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墨書 Inktalez
The team continued forward, cautiously exploring the passage shrouded in mist. Each step felt like treading on the edge of an abyss, and the air around them grew increasingly cold, as if some invisible force was watching them from the shadows.
"Leader Lin, how much longer do we have to walk?" Zhou Zheng asked in a hushed voice, feeling as though they had been walking for hours without seeing an end in sight.
"I'm not sure," Lin Xi replied, glancing at her watch. The screen displayed interference signals; the terrain here was far more complex than what the map indicated, as if it had been recently altered by some force.
"Altered?" Wang Ya bit her lip. "Could it be the work of those monsters?"
"That's a possibility," Lin Xi nodded. "But it could also be man-made."
"Man-made?" Chen Rui frowned slightly. "If it is indeed human intervention, then whoever is behind this must possess extremely advanced technology or power. But why set up these monsters and traps?"
"Perhaps the answer lies ahead," Lin Xi said, pointing toward a corner up ahead. "Stay alert; I have a feeling something is waiting for us."
As they turned the corner, the sight before them left everyone stunned.
It was an expansive underground chamber, with a massive altar standing at its center. The altar took on an irregular polygonal shape, its surface covered in intricate symbols and engravings that faintly emitted a ghostly blue light. Surrounding it were several thick stone pillars, each carved with distorted human faces that seemed to silently scream in agony.
"What is this place?" Wang Ya's voice trembled. "How could something like this exist?"
"It looks like some kind of ritual site," Chen Rui murmured, his gaze drawn to the glowing symbols. However, their style did not match anything they were familiar with.
"It could be the Core Area of the Forbidden Zone," Lin Xi whispered. "Everyone be careful; this place is very dangerous."
The team slowly approached the altar, each step intensifying the oppressive atmosphere in the air. Standing before the altar, Lin Xi looked up at the faces carved into the pillars and felt an inexplicable chill rise within her.
"These symbols and faces seem to serve as some kind of warning," Chen Rui crouched down and illuminated the patterns at the base of the altar with his flashlight. "Look here; it seems like there are words."
"Can you read them?" Lin Xi asked.
"They resemble some ancient pictographs, but I can only make guesses," Chen Rui frowned as he examined them closely. "The general meaning seems to relate to sacrifice and awakening? But the specifics are too vague."
"Sacrifice? Awakening?" Zhou Zheng swallowed hard. "It can't really be for summoning something, can it?"
"Very likely," Chen Rui's voice was low. "The existence of this place itself is abnormal; perhaps these monsters are byproducts of these rituals."
Lin Xi fell silent for a moment and reached out to touch the surface of the altar. The instant her fingers brushed against those symbols, the altar erupted into blinding light.
"Fall back!" Lin Xi shouted, and everyone quickly retreated.
The light from the altar grew stronger, nearly blinding them. At that moment, the entire space began to tremble, and countless fine cracks appeared on the ground as if some force was surging up from below.
"This isn't a natural phenomenon!" Chen Rui yelled. "The altar has been activated; we need to leave immediately!"
"Retreat!" Lin Xi commanded decisively, leading the team swiftly back along their path.
But just as they turned around, a deafening roar erupted from the altar behind them, and a black vortex suddenly appeared in the center of the altar. Dark energy surged within the vortex, accompanied by a piercing shriek, as a massive claw reached out from it.
"What the hell is that?!" Zhou Zheng exclaimed, immediately aiming his gun at the claw.
"Don't waste your bullets!" Lin Xi shouted. "Run! This thing is beyond our capability to handle!"
The creature in the vortex seemed to sense their intentions, and another claw shot out violently, slamming down onto the ground. The entire space shook violently, and rocks began to collapse from above, large chunks of debris raining down like hail.
"Split up!" Lin Xi yelled. "Look for an exit in different directions and keep communication open!"
The team was forced to scatter, and Lin Xi dashed into a narrow passageway. The ground beneath her feet grew steeper, as if leading to an abyss below. She could feel the tremors and the creature's furious roars behind her, but there was no time to look back.
Finally, a glimmer of light appeared at the end of the passage. Lin Xi rushed toward it, only to find it was a cramped stone chamber. In the center of the chamber lay a metal box, covered in symbols matching those on the altar, yet radiating a warm golden glow.
"What is this?" Lin Xi hesitated for a moment before reaching out to open the box.
Inside lay a crystal ball, swirling with mysterious light. The moment Lin Xi touched the crystal ball, a series of blurred images flashed in her mind:
A vast underground city where countless monsters surged from the vortex; innumerable desperate souls being sacrificed in exchange for some powerful force; and at the center of all these images stood a figure shrouded in darkness, whispering incomprehensible words.
Lin Xi quickly withdrew her hand, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead.
She realized that this crystal ball was not an ordinary object but rather the core secret of the Forbidden Zone.
"I must take it back." Lin Xi gritted her teeth and carefully placed the crystal ball into her backpack before turning to leave the stone chamber.
When she returned to the main passageway, she found several members of her team had regrouped there. Everyone looked tense, but upon seeing Lin Xi return safely, their faces relaxed slightly.
"Leader Lin, are you okay?" Wang Ya asked anxiously.
"I'm fine," Lin Xi nodded. "Did you find an exit?"
"Not yet," Chen Rui shook his head. "But that monster is temporarily distracted by the altar; we might have some time."
"Let's go; we can't delay," Lin Xi said firmly. "I found some crucial clues, but we need to leave here as soon as possible."
The team regrouped once more and continued down another passageway while behind them, the altar continued to tremble ominously as if about to unleash even greater horrors.
To be continued...
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