Chapter 595: The Clinging Night
A Sudden Reunion
The dinner was cut short by Diana's relentless questioning, and everyone returned to their respective rooms. Diana was supposed to be sharing a room with Barbara, but when she checked at the front desk, she found that their single room had somehow turned into two separate rooms.
Diana knew exactly what was going on. She took the room key card and went upstairs. The moment she pushed the door open, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"What do you think?"
Diana turned around, smiling playfully at the young man behind her. "What should I call you? Mr. Lucio? Mr. Shaw? Or perhaps Mr. World's Richest?"
Luke picked her up, tossed her onto the bed, stripped off his shirt, and immediately pressed down on her.
"Stop it, Barbara will be here soon."
"The door is locked; she can't get in."
Luke's hands roamed over her body. Wherever his touch landed, a tingling sensation ran through her like an electric current. Diana gritted her teeth, desperately trying not to make a sound.
On the other side, Barbara, having finished her shower, went to her friend's door and pressed the doorbell several times but got no response.
"When did she go out? She didn't even say anything."
Little did she know, Diana was so tense she could barely breathe, terrified that Barbara would rush in regardless. Only when the sound of footsteps faded did Diana recover. Feeling the intense change in her lower body, she couldn't resist pinching Luke twice.
"This is all your fault."
"Relax, she can't hear anything."
Luke chuckled and began a new round of conquest.
The sounds of heavy breathing rose and fell. Lost in their blissful world, the two forgot everything around them, seeing only each other.
Awkward Conversations
Unable to find her friend, Barbara Minerva went to Mr. Lucio's room, bravely rang the doorbell, but waited for five minutes without anyone opening the door.
"What is going on?"
"Neither of them is in their room. They couldn't have gone out together, could they?"
Barbara clutched her hair, completely confused. She called a service attendant but got no useful information, so she reluctantly returned to her room, feeling disappointed.
The night quietly slipped away. Before dawn the next day, a loud knocking sounded outside the door.
"Diana, are you there? Did you come back?"
"Diana, answer me!"
Luke groggily opened his eyes, complaining,
"Your friend is such a troublemaker. Why is she knocking on the door this early?"
"It's only because of you."
Diana changed her position and tried to go back to sleep, but the knocking was relentless. It lasted for a full half hour, leaving both of them wide awake. They simply lay in bed and started chatting.
"What made you decide to go on an expedition in Egypt?"
"To be precise, it's a refuge."
Refuge?
Diana asked curiously, "Who did you piss off this time?"
"It's my own problem. My reputation is too big. I've become a target for the paparazzi. People follow me everywhere; they're even more annoying than your best friend."
"So you disguised yourself and came to Egypt."
Luke said smugly, "What do you think of this mask?"
"Not good. Not as handsome as the original."
"Then I won't use it. I'll show my real face."
"Don't!"
Diana glared at him. "I don't want to be associated with the World's Richest Person."
"It's too late for that."
Luke, suddenly inspired, began their morning exercise. Another hour blurred by. The two, bodies hot, huddled together, enjoying the rare moment of quiet.
Diana whispered,
"Be honest with me. Why did you arrange this expedition?"
Luke lit a cigarette, but the woman immediately snatched it and stubbed it out in the trash. He could only shrug. "I'm looking for something."
"What is it?"
"An alien spacecraft that crashed in Egypt a few thousand years ago. The ship contains a certain metal, a top-tier material for manufacturing powered armor."
"Is that metal very strong?"
"Its overall performance is significantly higher than Amazonian metal."
"That powerful?"
Luke nodded. "I've been trying to find its whereabouts for years. I recently received information that the spacecraft is likely in the underground ruins of the ancient historical kingdom of Khandaq."
Khandaq?
Diana raised an eyebrow, wondering where she'd heard that name.
Luke continued, "Honestly, I'm not overly confident about this expedition. According to ancient texts, Khandaq was a legendary kingdom with a Wizard Council. I'm worried they might have hidden the underground ruins with magic."
"Aren't you a magician?"
"I use Daoist arts, an Eastern lineage. It's not the same system as the magic here in Egypt."
"Can't you find a local to guide you?"
"That would be difficult."
Luke shook his head slightly, his expression serious. "While Egypt has a history spanning thousands of years, for various reasons, the mystical traditions were not well-preserved. Finding a wizard who is proficient in ancient Egyptian magic is next to impossible."
"Then what do you plan to do?"
"We'll see. It's great if we find it, but if we don't, it's just a tourist trip."
"Are you still coming?"
Luke chuckled mischievously. "I've decided. I'm not getting out of this bed all day."
A Hurried Departure
At three in the afternoon, Barbara finally tracked down her long-lost friend. The moment she saw her, her pent-up emotions exploded.
"Where were you? I've been looking for you all day!"
"I called you fifteen times and you didn't answer once! I almost called the police, you know that?"
Diana apologized. "I ran into an old friend and had a few too many drinks. I promise it won't happen again."
Barbara snorted and walked out of the room in a huff. She walked right into "Lucio" coming down the hall.
"Hello, Miss Minerva."
"Hello."
Barbara nodded with a polite smile, appearing elegant and reserved. "Mr. Lucio, where were you last night? We wanted to discuss the plan of action, but we couldn't find you."
Luke pointed his hand upward. "The noise in this room was too loud, so I moved up to a higher floor."
"I see."
Barbara inexplicably felt relieved, the stone in her heart finally dropping.
Diana stepped out of the room.
"Mr. Lu... Lucio, when are we leaving?"
"How about tomorrow? This hotel is nice; I'd like to enjoy it a few more times."
Diana's cheeks flushed. While Barbara wasn't looking, she shot him a sharp glare.
"Our destination is the Sinai Peninsula. We still need to gather intelligence and pinpoint the location of the underground ruins there. Time is short. It would be best to leave tonight."
"Isn't that too rushed?"
"No. The sooner, the better."
"Alright!"
Luke shrugged. "Since Miss Prince has spoken, we'll do that. It's a pity, though. The bed in this hotel really is excellent!"
He shook his head and sighed, his brow furrowed with reluctance.
Barbara frowned. She felt something was off, but she couldn't quite place it. She couldn't help but press Diana.
"Do you know Mr. Lucio?"
Diana rolled her eyes. "Before this, I had never met Darnel Lucio."
"But... but..."
Barbara looked frustrated, trying in vain to figure out what was happening.
Diana ignored her, collected her luggage, and headed downstairs.
At four in the afternoon, the group departed on schedule, heading for the legendary kingdom of Khandaq, which had vanished into the river of history.
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