Megan Foster was currently lowering her head to drink, but her ears were paying close attention to Ryan Carter's reaction. She naturally knew that there was no way Ryan Carter could have sent a postcard to Sarah; this was definitely something arranged by the Lord God beforehand.

However, Ryan Carter's reaction was still flawless. He had already deduced that the postcard was probably sent by the so-called "himself" after hearing about the car accident that killed Sarah's husband and daughter.

At this moment, Ryan Carter very naturally reached out with both hands to give Sarah a hug, patting her on the back and gently saying:

"I'm so sorry. I had something going on at the time and couldn't be there with you."

"No, no, as a friend, you've already done more than enough. Thank you."

Sarah pressed her face against Ryan Carter's shoulder, her eyes already brimming with tears. It seemed that the death of her husband and daughter was truly a permanent pain in her heart. Then, as if realizing her loss of composure, Sarah wiped her eyes and forced a smile:

"Sorry, I lost my composure. Haha, let's keep drinking, cheers!"

"Alright, let's drink, cheers!"

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

……

The small gathering didn't last too late, since there was a planned cave expedition the next day. Everyone went back to their rooms to sleep early.

Early the next morning, June began knocking on doors one by one, calling everyone to get up:

"Lazy pigs, get up! We're leaving at seven o'clock, don't be late!"

Everyone got up to wash and get ready. John Reed already had obvious dark circles under his eyes, showing that he really hadn't rested well last night. After all, once you realize you've entered the so-called Lord God's space, with life and death hanging by a thread at any moment, it's really hard for an ordinary person to sleep at night. John Reed only knew that he spent the whole night thinking about his future, his family, some friends, and his life in the real world. Before he knew it, it was already morning.

In stark contrast, Megan Foster woke up feeling refreshed and energetic. Clearly, she had rested well last night, giving off a vibrant impression. While she was washing up, Ryan Carter stood behind her, holding a glass of milk, sipping it as he stared at Megan Foster's back, lost in thought.

After everyone finished washing and getting ready, they gathered together and took a group photo. In the picture, everyone was smiling. Looking at the photo, Ryan Carter couldn't help but wonder, after this mission was over, how many people in this photo would still be alive?

After that, everyone changed into their expedition outfits, shouldered their adventure packs, and followed June into the deep mountains and forests. This expedition was initiated by June, and the cave they were exploring was also chosen by June.

As they walked through the forest, June loudly reminded everyone of the important rules for cave exploration.

Actually, these rules were already very familiar to people like Sarah who often went on expeditions, but June still emphasized them every time, as a reminder before the adventure. However, while these things were old news to Sarah and her group, John Reed and Megan Foster listened especially carefully, since they had no previous experience with cave exploration and could only cram at the last minute.

Moreover, there were supposed to be ogres in the cave like in the movies. When the time came, things would definitely get extremely dangerous. Whether they could protect Sarah was still uncertain; protecting themselves was the most basic priority. As for who would stay close to protect Sarah and complete the main mission, in the minds of John Reed and Megan Foster, that person was the only veteran in the team—Ryan Carter. In fact, as they traveled, Ryan Carter deliberately stayed by Sarah's side.

"The first rule of cave exploration: follow the plan we've made, and absolutely no changing it on a whim!"

"And the second?"

"The second rule: absolutely no leaving the group."

"Mhm, go on."

"The moment you turn off your headlamp, you'll feel the surroundings become extremely dark. Don't panic, because it's always been pitch black around you."

"Aha."

"You might get dehydrated, you might lose your sense of direction..."

"Right, right, right..."

"You might also get claustrophobia, panic, hallucinations, visual or auditory disturbances..."

"Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense."

……

A few of the women joked and teased as they repeated the cave exploration rules. Compared to their playful attitude, Megan Foster silently recited these rules over and over in her heart.

"We're almost there, just ahead," June said, pointing to a valley below.

"Oh yeah, we're finally almost there."

"Haha, if we didn't get there soon, I'd be out of energy before even going down into the cave."

Ryan Carter's gaze kept scanning the surroundings. Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of an antelope skeleton hidden beneath a pile of fallen leaves. Seeing animal remains in the forest was perfectly normal, and June and the others had surely noticed it too. But what Ryan Carter paid attention to were the dense bite marks on the antelope bones. Yes, bite marks. The teeth of carnivorous animals in the forest would never leave such marks. These bite marks were actually very similar to human teeth.

This must have been food eaten by the ogres.