These are two different matters.
The group descended deeper underground.
The number of bats, after increasing to a certain extent, did not continue to grow.
But the stairs seemed to have no end.
When the instruments indicated they had descended to a depth of thirteen thousand meters.
Although they had not encountered any real danger along the way, the group decided not to go any further.
The hole that the Russian nation had dug with the strength of the entire country on the surface had not reached such a depth.
Now, a mere staircase had surpassed the depth of the hole dug by the Russians.
The group began to suspect that the stairs would never end.
"We've been walking for three hours... and still haven't reached the end. I'm afraid walking further will be futile," Kyle said.
"We didn't bring any food. Before dawn, it's best we return to replenish our supplies. We can explore this place again later."
The idea of exploring this place again later was somewhat disappointing, but there was no other choice. They had prepared for combat, but not for walking down an endless staircase.
No one could have predicted that in such a small area, one could walk for three hours without reaching the end. Naturally, before setting out, no one had brought any food.
They had only brought weapons.
Now, feeling hungry, Kyle decisively chose to turn back. The anomaly had been confirmed and found. They could explore it again at any time. Next time, they would be prepared for the specific characteristics of this anomaly. They didn't need to explore it completely on the first attempt.
Hall also added, "To avoid arousing the old man's suspicion, we should head back now. If he discovers we're gone after dawn, something bad will surely happen."
"Three hours down, three hours up. That's a round trip."
Among the group, only the brothers Hall and Kyle held any real authority.
Any decision only needed to be discussed if their opinions differed.
Now that their opinions were the same, others naturally had no right to object. Thus, the group began to ascend the stairs.
As they walked up the stairs, Hall was constantly worried that they might not reach the end from above either. But it was only when he saw the light outside that he breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the worst-case scenario had not occurred.
It seemed the staircase was endless only downwards, not upwards.
"Although this expedition yielded no profit and we didn't truly uncover the reality of this place, the journey was relatively safe, with no real dangers encountered..."
Hall was in a good mood, but he had no idea what predicament he would face next.
As he stepped out of the staircase and onto the first floor, then outside, Hall's expression froze.
According to the time displayed on his phone earlier, and his own mental calculation, it should have been dawn, early morning, with the sun just rising.
Why, then, was the scene before him not dawn, but still night?
"Why is it still night?"
Hall looked up at the sky. The bright moon hung high, its light bathing the land, casting a silvery glow over everything.
Most importantly – from his perspective, the abandoned manor and the burnt houses were no longer visible. Only the original, primeval mountains remained.
And on a distant cliff, a colossal ancient tower stood, appearing even more mysterious under the moonlight.
"Impossible! There definitely wasn't a tower here before..."
"Where did the mountain path I took to get here go? And the abandoned manors, why have they suddenly disappeared..."
Although he had long known that he had encountered a mysterious event.
The scene that unfolded after emerging, as if the world had changed, still made Hall's heart tremble.
This place, though seemingly the same mountains, had a vastly different environment.
He had a feeling that he had traversed thousands of years of history, returning to the past, or perhaps had left Earth entirely and traveled to another world.
The ancient tower seemed to possess a mysterious gravitational pull, drawing him forward.
If not for the extremely bizarre external environment that instilled a sense of resistance in him, he might have already been dazed and walked into the ancient tower.
"This interference..."
Hall felt as if there was some kind of interfering force between heaven and earth, making his head dizzy. He knew something was wrong. Gritting his teeth, he massaged his temples and finally managed to temporarily dispel the sensation.
When people encounter difficulties, they tend to stick together. Hall was no exception, especially since he had brought bodyguards with him.
Now, encountering such a mysterious and dangerous situation, Hall wanted to return and discuss with them what to do next.
"Where are they?"
Hall's realization sent a jolt of alarm through him.
He had come out with the group, not being the first to emerge, nor the last.
He had come out somewhere in the middle. Where had the people who emerged before him gone?
Were they drawn away by the ancient tower?
But they had emerged around the same time as him, just moments apart.
Even if they couldn't resist the attraction, he should have been able to see them!
How could he not see anyone?
Furthermore – if the people ahead were gone, why were the people behind him also gone?
Hall looked back at the staircase, only to find no one emerging from it.
He took a step back and started to descend again. He found that after less than four meters, he entered a cluttered basement, with no further stairs below.
Gone...
The seemingly endless staircase was gone...
The staircase that descended thirteen thousand meters without reaching its end was gone...
In its place was a staircase only four meters long, leading to a basement. This staircase was merely an ordinary one leading to the next floor, equivalent to the first basement level, no different from the basement of a regular house...
Where had the people who were by my side gone?
Where had the seemingly endless staircase, which almost led to the core of the Earth, gone?
Cold sweat streamed down Hall's face.
Seeing the ancient tower that could attract attention, and this new world, he was already feeling uneasy. Even with the others present, he would have been uneasy.
Now, left completely alone, facing this seemingly unfamiliar world without anyone else, his inner unease had amplified tenfold.
"I can't see anyone. I thought this exploration was going smoothly, and although we gained nothing, the journey was peaceful and without danger. But now..."