H21 Challenge of the Garuda

Book Cover

**Challenge of the Garuda**, the 21st book of The Golden Age of Adventures series, was published in July 2018. It is the English language edition of the original Chinese comic, **迦楼罗的考验**, which was published in February 2018.

## Synopsis

AIMING FOR THE TOP! ATTEMPTING THE ADVENTURER TEST!

The triennial Adventurer Test is about to begin! Alex's friends Samara and Ali are in Thailand for it. There, they meet many other aspiring adventurers including Delmar. Everyone is psyched up and ready for the test, but can they pass each hurdle successfully?

## Cast

* Lulu
* Alex
* Samara
* Robert
* Steel Fang
* Ali

## Plot

***Spoiler warning!** Plot and/or ending details follow.*

### Chapter 1: Adventurer Test

Alex, Lulu and Axe, with Bo as transportation, head to the Adventurer Prison, which is guarded by the No. 6 adventurer "Silver Bullet". The announcer on the radio announces the Adventurer Test will be broadcasted at 1 P.M. Lulu doesn't know anything about it, because she told Marie Wright she wanted to be an adventurer, so Marie used her name to give her the adventurer license. This angers Alex.

On a plane, the stewardess asks Samara if she's going to the Adventurer Test by looking at the World Adventure Union logo on her letter. A man protests his friend was injured in the colossus incident, and has never recovered. Samara then argues with him, so the stewardess stops them. She asks Samara if the Adventurer Test in Thailand since it wasn't announced on radio. On the letter, there is a Thai message: "Head to the tower of Buddha closest to the sky." The stewardess knows where it is.

Samara and Ali arrive in Phra Pathom Chedi. Ali was forced to join Samara because Amon will cut three months of his wages if she gets injured. Safiya told him to be eaten in her place if there is a wild beast. A bulky American, Billy, bumps him. Samara asks him where the test proctor is. There are other candidates looking for the proctor. In the letter, there is another message: "Things easily obtained aren't very valuable. Good luck!" Samara and Ali look around for clues. After some time, the other candidates are gone, leading Ali to specualat if the test has a time limit. And those who fail will be disqualified.

### Chapter 2: Tuk Tuk

Samara panics, then falls face flat to the ground. She starts crying, because now that she's taking the test on her own, she fails at the start. Ali reminds her Alex wasn't in the pyramid of Ramesses II on his own. If Lulu hadn't saved him, he would be dead. No matter how great one is, one can't solve everything on their own. Samara stands back up.

The dirt revealed a symbol on the letter. Samara and Ali search for it. Ali found a tuk tuk with it. A blonde girl sits in, she's taking the Adventurer Test too. The driver only allows two people. Samara asks if she can buy a bike and follow him. He allows. The blonde girl is Adalie, second time taking the test. Every Adventurer Test is held at a different venue. This year's test is stricter due to the Global Alliance for Humanity's interference. Due to the Akhator War, anyone with a criminal record or an unknown nationality is forbidden to join. Many countries are pressurising the Union. President Robert said if another major incident is caused by an adventurer, the Union will not survive.

They arrive at the site for round 3. The candidates are Jiro Hoshiro (Japan), Delmar (USA), Natalia (Soviet Union), Hugh (Scotland), Durio (Malaya), Ponzio & Suzi (Italy), Tanaka (Japan), Ingwe (South Africa), Billy (USA), Hermoine (England), Bush (Brazil), Hua Mian (China), Adalie (France), Samara and Ali (Egypt). Ingwe senses dogs comign out of the bushes. "Hound Master" Teddy (No. 25) is round 3's proctor.

### Chapter 3: Divergence

Teddy asks what's special about this place. Delmar says an ancient temple once stood here. He saw Buddhist carvings. The forest has stone walls that lead to it. Teddy tells everyone to follow the dogs. His dogs start running. Everyone follows. After two hours, Ali falls to the ground. Samara reminds him of waht he said earlier. There is a fork, and the dogs go right. Samara sees a dog-like statue, and follows the others. At another fork, the dogs go right.

Samara tells everyone to stop. She exlains Teddy said to follow *the* dogs, not *his* dogs. And things easily obtained aren't very valuable. She saw another dog-like statue, se everyone should follow it. Billy, Hermione, Durio and Tanaka deny. Delmar, Jiro, Ingwe, Adalie, Natalia, Bush, Ponzio and Suzi follow her.

At a river, Ingwe senses a crocodile disguising itself as a log. Delmar uses a technique Jones taught him to get to the other side. Behind a bush, they find a puzzle. It has the Union's logo, so they have found the right path.

