A Journey of American Comics Starting from the Zombie Universe

Chapter 656

Bai Ye held a weak flashlight, the beam swaying in the dim and complex underground tunnel, and every step seemed particularly heavy. The air was filled with the smell of dampness and mildew, as if even time had frozen here, unwilling to move forward. His eyes were firm, but he could not hide his fatigue, and the soldiers behind him were the same. The heavy equipment and the fear of the unknown made their steps slow and heavy.

"Everyone be careful, this place looks more complicated than we expected." Bai Ye's voice echoed in the narrow space, with unquestionable majesty. The soldiers nodded one after another. Although no one spoke, the eyes between them were full of tacit understanding and trust.

As they went deeper, the tunnel gradually became wider, and the musty smell in the air seemed to fade a little. Just then, a subtle sound broke the silence, like the sound of some metal object rolling on the ground. Bai Ye immediately stopped and signaled everyone to be alert. He moved forward slowly, and the light of the flashlight swept across the front as he moved, and finally stopped at a dim corner.

"There seems to be something over there." Bai Ye whispered, with a hint of excitement in his voice. The soldiers immediately followed closely behind him, carefully approaching the corner. As they approached, an even more ancient and profound aura came over them, as if it had crossed the boundaries of time and space.

After turning the corner, everyone was stunned by the sight. This was no longer a cold tunnel, but a huge space with a long dusty table in the middle and towering bookshelves all around, stretching from the floor to the ceiling. Books of all kinds were densely arranged on the shelves. Although most of them were worn out and some pages were even scattered all over the floor, the former glory and order still made people feel the prosperity of this place.

"This... is this a library?" a soldier whispered in disbelief, his eyes wandering among the bookshelves, as if trying to find the past glory from these ruins.

"Yes, and it looks like it has been abandoned for many years." Bai Ye walked to a tilted desk and gently brushed off the dust on the surface, revealing the mottled wood texture underneath. He turned around and scanned every face, "It seems that our mission may be more complicated than we thought."

The soldiers looked at each other, some with curiosity in their eyes, but more with vigilance and uneasiness. Everything here was too strange, and it seemed to have no direct connection with the purpose of their trip, but their intuition told them that there were some unknown secrets hidden here.

"Bai Ye, what should we do next?" asked a soldier with a trembling voice.

Bai Ye was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "Now that we are here, there is no turning back. We must continue exploring and find all the clues here. Perhaps these books will hide the answers we need."

As he spoke, he took the lead and walked to the bookshelf, and began to flip through those ancient books one by one. Seeing this, the soldiers also joined in. Although most of them were illiterate, their desire for the unknown made them willing to work hard.

"Look, the cover of this book is still intact!" a soldier shouted excitedly. The book in his hand seemed more precious than other books. The cover was written with "Mysteries of Ancient Civilization" in gold-plated fonts.

Bai Ye walked over and took the book, gently blew away the dust on the surface, and then turned to the first page. There were dried ink and traces of time between the pages, but the words were still clearly visible. He read carefully, his brows sometimes furrowed and sometimes relaxed, as if he was solving a puzzle.

"This book mentions an ancient civilization that once thrived on this land and possessed highly developed technology and culture." Bai Ye's voice was deep and powerful, attracting everyone's attention. "Moreover, according to the description in the book, this civilization eventually disappeared suddenly for some unknown reason, leaving behind only these relics and books."

After hearing this, the soldiers showed surprised expressions. They had never thought that in this seemingly ordinary underground world, there was such an amazing secret hidden.

"So our mission...is it related to this civilization?" a soldier asked cautiously.

Bai Ye did not answer directly, but continued to flip through the book, as if looking for more clues. "It's hard to say now, but we can be sure that everything here is closely related to the purpose of our trip." His words were full of unquestionable determination, "We must continue to explore until we find the answer."

As time went by, the soldiers gradually adapted to the environment here. They began to work together. Some continued to look through books for clues, while others were responsible for cleaning up the surrounding debris to ensure that the road was unobstructed. Bai Ye stood aside, observing everything silently, his heart filled with complex emotions - curiosity and desire for the unknown, as well as worry and vigilance about possible dangers.

While they were busy, a slight noise broke the silence again. This time the sound seemed clearer and closer, as if someone was watching them from the dark. The soldiers immediately became alert and pointed their weapons at the source of the sound. Bai Ye slowly walked towards the source of the sound, the light of the flashlight drawing a sharp arc in the darkness.

"Who's there?" His voice was low and powerful, full of threat.

However, all he got in response was dead silence. The soldiers waited nervously, but the feeling of being watched suddenly disappeared, as if it had never existed.

"It seems that we are too nervous." Bai Ye put away the flashlight, turned around and said to the soldiers, "However, everyone should still remain vigilant. There may be other unknown dangers here."

Although the soldiers nodded in agreement, the uneasiness in their hearts did not completely dissipate. The inexplicable feeling of being watched was like an invisible hand, tightly strangling their throats, making it difficult to breathe. Bai Ye knew this very well. He looked around, trying to find potential threats in every corner of this abandoned library.

"Let's continue the search," Bai Ye said solemnly, "but be careful and don't spread out too far."

The soldiers dispersed again, some continued to flip through the books, trying to dig out more clues from the ancient texts, while others held weapons and patrolled every corner of the library vigilantly. The beams of flashlights intersected in the dimness, bringing a faint vitality to this dead space.

As time went on, the soldiers gradually discovered something unusual. The books on some bookshelves seemed to have been moved and were placed in an unusually neat manner, which was out of place with the messy environment around them. What's more, in the gaps between some bookshelves, they found small metal fragments and the remains of what looked like some kind of mechanical parts.

