Chapter 209

Chapter 209

Every time participants set out from the safety camp to the entrance of the Lost Temple or depart from its rear door to return to the entrance of the Mummy Forest, the time taken remains constant — a full morning and an entire afternoon respectively.

The absence of Thirteen affected their expedition's retaliatory capability when facing the Mummy Tree and the gold serpents. Nevertheless, they arrived at the Temple of the Lost Land by noon on the fifth day. Having discarded all the golden artifacts they took from the temple and refrained from touching the Immortal Spring, the smaller golden snakes remained asleep and the larger serpent continued to play its role as a fountain statue, without so much as batting an eye.

The interior of the Temple of the Lost Land was vast and pristine, devoid of excessive decorations, offering an unobstructed view. Yin Ling quickly scanned the area and said, "...Thirteen isn't here."

Song Quyou gazed at the fountain's golden serpent sculpture and asked with a hint of sadness, "Could... could he have been eaten by this snake?"

No one answered her question.

Even Yin Ling and Song Quyou, who posed the question, had mentally prepared for a permanent farewell from Thirteen the day before. So, while they felt slightly saddened now, they weren't devastated. Time would help ease their emotions.

Mu Yujie sighed and took both women to stand beside the stone door in the shadow, waiting for Xie Yin Xue to use the multi-pointed star brooch as a key to unlock it.

During the wait, Yun Qian listened to the trickling sound from the gold serpent fountain and remarked, "It seems that as long as we don't touch the gold or the Immortal Spring, this is just an ordinary temple."

However, Yi Yao couldn't help but frequently glance back, lingering on the thought of the abundant gold, saying, "Ordinary temples don't have that much gold."

Zheng Shu, looking at the familiar path that emerged as the stone door opened, said expressionlessly, "Nor do they have floating stone paths like outside."

After five days, they were sick of this path, this temple, and even the Mummy Forest. So, upon seeing them again, they felt neither lost nor desperate, only an overwhelming sense of numbness and fatigue.

"Let's go and see one more time," Zheng Shu said with a heavy heart. "If it still doesn't work out, I don't know what to do next."

But as they were about to step onto the floating stone path, Bu Jiuzhao suddenly stopped, saying, "There's a smell of blood here."

Zhan Meng looked around, asking, "There are several bloodstains around. Which one are you referring to?"

Scattered blood marks from two days prior, left by Thirteen, stained the cliff platform outside the Temple of the Lost Land. He and the golden snake were locked inside the previous day, meaning no new blood should've been present. Yet Bu Jiuzhao pointed at a spot near the cliff's edge, noting, "Here. The smell is fresher than from two days ago, likely from yesterday."

Zheng Shu, skeptical, asked, "Can you really differentiate the day based on the scent of the blood?"

While blood does darken as it oxidizes over time, how could human senses possibly detect the exact day it was spilled?

Upon hearing this, Mu Jin Hai approached, scrutinizing the spot before confirming, "He's right, there's blood here."

Zhan Meng gave a thumbs-up to Bu Jiuzhao, marveling, "Impressive! Is this the sense of smell of a top-tier chef?"

The cliffside was covered in dark moss, making the blood barely noticeable. People instinctively stayed away from the cliff edge. Even Bu Jiuzhao, with his keen sight, relied on his sense of smell rather than vision to detect it.

"There's not just blood there; many of the stains on the ground are fresh." Bu Jiuzhao added, "After we left yesterday, Thirteen must've been here."

Upon his observation, everyone inspected the area closely, finding that reality indeed aligned with Bu Jiuzhao's statement.

On the cliff platform outside the temple, bloodstains varied in shades. At first, they could hardly bear to look. Even if they had, it might not have registered—none of them were blood spatter experts and had little experience in identifying blood traces.

Yi Yiling inquired, "But how did Thirteen get out? He doesn't have a key."

"No need for a key. The golden serpent, once enlarged, can shatter the stone gate," Song Quyao reminded her, then realized with wide, tearful eyes, "Does that mean Thirteen fell off the cliff?"

Fresh blood was splattered on the platform outside the temple and even on the moss near the cliff edge, yet none on the stone path. This testified that Thirteen was protecting them until the very end, staying true to his promise to never set foot on the floating stone path, even if it meant plummeting into the abyss.

Xie Yinxue gazed intently at the stone path, her brow furrowing. Turning to Yun Qian, she asked, "Yun Qian, could you read the description about the exit from the treasure map once more?"

Without hesitation, Yun Qian produced the map and recited verbatim, "‘The temple exit lies behind the shadow wall, beyond the stone gate. Open it, and there lies the exit.’ Every word is as it appears."

