Although I felt a bit disappointed, I eventually managed to cut off a portion of the skin and hardened mass with my alloy knife.
After cleaning it up, I put it into my backpack.
I didn't know what this thing was useful for, but collecting some couldn't hurt.
It might come in handy in the future.
After dealing with the monster, Qu Xiangyun and I returned to the tent to continue sleeping. Perhaps the goblins lurking in the shadows found us too formidable, and the night passed without incident.
The next morning.
After we ate, Hathway had already recovered more than half of her strength and felt no discomfort.
After a brief tidy-up, we continued our journey.
Having spent so many days in this underground palace, I had gradually begun to grasp some of its patterns.
On the surface, we were constantly changing rooms, but in reality, the palace's layout was progressively leading us deeper underground. We were likely tens of meters below the surface now.
Often, we would pass through downward-sloping corridors, some even at a ninety-degree angle, requiring us to use ladders to ascend and descend.
As we ventured further, the surrounding temperature gradually rose.
When we first descended, we were all wearing specially made thermal clothing to withstand the biting cold.
Now, however, we could barely feel the chill. We even had to pack our thermal suits into our backpacks at night to avoid waking up in a sweat.
Fortune accompanies misfortune, and misfortune lurks behind fortune.
The rise in temperature was undeniably a good thing for us, allowing us to shed our thermal gear and proceed more rapidly. On the other hand, the increased temperature also created a more conducive environment for life.
The higher the temperature in this underground palace, the more likely we were to encounter strange and bizarre creatures.
The deeper we went, the more my doubts accumulated.
We were constantly approaching the earth's core, but how did Qu Xiangyun's father get in back then?
Did he enter this underground palace from below?
That seemed impossible.
As Qu Xiangyun led us on a circuitous route, Sivir finally began to grow suspicious.
While we were walking down a tunnel, Sivir suddenly stopped, staring intently at Qu Xiangyun.
"Qu Xiangyun, are you sure the route we're taking is correct? We've already exceeded our estimated time, but we haven't even seen the first waypoint!"
Facing Sivir's questioning, Qu Xiangyun remained calm.
She gripped my arm and replied nonchalantly, "We're all in this together now, why would I lie to you? Decades have passed since my father entered this underground environment; some discrepancies are normal. Don't worry, we're steadily approaching the earth's core. As long as we keep going, the waypoint will appear sooner or later."
Sivir seemed somewhat skeptical of Qu Xiangyun's answer, but since her words had no significant flaws, he ultimately just nodded at her and said nothing more.
However, their conversation left me utterly bewildered.
Waypoint?
I had only heard that word in science fiction movies. Did some kind of portal exist underground?
Or perhaps we hadn't even reached the core of the underground palace yet, and only after passing that waypoint would we truly enter?
Despite the numerous questions swirling in my mind, this was not the time to press Qu Xiangyun.
So, I reluctantly suppressed my curiosity.
Just as we were about to continue forward, Hathway suddenly let out a cry of shock, her expression a mixture of terror and confusion!
She tried her best to regain her composure, but her hands couldn't stop trembling.
I immediately noticed Hathway's unusual behavior, which put me on high alert.
Hathway was no ordinary person; she came from a military background and had demonstrated remarkable composure during our previous trials.
What had she seen?
As the question formed in my mind, I saw Hathway pointing forward, her voice trembling as she said, "Look, isn't that Professor Gukov ahead?"
Hathway's words sent a chill down my spine. Qu Xiangyun and I exchanged glances, both stunned.
Professor Gukov?
Hadn't he died right in front of Hathway!
Could it be that Hathway's condition hadn't improved, and she was hallucinating?!
As I pondered this, I instinctively tightened my grip on my alloy knife and quickly turned to look in the direction Hathway was pointing.
The moment I saw it, my entire body felt like it was covered in goosebumps.
Not far from us, in the darkness, there was a protruding rock. Behind that rock, a figure stood silently.
If you weren't looking carefully, you wouldn't see it at all.
Even with our flashlight beams, the surrounding environment was too dark. I could only vaguely discern the person's general silhouette, but their face was completely obscured.
The person just stood there, motionless.
Qu Xiangyun, standing beside me, squinted her eyes and then gasped, "His clothes... and his glasses! It's Professor Gukov!"