Chapter 69 Chapter 67

The Land Rover Range Rover uses Java technology developed by San Francisco-based software maker Black Pearl.It has four wheels, a standard transmitter, high-energy polypropylene lights, a rear spotlight, and a steering wheel that sits on the right side of the car. Langdon was glad he wasn't driving. Teabing's servant, Remy, was doing an impressive job, at his master's behest.He drove through the moonlit fields behind Villette.He didn't turn on the headlights of the car, and now he had turned over a hill and was going down a slope, so he was getting farther and farther away from the house where they had just stopped.He seemed to be heading for the shadowy, uneven and lush distant woods in the distance.

Langdon held the keystone in his arms, turned from the seat, and watched Teabing and Sophie sitting in the back seat. "Robert, how is your head?" Sophie asked with concern. Langdon forced a wry smile: "Thanks, it's much better than before." In fact, he was dying of pain. Teabing, who was sitting next to her, glanced back at the bound and gagged monk, who was lying in the palm-sized area behind the last row of seats that was reserved for luggage storage.Teabing rested the monk's gun on his lap, looking as cool as some old photograph of an English adventurer stepping on his prey.

"Robert, I'm so glad you popped over to my house tonight." Teabing grinned, as if for the first time in years he felt so happy. "Ray, I'm sorry I got you into trouble." "Well, okay, I've been waiting my whole life for this opportunity to come." Teabing looked over Langdon's shoulder, at the long shadows cast by the bushes outside the windshield.Suddenly, he patted Remy on the shoulder from behind, and told him softly: "Remember, don't turn on the lights when braking. In case of braking, use the emergency braking equipment. I want to drive a little further into the woods. We have no reason to take risks." , let them see us from the house."

Remy moved slowly according to the inertia of the car, and drove the "Land Rover Range Rover" car to make a way through the bushes.Then the car sprinted up a path of overgrown trees, and the trees above the car almost immediately blocked the moonlight. I can't see anything, Langdon thought.He leaned up to see what was ahead, but it was pitch black outside.Branches rubbed against the left side of the car, and Remy turned the car around and drove in the other direction.Finally, he managed to straighten the car body a bit, and drove forward for a distance of about thirty yards step by step.

"Remy, you did a great job!" Teabing boasted. "That should be enough. Robert, can you press the little blue button under the plug over there? Do you see that?" Langdon found the button and pressed it. A beam of yellow light spread silently, shining in front of them.The dense jungle on both sides of the path is faintly discernible.Langdon realized it was the glow of the morning mist.These lights were enough to enable them to continue on their way, and since they had gone deep into the woods, they didn't have to worry about being seen by others. "There, Remy," Teabing called cheerfully. "The light's on. Now, our lives are in your hands."

"Then where are we going?" Sophie asked coldly. "This path leading to the forest is about three kilometers long. We will take the shortcut of the manor, and then go north. As long as we don't encounter stagnant pools or fallen trees, we can drive the car to five miles without any problems. on the highway." safe and sound?Langdon thought otherwise.He cast his eyes on his lap, where the keystone lay securely in its wooden box.The rose inlaid on the lid was placed in its proper place at the back.Though his mind was clouded, he was eager to take the inlay off the lid again so that he could study the carvings below more closely.He opened the lid and lifted it up.At this moment, Teabing put his hand on his shoulder from behind.

"Be patient, Robert. The road is rough and the sky is so dark that if we break it, we can only pray to God. If you can't read this kind of writing in the light, you can't read it in the dark." Let’s not talk about it. Let’s concentrate on our journey, what do you think? What’s more, even if you want to see it, you don’t need to be in such a hurry.” Langdon knew Teabing was right, so he nodded and closed the box again. The monk behind was moaning at the moment, tearing at the things tied to him, suddenly, his feet kicked wildly. Teabing turned quickly, leaned over his seat, and aimed the pistol straight at the friar. "Your Excellency, I see you have nothing to complain about. Not only did you break into my house illegally, but you also knocked a hole in my friend's head. I have every right to shoot you now and leave your bones to rot here In the woods."

