At first, the walls were rough like stone walls, but when we opened the next door, a rather terrifying sense of incongruity struck us.

This is no longer a relic... but some kind of base, right?

Under the illumination of several flashing orbs, the walls around us reflected that characteristic metallic sheen, and when I touched them, they were as cold as metal.

And the seamless design of the corridor gave me a sense of being inside a space battleship from a sci-fi movie.

...

Could it be that this relic is actually a dropped space fortress?

That's terrifying. Let's just treat it as a relic and explore for now. It feels really scary though.

So, we have to go from one entrance of this base to another? My god, how long will that take?

Suddenly, I remembered a long time ago when I entered an underground relic and arrived at a place that seemed like a hospital... Could that have been the "Black Gold Era" hospital?

A chill ran through me as I recalled the words I saw in that hospital.

They were completely in our original world's language...

I wiped away the cold sweat. Alright, stay calm. For now, let's just leave this place.

If this really is some kind of base, then we should be able to find something like a map here. Once we find it, we can leave faster.

"This metal structure does seem to be a product of the 'Black Gold Era.' Let's just follow the corridor,

One method to navigate a maze is to keep walking along one side of the walls, and eventually, we'll reach the exit."

"But what if the layout of the corridor has changed from its original state?"

I looked at Bai Yueguang, who asked the question, and furrowed my brows. What kind of games do you usually play? Or are you watching some horror movies? The plot is so scary?

"No need to worry about that. I have a complete set of equipment."

Saying that, I took out a can of spray paint and sprayed it on the wall. The originally dull wall slowly emitted a faint light where the paint landed.

"Oh oh oh, is this... fluorescent spray paint?"

Bai Yueguang approached and stared at the wall.

"Not entirely. It also contains magical crystal powder from the light and plant elements. After mixing in the right proportions and circulating, it emits light like this."

"So we can mark a pathway by continuously spraying this paint, and even if the corridor changes, we can find it right away?"

"That's right."

"Then let's go quickly!"

"But there's one thing I have to mention in advance. According to tests, one can of spray paint can only cover one kilometer, and this paint is not eternal. It only lasts for 5 hours."

"So you mean we can only walk one kilometer?"

"No, we can go much farther because we only need to mark the paths we have taken at the intersections. But..."

"But we have to leave within five hours, or else we won't be able to see the markings, right?"

"That's right."

I nodded.

"Our options now are: one, regardless of the dangers on the way, rush all the way to try to leave within five hours, or two, explore cautiously, confirming one direction at a fork, and try to complete the exploration of that branch within five hours before coming back and replenishing the paint."

"Then... shall we start from the leftmost side?"

I looked at everyone.

"Let's go with majority rules, how about that?"

"That's the decision!"

-----------------------------In search---------------------------

"One, two, three... push!"

Bai Yueguang and I both pushed hard against the metal door in front of us. A harsh metallic friction sound echoed as the door moved inward slightly.

"Good job, everyone! Push it open!"

I walked over to the wall on the other side and placed my hand on it. Then, a massive ice pillar shot out from the wall and slammed into the metal door, causing it to open with a creak, accompanied by some unknown substance dust.

This is the interior of a building, and everything is made of metal. There shouldn't be any dust... What could this substance be?

But I don't want to dwell on it.

Two orbs floated into the room, circling around. It seemed to be a lounge with sofas, tables, and many cabinets.

I took out a light and illuminated the room, then walked in first.

"Looks like a lounge for guests. I wonder how the rooms in this place are arranged."

We had already explored three forks within an hour. Most of them were guest rooms like this one. Of course, there was also a medical room and a warehouse, but everything inside was dilapidated, and there was hardly anything usable left.

"Could this place be a residential area? But why aren't there obvious exit markers?"

Princess Cher couldn't help but speak up.

Speaking of which, she must be having the toughest time right now. Normally, she wouldn't have had the chance to walk such long distances. It must be quite uncomfortable for her to suddenly accompany us through this maze.

"There's nothing we can do. Perhaps they're using something else to mark their locations, something we can't see, or maybe they don't even need to walk themselves."

"You mean teleportation gates?"

"They don't even have magic, so teleportation gates... There might be a possibility!"

Although they don't have space magic, wormhole teleportation or something similar could still be possible!

If that were the case, their technology wouldn't be a joke. If it actually existed, they would be far ahead of this era!

"But it's more likely to be a mode of transportation."

Bai Yueguang pulled out a two-wheeled vehicle from the corner, which looked quite similar to a modern vehicle.

"It looks pretty good. Let's bring it back for Ms. Mary and the others to study."

"It's useless. The components inside are all gone. It's just an empty shell."

Bai Yueguang tossed it to the ground, and it made a hollow metallic sound.

"How is this possible...?"

"I guess they took all the valuable things but left behind the empty shells. But why?"

"...I think I know the reason."

Suddenly, Hill spoke up.

"Why?"

"Look at this..."

He handed over a metal plate.

"We need to hurry..."

Emergency Notice

The Third Rest Area will soon enter a long-term high-temperature disinfection state, eliminating all organic matter within the range. The circulation time is once every two hours. Please stay away from the Third Rest Area.

The text used on it includes human language, elven language, and various other languages... What on earth...

But that's not the most important thing. The most important thing is...

"How long have we been here?"