Chapter 288 Bare Walls
Seeing this, Yao and Gun Gun could only desperately defend against the swarm of giant dragons charging at them on the stone slab platform. Fortunately, their strength was sufficient, and no one on the stone slab was harmed.
As they retreated close to the castle, the stone slab began to descend again. It firmly wedged itself into the outer wall of the castle on one side. Then, the other side folded up, pushing Jiang Fan and the others into the castle. The stone slab then sealed itself like a heavy door into the castle's opening, leaving no gap. Thus, they had successfully reached the second level of the castle.
However, to their surprise, the second level of the castle was not as spacious as they had imagined from the first floor. Fortunately, the castle's illumination was still bright enough, preventing them from being plunged into darkness. Yet, at first glance, all they saw were a few walls. Escaping from here would likely not be a simple task.
At least they could rest for a while. The deathly silence of the environment made Jiang Fan and the others immediately forget about the monsters outside the entrance. It seemed as if the room and the outside world were two different dimensions, worlds apart.
Jiang Fan slowly sat down, and after a brief rest, took out the pearl from Zhou Niannian. Initially, Jiang Fan had worried about losing the pearl, and upon seeing Zhou Niannian produce it, he breathed a sigh of relief.
The viewers couldn't help but express their emotions.
"That was too intense just now, but thankfully, everyone is unharmed."
"Exactly! Did you see Jiang Fan fighting alone below? He was so cool."
"He was truly cool, wasn't he? Wielding a fire axe and a dagger, he just massacred them."
"What's the point of massacring them? He almost lost his life there. Escaping is the coolest part, okay?"
"You're right. If we were still down there, I wonder if we'd have been torn to shreds by now?"
"Don't forget, even Gun Gun sustained such serious injuries."
"..."
Gun Gun had not fully recovered from its injuries, and the bloodstain on its shoulder had not subsided. Fortunately, its stamina was strong, and the blood had coagulated, stopping further bleeding. Dai Xiao Mei, standing nearby, quickly took a small bandage from Jiang Fan's backpack and wrapped it around Gun Gun.
Jiang Fan, meanwhile, was examining the pearl, trying to discern any special properties it might possess. Without the sunlight and strong light sources from outside, the pearl appeared unremarkable, lacking the dazzling brilliance it had shown earlier.
"What do you think this pearl is for? Why were those dinosaurs so obsessed with it?" Jiang Fan suddenly asked. The others around him turned their gaze to the plain-looking pearl. Apart from its unusually reflective surface, it had no other discernible features that amazed them. Moreover, without the surrounding light, the pearl seemed dull, not at all like the peerless treasure they had imagined.
"Perhaps this pearl is a powerful weapon, like in the movies. If used correctly, it can unleash immense power."
"Otherwise, why would those dinosaurs be so fixated on getting it?"
"And didn't you see how those monsters were chasing after this pearl like madmen?" Zhou Niannian also chimed in. Although her face was still slightly pale, her mood seemed to have improved.
Jiang Fan was somewhat perplexed. He still didn't know what the pearl was used for, so he put it away. "Fine, we have no other options now. We can only search for a way out from here. I don't know how we're supposed to proceed to the next level. It looks like all the walls are sealed." Jiang Fan had already noticed that there were no other decorations or secret passages in this small room. The only thing present was sand that had accumulated from being blown in while the entrance was open. Fortunately, Jiang Fan and his group had a place to rest. However, the most pressing matter was to devise a clever plan to escape.
"What should we do now? Do we have to face those monsters again to escape? Those monsters are too terrifying. If we go out now, we'll surely be killed by them."
"Why don't we just rest here for a while? We have enough food and water, so we won't starve to death here." Zhou Niannian did not want to face those devilish enemies again. The sheer number of monsters was overwhelming; even the most powerful individual would likely be worn down and killed. This small, sealed room was currently the safest place. Despite its cramped size, it offered them a chance to rest.
Jiang Fan slowly shook his head. "The safer a place seems, the more dangerous it might be. This place may appear harmless, but it could be designed to wear down our will, making us rest here until we exhaust our supplies."
"Think about it, if we stay here for a few days and all our provisions are gone, what will happen when we reach the next location, especially if there isn't another small jungle like the one we encountered before?"
"The appearance of that small jungle was our greatest boon. We must head to the next location immediately." Although Zhou Niannian's idea was the safest, it wouldn't work for them now.
Upon hearing Jiang Fan's words, Zhou Niannian lowered her head slightly and said nothing more. Jiang Fan then let out a sigh and stood up, looking around. He recalled that the mechanism had been revealed because the sand was blown away by a tornado. Jiang Fan surmised that this place would be similar to the previous one. If they could clear away the sand on the ground, they might find clues to the next exit.
Without delay, Jiang Fan picked up his fire axe, twisted off the axe head, and attached a military shovel. He spun it in his hand, then dug into the ground, clearing away the sand and debris, trying to reveal any markings on the surface.