Barkley moved forward quickly along the secret passage, his heart beating like a drum. The darkness around him was like a huge black hole, swallowing all his thoughts. He clenched the electronic card in his hand, and his fingertips trembled slightly. What do the coordinates on the card mean? Will that location lead him to the answer, or drag him into a deeper predicament?
As the echo of footsteps gradually became clearer, Barkley felt an urgency that could not be ignored. His thoughts began to surge in his mind, the mysterious disappearance of his parents, the pursuit of the Shadow Council, and Blake's suggestive help-all of this seemed like an invisible net, slowly tightening, trapping him in a kind of inescapable fate.
He didn't know if he could control all this, but he knew that escape was no longer an option.
At the end of the passage was an old metal door, rusty and obviously not opened for many years. Barkley hesitated, put his ear to the door, and listened for a while. He couldn't hear any sound, but his vigilance did not diminish. He slowly pushed the door open, and was greeted by a humid air, as if the passage was connected to some kind of abandoned underground space.
The light outside was dim, and the blurred outlines outlined an abandoned warehouse. Barkley stood at the door, holding the card in his hand tightly, and quickly scanned the surroundings. After confirming that there was no danger for the time being, he quickly moved carefully along the edge of the warehouse, trying to reach the coordinates given by Blake as soon as possible.
The warehouse was surprisingly quiet, with only the wind blowing the broken glass of the window, making a faint humming sound, as if whispering some distant secret. Barkley stepped on the dusty floor, and the sound of his footsteps echoed in the empty space, making him feel alert with every step he took.
Soon after, outside the warehouse was a deserted industrial area, with dilapidated factories and abandoned vehicles scattered around, as if time had already stopped here. Barkley followed the instructions on the card, crossed several narrow streets, and gradually approached the coordinates.
He came to an old building. The exterior wall of the building was already in ruins, covered with vines and moss, and it seemed that no one had set foot in it for many years. Barkley stood at the door, looking up at this silent place, and the uneasiness in his heart emerged again.
"Is this the place?" he said to himself, holding the card in his hand, his eyes hesitant.
Barkley took a deep breath and pushed open the old door, and the heavy wooden door creaked harshly. Behind the door was a narrow corridor, and the lights on the wall flickered faintly, as if silently foreshadowing something to come.
He walked slowly into the corridor, and the atmosphere around him became even more gloomy. At the end of the corridor was a heavy metal door, which was obviously different from other places. This door seemed to have been specially reinforced and protected. Barkley frowned and felt an inexplicable tension. He glanced at the card and found that there was a small sensor embedded in the door, which was used to read the card.
"It seems that this is the end." He murmured in a low voice and slowly inserted the card into the sensor.
With a "beep", the metal door began to slowly open, making a low mechanical roar. Barkley's heartbeat quickened, staring at everything behind the door. He didn't know what he would face, but there was no turning back.
Behind the door was a small room with dim light and a smell of motor oil and old paper in the air. The walls were hung with various complex mechanical equipment, and many old books and documents were placed on the table, as if this was once a busy research room.
Barkley walked into the room and looked around vigilantly. Suddenly, his eyes stopped on an object in the center of the room - it was a seemingly old projector, and there were several videotapes next to it.
He walked forward and looked at the equipment carefully. Unlike everything else in the room that was decayed and dilapidated, this projector seemed to be well maintained, with almost no dust on the surface, and it was obviously maintained regularly.
Full of doubts and uneasiness, Buckley decided to start the projector. He pressed the switch, and with the hum of the machine, a blurry image was projected on the wall in the room.
A familiar face appeared in the image - Buckley's father. Although the image was a little damaged, the expression of the person in the picture was still clearly visible. Buckley held his breath, he could hardly believe his eyes.
"Barkley, if you see this video, it means we have failed." The father in the video said, with a hint of helplessness and heaviness in his tone, "Your mother and I have tried our best to protect you, but we ultimately failed to escape the pursuit of the Shadow Council."
Barkley's heartbeat accelerated, and his hands unconsciously clenched.
"The genetic information in your body is the result of our years of research. We have discovered a code that can resonate with the cracks in time and space, and you... are the only one who can carry this technology." The father in the video paused, his expression became more serious, "The significance of this technology far exceeds our expectations. It can break the boundaries of time and connect the past and the future."
Barkley felt a chill in his heart.
"But this technology is also extremely dangerous." The father continued, "Once it falls into the hands of the wrong people, it will completely subvert human history and the future. The Shadow Council wants to use this technology to control the world, and we must stop them."
The father in the video suddenly paused, as if thinking about what to say next. Barkley held his breath and waited, his heart filled with complex emotions.
"Barkley," the father finally spoke again, his voice becoming softer, "I know this is too heavy for you, but you must understand that you are the key to all this. Hidden in your genes is the last lock that we have not unlocked, and only you can find a way to open it."
Barkley's hands began to tremble. He didn't know if he could take on such a heavy responsibility, and he was not even sure if he really wanted to take it.
"Your mother and I can no longer accompany you." There was a trace of sadness in his father's voice, "But you are not alone. In a corner of this world, there are some allies who are secretly helping you. Believe in yourself and believe in them."
As the picture gradually blurred, the father in the image looked at the camera and showed his last warm smile.
"Live, Barkley. For yourself and for the world."
The image disappeared, and the room fell silent again. Barkley stood there, feeling like he was trapped in a crack in time. His thoughts were in a mess, and an indescribable emotional fluctuation surged in his heart.
The last words of his father seemed to be engraved in his mind: live.
But how should he do it? How can he solve this puzzle and stop the Shadow Council? His heart was full of doubts and uneasiness, but at the same time, a new determination was quietly growing.
He didn't know if he could succeed, but he knew that he had to do it now. Blake's organization, his parents' last wishes, the power of the space-time rift - all of these pointed in the same direction: he had to find his true power to change everything.
Barkley took a deep breath, slowly left the room, and embarked on the next journey with countless unsolved mysteries.