"Bai Ye, look at this." A soldier walked up to Bai Ye and handed him a piece of rusty metal fragment. Although the fragment was not big, the precise patterns carved on it revealed an extraordinary level of craftsmanship.

Bai Ye took the fragment and examined it carefully, frowning. "This looks like... a part of some advanced robot." He muttered to himself, with an ominous premonition in his heart. "Are you saying that there were robots active here before?" another soldier asked, with a hint of fear in his voice.

Bai Ye did not answer immediately, but continued to look around, as if looking for more evidence to support his guess. "Not only has there been activity," he said slowly, "I suspect that this library may be a hidden laboratory, or part of a secret base."

The soldiers stopped what they were doing and looked at each other. If this was really a secret base, then everything they had encountered before would no longer be simple. They might not only be looking for a missing scientific research team, but also stepping into an unknown and dangerous world.

"So what should we do now?" asked a soldier, his voice full of confusion and anxiety.

Bai Ye took a deep breath, his eyes determined. "We can't give up," he said, "Whatever secret is hidden here, we must find it and make it public. This is our duty as soldiers and the purpose of our trip."

The soldiers nodded in agreement. Although they were filled with fear and anxiety, their sense of honor and responsibility as soldiers made them unable to retreat. They cheered up again and continued to devote themselves to the search.

In the following time, the soldiers searched every corner of the library more carefully. Not only did they find more mechanical parts and electronic equipment wreckage, they also discovered a secret passage leading deeper underground. This secret passage was closed by a heavy stone door with complex runes and patterns carved on it, which seemed to contain some mysterious power.

"It seems that the real secret is hidden behind this secret passage." Bai Ye stood in front of the stone gate, staring at the ancient runes and patterns, his heart full of anticipation and curiosity.

"Then how do we open it?" asked a soldier.

Bai Ye pondered for a moment, then walked to a bookshelf. He began to flip through books related to ancient technology and magic, trying to find clues to open the stone door. After some effort, he finally found a possible solution in a long-forgotten ancient book - an ancient spell and a complex mechanical device.

"We need two people to work together," Bai Ye said to the soldiers, "one to recite the spell, and the other to operate the mechanical device."

After hearing this, the soldiers expressed their willingness to try. In the end, Bai Ye selected two of the most alert and brave soldiers to carry out this task. Following Bai Ye's instructions, one of them stood in front of the stone door and chanted a complex spell, while the other operated the mechanical device found in the library.

As the spell was chanted and the mechanical device operated, the runes on the stone door began to flash with dazzling light. A powerful energy wave surged out of the stone door, shaking the entire library. The soldiers stepped back a few steps and watched the changes in the stone door nervously.

Finally, with a roar, the stone door slowly opened, revealing a passage leading deep underground. The passage was pitch black, as if swallowing up all the light and sound. But the soldiers did not retreat. They held their weapons tightly, followed Bai Ye, and stepped into the unknown world step by step.

As they went deeper, a stronger ancient atmosphere came to them. This place was full of unknown dangers and opportunities, making everyone who stepped into it feel excited and scared. But Bai Ye and the soldiers knew that they had no way out. They had to keep going until they found the truth hidden in the darkness.

In the following time, they experienced countless life-and-death tests and hardships. They fought wits and courage with ancient traps; they fought fiercely with enemies hidden in the dark; they even discovered the secret of the disappearance of the ancient civilization on an ancient altar. But all this is just the beginning, and the real challenges and dangers are still waiting for them ahead.

However, Bai Ye and the soldiers did not give up. With firm belief and tenacious perseverance, they walked step by step towards the truth hidden in the darkness. They knew that only by finding the truth could they solve all the mysteries; only by finding the truth could they move forward in the dark in the passage, and every step was full of unknowns and dangers. The light of the flashlight seemed so weak in the endless darkness that it could only illuminate a few meters ahead, while the surroundings were bottomless darkness, as if it would swallow everything at any time. Bai Ye walked in front, his steps were steady and firm, and the flashlight in his hand swept around from time to time, trying to capture any possible threats.

The soldiers followed closely behind, their breathing echoing in the narrow passage, with a hint of tension and uneasiness. They knew that there might be countless dangers hidden here, but their duty and honor as soldiers made them unable to retreat. They had to keep moving forward, no matter what was waiting for them ahead.

As they went deeper, the air in the passage became heavier and heavier, as if even breathing became difficult. An ancient and oppressive atmosphere filled the air, which reminded people of those horrific legends about the underground world. The soldiers' faces became solemn, they tightly grasped their weapons and observed their surroundings vigilantly.

At this moment, a low roar suddenly came from the front, breaking the silence in the passage. The soldiers immediately stopped and looked nervously in the direction of the sound. Bai Ye also stopped, frowning, trying to distinguish the source of the sound in the darkness.

"Everyone be careful, there may be traps." Bai Ye reminded in a low voice.

The soldiers became more alert upon hearing this. They moved forward cautiously, their flashlights drawing streaks of light in the darkness. However, the roar suddenly disappeared, as if it had never existed.

"Strange, why did the sound suddenly disappear?" a soldier whispered.

"Don't let your guard down," Bai Ye said in a deep voice, "Everything here is full of unknowns. We must remain vigilant at all times."

The soldiers nodded in agreement, and they continued to move forward cautiously. However, at this moment, a strong vibration suddenly came from under their feet, causing the entire passage to tremble. The soldiers exclaimed, steadied themselves, and looked around vigilantly.

(End of this chapter)