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Both groups finally settled and made their camps in the ruins of Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead.
And of course, they all began their work — what else but to get their hands on the treasures and relics before the others did.
The Americans, loud and overconfident, had already started digging by one side.
Meanwhile, Daniel's group worked closer to the central ruins, where the massive statue of Anubis loomed, half-buried in the golden sands.
Evelyn was kneeling near its base, brushing off centuries of dust from the inscriptions carved into the black stone.
"You see," she said with excitement in her voice, "according to the ancient records, the Golden Book of Amun-Ra is stored at the feet of Anubis — hidden deep in an underground chamber below."
O'Connell, already setting up ropes and torches, nodded. "Then that's where we're going."
But Daniel, standing a few steps behind her, frowned slightly. "Evy," he asked, "do you know where the statue of Horus is?"
Evelyn looked up, confused. "Horus? No, not really. Why?"
Daniel didn't answer immediately. He was remembering what he'd read — or rather, what he watched .
The records Evelyn was relying on were wrong, deliberately so. The ancient priests had hidden the truth to protect the sacred texts from the greedy and the unworthy.
In every historical account, the Book of Amun-Ra was said to be beneath Anubis — but that was a deception.
The true resting place of the Golden Book was beneath Horus, the falcon-headed god of the sky and protector of life.
It made perfect symbolic sense. The Book of the Dead, which could give life to the damned, was placed under Anubis, the god of death.
And the Book of Amun-Ra, which could destroy undead and dark creatures, was hidden under Horus, who stood for light, order, and divine power.
It was a test — a secret meant to separate those who sought knowledge from those who sought power.
Daniel sighed quietly. "Figures," he muttered under his breath. It seemed he'd have to find the statue of Horus himself.
O'Connell secured the rope around a stone pillar and tested its hold.
"All right," he said, gripping a torch. "Let's go see what's hiding under there."
With that, the group descended into the dark underground chambers of Hamunaptra
Daniel looked around, his steps echoing faintly in the silence.
Just how the hell did people build something like this six thousand years ago? he thought. The ceilings were massive, the walls smooth, the architecture eerily perfect — all done without machines, without modern tools. It almost felt... impossible.
"Dan," Evelyn whispered behind him, her voice bouncing softly off the stone. "Why are you carrying that big hammer?"
"Why else? Protection," Daniel replied flatly, scanning the shadows ahead. "Who knows what kind of weird things crawl down here. Better safe than sorry."
Truth was, he wasn't about to wander through some ancient Egyptian tomb empty-handed. He'd seen The Mummy. He knew exactly how bad things could get.
Evelyn opened her mouth to argue — to tell him nothing strange would be down here — but before she could speak, her eyes caught something on the wall.
"Oh my God," she gasped, running forward, brushing away dust from the carvings. "This is it! The foot of Anubis! Look — these markings, this is definitely the place where the Book of Amun-Ra is hidden!"
Daniel felt his stomach drop.
"No, no, no…" he groaned internally. That's exactly where you shouldn't dig unless you want your soul sucked out by a cursed mummy.
He didn't say it aloud — no one would believe him — but he had zero plans to let Evelyn open that.
Before he could think of a way to stop her, heavy footsteps echoed through the chamber.
The Americans.
They emerged from the opposite tunnel, armed to the teeth, Beni leading them with his usual smug grin. Their torches cast long, dancing shadows against the walls as the two groups faced each other — the tension thick enough to choke on.
O'Connell immediately drew his twin revolvers, raising them with a calm expression that screamed "don't test me."
The Americans raised their rifles in response, aiming across the open chamber.
The silence was deadly.
"We came here first," O'Connell said coldly, eyes never leaving them. "So you can piss off somewhere else."
The leading American smirked. "We don't agree."
He gestured around him — half a dozen men with guns at the ready. "We have more men. And more guns."
The air grew still. No one dared move, hands twitching near triggers, the flickering firelight glinting off the metal of their weapons.
A perfect, uneasy stalemate.
Daniel sighed and stepped forward. The tense silence between the two groups still lingered, guns raised and eyes sharp — but he had no interest in wasting time here.
"You can have this place," Daniel said casually.
Both groups stared at him. Evelyn's eyes widened. "What—Dan, no—"
Before she could shout, he clamped a hand gently over her mouth and smiled disarmingly. "Shh. Let them enjoy their prize," he whispered, then started pulling her back toward the tunnel.
Rick frowned, confused, as did Jonathan and Gad. But when Daniel started walking off, shrugging off like the whole thing was no big deal, they hesitated only for a second before following him out of the chamber.
As soon as they were far enough from the others, Evelyn slapped his hand away and spun on him, fire flashing in her eyes.
"Why did you stop me? That is the place! The Book of Amun-Ra is definitely buried at the feet of Anubis!" she snapped, glaring up at him.
Daniel met her gaze calmly. "Nope. I can definitely say it's not."
Evelyn folded her arms, unimpressed. "According to every record ever written, that's exactly where it was placed."
"Records, right?" Daniel said, raising an eyebrow. "But what if those records were meant to mislead people? You said it yourself — it's an important book. You really think they'd just tell everyone where to find it?"
O'Connell, who'd been listening quietly, nodded thoughtfully. "He's got a point. Hiding its real location under false records would make sense."
Evelyn frowned, her scholar's pride warring with reason. "So… you're saying there's no book at Anubis's feet?"
Daniel shrugged. "Maybe there is. Maybe there isn't. But if it's really that important, don't you think it's protected by something nasty? Curses, traps, whatever. So let them dig first. If the legends are true, they'll trigger everything for us."
He grinned — a sly, confident grin that made all four of them stare at him like he'd just confessed to a crime.
"Mate," Jonathan said, shaking his head, "that's downright cruel."
"What?" Daniel said, feigning innocence. "It's not like I'm forcing them to dig. They want to. We're just... waiting to reap the benefits."
Evelyn sighed, rubbing her temples. "Fine. Then what do we do now, oh master strategist?"
Daniel glanced around the vast chamber complex, his eyes thoughtful. "Well, if there's a book under the statue of Anubis, maybe there's another one under the statue of Horus?"