Chapter 528
A few quick-thinking individuals immediately drew their weapons, pointing them at Pete and shouting angrily, “Pete, are you planning to kill us all to claim the treasures for yourself?”
Pete chuckled softly. “I guess you’re not entirely stupid. Unfortunately, you realized it too late.” His admission that he possessed the map effectively condemned everyone present.
“Damn it! How dare you trick me? I’ll kill you!”
“Pete, you’re asking for it!”
In an instant, individuals from various factions, momentarily united by their shared goal, lunged at Pete. However, it was too late.
Pete remained motionless, unblinking. A dense white fog surged from the canyon’s far end, swiftly engulfing everyone. The sun was obscured, and the canyon's bright light vanished entirely.
Chaos erupted in the thick fog. Everyone except Pete and his men lost their bearings. Then came a loud rumble. The ground beneath the crowd collapsed, forming a circular pit centered around Pete. Screaming, the unsuspecting group plunged into the crevice.
Pete remained unharmed at the center, along with his men and Kayla, who clung tightly to his side. From above, a circular pattern, intricately carved, was visible in the crevice.
Kayla’s heart pounded. Overcome by curiosity, she leaned forward, peering into the crevice. To her astonishment, she saw a spacious chamber with a massive disk at its center.
“Pete, what’s that?” she asked.
Poor visibility prevented her from discerning the disk's details, even with a flashlight. She looked expectantly at Pete.
He smiled. “It’s a key, Kayla—the real key to the legendary maritime kingdom.”
Kayla was surprised. All this effort for a key? Once they had it, finding the kingdom would be simple! Her eyes flickered with excitement as she glanced at those who had fallen. Anxiously, she urged, “Pete, we need to send someone down there immediately! If they get the key first, all our efforts will have been wasted!”
Pete laughed—a calculated, confident laugh tinged with mystery. “There’s a small price to pay for the key.”
“What kind of price?”
He pointed to the disk below, his expression as warm and gentle as a spring day. With a faint smile, he explained, “The disk's mechanism requires blood to activate. The blood of those people below should suffice.”
“What?”
Kayla was startled. Pete's chilling words, delivered in such an amicable tone, sent a shiver down her spine. But her fear quickly yielded to exhilaration. The people in the crevice had also seen the disk and the coordinates of the maritime kingdom inscribed upon it. All they needed to do was activate the mechanism to obtain the true coordinates and the key.
Instantly, everyone descended into madness. Forgetting their perilous situation, they fought ferociously, each for themselves. The space below was vast, seemingly designed for the ensuing carnage.
Soon, some were beaten and bloodied, collapsing to the ground. Their spilled blood seeped into the giant disk’s intricate design, illuminating parts of its ancient, mysterious patterns—a detail tragically unnoticed in the intensity of the battle.