The pattern follows: 3 × 4 = 12, 12 × 13 = 156, 156 × 157 = 24,492. Each multiplier (4, 13, 157) follows the pattern of multiplying the previous number by a larger factor. Specifically: multiply by (previous number + 1) to get the next term. None of the other options (25000, 312, 24459) follow this mathematical relationship.