Using the MC system to pretend spiritual revival

Chapter 98 Treasure Chest
Inside the dark and gloomy fortress.

A report, accompanied by static, came from the walkie-talkie on the bearded man's shoulder.

"Reporting, Captain, we have reached the upper hall. However, we have encountered a fork in the road. Should we split up and explore?"

At that moment, the bearded man who was leading the expedition team up the stairs frowned and raised his hand to bring the walkie-talkie to his mouth.

"You are allowed to explore separately, but remember to be extra vigilant."

"Yes, received!"

As the response faded, silence returned to the walkie-talkie.

Hearing the noise, the three people who were still writing furiously also turned their attention over.

I don't know how long this staircase is. It feels like I've already climbed five or six floors, and it seems like there's no end in sight.

Fortunately, the team that had set off earlier had reported that there were rooms available there, which added some anticipation to the group.

Along the way, there was nothing new, just the same old staircases and the occasional narrow window that appeared on the wall.

Sometimes, from the right angle, you can even see the misty lava lake outside through the cracks in the window.

The vanguard soldiers had already been scouted several times by the advance team along the way, and the recent communication confirmed their safety.

So the rest of the journey was much faster and smoother.

Climbing more than a dozen flights of stairs was no problem for the soldiers, but it was tough on the three researchers.

When the group finally reached the end of the stairs, their view suddenly opened up.

The three men, desperately climbing the stairs to catch up with the troops' progress, were all panting heavily, their legs bent over.

They were already exhausted, and the addition of the dozens of kilograms of protective clothing they were wearing made things even worse.

If it weren't for the soldiers helping him from time to time, he probably wouldn't have been able to climb up in one go.

However, the obvious increase in the number of things in the surrounding hall made the three of them lose their appetite for panting and recovering their strength.

After calming his wildly beating heart, he staggered to the walls around the hall.

The space doesn't look small; the ceiling is about four or five meters high, and the overall area is comparable to some apartment buildings with a floor area of ​​seventy or eighty square meters.

Professor Watson was the first to arrive at the corner of the room.

There is a narrow staircase leading to the upper floor, and beside the staircase grows clumps of plants, or rather fungi, that glow with an eerie blood-red light.

His extraordinary fascination with biology quickly drew him to the life forms he had never seen before.

After careful observation, he quickly spotted a familiar "face".

Beneath these bright red, apple-like things, which looked as if they were growing from the ground, were actually the sand piles of human faces that had been inside the rock tunnel.

On its surface, you can still see some familiar, distorted human faces that are wriggling, but they quickly dissipate after gathering together.

It was as if some kind of nutrient was being absorbed by the red organisms growing on it.

Professor Watson's eyes lit up at the sight, as if this scene suggested that this strange world also had its own biological system.

Looking at the alluring, unidentified creature before him, Watson carefully took a scalpel from his toolbox.

They attempted to cut off and remove the outermost plants.

Under its tense gaze, the blade touched the roots of the red creature, followed by a slightly resilient sensation as the blade successfully cut in.

This also relieved Watson.

He was truly afraid that this creature, like most of the flesh and rock that make up this world, was indestructible.

Take it easy.

His hands moved more and more steadily, accurately and quickly, and in a few moments he harvested the outermost few plants and sealed them in a cold storage box.

About the same as him.

In the corresponding other corner.

Dr. Peyton was doing the same thing, except that he boldly reached out to touch the few most lush, round, and bright red unknown plants.

I squeezed it and found that it had a slightly elastic texture, somewhat similar to some large fungi.

Or perhaps these things are some kind of peculiar fungus.

However, the familiar sand beneath these plants evoked some strange associations in him.

If the human faces on the sand are the "souls," then wouldn't these fungi be absorbing the "souls" to grow?

It sounds like something out of a third-rate wizarding novel, used to make potions.

After they had finished collecting their items, the three of them reunited.

They shared their findings and discoveries, but the information was either repetitive or lacked any real contribution.

Then, the group naturally set their sights on the staircases on either side of the room that led to the upper floor.

Subsequently, the bearded man who had been watching the whole thing was also called over to discuss the matter.

