A Journey of American Comics Starting from the Zombie Universe

Chapter 654

However, Bai Ye did not give up, as he knew that he had an important mission and had to find the key to the secret. He continued to think hard and tried to combine various possible clues and guesses in the hope of finding the correct answer.

Time passed by minute by minute, and the soldiers were sweating profusely, but none of them were willing to give up. They knew that Bai Ye was fighting for a chance of survival for them, and they had to do their best to support him.

Finally, when everyone was about to despair, Bai Ye's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had found the key clue. He quickly entered a string of numbers on the calculator and then pressed the confirmation button on the combination lock with great expectation.

There was a crisp "click" sound, and the indicator light on the combination lock suddenly lit up green. Then the heavy metal door slowly slid aside, revealing a passage leading to the depths.

"Success!" Bai Ye shouted excitedly, "We found it!"

The soldiers cheered upon hearing this and rushed into the passage excitedly to see what amazing secrets were hidden inside. However, when they actually entered the passage, they found themselves facing a more complex and dangerous challenge again...

The passage was filled with intricate mechanisms and traps that could trigger a fatal crisis if not handled with care. Bai Ye and the soldiers had to move forward cautiously and stay alert to the surroundings. They used their wisdom and courage to crack the mechanisms and traps one by one and gradually approached the secret hidden in the deepest part.

However, when they finally stood in front of the secret, they found themselves in deeper confusion and bewilderment... What exactly is the secret? How will it change their fate and future? All this will be gradually revealed as they explore in depth...

As they went deeper into the tunnel, the light gradually became weaker, and they could only rely on the weak beam of the flashlight to illuminate the road ahead. The air was filled with an ancient and mysterious atmosphere, as if it could travel through time and space and bring people into an unknown era. Bai Ye and the soldiers' heartbeats accelerated involuntarily, and they knew that the secrets that were about to be revealed might completely change their fate.

At the end of the passage, there is a huge stone chamber. In the center of the chamber is an ancient stone platform, on which is placed a radiant crystal ball. The crystal ball emits a soft and dazzling light, illuminating the entire chamber as bright as day. The crystal ball seems to contain infinite power, and every flicker of light seems to be telling an ancient and distant story.

"This... what is this?" a soldier couldn't help but ask, with a hint of trembling and awe in his voice.

Bai Ye did not answer immediately. He walked slowly towards the stone platform, his eyes fixed on the crystal ball. He could feel the powerful energy contained in the crystal ball, a power he had never felt before, ancient and mysterious, powerful and gentle.

"This is an energy source," Bai Ye finally said, "an energy source that can change the world."

The soldiers gathered around after hearing this, their eyes wide open, trying to see more secrets from the crystal ball. However, apart from the dazzling light and mysterious aura, they could see nothing.

"Then...what should we do?" asked another soldier, with a hint of uneasiness and hesitation in his voice.

Bai Ye was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "We must be careful with this energy source. If it falls into the wrong hands, the consequences will be disastrous."

The soldiers nodded in agreement. They knew Bai Ye was right. This energy source was too powerful and mysterious and had to be handled with care.

"So what should we do now?" asked a soldier.

Bai Ye pondered for a moment and then said: "We must first figure out the source and purpose of this energy source. Only then can we decide how to deal with it."

The soldiers nodded in agreement. They began to split up, some checking other corners of the stone chamber for possible clues, while others studied the crystal ball itself to try to find out more information from its structure and light.

After some effort, they finally found some important clues. The walls of the stone chamber were engraved with ancient runes and patterns. These runes and patterns seemed to have some mysterious connection with the crystal ball. The crystal ball itself seemed to be a huge energy storage device that could absorb and store the energy in the surrounding environment and then transform it into a purer and more powerful form.

"It seems that this energy source is used to store and transform energy." Bai Ye said, "It may have been created by an ancient civilization in response to disasters or wars."

The soldiers nodded in agreement. They knew that this discovery was of great significance. It not only revealed the true purpose of the crystal ball, but also provided them with clues to deal with this energy source.

"So what should we do now?" asked a soldier.

Bai Ye pondered for a moment and then said: "We must bring this energy source back to the base for experts to study and analyze. Only in this way can we ensure that it does not fall into the wrong hands and play its intended role."

The soldiers agreed with what they heard. They knew this was the best option at the moment. So they began to carefully move the crystal ball and prepare to leave the stone chamber.

However, just as they were about to leave, a slight noise suddenly came from a corner of the stone room. They immediately turned around vigilantly and saw a dark figure slowly walking out of the darkness.

"Who?" Bai Ye asked in a deep voice. He quickly pulled out his pistol and pointed it at the black shadow.

The shadow slowly approached, revealing a pale and ferocious face. It was a stranger in a black robe, his eyes full of greed and desire, as if he wanted to take the crystal ball for himself.

"Hmph, do you think you can take this energy source away easily?" The black-robed man sneered, "It belongs to me and the entire dark force!"

Bai Ye frowned upon hearing this. He knew that this man in black robe was not an ordinary enemy but a member of the dark forces with great strength and ambition. Just when everyone's tense nerves were about to break and they were ready for an unknown and fierce battle, the frightening black shadow slowly dissipated into the air like morning mist without any warning. Bai Ye quickly adjusted his posture, with a flash of alertness and doubt in his eyes. He slowly put down the pistol he had raised, but he did not completely relax, but remained highly alert.

"Holographic projection?" Bai Ye whispered to himself, with a hint of disbelief in his voice. He looked around, trying to find more clues about the projection from the environment, but the layout of the stone chamber remained the same, and there was nothing unusual except for the faint light and shadow that had not yet dissipated.