Zhan Meng and Mu Yuji vouched for Yun Qian, stating, "Yes, that seemingly pointless statement is the sole description of the exit in the treasure map."

Having encountered Zheng Shu and Xie Yinxue in three different instances, one could tell by the latter's expression that he had stumbled upon a clue. Zheng Shu inquired, "Xie Yinxue, do you have a lead?"

"I believe—"

Xie Yinxue didn't hold back, pointing to the abyss beneath the floating stone path, "Perhaps this is the true exit of the temple."

—Open the stone gate, and the exit is before you.

Yet beyond the stone gate lies the floating stone path and the bottomless abyss.

If the floating path is impassable, the only way left is the abyss.

Song Quyao's eyes widened in disbelief, "That can't be possible."

"It's not entirely improbable," Mu Yuji pondered for a moment before agreeing with Xie Yinxue, "In the Mummy Forest, the guiding symbol left for us by the previous treasure hunter team was '∞'."

'∞' symbolizes infinity, sometimes representing an endless loop, without a beginning or an end—much like their current predicament. They've retraced their steps many times, from the plains to the entrance of the Mummy Forest, through the forest to the Lost Temple, and back to the plains and the forest entrance, trapped in a complete cycle.

Mu Yuji remarked, "It's as if we're walking on the surface of a massive Möbius strip, believing that if we keep moving, we'll reach the end. But in reality... there is no end."

"Perhaps the '∞' symbol left by the previous team is not just a guide but also a warning."

A warning that if they couldn't break the cycle, their only way out would be to leap out of the loop.

After pondering Mu Yuji's theory, Zhan Meng nodded in agreement, "That might be it. The end of the floating stone path might just lead back to the plains and the Mummy Forest. We've been unable to leave simply because we've been looking for the wrong exit. It might have nothing to do with whether or not we take the Elixir of Immortality or the gold."

Yu Lan, slightly perplexed by their discussion, finally asked, "... So, do we jump and see?"

Gazing into such a dark abyss makes one's knees weak, let alone the thought of jumping into it.

“Are we really going to jump? Once we do, there's no turning back. And I don't understand; if the abyss is truly an exit, why would the tomb module provide tomb robbers with a grappling hook capable of pulling someone back up?”

Having a fear of heights, the idea of leaping off a cliff was already terrifying for Song Quyou. Especially since she had almost fallen before, saved only by Ying Yiling's quick reaction. Those few seconds of weightlessness had left a deep psychological scar on her.

“Maybe it's to throw us off,” Zhan Meng remarked, glancing at the heavy machine guns on the backs of Song Quyou, Yi Yao, Mu Jinhai, and You Lan, “Aren't your guns essentially useless here? They can't penetrate the golden snake, nor can they kill the mummy trees. They're heavy and cumbersome. In hindsight, we might've been better off with more provisions from the residents of Na Luo Ta City.”

...It seemed he had a point.

Song Quyou found herself at a loss for words.

"Exactly, who said all the gear we have must be useful?” Liu Buhua chimed in, trying to console her. “In this scenario, we're pretty much useless. Mercenaries' guns don't work, no real combat skills either; the Meiwa squad isn't fully equipped; our driver can't drive; and I, the doctor, am mentally unstable. All our individual pieces of equipment might not make much difference, but when we come together, we form a potent exploration team. We won't pass this test through equipment but through unity!"

“……”

After absorbing Dr. Liu’s rather unconsoling pep talk, Song Quyou wore a conflicted expression. After a moment, she resignedly said, “Then, let’s jump. If we don’t, by the seventh day, we won’t clear this anyway. We might as well try.”

"Jumping is inevitable," Xie Yinxue stated, stepping onto the floating stone path, "but not today."

Zhan Meng nodded in agreement, "Exactly. Today, we first need to test whether we can leave without the gold and Elixir of Immortality."

Ying Yiling caught on, "So, we'll come back tomorrow to jump."

Zheng Shu sighed, "Alas."

—Even before the results of the experiment were confirmed, Ying Yiling subconsciously assumed they couldn't break free from the cycle of the Lost Temple and Mummy Forest.

"Indeed, jumping tomorrow makes more sense," Zhan Meng contemplated further. "When we return, we’ll bring the Elixir of Immortality. In case we regret our decision midway, we can just drink it. That way, even if we smash into pieces, we'll resurrect."

Yi Yao perked up, “Can I grab a gold brick before I jump? This way, even if we don’t make it out, I’d die a bit happier.”

Mu Jinhai encouraged him, “Go for it, grab a big one.”