“It’s an amplification system,” Clement said, finally catching his breath, his expression thick with disbelief.
Seeing both Ryan and Echo staring at him, he paused, thinking for a moment before explaining. “You know what a funnel is, right? This must be the lowest level of the pyramid. All the sounds from above are transmitted here through some kind of special pathway. We can hear everything they’re saying, but they can’t hear us. It’s as simple as that.”
The sheer sophistication of it was mind-blowing. Five thousand years ago, someone had already mastered this kind of design-ventilation systems, complex traps, and now this sound amplification setup. It made you wonder if these ancient people had already grasped concepts we consider part of modern civilization.
“Cobra. Cobra,” Ryan suddenly called out, breaking the moment of silence.
Echo looked up and saw him adjusting the earring in his ear, trying to contact Cobra. With a sigh, she muttered, “Boss, I doubt that’ll work. We have no idea what kind of materials this pyramid was built with, but even X-rays can’t penetrate it. None of our tech is going to function down here-it’s completely cut off from the outside world.”
Ryan’s face darkened, his expression unreadable.
Echo quickly added, “We need to focus on finding a way out first. We can deal with everything else once we’re out of here.”
She shot Clement a look, and he gave her a quick smile before going back to work, scanning their surroundings for a way out.
BOOM.
A sudden explosion echoed through the chamber, causing Ryan to frown deeply while Echo raised an eyebrow but kept quiet. Clement, on the other hand, started moving even faster, knowing time was running out.
Then came the sound of suppressed gunfire-sharp and distinct in the otherwise silent chamber. The shots were faint, but in this acoustically enhanced space, they were as clear as if they were right next to them. The unmistakable pop pop of silenced pistols sent a chill through all three of them.
“Hurry,” Ryan ordered, his voice low and dangerous.
Without needing to see it firsthand, they all knew: that whoever had taken those shots, Ryan’s people were on the losing end. His face had turned stony, and the air around him seemed to radiate a deadly aura.
BANG!
A sudden, deafening blast ripped through the space, making Echo and Clement clutch their ears in pain. It felt like the explosion had gone off right next to them, leaving their heads ringing and their ears buzzing from the shockwave.
The ground beneath them wobbled slightly.
Who the hell uses explosives inside a pyramid? Echo thought, stunned.
“Which idiot did that?!” Clement blurted out, his face pale. “This whole pyramid is interlocked-detonate the wrong section, and the entire structure will collapse. What kind of moron uses explosives in a place like this?”
Soft rustling noises followed the blast, faint but unmistakable.
Ryan’s sharp gaze instantly snapped toward the source. His expression turned ice-cold as he growled, “Move. If you don’t want to die here, find a way out. Now.”
Still reeling from the explosion, Echo and Clement saw the deadly seriousness in Ryan’s eyes. Their hearts raced as they realized the danger was far worse than they had thought.
Without a word, Clement threw himself back into his search, moving with renewed urgency.
Echo stepped forward, her voice low but steady. “What can I do?”
This wasn’t just any chamber-they were standing in an underground palace, the most lavish part of the pyramid. But that last explosion seemed to have triggered some hidden mechanism. All around them, small fist-sized holes appeared in the walls, and fine white sand began pouring in.
Within moments, the palace floor was coated in a thin layer of sand. The grains were smooth, pure, and untouched by time-soft and dry, as if they had been sealed away for centuries without a hint of decay. The sand flowed gently, like water, its texture light and delicate despite the weight of five thousand years.
None of them-Ryan, Echo, or Clement-said a word.
Ryan didn’t rush them either; he just stood there coldly, watching Clement work and Echo assist him. His eyes followed the beads of sweat sliding down Echo’s forehead, one drop at a time. In a place as cool and damp as this, the fact that she was sweating said a lot. Without a word, Ryan reached over and gently ruffled her hair.
The rustling of sand grew louder by the second, and the sounds of gunfire outside intensified.
Hawk and Cobra had clearly run into the Street family, and the firefight was heating up fast. Explosions echoed in the distance, mixing with the gunshots. It was impossible to tell which side was doing what or who was being more reckless.
The white sand had already risen past their knees.
Echo’s face was pale, but she handed tools to Clement without the slightest tremor in her hands. Now was not the time for panic. The only way out was to stay calm.
Ryan noticed the rising sand and scooped Echo off the ground, setting her on top of the ivory bed.
Echo glanced up at him, then tugged at his arm, trying to pull him up too.
“Get up here,” she urged.
Once the sand reached waist height, even the strongest person would struggle to move. No sense in taking unnecessary risks, even for someone like Ryan.
Sweat ran down Clement’s cheek, his pale face now flushed a deep red, as if his blood might boil over. His hands began to tremble slightly.
Echo noticed and gave his hand a reassuring pat. “Stay calm. You’ve got this.”
Clement didn’t look at her but gave a small nod of acknowledgment.
Time slipped away, second by second.
The sand inside the chamber kept rising, creeping closer to the ivory bed and the nearby sarcophagus.
Clement was running out of time. If the sand buried everything-including the decorative mechanisms-it would seal off any chance of escape, leaving them trapped forever.
“I can’t guarantee this will work,” Clement said suddenly, standing up and pressing down hard on the sarcophagus. His voice was deadly serious as he looked between Ryan and Echo.
“Do it,” Echo said without hesitation, springing to her feet.
Ryan didn’t argue either-Clement was the expert here. All they could do was follow his lead.
“On three sides-press down as hard as you can,” Clement instructed, his voice steady but urgent.
The three of them took their positions around the sarcophagus, each pushing down with everything they had. Beneath it was the ivory bed.
“Harder!” Clement barked, his voice raw with strain.
The sarcophagus didn’t budge.
Clement, gritting his teeth and using every ounce of strength he had left, shouted, “Harder!”
Ryan’s brow furrowed deeply, and he threw all his weight into pressing the center of the sarcophagus.
CRACK!
CRACK!
The sound of gears grinding filled the air-a slow, grating noise like ancient machinery struggling to move.
Under their combined force, the sarcophagus began to sink.
In the northwest corner of the room, the stone wall-decorated to resemble a starlit palace ceiling-started to shift, slowly lowering in sync with the weight they were applying. The ancient, rusty gears creaked loudly, but they brought with them a glimmer of hope.
“We’re running out of time!” Echo shouted, glancing down at the sand now creeping past her thighs. Sweat poured down her face.
Whether it was intentional or just a result of the pyramid’s age, the gears controlling this mechanism were unbearably slow and heavy.
Even with the three of them pushing with everything they had, the wall had only lowered enough to allow a single person to crawl through. Meanwhile, the sand kept pouring in, faster and more aggressively, as if it had a mind of its own. It surged toward them, relentless and unstoppable.