### Chapter 4: The Tinkling of Bells

The puzzle is "9 - 3 = 0" in digital form. Adalie plucks one bar out of nine, making it "3 - 3 = 0". Entrance is revealed and they enter. Jiro hears the tinkling of bells. Ali sees Chinese zombies. Suzi sees a light source. Jiro skates towards it while combat candidates fight the zombies. The light is the bell of Ling. Samara notices a mine cart with a dog head statue. She tells everyone to get in and Teddy's test isn't over yet. Ponzio pushes the lever. Ling tries to pull it. Jiro slashes the rope, but it is resistable. He slashes the lever and is roped to the cart.

At the end of the tunnel, they see two towers with Union and Alliance airships flying above. Robert congratulates them.

### Chapter 5: Two Towers

Teddy tells the candidates in the hole between the towers is a Garuda statue. There are mechanisms atop the towers, and they must be solved in one hour. Teddy suggests they form teams and solve simultaneously. Team A, left tower: Delmar, Ingwe, Bushm Ponzio and Suzi. Team B, right tower: Samara, Ali, Adalie, Natalia and Jiro. Amon and Wolf Skull watch Samara on the TV. Alex and Lulu too. Ling has the Chinese zombies placed in a Union van. Teddy has sent his dogs to patrol the area. Steel Fang is told that a candidate's identity can't be verified.

Team B see a passage up above. Ali plans to tumble a pillar to the wall with the passage. This pillar is recent, not ancient, so Ali is not going against the adventurer code. Jiro slashes it. Team B run up.

### Chapter 6: Garuda

Team A's puzzle is to decide which column raises the Garuda statue. The bottom-most cogwheel turns anti-clockwise. A and D turn clockwise. B and C turn anti-clockwise. The only answers left are B and C. B has a piece of wall covering another cogwheel, so the answer is C.

Team B has found a giant ball and a ram. They see Team A has activated the tower to open a hole. Samara realises the giant ball has to be sent into that hole. Jiro slashes the rope holding the ram while Ali signals Team A. Team A see the ball and hide. Adalie realises there are rocks at the ramp's foot. Natalia skis down and shoots them. The ball manages to fall into the hole, raising the Garuda statue.

As Robert is about to declare the candidates as adventurers, Smith warns him the Alliance has found one of them has a false nationality. Samara and Ali rejoice as they are now adventurers. Adalie asks Samara what was the deciding factor in the battle between the Axis and Allies in World War II. It was the Union's assistance to the Alliance and the Allied Forces. She slashes Samara's body.

### Chapter 7: Destruction

Jiro skates towards Adalie. She pushes him out of the tower by shooting a laser out of her hands. Bush goes towards Team B. As Adalie was about to attack Ali, Bush throws his sticks at her. She punches the bush. Bush is actually a masquerade of the No. 8 adventurer "Chameleon" Cammy. He throws his smoke bomb. Adalie blows the smoke away. Cammy has hid Ali, Samara and himself underground. As Adalie plans to destroy the whole tower, Robert and Steel Fang enter the fray.

Cammy gets Samara and Ali out of the tower. Adalie wields her golden guns. She jumps to Garuda's head and Robert and Steel Fang on its hand. Her combat style, golden guns, movements and character are unmistakably Adolf Hitler's. Adolf shoots a flare, signalling Teddy's to transform and attack. Teddy fights Ling, his earing bears the Neo-Nazi symbol.

At England's WAU HQ, Teddy's dogs are also there and attacking. Bobby reveals his face and greets Fenrir, his elder brother.

### Chapter 8: Chaos

Neo-Nazi soldiers steal the Tomb Guardians and top secret files from Malaya's WAU HQ. The bombs around the HQ detonate, destroying the HQ. At the Adventurer Prison, Alex and Lulu have been poisoned via food. Natalia sees the airships bearing Neo-Nazi flags.

Steel Fang dashes towards Adolf. He unleashes his wings and dodge it. He proceeds to tell the story of that time in Ireland. Steel Fang and Robert fell in love with the same woman. Steel Fang had Adolf write a love letter for him, but the woman married Robert. He still recalls letter's words: "Your smile's brighter than the sun; Your fiery, long hair can melt the snow." He shoots at Steel Fang. Robert blocks him. Spikes shoot out of his body, injuring Steel Fang too. Adolf had his IBYon cells inserted into his bullets. He holds the defeated Robert and Steel Fang for the whole world to witness.