Cave Refuge

No matter the choice, what people actually fear the most is those who hesitate when faced with a decision.

However, in that group of people, there weren't any of their elders, so the Thompson family of three didn't bother with the crowd that stayed behind in hesitation and directly stepped onto the stairs leading upward.

Those standing at the stair entrance, hesitant and wandering, watched as people continued to leave, either going up or down. After a brief moment of hesitation, some of them made their own decisions and followed the others according to their choices.

The remaining people suddenly seemed to come to their senses, and although they didn't immediately make a decision, they blocked the entrance to the stairs, insisting on getting an explanation from those who were about to leave before they would clear the path.

Zachary didn't know that, due to their decisiveness, they were fortunately spared the trouble that followed.

Those climbing the stairs seemed to have an unspoken agreement. Perhaps it was because everyone was intelligent, so at this moment, although everyone quickened their pace, the progression was still orderly, and no chaos ensued over vying for the path.

Everyone stayed on the right side of the stairs as if they were on a road, with only some survivors who were physically stronger choosing the left side to run swiftly upward.

Living just a few floors below the top level, Zachary and his group didn't take much time to reach the top-most area of the base.

Honestly, this was Zachary's first time on the Magic Capital Base's top level since entering. Although there were already quite a few people gathered here, with his Divine Sense, Zachary instantly had a thorough understanding of the terrain.

Zachary never imagined that the base's top floor would be built like a pre-natural disaster hotel garden; not only were there various green plants, but there was also a large swimming pool.

Those who had arrived on the rooftop were forming groups, and everyone consciously began to vie for positions along the edges. After all, everyone who came here understood that

if they wanted to escape safely, they had to rely on the moment the base sunk underwater. Therefore, the closer to the edge, the higher the chance of escaping safely. In fact, if one had a higher Cultivation Level, they could rely on their physical strength to swim away directly from the water.

After reaching the open-air rooftop, Zachary wasn't particularly concerned about their position. Being capable of Sword Flight, it wouldn't matter if he was just carrying his parents or even a few more people; Zachary would still be able to leave effortlessly.

Just as Zachary was internally debating whether to leave now, he suddenly heard someone shout from a distance, "Old Five, come over here to me."

Following the sound, Zachary saw Uncle Jefferson, who he had last met at the doorstep inviting Mr. Thompson to fish, beckoning them over. It seemed he was calling their family to join him.

Hearing the call of his friend, Mr. Thompson immediately led Zachary and Mrs. Thompson over. As soon as the three approached, Uncle Jefferson warmly greeted the Thompson family, "Old Five, this must be your lad, isn't he? He's really handsome."

Hearing his friend's praise of his son, Mr. Thompson quickly replied in modesty, "Oh no, not at all, how are your kids?"

"It's quite a coincidence. I was supposed to go out for fishing yesterday, to take the kids for a bit of a break too, but I got tied up and couldn't go, so I had my eldest take them out instead.

I was planning to get up this morning and call you and your wife to join them for a meal, but who knew something like this would happen in the middle of the night.

But this is probably for the best. If they hadn't gone out early to spot this event, and also not lacking people, their Companion Spiritual Treasure wouldn't have experienced rapid corrosion effects from the natural disaster, I might have ended up like most people – knowing only that natural disasters are very dangerous, without any clue about the specifics of the disaster or how to avoid it."

Hearing Uncle Jefferson's sentiments, Mr. Thompson didn't say much, just patted Jefferson's shoulder.

Zachary observed their current position. Although it wasn't right at the edge, it was still pretty good, and just to the right was the swimming pool area. At this time, nobody was in the mood for a swim, so not many people were around.

"Old Five, there are just the two of us on my side, and your family makes three. When it's time to go, do we take your boat or mine?"

Due to Mr. Thompson and Old Jefferson's frequent fishing trips, both were quite familiar with the size of each other's vessels. Since there were only five people, either one's Companion Spiritual Treasure would suffice to carry them all.

Hearing his old friend's question, Mr. Thompson glanced at Zachary before saying directly to his friend, "With my son here, why would we need to take our fishing boats? We'll use my boy's submarine."

Hearing Mr. Thompson say this, Old Jefferson asked in surprise, "Did your Companion Spiritual Treasure evolve?"

"Yep, it's evolved."

Hearing Zachary's affirmative answer, Jefferson's previously tense expression relaxed considerably. Even though a Companion Spiritual Treasure in its initial state possessed the trait of unsinkability,

being unsinkable didn't mean it wouldn't go underwater; it meant that the Spiritual Treasure would float like a lifebuoy. Even if it sank to the bottom for some reason, it would rise to the surface quickly.

However, despite this unsinkable trait, the process of first sinking and then floating back up could cause great harm to the passengers inside and, in severe cases, even pose a risk to life.