The next day, just as dawn broke, the four were awakened by a commotion before they could even get up. It turned out the locals had a custom of rising early to pray at the church. Kit hadn't slept well the previous night, and his face now looked a little pale. He wobbled as he stood up, nearly falling. Seeing this, Sonita asked with concern, "What's wrong? Are you sick?"
Kit was surprised, not expecting this girl to be so friendly to him after they had just argued last night. He steadied himself and answered with a smile, "It's nothing, just hungry."
Sonita immediately turned to her father and said, "Dad, let's find a place to eat breakfast!"
The man's original plan was to eat the bread they had brought to save money, but seeing the expectant look in his daughter's eyes, he gave up the idea. The group entered a restaurant. When they came out after eating, the man felt a slight pang of heartache; the meal had cost over three hundred Star Coins. Sonita and Kit's relationship grew closer because of this meal, and they began to chat and laugh together. They got back in the car and continued their journey. A few days later, they finally arrived near Lake Turkana. This time, Daechir had chosen a different entrance. Kit held the head high and walked at the forefront. "How much farther? Crazy woman."
In the past, this question would have certainly annoyed Daechir. But now, with her dream about to come true, she no longer bothered with such trivial matters. "About two more kilometers, and we should be there."
They were now walking through a mountainous forest. The entrance to the passage was about a hundred meters from the edge of Lake Turkana. The husband and wife deliberately fell behind, whispering to each other. The woman asked, "Dear, do you really think we'll find gold?"
"There shouldn't be a problem."
"If we do find it, how will we divide it? Have you thought about that?"
"Of course, we'll be the ones to decide. What can a little kid do?" The woman nodded. "You're right. If we hadn't taken him in, he might have starved to death by now." Kit was leading the way, single-mindedly focused on finding the entrance. Just then, Daechir suddenly shouted, "Stop for a moment! It should be around here. Let's split up and look. The entrance is under a triangular rock."
The area was overgrown with weeds and dense bushes, making it difficult to find a single rock. The four of them went in different directions to search, but after more than half an hour, they had found nothing. What Daechir hadn't expected was that, with the passage of time, finding a rock after more than two hundred years would be impossible. "There's nothing, crazy woman! Did you remember it wrong?"
"That's impossible. I chose that rock myself."
When they realized the rock had been buried over two hundred years ago, they burst into curses, instantly feeling it was all a scam. Daechir tried to soothe them, terrified they would give up and leave. "Please believe me, we'll definitely find it. Even if the rock was moved, the entrance is still here."
Sonita, the youngest, was paradoxically the calmest. "Mom, Dad, we've already come this far. It would be a shame to give up now. We should still trust the crazy... crazy woman." Her voice became very soft on the last three words, her face turning slightly red.
The four began their search again, moving forward in a line, meticulously checking one area at a time. More than four hours later, they finally found the entrance next to a tree. It was a square iron plate, covered by a thick layer of soil. It took them considerable effort to open it. When the man was the first to descend, the lights inside the passage automatically turned on. The others followed in single file. After walking for a while, Kit ran to the very front, as if afraid someone would snatch the treasure from him. After about four hundred meters, a crossroads appeared. "Which way?" he asked the head in his hands.
Daechir gave an indirect answer, "Let me make it clear first. Only I can enter that place, so we must first find a way to restore my body."
She had said this before, but at the time, the group had been too excited and had ignored it. Now that she brought it up again, some immediately began to have doubts. "Is there really any treasure? Or did you just trick us into coming here?" the man asked.
Daechir could, of course, have led them directly through the great stone door, but she couldn't do that. She was afraid these people would take the gold and run, leaving her for dead. Therefore, she had to have the four of them help restore her body first before making any other plans. With no body and no hands, she was like a cripple and could only take this gamble.
"I've said it many times. Why do you keep asking the same question?" Kit, for once, sided with Daechir. "I believe you. Which way do we go?"
"Go left!"
Sonita's family had no choice but to follow. After winding through the passages for nearly two kilometers, the view suddenly opened up. They had exited the passage and arrived in a three-hundred-square-meter hall with eighteen paths leading in various directions. Passage number nine was the location of the gold warehouse, but of course, Daechir wouldn't say that now. She just said, "Come on, let's go to the Garden of Eden."
After passing through a long corridor, they came to an even larger open area. As far as the eye could see, it was dead silent, covered in cobwebs, with dust settled everywhere on the ground. Daechir was filled with emotion. After more than two hundred years, she was finally back. Just then, a figure entered her line of sight, startling her. "Ares, why are you still here?"
Kit and the others were so scared they huddled together. Not far away, a child-like figure approached them with a strange, slow gait. Its face was expressionless, like a zombie. "Who are you?"
"It's me, Daechir," the head replied.
Sonita hid in her mother's arms and whispered, "This person's voice is so strange, like a robot's." The zombie-like little figure was none other than Ares. After Hill's death, he had remained in Eagle's Nest. As time passed, he gradually sensed his difference: his height didn't increase, his body didn't age, but his strength grew weaker and weaker. More than eighty years ago, he finally learned the secret: he was a half-human, half-robot monster. Now, his memory was also becoming blurry. He didn't remember who Daechir was and just asked mechanically. Seeing that the small figure posed no great danger, the couple relaxed their guard slightly. Ares glanced at the head, shook his own, and was about to turn and leave. Daechir called out, "Wait, Ares, I need your help."
Unfortunately, he only paused for a moment before continuing to walk away. After he was far away, Kit raised the head in his hands and asked, "Crazy woman, who is that kid? Why is he here?"
After a long pause, Daechir finally answered, "He is a friend of mine. With his help, my body could be restored quickly, but unfortunately, he has now lost his consciousness."
"Is he a robot too?"
Daechir didn't respond, choosing silence. She didn't know how to answer that question either.