"Forget it, it's fine. By the time they've climbed a bit higher, you should have rested enough. I'll take you to catch up with them then,"
"They know we're behind, so they won't go too fast. They'll probably wait for us now and then."
Hearing this, Zhou Niannian nodded aggrievedly.
"Alright then, I'll rest for a bit. I hope they don't go too far."
While resting, Zhou Niannian couldn't help but glance up at Dai Xiaomei, Yao, and Gun Gun, who were walking ahead.
"I thought I'd be the first to reach the top, but I didn't expect to be held back by these legs."
These legs were always something Zhou Niannian was proud of. Now, during the expedition, they were slowing her down, which made her feel helpless.
However, for the viewers, these legs were truly beautiful.
The audience was also treated to a feast for their eyes.
"Why does this kind of good thing never happen to me?"
"Watching that girl, let me go first."
"Oh my god, if I could pat Sister Zhou's thigh like Jiang Fan is doing, I'd rather chop off my own legs."
"Add me to the list, I also want to chop off my leg."
"This is so awesome, I'm so envious."
"If I had this chance, I wouldn't even want to climb anymore. I'd just stay here and pat until I died."
"..."
After a while, when the audience had enjoyed themselves to their heart's content, Jiang Fan slowly pulled Zhou Niannian's trouser leg back down.
"There, you should have recovered by now."
When Jiang Fan looked up, Zhou Niannian was blushing as she looked at him. But after quickly reacting, Zhou Niannian immediately nodded.
"I'm fine now, I'm all better. Let's keep climbing."
Hearing this, Jiang Fan slowly stood up. However, as soon as he looked up at Zhou Niannian, she seemed to have forgotten her pain and was already running wildly upwards again.
"I see you're really not afraid of pain."
Seeing this, Jiang Fan smiled and shook his head helplessly. He didn't expect Zhou Niannian to be so reckless.
She had just been in unbearable pain, yet now she could forget her injuries and run again.
However, fortunately, the cramped thigh had already been somewhat relieved by replenishing fluids and salt.
A short burst of running now shouldn't cause the same situation as before.
Soon, Zhou Niannian caught up with Dai Xiaomei and the others.
Since Jiang Fan and Zhou Niannian had rested behind, they had intentionally slowed down to allow the group to regroup quickly.
After Zhou Niannian appeared, Yao looked back again and saw Jiang Fan. Jiang Fan nodded, and they resumed their previous pace.
After walking for nearly a whole day, they finally reached what seemed to be the end point.
At the top of the stairs was a large door.
Everyone looked down, and the boundless expanse below was like an abyss. They could hardly imagine that they had climbed up from the very bottom.
"So we've already climbed this far. We've finally reached the exit. I told you we'd get to the exit soon, and look, I'm not even out of breath."
Zhou Niannian boasted about her stamina and then walked to the front.
Jiang Fan beside her watched the innocent Zhou Niannian with a helpless smile.
But when Zhou Niannian pushed open the door, what greeted her made her instantly despair.
"What? What's going on? Are they messing with us? Why is there another floor?"
Seeing this, Jiang Fan and Yao didn't seem too surprised.
After all, the structure was formed by two pyramids connected together, so having two sets of stairs was quite normal.
If they had come from another pyramid, the stairs would likely be reversed.
"Let's go. We can only face reality now. What else can we do if we don't move forward?"
Hearing Jiang Fan's words, Zhou Niannian was stunned in place. If Jiang Fan hadn't gently nudged her, she might have stayed there all day.
After continuing for an unknown amount of time, Zhou Niannian was almost numb with exhaustion.
Not only Zhou Niannian, but even Jiang Fan and the others felt extremely tired.
"Where are we now? We must have been walking for several hours."
Zhou Niannian asked with extreme fatigue. Jiang Fan frowned and said lightly,
"If you can't go on, let's rest for a bit and have some water."
Hearing Jiang Fan's suggestion, Zhou Niannian immediately walked to his side, picked up his water bottle, and gulped it down.
After drinking, Zhou Niannian's condition clearly improved slightly. She had likely experienced exhaustion due to prolonged and intense physical exertion.
After replenishing fluids and electrolytes, her energy levels improved.
However, the confusion about the stairs remained, as they looked utterly despairing.
After walking for an unknown duration.
Suddenly, another door appeared. This time, Zhou Niannian didn't rush to open it, but waited for Jiang Fan to approach.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you opening the door this time? Maybe you'll be out once you open it."
Hearing Jiang Fan's words, Zhou Niannian gave an awkward laugh and shook her head, gesturing for Jiang Fan to open the door.
Jiang Fan also deduced that this door was likely the exit.
After all, if there were more stairs, it would be equivalent to them being trapped in an endless loop.
As originally stated, having two sets of stairs was quite normal.
Having three would be too bizarre.
As expected, when they opened the door, a bright light shone before their eyes.
For a moment, the intense light made everyone close their eyes.
But even so, it couldn't conceal the joy in Zhou Niannian's heart. She hadn't expected to finally escape.
"I told you this door must be the exit. See, two sets of stairs, isn't it exactly as we imagined?"
Jiang Fan said nothing more, but slowly walked forward.
A place resembling an oasis appeared before them.
This place could likely provide them with a chance to replenish fluids and supplies, much like the small jungle they encountered before.
Jiang Fan unhesitatingly went to a small pool to test if the water was poisonous.