Chapter 89 Chapter 88

Although Olivetti's Alfa Romeo, equipped with sirens, roared by, he went unnoticed as he shuttled across the bridge and into the heart of ancient Rome. All the traffic was heading in the other direction, heading for the Vatican, where the pope seemed suddenly to be Rome's biggest entertainer. Langdon sat in the back row, all kinds of questions lingering in his mind, lingering.He wondered who the killer was, wondered if he could be caught this time, wondered if the killer could tell them what they wanted to know, wondered if it was too late.How long will they have before the Pope's chamberlain announces their peril to those in front of St. Peter's Square?What happened in the archives still haunts him.a mistake.

The Alfa Romeo roared all the way to the Church of Our Lady of Victoria - Olivetti never touched the brakes.Langdon knew that on any other day his nerves would be on edge. However, at this moment, he only felt a little numb.Only the throbbing pain in his hand reminded him where he was. Sirens blared overhead.Nothing, Langdon thought, would remind him that we were coming.But it saves them a lot of time.He thought Olivetti might turn off the siren any closer. Now that he had some time to sit down and think about it, he felt a little surprised when the murder of the Pope came to his mind.It's an unbelievable idea, but it seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to do.The Illuminati have always gained support by penetrating the enemy - reorganizing power from within.Moreover, the assassination of the pope does not seem to have never happened.While rumors of treason arose, none of these rumors were confirmed because an autopsy could not be performed.Only recently has the situation changed.Not long ago, scholars were given permission to x-ray the tomb of Pope Celestine V, who is said to have died at the hands of his over-eager successor, Boniface VIII.The researchers had hoped that the x-rays would reveal some clues to the murder—perhaps a broken bone.Incredibly, x-rays have detected a ten-inch iron nail inside the pope's skull.

Langdon also recalled a series of news clippings sent to him by Illuminati fans years ago.At first he thought the clippings were a hoax, so he went to the Harvard Microfilm Collection to verify the authenticity. Incredibly, the clippings are indeed real.He now posts the clippings on a bulletin board as an example of how even reputable news organizations can sometimes be misled by Illuminati paranoia.Suddenly, the media's suspicions don't seem to be delusional.Langdon still had vivid memories of those articles... bbc June 14, 1998 Pope John Paul I, died 1978, victim of the P2 Masonic conspiracy... The secret society P2 learned of John Paul's decision to remove the American Bishop Paul Masonkas from his post as Vatican Bank President, Plotting to assassinate him.And the banks have dubious financial dealings with the Freemasons...

New York Times August 24, 1998 Why did the late John Paul I wear a shirt to bed?Why are the shirts in tatters?The problems don't stop there.No medical evaluation has been done so far.Cardinal Willo banned the autopsy on the grounds that he had never performed an autopsy on a Pope before.The medicine next to John Paul's bed disappeared mysteriously, his glasses, slippers and even his will disappeared. daily mail london August 27, 1998 ... A conspiracy, a powerful, ruthless, illegal Freemasonry extended its claws to the Holy See. The cell phone in Victoria's pocket rang, which, thankfully, brought Langdon back from the memory.

Victoria didn't know who would be calling her, so she answered the phone with a confused look on her face.Even from a few feet away, Langdon recognized the high-pitched voice on the phone. "Victoria? I'm Maximilian Kohler. Have you found antimatter?" "Max? Are you feeling well?" "I saw the message. No mention of 'CERN' or antimatter. That's fine. What happened?" "We haven't found the whereabouts of the storage. The situation is very complicated, and Robert Langdon has helped a lot. We are following a lead to catch the cardinal's killer. At this moment we are going to—"

"Ms. Witterer," Olivetti interrupted, "you've said enough." She covers the phone, visibly annoyed. "Commander, he's the head of CERN. He's supposed to ask—" "He's supposed to be," Olivetti snapped, "and he's supposed to be here to deal with this situation. Your phone lines are unprotected. You Enough has been said." Victoria took a deep breath, "Max?" "I have something to tell you," Max said, "about your father... I might know who he talked about antimatter to." Victoria's face darkened. "Max, my dad said he didn't tell anyone."

"Victoria, I'm afraid he did tell someone. I need to check the security records. I'll be in touch with you shortly." Then he hung up. Victoria put her phone in her pocket, her face sallow. "Are you okay?" Langdon asked. Victoria nodded, but her trembling fingers showed she was lying. "The church is in Piazza Barberini." Olivetti turned off the siren and checked his watch. "We have nine minutes." As soon as he figured out where the third marker was, Langdon almost knew the location of the church.Piazza Barberini.The name seemed familiar... but he couldn't say it.Now he knew what it was.That square is the former site of a once-controversial subway station.Twenty years ago, the construction of the subway terminus caused an uproar among art historians.

They feared that digging a tunnel under the square would collapse the obelisk in the center of the square.Urban planners just put. The obelisk was removed and in its place was a small fountain called Triton, Neptune. In Bernini's time, Langdon realized now that an obelisk had once stood in Piazza Barberini.Langdon's doubts about whether this was the location of the third marker were now completely gone. A block from the plaza, Olivetti turned into an alley and hit the gas pedal.Halfway he braked suddenly, took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and loaded his pistol. "We can't risk you being recognized," he said. "You two have been on TV, and I want you to walk across the plaza out of sight and monitor the front entrance. I'm going in from the back. "

He took out a familiar pistol and handed it to Langdon, "just in case." Langdon frowned. This was the second time today that he was handed a gun.He stuffed the pistol into his breast pocket.At this moment, he suddenly found that he was still carrying the manuscript that he took out from "Illustration".He couldn't believe he had forgotten to put it back.He imagined the furious look of the Vatican curator. If he knew that this priceless manuscript was being carried around Rome like a tourist map, he would definitely collapse.Then Langdon thought about the shards of glass and scattered documents he had left in the archives.There are still many questions for the curator.If the Archives can survive the night...

Olivetti got out of the car and gestured to exit the alley. "The square is over there, keep your eyes open, and don't let others notice you." He gently patted the phone on his waist, "Ms. Wittler, test the automatic dialing system again." Victoria took out her phone and pressed the autodial key they had set up in front of the Pantheon.Olivetti's phone, set to silent mode, vibrated around his waist. The commander nodded. "Okay. If you see anything, make sure you let me know." He pulled the trigger. "I'll wait for you inside. This guy can't get away."

At that moment, not far from them, another mobile phone rang. Heixixing connected the phone: "Say." "It's me," said the voice, "Janus." Black Fiend smiled slightly. "Hello, master." "Someone may know your location. They are coming to stop you." "They're too late. I'm here and ready." "Okay. You must come back alive to see me. Your work is not done yet." "Anyone who stands in my way will surely die." "The people who stand in your way are not ordinary people." "You mean the American scholar?" "You know him?" The killer laughed: "Calm-headed but very tender. We had a conversation on the phone earlier. He also has a woman, and his temper is completely opposite to his." Thinking of Leonardo Witterer He felt aroused by his daughter's impatient character. There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. For the first time, the killer felt a bit of hesitation from the master of the Illuminati.Finally, Janus said, "Kill them if necessary." The killer smiled to himself. "I will weigh the pros and cons and make a decision." An eager expectation flowed through his body.But I might keep that woman as a reward.