Cave Refuge

But if they were to board a submarine, then the process of sinking and surfacing might feel to them much like riding a drop tower in an amusement park, not only free from any danger but also enjoying the thrilling sensation.

Even after getting Zachary's confirmation, Old Jefferson still asked again, "Junior Thompson, can all of us fit in?"

The reason Old Jefferson asked was to confirm the size of Zachary's Companion Spiritual Treasure. After all, he had seen the Companion Spiritual Treasure just after it had chosen its evolutionary branch.

Though the Companion Spiritual Treasure had successfully evolved, its size had suddenly decreased. Regardless of how many times a Companion Spiritual Treasure evolves, and no matter how big it is during evolution, right after an evolution, its original form can accommodate at most one or two people.

Old Jefferson asked because he was worried that Zachary's Companion Spiritual Treasure might still be in its original state, but he also had many Mysterious Cores on him. After all, as long as a Companion Spiritual Treasure has enough Mysterious Cores, it can rapidly expand in size.

So, in Old Jefferson's view, even if Zachary's Companion Spiritual Treasure was still in its initial post-evolution state, the Mysterious Cores he had were definitely more than enough for Zachary's Companion Spiritual Treasure to expand and accommodate two more people.

"Uncle Jefferson, you can rest assured on that, it can easily fit the five of us," Zachary said with confidence.

Seeing Zachary's confident expression, Old Jefferson didn't say anything more.

After Zachary and his family arrived at the top floor, aside from the group that had come up with them, not many more followed.

Actually, it made sense. Under normal circumstances, when facing a fire hazard in a high-rise building, except for the people living on the lower floors who would directly escape downwards, the survivors staying near the top floor would actually have a higher chance of survival by running upwards or hiding in the shower to avoid the rain.

At this moment, those who had reached the top floor began looking for acquaintances to group up with. They were well aware that although everyone had a Companion Spiritual Treasure, it wouldn't be practical for everyone to summon their companions as the base sank.

Not to mention there were some whose Companion Spirits, for various reasons, had not been taken into the Sea of Consciousness and were instead stationed outside the base. So now, those on the top floor began to band together, selecting the highest-level Companion Spirit of their teams.

Because everyone knew time was of the essence, there were none of the picky attitudes as seen in films; basically, three or four families would form a small group, choosing to use the Companion Spirit Treasure of one of the members.

Before everyone could finish negotiating, the originally steady base suddenly shook violently. Following this earthquake-like tremor, Zachary felt the ground gradually incline.

Realizing this situation, Zachary resolutely summoned his Companion Spirit Treasure, now in its minimized state, into the swimming pool and let it sink to the deepest part so that the top entrance was flush with the edge of the pool.

"Mom, Dad, Uncle Jefferson, Aunt Jefferson, forget everything else, let's go," he urged.

Hearing Zachary's call and knowing the urgency of the situation, no one played the deferential part common in movies; all of them quickly entered Zachary's Companion Spirit Treasure following the principle of closest proximity.

Those near the pool who saw Zachary summon his Companion Spirit in the water were a bit puzzled. Although they knew that entering the Companion Spirit Treasure was the only way to possibly escape safely once the base began to sink, they felt it was premature since the base hadn't sunk yet.

However, when some noticed that Zachary's Companion Spirit had already successfully evolved, and had chosen the Submersible Navigation branch, they were instantly tempted. So instinctively, some of them moved closer, wanting to board and enter Zachary's Companion Spirit Treasure.

But before those people could make it to the poolside, the tilting of the base began to increase relentlessly, alerting everyone to the situation.

The survivors who had been preparing to approach the water now saw Zachary disregard their cries, decisively entering his Companion Spiritual Treasure and closing its entry gate.

They had no choice but to summon their own Companion Spiritual Treasure regardless, and then call for others to seek refuge within them.

As more and more survivors summoned their Companion Spiritual Treasures, it seemed as if they had reached a silent agreement—none would summon the full size of their treasures, only manifesting them large enough to seat their small groups.

Their unanimous action was simple—the larger the size of the Companion Spiritual Treasure, the more obstacles it might encounter when resurfacing. After all, other than Companion Spiritual Treasures like Zachary's that had chosen the submersible navigation evolutionary branch,

other Spiritual Treasures also had cabins that were well-sealed after evolution, allowing no water ingress even if they sank to the bottom.

However, those well-sealed cabins couldn't produce oxygen like the submerged evolutionary ones. It was manageable for a short sink, but a longer duration underwater without oxygen would still pose a lethal threat despite watertight cabins.

A smaller vessel size meant fewer disturbances when surfacing, increasing the chances of rapidly reaching the surface and thus, the likelihood of survival.

Indeed, those who chose to come to the top layer at such a time were all clever. Even if the owners of the Companion Spiritual Treasures hadn't thought of this, other team members certainly would.

As the tilt of the base continued to increase, those Companion Spiritual Treasures near the edge slid directly off the side.

Perhaps because everyone had made preliminary preparations, when the first Companion Spiritual Treasure slid down due to the tilt, all the survivors on the top level had already taken refuge in their chosen Companion Spirits according to the original plan.

After Zachary entered his Companion Spiritual Treasure, he immediately created four seats with safety harnesses against the wall edge for the four people standing inside, then quickly beckoned his parents and Uncle Jefferson to sit down and fasten their seat belts.

At this point, no one bothered to ask Zachary why he didn't sit down immediately like the rest. Once everyone was seated and buckled up, even within the Companion Spiritual Treasure, they could feel the magnitude of the base's tilt.

Since the situation was urgent, Zachary skipped the formalities and directly said, "Stay seated here, I'm going right now to the driving chamber. Once we escape the danger, I will come back for you.

Remember, unless I come back, the danger has not passed. Do not unbuckle your safety belts prematurely." After saying this, Zachary hurriedly left for the driving chamber.

Actually, the driving chamber had room for three people. If it were just his parents, Zachary would have invited them into the chamber.

However, with an outsider present, it wasn't appropriate to leave just one or two alone in the cabin, so Zachary decided to leave his parents with Uncle Jefferson and headed to the driving chamber alone.

Even with the minimized size of the Companion Spiritual Treasure, the driving chamber remained the same. The material at the front end of the chamber resembled toughened glass, completely transparent, without the cluster of complicated electronic devices; there was only a seat very similar to a recliner.

Though the Companion Spiritual Treasure looked and functioned somewhat like a submarine, being Zachary's, the control method wasn't traditional mechanical operation, but operated based on his mental control and intentions.