"Lin Xi Chen, hang in there!"
Beads of sweat slid down Instructor Hong's cheeks. Just as their figures were about to be swallowed by the fire, the flames behind them suddenly disappeared!
A brief feeling of suffocation enveloped Instructor Hong's body, but it lasted for less than a second before disappearing completely, as if it had never happened.
Only the lingering scorching heat in the air proves that a massive fire once swept through the underground.
It's Shen Qingzhu...
Instructor Hong gritted his teeth and moved slowly upwards along the passage. After an unknown amount of time, a faint light appeared above his head.
That was the light from a flashlight.
"There's someone down there! It sounds like Hong Hao!" A voice faintly came from above.
The beams of flashlights focused on Instructor Hong, and the figures descended rapidly; they were instructors with rappelling ropes hanging from their waists. "Hurry up, bring the stretcher here! Someone is seriously injured and losing blood!"
Upon seeing those familiar faces, Instructor Hong finally breathed a sigh of relief. His tense body could no longer hold on, and his sweat-soaked uniform dripped like a waterfall.
The instructors quickly took the unconscious Baili Pangpang, put rappelling gear on both of them, said something through the walkie-talkie, and slowly ascended.
Lin Xi Chen was on the verge of losing consciousness as she struggled to keep her eyes open and pressed a cloth against the wound on her chest to stem the bleeding. She appeared dazed, ignoring the questions coming from the nurse.
"Instructor Hong, Instructor Hong! Are you alright?!" During the ascent, Han Li checked on Instructor Hong's physical condition and asked anxiously.
Instructor Hong, whose consciousness was somewhat hazy, waved his hand. "I'm fine, just a little exhausted... There's still one person down there."
Upon hearing this, Han Li turned and exchanged a glance with the other two instructors. The other two instructors nodded and continued their descent to search for the last person.
"How far is it from the ground?" Instructor Hong asked weakly.
"200 meters, another 200 meters up, and we'll reach the surface." Han Li looked down at the seemingly bottomless cavern. "Just how deep is it?"
"Two kilometers."
"Two kilometers?!" Han Li exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. "How did you guys even get up here?!"
Instructor Hong shook his head, indicating that he didn't want to talk at all.
Han Li seemed to have thought of something, and stared blankly at the sky, falling into silence.
Their equipment... was simply insufficient for them to descend to two kilometers.
However, he did not tell Instructor Hong this news.
Before long, Instructor Hong, Lin Xi Chen and Baili Pangpang were brought back to the surface, carried directly onto stretchers, and run out of the mountains by medical staff.
Much later.
Outside Jinan Mountain, Yuan Gang silently watched as the two young recruiters and Instructor Hong were put into an ambulance, which sped away into the distance amidst the wailing sirens.
The car carrying Lin Qiye had already set off ten minutes earlier.
"Commander, the people we sent to search for Shen Qingzhu have returned." Han Li ran to his side and said, "Our rappelling equipment only went down one kilometer underground. Later, two instructors risked their lives and used tools to descend directly to the bottom of the cave."
"But..."
"But what?" Yuan Gang frowned slightly.
"The original cave created by the [Absolute Earth Domain] has completely collapsed, and the earth and rocks have buried everything. They can't find Shen Qingzhu at all..."
"Furthermore, the life detection equipment indicated that there were no signs of life within the underground cave."
Han Li took a deep breath. "Based on Instructor Hong's description, Shen Qingzhu... can now be confirmed as dead."
Yuan Gang clenched his fists tightly. He glanced back at Jinan Mountain, shrouded in night, and after a long while, slowly spoke:
"Let's evacuate... leave the rest to the cleanup crew."
...
The darkness gradually receded.
In the desolate Jinan Mountain, a sliver of light pierced through the dark clouds, illuminating the endless, barren peaks.
The torrential rain gradually subsided, and the drizzling raindrops fell on the disaster-stricken Jinan Mountain, dripping down the lush green branches and leaves to the ground.
Time flows on.
The dark clouds dispersed, and the sun shone brightly.
As the sun gradually sank behind the western mountains, the evening glow spilled across the mountains, as if draping everything in the mountains in a thin veil of pale gold.
In a desolate wasteland, a silkworm cocoon lying on the soil trembled slightly, as if a brand new life was about to break out of the cocoon.
In the West, a bewitching figure slowly emerged from the void, with long hair, phoenix eyes, and a tailcoat, exuding nobility and elegance.
He is one of the three "gods" of the Ancient God Church, the "Klein" realm, [Whisper].
"The aura of that projection disappeared here underground." Yiyu looked down at the soil beneath his feet, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate the thick layers of earth.
"The projected soul was obliterated in a very bizarre way. It was from that moment that my spirit..." The dreamer's brows furrowed tightly. He shook his head and did not continue.
To make matters worse, that brat Lin Xi Chen destroyed one of the projected souls with a single strike—though, in fairness, he had already forced her to exhaust herself, and Ma Yitian had inflicted serious injuries upon her.
"What on earth happened here... Patrick!! Let's go jellyfish hunting!!!"
He had only spoken half of his ramblings when his face contorted violently, a sharp and eerie sound emanating from his throat. At the same time, his arms suddenly shot out, and an exaggerated smile appeared on his face.
Snap!
A crisp slap rang out as Yiyu slapped himself across the face. He lowered his head, panting heavily, his neck flushed red, his eyes filled with anger and confusion.
"Damn it! What...what happened to me?!"
He roared angrily, clutching his head with both hands as if trying to pull something out of it.
After a few minutes, he finally calmed down. His panic and rage had disappeared, replaced by calmness and composure.
"No matter what you are... I will definitely kill you, and I won't let you torment my soul anymore." The murmured voice frowned. "It all started when that projection disappeared. Something must have happened here."
He stretched out his hand, placed his palm on the ground, and slowly closed his eyes.
"This underground scene... is it a Flame Vein Earth Dragon? There's actually another Flame Vein Earth Dragon here... That good-for-nothing Ma Yitian is dead after all, humph, and there's more... wait a minute?"
Startled, Yiyu opened his eyes, a hint of confusion appearing in them.
After hesitating for a moment, he reached out and grabbed at the air, as if drawing something from the ground. The next moment, a charred body appeared out of thin air in front of him.
The body was burned beyond recognition by the flames, showing no signs of life. One leg was completely carbonized and shattered into dust, and the facial features were unrecognizable.
"Burned like this, yet still clinging to life?" A look of surprise appeared on Yiyu's face as he carefully examined the body before him, his eyes brightening slightly.
"He has great potential; he's a promising talent..."
A slight smile played on his lips as he looked down at the unrecognizable Shen Qingzhu and spoke slowly:
"I know you can still hear. You have great talent, and it's a miracle you survived such injuries... I've decided to give you a chance."
He whispered in Shen Qingzhu's ear, enunciating each word clearly.
"A chance to abandon the past and be reborn. I can heal all your injuries and make you stronger faster!"
"All I want is for you to believe in me and become...my [believer]."