Falling into the Abyss

Chapter 72: Atonement: Pales (XXI)

In this case, its a bit like a curse written at the entrance of an ancient monarchs mausoleum. Ethan looked at the translated words floating on the wall and murmured, For example, if an intruder in Tutankhamuns mausoleum disturbs the sleep of the Pharaoh, the wings of death will descend onto him. But Ive never heard of such a strange curse.

The words didnt curse them to die but just stated that it was the starting point of their nightmares.

However, they didnt know how but it felt even more ominous and creepy than cursing them to die.

An Alpha soldier who was hurriedly disinfecting the sergeants scalded arm muttered a fuck and said, So this is a mausoleum? Whats the matter regarding the holy race?

Ethan shrugged. Maybe theyre the worms out there or the bigger ones we saw.

Schneider yelled, Dont talk nonsense. Come and help me push on the door!

Other than the injured sergeant, the remaining five pushed against the stone door together, but the door did not move as expected. The six people gasped under the dim light, and coincidentally all looked at the stairs leading deeper underground not too far from them.

We can also blow the door open with a bomb.

But what if the worms are still out there? Or what if the bomb is so powerful that it kills us, too?

Its not like there wont be any worms if we go down. Didnt the four eyes over there say that the worms may be the holy race?

The six people argued for a long time, and finally, Schneider decided to blow up the door with a bomb.

They instinctively felt that there was a cold and evil aura contained in the surging darkness further down the stairs. No one knew what kind of ancient secrets were buried under the ground of this ancient, alien planet. Countless ancient inscriptions were carved on the stone walls. Regardless of whether they were a curse or prophecy, either prospect caused all of them to tremble in fear.

They set the bomb timer, and everyone rushed down the steps to hide in the depths of the cave. The ground shook with a boom, and a dust storm surged forth, engulfing them. Ethan lay beside Samuel, only to hear the roar in his ears. A stone fell onto his fingers, injuring them. He could also hear the exclamations of others.

Then, Ethans forehead was hit by a falling rock, and he passed out for a bit. When he woke up, it was so dark that he began to question whether he was still alive. Ethan opened his eyes and couldnt see anything and didnt know where he was. The pungent smell of dirt choked his mouth and nose, but he wasnt able to confirm where the sounds of choking came from.

Samuel said uncertainly, Maybe the cave collapsed It seemed that something suddenly occurred to him, and his grip on Ethan suddenly tightened. He yelled, Schneider? Schneider??

It took a long time before a hoarse voice sounded not far in front of them, Im here.

Samuel was obviously relieved. Ethan was afraid that even Samuel didnt realize how frightened his voice had sounded just now.

Soon, Schneiders voice rang out again, What about the others? You all should call out!

I am here! The sergeants voice was weak, but he was apparently still alive.

My leg is being crushed by something! Stan, the other nonhuman, cried out with a pained voice that trembled slightly due to fear. I cant move!

Samuel fumbled around for the laser gun in his hand, trying to use the flashlight on the gun to illuminate the area. However, Schneider found his own weapon first. A beam of light finally tore through the dark curtains, and everyone could not help but reach out to block the light that was too piercing.

They were still lying on the stairs, but large stones at the top of the cave had fallen and scattered around them. There was a huge stone just a few steps away from Ethan. If it had hit him, he would indeed have lost his life.

Ethan felt a little scared, and he felt his legs go slightly soft. He struggled to stand, stumbling to follow Samuel as they searched for the light to locate Schneider. He quickly placed the laser gun aside and tried to remove the huge stone slab pressing down on Stans legs. Obviously, the stone slab had also smashed down from the top of the cave, and some of the carved characters from the horned people could be discerned on it.

Ethan looked down at the red stone. When he lowered his body a little, he could see that the skin of the leg pressed under the slab had been broken. The bones were shattered and protruding from his flesh.

His legs were probably wasted. Ethan was afraid that he would never be able to walk again.

Schneider should also know this, but he was still asking Samuel to do his best to lift the stone with him. The sergeant stood motionlessly to the side, looking at something on the ground. Ethan went up to have a look, only to find a lifeless arm sticking out from under a stone slab.

It was the soldier who silently followed the sergeant

So now there were only five of them, and yet Stans legs

Ethan felt his way in the direction of the entrance of the cave. However, even after he tripped a few times, all he touched were a pile of stone shards.

The bomb not only failed to help them escape but also sealed their way out.

He had a vague feeling that this was no accident, and there was a force in the dark forcing them to enter the depths of the darkness. He could not help but reach out to touch the back of his neck, which was currently just a patch of rough and uneven skin, with nothing unusual. Somewhat relieved, he turned to Samuel and said, We shouldnt tarry any longer. We have to get out of here.

