98: Farewell to the Golden Country

The escape pod sailed smoothly and at high speed through the dark, lightless underground river, like an arrow released from a bow.

The thick crystal shield completely cut off the freezing river water and the terrifying water pressure that was enough to instantly crush steel.

Inside the cramped cabin, it was eerily quiet. Only the faint hum of the life support system and the heavy, ragged breathing of the two men, which sounded like it would tear their chests open, could be heard.

Although the alarm had stopped, the flashing blood-red warning was like a red-hot iron, seared into their eyes.

A sense of collapse, having been drained of every ounce of strength, flooded every nerve like a tide.

Wang Dalong was slumped in his seat like a pile of mud, feeling as if his skeletal frame had been removed. His precious custom camera was tossed aside carelessly as he stared blankly at the dark rock walls rushing past outside, his mind a complete mess.

The world-creating light of the Golden City's disintegration, the final loyalty of the mechanical guards, Osiris's shocked and hideous face... everything had happened too fast, too intensely, and felt too unreal.

It was like a bizarre nightmare; now that he was awake, he still felt lingering fear, his body covered in cold sweat.

"Brother Feng..." His Adam's apple bobbed, his voice so raspy it didn't sound like his own. "Did we... did we fucking... really escape?"

"Yeah."

Lin Feng leaned back against the seat, eyes closed, being sparse with his words. He could clearly feel every muscle in his body wailing; he was supporting himself purely through superhuman willpower to keep from fainting.

"Then... what about them?" Wang Dalong asked again, his voice trembling slightly.

Only then did Lin Feng slowly open his eyes.

In those eyes, there was no relief from surviving a disaster, nor any sigh of emotion over the enemy's life or death—only a cold, all-seeing calm.

"In a structural collapse and energy purification of that scale," he said flatly, "unless he ascended on the spot, he... wouldn't survive."

Although he hadn't seen the ending with his own eyes, Lin Feng already had a clear deduction in his mind.

Faced with the final self-destruct sequence of an entire city and civilization, any human strength or schemes appeared incredibly small and laughable. The only end for Osiris and his so-called Elite Guard was to be purified into basic universal particles along with the Golden City.

Not even a speck of dust would remain.

Wang Dalong fell completely silent.

He thought of that man who always wore white gloves, elegant in posture but cruel at heart. He remembered the bone-deep coldness when the man executed his subordinates without hesitation.

Without a doubt, he was a complete bastard.

But for such a bastard to just die like that... it gave Wang Dalong a sense of inexplicable absurdity.

For a nebulous ambition, he lost everything, and even his ashes were scattered.

Was it... really worth it?

Wang Dalong shook his head, forcing himself to stop thinking about the dead man, and turned all his curiosity toward Lin Feng.

"Brother Feng, Brother Feng!" He sat up straight as if he'd discovered a new continent. "What kind of gibberish were you speaking to that hunk of iron just now? How did it just let us go without a word, like you’d put a Tightening Incantation on it?"

He had held this question in for too long! He was more curious about this than the Golden City's self-destruction!

"Zhuojin Star Language," Lin Feng replied calmly, still maintaining his unruffled demeanor.

"Zhuojin Star?!" Wang Dalong's eyes instantly widened like copper bells. "The... the alien civilization that built El Dorado?!"

"Yeah."

"Holy shit!" Wang Dalong couldn't hold it in anymore. He looked at Lin Feng like he was a monster, almost pressing himself against him. "How do you know their language? And how did you know the answer to that damn question? Brother Feng, be honest, what's your deal? Were you possessed by an alien, or are you just a Zhuojin Star undercover agent lurking on Earth?!"

Lin Feng was silent for a moment.

About the system, about those immersive Historical Echoes—these were his greatest secrets. He couldn't tell anyone, not even a partner he could trust with his life.

He opened his eyes, his fingers unconsciously tapping twice on the cold metal armrest.

"When I was researching those materials in the Archives, I happened to decipher part of their script and grammatical structure," he explained in a different way, his tone giving nothing away. "That sentence was a maxim from one of their civilization's leaders. I just... took a gamble based on the context."

To be honest, this explanation was incredibly forced.

