Deep within a primeval forest in North America, untouched by human footsteps, an expedition team discovered a site suspected to be ruins left behind by an ancient civilization.
"Mr. Gormo, based on the scans from our equipment, our preliminary judgment is that these ruins are at least several thousand years old. Furthermore, judging by the totems and the script-like symbols found here, this appears to be a type of ancient civilization that has never been discovered before. If it truly is a previously unknown prehistoric culture, our exploration will be a momentous chapter in the history of world archaeology," an expedition member shouted excitedly toward the elderly man leading the group after completing the initial external survey.
Lanly Gormo was a well-known American archaeologist and collector, obsessed with researching and seeking out ancient civilizations across the globe. Upon hearing news that geological subsidence, accompanied by lightning and thunder, had revealed suspected man-made ancient structures within this forest, he immediately organized a professional archaeological team to explore.
"Sir, this is a major discovery for the world's archaeological community! We've found a prehistoric civilization that was never recorded," an expert beside Lanly Gormo said, trembling with excitement and eager to enter the ruins.
Lanly Gormo smiled with satisfaction. A civilization never discovered by anyone else meant that everything here was unique. The artifacts within the ruins would undoubtedly possess immense collectible value. Perhaps, he might even find what he had always dreamed of: supernatural power—a force that could grant him great strength and allow him to transcend the limitations of ordinary human life.
Lanly's true motive for scouring the globe for ancient ruins was to find the supernatural powers of antiquity. His father had been a German researcher during World War II and a firsthand witness to the moment the Hydra leader, the Red Skull, obtained an ancient treasure from Norway—the Dragon's Jewel (The Tesseract).
As a representative of the Nazi party, his father had participated in Hydra's research project on the Tesseract. He had witnessed its infinite wonders and the various powerful energy weapons created using its power. Since then, he had been utterly obsessed with the Tesseract's might.
However, the Red Skull kept the Tesseract under tight control, leaving Lanly's father with no opportunity for close contact. After Germany's defeat in the war, his father found an early opportunity to escape, transferring his assets to the United States and successfully establishing a vast family estate.
Despite his wealth, Lanly's father remained fixated on the Tesseract for the rest of his life. Because the artifact had vanished after the war, he spent his remaining years obsessed with excavating ancient ruins worldwide, hoping to find a treasure similar to the Tesseract and claim its power.
Influenced by his father from a young age, Lanly Gormo shared this obsession. He searched every corner of the world for anything related to ancient civilizations, intending to find a supernatural relic from the distant past. He was naturally intensely interested in these ruins, which had appeared alongside anomalies of lightning and storms.
After the expedition members used professional instruments to test the safety of the ruins—confirming there were no toxic gases and no risk of collapse—they entered the site one by one to begin their search.
"These symbols should be the script used by the civilization that built these ruins. However, among the ruins and artifacts of ancient civilizations unearthed around the world, there are absolutely no similar symbols to serve as a reference," an epigraphist (ancient script expert) said, leaning against the wall to study the markings.
Lanly Gormo had little interest in academic research; he was only desperate to know if there were treasures containing supernatural power. "Is there anything else in the ruins?"
"Mr. Gormo, there is a space ahead that looks like an altar," reported a team member scouting the path.
The team passed through a narrow passage and arrived at the altar.
"It looks like an altar built by an ancient civilization to pray to the gods," an archaeology professor said, pushing up his glasses as he speculated. "The coffin-like object in the center of the altar likely contains the sacrificial victim."
"Look at the surrounding murals," someone in the group prompted.
Though the writing was indecipherable, the drawings clearly conveyed their meaning.
"The murals seem to describe the story of a heroic warrior defeating a group of humanoid monsters. And according to what's shown, both sides possessed immense power. During their struggle, the earth split, lakes dried up, and forests burned..."
"Did a civilization from that long ago already have heroic epics? And they even carved them into murals?" someone remarked with a dismissive chuckle.
"Logically speaking, an ancient civilization's worship of gods mostly stemmed from natural phenomena they couldn't understand. Out of worship for these 'gods,' the records usually depict them as supreme and absolute; a battle like the one described in these murals typically wouldn't appear. Normally, murals should record their actual history," the archaeology professor said, sounding puzzled.
"Professor, you aren't going to tell us that there were actually humans with powerful supernatural abilities in Earth's primitive civilizations, are you?" someone asked in an exaggerated tone, clearly skeptical.
The professor was not offended. Instead, he chuckled and said, "What was recorded might have been aliens with high technology."
"Aliens?"
"Exactly. Perhaps highly advanced aliens visited Earth in ancient times. The various high-tech weapons they used were recorded by the uncivilized inhabitants. Since the ancient people couldn't comprehend the technology, the resulting drawings looked like the supernatural power of gods. The Egyptian pyramids, the Mayan crystal skulls—many things passed down from antiquity that ancient people supposedly couldn't have made might be the work of aliens."
"That explanation is technically plausible. But Professor, you're just guessing; there's no evidence. It's far more likely these murals are just exaggerated heroic legends where the hero's enemies are demonized. It might just be a record of a fight between two tribes," another person countered.
Lanly Gormo scanned the murals thoroughly, his eyes suddenly lighting up.
"According to the records on the walls, after the hero defeated the numerous enemies, he lay down in the stone coffin. The people saved by the hero then built this altar and structure to house it."
"You mean... the stone coffin before us contains the hero recorded in the murals?!" The team members reacted instantly.
Everyone turned their gaze toward the stone coffin in the center of the altar, their expressions a mix of emotions.
"Open the coffin," Lanly Gormo commanded, his eyes burning as he stared at the stone lid. "Let's see if what's inside is an alien, or something else entirely."
(End of Chapter)