Behind the stone gate lay neither a glittering treasury nor any horrifying traps or mechanisms. Appearing before Lu Chen and Huo Yao was a spacious stone chamber. At its center floated a massive golden sphere, its surface shimmering with brilliant light as it pulsed rhythmically, as if possessed of life.
"Is this... the treasure we've been looking for?" Huo Yao murmured, disbelief coloring her tone.
Lu Chen said nothing, keeping his eyes locked on the golden sphere. He could feel the immense energy contained within it—a force so formidable that it sent a shiver through his heart.
"Be careful, Lu Chen," Thomas warned, having followed closely behind. "This thing doesn't look simple."
Ignoring the two of them, Alice walked straight up to the golden sphere, pulled a stack of instruments from her backpack, and began taking measurements and recording data. As an archaeologist, her desire to explore the unknown far outweighed her fear of danger.
"Incredible..." Alice marveled as she recorded the data. "This sphere seems to be made of an unknown metal. Its energy reaction is intensely powerful; I've never seen anything like it."
"Could it be some kind of weapon?" Thomas asked worriedly.
"It's possible," Alice nodded. "But it could also be something else, like... an energy core?"
"An energy core?" Lu Chen and Huo Yao asked in unison.
"That's right," Alice explained. "Based on my preliminary research, this sphere is very likely the core of a massive energy field. It could provide power for the entire ruin, and even..." She paused, her tone growing heavy. "Even affect the real world."
Hearing this, Lu Chen and Huo Yao both felt their hearts sink. If the sphere truly possessed such immense power, the consequences of it falling into the wrong hands would be unimaginable.
Just then, the sound of chaotic footsteps echoed from the entrance of the stone chamber.
"Oh no, it's Black Wolf's people!" Thomas's expression shifted as he spoke in a low voice.
The words had barely left his mouth when Black Wolf appeared at the entrance of the chamber, flanked by a group of fully armed treasure hunters. Catching sight of the golden sphere floating in midair, a greedy gleam flashed in his eyes.
"Found it at last..." Black Wolf sneered, raising his gun to take aim at Lu Chen and the others. "Leave the treasure behind, and I might consider sparing your lives."
Lu Chen and Huo Yao exchanged a glance and prepared to make a move, but Alice suddenly stepped out, blocking their way.
"Stop right there!" Alice shouted sharply. "Do you have any idea what you're doing? The power of this sphere is far beyond anything you can imagine. If it falls into the hands of villains, it will bring catastrophic consequences!"
Black Wolf froze for a moment, then burst into loud laughter. "A catastrophe? What does that have to do with me? I only care about whether I get what I want!"
"What you want?" Alice sneered. "Do you know what this sphere represents? Do you know the history of these ruins?"
Frowning impatiently, Black Wolf snapped, "Cut the crap! What are you trying to say?"
"What I'm trying to say is..." Alice took a deep breath, pronouncing every word clearly, "You are a descendant of the Ruin Guardian. Your ancestors paid with their lives to protect this sphere from being abused! And yet you want to hand it over to outsiders on a silver platter?"
Black Wolf's expression shifted dramatically as he stared at Alice in disbelief.
"What... what did you say?"
Alice's words struck the silent stone chamber like a sudden thunderclap. The hand holding Black Wolf's gun trembled slightly, the greedy look on his face replaced by a struggle. He glared at Alice as if trying to find a flaw in her expression.
"What... what kind of nonsense are you babbling?" Black Wolf's voice wavered, though his tone remained defiant. "How could I possibly be..."
"You don't believe me?" Alice offered a mocking smile. "The wolf head tattoo on your body, your knowledge of these ruins, and..." She paused, pulling a quaint ring from her pocket. "You should recognize this, shouldn't you?"
The ring was pitch black, carved with a lifelike wolf's head identical to the tattoo on Black Wolf's body. The moment he laid eyes on it, Black Wolf's pupils constricted violently. All the strength seemed to drain from his body, and he collapsed weakly to the ground.
During the silence, Black Wolf stared at the ring. "This ring... is..."
"That's right, it's an heirloom from your ancestors." Alice walked up to Black Wolf and looked down at him. "He was once the most loyal guardian of these ruins, swearing to protect this sphere with his life and keep it out of the hands of evildoers. And you, as his descendant, want to claim it for yourself. How can you face your ancestors?"