The monk suddenly fell silent. "Are you sure we have to take him?" Langdon asked. "Needless to say, Robert, that you've been charged with murder, and this guy is your passport to freedom. Obviously, the police followed you to my house for you," Teabing said loudly. "It's all my fault. This armored car probably has a telephony machine, right?" "You can't say that," Teabing interjected. "I don't think it's any surprise that the police found you. What makes me strange is that this Opus Dei guy came to the door. From what you told me, I can't imagine how he could follow you to my house, unless he had contacts with the police station or the staff of the Savings Bank of Zurich." Langdon considered for a moment.Bezu Fache must have been deliberately trying to find a scapegoat for tonight's murder.Suddenly, though, Vernet turned on them—although the banker's turn of events seemed understandable, given Langdon was charged with four murders.

"Robert, this friar is not acting alone. Also, before you know who's behind the scenes, you're both in a dangerous situation right now, but you've now taken the initiative. The bastard lying behind me , you know the inside story. Now, the manipulator hiding behind the scenes must be very nervous." Remy picked up the speed, so that the car drove more smoothly on the back road.They waded through some puddles, headed up the hill for some distance, and then started downhill again. "Robert, can you pass me the phone?" Teabing pointed to the phone on the dashboard.So Langdon handed the phone back.Teabing dialed a number, but he waited a long time for someone to answer. "Is that Richard? Did I wake you up? Of course I woke you up. Why am I asking such a stupid question?! I'm sorry, there's a little thing I want to ask you for. and Remy have to get on a quick flight to England for treatment. Well, you'll be right over. I'm sorry I don't have time to explain to you. Can you have my 'Elizabeth' ready in about twenty minutes? I Got it, hurry up and see you later." After speaking, he hung up the phone.

"'Elizabeth'?" Langdon asked. "It's the name of my plane, and it cost half my fortune." Langdon turned his entire body around, his eyes fixed on him. "What's the matter?" Teabing asked, "Should you two stay in France and let the police chase after you? You know, London is much safer than France." Sophie also turned around and faced him: "You mean you want us to leave the country?" "Friends, I have more influence in high society in London than I do in Paris. Besides, everyone thinks the Holy Grail is in England. If we can open the keystone, I'm sure we'll find a map, and it will Tell us we're going in the right direction."

