Bai Qi invested a large amount of rare resources into Hai Gui Shan and Zhu Nü, while Crave and the Master were given relatively ordinary resources.
The reason was simple. Both Hai Gui Shan and Zhu Nü were creatures born from black energy and were primary targets for righteous energy. Not only did they attract the attention of righteous energy for Bai Qi, but as products of black energy, the stronger they became, the more they would, in turn, strengthen the black energy. Although the reinforcement black energy provided to its "mother" was negligible compared to that of demons, it was better than nothing.
In the current situation, Bai Qi had to unite all possible forces to have a chance of defeating righteous energy.
After subduing Zhu Nü, Bai Qi continued forward.
Finally, at a cliff, Bai Qi caught up with the main group.
Savage was standing at the edge of the cliff with his subordinates, surveying the situation below. It was dark, as if it led directly to the netherworld. Falling in would surely result in utter destruction.
Noticing Bai Qi beside him, Savage took two steps back and said, "Awake?"
"Yeah, I had a good dream. I feel much better."
"Good, as long as you're comfortable." Savage glanced at the cliff ahead and said, "Tell me, how do we get across?"
"That's easy. Isn't this all good material for building a bridge?"
As he spoke, Bai Qi looked at a stone pillar beside him.
The pillar was tall, thick, and sturdy, perfect for a bridge.
"Yes, but will he agree?"
Savage was referring to Bob.
After a period of rest, Bob had woken up from his unconscious state and was now working at full speed to make up for lost time, frantically recording and translating the carvings on the stone pillars.
If Bob knew that Bai Qi and the others intended to blow up the stone pillar to build a bridge, he might faint from anger on the spot.
"What! You want to blow up the stone pillar?" Bob immediately jumped up upon hearing this.
"These are all precious historical relics, priceless treasures. How can you do this?"
"Hey! I'm talking to you, stop it, don't bury it!"
Winnick was an honest man and only obeyed his employer, Savage. If Savage told him to plant explosives and blow up the stone pillar, he would do so, no matter who said otherwise. Even though Bob nagged him non-stop, wearing out his voice, Winnick did not stop his work.
After planting the explosives, Winnick stood up, his expression like a dead fish, and said, "Boss, it's done. We can detonate it."
"We can't! Listen to me, these are priceless treasures. If we take them back, think about what we can..."
"Detonate it."
"Okay."
Boom!
With a deafening explosion, the stone pillar tilted and fell to the side. Perhaps due to a miscalculation, the pillar did not land on the opposite bank as expected but missed by a small margin and plunged into the abyss.
Watching the stone pillar disappear, Winnick awkwardly scratched his head and said, "There might have been a slight error in the calculation. Don't worry, I'll do it again."
Saying this, he walked to the base of another stone pillar and began to plant explosives.
Winnick's actions enraged Bob, making his face turn green. One pillar wasn't enough, and he wanted to blow up another.
However, Bob knew he was outnumbered and weak. He went to Bai Qi, hoping to persuade him to join him in stopping this barbaric act of trampling on historical relics.
If it were in the past, Bai Qi wouldn't have bothered with Bob. Perhaps seeing that Bob would soon turn into a zombie, he persuaded him out of pity, "Look, given the current situation, if we don't use these stone pillars to build a bridge, we won't be able to cross. Even if people can find a way across, what about the vehicles and equipment? Ahead lies the lost continent, which has far greater archaeological value than a few stone pillars."
"I know that, but, but..."
"No more 'buts'. Look, it's because of your interference just now that Winnick made a mistake. Otherwise, why would he have to blow up a second pillar? I advise you to just watch quietly from the side. If Winnick makes another mistake, we might have to blow up even more pillars."
Bob was devastated.
Blowing up one stone pillar already pained him deeply; blowing up more would be the death of him.
To preserve more stone pillars, Bob silently prayed that Winnick would succeed this time.
With Bob no longer disturbing him, Winnick's efficiency increased significantly. He quickly planted the explosives.
He pressed the detonator again.
Boom!
The sound of the explosion echoed again. This time, the stone pillar firmly rested against the edge of the opposite cliff.
The bridge was built, and the convoy quickly drove across, continuing their journey towards the lost continent.
In this lightless underground, everyone had long lost track of day and night. They set up camp to rest when tired and continued their journey when refreshed. The various traps and mechanisms along the way kept them from getting bored.
The uneven ground made them feel like they were on a rocking horse, constantly bouncing around.
Many people couldn't stand it and chose to walk, while some even threw up their recently eaten dinner.
"Are you okay? Should I ask Broldo for some special medicine?"
"No, thank you." Artemis took a big gulp of water, calmed her breath, and looked at Bob with a strange expression. "It's odd. I'm in such a state, but you're completely fine. You were so seasick on the ship that you felt like you were going to vomit your gallbladder."
Bob thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps I only get seasick."
Looking at the taillights of the truck ahead, Bob fell into a deep thought, and after a long while, he said,
"Artemis, do you think we should really be looking for the lost continent?"
"Hmm?" Artemis raised an eyebrow and looked at Bob beside her. "Why do you say that, Bob? You've been acting strange since we crossed the cliff. You're not still dwelling on the matter of blowing up the stone pillars, are you?"
"No." Bob shook his head. "I just feel that perhaps the lost continent doesn't want to be found. Its lost state might have its own reasons, and we are like the English colonists who landed in America back then."
"What's wrong with that? It was precisely because of the colonists that America was brought advanced civilization."
"You know that's not what I mean."
In the truck behind, Bai Qi was driving, with Savage in the passenger seat. They chatted idly.
"What have you been doing since you left the team? Don't you want to share anything with me?"
"Nothing interesting, just took in a good subordinate."
"I find it strange, do all you demons like to take subordinates?"
"It's average, mostly I just take them if I see someone suitable."
"Then do you have a way to guarantee that your subordinates won't betray you?"
It wasn't surprising that Savage asked this. Along the way, he had witnessed too many betrayals—brothers, friends, spouses, even father and son. As long as there were sufficient benefits to be gained, none of these relationships were unbreakable.