, as it turned out, some things are beyond human will. Sometimes, the inevitable will inevitably happen.
Just as she thought this, another squad of people burst out from the side. They were more of the same, uniformly dressed in black robes, and they menacingly blocked her path.
"Doctor Adrianna, I'm afraid you'll have to come with us."
"No way, again?"
Adrianna's face fell.
She raised her hands, assessed the situation, and estimated that the probability of her escaping was zero.
So, what were the odds of running into a mole among the enemy for the third consecutive time?
With this in mind, she asked tentatively in a low voice.
"Um... just mentioning it. But if there's a Master planning to lend a hand, now would probably be a good time..."
The cultists looked at each other in confusion.
"What the hell are you mumbling about?"
Then, to her astonishment, a Black-robed Person actually stepped out from the group.
He coughed lightly twice, drawing everyone's attention, and then spoke.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news for all of you..."
All eyes focused on their Believer teammate, waiting to see what he would say.
Then, they saw him slowly raise his head and smile as faint blue electric arcs flickered across his body.
"...You are all already dead."
As his voice fell, the electric arcs flashed.
From Adrianna's perspective, she wasn't even sure if the man had moved. She only felt his figure flicker for a moment, like a distorted image. But when she blinked, he seemed to be standing perfectly still in the same spot, not having moved at all.
But in the next instant, the people behind him, an entire squad of Believers.
All of them collapsed.
They fell almost in the same second, their movements so synchronized they were as uniform as a drilled phalanx. It was as if someone had attacked every single one of them in the very same instant.
There was an order to the attacks, but it was just too fast—so fast that their bodies hadn't even registered that they had already fallen.
Adrianna was so shocked her knees went weak.
So fast.
So strong.
Naturally, her mind quickly jumped to the superhero in the Justice League renowned for his speed, known as the fastest man alive.
"Are you... The Flash?" Adrianna asked.
"The Flash? No, I'm not. I'm just a passerby."
Orin Vale took off the black robe—he really disliked the thing, both for its color scheme and the aura it had absorbed.
He spoke into the communication channel via telepathy: "Target is under control and confirmed safe. She's with me."
"Roger that. I'm almost done here, just two more fire-breathing cultists to go," The Flash replied.
"I'm almost done, too. On my way," said Green Lantern.
The others all responded. Just half a minute later, the group of super undercover agents had gathered at Orin Vale's coordinate.
Watching this group of "evil cultists"—some of whom flashed into existence, others flew in, and one who simply phased up through the ground—Adrianna was dumbstruck.
For some reason, she suddenly started to feel a bit of sympathy for the organization that had been infiltrated.
What kind of organization was this, and what had it done to deserve being targeted by a whole group of god-like beings?
"Alright, everyone's here. Now, as you can see, someone's trying to cause trouble for you, and we're here to help."
Orin Vale looked at Doctor Adrianna and said gently.
"So, why don't you share why you're being targeted? That way, we can figure out the best way to help you get out of this mess."
"A reason? Even if you ask, I'm not sure..." Adrianna said blankly. "If I had to say, the only noteworthy thing that's happened to us recently... could it be that tomb?"
"Tomb?"
The group exchanged glances.
"What tomb?"
"An ancient tomb, it was just excavated a couple of days ago. We found a batch of very valuable artifacts inside, all remarkably well-preserved. Experts from A.R.G.U.S. pointed out that a few of them might be related to some magical legends. Our primary mission on this trip was to escort those items...
"But even so, shouldn't this group be interested in the artifacts? Those things are all in the car, not on me. Why are they chasing me?"
Adrianna grew more and more confused. But as she spoke, a glint appeared in her eyes, and she suddenly thought of something.
"If I had to guess, maybe it's... because of the writing?"
"What writing?" Orin Vale asked.
"The writing carved inside the tomb. It's Ancient Khandaqi Script; very few people can recognize it now. Even in our circles, not many people study it, but I'm a native of Kahndaq, so I can read it... like the words carved in the most prominent place when we entered the tomb."
"What was carved there?" Batman asked.
"It was carved with..."
Adrianna paused, her expression unconsciously becoming solemn and grave.
"'Teth-Adam lies in eternal rest here.'"
(end of chapter)
"Y-you guys, don't come any closer!"
Adrianna hugged her arms to her chest, backing away in terror like a helpless rabbit.
"Go ahead and scream," the lead cultist snorted. "Even if you scream your lungs out, no one will—"
*Bang.*
A fist landed on his face.
It came from one of his Blood Cultist comrades behind him. A sudden, unexpected punch sent one of the leader's front teeth flying. The other cultists behind them were momentarily stunned, completely blindsided by this turn of events.
Then, the Black-robed Person raised his hand and shouted something like "Eternal Radiance!" An unnerving green light erupted from his hand. Countless green particles materialized out of thin air, reshaping and transforming into a giant palm that swept across them with the force of a tidal wave, clearing out a large swathe of the cultists.
The entire team was dumbfounded on the spot.
Holy shit.
A heavyweight spy has infiltrated our ranks!
"There's a mole!"
The cultists scrambled to react.
Some of the higher-ranking cultists quickly activated their magic, unleashing a barrage of magical orbs, flames, and other spells. But with a wave of his hand, the spy erected a transparent shield in front of him, blocking all the attacks instantly.
With another wave of his hand, two machine guns materialized in mid-air. Not only did they aim automatically, but they also fired on their own, letting out a burst of bullets, *rat-a-tat-tat*, sweeping across both sides.
"Sorry, but I still have use for this cover," the spy sneered like a villain while directing the green light to wreak havoc. "Since you've seen this, none of you can dream of escaping."