Black Wolf fell silent. With his head lowered, the expression on his face was hidden. Lu Chen and Huo Yao exchanged glances, each seeing a glimmer of hope in the other's eyes. Perhaps they still had a chance to resolve this crisis peacefully.
"Black Wolf," Lu Chen stepped forward, trying to reason with him. "Alice is right. This sphere is far too dangerous to fall into anyone's hands. We can hand it over to..."
"Shut up!" Black Wolf snapped his head up, his eyes filled with fury and hatred. "What do you know? Do you know what I've been through? My father, my grandfather—they all died protecting this secret! Why? Why should we pay the price for someone else's mistakes?"
"You..."
"Enough!" Black Wolf leaped to his feet, aiming his gun at Lu Chen. "I don't care who you are or what your purpose is, today you are all going to die right here!"
"Black Wolf, don't!" Alice cried out, trying to stop him.
But Black Wolf had lost his reason. He pulled the trigger, and the bullet flew toward Lu Chen with an aura of death...
"Watch out!" Huo Yao gasped, violently tackling Lu Chen to the ground. The bullet grazed the top of Lu Chen's head and struck the stone wall behind them, kicking up a shower of sparks.
The stone chamber instantly filled with the reek of gunpowder, and a fierce battle was on the verge of erupting...
Black Wolf's roar echoed through the empty stone chamber, followed instantly by gunfire like a death knell. In the nick of time, Huo Yao displayed astonishing reflexes, shoving Lu Chen to the floor and narrowly dodging the fatal blow. The bullet grazed Lu Chen's scalp, embedding itself deep into the stone wall behind him and sending sparks flying.
"Are you all right?" Huo Yao asked anxiously, helping Lu Chen to his feet with worry written all over her face.
Lu Chen shook his head and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his heart still pounding wildly. He knew that if not for Huo Yao's quick reaction, he would already be a cold corpse.
"Have you lost your mind, Black Wolf?" Alice roared at him. "They're trying to help you!"
"Spare me the hypocrisy!" Black Wolf's face twisted savagely, the muzzle of his gun still trained on Lu Chen and Huo Yao. "You hypocritical bastards have no idea what I've been through! This secret destroyed my family, it ruined my life, and now I'm going to make you pay for it with your lives!"
"Black Wolf, calm down!" Thomas stepped forward as well, trying to talk him down. "We know the pain you're carrying, but this isn't the way to solve it!"
"Shut up! All of you, just shut up!" Blinded entirely by hatred, Black Wolf pulled the trigger frantically, sending bullets raining down toward Lu Chen and Huo Yao.
"Get down!" Lu Chen grabbed Huo Yao and pulled her behind a massive stone pillar. Bullets hammered into the pillar, sending stone chips flying with a crackling racket.
"We can't keep this up, he's going to trap us here!" Huo Yao said anxiously. Though the pillar offered temporary cover from the gunfire, it wasn't a long-term solution.
Lu Chen nodded. He knew they had to find a way to turn the tables immediately. His gaze landed on the sphere not far away, and a sudden thought struck him.
"Huo Yao, do you trust me?" Lu Chen turned to look at her, his gaze resolute.
Huo Yao nodded without the slightest hesitation; she knew this was no time for doubt.
Taking a deep breath, Lu Chen slowly reached out and touched the chilling sphere. A surge of immense energy poured into his body instantly, making him feel as though he had been set ablaze with power.
"Now!" Lu Chen shouted, springing to his feet. The sphere in his hand burst into dazzling brilliance, forming a barrier of light that enveloped both him and Huo Yao.
Black Wolf's bullets struck the light barrier and actually bounced off!
"Th-this is impossible!" Black Wolf was stunned. He had never witnessed anything so bizarre.
Paying no heed to Black Wolf's shock, Lu Chen channeled the glowing sphere to flare even brighter, using an invisible force to knock the gun right out of Black Wolf's hand. Before Black Wolf could react, the shockwave swept him off his feet.
"You..." Black Wolf struggled to get up, only to find himself completely immobilized.
Lu Chen slowly walked up to Black Wolf and looked down at him. There was no joy of victory in his eyes—only deep sympathy and helplessness.
"Black Wolf, you lost."