Beyond the skeleton hall, the tunnel sloped downward.
The air became cooler.
And strangely… fresher.
After several minutes of walking, the passage suddenly opened.
All three men stopped in shock.
Before them stretched an enormous underground cavern.
Ruins of an ancient city lay buried beneath layers of sand.
Collapsed towers.
Broken temples.
Massive stone statues half-buried in the earth.
Martin whispered,
"You've got to be kidding me."
Jones stared in awe.
"A subterranean city…"
Rathore looked equally stunned.
"But why would an entire city be underground?"
Jones pointed toward the cavern ceiling.
"It probably wasn't originally."
Above them, massive cracks split the rock.
"An earthquake or collapse may have buried the city centuries ago."
Martin looked around.
"So we're standing inside a lost civilization?"
Jones nodded slowly.
"Yes."
At the center of the ruined city stood a large stone temple.
Unlike the other structures, it remained almost intact.
And torches flickered near the entrance.
Martin pointed.
"Professor… those torches weren't lit two thousand years ago."
Rathore drew his revolver.
"Someone else is here."
They approached cautiously.
Inside the temple, they found Dr. Arvind Mehta.
Alive.
But pale and terrified.
"Professor Jones!" Mehta exclaimed.
"You came!"
Jones helped him stand.
"What happened here?"
Mehta glanced nervously toward the darkness.
"I woke something up."
Martin groaned.
"I hate when archaeologists say that."
Mehta explained quickly.
"This city belonged to a forgotten desert kingdom."
"They built underground chambers to protect themselves from invading armies and desert storms."
"But the temple contains something far more dangerous."
Jones asked quietly,
"What?"
Mehta pointed deeper into the temple.
"The Guardian."