The atmosphere inside the base grew increasingly heavy. Although the Heart of Annihilation had temporarily suppressed the power of the runes, Jack and his teammates knew that the real danger was far from over. The curse of the icefield and the mysterious power behind it still lurked in the darkness, waiting to return.
Jack, Sarah, Tom, and Eric rested briefly in the hallway outside the control room. The air was still filled with tension. Though the immediate crisis had subsided, they couldn't fully let down their guard. Eric's condition had slightly stabilized; his gaze remained hollow, but at least he could walk on his own.
"We need to find a way to leave here as soon as possible," Sarah broke the silence. She looked at her teammates, her expression resolute. "Everything here is too wrong. We can't take any more chances."
"You're right, but the question is, how do we contact the outside world?" Jack frowned, looking toward the communication equipment in the control room. Every previous attempt had failed. It seemed the entire base was being jammed, and all contact with the outside world had been severed by that mysterious force.
"Maybe we can try to restore the main communication system of the base," Tom suggested, his voice carrying a hint of hope. "The main communication system has much stronger transmission capabilities than the handheld radios. Maybe we could break through the interference."
"The problem is, the main communication system is located on the other side of the base, where the runes seem even more powerful," Jack sighed. He knew that path would not be easy, and more dangers likely awaited them.
"We have no choice." Sarah said resolutely, her eyes showing fearless determination. "We have to try. If we don't, we'll be stuck here forever."
Jack nodded, agreeing with Sarah's proposal. They quickly divided the tasks—Tom and Eric were to check the remaining supplies, while Jack and Sarah prepared to head to the communications tower on the other side of the base.
"Keep a low profile, and avoid making too much noise," Jack instructed everyone. "Although we've temporarily suppressed the runes, their power hasn't vanished entirely. We still need to be cautious."
They set off from the control room, moving through the base's corridors, heading toward the direction of the communications tower as they remembered it. The base remained eerily silent; only the sound of their careful footsteps and the muffled howling of the wind against the walls could be heard. The silence pressed heavily on Jack's heart, and he kept glancing around, on alert for anything unusual that might suddenly appear.
"Jack, do you think we still have a chance?" Sarah asked quietly, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
"As long as we're still moving, there's hope," Jack replied, turning to smile at her. Though he felt uneasy as well, he knew he needed to stay calm and give his team strength.
They continued moving forward, gradually approaching the area where the communications tower was located. At this point, the walls of the corridor began to show those familiar blue runes again. The faint blue light grew brighter as they approached. Jack felt a chill; the runes seemed alive, reacting to their presence.
"They're still here..." Sarah whispered, her gaze fixed on the runes, her unease growing.
"Keep moving and stay alert," Jack said, gripping the Heart of Annihilation tightly. The golden glow in his hand shimmered softly, creating a peculiar contrast with the blue runes.
Finally, they arrived at the control room of the communications tower. The door was tightly shut, covered in complex runes, glowing more brightly than in other areas, as if trying to block their entry.
"Damn... they're guarding this place," Sarah gritted her teeth, feeling tense.
Jack took a deep breath and brought the Heart of Annihilation closer to the runes. The golden light flared up, clashing fiercely with the blue glow of the runes. The symbols began to tremble, resisting the power of the Heart of Annihilation.
"Hurry, Jack," Sarah urged, feeling an immense pressure as if the runes were warning them.
Jack gritted his teeth, focusing all his strength on the Heart of Annihilation. The battle between the golden and blue lights intensified, and the runes began to fade. The blue light dimmed until, finally, the control room door emitted a low rumble, the runes disappeared, and the lock released.
"We did it!" Sarah's eyes sparkled with joy.
They quickly pushed the door open and entered the control room. Dust covered the control panel, clearly indicating that no one had been here for a long time. Jack and Sarah split up—Jack began inspecting the communication equipment, while Sarah kept watch, ready to react to any new threats.
"Some of the equipment is damaged, but it looks like it can be repaired." Jack carefully examined the devices, his fingers moving quickly across the keyboard as he tried to restore the system.
Sarah stood by the control room door, keeping a vigilant eye on the hallway. She knew they had to act quickly—the longer they stayed, the more likely it was that the runes' power would return. The whispers started up again in her ears, faint but seemingly directed at her very soul.
"Jack, hurry..." Sarah said nervously, glancing at the control panel.
"I know... just give me a little more time." Jack's hands moved swiftly over the controls, and the screen began to show some progress. Slowly, they managed to restore some basic functions of the base.
Suddenly, a burst of static came from the communicator, followed by a fragmented voice: "...This is... expedition team... requesting assistance..."
"We got a signal!" Jack shouted excitedly, continuing to adjust the equipment to capture the signal more clearly.
"Expedition team, this is the base survivors. We need assistance! Please respond!" Jack said loudly, hoping the other party could hear him.
The communicator crackled again, and a faint voice replied, "...Copy... attempting... assistance..."
"We did it!" Sarah's eyes filled with hope—they had finally managed to contact the outside world.
But just then, a violent tremor suddenly shook the ground, as if the entire base was quaking. The lights in the control room flickered, and the blue runes reappeared on the walls. The deep humming sound echoed, growing louder.
"No, they don't want us to escape!" Jack shouted, quickly setting the communication device to automatic transmission mode, hoping the other party would receive their location and distress signal in time.
"Let's go!" Sarah shouted, rushing forward to grab Jack's arm, trying to pull him away from the console.
Jack pressed the final button, then quickly left the control room with Sarah. The tremors grew stronger, the runes' blue light surged like a tide, as if the entire base was being swallowed by that ancient force.
They ran with all their strength, moving away from the control room, back in the direction they had come. Although the communication device was now active, they knew that whether they would get help depended on luck. But for now, the only thing they could do was keep going and buy themselves more time.
"Don't give up, keep moving!" Jack shouted, determination shining in his eyes.
Sarah ran beside him. Though fear gripped her heart, she knew they couldn't stop now—they had to survive and reveal the secrets hidden in this icy world.
The whispers of the runes grew louder, the blue light trailing them like a shadow, but at that moment, hope still burned in Jack and Sarah's hearts. As long as there was even the slightest chance, they wouldn't give up.