The dim room was filled with an old and mysterious aura. The walls around were mottled, as if telling unknown stories. Xu An and Shen Jingqi stepped into the room cautiously, their footsteps echoing in the silent space.

"What is this machine? It looks so mysterious," Xu An said curiously with wide eyes, a hint of confusion in his gaze as he leaned forward slightly, trying to get a clearer view of the machine's full appearance. The machine had a peculiar shape with complex lines, its surface flickering with a faint glow, as if it were hiding endless secrets.

Shen Jingqi frowned, his eyes locked on the machine, and said, "I'm not sure either, but it feels like this machine is related to this experiment or the mastermind behind it. We need to investigate it carefully." His voice was deep and serious, his fingers unconsciously rubbing his chin as his brain started to work rapidly, pondering over the clues this machine might provide.

They began pacing the room, their eyes scanning back and forth over the various parts of the machine like scanners. Xu An would occasionally squat down to check the bottom of the machine; then stand up to touch the machine's casing. Shen Jingqi walked slowly around the machine, carefully observing every detail, not wanting to miss any information that might be hidden.

Suddenly, Xu An's eyes lit up, and he excitedly pointed at a display screen on the machine, shouting, "Look, there's a display screen here!" His voice carried a hint of surprise, his body trembling slightly as if he had discovered a treasure.

Both quickly gathered around, their eyes fixed on the display screen. The screen was displaying some strange codes and data, those codes glimmering ominously, as if a group of mysterious spirits were dancing, or like a bunch of keys waiting for them to unlock the secrets hidden within.

"Could these codes be related to the mastermind's conspiracy?" Xu An asked, his eyes full of anticipation, his hands clenching unconsciously as a strong desire to explore surged in his heart.

Shen Jingqi nodded with a hint of determination in his eyes, and said, "It's very possible. We need to find a way to decipher these codes, maybe we can find the exact location of the mastermind's lair." Although his voice was calm, his heart was like a turbulent sea, filled with anticipation for the unknown and a thirst for the truth.

They started studying the codes on the display screen closely, their eyes fixated on the flickering characters, their minds working like high-speed computers, trying to figure out the patterns among them. However, the codes were extremely complex, deliberately designed as puzzles that left them utterly baffled. Each character seemed like an independent mystery, which when combined, further confounded them.

Time passed by second by second, and beads of sweat began to form on their foreheads, their eyes starting to show a hint of anxiety and helplessness. Xu An's frown deepened, his hands constantly scratching his head, muttering, "What on earth is this, I can't understand at all."

Shen Jingqi also felt a bit hopeless, rubbing his temples vigorously, trying to clear his mind, but the convoluted codes before him still seemed like a tangled mess, leaving him clueless. A sense of defeat surged in his heart; must they really give up here?

Just when they were feeling desperate, Xu An suddenly brightened his eyes, pointing to a corner next to the machine, shouting, "Look, there's an old notebook there!" His voice was tinged with surprise, as if he had seen a ray of hope in the darkness.

Shen Jingqi quickly turned, darting towards the corner like an agile cheetah. He picked up the notebook, opened it, and found that it recorded information about the machine and the codes. A hint of joy flickered in his eyes, his hands gripping the notebook tightly, as if holding the key to unlock the door to the truth.

"There's hope, this notebook might have the clues we need," Shen Jingqi said excitedly, his voice trembling slightly. His heart started to race, as if seeing the dawn of victory just ahead.

The two began to carefully read through the contents of the notebook, every word like a star, gradually gathering in their hearts into a complete picture. Their eyes were fixed on the notebook, their fingers gliding over the text with a gentle movement, afraid to miss any important information.

After some effort, they finally deciphered some useful information. It turned out that this machine was one of the key devices used by the mastermind for time-space distortion experiments, and hidden within the codes was a coordinate to the mastermind's lair.

"Great, we've finally found a clue!" Xu An said excitedly, his eyes full of joy, his hands raised high, as if celebrating a victory.

Shen Jingqi also smiled, but beneath that smile was a hint of caution, saying, "But we can't let our guard down yet. This coordinate could just be a trap, or the mastermind may have already set up ambushes there. We must act more cautiously." Although his voice was calm, his heart was full of vigilance, knowing that what awaited them ahead was a more challenging battle.

The two hurried back to the car with the notebook. Shen Jingqi entered the coordinates into the car's navigation system, and the vehicle slowly began to move towards the coordinates. The scenery outside the window kept changing, from bustling city streets to remote country roads, then to desolate forested mountains.

"Do you think these coordinates can really lead us to the mastermind's lair?" Xu An broke the silence, his voice carrying a hint of uncertainty, his eyes showing a trace of worry.

Shen Jingqi gripped the steering wheel, "No matter what, we have to try. This is our only clue at the moment, and we can't give up easily." Although his voice was steady, his heart too had a touch of anxiety, knowing that the journey might be full of dangers, yet he had no room for retreat.

The car drove along the winding mountain road, and suddenly, a massive obstacle appeared ahead, blocking their path. Shen Jingqi quickly slammed on the brakes, the car screeched to a halt before the obstacle.

"What is this about?" Xu An asked in astonishment, his eyes filled with alertness, his body leaning forward slightly, hands gripping the seat tightly.

Shen Jingqi frowned, saying, "It looks like someone deliberately set up this obstacle, maybe the mastermind has noticed our actions and wants to stop us." His voice carried a hint of tension, his mind racing, thinking of ways to respond.

They got out to check and found that the obstacle was a pile of massive rocks and logs, completely blocking the road. Xu An tried to move one of the rocks, but it was too heavy for him to budge.

"What should we do? We can't just be trapped here, right?" Xu An said anxiously, his eyes showing a hint of despair.

Shen Jingqi looked around, and suddenly, he noticed a narrow path nearby. His eyes lit up, saying, "We can go around from this small path."

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