Chapter 1838 Coin Toss
Chapter 1838 Coin Toss
Meng Chao gasped.
Even though the Supernatural Tower seemed to be located above the ancient ruins, the ruins were not in the physical space under the tower.
Instead, like the Holy Mountain of Picturesque Orchid Lake, the ancient ruins were located in an unpredictable and mysterious alternate dimension.
During the large-scale construction of underground rail facilities in Dragon City, shield tunneling machines had often been used to drill through the underground space under the Supernatural Tower. They tunnels had been drilled from side to side and top to bottom but no ancient ruins had ever been excavated.
Only by traveling through the bottom of the Supernatural Tower and passing through a rift that had already existed when Dragon City was turned upside down could one enter the complex and bottomless ancient ruins.
There were countless deeper, darker, more twisted, and more dangerous rifts in the depths of this mysterious initial rift.
The heritage, gifts, blessings, curses, weapons, viruses, wisdom, and traps of the ancient civilization... Everything was hidden in these cracks.
However, there were too many deep and dense rifts with an overwhelming number of traps. On top of that, the ancient virus and mutants corrupted by the virus were everywhere. At the end of many rifts, even the laws of physics were twisted in underground spaces that looked like bubbles.
Every time they explored a new rift, hundreds of explorers would often end up being killed or injured.
Therefore, even after half a century of exploration, the "safe zones" that the Dragon City people could clearly map were still less than 30% of the ancient ruins' total area.
Nevertheless, the ancient heritage excavated from this 30% was enough to support Dragon City's technological development for decades or even centuries.
Since the Dragon City civilization could not process and assimilate all this ancient heritage in a short period of time, the risk factor of continued exploration increased exponentially.
.comn/ov/elb/in[./]net'
They were also in turbulent times back then. Even if they were not afraid of death and were heroic enough to sacrifice themselves, they had to prioritize fighting on the front lines as they competed with the monster civilization for living space.
Therefore, under the dual authorization of the Supernatural Tower and the Survival Committee, the Ancient Ruins Research Center closed 70% of the deep dangerous areas a long time ago. No one was allowed to continue exploring, and the Deity Realm warriors from the nine great families were no exception.
If Meng Chao remembered correctly, Battle God Lei Zongchao had personally proposed the ban, and it had been strictly enforced.
Why would he go against his own ban without any warning at such a delicate time?
Was he trying to obtain something from the deep and dark alternate dimension?
Meng Chao thought about it. If Battle God Lei Zongchao had truly violated the ban and entered the depths of the ancient ruins, Long Feijun and the other disciples of Battle God Palace, as well as the staff of the Ancient Ruins Research Center, would certainly be too afraid to search and rescue him.
The ancient ruins were so deep that they could not be easily conquered with mere numbers and modern technology.
If they were not fully prepared, even tens of thousands of superhumans who were armed to the teeth might be swallowed by the unpredictable mist deep inside the ruins. It would only be a matter of a few seconds. They would not be found alive or dead for decades, centuries, or even millennia.
Meng Chao was puzzled. "Did Master Lei leave anything behind, or did he hint to anyone that he was venturing into the ancient ruins to look for something?"
"Although Master Lei didn't disclose his whereabouts to anyone, he did leave a letter."
Long Feijun's originally determined face once again revealed an extremely confused look. He said, "I was told to leave it to you... or just anyone."
"What?"
Meng Chao was taken aback again.
He gave it some thought but remained clueless. "What do you mean by 'leave it to me or just anyone?'"
"That's what it says on the envelope."
Long Feijun showed Meng Chao the letter they had found in Lei Zongchao's cultivation room.
There were some child-like scribblings on the letter.
"[To Meng Chao, or anyone else.]
"That's Master Lei's handwriting."
Long Feijun explained, "Since you left Dragon City, Master Lei's injuries and illness have been getting worse with each day. For the past several months, he's only been able to lie in his medical cabin twenty-four hours a day, soaked in gene agents. On occasion, his mind would suddenly 'disconnect' while he communicated with us normally. He would forget who we were and where he was. He even had a panicked expression on his face.
"It's as if another soul was in his broken body instead of him.
"His handwriting has also become messier and messier. Oftentimes, the contents of his writing are jumbled up. There's no meaning or logic to his words.
"The doctor conducted a full-range brain scan on Master Lei, and sure enough, there's an area deep in his brain that's been experiencing pathological changes and necrosis.
"They must have been caused by the excessive stimulation of his brain cells and the repeated concussions he's sustained in the past decades.
"The doctor said that an ordinary patient would have died long ago after suffering such a severe brain injury.
"Even the best experts would've turned into muddleheaded idiots if their brains had such a serious disease.
"Yet, Master Lei can still form basic thoughts, and he's in control of his actions at certain times. He's already a walking miracle!
"Perhaps Master Lei got confused and traveled deep into the ancient ruins for no reason?"
Meng Chao did not believe in this explanation that was too coincidental. "What about the contents of the letter? Have you opened it and read it?"
"I've read it."
There was something fishy about the matter. The letter said, "To Meng Chao or anyone else," and Lei Zongchao's mental, as well as intellectual state, had not been very optimistic when he wrote it. That might not be the true meaning of his words.
Long Feijun had made the decision to read the letter on his own.
However, just like the recipient of the letter, the contents left him scratching his head in confusion.
[Meng Chao, or anyone else, I'm in the deepest part of the ancient ruins.
[If you're willing, make your way down here and find me!
[It doesn't matter if you're not willing.
[It's all the same anyway.]
There was a coin in the corner of the envelope, just under the letter.
Next to the coin, there was another line of words that looked it had been written by a three-year-old.
[If you're hesitating, why don't you toss a coin?]
This line made Meng Chao and Long Feijun fall into a long silence.
"Are-Are you joking?"
Meng Chao mumbled, "Throw a coin? Literally throwing a coin to decide? It's not a hint or metaphor?"
"If there's no coin-related story between you and Master Lei, it's not a hint or a metaphor," Long Feijun said.
"I've checked it over and over again. It's just an ordinary coin that can be found anywhere."