Eagle's chilling, mocking voice still echoed like a nightmare in their ears as the secret chamber's deadly mechanism operated at full force. The four stone walls pressed inwards slowly but steadily and mercilessly. The immense pressure almost made every bone in their bodies creak. The floor vibrated more violently with each passing moment, and a thick, mud-like liquid mixed with sand gushed in rapidly from cracks in the floor. The water level rose quickly from ankles to knees, and would soon reach their waists. The air inside the chamber grew alarmingly thin. A bone-chilling cold and dampness pervaded every molecule.
"Damn it! It's not moving!" Taurus roared. He used his mountain-like physique and all his strength to try and hold back one of the walls. Every muscle in his body bulged, veins prominent, his arms trembling, but the stone wall continued to advance relentlessly, as if mocking his futile efforts. Bacchus joined in with all his might, his Earthen Hammer relentlessly pounding another wall, hoping to create a crack or an opening, but only small stone fragments chipped off. The loud thuds were swallowed by the horrifying grinding sound of the mechanism.
"Everyone! Stay calm!" Kiana shouted at the top of her lungs, trying to rally everyone amidst the heart-wrenching chaos. "Panic won't help! Look for an escape! There must be a way out!" The light from her torch trembled violently, reflecting her determined yet increasingly desperate eyes. Even the strongest leader could feel death creeping closer.
Ryu and Raven split up to examine the remaining walls and ceiling, climbing into nooks and crannies, using daggers to tap for hollow sounds, or trying to find any hidden mechanisms. But everything seemed solid. The stone walls were too thick and strong to be broken by their combined strength. Hope began to dwindle as the available space shrank relentlessly.
Amidst the growing despair, Da Vinci fought to suppress the fear gnawing at his heart. He knew that if he lost hope, everyone else would too. The genius's mind began to work at full capacity under the immense pressure. He meticulously observed the trap's operation: the speed of the walls, the direction of the flowing liquid, now almost at their hips. He recalled the schematics and ancient structure of the Athenaeum he had just seen on the stone tablets in this room. "If this room is part of the ancient structure... it might have an 'emergency exit' or a 'hidden mechanism' prepared by the creators! A drainage system! That must be it!"
"Kiana!" Da Vinci shouted over the deafening grind of the mechanism. "Your torch! Shine it on the wall behind the stone pedestal! Where the water is swirling down! I see carvings on the floor there that look different!" He had noticed that the inflowing muddy water seemed to swirl and drain faster in that particular spot, as if there was an opening beneath.
Kiana immediately complied without hesitation. The torchlight illuminated the spot Da Vinci indicated, revealing a large stone slab on the floor with unique carvings and a fairly clear seam, though covered in mud sediment. Ryu and Raven rushed over, trying to pry at the seam with their daggers, but it seemed too tight due to time and the pressure of the earth.
"Bacchus! Taurus!" Da Vinci shouted again, his voice hoarse but still full of hope. "We can't stop those walls! Try here! If we can open this slab, it might be our way out!"
The two mighty warriors quickly disengaged from the advancing walls, turning all their strength to the stone slab on the floor. Bacchus roared, his Earthen Hammer swinging with all his might, striking precisely where Da Vinci had indicated. The initially dull thud began to sound slightly hollower after several blows. Taurus used all his strength, his hands gripping the edge of the slab, prying and pushing with all his might, veins bulging on his arms and neck. Finally! With a loud crack, like breaking bones, the heavy stone slab lifted slightly, revealing a dark, rather steep vertical shaft leading downwards, with the distinct sound of wind and flowing water emanating from it!
The muddy water from the chamber began to gush rapidly into the shaft. However, since the shaft opening was slightly higher than the chamber floor and its size wasn't very large, the drainage rate was limited. The water level in the secret chamber continued to rise, albeit a little slower than before. Da Vinci quickly analyzed, "It seems this drainage system was designed to handle a large volume of water... but don't be careless. There might be flooded sections ahead!"
The muddy water in the chamber had risen almost to their chests. The walls had closed in, leaving only a tiny space for them to huddle together. "We have no time!" Kiana decided decisively, her voice sharp and authoritative. "Ryu! Raven! You're the most agile! Go down first! Scout the path and clear the way! Da Vinci, follow with the detection device! I'll monitor the situation here and give the signal!"
Ryu and Raven didn't hesitate for a second. They quickly squeezed into the vertical shaft. Darkness and a chilling cold enveloped them instantly. Da Vinci hesitated for only a moment. He looked at the golden brush in his hand, its light now so dim it was barely visible. He had used a lot of its power creating small items and performing intense analysis. But he knew this was no time to be stingy with power. He jumped into the darkness after them.
