NOVPUBDaniel, Hols, and Taylor officially formed a team.
Gwen had a few words of concern with Daniel before she left.
Seeing this, Taylor couldn’t help but tease, "Look at you, even Gwen is worried about you." Hols chuckled alongside Taylor. Daniel, without a word, hopped into the car.
The car was a modified off-road vehicle provided by the production team to facilitate the contestants’ journey.
It was packed with various items that would prove useful in the desert.
After a quick inspection, Daniel found essential items like food, water, a satellite phone, a GPS navigator, and even an old-fashioned compass.
The quantity of these items suggested that Gwen had arranged everything in advance with the production team.
With Taylor at the wheel, Hols riding shotgun, and Daniel in the backseat, they set off.
Mauritania may be a country, but it was only the size of a city, and not a large one at that.
It didn’t take long for the city to give way to vast, unending desert.
As they ventured further into the sand, their initial excitement started to wane.
Taylor yawned continually; the monotonous desert landscape was beginning to wear him out.
Hols suggested, "Should we stop and rest for a bit?" He would occasionally glance at Daniel.
Daniel caught the hint and asked, "Do you two already have a destination in mind?"
If they were aimlessly wandering, they could simply continue deeper from yesterday’s treasure hunting site.
That area was known to be rich in treasures, and it was highly probable they could unearth more.
However, once they had left the city, Taylor continued to drive straight into the desert.
And now, Hols was suggesting that Taylor take a break.
It was apparent they had a destination in mind.
Upon Daniel’s question, Hols did not hide their intentions, saying bluntly, "We’re looking for a pyramid."
Daniel frowned, "There are pyramids here?"
Hols nodded, "It’s a few tens of kilometers from here. But without any roads ahead, it will take us a few hours to get there through the desert."
Daniel was puzzled, "If you guys had a destination all along, why did you bring me along?"
While driving, Taylor suddenly said, "We think you’re quite talented, and we might need your skills."
Daniel remained silent.
He believed the latter part of Taylor’s statement - that they could use his help.
But he didn’t buy the first part - that they think he’s talented.
This was a treasure hunt, after all.
An extra person meant the loot would have to be split further.
Nobody would want that. But why did they insist on including him?
Suddenly, a chilling thought flashed across Daniel’s mind.
But he quickly composed himself, avoiding arousing their suspicion.
He just hoped he was wrong in his guess, or else he might have to resort to violence against these two men whom he initially thought were decent.
Soon, the car left the highway and embarked on the vast desert.
Once they were in the desert, there was no sense of direction.
Even if they didn’t steer, the car could potentially return to a spot they had once passed.
Hols would periodically check the GPS map in his hand, guiding Taylor on the direction.
Before long, it was already afternoon.
With no shade in the desert, it felt as though all of the sunlight was bearing down on their car, filling the interior with scorching heat waves.
Despite having a spare can of gasoline, they didn’t dare turn on the air conditioning.
Otherwise, they’d be dealing with more than just the blistering sun if their car ran out of fuel.
Finally, as they drove over a sand dune, a pyramid appeared before their eyes.
Hols and Taylor couldn’t help but rejoice.
"We made it!" Taylor floored the gas, and in no time, the car came to a halt at the base of the pyramid.
Daniel got out of the car with them, looking up at the pyramid before them.
They were standing on the windward side of the pyramid, where the tall stone steps on both sides were buried under the sand.
It seemed like no one had been here for a long time.
But since they could locate this pyramid on the satellite map, it implied that others had been here before.
There shouldn’t be any treasures left.
"Are you two planning on digging for treasures here?" Daniel couldn’t help but ask.
Taylor and Hols were offloading equipment from the car, urging Daniel, "Forget about that for now, help us get these boxes down first."
Daniel frowned but chose to lend a hand anyway.
Once the boxes were unloaded, Taylor opened them.
Daniel then realized they were filled with electronic devices.
Meanwhile, Hols had taken out a tent and started setting it up.
Not until dusk did they finish setting up the tent and the interior facilities.