"Everyone be careful, this may just be the beginning." Bai Ye turned to the soldiers and said, his tone revealed an unquestionable seriousness. Upon hearing this, the soldiers nodded and rechecked their equipment to ensure that they could respond quickly in case of an emergency.

Bai Ye took a deep breath and took another step. This time, his goal was clearer - to search the stone chamber thoroughly and find all the secrets and dangers that might be hidden. The soldiers followed closely behind him, maintaining a tight formation and moving forward step by step, each step being extremely cautious.

Every corner of the stone chamber was carefully searched, from ancient murals to seemingly ordinary stone tables and stone benches. However, apart from the traces left by the crystal ball found earlier, they did not find any other valuable clues. Just when everyone was about to give up and thought that this stone chamber was just a trap, an accident happened.

"Crack--" A subtle and crisp sound suddenly came from the floor under everyone's feet, and then, an ominous premonition surged into everyone's heart. Bai Ye reacted quickly and shouted loudly: "Quickly retreat!" But it was too late. Under the gaze of everyone, the floor collapsed without any warning, revealing a bottomless passage, accompanied by a cold and damp breath.

The soldiers were caught off guard, and several of them almost fell in. Bai Ye was quick-witted and grabbed the collar of the nearest soldier, pulling him back to the ground while steadying himself. The other soldiers also found support points and barely avoided falling.

"What the hell is this place!" a soldier cursed angrily, his face full of fear and anger.

"Calm down, now is not the time to complain." Bai Ye said in a deep voice, and he quickly looked around, looking for tools to fix ropes or climb. But the environment in the stone chamber obviously did not provide them with such convenience. Apart from the cold stone walls and the collapsed floor, there was no other place to use as leverage.

"We have to find a way to go down and take a look." Bai Ye made the decision. He knew that escape was not a solution. Only by facing it bravely could they find a way out.

"But...how do we get down?" a soldier asked hesitantly, his eyes full of anxiety.

Bai Ye did not answer immediately, but began to look for possible solutions in the stone chamber. He noticed some seemingly discarded wooden boards and ropes piled in a corner of the stone chamber, and an idea suddenly came to his mind. He quickly ordered the soldiers to collect these materials, and then tied the wooden boards together with ropes to make a simple suspension bridge.

"Everyone be careful, we will go down through this suspension bridge one by one." Bai Ye said, he was the first to step onto the suspension bridge and walked down carefully. Each step seemed particularly heavy, as if stepping on an unknown fate.

The soldiers followed closely behind, supporting and encouraging each other, and moving step by step deeper into the tunnel. The tunnel was pitch black, with only the weak beam of the flashlight illuminating a small area in front. There was an indescribable sense of oppression in the air, which made people want to speed up their pace and escape from this terrifying place.

However, the passage seemed to be much longer than they imagined. They walked for a long time but still could not see the end. Bai Ye stopped and shone the flashlight in front of him. He saw that the passage was still narrow and deep, like a passage to hell.

"Everyone hold on, we will definitely find a way out." Bai Ye encouraged. Although his voice was calm, his eyes revealed firmness and determination.

The soldiers nodded in agreement. They knew they had no way out and could only move forward. At this moment, a cold wind suddenly blew from the depths of the passage, bringing with it a disgusting stench that made everyone frown.

"What's that smell?" a soldier asked, covering his mouth and nose, with a hint of fear in his voice.

"I don't know, but it's definitely not a good thing." Bai Ye said in a deep voice. He raised the flashlight again and shone it forward, only to see a faint light flickering at the end of the passage.

"Look! There's a light over there!" a soldier pointed ahead and shouted, his voice filled with excitement and anticipation.

Bai Ye was inspired when he heard this and quickly led the soldiers to the direction of the light. As they approached, the stench became stronger and stronger, making it almost impossible to breathe. But even so, they did not stop because they knew that the light might be their only hope to escape from this horrible place.

Finally, they came to the source of the light. It was an open space with a huge altar in the middle. There was a blazing flame on the altar, and something seemed to be slowly moving in the flame. When they got closer, they found that the moving things were actually rotting corpses. They were burned by the flames and screamed miserably.

"This...what is this place?" a soldier asked tremblingly, his voice full of fear and despair.

It turned out that those horrifying scenes were just another carefully designed holographic projection, the purpose of which was nothing more than testing the courage and determination of those who entered. When Bai Ye realized this, he quickly signaled the soldiers to remain calm and carefully scanned the camouflaged area with the beam of his flashlight.

"Don't panic, this is just a holographic projection." Bai Ye's voice was steady and powerful, trying to calm the soldiers' nervousness. "What we really need to focus on is the secret hidden here."

As the light moved, the seemingly rotten corpses gradually disappeared, replaced by a vibrant scene. Colorful flowers swayed gently in the breeze, and the emerald green grass covered the entire space, as if they were in an isolated garden. The soldiers looked at each other, and the fear in their hearts was replaced by this sudden tranquility, but they did not relax their vigilance, but explored more cautiously.

"It seems that we have to look for clues in this garden." Bai Ye looked around, searching for any details that might hide information. He noticed that there were several ancient pottery jars in the corner of the garden, with complex and mysterious patterns carved on them, which seemed to have some connection with the runes in the stone chamber.

"Go over there and take a look. Be careful not to miss any clues." Bai Ye ordered the soldiers to disperse, and he walked towards the pottery jars to study them carefully. He gently brushed away the dust on the pottery jars, revealing clearer patterns that seemed to tell an ancient story or the process of some ritual.

The soldiers also found many clues in their respective areas. Some found scattered book fragments containing ancient languages ​​and knowledge; others found some seemingly ordinary stones that emitted a faint light under certain light, as if they contained some kind of energy.

(End of this chapter)