Chapter 410

Chapter 410

The storm was still raging, but the stone door had finally opened.

Unfortunately, it was too far away for us to see what was inside.

Leroy gauged the distance between the time tunnel and the coast, then took a step forward. "Alex, the door's open. Should we get ready to go?"

I asked, even though I already knew the answer, "How are we gonna get there?"

Leroy was in high spirits. "How else? We don't have a boat, so we'll have to swim. If we miss this chance, we'll have to wait another hundred years, and I can't wait that long. So let's swim over."

"No way." I tried to negotiate for better conditions for everyone. "I get it if the men swim, but the women don't have the same stamina. They can't make it."

"And," I looked at Joseph and Susan, "my companion is pregnant. She can't handle the cold. How about the women stay here, and we men go?"

Leroy didn't push anyone. He nodded. "Alright, we'll do it your way."

Hearing this, I turned back and signaled to those who were still undecided, indicating they should find a way to avoid the Atlantis guards and escape.

William, standing in front of Carl, gently hugged Lisa and patted her back. "Whatever you decide, as long as you don't regret it, go for it. I'm leaving now. We might never see each other again, but I hope you find happiness. Take care!"

Then William turned and approached Lily. "If you want, I'll take you with me."

Lily was a bit embarrassed but still placed her hand in William's large palm, smiling. "Let's go."

"Joseph, take care of Susan. We're leaving." I then turned my attention back to Emily, putting my arm around her shoulder as we headed toward the time tunnel.

"Let's go," Joseph shouted from behind. "We'll go too. If we die, we'll die together. If we make it back, Susan, will you marry me?"

Susan chuckled and nodded. "Sure, if we make it back, we'll get married."

"I'll..." Lisa hesitated, "I'll go with you."

"I'll carry you." Carl picked up Lisa and flew over us toward the turbulent sea.

Fortunately, the time tunnel wasn't far from the coast. After some time, we reached it.

As we climbed the stone steps, we saw that Tim and his group had also swum over, looking tense and disheveled.

No one wanted to miss such a good opportunity, so I wasn't surprised.

Once everyone had climbed up, I looked up to examine the time tunnel.

Ignoring the swirling black vortex and the darkness inside the stone door, there wasn't much to see.

Leroy was disappointed. "I thought I'd be able to see inside, but I can't see anything. What a shame."

"Well then..." Leroy nudged my shoulder, indicating I should go first. "Alex, the honor of going first is yours."

I resisted the urge to kick Leroy into the sea and laughed coldly. "Then you'd better follow closely, High Priest. Don't get lost and not make it back."

Leroy's smile remained gentle. "Don't worry. Since I came along, I never planned on making it back alive."

I ignored Leroy and turned to my companions, taking a deep breath. "Is everyone ready?"

Everyone was nervous and scared of the unknown dangers, so their responses were weak and scattered.

"Alex, wait," Lisa called out, taking a step back to stand beside Carl. "I..."

Her eyes were full of conflict, so she didn't continue.

Carl leaned down and nuzzled her cheek, whispering, "It's okay. Say what you need to. Whether you leave or stay with me, I'll accept it."

Then Carl confessed, "I love you. No matter where you are, I love you, Lisa."

With that, Carl kissed Lisa deeply, his eyes full of reluctance.

After a gentle kiss, he pushed Lisa toward us. "Go on, be safe."

Lisa bit her lip, hesitated, then turned and ran back into Carl's arms, looking back at us. She finally made her decision.

She smiled and waved. "I think I've found my place. So I'm not going. Take care, everyone. I hope you make it back."

No one was surprised, and we all smiled and waved goodbye.

Emily, with tears in her eyes, softly wished her well. "Lisa, be happy."

"If you're scared, just close your eyes and go in," I said, holding Emily's hand and stepping through the stone door with my eyes closed.

Everyone, scared, followed my lead and closed their eyes as they stepped through.

We didn't know what happened the moment we stepped in, but when we opened our eyes, we were alive, and the surroundings were no longer unknown. We were in a tomb.

The tomb had been excavated, and the door was open, with sunlight streaming in.

We could hear intermittent conversations outside.

Emily touched her body, then cupped my face, delighted. "Alex, we're okay?"

"Looks like it," I said, looking around and addressing everyone. "It seems we made it through the stone door safely and ended up somewhere else."

Andrew laughed heartily. "We must be lucky. We made it without a scratch."

"Are you hoping for trouble?" Joseph glared at Andrew, holding Susan's belly. "Honey, when are we getting married? I can't wait."

Tim muttered, "This place looks familiar. Have I been here before? Is it just a feeling?"

At that moment, the people outside, drawn by our voices, came in.

As they entered, we exchanged glances.

No, to be precise, my companions who knew the man exchanged glances. The man, however, seemed to expect us and greeted us with a smile.

"You're back?" It was Anson, Emily's brother and my former boss. "I was wondering when you'd return. It only took you less than two months."

"What do you mean?" I stared at Anson's unsurprised face. "You knew where we went? Or did you plan all this?"

"No, I didn't know where you went," Anson said. "But I knew from the clues in this tomb that you'd come out here. Don't be surprised. I'll tell you everything I know."

He looked at all of us, frowning slightly. "Where's the other person?"

"Dead." Lily knew who Anson meant and took over. "Died in the crash."

"What?" Anson didn't believe it. "Impossible. She couldn't have died."

Emily weakly replied, "She did. The crash left her severely injured, and she died shortly after we landed. But that shouldn't matter to you. You didn't know her. Dead is dead."

"Alex!" Anson turned to me. "Where is she? Why didn't she make it back, but you brought two unrelated people?"

I shrugged. "Emily already said, she was injured in the crash and didn't make it. I'm not a miracle worker. I couldn't save her."

The others wisely didn't expose our lie.

After a long pause, Anson lowered his eyes and turned away. "I see. Well, since you're back, tell me what you know, and I'll tell you what I know."

Then we had a long exchange of information.

Anson explained that he wasn't just the owner of the Brown Group but also a member of a historical research center.

By chance, he discovered records of an island not belonging to this world.

The island's exit was this Atlantis tomb, which recorded the method to reach the island and the chosen people. So Anson planned the crash, which allowed us to travel through a time rift to the island and find a way back.

As for other mysteries, he and his team were still investigating.

For example, why did the time rift occur? Were those who resembled us from a parallel universe?

Where did the island's inhabitants come from?

And how did the civilization there develop, among many other questions?

We talked for a long time, until nightfall, when I finally felt that we had returned to our world.

Anson then extended an invitation. "Would you be interested in joining my team to explore the mysteries of that unknown world?"

I didn't answer immediately, but I was intrigued by the mysteries.

So I told him, "I'll think about it. If I decide, I'll contact you first."

Then we took Anson's team's SUVs back to town, and we began our stories in our city.

I thought I would continue to seek out that unknown world someday.

But for now, I wanted to reunite with my loved ones and those who loved me.

—The End