Jiang Fan walked over to the device and picked it up.
Instantly, the surrounding electric light flashed again and then dimmed. Jiang Fan realized that as soon as he removed the device, all power would be cut off.
"It seems this is a high-tech product. Just getting close to this Orb makes it lose its function."
The reason the Orb released electricity was because of this device, which was what they called the core.
Hearing this, Bala, standing nearby, was overjoyed.
"What? We finally found it? What do we do now? Let's take it and leave quickly. With this, we can get past the Minotaur and the Ox-Head!"
Jiang Fan nodded thoughtfully and then looked at Bala. "If we take this and leave, it's likely that the entire power supply of your Hualuo world will be cut off. Are you sure we really want to take it?"
Upon hearing this, Bala hesitated. Jiang Fan fell into deep thought. If this device were removed, all living beings in the entire Hualuo world would perish. Without power, their world would regress to a primitive state, as all kinetic energy currently came from within this Orb. And the Orb's power source was this core. Although the core could be taken now, considering the lives of everyone in the Hualuo world, whether to take it or not had become a crucial question.
Bala smiled faintly and said to Jiang Fan, "I've been researching this for many years, and today is finally the moment of great glory."
Bala then took out a cube-like box from his pocket. It looked like a battery and was emitting a blue light.
"This is something I designed and manufactured over many years. It has stored most of the core's energy. If we leave it here, it should last for a long time, at least as long as I've been here. So, we can use it as a temporary replacement. When it runs out after we leave, we can bring it back."
Jiang Fan was ecstatic. He hadn't expected Bala to be so capable of creating such a device.
"You're amazing, Bala!"
Zhou Niannian, hearing how ingenious the design was, couldn't resist pinching Bala's cheek. Bala looked so much like a child that he was very adorable. Even Dai Xiaomei couldn't help but pick him up and rock him.
"I'm not actually a child. I'm much older than you all, so please put me down. It's quite embarrassing."
Only then did Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei remember that Bala was not a child but an elder who merely looked like one. Yao and Dai Xiaomei looked embarrassed. Gun Gun, meanwhile, was staring outside as if he had discovered something extraordinary.
Jiang Fan also noticed that Gun Gun seemed to have detected someone approaching and frowned. "What is it, Gun Gun? Did you find something?"
Gun Gun nodded immediately upon hearing this and pointed outside the door. Jiang Fan closed his eyes and listened intently. Yao quickly followed suit, trying to sense what was outside. After a moment, they both realized that people had entered the area. If they had followed them in, it would have been almost impossible. Therefore, the most likely explanation was that these people were sent by the King. After all, only the King could have people enter this final stage and infiltrate so deeply.
"What do we do now? If we go out now, we'll definitely be stopped. How should we proceed?"
At this moment, Bala slowly walked up to everyone. "Don't worry, I'm here. You don't need to be concerned. I'll handle this for you. Just wait for the right moment and escape. Don't linger here."
Hearing this, Jiang Fan felt uneasy. Bala's intention to stay behind would only result in him being captured by the King, and Jiang Fan had no idea what his fate would be.
"No, you have to come with us. If you stay, you're very likely to lose your life. Then your dream of leaving here will never come true. The King's influence is immense. It would be incredibly difficult for us to take you away from under his nose. Why don't you come with us now?"
Bala gently shook his head. "Impossible. Even escaping on your own is a problem. Trying to take me with you is a fool's dream. I will come out and meet you later. Don't worry."
With that, Bala walked towards the door and opened it, revealing the entire core to the onlookers. As Jiang Fan had imagined, the entrance was already crowded with people trying to figure out how to get in. But before they could, Bala opened the door and stepped out.
"Everyone, step aside and let them pass! I know why they are here. They are merely here to repair this Orb. The King is not in the laboratory behind here, and he doesn't know what's happening. So, all of you, let them leave."
Hearing this, the people present dared not directly let Jiang Fan and his group go. However, seeing the arrogant demeanor of Jiang Fan's group, they could only watch them leave. This was because Bala had ordered them not to attack Jiang Fan's group. In the back of this laboratory, only the scientists' words mattered, even over the King's orders.