Chapter 656

Bai Ye held a weak flashlight, and the beam swayed in the dim and complicated underground tunnel, making every step seem particularly heavy. The air is filled with the smell of dampness and mildew, as if time has frozen here, unwilling to move forward. His eyes were firm, but he could not hide his tiredness. The same was true for the soldiers behind him. Their heavy equipment and unknown fear made their steps slow and heavy.

"Everyone, be careful. This place looks more complicated than we expected." Bai Ye's voice echoed in the narrow space, carrying unquestionable majesty. The soldiers nodded one after another. Although no one spoke, the looks in their eyes were full of tacit understanding and trust.

Continuing deeper, the tunnel gradually becomes wider, and the musty smell in the air seems to have faded a bit. At this moment, a small sound broke the silence, like the sound of some kind of metal object rolling on the ground. Bai Ye immediately stopped and signaled everyone to be alert. He moved forward slowly, and the light of the flashlight swept ahead as he moved, finally settling on a dim corner.

"There seems to be something over there." Bai Ye whispered, with a hint of unnoticeable excitement in his voice. The soldiers immediately followed, approaching the corner cautiously. As they approached, an even older and deeper aura hit their faces, as if they had crossed the boundaries of time and space.

After turning the corner, everyone was stunned by the sight in front of them. This is no longer a cold tunnel, but a huge space, with a long dusty table in the center, surrounded by towering bookshelves, from the ground to the ceiling, with all kinds of books densely arranged on them. Although most of these books are dilapidated and some pages have even been scattered on the ground, the former glory and order can still make people feel the prosperity of this place.

"This... this is a library?" a soldier whispered in disbelief. His eyes wandered among the bookshelves, as if he wanted to find the former glory among the ruins.

"Yes, and it looks like it has been abandoned for many years." Bai Ye walked to an overturned desk and gently brushed away the dust on the surface, revealing the mottled wooden texture underneath. He turned around and scanned every face, "It seems that our task may be more complicated than imagined."

The soldiers looked at each other, some with curiosity in their eyes, and more with vigilance and uneasiness. Everything here is too weird and does not seem to be directly related to the purpose of their trip, but their intuition tells them that there are unknown secrets hidden here.

"Bai Ye, what should we do next?" a soldier asked, with a hint of trembling in his voice.

Bai Ye was silent for a moment, and then said slowly: "Now that we are here, there is no way back. We must continue to explore and find all the clues here. Perhaps, the answers we need will be hidden in these books."

With that said, he took the lead towards the bookshelf and began to read the ancient books one by one. The soldiers saw this and joined in one after another. Although most of them were illiterate, their desire for the unknown made them willing to work hard.

"Look, the cover of this book is still intact!" a soldier shouted excitedly. The book in his hand seemed to be more precious than other books. The cover read "The Mystery of Ancient Civilization" in gold-plated fonts.

Bai Ye heard the words and walked over, took the book, gently blew the dust off the surface, and then opened the first page. There are dried ink stains and traces of time between the pages, but the words are still clearly visible. He read carefully, his brows sometimes furrowed and sometimes relaxed, as if he was solving a mystery.

"This book mentions an ancient civilization that once thrived on this land and had highly developed technology and culture." Bai Ye's voice was deep and powerful, attracting everyone's attention, "And, according to the book "This civilization suddenly disappeared for some unknown reason, leaving only these relics and books."

After hearing this, the soldiers all showed surprised expressions. They never thought that such an amazing secret was hidden in this seemingly ordinary underground world.

"Then our mission...does it have anything to do with this civilization?" a soldier asked cautiously.

Bai Ye did not answer directly, but continued to flip through the books, seemingly looking for more clues. "It's hard to say yet, but what we can be sure of is that everything here is closely connected with the purpose of our trip." There was unquestionable determination in his words, "We must continue to explore until we find the answer. "

As time went by, the soldiers gradually adapted to the environment here, and they began to divide work and cooperate. Some continued to read books to look for clues, while others were responsible for cleaning up the surrounding debris to ensure that the road was clear. Bai Ye stood aside and observed everything silently. His heart was filled with complex emotions—both curiosity and desire for the unknown, as well as worry and alertness about possible dangers.

While they were busy, a slight noise broke the silence again. This time the sound seemed clearer and closer, as if someone was peering at them from the dark. The soldiers immediately became alert and raised their weapons to aim at the source of the sound. Bai Ye slowly walked towards the source of the sound, and the light of the flashlight drew a sharp arc in the darkness.

"Who's there?" His voice was low and powerful, full of threats.

However, all he received in response was dead silence. The soldiers waited nervously, but the sense of prying eyes suddenly disappeared, as if it had never existed.

"It seems that we are too nervous." Bai Ye took back the flashlight and turned to the soldiers and said, "However, everyone should remain vigilant. There may be other unknown dangers here."

Although the soldiers nodded in agreement, the uneasiness in their hearts did not completely dissipate. The inexplicable sense of peeping, like an invisible hand, tightly strangled their throats, making it difficult to breathe. Bai Ye knew this very well. He looked around and tried to find potential threats from every corner of the abandoned library.

"We continue to search," Bai Ye said in a deep voice, "but be careful and don't disperse too far."

The soldiers dispersed again. Some continued to flip through the books, trying to dig out more clues from the ancient texts; others held weapons and patrolled every corner of the library vigilantly. The beams of the flashlights intertwined in the dimness, bringing a faint vitality to this dead space.

