Chapter 1058

"I say, captain, why do you always carry a statue on your back?"

In the dark and deep giant passage, a camp was set up amidst the glow of tritium lamps, and a handsome young man curiously asked Red Swan.

Compared to two years ago, Red Swan’s figure was even more slender, with a pair of tightly toned legs gained from long-term exploration, particularly striking. Although she was only sixteen, her face bore a maturity beyond her years.

The only thing unchanged was the statue she always carried on her back.

And just like every response in the past, Red Swan simply smiled gently and replied with two words: "Secret."

"Alright." The youth felt a bit disappointed; he was quite confident in his appearance. Even among the Molten Steel People, he was considered a rare handsome man, never short of pretty girls from childhood to adulthood, easily making them blush, those who usually acted reserved and icy in front of others.

But Red Swan always displayed such an indifferent attitude from beginning to end.

"Is it because she’s too young and hasn’t yet felt attracted to boys? It shouldn’t be, her physical development is so robust, all sorts of hormones must have started to secrete, and cultivating the ’Holy Blood Secret Scripture’ should make these hormones even stronger."

"Surely she doesn’t dislike boys, but..."

He thought of the beauty in the team, almost every member dreamed of climbing into her bed at night; they were like peacocks flaunting their feathers before her, but Red Swan remained unmoved.

Though he grumbled inside, the youth revealed none of it, instead showing a cheerful smile: "Captain, you’re still so mysterious. No wonder everyone is curious about you."

After speaking, the youth changed the topic: "Let’s hope this operation goes as smoothly as the last..."

He knew that further probing would only breed resentment; melting an iceberg wasn’t a day’s work. The youth had absolute confidence in himself, believing that one day, Red Swan would expose her tender face before him.

They talked about the operation; during the past two years of exploration, everyone had gained a general understanding of this area.

This is a completely sealed giant structure, akin to sealing an unimaginably large palace with God’s Power, specifically enclosing tens of billions of cubic kilometers within alloy walls over three kilometers thick.

These alloy walls are identical to those found in Star Jumping Ships; only such extraordinary metal can protect the divine palace amidst geological shifts and rock pressures thirty-seven thousand meters underground.

Hence, a colossal machine like the Melted Steel Drill is required to break through the outermost alloy.

However, once you break into the interior of this structure, you’ll discover it’s a perfectly sealed place; time here seems frozen, although some deformations have occurred due to gravity, yet glimpses of past civilization’s brilliance remain.

Enormous support columns divide this three-dimensional palace into countless cubic grids, each containing different buildings. It seems to have originally been a city suitable for human habitation, with some grids clearly indicating residential areas, others industrial, agricultural, and so forth.

Regrettably, books, electronic disks, and other materials directly recording data have turned to ashes over the long years. Though God’s power attempted to delay this process, it couldn’t withstand the mighty force of time.

Nevertheless, those metal reliefs, alloy castings, and other artifacts still provide outsiders with extensive information. Based on years of archaeological research, the Molten Steel People believe there are three special plots within this palace: the control room of the giant structure, the divine palace, and the divine treasury.

The initial discovery of this information thrilled all Molten Steel People, but they soon realized anything pertaining to God wasn’t that simple.

This behemoth also presents three major challenges: the thick, high-density metal walls isolating different plots, which greatly impede any detection skill; the city’s deadly traps, scattered throughout this huge block city.

Evidently, the cumulative damage over time wasn’t enough to obliterate daily necessities, but those objects crafted with extraordinary power still wield considerable might. The closer to the core area, the more lethal the traps become.

Initially, investigators didn’t mind, and even powerhouses from other expedition ships secretly came over—but once heroic spirits and even demigod powerhouses began falling, the Molten Steel People finally realized they faced a divine presence; a deceased God was still a God.

The core area was designated high-risk, prompting a more scientific, prudent exploration strategy, clearly gearing up for a long-term battle potentially spanning centuries.

After all, as long as enough experience is accumulated, thoroughly understanding the core area’s layout and eliminating all traps, even the most dangerous region will become harmless over time’s erosion.

And then they encountered the final, most challenging dilemma.

That is, the plots within the core area actually move!

This place is like an incredibly sophisticated instrument; those gigantic plots, weighing billions of tons, shift positions periodically in ways they can’t comprehend!

This suddenly multiplies the difficulty of identifying patterns by thousands upon thousands, turning exploration into a game of random luck.