NOVPUBBoom!
The roar of the long-armed simian monster made the entire pyramid tremble.
It stared unblinkingly at Daniel, its eyes brimming with a bloody rage.
Fangs, dripping with fresh blood, protruded from the corners of its mouth.
Kill the accursed human in front of it.
That was the only thought dominating its mind at that moment.
For Daniel, the creature, now devoid of its arms, was no longer a threat.
The silk thread blade in his hand hummed with anticipation, as if the threads themselves could barely contain their lust for destruction.
Whoosh!
A shadow blurred by.
Pushing his speed to the limit, Daniel materialized in front of the monster, raising his blade and aiming a decisive blow at its grotesque head.
He had thought that this would be enough to finish the creature.
But in that very moment, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
The body of the long-armed simian monster began to swell, its facial features grotesquely distorting.
From the wounds where its arms were severed, countless tentacles, reminiscent of venomous snakes, began to emerge and writhe.
In an instant, the creature, which had previously only been half a head taller than Daniel, towered over him, transforming into a hideous five-meter-tall monster covered in tentacles.
The tentacles writhed and twisted around its body, their tips lunging towards Daniel as if they hungered for his flesh.
"Damn it!"
Sensing the imminent danger, Daniel leaped backward at full speed.
But the long-armed simian monster wasn’t about to let him escape that easily.
With a flick of its massive form, the tentacles stretched out, defying gravity and propelling themselves forward.
A palpable aura of death emanated from the creature. Daniel felt as if he was being targeted by thousands of venomous serpents.
No matter how swift he was, he couldn’t evade their relentless pursuit.
To make matters worse, these tentacles moved faster than him.
Even if he managed to sever them with his silk thread blade, they would regrow at an astonishing pace, becoming even longer and thicker than before.
Just as he was about to be overtaken, in this critical moment, Daniel executed a swift tail whip, swiftly changing direction towards the creature.
From their skirmish, he had discerned a flaw in the long-armed simian monster: its intrinsic speed was sluggish.
All he needed to do was circle around the beast, leading it into its own trap.
Soon enough, his strategy prevailed.
Countless tentacles wrapped around the monster, binding it in innumerable coils, making it appear akin to a mummified relic.
Only then did the creature realize its predicament, attempting to retract its tentacles.
Daniel dismissed his silk thread blade, smirking coldly, "Too late."
Swiftly advancing, he seized the ends of two tentacles, tying them into a firm knot.
Then, with daggers formed from silk thread, he plunged them into the creature’s eyes.
With a sickening squelch, the eyes burst, spewing cerebral matter.
Black blood spurted like a fountain, releasing an unbearable stench.
No matter how formidable the body’s defenses, the eyes remained the weakest point.
As Daniel was about to retract his dagger, he suddenly felt as though he’d pierced something far harder than the creature’s brain.
Dissolving the blade, he delved his hand directly into the skull through the gouged eye socket.
From the sticky, gelatinous mass within, he extracted an irregular fragment. It looked eerily familiar.
After cleaning the filth adhering to its surface, recognition flashed in his eyes.
"A teleportation stone shard!"
Almost simultaneously, a dazzling brilliance flared before Daniel.
Immediately after, a wave of vertigo washed over him.
...
The Step Pyramid of Djoser.
It stands as humanity’s first discovered pyramid and, to this day, remains among the most majestic.
At this very moment, a team from the Investigation Bureau had just arrived at its base.
Julia incessantly dialed on her satellite phone, but each attempt was met with a persistent busy tone.
Mike couldn’t help but inquire, "Could it be out of range?"
With a furrowed brow, Julia responded, "Impossible. The Investigation Bureau’s satellite phones utilize the most advanced communication systems. They can even transmit signals a thousand meters underground." Mike ventured again, "What if something’s gone wrong?"
Julia shot him a withering look, "Zip it with the doom and gloom."
Just then, Alex, busy with a computer inside their vehicle, called out, "Got the signal! The location shows Daniel’s inside."
A collective gasp of surprise echoed among the team.
Brooks, ever the skeptic, leaned forward to inspect the computer screen. "How is that possible? Ten minutes ago, he was located in Mauritania. Now, he’s inside this pyramid. Could the system have glitched?"
Alex shot him a steely glance, "This is the world’s most advanced tracking system. You’re more likely to mistake a man for a woman than this system making an error."
Julia’s face was etched with anxiety. "We need to go in. Now."