But to Wang Dalong, it sounded perfectly reasonable.

In his heart, Lin Feng was already a monster who couldn't be judged by common sense! So what if he deciphered an alien language? This guy could even fly an alien spaceship! Was it that strange?

"Holy shit, that's incredible..." Wang Dalong was completely convinced, giving Lin Feng a thumb's up and praising him sincerely. "Brother Feng, with that brain of yours... it's a waste not to be the Blue Planet Governor! I'm willing to call you the Pinnacle of high-quality human males! Seriously!"

Lin Feng didn't take the bait; his gaze returned to the bottomless darkness outside the window.

The flight path of this escape pod was clearly preset. It always managed to avoid giant underwater reefs and fatal whirlpools ahead of time at critical moments, consistently following the safest and fastest route, rushing upward toward an unknown destination.

This path was the only way out recorded in Pedro's notes!

"Dalong, get the camera ready," Lin Feng suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of gravity.

"Huh?" Wang Dalong was startled. "What are we filming now? It's pitch black ahead, we can't see anything."

"Film our way back."

Lin Feng's gaze became incredibly deep, as if he could pierce through the endless darkness and rock layers.

"It took a lot of luck for us to make it out alive. But this path—its coordinates, its trajectory, every one of its turning points—must be fully recorded." His voice wasn't loud, but every word carried unquestionable weight. "It's not just proof that we survived, but also proof to the world that the path to El Dorado really exists! We need to think bigger!"

Wang Dalong's heart jolted as he instantly understood Lin Feng's meaning.

This was more than just video footage; this was a passage to myth! A set of coordinates that could drive the whole world crazy!

Its value was immeasurable!

"Got it!" Wang Dalong's expression instantly became solemn. He carefully picked up the special camera, fixed it firmly in front of the observation window, and turned on the highest-precision environmental recording mode.

Just then, the escape pod's speed began to slowly decrease.

The sensation of being pressed hard into the seat was rapidly fading.

The river channel ahead also seemed to be getting wider.

A faint, eerie green light seeped in from the distant waters ahead.

The light grew brighter, like the first rays of dawn, dispelling the eternal darkness that had shrouded them for so long.

They saw that above the river channel, it was no longer cold, oppressive rock walls, but countless massive, intertwined tree roots! And through the gaps in those dense roots, patches of mottled, cool moonlight actually... filtered down!

"We're... we're going out!" Wang Dalong's voice trembled violently with excitement. He pressed himself against the crystal shield, his eyes practically bulging out. "We're really going out!"

The bow of the escape pod tilted up slightly.

The final stretch of the dark channel was breached!

Splash!

With a crisp, loud sound of water, the escape pod crashed through a thick layer of aquatic plants and burst out of the water!

The next second, the view opened up!

A wide river shimmering under the moonlight appeared before them. On both banks was an endless Rainforest, rustling in the night wind.

A familiar scent—a mix of damp earth and decaying plants, mingled with the fragrance of freedom—rushed in.

They were back in the Amazon!

Back on the surface!

The escape pod drifted gently with the current on the wide river. The navigation system inside emitted its final, emotionless prompt.

[...Surface waters reached...]

[...Navigation program ended, energy nearing depletion...]

As soon as the words fell.

Click!

All the lighting in the cabin, the hum of the life support system, and the last bit of light on the control panel went out together.

The world returned to silence.

Only the bright moonlight remained, quietly spilling through the large crystal shield onto the faces of the two men, which were filled with exhaustion and daze.

They just sat quietly in the dark, cold cabin, looking at the long-awaited night sky and the brilliant stars outside. For a moment, they both felt a bit lost.

It was as if everything they had experienced deep in the earth was just an overly realistic dream.

"We... we're out..." Wang Dalong's shoulders shook violently as he let out a long-suppressed sob.

Lin Feng raised his hand and, with some effort, pushed open the heavy crystal hatch above his head.

"Phew—"

Moist, free air, carrying the breath of life, surged in!

He took a deep breath, feeling the coolness of the fresh air rushing into his lungs, and then slowly exhaled the last bit of stale air from his chest.

He looked at the stars in the sky, a very faint curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"We're,"

"Home."