Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

Xiao Ce paused for a moment, then continued, "or any sign of life."

He emphasized the words "living things".

Everyone nodded in response to Xiao Ce's order.

One adventurer walked at the front, and two others followed behind the group.

Odin, Da Lei, and Xiao Yue stood on either side of Yin Pan'er and Xiao Ce, quite consciously.

They took protective measures...

The team began to move cautiously along the "coast" made of eerie white gravel.

Every step I took was in boundless silence, with only the faint sound of my clothes rubbing against each other, which made the vastness of the moonlit night seem even more suffocating.

The moonlight cast long, distorted shadows of everyone onto the pale sand.

The stale, sweet smell of rust mixed with decay seemed to intensify as they ventured deeper into the air, lingering faintly in their nostrils.

The surrounding rock walls cast deep shadows under the moonlight, their jagged outlines resembling menacing monsters.

An absolute stillness and an indescribable sense of oppression filled the air, as if the entire world consisted of only these few people.

The silence made everyone feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Da Lei spoke first, saying, "This lousy place is either so noisy that the low-frequency sounds are driving you crazy, or it's eerily quiet..."

After walking only a hundred steps or so, the coastline ahead was blocked by a steep, jagged black cliff.

Just as everyone was hesitating whether to climb or turn back.

Yin Pan'er suddenly pointed to a dark corner at the bottom of the cliff:

"Your Highness, look there!"

Following the sound, everyone looked and saw a deep, recessed shadow at the bottom of the cliff where it met the dead sea, like the entrance to a naturally formed cave!

Odin turned to Xiao Ce and asked, "Your Highness, shall we go or not?"

After hearing Odin's words, Xiao Ce smiled as he looked at the tense expressions on everyone's faces.

Although Xiao Ce also felt that the atmosphere here was inexplicably uncomfortable, he still pretended to be relaxed.

Do you know what the four-word mantra for travel is?

The tense atmosphere was momentarily stunned upon hearing Xiao Ce's words.

Hearing Xiao Ce say this, they thought to themselves, "Xiao Ce really has a good personality..."

He called this dangerous adventure "tourism"...

When Xiao Ce asked them this question, everyone shook their heads.

Only Da Lei, who had been following Xiao Ce the whole time, slowly spoke up with a smile, saying, "It's called... well, since we're already here..."

Xiao Ce smiled and said, "That's right, since we're already here... we should naturally go and take a look..."

Those present, due to tension, did not grasp the meaning behind Xiao Ce's joke...

Seeing that no one understood, Xiao Ce said, "Alright, let's go take a look..."

...

At this very moment, in a secret room on the other side.

Xiao Guoren said to the director, "Director, a small team is heading this way. Should we do something?"

Seeing the somewhat nervous Xiao Guoren, the director said with a relaxed expression, "What's there to be afraid of? They won't be able to find their way here... Tomorrow... after dawn, we'll find a way to get rid of them..."

A man from the Xiao Kingdom standing nearby said, "What if they find our way here?"

The director said, "We've found this side, but there's a huge barrier here; they can't get in at all..."

The director, becoming somewhat agitated, turned to the Xiao Guoren beside him and said, "Their arrival means we can leave now, doesn't it?"

Hearing the director say that, especially the word "get out," made the staff in the secret room exchange expectant glances.

They were even somewhat hoping that the team would find them...

The director looked at them, smiled, and said, "Don't get your hopes up... How long has it been? No one can get here, and we can't get out from here either..."

...

Meanwhile, on the other side, Xiao Ce's group was already heading towards the cave entrance...

The cave entrance is larger than it appears from a distance, resembling the silent, gaping mouth of a giant beast.

As they approached the cave entrance, the rusty, stale, and sweet smell seemed to intensify, with a faint, indescribable, strange odor mixed in.

The group instinctively covered their mouths and noses, and hurriedly said warily, "Back up...it might be poisonous..."

Xiao Ce sniffed. He wasn't familiar with these people, but he was familiar with this smell. It smelled like engine oil, and also had a faint smell like old machine lubricating oil.

