After Mr. Taim finished speaking, our group looked at one another, but not a single person volunteered to go down. We had no idea what was hidden inside those ruins below, but just looking at them through the ice filled us with intense discomfort, let alone venturing deeper inside. The monster we had encountered on the ice field might well have had its lair down there. If I had been given a choice, I would have turned around and run immediately, but the remaining retired soldiers were watching us menacingly from the side.
I knew that if we tried to run at that moment, they would pull out their guns without hesitation. Not to mention that Mr. Taim was right beside me. Even that monster had been no match for him; I certainly did not think I could escape his grasp. Seeing that we remained silent, impatience gradually appeared on Mr. Taim's face. Then, one of the Chinese Couple spoke up. The woman said, "We'll go down."
The rest of us were stunned to hear that. I had not expected anyone to actually volunteer. I had originally thought they would end up drawing lots to pick some unlucky bastard. Mr. Taim, on the other hand, looked delighted. He gave them a thumbs-up and praised them repeatedly. The doctor and I exchanged a glance, and I knew it was time to make a choice.
Personally, I did not want to enter the Underground City. But among us, aside from Mr. Taim and his men, only the Chinese Couple seemed to know some secrets about these ruins. Since they had volunteered to go down, did that mean it was not as dangerous below as we had imagined?
On the other hand, staying above seemed like the safer option, but we had already