"You're taking a big risk to help us. You're not making friends with the French police, are you?" Sophie said. Teabing waved his hand dissatisfied. "My time in France is coming to an end. The reason I moved to France was to find the keystone, but now that the mission is complete, I don't care if I see Villette." Sophie's tone was a little disturbed: "How can we pass the security check at the airport?" Teabing laughed out loud. "I'm flying in from Le Bourget airport not far from here. The doctors in France are always making me nervous, so every two weeks I have to fly north to England for treatment. As it turned out, I always had to pay both ends for some special offer. When we got on the plane, you could make a decision, like, would you like to meet someone from the American embassy." Suddenly, Langdon wanted nothing to do with the American embassy. He was preoccupied with the keystone, the inscription, and whether they might help them find the Holy Grail.He wondered if what Teabing had said about the British situation was true.It must be admitted that most modern legends claim that the Holy Grail is somewhere in England, and some even believe that the fictional Elysium of Avalon in Arthurian legend is located in today's Glastonbury, England.Regardless of where the Holy Grail is, Langdon never imagined that one day he would actually find it. "Holy Grail Documents", "The True Story of Jesus Christ", "The Tomb of Mary Magdalene".He suddenly felt that tonight he seemed to be living on the verge of hell... living in a fantasy beyond the reach of the real world. "Your Excellency," asked Rémi, "do you really wish to return to England forever?" "Remy, don't worry." Teabing said affirmatively, "Even if I return to the territory governed by the queen, it doesn't mean that in the days to come, I will limit my taste to sausages and potatoes. I want you to stay with me for a long time. I'm going to buy a gorgeous cottage in Devon and ship all your stuff over right away. It's a risk, Remy. Listen, we're taking risks." Langdon smiled reluctantly.Teabing was talking about his plans for returning to England after his homecoming, and Langdon felt that he had been infected by the man's contagious enthusiasm. Langdon stared absently out the window, at the receding woods, glowing ghostly and pale in the yellow-red night mist.The front mirrors were tilted inward, and tree branches brushed against the side of the car, making it crooked.Langdon saw Sophie sitting quietly in the back seat from the mirror. He watched her for a long time, and a sense of satisfaction suddenly rose in his heart.Despite some troubles tonight, Langdon was grateful to have such a good friend by his side. After a few minutes, Sophie seemed suddenly aware that he was staring at her, and leaning forward, put her hand on his shoulder, and gave it a quick squeeze. "Are you OK?" "Well, not bad," Langdon responded. Sophie sat back in her seat, and Langdon saw a quiet smile flitting across the corners of her mouth, and he found himself opening his mouth to smile, too. Silas was crammed into the back of the Range Rover, barely breathing.His arms were twisted back and he was whipped heavily with kitchen twine and electrical cables, even his ankles.Every time the car bumped on the road, his twisted shoulder was half dead with pain.Fortunately, at least his conquerors stripped him of the rough clothes he wore.His mouth was so tightly blocked that he could not breathe in, so he could only breathe through his nostrils.Yet his nostrils were also slowly getting blocked as he was stuffed in the dusty rear cargo area.So he started coughing. "I think he's coughing." The French driver's tone showed some concern. The Englishman, who had just attacked Silas with his cane, turned around, sprawled on the seat, and looked at him coldly with his brows furrowed. "You're lucky. We Englishmen measure a man's education not by his care for his friends, but by his compassion for his enemies," said the Englishman, extending his hand , pulled out the cable blocked in Silas's mouth, and quickly tore it to pieces. Silas felt his lips were on fire, but the fresh air was the best gift God could have given him. "Who are you working for?" demanded the Englishman. "I'm doing it for God," Silas said, fighting back the pain—because the woman had kicked him in the jaw and spat in the back. "You're from Opus Dei, right?" the British asked knowingly. "You don't want anything out of my mouth." "Why is Opus Dei looking for a keystone?" Silas didn't want to answer. The keystone is an important part of finding the Holy Grail, and the latter is the key to keeping the faith from being profaned. I serve God.The world is falling. At this time, Silas was lying in the "Land Rover Range Rover", trying his best to break free from the shackles imposed on him. He was worried that he would fail the entrustment of the leader and the bishop forever.He didn't even have any way to get in touch with them now, to report this sudden and terrible turn of events.The keystone is now in enemy hands.They'll find the Grail before we do!Silas prayed in suffocating darkness.He wanted to increase his motivation to pray through physical pain. God, give me a miracle, I need a miracle right now.Although Silas has no way of knowing when a miracle will happen, he believes that it will happen eventually. "Robert?" Sophie was still looking at him: "The look on your face just now was really funny." Langdon glanced back at her, realizing that his expression was too serious, and his heart was actually turbulent.An unbelievable thought just flashed through his mind.Is there really such a simple explanation? "Sophie, lend me your phone." "You mean now?" "Yeah, I just thought of something." "What is it?" "I'll tell you later. Give me your phone first." Sophie looked wary. "I suspect Fache is following us, just holding back just in case." She handed him the phone. "I want to call a phone number in the United States, how do I dial it?" "Then I'm afraid you'll have to call the collect number. My cell phone doesn't provide overseas calls." Langdon dialed zero first, knowing that the next minute would help him answer all the questions that had troubled him throughout the night. question.