Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 1569: Chapter 1553: Forked Maze

The long passage seemed endless, and just when everyone began to suspect it might be a bottomless pit, after crawling and creeping for an indeterminate amount of time, they suddenly felt a lightness in their bodies.

In an instant, their vision broadened, they were able to raise their heads freely, and even breathing became significantly easier.

”Have we arrived?”

Noticing that the Oil Rat and others in front had stopped, Gao Yuyuan and Fujiwara Seiho exchanged a glance. Excitement flashed in Gao Yuyuan’s eyes as he eagerly inquired.

However, to their disappointment, the front was not the endpoint, but the unknown.

The passage they had just traversed had indeed come to an end, and they had arrived at a circular platform.

Yet, what greeted them was not the end, but a new beginning.

Walking in front, Long Shan Zhang and Oil Rat were surprised to discover that two identical cave entrances had appeared before them again.

Shining the flashlight, the yellowish-white beam revealed rocks on the cave walls emitting a faint blue glow.

Seeing the two diverging paths before them once more, Oil Rat was momentarily stunned. A sense of foreboding rose in him, and he couldn’t help but turn back, nervously asking Gao Yuyuan who stood behind:

”Mr. Gao, which path should we take?”

”How should I know?!”

Gao Yuyuan’s expression turned sullen as he coldly stared at Oil Rat, ”Aren’t you two leading the way? Should I have to tell you which way to go?”

Feeling displeased, and seeing Gao Yuyuan’s gloomy face, Oil Rat dared not provoke him further.

He jabbed his Luoyang Shovel at the entrances of the two holes a few times before speaking, ”There’s airflow from the right, which likely links to an external exit of the mountain, so let’s take the left path.”

Fujiwara Seiho’s eyes were fixed on Oil Rat like a hawk, and after a moment, he nodded, ”Lead the way!”

Oil Rat stood up at the words, glanced at Long Shan Zhang who looked confused, and, despite feeling anxious and uncertain in the shadows, was compelled to take the left path under Gao Yuyuan and Fujiwara Seiho’s watchful eyes.

Gao Yuyuan did not appear outwardly disturbed, but at some point, he held a pistol in his hand, pausing cautiously every few steps to check their surroundings.

For some reason, he had a foreboding sense of impending disaster.

The group’s pace wasn’t slow; they were cautious but didn’t intentionally pause.

Walking at a normal pace, even at one meter per five seconds, they would cover over a hundred meters in ten minutes.

Including the distance through the passage earlier, they must have traveled nearly a mile by now, yet they hadn’t reached the end.

After another ten minutes or so, the group arrived at the end of the passage yet again.

Without realizing it, two diverging holes appeared before them once more.

Furthermore, these tunnels appeared almost identical to before!

Sweat the size of beans trickled down Oil Rat’s forehead, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

This time, without consulting Gao Yuyuan or Fujiwara Seiho, he carefully examined the traces at the two entrances and once again chose the left one as before.

After traveling through the passage for nearly a quarter of an hour again, the group encountered the same divergent path yet again.

This time, it wasn’t just Gao Yuyuan and Fujiwara Seiho; even the slow-reacting Long Shan Zhang and the other bodyguards noticed something amiss.

The eerie cave entrances ahead appeared like two deep, dark black holes, seemingly ready to swallow everyone whole.

Fujiwara Seiho’s expression grew darker, stopping to glare icily at Oil Rat, ”How far have we traveled within the mountain?”

Facing Fujiwara Seiho, Oil Rat replied dryly, ”About... about two or three miles.”

”Have we been heading north all this time?”

Gao Yuyuan reconfirmed with Oil Rat, though there was a hint of puzzlement in his gaze.

Seeing Oil Rat nod, Gao Yuyuan contemplated for a moment before affirming:

”I remember when we entered the mountain through the mechanism, the sun was just rising, and the north of the mountain faces a cliff. We aren’t far from the mountain’s core. Based on our direction, heading north into the mountain makes sense, and the cave designers likely thought the same way; just as we build houses facing south.”

Oil Rat nodded in agreement, having thought the same and consistently choosing the left path, believing they were advancing directly into the mountain’s core.

If there were truly treasures within this Underground Palace, the owner would surely hide them in the safest, most central part of the mountain.

Oil Rat felt a mix of respect and fear for Gao Yuyuan, who had surprisingly noticed such details; something he assumed these outsiders wouldn’t catch onto amidst his lead through the caves.

”You’re right, Mr. Gao. The palace designers, despite their skill, couldn’t escape conventional thinking. If they were to hide treasures, it would be in the safest, deepest spot. So by following this logic, we shouldn’t go wrong.”

However, Gao Yuyuan didn’t acknowledge Oil Rat’s praise, responding with a sneer, his eyes flashing with sarcastic amusement:

”We’re not far from the mountain’s core as we entered, but Oil Rat, you’ve said it yourself, and I’ve roughly calculated that with our pace and time, we’ve traversed nearly 1,500 meters within the mountain. We should’ve already passed through the mountain’s center and likely reached another mountain!”

Upon hearing this, Oil Rat suddenly realized.

Throughout their advance, Oil Rat had felt something was off with the passage but hadn’t considered this aspect until Tang Lei Ying’s reminder brought clarity.

This tunnel was supposed to lead into the mountain’s core, yet now they had directly passed through the mountain.

If they’ve crossed the mountain waist by now, where exactly do these passages lead?!

The others, though unfamiliar with construction principles, understood the clear implications of Gao Yuyuan’s words and sensed a deviation from their plan.

Gao Yuyuan already looked extremely uneasy, and Fujiwara Seiho’s face was even more stern, anger flashing in his eyes.

If Oil Rat uttered another untimely word now, it wasn’t unlikely these two might respond with gunfire to silence him.