The sudden explosive news left me momentarily at a loss for how to react. The impact of this news was even greater than when Pandora told me that the broken metal plate was a "Spirit Beacon," causing me to somewhat doubt if the author even knew what they were writing... Darn it! A slip of the tongue...
I looked around and found that this underground space had no light sources, yet it was as bright as daylight. We could see everything in the hall clearly.
The entire hall was about the size of a football field, built entirely of giant stone blocks. The square stone tiles on the floor were engraved with strange patterns and designs, while the walls next to us had inexplicable reliefs that looked like some kind of sacrificial scene. Large square stone pillars stood every 20 meters or so to support the ceiling, and these pillars were also covered with what seemed to be hieroglyphic marks.
Besides the entrance we came through, each wall in the hall had a similar-sized entrance, making a total of four passageways connected to this hall.
As an ancient relic, the architectural level of this hall could be considered very high. But it didn't resemble the Xyrin buildings I had seen, filled with futuristic vibes, at all.
"Pandora, are you sure this is a Xyrin Warrior's tomb? There are no advanced devices here."
"This place does indeed carry the aura of an ancient carbon-based civilization. But this architectural layout is exactly the same as the resting place of Xyrin warriors. Though the reliefs and texts here have been recklessly modified by carbon-based life forms according to their understanding, one can still see traces of the original Xyrin language... More importantly, there is still a working Xyrin device here..."
"What?!" I was about to ask for more details when Lin Xue shouted in surprise, "Everyone, close your eyes!"
Not knowing what Lin Xue meant, we closed our eyes without any hesitation.
"What is going on..."
"How is this possible..."
"...Enough with the word count... Ugh..."
Various exclamations echoed.
We were surprised to find that even with our eyes closed, the scene in the hall still appeared clearly in our minds.
Almost simultaneously, we all raised our hands to touch our faces to confirm that our eyelids were still there.
"Mind Imaging System. It can directly project images into the thought circuits of any creature within its effective range, with a reproduction accuracy of over 99.99%. We usually combine this technology with virtual reality technology for special combat training for our soldiers..."
"So, everything here is an illusion?!" My heart tightened, and I was about to remind everyone.
"No... The Mind Imaging System here seems only to enable those who enter to see the scenes in the hall clearly. The transmitted images are exactly the same as the actual hall."
At this point, Lin Xue also realized this through her abilities, and waved for the somewhat uneasy companions to calm down, saying, "There's no need to worry; this isn't an illusion. It seems relic has some device allowing us to see the hall's scenes without conventional means."
"...Is this place really an ancient relic?" Lin Feng voiced the question in most of our minds.
The relic's strangeness made everyone more cautious. Lin Xue maximized her perception ability, Zheng Yiming stepped to the front of the team to respond to any imminent danger, Lin Feng's right hand was encircled by a faint blue Wind Blade, and Sicaro cautiously clutched his backpack full of pirated discs...
...Sir, are you sure you're not an undercover sent by the enemy? Or is your real purpose here to expand the user base of your pirated discs to the ancient tomb zombies?
"Wait a minute..." Qianqian, who had been quietly following us, suddenly spoke up. We turned back to see the hexagonal metal plate she was carrying trembling slightly, with one edge emitting a faint red glow.
"It suddenly became ..."
We exchanged looks, then I suggested, "Try turning that object."
Qianqian turned the metal plate, and we saw the edge emitting red light change direction like a compass.
"Follow the direction indicated by the red light."
Lin Xue looked at me in surprise and said, "I didn't expect you to be smart as well as destructive."
...If you had a living user manual like Little Pandora with a "Spirit Beacon," you could easily come up with this idea too.
Following Lin Xue, we came to an exit on one side of the hall, where a dark corridor appeared before us.
I complained to Pandora through a spiritual connection, "Which stingy Xyrin Apostle built this place? Can't they install a few more 'Mind Imaging Systems'? At least put up a light bulb..."
"If Brother is dissatisfied, we can try to find the builder of this underground tomb and punish them accordingly."
"Uh... Didn't you realize I was joking?"
"Wait a minute!" Just as we were about to use our portable cold light tubes to enter the dark corridor, Lin Xue suddenly called out.
"What is it, sis? You scared the hell out of me!" Lin Feng nearly tripped, complaining.
Lin Xue, looking uneasy, glanced at the dark corridor and said softly, "I suddenly have an uncomfortable feeling..."
My heart skipped a beat, and I immediately became more vigilant. I had no doubt about Lin Xue's words; even Pandora called it a powerful skill!
"Everyone, be careful!" Zheng Yiming shouted in a low voice, and a translucent protective layer quickly enveloped us all. Almost simultaneously, hundreds of dark red beams shot up from the cracks in the floor tiles, making their way towards us.
"Quick, retreat to the corridor! I can't block all the attacks!" Seeing his defense layer becoming unstable after blocking a few beams, Zheng Yiming urgently shouted.
"No... We can't get in!" Qianqian tried to hide in the corridor behind us but found herself blocked by an invisible barrier.
"Pandora," I immediately asked through our spiritual connection, "what's going on?!"
"Analyzing—identifying the attacker—EL-305 type automatic defense counterattack system, connection request—request denied—submitting high-authority mark—opponent rejected authority recognition... Brother, this is a common Xyrin Empire suppressing defense counterattack system that seems to have malfunctioned due to time. I cannot terminate it through conventional means."
"Any solutions?" I watched as cracks began to form on Zheng Yiming's defense barrier, and I grew anxious.
"Cannot accurately locate the host of this defense counterattack system. Two countermeasures: Sicaro's Defender Tank can fully defend against this energy attack. My reconfigured Photon Floating Cannon Array can terminate the attack by entirely destroying this relic. Both plans will produce significant energy fluctuations and visible phenomena, with a 99.915% chance of being observed by this planet's carbon-based life forms."
"...Any stealthier suggestions?"
Despite the urgency, Pandora's voice remained calm: "There is a backup plan, but it may have unpredictable consequences—using the Spirit Beacon I carry to teleport everyone out of here. However, I cannot guarantee that this area is free from space interference systems, so the teleportation may not complete successfully."
"Try it first. If teleportation fails, we'll use your super weapons."
Pandora nodded, then closed her eyes to hide her pupils that were about to change color.
At that moment, I saw the Spirit Beacon, which we had gotten from Gu Zhengfeng and was nearly scrapped, suddenly emit a dazzling red light in Qianqian's hand!