Having already ventured into the mountains for over half an hour, everyone was teetering on the brink of exhaustion. "Whoa, what the heck!"


    Adler''s sudden shout jolted everyone back to reality. The car swerved sharply, then came to an unexpected halt, causing a chorus of screams. It took a moment for everyone to calm down inside the vehicle. Sandy, looking pale, snapped, "Do you even know how to drive? If not, let me take the wheel!"


    "Did we blow a tire?"


    Jenna was the first to open the door, with Adler right on her heels. Seeing them, the others got out of the car as well.


    Jenna inspected the tires and frowned. "We can''t go any further, this huge rock in the middle of the road is super dangerous."


    Adler chimed in, "You''d think the Aldridge family would take better care of their property. Can''t they at least keep the road clear?"


    Jenna rolled her eyes and retorted, "Yeah, right. There''s a gate at the road''s entrance that only the Aldridge family can open. Mr. Gordon mentioned no one''s been here in years. Who''s going to clear the road for you?" "Fair enough."


    Adler moved to the side, noting the road ahead was littered with debris, likely from the surrounding mountains.


    "I thought they actually leveled the mountain, but it looks like they never finished the job."


    Yet, the mountains stretched on seamlessly, without any sign of interruption.


    Sophie,paring thendscape to a map on her phone, said, "This should be the spot." "Here?"


    Sandy looked around disdainfully. "This ce is a total wastnd!"


    "Hey, we''re here to search for treasure, not have a pic," Adler remarked. "This is deep wilderness. Pray we don''t run into snakes or other critters. These wilds are probably crawling with them


    "Snakes? No way! I''m terrified of snakes!"


    Sandy ducked behind Angelo, pleading, "Can we go back now? I really want to go back!"


    "Even if we wanted to, it''s not an option now," Sophie said coolly, turning to Colby. "The car''s kaput.


    Call the Aldridge family for another ride."


    "Alright."


    Colby quickly set aside his tools and dialed Rick''s number. Rick promptly arranged for the Aldridge family to send another vehicle.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Colby informed everyone, "It''ll take at least two hours for them to reach us from the Aldridge estate."


    "Let''s use these two hours to see if we can find anything unusual around here," Sophie suggested, piquing everyone''s interest. Treasure hunting! Who wouldn''t be excited?


    Standing next to Sophie, Colby asked, "See anything yet?"


    Sophie, scanning the surrounding mountains, furrowed her brows as fragments of thoughts danced through her mind.


    A childlike voice echoed in her head.


    "Where dragons lie, surrounded by hills and embraced by waters, lies the gathering of winds and the collection of energy."


    "One stands for challenges, two for


    harmony, three for thunder, four for gentle breezes dividing the center Five anchors the core, six touches the heavens, seven bes theke, eight turns into the mountain, and nine opens the gate."


    Sophie murmured this verse, catching the attention of the group who had started to wander off.


    Adler, puzzled, asked, "Sophie, what were you just mumbling?"