"Bacchus! Taurus! You go next! I'll be the last one down!" Kiana commanded, still using her torch to light the way and watch for falling debris from above.
The underground tunnel was a living hell. It was pitch black, so narrow that Bacchus and Taurus almost had to squeeze through, their shoulders rubbing against the rough, cold tunnel walls. Some sections had such low ceilings that everyone had to stoop or even crawl laboriously. The floor was periodically flooded, slippery, and littered with sharp rocks ready to cut their feet. The air was musty and thin, making it hard to breathe. Ryu and Raven had to use extreme agility to move, sometimes crawling under low-hanging ceilings, sometimes climbing over obstacles caused by rockfalls. The light from Ryu's "Astra Navigator" had limited range, creating a claustrophobic feeling and obscuring potential dangers ahead. Da Vinci followed closely, trying to use his engineering knowledge to assess the tunnel's stability and shouting directions or observations from his still-functional detection device.
"This way! I feel a stronger airflow!" Raven shouted from ahead, her voice hoarse but still composed.
But then a major obstacle appeared! The path ahead was blocked by a massive rockfall that had almost completely sealed the passage, leaving only a tiny, narrow gap at the bottom, just enough for a slender person to squeeze through one at a time.
"I'll go!" Ryu volunteered. He removed some of his armor and painstakingly squeezed through the gap. The sound of flesh scraping against rock and his heavy breathing were clear in the silence. It took him a considerable amount of time to get through, but he emerged with some scrapes and minor cuts.
"What about the rest of us?" Bacchus shouted from behind, his voice growing hoarse and clearly showing exhaustion. Taurus tried to push the boulder with his hands, but it didn't budge an inch.
Da Vinci gritted his teeth, his jaw trembling. He glanced at the brush in his hand, now so dull it was almost pitch black. He had virtually no energy left. But he knew this was their only way out. "I... I'll try..." He focused his last bit of will, gathering all his mental energy and determination, and "drew" a few thin, golden lines of light around the large obstructing boulder. It looked incredibly weak and faint compared to the power he once wielded. But he pulled with all his might as Bacchus and Taurus pushed and heaved from the other side. Finally! With a sickening creak, the boulder shifted slightly, just enough to open a gap for them to squeeze through. But the brush in Da Vinci's hand went completely dark, becoming just an ordinary black metal rod, and he collapsed to the ground, exhausted, coughing up a little blood, his vision blurring.
"Da Vinci!" Kiana and Raven (who had returned) rushed to support his limp body. "Are you alright?"
"Still... still alive..." Da Vinci replied faintly, forcing a smile. "Let's... let's keep going..."
They continued through the seemingly endless tunnel. Exhaustion, hunger, and despair began to creep in again. But then Ryu, who was leading, shouted with joy mixed with excitement, "Light! I see a faint light ahead! And the wind is stronger too!"
Everyone quickened their pace as much as their remaining strength allowed. Hope returned rapidly. As they approached the light, they found it was a small opening leading to what appeared to be a large "underground hall," much more spacious and with noticeably better air circulation. The light came from several large, glowing crystals embedded in the hall's walls.
But before they could take a full breath of relief...
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Three pitch-black arrows shot through the air from the darkness on the other side of the hall! They weren't aimed at vital points but embedded themselves precisely into the stone wall around the exit they had just emerged from! Blocking their path forward! The power in each arrow was so strong it sent stone fragments flying!
Simultaneously, Eagle's cold, mocking laughter echoed throughout the underground hall. The voice didn't seem to come from a single direction but from all around, as if he were using a sound system or some kind of power to communicate, making it impossible to pinpoint his location.
"Did you think you could escape my chessboard so easily... you filthy rats?" The voice was full of confidence and chilling amusement. "Every path you chose... was always in the palm of my hand. Whether it was the seemingly easy entrance or the secret passage you thought you discovered yourselves."
Silence fell for a moment, broken only by the ragged breathing of Da Vinci's group, still exhausted and now filled with renewed terror. Then, Eagle's voice hammered home their despair.
"This game... is far from over... And the exit you were so happy to find... is merely another board I prepared for you to walk on."
As he finished speaking! Grind! Clang! A massive, thick, ancient iron portcullis, clearly "reinforced" with Nebula Empire technology, began to descend slowly but steadily and unstoppably from the ceiling! Completely sealing the path they thought was their salvation! Simultaneously, the crimson light from dozens of hidden detection sensors embedded in the walls began to illuminate, focusing on each of them like prisoners awaiting execution!
They had escaped one trap... only to fall into a bigger, more complex, and seemingly more hopeless one! The breath of the Nebula Empire's Hawk still clung to them, like an inescapable shadow of death!
[End of Chapter 32]