The jungle clearing was slowly becoming quiet again.
Smoke still rose from the battlefield where narcos and soldiers had fought only hours earlier.
The three commanders stood together, looking toward the ruined structure.
Finally, the American commander spoke.
"We will accept your condition."
The Chinese commander nodded.
"We will report that the ruins were destroyed during the battle with narcos."
The Russian commander added calmly in Russian.
"Мы скажем, что Пабло Эскобар уничтожил это место."
(We will say Pablo Escobar destroyed this place.)
Albert smiled slightly.
"Gentlemen… you are impressive thinkers."
The American commander sighed.
"Don't misunderstand."
"We're doing this to prevent something worse."
Albert nodded politely.
"Of course."
The Russian commander looked at Albert carefully.
"Куда ты теперь идёшь?"
(Where will you go now?)
Albert answered calmly.
"My next location."
The Chinese commander frowned.
"Where?"
Albert simply smiled.
"India."
The Russian commander chuckled softly.
Then he spoke again in Russian.
"Тогда удачи тебе."
(Then good luck to you.)
He turned to his soldiers.
Within minutes, the military forces began withdrawing.
Helicopters lifted into the air.
Armored vehicles moved away from the jungle.
The battlefield slowly returned to silence.
Days later—
Albert's aircraft landed on his private island again.
The ancient capsule containing the preserved man had been safely transported to Albert's underground laboratory.
Bilal supervised the installation of the capsule inside a secure chamber.
"This place is safer than any research institute," he said.
Mark nodded.
"No one will reach him here."
Li Wen looked at the sleeping figure inside the capsule.
"Two thousand years…"
"And he might still hold the key to history."
Albert turned away from the chamber.
"Which is why we must move quickly."
Several days later—
another aircraft landed.
This time in India.
The warm air of Tamil Nadu welcomed them.
Albert, Li Wen, Arun, Mark, and Bilal stepped out onto the runway.
Arun smiled slightly.
"Home country advantage."
Albert looked around.
"This place is beautiful."
A man approached them from the terminal entrance.
He wore simple clothes and greeted Albert warmly.
"Vanakkam, Mr. Albert."
Albert smiled.
"Good to see you again."
The man introduced himself.
"My name is Karthik Subramanian."
"I will help you in Tamil Nadu."
Karthik spoke fluent English but occasionally switched to Tamil when speaking with locals.
Within an hour, the group reached a quiet hotel near the coast.
Inside a private meeting room, the five members of Albert's expedition team gathered around a table.
Albert stood near a large map of South India.
"Alright," he said calmly.
"Next step."
Arun pointed toward the coastline of Tamil Nadu.
"Ancient temples."
"Thousands of years old."
Li Wen looked at the map.
"If the architect left a message here…"
"It could be hidden in one of these temples."
Bilal leaned forward.
"But the message said something specific."
"Where temples meet the ocean."
Mark looked toward Albert.
"That limits the search."
Albert nodded slowly.
"Yes."
He tapped one point on the map.
A famous ancient coastal temple complex.
"The Shore Temple."
Karthik looked surprised.
"That place is sacred."
Albert smiled slightly.
"History often hides in sacred places."
The room fell silent.
Because if the ancient architect had hidden the next key there—
then something even older than the Amazon ruins…
was waiting beneath the temples of Tamil Nadu.