Before Xiao Ce transmigrated, he owned a technology company and was quite knowledgeable about robots. He had a great interest in mechanical things.

He once set up a warehouse specifically for tinkering with various robots and other machines...

This smell is the smell of engine oil and lubricating oil that has been sitting in his warehouse for a long time and has gone bad.

Seeing their wary expressions, Xiao Ce sniffed again and said, "It's nothing...it's just the smell of engine oil..."

Da Lei also took a deep sniff and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the smell.

At this moment, Xiao Ce felt that the white gravel beneath his feet seemed to have thinned out, revealing the equally cold, dark rock base underneath.

“There’s a breeze.” Da Lei stopped at the edge of the cave entrance and turned his head to feel it.

Sure enough, a very faint, icy breeze was slowly blowing out from the dark cave, brushing against everyone's cheeks, carrying with it the deeper chill of the cave and that strange smell of engine oil.

This gust of wind proved that the cave was not a dead end, but rather had depth.

Meanwhile, some adventurers bent down to investigate: "No footprints, no signs of biological activity."

Odin crouched down and carefully examined the gravel and rock walls near the cave entrance. "They're unusually clean."

“Whether it’s normal or not, it’s better than running around aimlessly outside.” Xiao Ce took out a tinderbox wrapped in oilcloth from his pocket, blew on it to light a small flame, then took out an even smaller, specially made tinderbox, lit it, and handed it to Da Lei.

"Da Lei, clear the way. Watch your step."

Seeing this, several adventurers quickly volunteered to lead the way.

Da Lei took the tinderbox, and the flickering flame cast an uncertain glow on his resolute face.

He took a deep breath, held a short blade horizontally in front of him, and said to the adventurers, "If we really encounter danger, you're not even as good as me..."

Xiao Ce and Yin Pan'er instinctively pulled out their small pistols.

Although their firearms are already quite powerful, Da Lei said that in close combat, he still felt that these cold weapons were easier to kill than firearms.

After listening to Xiao Ce's words, Da Lei lowered his head and stepped into the cave first.

Xiao Ce followed closely behind, one hand protecting the tinderbox, the other casually supporting Yin Pan'er behind him. Odin also lit a spare fire and followed in.

As for the other adventurers, they stood guard at the cave entrance.

The cave was more spacious than I had imagined, barely enough for two or three people to walk side by side. The rocks underfoot were unusually smooth and flat, as if they had been polished by some enormous force, and were definitely not naturally formed.

The cave walls were equally smooth, cold and hard to the touch. The firelight illuminated only a few meters ahead and the rock walls on either side.

A faint, cool breeze carrying the smell of engine oil continued to blow from deep within.

Apart from their own footsteps and breathing, the cave remained eerily silent.

Xiao Ce subconsciously touched the smooth rock face; it was somewhat cold, and the texture suggested it wasn't ordinary stone...

More like...

Steel...

He carefully examined the tinderbox closely and became even more certain that it was not a rock.

Instead, it's some kind of metal...

Once this idea took root in Xiao Ce's mind, it seemed to sprout and grow, making him increasingly excited...

After walking for about several dozen meters, the passage began to slope downwards. The slope wasn't steep, but the slippery, unusual rocks underfoot required extra caution.

Suddenly, Da Lei, who was walking in front, stopped abruptly and shouted in a low voice, "Watch out!"

Everyone immediately stopped and went on high alert.

Just a few meters ahead, a huge crack appeared in the smooth rock face, as if cleaved by a giant axe. The crack was bottomless, and looking down, there was only darkness that swallowed up all light. The cool breeze was surging up from the depths of this crack.

At the edge of the crack, neat, clearly man-made steps appeared on the rock wall!

The steps are zigzagging, extending downwards along the edge of the crack and disappearing into the darkness below.

The surface of the steps is also exceptionally smooth, but its regular lines and angles contrast sharply with the surrounding naturally formed rock cave walls.

“These shouldn’t be naturally formed. These don’t seem to be rocks…” Odin said immediately upon seeing this.