Adrianna took advantage of the chaos, turned, and ran, plunging deep into the forest.
As she ran, she couldn't help but find it incredible.
Once was one thing, but to encounter a mole among the enemy twice in a row was something else. Besides, she seemed to recall seeing that ability on TV. It was a bit like that Green Lantern from Coast City, a member of the newly formed Justice League.
If it was really him, then he was a truly heavyweight figure. Especially now, in the early days of the Justice League's formation, after they had successfully repelled the forces of Apokolips, each of its members was regarded as a deity by the outside world.
To be infiltrated by such a Big Shot—and possibly more than one—how was this pathetic organization not finished yet?
After running for a while, Adrianna stopped to rest and realized she had made a crucial mistake.
A moment ago, she was only thinking of escaping the chaotic scene, running frantically without choosing a path. Now that she had calmed down and looked back, she realized the gravity of the situation.
She was lost.
There were no road signs or markers in the forest. Trees were everywhere, and it all looked the same. Adrianna had been running for her life for quite some time before she noticed this serious problem.
But looking around at the terrain, she saw she was surrounded by earthen slopes, right in the middle of a sunken area. If those people had set up an ambush here...
Wait, stop.
She quickly reined in her thoughts and began to mutter to herself. "I won't say it. Don't even think about it. Don't try to trick me into jinxing this. I'm absolutely not raising any flags this time..."
However, as it turned out, some things are beyond human will. Sometimes, the inevitable will inevitably happen.
Just as she thought this, another squad of people burst out from the side. They were more of the same, uniformly dressed in black robes, and they menacingly blocked her path.
"Doctor Adrianna, I'm afraid you'll have to come with us."
"No way, again?"
Adrianna's face fell.
She raised her hands, assessed the situation, and estimated that the probability of her escaping was zero.
So, what were the odds of running into a mole among the enemy for the third consecutive time?
With this in mind, she asked tentatively in a low voice.
"Um... just mentioning it. But if there's a Master planning to lend a hand, now would probably be a good time..."
The cultists looked at each other in confusion.
"What the hell are you mumbling about?"
Then, to her astonishment, a Black-robed Person actually stepped out from the group.
He coughed lightly twice, drawing everyone's attention, and then spoke.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news for all of you..."
All eyes focused on their Believer teammate, waiting to see what he would say.
Then, they saw him slowly raise his head and smile as faint blue electric arcs flickered across his body.
"...You are all already dead."
As his voice fell, the electric arcs flashed.
From Adrianna's perspective, she wasn't even sure if the man had moved. She only felt his figure flicker for a moment, like a distorted image. But when she blinked, he seemed to be standing perfectly still in the same spot, not having moved at all.
But in the next instant, the people behind him, an entire squad of Believers.
All of them collapsed.
They fell almost in the same second, their movements so synchronized they were as uniform as a drilled phalanx. It was as if someone had attacked every single one of them in the very same instant.
There was an order to the attacks, but it was just too fast—so fast that their bodies hadn't even registered that they had already fallen.
Adrianna was so shocked her knees went weak.
So fast.
So strong.
Naturally, her mind quickly jumped to the superhero in the Justice League renowned for his speed, known as the fastest man alive.
"Are you... The Flash?" Adrianna asked.
"The Flash? No, I'm not. I'm just a passerby."
Orin Vale took off the black robe—he really disliked the thing, both for its color scheme and the aura it had absorbed.
He spoke into the communication channel via telepathy: "Target is under control and confirmed safe. She's with me."
"Roger that. I'm almost done here, just two more fire-breathing cultists to go," The Flash replied.
"I'm almost done, too. On my way," said Green Lantern.
The others all responded. Just half a minute later, the group of super undercover agents had gathered at Orin Vale's coordinate.
Watching this group of "evil cultists"—some of whom flashed into existence, others flew in, and one who simply phased up through the ground—Adrianna was dumbstruck.
For some reason, she suddenly started to feel a bit of sympathy for the organization that had been infiltrated.
What kind of organization was this, and what had it done to deserve being targeted by a whole group of god-like beings?
"Alright, everyone's here. Now, as you can see, someone's trying to cause trouble for you, and we're here to help."
Orin Vale looked at Doctor Adrianna and said gently.
"So, why don't you share why you're being targeted? That way, we can figure out the best way to help you get out of this mess."
"A reason? Even if you ask, I'm not sure..." Adrianna said blankly. "If I had to say, the only noteworthy thing that's happened to us recently... could it be that tomb?"
"Tomb?"
The group exchanged glances.
"What tomb?"
"An ancient tomb, it was just excavated a couple of days ago. We found a batch of very valuable artifacts inside, all remarkably well-preserved. Experts from A.R.G.U.S. pointed out that a few of them might be related to some magical legends. Our primary mission on this trip was to escort those items...
"But even so, shouldn't this group be interested in the artifacts? Those things are all in the car, not on me. Why are they chasing me?"
Adrianna grew more and more confused. But as she spoke, a glint appeared in her eyes, and she suddenly thought of something.
"If I had to guess, maybe it's... because of the writing?"
"What writing?" Orin Vale asked.
"The writing carved inside the tomb. It's Ancient Khandaqi Script; very few people can recognize it now. Even in our circles, not many people study it, but I'm a native of Kahndaq, so I can read it... like the words carved in the most prominent place when we entered the tomb."
"What was carved there?" Batman asked.
"It was carved with..."
Adrianna paused, her expression unconsciously becoming solemn and grave.
"'Teth-Adam lies in eternal rest here.'"
(end of chapter)
