"Good question," Alvin muttered in a low voice, a sly smile playing on his lips. Should he blow it up, perhaps? The idea sounded brilliant in his mind, but executing it might not deliver the results he wanted.
"How could the monster even get out?" Elena asked in surprise. The base was massive enough to support a statue weighing more than six million tons, and moving it would require supernatural strength… Right, it was a monster, not a human—of course it would be capable of moving the statue. Elena gently tapped her forehead as the realization hit her.
Meanwhile, Tulip was cautiously surveying the area. The statue was enormous, casting enough shade to gradually cover the surrounding area throughout the day. Regardless of the creature's strength, this was the desert, with temperatures exceeding 70 degrees Celsius. Unless one had adapted to such brutal heat for years, they'd surely burn.
Tulip didn't know when the world had changed so drastically—deserts had always been home to strange and powerful creatures, enough to scare even the gypsies. But he was sure it hadn't been like this for long. There was a chance the monster wasn't yet accustomed to the heat, which explained why it lived below, in the tunnels.
Coming out to face the sun wasn't an option for anyone who couldn't endure it. So, most likely, the monster only emerged at night, when the temperatures dropped. With this conclusion, Tulip was now considering two possible options: wait for the monster to surface and kill it on the sand, or go down into the tunnel, where it was probably asleep, being nocturnal.
Both options offered a chance to ambush it—but given they knew nothing about the strength of these genetically modified creatures, it was very likely they'd die before they had a chance to defeat it.
Tulip gathered his courage, wrote down his idea in a message, and sent it: "We can dig through the shaded sand until we reach the tunnel."
Since neither Elena, Alvin, nor Meryl had ever lived in the desert before, making them dig through scorching sand would be like plunging their hands into a volcano. The best option available was to dig through the shaded sand to avoid injury.
"Good idea, dear Tulip," Elena said, heading toward the shaded area for shelter from the sun. Alvin, holding Tulip's hand, and Meryl followed close behind. The four of them were finally able to breathe more comfortably, as the long shadow made the heat more bearable.
Meryl sat on the edge of the base, glancing at each of them in turn, a question brewing in her mind.
"Won't digging be dangerous? I'm afraid we might not reach the tunnel safely."
"Do you have any suggestions, Miss Meryl?" Alvin asked calmly. Though he was eager to go down and search for the monster, he couldn't ignore Meryl's concern—it was valid. They could get hurt, and Elena could even die because of his recklessness.
"As you know," Meryl began, "Miss cloud has a transparent circular barrier around her. One of its abilities is to make the house invisible. I suggest we go back and ask her to activate the barrier, then wait for the monsters to come out in search of food. That way, we can seize the opportunity to enter the tunnel."
"And what exactly are we supposed to do in an empty tunnel?" Alvin asked, puzzled.
"We set a trap for them, then get out before they return. I believe that's the best solution, considering we're dealing with a genetically modified creature. And remember, it's close to an SSS-rank being. Our chances of winning might be extremely low."
Meryl was right, and everyone agreed. Even though delaying wasn't in their favor—time was slipping away, and they might not be able to eliminate the monster in time—there was nothing they could do except reluctantly return home.
At night, the four of them stepped outside and leaned against the fence, watching the statue. From up high, everything seemed calm, the desert completely still.
That silence lingered for hours until the clock struck one past midnight. The temperature had dropped, and the air had grown cold. A faint sound began to rise, and a stunned Meryl kicked Alvin, who had been sleeping beside her.
Tulip clutched his stuffed bear in shock, while Elena, beside him, looked like her heart was about to burst from the speed of its beating. The statue shifted to the side, revealing a deep pit that looked as though it led straight to hell.
Only one creature emerged. Humanoid in build, its skin was covered in pure white feathers. From its shoulders extended massive wings that wrapped around its body like a heavy cloak.
Its feathers were studded with oval-shaped emerald markings, resembling open eyes. From its back extended a long, thin tail, made of the same glowing green eyes.
It looked as was held together by delicate threads of feather. Its eyes were a pure emerald green, surrounded by jet-black feathers. Atop its head, feathers spread like a soft, fragile crown.
Was this creature a Drivalisk? Or was all this beauty merely a result of genetic modification? "Bluebell says this creature resembles the Drivalisk but is less beautiful than it," Tulip typed into the chat.
All this beauty—and yet it still doesn't compare to the original? Then… just how beautiful is the real Drivalisk?
Among them, Alvin was the only one unsettled by the creature's beauty. He vividly remembered what some Life Sciences students in Serenthia used to say: the more beautiful a creature is, the more dangerous it tends to be.
Once they were sure the creature had moved far enough away, the four of them descended onto the sand. Meryl returned the miniature house to her "inventory," then stood near the others and looked down.
It was a deep, dark pit—and none of them knew what awaited below. Time was not on their side; the creature could return at any moment. Alvin quickly purchased several glowing orbs and handed one to each of them.
"Tulip and I will go first!" he announced. Kneeling beside the small boy, he asked gently, "Ready, my beautiful little tulip?"
Tulip was a little scared, but he held Alvin's hand and nodded.
"Brave little one!" Alvin said, then lifted him onto his back and jumped into the dark pit. Elena, tense and alert, glimpsed the walls as Alvin's light orb reflected off them.
The sand was sticky, and something was seeping out of it… How could wet sand remain like that without collapsing downward and blocking the tunnel's exit?
"Elena," Meryl said with a small smile, trying to reassure her friend. She thought Elena was frightened after seeing her so quiet. "We need to go down."
Elena exhaled deeply and cleared her throat, trying to push all the thoughts out of her mind. She had to focus on what was below—not the tunnel walls.
In the next moment, the two girls leapt downward. Neither could keep their voices in as their bodies scraped against the sticky sand—they screamed loudly.
"Ah!" Meryl cried out in pain as her body hit the ground, followed by Elena's own cry.
"Are you both okay?" Tulip typed in a message.
"I think so… my back just hurts a little," Meryl said with a wince.
"My whole body hurts! Meryl, heal me!" Elena cried out, rubbing her sore backside.
"We need to move quickly deeper into the tunnel before the creature comes back!" Alvin said sharply, raising the hand that held the glowing orb to see their surroundings more clearly.
It was an empty passage made of the same sticky sand as the entrance. Alvin carried Tulip on his back and said, "Let's hurry inside!" then sprinted forward, covering a large distance thanks to his speed.
The passage had no branches, which saved them a lot of time. At its end, there was a single opening—large enough for a tall creature like the one they had just seen to pass through.
Alvin stepped ahead of the others toward the opening, and as he got closer, the contents of the chamber began to reveal themselves under the bright light!