My every thought just now was mere speculation; I had no certain answer as to what was truly happening. I could only press forward, to examine the ancient corpse in the temple and the mechanism on the stone platform—perhaps there lay the solution.

The woman in black stood opposite me, frowning as she observed my actions, seemingly wanting to speak, but ultimately holding her tongue.

I led the group onward, navigating through buildings based on my memory, heading toward the arena...

Behind me, a trail of muddy footprints remained.

I paused to examine them, and the more I looked, the more familiar they seemed.

A strange notion struck me then: if I followed the exact same route I had before to Poseidon's temple, I would inevitably fall back into a loop, as the path I walked would leave the very footprints I had already seen.

If I were to choose a different path now, leaving a distinct set of prints, perhaps I could break the cycle?

The thought brought a sudden smile to my lips.

Because I instantly realized that if the footprints I left were different from the previous ones, then the footprints seen later would not be the original set either.

In other words, no matter which way I went, I would leave a trail for my future self, trapping that future self in the same recursive pattern.

This would only be avoidable if I stood still, or if I left this island entirely.

But given the current circumstances, setting aside whether I could even leave, even if I could, I could not abandon Lauren or André.

Even if I could abandon them, with my nature, I would inevitably return to this island someday and fall into the same recurrence.

So, summing it all up, I decided against any more futile efforts.

Investigating the secrets of Poseidon's trident and the desiccated body in the temple might be the key to unraveling this loop.

It was also the key to rescuing Lauren and André.

Having solidified my resolve, I stopped overthinking and led the group back the way we had come.

I recalled passing through a gap between houses, then entering an underground tunnel, and at the junction of that tunnel and another, I found the ladder leading back to the surface.

Above the ladder was the arena, and after a bizarre encounter there, I proceeded along the main street to the Temple of Poseidon.

Following this sequence, I guided the others forward, and soon we spotted the entrance to the underground tunnel at the end of the alley.

The entrance was still pitch black, enveloped in mist, like the gaping maw of some monstrous beast hovering above the ground.

Yet, as we reached the threshold of the tunnel, we heard the sound of rushing water from within.

Daxiong hastily switched on his flashlight and illuminated the interior, revealing that the tunnel was completely flooded due to the heavy rain—passage was impossible.

I frowned in surprise, thinking that I had seen my own footprints in this tunnel before. This meant I must have passed through here, but the current condition made passage impossible—a clear contradiction.

At that moment, Daxiong asked, "Hey Xiao Chuan, I’ve been meaning to ask you, where exactly are we going? Didn’t we agree to head for the lighthouse? Why does it feel like we’ve gone off track?"

I looked at Daxiong, and suddenly his face seemed strange, though I couldn't pinpoint why right away.

Perhaps it was due to too much recent deduction, leaving me mentally and physically exhausted.

I gently rubbed my temples, scrutinizing his face for the source of the oddity.

Finally, clarity dawned, and I grabbed Daxiong by the collar, demanding, "I ask you, who are you!"

Daxiong looked utterly bewildered, his eyes wide as he pointed to himself. "Who am I? Who... who the hell else would I be? I’m Daxiong, the one who went through life and death with you back in Black Bamboo Gully."

I shook my head. "Don't try to fool me; you are not Daxiong!"

Liang Qian, seeing my agitation, quickly pulled my hand away from Daxiong’s collar and asked, "What’s wrong? Just say what you need to say calmly."

I ignored Liang Qian, focusing instead on the indignant Daxiong. "If you claim to be Daxiong, then tell me this: Professor André said we couldn't come to Relic Island until the heavy snow froze the sea. So why are you on Relic Island now?"

Daxiong paused, then retorted, "Relic Island? What Relic Island? You’ve been acting strangely ever since we started, and now you’re talking nonsense."

Seeing his feigned innocence, I grew angry. "You need to be more convincing when you lie. If this isn't Relic Island, then where is it?"

The truth was, my suspicion extended beyond Daxiong to everyone around me, including Liang Qian.

If I alone had traversed dimensions inside the temple, that was one thing, but it was impossible for these people to have crossed over as well, since they hadn't even reached the island yet in the original timeline.

If they had also crossed over after disappearing, they would at least remember having been transported. Yet, judging by their words and actions now, there was no sign of that; they were behaving just as normally as before.

But now, the time, the weather, the temperature—everything had changed, yet the people hadn't—it was too artificial.

My conclusion was that these people must all be fakes, some unknown entities disguised as those I knew.

These thoughts flashed and vanished in an instant, just as Daxiong let out a cold laugh and said something that stunned me into silence.

He said, "You time-traveled, didn't you? This is the Lop Nur Underground Labyrinth, not some Relic Island!"

The Lop Nur Underground Labyrinth?

I was instantly confused. I looked around at every sight and object—it was undeniably Relic Island.

This made me even more certain Daxiong was mocking me. I pointed at the woman in black and challenged him, "Stop lying to me. She isn't in the Lop Nur Underground Labyrinth, nor is Professor André, and certainly not that dog, Lauren!"

Daxiong grinned wryly. "What gibberish are you spouting? This woman is one of Boss Wu’s subordinates. That André is a member of the Singapore exploration team, and that dog is the hound Old Ni brought when he came to rescue us."

At his words, I threw a punch that landed squarely on his face, making him stagger. I roared, "Are you messing with me? Does your underground labyrinth experience a downpour?"

Daxiong touched his cheek, his face contorted in rage, ready to retaliate, but Liang Qian pulled him back.

Daxiong sputtered indignantly, "If you hadn't ordered us into that cave randomly just now, would we be stuck in this godforsaken place, unable to find our way out after walking for three days and nights? I was wondering too—why is it raining in this tunnel? I should be asking you that!"