Xiao Ce's eyes flashed, and he squatted down to carefully examine the place where the steps met the edge of the crack.

“The material is wrong.” He tapped the edge of the steps lightly with his pistol, producing a dull sound.

"This texture... it doesn't feel like the same thing as those strange rocks next to it..."

The sound of those rocks striking each other was somewhat like the sound of a giant piece of steel, while this step-like thing felt more like some kind of synthetic plastic, though of course it was definitely not plastic.

Yin Pan'er also leaned closer to observe, and even touched it with her fingertip: "It is indeed very smooth... and a bit... greasy? It doesn't feel like a stone."

After hearing Yin Pan'er's words, Xiao Ce nodded, then frowned slightly. The stale, sweet smell mixed with the smell of engine oil seemed to be stronger here.

After reading Xiao Ce's words, Yin Pan'er knew that Xiao Ce might have made some kind of discovery.

Yin Pan'er said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, do you have some leads...?"

Xiao Ce smiled and nodded at Yin Pan'er, then said, "Do you remember the Devil's Island they mentioned before?"

Yin Pan'er nodded: "Of course, large machines?"

Xiao Ce nodded.

Yin Pan'er stared wide-eyed at Xiao Ce and said, "Your Highness, do you mean... everything here is a giant machine?"

Xiao Ce nodded.

"There's definitely something to it!" Xiao Ce stood up and looked down into the darkness below the steps.

"These steps, and this 'hidden' entrance! And that increasingly strong smell of engine oil... It seems we've come to the right place. The answer we've been searching for might be hidden beneath these steps!"

When everyone heard what Xiao Ce said, their expressions became somewhat strange.

"Mr. Ce, you don't mean to go down, do you?"

Xiao Ce nodded with a smile: "Of course... We came here to investigate what secrets this Lost Island holds, right? It seems we've gained quite a bit... Even the heavens are on our side, letting us dock in the right place, letting us find this place..."

After hearing Xiao Ce's words, Yin Pan'er nodded and then said, "That's true... but Your Highness, you also said that this place can be manipulated. What if all of this is being manipulated by someone behind the scenes?"

Are they trying to lead us into a trap?

Xiao Ce heard Yin Pan'er's concerns and dismissed them somewhat: "What is their purpose?"

Yin Pan'er was stunned by Xiao Ce's question, then said, "You want us to die?"

Xiao Ce smiled at Yin Pan'er and said, "Then they can do it at sea, they can do it the first time..."

Xiao Ce's simple words made Yin Pan'er realize that they were indeed very reasonable.

Da Lei said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, I'll go down and take a look first..."

Xiao Ce waved his hand: "There's no need for that... Listen to me from here..."

Or Xiao Ce said in an unquestionable voice, "Continue! Watch the gaps, keep your distance."

Da Lei nodded vigorously and stepped even more carefully onto the smooth, cold stairs. Each step was taken with extreme caution, testing the stability of the stairs. The group followed the zigzagging stairs, exploring deeper and deeper into the earth.

...

At this moment, in the secret underground chamber of Lost Island.

The screens embedded in the rough rock walls emitted a faint, cold light, illuminating several tense and complex faces in the room.

"Director! Didn't you say they couldn't find it? They...they've gotten in! They found the entrance! They're going down the safety ladder! How did they find it so easily..." A young man from Xiao pointed at one of the screens, his voice trembling slightly.

The screen displayed a blurry image of Da Lei carefully walking down the descending stairs, holding a tinderbox. Although the lighting and angle made it difficult to see everyone clearly, the leader's imposing figure and alert posture were clearly visible.

"Is there anything we need to do?"

"Among these people, it seems there are a few who are also from the Xiao Kingdom..."

"Really...really...Director, look, isn't Xiao Ce, the one you mentioned, among them?"

Compared to the chaotic scene around him, the director was much calmer. He glanced at the monitor, but due to the poor lighting, he couldn't make out the details.

He waved his hand and said, "It's nothing. So what if they came in?"