Everyone cast a puzzled look in her direction. It was clear to all: her concern for Daniel was anything but ordinary.
Feeling the weight of their collective gaze, Julia’s face turned a shade of red.
She rushed to clarify, "Don’t get the wrong idea. We detected a strong presence of monstrous energies inside the pyramid. That’s why Martin sent us here to back up Daniel. Now that he’s inside, there’s no telling what might be happening."
Given the peril that Daniel might be in, there was no time for idle speculation.
Without further ado, the group made a beeline for the pyramid’s entrance.
...
Inside the pyramid, Daniel gazed at the swirling mist before him, a frown forming on his brow.
For reasons he couldn’t grasp, the scene before him felt surreal, as if he were in a dream.
Suddenly, out of the enveloping fog, several silhouettes emerged.
As they drew closer, he recognized them as Alex, Brooks, Julia, and Mike.
Strangely, they walked normally, yet their eyes were tightly shut, reminiscent of sleepwalkers.
He chose not to rouse them. Within the confines of the pyramid, discerning between monsters and mere illusions was no easy task.
However, as he prepared to pass by Alex and the others, something felt amiss.
The mist had vanished!
The true visage of the entire pyramid lay bare before him. Not just that, the eyes of Alex and the rest were now wide open.
With a sudden jolt, the four of them shuddered almost simultaneously, their expressions dazed as they took in their surroundings.
"Damn, is this pyramid entirely hollow?"
"It’s nothing like the other pyramids."
Then, Julia was the first to notice Daniel standing to the side.
She rushed toward him, exclaiming with evident relief, "Daniel! We’ve finally found you!"
But Daniel stepped back, cautiously maintaining a distance from Julia and the rest.
Julia paused, then with a sense of urgency, pulled down the waistband of her shorts to prove her identity. "Look, I’m the real Julia."
Displayed just below her navel was a succubus tattoo.
However, what caught Daniel’s eye more was the dark, fuzzy hair just beneath the tattoo.
"Ahem!"
"Julia, that’s not fair, turn around so we can see too!" Mike and Brooks ran over with playful lewdness in their expressions, but Julia had already adjusted her attire, causing the two to exclaim in feigned disappointment.
Brooks, with a mischievous grin, slung an arm around Daniel’s shoulder and asked, "Like what you saw?"
With a straight face, Daniel replied, "Quite impressive."
Julia’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "You bunch of rascals!" she chided.
As the group reunited, the mood lightened considerably.
Daniel looked at the group with a hint of bewilderment, "How did you all end up here?"
Mike smirked, "Julia was worried sick about you, insisted we come along to back you up."
At his words, Julia immediately interjected with a blushing face, "Nonsense! The intelligence department detected abnormal supernatural readings here. Martin sent us over because he was concerned something might happen to Daniel."
Mike gave a knowing look, "Isn’t that the same thing?"
As the group engaged in light banter, Alex remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings, while Brooks couldn’t help but marvel at the wholly hollow structure of the pyramid, continuously expressing his amazement.
"The people who built this pyramid must’ve been extraordinary. A structure spanning hundreds of meters, and not a single massive pillar inside to support it."
"But look," he continued, "this is nothing like the Pyramid of Joseph that’s online. Here, see for yourselves."
Brooks pulled up an image on his phone and passed it around. Daniel leaned in for a closer look.
The pyramid in the image closely resembled other pyramids, comprising numerous chambers and passages, all surrounded by neatly stacked colossal stones.
In contrast, the inside of the pyramid they were in was entirely hollow.
When all of their flashlights converged in one direction, everyone was stunned.
Before them faintly shimmered a golden chariot.
No, not just one, but hundreds.
These chariots all faced the same direction, where a massive golden lion statue and a reclining beast lay.
Positioned between them stood a life-sized statue, surrounded by countless chests.
Perhaps the beams of light had triggered some mechanism within the pyramid.
With the resonance of deep rumbling and the grinding of gears, a sun materialized high above them. Instantaneously, the entire pyramid was bathed in light.
"Holy... cow!" The group couldn’t help but gasp in awe. The spectacle was overwhelmingly breathtaking.
Mike, swallowing hard, whispered, "This must be what they call ’The First Pyramid’, right?"
Daniel, gazing at the marvels before him, calmly remarked, "I’m not sure. But this place is definitely a domain."
At his words, a palpable shock washed over the group.
