The hovercraft landed on the sand, kicking up a cloud of dust. Ahead, the sand dunes were brightly lit, with many spider-armored vehicles and hovercraft neatly arranged. Soldiers were eating, squatting messily on the ground.
The hovercraft's hatch opened, and Jiang Ye jumped out first, then extended his hand into the cabin. Xu Yan thanked him and leaped from the craft, grabbing his hand.
A group of officers approached, saluting crisply, with Che Zhen at the front.
"This is Ms. Xu from Termite Real Estate. You've met her. Take her to see the site. No need to accompany me; I'll just look around," Jiang Ye said.
"Yes!"
The officers surrounded Xu Yan and left, ascending the dune.
Jiang Ye slowly walked around, surveying the surrounding dunes. He saw no other bones or anything suspicious, just an ordinary stretch of desert.
But when he reached the crest of the dune where the soldiers were gathered, a powerful shock seized his heart.
A skull as large as a building was half-buried at the top of the dune.
The eye sockets were as vast as caves; one could walk inside without bending. The nasal bone protruded, suggesting the creature had a large nose when alive. A row of upper teeth was also exposed, each as large as a door panel. Judging by the size of the teeth, this creature could have eaten humans as easily as fries, chewing them to pieces with a single bite.
Jiang Ye had never imagined seeing something so fantastical. What species could grow such a massive head?
Xu Yan was also stunned, her mouth agape as she stared upwards. A group of officers surrounded her, murmuring in hushed tones. A cordon had been set up, allowing only officers inside. Other soldiers remained outside, able to catch only a distant glimpse.
The phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.
Jiang Ye took it out to check. It was a message from Li Nannan. He had forwarded her the photos he received earlier, but the superior seemed busy and had only just replied.
Li Nannan: "Holy crap? What is this thing?"
Jiang Ye's forehead creased. "I don't know either. Aren't I asking you? I figured you're well-traveled and would definitely know what kind of mythical beast this is."
Li Nannan: "Are you messing with me?"
Jiang Ye: "No! Your Excellency is wronged. I am genuinely seeking advice. I've never heard of such a large head, and I wanted to inquire about it from you."
Li Nannan: "A skull this large is completely unrealistic. Do you think I'm an idiot? This head alone must weigh several tons. Wouldn't the entire body weigh tens of tons? What kind of bones or organs could support a weight of tens of tons? Did you photoshop this, or did you create an art piece with plaster? Learn some basic science before trying to fool me. If this thing is real, I'll go eat it tomorrow!"
Jiang Ye took a video on the spot and sent it.
Li Nannan: "..."
Jiang Ye: "How do you want to eat it? I'll have the chef prepare it for you."
Li Nannan: "Scram. Wait a moment, I'll run the photos through the database. I'll send you the results if I find anything."
Jiang Ye put his phone back in his pocket and walked around the skull a few times, tentatively reaching out to touch it. Besides some dust, the texture was cold and metallic. It felt extremely hard to the touch; even rifle fire would likely be deflected.
After gazing into the dark eye sockets for a while, Jiang Ye stepped inside, standing within the skull.
Using his phone's light, he illuminated the interior. It was like a cave, but looking closely at the bone walls, he could see many small, winding fissures, like rivers seen from satellite imagery, possessing an eerie beauty. Jiang Ye surmised these fissures might have housed blood vessels. This bone wasn't just solid bone; it also contained some soft tissue.
His phone vibrated again. Jiang Ye checked the message.
Li Nannan: "There's nothing in the existing biological database. I'll have paleontologists check. This thing is very strange; be careful."
Jiang Ye shrugged. If this creature were alive, he'd be running for his life. Now that it was just a skull, what was there to fear?
Xu Yan entered through the left eye socket, also using her phone for light. "It's astonishing!"
"How's it going? Do you have a plan?" Jiang Ye asked.
"I think we should transport this skull back first. That shouldn't be difficult; the bone is well-preserved and very hard," Xu Yan said. "We should carefully excavate the surrounding desert; there might be other bones."
"Does your construction team have experience with this kind of archaeological excavation?" Jiang Ye asked.
"No, but they have procedures. It should be fine," Xu Yan replied. "I plan to combine water flushing and sand blowing methods to remove the sand layer by layer. If there are other bones, they won't be damaged."
"Alright, I'll leave it to you. Send me the cost breakdown later," Jiang Ye nodded.
That night, the giant skull was transported back to the military base and displayed in an underground warehouse, kept at a constant temperature and humidity, with heavy guard.
The next morning, Jiang Ye received Li Nannan's reply. She stated that paleontologists had never seen anything like it and it was likely a completely unknown new species, possibly a giant primate.
Because the skull was so enormous, completely exceeding current paleontological understanding, it could potentially establish entirely new paleontological theories and win numerous related awards, making it immensely valuable. Therefore, the paleontologists hoped Jiang Ye would sell the skull intact and offered a price of 500 million.
Jiang Ye did not sell it. He felt this item was too rare, possibly a local specialty of this planet. If he kept it for when the planet prospered, he could establish a planetary museum and use this skull as the centerpiece. Just selling tickets would easily earn five hundred million. He had even thought of an exhibition name: "Kuafu's Head."
Furthermore, Termite Real Estate's construction team was cautiously excavating the site. If they unearthed more bones, perhaps a complete skeleton, the price would undoubtedly skyrocket.
The first day of excavation yielded nothing but piles of yellow sand.
The second day of excavation also yielded no results.
The third day, still no progress.
Xu Yan was becoming a bit discouraged. She chatted with Jiang Ye on her phone, sharing many of her speculations. She hypothesized that this large head might not be native but had come from a distant location due to crustal movements and geological changes, hence the absence of other bones nearby. For instance, biological remains frozen in glaciers, which, upon melting, drifted across the planet on ice floes, eventually washing ashore and thawing. Such a scenario was entirely possible. Especially considering Jiang Ye Planet's frequent floods during winter and spring, it might have been washed from somewhere.
Jiang Ye completely understood this speculation, but he was unwilling to give up. The daily excavation costs were only around one hundred thousand, which was entirely affordable. So, he asked Xu Yan to continue leading the team and even suggested expanding the excavation area.
On the morning of the fourth day, as the construction team expanded the excavation range, they unearthed new bones.