Chapter 468: Enter the pool
These pools were arranged in a regular, orderly pattern across this area, with stone-paved roads between the pools that allowed the off-road vehicle to pass through.
"I wonder how this was formed. Maybe man-made reservoirs?"
Logan carefully steered the off-road vehicle through the paths between the water pits. Since there were no guardrails or anything similar, just one turn of the steering wheel could send the vehicle plunging into a water pit.
"I think they look more like pools for raising some kind of creature. Who knows, dangerous creatures might emerge from them any moment."
Lin Ye had used his special ability, Attract Wealth, right after getting off the research vessel, and the coordinates given by the ability were in this very area.
This special ability appeared to be a treasure-hunting type skill, but it actually had a certain warning function—after all, places with treasure were generally very dangerous.
"Now you've got me too scared to accelerate. But with the pathfinding vehicle ahead, even if there's something in the water, it probably won't attack us first, right?"
Logan said with considerable optimism.
"Let's hope so."
Lin Ye had been constantly sensing the surrounding water pits, but they seemed to contain nothing except the pool water. The off-road vehicle continued forward for about half an hour when the captain suddenly ordered the driver to stop over the comms.
"What's wrong?"
Dr. Wells asked.
"These pools all look exactly the same. Could we be circling around in this area?"
The captain felt they had already passed by the pool beside them once before, but it was just a feeling—he had no concrete evidence.
"But the data from the spatial monitor has been completely stable. If there were any spatial movement, we should have detected it."
After the researcher experienced spatial displacement earlier, Dr. Wells had ordered his researchers to activate the spatial monitor precisely to prevent them from being unaware of any spatial anomalies around them.
"I have the same feeling. Is it possible there's no spatial movement here because this is inherently a circular space, and moving forward just keeps us looping?"
Lin Ye voiced his perception over the comms—he also felt they were going in circles here.
"That is indeed a possibility. We could send out two pathfinding vehicles from opposite directions to see what happens."
Soon, two unmanned pathfinding vehicles were dispatched. Through the vehicle's monitoring system, they clearly saw the entire process: the two vehicles meeting beside a pool, then returning from both sides to the vicinity of the off-road vehicle.
"Your guess is completely correct. As expected of an explorer."
Dr. Wells continued sending out pathfinding vehicles, wanting to map the specific terrain structure of this space, especially to find the exit.
"We'll also search for the exit. You all stay here and don't wander off. Contact us via comms if anything happens."
The captain began assigning tasks to the four team members. As high-level spiritual energy users, they had the capability to explore in separate groups.
Lin Ye didn't join them in exploring this area, nor did he go to investigate the treasure coordinates. He sat in the vehicle, using flesh and blood from his item space to create a Red Frog for pathfinding.
"You can make things like this too?"
Logan said in surprise, watching the Red Frog hop out through the car window.
"As an explorer, isn't it normal for me to be able to create creatures for pathfinding?"
Lin Ye controlled the Red Frog, using the mental mark he had placed on it, making it hop toward the treasure's location.
The pathfinding vehicles and the combat squad members soon returned to the vicinity of the off-road vehicle. No incidents occurred during their exploration, but conversely, they also didn't find any way to leave this place.
"We brought simple underwater detectors and diving suits. Should we check the conditions inside the pools?"
If possible, Dr. Wells absolutely did not want to touch those pools. The pitch-black, bottomless water inside gave him a very bad feeling.
"...Use the underwater detector first. If that doesn't work, I'll send someone down."
The captain also felt that entering the pools would lead to dangerous events.
Before the detector entered the pool, Lin Ye had already sent his Red Frog into the pool where the treasure was located.
When the Red Frog touched the pool water, a system message appeared before Lin Ye's eyes:
[There is something inside the pool]
'...That's stating the obvious, isn't it?'
Lin Ye controlled the Red Frog to swim toward the depths of the pool. The frog swam quickly in the water, and before long, it reached the treasure's location.
But there was nothing there—only the pitch-black pool water.
'Huh? The system can't be wrong. So is my spiritual perception wrong? Or is there another reason?'
Lin Ye carefully sensed the target location again, but still perceived nothing.
The Red Frog swam around the area. Apart from the pool water, there was nothing in that region.
Lin Ye could only control the Red Frog to surface, planning to send it to check other pools.
However, the moment it left the pool, the Red Frog suddenly exploded into a bloody mist. Because the mental coordinate was destroyed, Lin Ye was also affected, his mind going blank for half a second.
'What happened? Why didn't I perceive the source of the attack at all? Was that even some kind of attack?'
The destruction of the Red Frog and the mental mark wasn't a big deal for Lin Ye. The troublesome part was the manner and reason the Red Frog was destroyed.
"This is the maximum depth the detector can reach. If we continue descending, we might lose the detector's signal at any moment."
The researcher operating the detector's descent said.
The display showed only pool water illuminated by the lights—no different from Lin Ye's situation.
"Surface first. Perhaps we can try damaging the pool from underwater."
Dr. Wells had been staring at the display screen, but like Lin Ye, he hadn't discovered any useful information.
Lin Ye stared at the water surface while using his mental energy to sense above and below it. He wanted to see if the same situation would occur here. If it was identical, this time he could perceive the reason for the Red Frog's destruction up close.
Before long, the detector completed its ascent. The moment it broke the water's surface, the previously intact detector suddenly turned into a pile of metal wreckage.
"What happened?!"
"Did it suddenly explode? Was it water pressure?"
"Water pressure wouldn't turn the detector into this, nor would it suddenly erupt the moment it left the water!"
"What a fascinating phenomenon."
"What do we do now? We can't possibly send someone down, can we?"
...
The researchers exclaimed in shock. Dr. Wells looked curiously at the pile of metal wreckage sinking into the pool's depths. The captain's expression was grim—he needed to consider how to explore these pools.
Lin Ye's time flow gradually returned to normal. He had just used consciousness acceleration to watch the entire process of the detector turning into metal wreckage, but the attack that destroyed the detector appeared out of thin air the moment it left the water. He only saw the instant the detector was destroyed, not the source of the attack.