Then come and give me a hand! Schneider growled irritably.

Ethan had a very indifferent expression. He looked at Stan, who was pale with pain on the ground, and said, Even if you remove the slab, he wont be able to walk. The implication in Ethans words was clear. Samuel suddenly looked up at him, somewhat oppressively.

The Ethan in Samuels memory would never have said such cold words in such an indifferent tone.

In fact, even Ethan himself was surprised when he said that. Originally, he had just thought it in his heart. Why did he say it out loud?

Yes, he didnt have much sympathy for Stan. After all, he didnt know him well. Moreover, that man was one of the most devout believers for Chen Zengs preachings of the Great Evil God, making him feel a little disgusted. However, given his usual personality, he would never say such cruel words.

Schneider stared at him with wide eyes and said, Big deal, I will carry him!

Ethan was a little ashamed, and without saying a word, he bent down to help. The three of them had to use all their might before they finally lifted the slate up a little, and the sergeant dragged Stan out. When Stan saw the appearance of his crippled legs, his stunned expression turned ashen.

If you looked at that leg, you would immediately know that he could not be cured unless he got a new pair of legs using cloning technology. But who would spend so much money to clone a pair of legs for a nonhuman?

Most of their equipment was buried, and the situation was worse than before the bomb was used. They did their best to search and only found a military backpack with compressed food and water. Resources would be tight for five people. The only gun that could still light up was Schneiders. He didnt know when it would run out of energy, and they would ultimately lose their light source.

It was so dark that they couldnt even see their own hands. If there was no light, then they would have basically met a dead end.

Schneider put Stan on his back and let Samuel walk in front with the gun, while Ethan followed behind. They continued to descend the stairs until they finally reached solid ground again.

In front of them were two massive arched stone doors, each dozens of meters high. They stood as tall as giants, and the top of the gate disappeared into the dark. The two doors were open, and behind them was a tall and wide space forming a dome hundreds of feet tall. The towering stone pillars were lined up in two rows, giving off a sacred image. However, these stone pillars with asymmetric, sharp corners that werent in the other buildings added a sense of distortion and disorder to the solemn atmosphere. Standing in the middle of the two rows of giant pillars and looking further into the hall, they had the inexplicable feeling that the pillars were bending over, and they would soon be sucked into the distance.

They slowed down and hesitated to step into the huge hall. There were no windows here, but some unidentified substances on the dome, perhaps plants, glowed and lit up the entire underground hall. It was empty all around them, and there were just walls that were covered to the brim with blurry-shaped carvings and words. Their footsteps reverberated among the pillars, and each echo struck into everyones heart.

When was such a large building constructed? Why didnt the Earth Union know about it?

Ethan noticed that there were also inscriptions on the pillars, from top to bottom. He approached and found that it was not in the language of the horned people.

It was a language he had never seen before. The characters appeared twisted and wriggly, akin to a bug. They were packed very close together and covered his field of vision, facing the hall that had been empty for many centuries.

When his fingers touched them, many messy images and memories that did not belong to him suddenly invaded his mind.

He saw that countless huge worms swarmed out of the dying core of the planet. They wriggled quickly, left their huge underground palace that ran throughout the entire planet, and climbed out under the huge dark red expanding sun. Under the hot sun, their fat bodies expanded and burst. Their dark green blood stunk, and the plants and trees that touched it rapidly turned black and withered. Strange pink animals that Ethan had never seen before turn gray quickly when they touched the blood and remained immobile.

Then, many dark green translucent eggs gushed out from the bodies of the meaty worms. A strange wind blew the eggs, and they all floated up towards the old and dying star as though they were weightless. In the barren land of lava, countless eggs were flying, like they carried the soul of the entire planet.

Those eggs were left behind by the dying parent star and floated into the dark and cold universe. They fell into the chaotic river of time and space. Through some rarely seen wormholes, they came from the distant universe to the Milky Way. Finally, they landed on a dark blue planet with an eternal night that suited them the best.

They hated sunlight, but there was almost no sunlight here. Here, they conquered the local horned people with their wisdom and were regarded as the messengers of the gods. Then, they went underground and began to recreate their underground palaces, mating and laying eggs in the huge holes leading to the abyss. They waited here until the gods they believed in descended.

Ethans hand suddenly left the stone pillar, and as though he was in a trance, his consciousness was pulled back to reality in an instant. Samuel was holding his wrist tightly and looking at him with concern.

Ethan blinked blankly.

Whats the matter with you? Samuel frowned and asked, What language did you speak in just now? It sounded strangely unsettling.

T/N: Theres a few more chapters left in this arc :>