Aarav was still standing in the middle of that circular room. The strange machine placed in front of him was filling the entire room with a faint glow. A low humming sound was constantly coming from it, as if something very powerful was working inside the machine.
The walls of the room were old, and strange wires and devices were attached to them. It felt as if a great scientific experiment had once taken place here long ago.
Slowly, Aarav moved closer to the machine. His heart was beating fast. He carefully began to observe it. The machine was circular in shape, and small screens were attached to its surface. Some screens displayed strange symbols, while others showed numbers that kept changing on their own.
Suddenly, Aarav remembered the diary he had found in the broken laboratory above. He quickly took it out of his bag and started flipping through the pages. Many pages had become old, and the ink had faded in some places, but the writing was still readable.
After a while, Aarav found a page that had a picture of the same machine. His heart skipped a beat. He immediately began reading it.
On the page, it was written: "This is an energy machine. It was built by a group of scientists. Its purpose was to discover a new and limitless source of energy. If this experiment had succeeded, the world's energy problems could have been solved."
Aarav kept reading carefully, but the next page shocked him.
It said: "However, during the experiment, something happened that we had never imagined. The machine started generating such powerful energy that it became impossible to control."
Aarav's throat went dry. He read further:
"If this machine becomes fully active, its consequences could be extremely dangerous. That is why we decided to hide it deep within this jungle."
Aarav was stunned. So… is this machine still running? he wondered.
Just then, the machine's light suddenly became brighter. Blue light spread across the walls, and the ground began to shake slightly.
Aarav got scared. "What is happening?" he whispered.
At that moment, he heard footsteps coming from the tunnel—tak… tak… tak… This time, the sound was clear and fast.
Aarav quickly turned and pointed his torch in that direction. For a few seconds, nothing was visible except darkness. Then, slowly, a shadow began to emerge.
Aarav's heart started pounding. Within moments, the figure stepped into the light.
It was the same old scientist Aarav had met in the jungle.
Aarav took a sigh of relief. "How did you get here?" he asked in surprise.
The scientist slowly walked toward the machine and examined it carefully. Worry was clearly visible on his face.
"I was afraid that sooner or later, someone would reach this place," he said in a serious voice.
Aarav asked, "Did you already know about this place?"
The scientist nodded slowly. "Yes… because I was one of the scientists who built this machine."
Aarav's eyes widened in shock. "What?" he exclaimed.
The scientist took a deep breath and began to speak:
"Many years ago, a group of us scientists worked on an experiment that could change the world. We wanted to create a new form of energy that would never run out. But one day, during the experiment, the machine started producing too much energy."
His voice trembled slightly.
"The machine went out of our control. Because of it, strange events began happening around us. Even the animals in the jungle started behaving oddly."
Aarav listened carefully.
"So, we decided to hide this machine here, so that no one could ever use it," the scientist said, looking at the machine.
"But now… it seems the machine is becoming active again."
Suddenly, the machine made a loud sound—beep… beep… beep…
The screens on it began to flash. On one of the screens, a new message appeared:
Energy Level: 85%
Aarav panicked. "What is happening?" he asked.
The scientist replied in a serious tone, "It means the machine is slowly reaching its full power. If it reaches 100%, its energy could become extremely dangerous."
Aarav nervously asked, "Then what should we do?"
The scientist remained silent for a moment, then said, "We have to shut it down."
Aarav looked around. "But how?"
Suddenly, a strange sound came from the wall near the machine—grrr… grrr…
A section of the wall slowly started sliding open. Within seconds, a small hidden passage appeared. Behind the opening was another dark room.
The scientist's eyes widened. "I remember now," he said. "The control system of the machine must be inside that room."
Aarav pointed his torch toward it. It was completely dark inside.
Now both Aarav and the scientist understood—they had to enter that room.
But they had no idea what danger was waiting for them inside.
Just then, another message appeared on the machine:
Energy Level: 90%
A sudden silence filled the room.
They had very little time left.
If they didn't act quickly, the secret of this jungle could be revealed to the whole world… and perhaps a massive disaster could occur.
What will happen next… will be revealed in Part 4.