Chapter 634:
“Magnetic interference rising — signals are unstable!”
Every second seemed to stretch unbearably long, though the team managed to push forward with steady progress despite the tension pressing over them.
By evening, the storm worsened, snow whipping harder and swallowing what little they could see. One frozen mudslide after another blocked the route, and even the hardened soldiers, weighed down by their gear, struggled after a full day’s march.
They had no choice but to stop and rest.
Brad led at the front, checking the satellite coordinates as they pressed on. After a short distance, he stopped, sweeping his flashlight across two directions before turning back to the team behind him.
“We’ll rest here. No radiation detected in this zone, so you can remove helmets and eat something.”
While the men settled down, the feed from Brad’s chest camera crackled through the speakers in the command tent, carrying his voice.
“Which path do I take? This junction doesn’t match the mapped route — it must’ve opened after a landslide.”
On the screen, the video showed the team facing a fork buried in snow and broken rock. Two narrow crevices twisted deeper into the mountain, both nearly indistinguishable.
A cluster of scholars spread out their maps, leaning over them in hurried debate.
“Go left,” a veteran geologist said, tapping the thermal imaging chart with certainty. “The rock layers and heat source point that way. The slope’s steeper, but it should lead closer to the mine the exploration team was targeting. If Felix and the others are anywhere, it’s more likely along that path.”
After weighing it, the others nodded, falling in with his judgment and advising Brad to take the left passage.
Just as the choice was about to be finalized, the live feed from Brad’s camera shifted, and something caught Rylie’s eye.
LΑτєѕτ chαρτєrs ιn g𝓪l𝑛ovєl𝑆.𝗰𝑜𝗺
“Wait! That’s wrong.”
Rylie’s voice cut in, steady but urgent, as her eyes swept over the mineral data and the geological maps Felix’s team had transmitted earlier.
Drawing from her expertise, she spoke with conviction. “Don’t take the left passage. It looks solid, but it’s a trap — watch this.”
She zoomed in on a cluster of subtle readings and pointed them out. “This mineral becomes dangerously brittle in freezing conditions. Add in the constant erosion from geothermal steam, and you’ve got hidden cracks running through the formation. With last night’s rain followed by this morning’s drop in temperature, the whole structure’s a fragile shell. Any weight or vibration could bring it down in disaster.”
She lifted her head and spoke clearly into the comms. “Brad, take the right path. The rock here is mostly dense basalt — much more stable. It’ll take longer, but it’s safer.”
Her words drew instant pushback from the cluster of experts.
“Miss Owen, your analysis is too theoretical!” a gray-haired geologist countered, gesturing at the glowing thermal map. “We’re working with the most advanced radar and thermal…”
“imaging. The heat activity along the left path suggests human presence, and the structural data lines up with proven safe models. The right path may be sturdier, yes, but the heat readings are weak — it could be a dead end, burning through precious energy and time!”
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