After weighing the risks, it was decided that a soldier would go up first to scout the situation, and only after confirming that there was no danger would the three men go up.

As the soldier climbed the steps and entered the upper room, a moment later, the walkie-talkie on the bearded man's shoulder crackled to life. "Reporting, Captain, no danger, and we've discovered two corridors, which should be the fork in the road the previous squads mentioned."

Upon hearing this report, the remaining people were relieved and began to climb up the narrow staircase, which was only one meter long and wide, to the second floor of the room.

Watson, Payton, and the others dragged their bulky protective suits up to the second-floor floor.

It was discovered that the room they entered was basically the same size and height as the one below, but the layout was completely different.

In the very center of the room.

There was a pool of water made of the same black stone bricks as the building, except that it was filled with bubbling lava.

Besides.

The most conspicuous thing was a box in the corner of the room.

Its brownish-red exterior and clasp look rather out of place.

In addition, there are some arched windows on the walls that are much larger than usual.

Although it was also enclosed by a sturdy and thick black rock fence, it also reduced the oppressive feeling in the room.

Observing the room's structure, which differed from the rest of the room, Professor Watson made his own speculations.

This place may have been used as a meeting room or a lounge for senior officers when the fortress was still in operation, and those boxes may have been storage facilities for personal belongings or military equipment.

Building fortresses to defend against enemies likely occurred during the era of cold weapons.

The wooden crate, measuring one meter square, was probably not meant to hold large suits of armor or equipment.

Perhaps some well-preserved artifacts can still be found.

Thinking this, Watson's eyes sparkled with excitement.

At this moment, everyone had already stood in the room, and the three of them, under the protection of the soldiers, arrived in front of the most interesting box.

A soldier stepped forward and carefully opened the box.

With a creak, the lid of the box opened.

Watson, who was standing to the side peering in, was somewhat surprised.

The contents of the box were not the empty wooden box he had expected, but rather a box meticulously divided into 27 neat little compartments.

Within this cluster of small compartments, three exquisite items, resembling works of art, were placed haphazardly.

A rough white thread, a book with a purple glow on its surface, and finally a golden apple reflecting a dazzling light.

This last item stunned everyone.

Once he realized what was happening, Professor Watson quickly pushed aside the dumbfounded soldiers squatting on the ground and reached out to take out the golden apple that looked like an antique artifact.

However, as he reached out and grabbed it, he suddenly lifted it up.

Not moving.

This made Watson's eyes look a little strange, and he wondered to himself, could this really be an apple made of pure gold?
Although somewhat surprised, she didn't stop what she was doing.

As he reached out with his other hand, and after his face turned red from holding it in, he finally managed to slowly lift the golden apple out of the box.

At that moment, he even felt that the small apple in his hand weighed dozens of kilograms.

Even if it were made of solid gold, it shouldn't weigh that much.

Finally, the bearded man standing nearby couldn't bear to watch any longer and went over to help take it, thus saving the old professor from the fate of being "exhausted" by a golden apple.

At this moment, Peyton also stepped forward and reached into the box to take two other items.

There was nothing unusual about the rough white thread, so he casually put it into a sealed bag for safekeeping.

The other book, however, has a touch of fantasy.

When I first got my hands on it, it felt heavy and substantial. The outer skin had a texture similar to cowhide, which was rough but showed a kind of toughness.

And just as Payton took the book from the box.

In an instant, the book, which was originally only the size of a palm, expanded into a thick, antique book the size of a human head.

This change stunned everyone who witnessed it, attracting even more attention than the strangely heavy golden apple.

At this moment, Professor Watson, who had recovered from his shock, hurried over and carefully stroked the cover of the book.

The book cover is completely blank, with no text, but the wear and tear on the paper is clearly visible when viewed from the side.

It appears to be a frequently used notebook or similar item.

Most importantly, if you observe the book cover carefully and attentively...

A soft purple light can also be seen floating on the surface, adding a fantastical touch.

Unsurprisingly, everyone had the same thought at that moment.

Open it and take a look.

(End of this chapter)