Professor Cadwell and his team continued through the narrow passage. The stench of decay in the air seemed to grow stronger, dampness mingling with a fishy odor and weighing heavily on everyone's breathing.
The flashlights in everyone's hands gave off only faint light. Their beams cast shadows across the moss-covered rock walls, adding a touch of mystery and oppression to the atmosphere.
Everyone's footsteps and breathing echoed through the cramped space, accompanied by the occasional rustling of animals. The entire environment made them feel as though they had entered a world forgotten by time.
Professor Cadwell, walking at the front, stopped every so often to inspect the road ahead, carefully assessing every possible danger.
Just as the expedition members' tension was about to reach its peak, the passage finally began to widen. The rocks along the walls gradually became smoother, and even the light ahead seemed to increase little by little. Then, suddenly—
They arrived in a vast open space, as though they had abruptly passed through an underground wormhole into the boundless world outside.
As the team emerged from the passage step by step, relieved smiles unconsciously appeared on everyone's faces.
They had entered an enormous natural cave. A skylight opened in the ceiling, and natural light streamed down from above, illuminating the entire cavern. At its center was a naturally formed circular area made of limestone and other minerals, surrounded by all kinds of oddly shaped stone pillars.
Clear little streams flowed between the stone pillars, obviously spring water gushing up from an underground river.
Although George Crater lay in the desert, that did not mean the desert was nothing but sand from top to bottom, from sky to earth.
Deserts could receive rain. Where there was rain, there could be underground rivers, and underground rivers, combined with