Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1216 The Glorious Path (First Update)

Deciphering the lost dead language and murals is not a task that can be rushed. Laura Crawford shared a clue with another archaeologist, Dr. Domiggs, via her portable computer. Initially, the Trinity team had found an artifact called the Chaccher Key hidden in a site on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. It was at this time that Laura Crawford learned that Dr. Domiggs, the pioneer of Mayan studies she had been studying and the subject of her research, was actually the leader of this Trinity operation.

Before Laura could act, the Immortal City's armed forces launched a preemptive attack on the Trinity mercenaries. Thanks to the surprise attack and their superior firepower, the first wave of Trinity mercenaries was almost completely annihilated by Camilla and her companions. However, the Trinity mercenary commander, Rulke, escaped death and took the dagger enshrined in the underground temple, completely disregarding the life or death of Dr. Domiggs, the project's leader. It seemed the mercenary commander's orders came from a higher level.

The theft of the Chuckcher Key had a devastating impact, triggering an earthquake that swept across the Yucatan Peninsula. Camilla's team evaded Laura Crawford and Dr. Domiggs, who had miraculously survived the bullets, from the temple, which was about to be submerged by the sea. Behind them, the town of Cozumel was swallowed by a tsunami; later research revealed that it was not a bomb planted by Trinity, but rather the earthquake's epicenter was located in the ocean.

As a man of Mayan descent, Dr. Domegs knew very well that he didn't have complete control over the project; in fact, his relationship with Trinity was one of mutual exploitation. However, he didn't expect Trinity's betrayal to come so quickly. With nowhere else to go and under pressure from Camilla at gunpoint, Dr. Domegs had no choice but to temporarily join Laura Crawford's research team, offering her his expertise and explaining the project's details.

According to Dr. Domiggs, the Chuckcher Key and the Ishcher Silver Box can awaken the feathered serpent god, which is the purpose of the Holy Trinity: to reshape the entire world. The former is the dagger of the god of creation, destruction, childbirth, water, weaving and spinning, healing, and divination; the latter is the silver box of the Mayan moon goddess. Legend has it that Ishcher held a jar that poured out world-destroying rain, while her husband, Itsamna, could transform into a two-winged bird, one black and one white, carrying a two-headed serpent.

Due to frequent historical records and cultural exchanges in Central and South America, the deities wielding the same powers in the myths of the Inca, Maya, and Aztec civilizations differed. The only certainty is that the Chakcher Key and the Ishicher Silver Box are not ordinary artifacts of any civilization, but rather relics from ancient times.

The documents from the Immortal City indicate that these items were revered by the local civilization because of their unusual properties, and their names were added later with far-fetched interpretations, proving nothing of substance. Laura Crawford and Camilla's main tasks now lie in following in the footsteps of Trinity to prevent them from awakening Quetzalcoatl, or obtaining the Silver Chest of Ischel ahead of time to terminate Trinity's project.

Dr. Domiggs said he wanted to use the power of the Holy Trinity to eliminate the effects of Quetzalcoatl's awakening.

"You'd better not be lying, Domiggs." Camilla returned to the armored personnel carrier's crew compartment after the rendezvous. No one suspected anything amiss in her using the excuse of going to the restroom to avoid everyone's attention, but Laura Crawford noticed that Camilla was noticeably more agitated upon returning to the crew compartment. "We don't have time to waste, understand?"

Dr. Domiggs rubbed his hands together awkwardly, looking very worried that Camilla might doubt his loyalty because of the cartel militants who were using the ruins as a drug lab. In fact, he didn't really have much loyalty to speak of, since these people all had secrets they were keeping from him, and even Laura Crawford rarely mentioned why she had come to South America to conduct archaeological research.

Domigus still couldn't understand why Camilla's team could strike the Trinity mercenaries with such precision; maintaining such an armed group must have been incredibly expensive. "There's no better Central and South American historian in the entire world than me, not including those who are already dead," Domigus said, puffing out his chest, seemingly gaining courage from somewhere. "I'm from here, Camilla, we're both Peruvians. I've seen the news about you on TV, the anti-government militant, a remnant of Shining Path. You were in prison when Orlánta was president, and you were out participating in this operation when Pedro was president. How did you end up here?"

"Because the Glorious Path took the wrong route." Camilla suddenly abandoned her agitation, her calmness almost frightening, so much so that Laura Crawford, who was bent over comparing documents and stone tablets, couldn't help but look up at her. "The Glorious Path failed to fully learn from the great minds, and it deserves its current fate."

"It's rare to see remnants of the Shining Path reflecting on themselves," Dr. Domiguez said, shaking his head with a smirk, unwilling to delve deeper into the topic. During the rise of left-wing movements in the international community in the last century, Dr. Domiguez, as a student, participated in a series of anti-military government demonstrations and was even almost drawn to the Shining Path's radical style, as its core principles were simply too appealing. However, in its later stages, the Shining Path strayed further and further from its original path, even beginning to lose its strongholds. Having lost the support of Peruvian farmers, the Shining Path became increasingly extreme, its guiding ideology reduced to "armed struggle" without a clear understanding of "how to command armed struggle." Internal conflicts raged, and to this day, almost all of its key leaders have been arrested or killed in action. Therefore, Dr. Domiguez found it hard to believe that a die-hard remnant of the Shining Path like Camilla could make any changes.

“I wanted to protect my homeland, Dr. Domiggs, but I don’t believe I did anything wrong.” Camilla remained calm, and unlike others who expected, she didn’t smash the butt of her gun into Dr. Domiggs’s face. “Now everything starts anew. If you’ve seen the order we’ve created, you’ll understand how we differ from the Glorious Path.”

"But now they're here, helping us dig things out of the mud."

"This is also one of the ways to protect Peru. If a major flood occurs, Peru will suffer heavy casualties," Camilla said earnestly. "If you really care about the Peruvian people, then cooperate with our work."

"You don't really trust him, do you, sir?" A young man who had left the Radiant Path with Camilla quickly moved closer to her when no one was looking. Apart from Camilla, the others had not been influenced by the ideology of the Immortal City. Therefore, this group included not only remnants from the Radiant Path but also soldiers from the Peruvian government army. The fact that Camilla could unite this group proved how powerful her personal charisma was.

“No way, you idiot.” Camilla rolled her eyes. “Keep an eye on Domigus as usual. Don’t let him be alone with Laura Crawford. Keep your pistol cocked and ready to shoot him. I suspect Domigus’s true purpose will soon be exposed. As an archaeologist with Trinity’s intelligence network, he definitely knows the cartel’s drug lab is inside the ruins. When we return to the ruins, I need someone to be with him at all times, understand?”

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(End of this chapter)