Chapter 004: Ancient Bronze Engravings

The night had already fallen, with neon lights flickering along the sides of the road. The city at night still exuded endless vitality, with skyscrapers towering into the sky, one after another.

But if one were to look down from space, all of this would seem insignificant, just a small patch of land.

This was an extremely unusual night, destined to be restless. Dozens of main monitoring rooms on the ground had completely locked onto the dark heavens.

In the desolate universe, nine dragon corpses shimmered with a cold, metallic luster, their bodies covered with black scales the size of palm leaves, dotted with dark light.

Dragons, legendary creatures that should not exist in this world, yet here they were, lying across the sky in reality.

The images captured from the dark space were soul-stirring and awe-inspiring. The huge dragon horns resembled forked ancient trees, full of strength and mystery. Their bodies were like mountain ranges, strong and powerful, with scales like blades, shining coldly, exuding an overwhelming grandeur.

The nine lifeless, massive corpses constituted a colossal impact on human understanding, overturning long-standing notions.

...

"How has your life been these past three years, Ye Fan?" Many people cared about Ye Fan and asked with concern.

"It's been okay, my life has been very plain, nothing particularly special has happened in the past three years..."

At that moment, people from Liu Yunzhi's table came over to toast, saying many celebratory words. Everyone clinked glasses repeatedly, creating a lively atmosphere.

Those who had earlier said they would punish Ye Fan did not single him out for a toast. It was not until later that Lin Jia and Wang Ziwen came over one after the other and each had a drink with Ye Fan.

As the night wore on, many people became tipsy, and then everyone went to sing karaoke. The singing seemed to take everyone back to their innocent student days.

"How many people once admired your youthful face, but who is willing to bear the merciless changes of time, how many people have come and gone by your side, but know that I will accompany you by your side for a lifetime..."

Perhaps because they were truly drunk, a couple who had been in love during their student days but had to break up reluctantly after graduation, looked at each other silently.

As the singing echoed, the female classmate actually lost control, her eyes blurred with tears, and she burst into loud sobs. Everyone tried to comfort her.

For various reasons, none of the couples among the classmates after graduation managed to stay together. Although they had all carefully nurtured their campus love, none of them ended up with a result.

Graduation meant breakup, as if a curse, with the same tragedy being played out every year among college graduates.

Unfortunately, this kind of tragedy is likely to continue for a long time, related to youthful impulsiveness, employment pressure, social status... perhaps there are other factors as well.

Almost everyone chose songs from three years ago. Some sang with great emotion, pulling everyone's thoughts back to three years ago, with scenes and events from the student days still vivid in memory.

In the end, the "karaoke tyrant" appeared, a drunken classmate monopolized the microphone for a long time, but the voice was far from praiseworthy, it could be described as earth-shattering and soul-wrenching, causing distress to everyone's ears but also bringing a joyful atmosphere, making people laugh together.

It was not until late that everyone left the Moonlit City by the Sea. There were activities planned for the next day, which included a visit back to their alma mater.

Students who had come from afar had all booked rooms at the same hotel, and a few classmates with cars were responsible for driving them there.

"Lin Jia, I'll take you back to the hotel," Liu Yunzhi parked his Toyota next to Lin Jia.

Other classmates wanted to take a taxi, and the seats in the nearby cars were limited, so they were hesitant to take the initiative to sit in Liu Yunzhi and others' cars.

At this time, a Mercedes-Benz pulled up to the roadside, and Ye Fan got out of the car and walked up to the haggard-looking female classmate, saying, "I'll drive you back."

Ye Fan felt sympathy for this female classmate. In college, she was a happy and innocent girl who liked to cheer for her classmates outside the football field, sometimes shyly bringing them a few bottles of mineral water.

But now, her unsatisfactory life made her appear very gloomy, with a pale complexion and poor complexion. She spoke very little throughout the night.

Suddenly, seeing Ye Fan park by the roadside and invite her into his car, she was both grateful and at a loss. She had not been the center of attention all night and seemed unaccustomed to being watched by her classmates in this way.

On the other side, Liu Yunzhi saw Ye Fan driving over and his expression was astonished, then his face darkened immediately.

Around them, people's expressions varied, with some showing confusion and others surprise and complexity.

Everyone, intentionally or unintentionally, looked at Liu Yunzhi. The reality before them was completely different from what he had said.

At this moment, Liu Yunzhi felt his face burning as if he had been slapped hard.

The few classmates who had previously "lectured" Ye Fan with a high-handed attitude also felt extremely embarrassed, wanting to say something but not knowing how to start.

There were also a few people with playful and strange expressions, especially those who had toasted with Ye Fan, seeming to feel that this scene had diminished the prestige of Liu Yunzhi's small group.

Just then, two more people walked over, opened the car door, and got in. They were classmates who were very familiar with Ye Fan.

The Mercedes-Benz, carrying several people, had already moved away, and many people had not yet recovered. Liu Yunzhi stood stiffly, facing the strange looks from the crowd, feeling as if he had a target on his back...

At this moment, far away in space, inside the International Space Station orbiting the Earth, several astronauts looked solemn, their nerves always taut, in a state of extreme tension.

In the dark and cold space, the nine huge dragon corpses seemed to have existed since ancient times, with thick iron chains spanning the void, connected to a bronze giant coffin, giving a sense of endless desolation and antiquity.

The decision-makers on the ground had long decided that if any significant changes occurred, they would immediately destroy these nine dragon corpses and the mysterious bronze ancient coffin.

But no one wanted this to happen.

The Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin, emerging from the depths of the dark and desolate universe, possessed a value and significance that were beyond estimation!

Suddenly, the main monitoring room aboard the International Space Station detected a set of enigmatic signals, an unusual fluctuation. The origin was close by, precisely the bronze giant coffin being towed by the nine dragon corpses, with mysterious oscillations emanating from the ancient and indistinct patterns etched upon it.

"Deciphering is difficult..." The signal was transmitted back to the ground and deciphered by the most sophisticated supercomputers, but still no clues could be found.

The ancient patterns on the bronze giant coffin were covered with verdigris rust, making it difficult to see them all clearly.

"Preliminary analysis indicates that the bronze carvings are related to ancient Chinese legends." The monitoring rooms of various countries reached a similar conclusion: "The beast-shaped carvings on the bronze coffin are similar to some of the ancient ferocious beasts recorded in China's 'Classic of Mountains and Seas', and the figures in the bronze patterns are suspected to be deities..."

Despite recognizing some of the origins of the bronze carvings, the extremely weak mysterious signals remained undecipherable, with no leads at all.