The desert wind suddenly grew louder.
Mark was the first to notice.
He looked up.
High above the excavation site, the second aircraft that had appeared earlier was now closer.
Much closer.
Mark's eyes narrowed.
"That's not a transport plane."
Albert looked up.
A moment later the truth became clear.
Two fighter jets broke through the clouds behind the aircraft.
Arun's face went pale.
"Those are military jets…"
Before anyone could react—
a bright flash appeared beneath one of the jets.
A missile launched.
"Missile!" Mark shouted.
Workers at the site began running.
The missile streaked through the air toward the excavation compound.
Then—
BOOM.
The explosion struck several hundred meters away, blasting sand and debris across the desert.
Another jet moved into position.
Albert stood perfectly still.
Then he muttered calmly.
"Well… that escalated quickly."
Arun stared at him.
"You're saying that like this is normal!"
Albert didn't answer.
Instead he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
As the jets roared overhead, he spoke calmly into the device.
"Where is my boy?"
"Where is my tech genius?"
There was a short pause.
Then a familiar voice came through the speaker.
"Berlin."
Albert smiled slightly.
"Good."
"Then listen carefully."
Another missile launched from the sky.
Mark grabbed Albert's arm.
"We need to move!"
Albert ignored him for a moment.
"I want every external system active," he said into the phone.
"I don't want a single one of those jets touching my site."
The voice on the other end replied confidently.
"Don't worry."
"I'll handle it."
Albert nodded.
"I know you will."
He glanced up at the sky again.
"I'll make it rain for them."
Arun blinked.
"Rain?"
Albert ended the call.
"You'll see."
Another explosion rocked the desert.
Mark shouted over the noise.
"We need to get underground!"
Albert finally nodded.
"Yes."
He looked toward the shaft entrance.
"Prepare to move."
Then he added calmly—
"They won't finish us today."
Within seconds the group rushed toward the elevator platform.
The fighter jets roared overhead again as the platform descended into the shaft.
The sounds of explosions faded as they moved deeper underground.
Minutes later they reached the hidden chamber again.
The massive stone door still stood open.
Inside, the strange glowing panels illuminated the ancient room with blue light.
Albert stepped inside.
For the first time since arriving at the site—
he stopped.
Completely still.
His eyes moved slowly across the chamber.
The glowing panels.
The strange symbols.
The impossible technology buried beneath two thousand years of history.
For a moment…
Albert said nothing.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"That…"
He shook his head slightly.
"…is not what I expected."
Li Wen looked at him.
"Do you recognize it?"
Albert didn't answer.
Instead he walked closer to the glowing panel.
His expression changed suddenly.
Not fear.
Not confusion.
Something else.
Calculation.
In the next moment, he adjusted his face—
as if hiding what he had just realized.
And the fighter jets above the desert were only seconds away from discovering…
what was hidden beneath the sand.