Li Chonglou stabilized his body and then had time to survey his surroundings. He found himself in a passageway several meters wide, with stone walls on both sides covered in old stains, as if no one had been there for many years.
It smelled musty, giving an overall impression of decay.
However, the lights above were clearly electric, meaning someone was monitoring this place.
Li Chonglou scanned his surroundings but found no cameras. As for the flash of cold light just now, it was from a mechanism mounted on a rack not far behind him; the rack was still there, acting as a launcher.
Looking up again, the passage he had fallen through was now sealed. He couldn't even tell which brick it was.
Beneath his feet was a soft mat, like those found in playgrounds.
Looking at this strange place, Li Chonglou felt a bit bewildered. Why did he fall with the little girl instead of someone else? Was it bad luck or deliberate?
Li Chonglou felt that the crux of the problem lay here.
If it weren't for the deadly mechanism just now, the soft mat beneath his feet could have indicated a spot designated for the little girl. After all, even if the little girl fell by herself, she wouldn't have been seriously injured landing here.
But the problem was that after he came down, the mechanism had targeted the little girl. If he hadn't reacted quickly just now, the little girl would have been pierced through the heart by the arrow.
These two contradictory points made Li Chonglou scratch his head, unable to figure it out.
Just then, the little girl's voice came from behind him.
"Uh, can you put me down first?"
Li Chonglou grunted and crouched down, placing her on the ground. It was at this very moment that a flash of inspiration struck him.
"Damn! How could I be so stupid!"
Li Chonglou smacked his own forehead. Although the arrow had been aimed at the little girl, it was because he was carrying her! If the mechanism was simply pre-set or specifically targeted the little girl, then the height of the arrow would not have harmed her.
However, if another adult had fallen, there was a high probability they would have been pierced through the heart by the arrow.
This meant his earlier guess was correct: this place was designed for the little girl!
With this realization, Li Chonglou's confusion and bewilderment vanished. He immediately asked the little girl in front of him.
"Can you tell me what this place is now?"
He didn't ask if she knew where it was, but instead inquired with a tone of certainty.
The little girl hadn't expected Li Chonglou to react so quickly and became hesitant.
But she refused to say anything, no matter what. Li Chonglou had no choice but to give up.
"Then at least tell me where to go next."
This time, the little girl did not refuse. She pointed forward.
Li Chonglou said no more. He took her little hand and walked forward.
The corridor was designed to be extremely wide, but there were few decorations. Looking ahead, apart from the lights on the walls, there was nothing else.
And the entire corridor seemed to stretch endlessly. As Li Chonglou walked, he activated his Sky Eye True Sight.
Unfortunately, the stone walls on both sides were solid, with no hidden compartments. However, Li Chonglou didn't turn off his Sky Eye True Sight and continued to walk silently with the little girl.
After walking for several minutes, a mezzanine space suddenly appeared within Li Chonglou's vision. His expression lit up with joy, and he quickened his pace.
The little girl's face slowly scrunched up, her features seeming to be squeezed together. Inside, she was silently shouting.
"Don't walk so fast, it's right there, don't walk so fast."
Unfortunately, she knew she couldn't say these words aloud, so she could only lower her head, secretly anxious.
The next moment, however, Li Chonglou suddenly stopped.
In the little girl's astonished gaze, he directly pushed open the hidden door.
"You, how did you know about this place?"
The little girl looked stunned. She had spent a long time memorizing the location of this hidden door.
Hearing her say this, Li Chonglou immediately understood that she knew about this door. Although he felt a bit helpless, the outcome was good; it meant that the real destination was behind this door.
So Li Chonglou didn't answer her. He directly pushed the door open and went inside.
In fact, Li Chonglou already knew what was inside before entering.
A box and another hidden door.
He directly picked up the box and opened it. Inside lay a multicolored egg. Activating his Sky Eye True Sight again, Li Chonglou was surprised to find that there was actually embryonic life within.
However, he couldn't discern what kind of creature it was, only a vague familiarity, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
Never mind, he'd take it with him for now.
Li Chonglou thought about closing the box again, but then he noticed a line of information on the edge of the box.
[Fast Gene Organism No. 1] What is this?
Li Chonglou was completely baffled. At this moment, the little girl beside him suddenly spoke.
"You must keep this safe."
Li Chonglou immediately looked at her. "You know what this is?"
He had only asked casually, as he was used to the little girl withholding information. However, to his surprise, she didn't conceal it this time.
"This is an embryo egg of the Death Claw, which can grow rapidly. After you enter the Iron Forest, you can borrow its power to win the championship. This year's Iron Forest competition is different from previous ones due to the involvement of certain organizations."
Li Chonglou looked at her in surprise. He hadn't expected her to reveal so much information at once. He couldn't help but ask, "You can talk about this now?"
The little girl shook her head and said, "It's only because you found the box. According to the rules, I can tell you what I just said. I don't actually know anything else."
Li Chonglou grunted and then continued to push open the other hidden door.
The little girl was stunned by his reaction. "You, don't you know the importance of this thing?"
This time, it was Li Chonglou who was confused by her question. "Didn't you just say it was the embryo of the Death Claw? Are you lying to me?"
"No, it's the embryo of the Death Claw. The Death Claw, and it can grow rapidly."
The little girl became anxious. It was then that Li Chonglou understood what she meant.
He shrugged and said, "It's just so-so."
For them, the Death Claw might be a terrifying existence, but in Li Chonglou's eyes, it was indeed just so-so.
This thing wouldn't fare well against someone who had reached a certain realm.