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墨書 Inktalez
Along the way, they encountered several other unknown entrances. However, Bai Yujing and Zhou Jun continued to follow the traces of this artificially excavated path and waterway. The road was not straight; when Liu Quanyi excavated it back in the day, he did not have the ability to create a completely straight path.
Therefore, Liu Quanyi chose to dig in places that were easier to break through. In many areas, Bai Yujing could still see traces of explosives used to blast open large rocks, indicating that Liu Quanyi had employed gunpowder at that time. This was quite normal; during the Ming Dynasty, gunpowder was used for mining iron ore, as recorded in historical texts, so Bai Yujing was not particularly surprised.
Having set out in the morning, Bai Yujing checked the time and realized it was already early the next morning. Both of them had good physical fitness and willpower, but they still needed to rest. After walking a bit further, Bai Yujing and Zhou Jun set down their backpacks, took out some items to start a fire, warming themselves while preparing something hot to eat.
In the depths of the earth, the further they went down, the darker and colder it became. Although there was no wind, the cold dampness seeped through their clothes. The environment was extremely humid, causing their clothes to feel heavy with moisture. At this moment, roasting by the fire was just right for drying them out.
"Alright, I'll take care of it. You go do your thing!" Zhou Jun took over cooking duties, which mainly involved boiling some dehydrated food. The two were accustomed to eating instant and dehydrated meals since they often spent time outdoors throughout the year.
Using the light from the campfire, Bai Yujing opened a silver box and released a terrain-detecting drone to explore the surrounding environment and check for any dangers nearby. The drone's infrared capabilities could not only map the terrain but also sense if there were any other life forms in the vicinity.
After deploying the drone, Bai Yujing examined a geological water vein map to calculate their position and assess the surrounding rock layers. After confirming multiple aspects, Bai Yujing paused: "We've already covered most of the distance. Let's take a break before heading out again; we should be able to reach the Underground River in one go."
Zhou Jun nodded: "Sounds good. We'll take turns resting tonight and get moving as soon as we wake up!"
Ordinary people might feel fear, helplessness, and panic in such dark and silent places. Spending a day underground at an unknown depth could drive someone mad.
However, Bai Yujing and Zhou Jun felt none of these emotions. The conditions during Antarctica's polar night were a hundred times worse than here; considering wind chill effects that brought temperatures down to minus fifty or sixty degrees Celsius along with various dangers and difficulties did not deter them. For them here, it felt like child's play.
"The food is ready; let's eat!"
As they ate and chatted, it wasn't long before Bai Yujing saw the drone returning. He checked his computer and stored each drone carefully away. The small round drones were gathered together and plugged into a circular slot in the silver box.
"One, two, three, four, five, how could one be missing?"
Bai Yujing felt something was off. Sure enough, the computer also indicated that one of the terrain exploration drones had not been recovered. Zhou Jun immediately said, "Could it be lost or out of battery?"
Bai Yujing shook his head. "This box is actually the power source. It has a built-in computer and charging function. Every time a drone is recovered and placed in this pit, it will charge. The power should be full and definitely sufficient. These drones will return the same way if they encounter a dead end; they can't get lost. It might have just slowed down somewhere and hasn't made it back yet!"
Bai Yujing waited a bit longer but still did not see it return. Zhou Jun immediately suggested, "Should we go take a look?"
Bai Yujing shook his head again. "It's just a drone; it's not that precious. Losing one is no big deal as long as no one gets hurt. It's just strange that this drone is missing. Let me check which route it took. You can rest for now; I'll keep watch and then it'll be your turn."
Zhou Jun nodded immediately, took out his sleeping bag from his backpack, sat down next to the campfire, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. Bai Yujing began to check the route taken by the recently disappeared drone on the computer.
All other drones had been recovered. Bai Yujing glanced at the screen as the computer compiled the terrain and information they had gathered, calculating the route explored earlier. A section of the underground network appeared on the computer screen.
Bai Yujing noted that the missing drone had explored the third entrance below, and another drone had entered at the same time but split off at a fork in the path. Bai Yujing marked it down and realized that this fork was also part of the route they would take tomorrow!
After both rested and regained their energy, they set off again around seven in the morning. However, inside the underground cave, it was impossible to tell time; everything was pitch black and dark, making it difficult to discern direction.
After marking a sign on the wall, both of them shouldered their backpacks and headed downwards quickly. In the darkness, only two beams of searchlights flashed by as they passed through a passage and turned a corner.
Soon, Bai Yujing arrived at the fork where the drone had disappeared yesterday. He looked around and was taken aback because both paths at this fork showed signs of being artificially excavated. It appeared as if someone had deliberately carved out two paths here, leaving behind a confusing fork.
Zhou Jun also inspected it and was puzzled. "What's going on? Is Wang Quanyi sick? He's just a tomb raider; who is he trying to confuse with these forks?"
Bai Yujing took out the Geological Water Vein Map and examined it carefully. Then he pulled out a compass to confirm their current location. He pointed to the left fork in the path and said, "If we're going in the right direction, we should head this way. However, our Drone entered through this entrance yesterday and then disappeared inside."
Zhou Jun seemed to sense that there was more to Bai Yujing's words. "What do you mean?"
After thinking for a moment, Bai Yujing replied, "Why did Wang Quanyi create two paths? The correct direction should be to dig down from here. We are almost at the Underground River, and according to my calculations, if we continue in this direction, we should reach it in just a few hours. Yet, Wang Quanyi wants to create another path from here, which would require a significant amount of work and trouble."
Bai Yujing looked at Zhou Jun and said, "So they must have encountered something on this path that made it impassable or discovered something that caused them to abandon this route."
Zhou Jun thought for a moment and said, "If we go this way, we don't know how much extra time it will take. Plus, who knows where this fork leads? You say this direction is correct; why don't we go down this way and see what happens? If we encounter any issues, we can always turn back!"
Bai Yujing considered it for a moment and agreed with Zhou Jun's suggestion. "Alright, let's go down this way and take a look!"
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