Seeing the eerie eyes in the corridor glowing ever brighter, tens of thousands of sharp light beams were about to sweep through every corner, slicing any intruder into shreds.
Even Karl was out of options and could only desperately pressure the stone door, hoping to break through before the light beams erupted.
However, Lynch immediately stopped his futile attempt. It was definitely too late to break the door, and if they wanted to find a chance of survival, they had to think of something else.
Everything has its counterpart. This principle did not only apply to his homeland; it was universal in this world. Although these defensive traps were lethal, they were not without weaknesses.
The weakness was that it was located in an ancient tomb. It could not destroy all the facilities in the tomb every time it was activated, especially since these were the central structures controlling the tomb's defense system. Once destroyed, the entire tomb would become defenseless, and the designers would never allow such a thing to happen.
Right, the stone sarcophagi. These sarcophagi were highly likely to be capable of resisting the erosion of the light.
Lynch did not even have time to speak. He pushed Karl and took the lead in rushing toward the opened sarcophagus.
To allow the connecting rods and gears to rotate, the space inside the sarcophagus, especially under the lid, was quite large. The two of them barely managed to squeeze into the coffin and forced the lid shut.
Before the lid closed, their field of vision was filled with blinding radiance. Countless light beams descended from above, instantly sweeping through the entire corridor.
Hiss. Following a sound like cold water splashing into boiling oil, the surrounding temperature rose sharply. Even the stones around them became searingly hot. The two hid in the dark coffin, not daring to move, listening to the incessant hissing outside as the air inside the coffin grew increasingly stifling.
I won't be roasted to death, will I? A stifled roast Lynch; even the neighboring Great Old Ones would be drooling with envy.
Just as he was thinking this to amuse himself, a soft sound came from beside him. Karl Jones had already lifted the lid.
Only then did Lynch realize that he hadn't heard any hissing for several seconds, so he immediately raised the lantern.
The densely packed eyes of Glaaki had retracted into the walls, and the corridor had returned to darkness, leaving only an abnormally scorching environment filled with the stench of scorched air.
"Go."
Not knowing if there would be a second strike, Karl directly hoisted the sarcophagus lid, which was taller than a person, and charged toward the entrance they had come from.
King of the Arke Dynasty, your ancestor's coffin lid really can't be held down anymore.
Raising the lantern to follow closely behind Karl Jones, the two rushed back to the door. The heavy stone door was still sealed tight; even with the immense power of a rank four authority, they could not pierce these ancient stone doors in a short time.
But they had time now. Karl slammed his fist against the stone door and remained in that posture without moving.
Click, clack.
Tiny cracking sounds echoed from within the stone door, and subsequently, cracks appeared one after another on its surface.
Karl made a gesture of relief, but under the yellow light of the lantern, Lynch could still see that his face was pale and his expression gloomy.
Lynch could understand that. Regardless of his identity or purpose, at this very moment, he was a victim of a sneak attack.
According to his account, someone had activated the defense system in the fore-chamber just now. The only ones who could do this were one of the four people left on the other side. But unless those four had already colluded, it would be impossible to take such overt action without cover. In fact, even Lynch had some misgivings: could it be that the other four had joined forces for some unknown reason, wanting to get rid of Lynch and Karl Jones first because they were dealing with the traps?
Click, clack.
The cracks on the stone door multiplied, and one could even see tiny green sprouts growing from the fissures. As the sprouts increased, a loud boom erupted from inside the stone door, and it split open on the spot. Large chunks of stone, wrapped in flexible vines, flew outward.
Karl used his strength to toss the coffin lid he was carrying like a shield, and then Lynch and he rushed out, following closely behind the lid that was clearing the path.
The ambush they had imagined did not come. It was safe behind the door; there was not even anyone guarding it. The two quickly scanned their surroundings and realized that it was quite chaotic here; a battle seemed to have broken out just moments ago.
At this moment, three people were gathered around the coffin where Dr. Jenna lay. Seeing Lynch and the other man enter, Jack the bearded man beckoned to them.
"What did you do?" Karl Jones walked over with a dark face. "You actually activated the defensive measures inside, and just when we were about to break..."
"Mr. Karl." Rooney suddenly raised his head. "You should come over first. Dr. Jenna... is not doing well."
"Hmm?"
Karl, who had been looking to hold someone accountable, was interrupted. Lynch's heart tightened as well. Rooney's expression was grave. Could it be that they still hadn't managed to save her?
The two victims exchanged a glance and then hurried over. As soon as they got close, Lynch realized something was wrong.
Dr. Jenna was still lying weakly on the coffin. The large hole in her chest was wreathed in black mist, but at this moment, with that hole as the center, countless black lines had spread out, covering her entire body, making her look like a shattered porcelain doll that had been pieced back together. It made one feel a chill in their heart just by looking at her.
"The treatment was going very smoothly, and she had already regained consciousness."
Jack Adams, standing to the side, took a sip from his flask and shook his head:
"But just now, an accident suddenly happened. The power of death erupted from within her body, like a seed that had been dormant for a long time suddenly beginning to grow. None of us expected it. By the time we discovered it and before we could suppress it, the power of death had completely erupted."
"So... that triggered the defensive trap?"
"I don't know the situation on your side, but that should be it." Rooney sighed softly. "The impact was significant; you can tell by looking at the situation around us. It was only by the three of us joining forces that we barely managed to suppress the erupting power of death, but the doctor's body..."
Karl stood by the stone sarcophagus, head bowed in silence. His face, which was usually brimming with a smile, finally carried a look of sorrow. He reached out and gently took hold of the doctor's eerie, crack-filled hand. Not knowing what he was thinking as he bowed his head, he suddenly pressed the doctor's hand against his own face and whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
The palm moved slightly. The doctor slowly opened her eyes. Seeing the people around her and then looking at Karl Jones before her, the doctor touched his face and said in a weak voice, "Don't be sad, little Karl. Those who set foot in the mysterious realm always have such a day. This is our fate; it cannot be blamed on anyone. If you must blame someone, blame ourselves."
Karl sighed deeply and pressed firmly against the hand that was stroking his cheek. Dr. Jenna smiled comfortingly and beckoned to Lynch again.
Lynch had been pondering whether there was any way to save her, and he had even considered exposing his identity to use Blood's Temptation. But the wounds on the doctor were too strange. Lynch tried everything, but he was helpless and could only watch as the doctor walked step by step toward weakness.
Seeing the doctor call for him, although it was his first time experiencing such a scene and his heart felt heavy, Lynch stepped forward. The doctor struggled to pull him to her side, stuffed the backpack strap into his hand, and whispered in Lynch's ear, "I can't hold on any longer. You two be careful; those three are unreliable. I have no regrets. The only thing I find a pity is that I couldn't help my little Louise. If there is a chance, help me give my bag to Louise. Tell her that Mother has gone ahead, and if she has the choice in the future, she must never again touch the mysterious world."
Lynch took a deep breath and nodded firmly. A look of reassurance appeared on the doctor's face, and she finally closed her eyes slowly.
The cracks covering her body suddenly became even denser. Filthy, oppressive black mist spilled out in large clumps from all the fissures. The people around instinctively took a few steps back, watching as the doctor crumbled into fragments like a porcelain doll, only to be completely swallowed by the black mist spilling from within her own body.
The ritual continued, the second victim had finally appeared, and the remaining number of people was five.
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