As time went on, the soldiers gradually discovered something unusual. Some books on the bookshelves seemed to have been moved and were placed in an unusually neat manner, which was out of tune with the messy environment around them. What's more, in the gaps between some bookshelves, they found tiny metal fragments and the remains of what looked like some kind of mechanical parts.

"Bai Ye, look at this." A soldier walked up to Bai Ye and handed him a rusty metal fragment. Although the fragment was not large, the precise patterns carved on it revealed an extraordinary level of craftsmanship.

Bai Ye took the fragment and looked at it carefully, frowning. "This looks like... a part of some advanced robot." He muttered to himself, with an ominous premonition in his heart.

"You mean, there were robots active here?" another soldier asked, with a hint of fear in his voice.

Bai Ye did not answer immediately, but continued to look around, as if looking for more evidence to support his guess. "Not only active," he said slowly, "I suspect that this library may be a hidden laboratory, or part of a secret base."

The soldiers stopped what they were doing and looked at each other. If this is really a secret base, then everything they had encountered before will no longer be simple. They may not only be looking for a missing scientific research team, but also stepping into an unknown and dangerous world.

"So what should we do now?" a soldier asked, his voice full of confusion and uneasiness.

Bai Ye took a deep breath, his eyes firm. "We can't give up," he said, "No matter what secrets are hidden here, we must find it and make it public. This is our duty as soldiers and the purpose of our trip."

The soldiers nodded in agreement. Although they were full of fear and uneasiness, their sense of honor and responsibility as soldiers made them unable to retreat. They cheered up again and continued to devote themselves to the search.

In the following time, the soldiers searched every corner of the library more carefully. They not only found more mechanical parts and electronic equipment wreckage, but also found a secret passage leading deeper underground. This secret passage was closed by a heavy stone door, which was engraved with complex runes and patterns, which seemed to contain some mysterious power.

"It seems that the real secret is hidden behind this secret passage." Bai Ye stood in front of the stone door, staring at the ancient runes and patterns, with expectation and curiosity in his heart.

"Then how do we open it?" a soldier asked.

Bai Ye pondered for a moment, then walked to the bookshelf nearby. He began to look through books related to ancient technology and magic, trying to find clues to open the stone door. After some effort, he finally found a possible solution in a long-forgotten ancient book - an ancient spell and a complex mechanical device.

"We need two people to cooperate," Bai Ye said to the soldiers, "one person recites the spell, and the other person operates the mechanical device."

The soldiers heard this and expressed their willingness to try. In the end, Bai Ye chose two of the most alert and brave soldiers to perform this task. They followed Bai Ye's instructions, one stood in front of the stone door and recited a complex spell, while the other operated the mechanical device found in the library.

As the spell was recited and the mechanical device was running, the runes on the stone door began to flash with dazzling light. A powerful energy wave surged out of the stone door, shaking the entire library. The soldiers stepped back a few steps and watched the changes in the stone door nervously.

Finally, with a roar, the stone door slowly opened, revealing a passage leading deep underground. The passage was pitch black, as if swallowing up all the light and sound. But the soldiers did not retreat. They held their weapons tightly, followed Bai Ye, and stepped into the unknown world step by step.

As they went deeper, a stronger ancient atmosphere came over them. This place is full of unknown dangers and opportunities, making everyone who stepped into it feel excited and scared. But Bai Ye and the soldiers knew that they had no way out. They had to keep moving forward until they found the truth hidden in the darkness.

In the following time, they experienced countless life-and-death tests and hardships. They fought wits and courage with ancient traps; they fought fiercely with enemies hidden in the dark; they even found the secret of the disappearance of the ancient civilization on an ancient altar. But all this is just the beginning, and the real challenges and dangers are still waiting for them ahead.

However, Bai Ye and the soldiers did not give up. With firm belief and tenacious perseverance, they walked step by step towards the truth hidden in the darkness. They knew that only by finding the truth could they solve all the mysteries; only by finding the truth could they move forward in the dark in the passage, and every step was full of unknowns and dangers. The light of the flashlight seemed so weak in this endless darkness that it could only illuminate a few meters ahead, while the surroundings were bottomless darkness, as if it would swallow everything at any time. Bai Ye walked in front, his steps were steady and firm, and the flashlight in his hand swept around from time to time, trying to capture any possible threats.

The soldiers followed closely behind, and their breathing echoed in the narrow passage, with a hint of tension and uneasiness. They knew that there might be countless dangers hidden here, but their duty and honor as soldiers made them unable to retreat. They had to keep moving forward, no matter what was waiting for them ahead.

As they went deeper, the air in the passage became heavier and heavier, as if even breathing became difficult. An ancient and oppressive atmosphere permeated the air, which reminded people of the horror legends about the underground world. The soldiers' faces became solemn, they held their weapons tightly and observed their surroundings vigilantly.

At this moment, a low roar suddenly came from the front, breaking the silence in the passage. The soldiers immediately stopped and looked nervously in the direction of the sound. Bai Ye also stopped, frowning, trying to distinguish the source of the sound from the darkness.

"Everyone be careful, there may be a trap." Bai Ye reminded in a low voice.

Hearing this, the soldiers became more vigilant. They moved forward cautiously, and the light of the flashlight drew light tracks in the darkness. However, the roar suddenly disappeared, as if it had never existed.

"Strange, why did the sound suddenly disappear?" A soldier whispered.

"Don't let your guard down," Bai Ye said solemnly, "Everything here is full of unknowns, we must always be vigilant."

The soldiers nodded in agreement, and they continued to move forward cautiously. However, at this moment, a strong vibration suddenly came from under their feet, causing the entire passage to tremble. The soldiers exclaimed, stabilized their bodies, and looked around vigilantly.