"This path is a dead end," Professor Qi decisively chose another route, "If we keep staying here, it's no different from waiting for death. Now, there's only one thing we can do, and that's to keep moving forward; maybe there's still a glimmer of hope."
Qinghe, a seasoned veteran, also felt that this was the best plan of action for the moment, just as Professor Qi had said. The stone steps leading out wouldn't have disappeared without reason. Since they had vanished, it must be because they had triggered some mechanism they were unaware of. It was better to continue exploring inside.
Everyone looked at each other, seemingly in agreement that waiting to die was futile. It was better to look for another path or a mechanism, anything was better than doing nothing.