Daniel couldn’t hold back anymore and asked, "Alright, guys, I’ve done my part. Can you please explain what all this is about?"
He didn’t like the feeling of not being in control, as if he was constantly on the edge of danger.
Especially with the pyramid nearby, Daniel felt as though an army of mummies could burst out at any moment.
Hols, sitting on a folding bed, handed Daniel a bottle of water.
He took a couple of sips from his own before asking, "Do you believe in myths and legends?"
Daniel’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything.
Hols continued, "There really are gods in this world!"
Daniel frowned, "Have you gone mad?"
Hols gave a light smile, "Gods do exist, right here."
Daniel followed Hols’ pointing finger and looked out of the transparent window in the tent towards the pyramid.
At this point, it was dusk outside.
The sky was a shade of orange-red, somewhat resembling the gradually drying blood.
Hols continued, "We found in ancient books that there were once two powerful kingdoms here."
"Then these two kingdoms went to war, causing widespread devastation. The god residing in this pyramid couldn’t bear it, so he sank the kingdom that started the war into the ground. The remaining kingdom received his protection and has survived until today, which is the Kingdom of Mauritania."
Daniel asked, "If this is true, why doesn’t anyone in the Kingdom of Mauritania know about it?"
He hadn’t noticed any particular religious beliefs among the locals since he arrived.
Hols waved his hand, continuing, "I’m not sure about that either. It could be because of a historical discontinuity in Mauritania due to the passage of time, causing them to have no recollection of this part of history."
Daniel retorted, "The discovery of this pyramid should date back ages ago. If there were truly a god, it should have been uncovered by now."
Hols burst out laughing, "If a god were that easy to spot, it wouldn’t be much of a god, would it?" "Besides, we’re not here today in search of a god, but in pursuit of a divine legacy."
Daniel began to suspect that his two companions were genuinely unhinged.
This chatter about deities and divine legacies, it all sounded too outlandish.
If there were truly gods in this world, how could so many people suffer?
If Mauritania was genuinely blessed by a god, why would it resort to promoting tourism through a reality show to uplift its economy?
Daniel felt a twinge of regret; teaming up with these two might have been a mistake.
Out of the blue, Taylor shouted, "I’ve found it! There’s genuinely a hollow space underground!"
Hols bolted over immediately, while Daniel, stirred by curiosity, glanced at the monitor.
On the screen, a 3D model of a pyramid emerged.
Far beneath the pyramid, at an unknown depth, lay a large hollow area.
Hols and Taylor’s excitement was palpable, making it evident that this location was their ultimate destination.
Feeling a knot in his stomach, Daniel asked, "Aren’t you guys worried about being caught?"
They all wore sports cameras, a prerequisite from the show producers.
The footage recorded would be periodically sent back to a server, then edited into episodes.
Essentially, the production team could uncover their actions and conversations at any given time.
Yet, Hols seemed nonchalant, "The divine legacy is meant for all of humankind."
"The moment we obtain this divine legacy, we’ll make it public."
Hols was brimming with fervor, but Daniel had a gut feeling that something was off.
Even if Hols was telling the truth, his selflessness seemed excessive.
Enduring all this hardship just for the sake of humanity?
That was hard to swallow.
To be frank, Daniel didn’t buy it.
Watching the pair gear up, Daniel reassuringly patted the Desert Eagle tucked into his belt.
If they were genuinely about to venture into the pyramid, this weapon would be his lifesaver.
In no time, Hols and Taylor were decked out, ready for action.
Both had headlamps, wore black tactical suits, had pickaxes, ropes, flashlights at their waists, and tactical backpacks loaded with unknown items.
They looked at Daniel and asked, "Are you planning to go in like this?"
Daniel just nodded.
Without further comment, they left the tent and headed out.
Night had fallen, and the desert sky was ablaze with stars.
Under the glow of the moonlight, the pyramid seemed to shimmer with a faint light.
However, none of the three men noticed.
They were busy scaling the rocky steps, moving towards the entrance of the pyramid.
