Chapter 41: Underground Ruins
After preparations were complete, the team officially departed.
Lonis never expected that in her entire life, she would have the chance to ride an elevator again!
From 0 to b99, the metal elevator car had hundreds of buttons, and Dr. O’Kali unhesitatingly pressed the one at the very bottom.
“Clang, clang!”
The elevator descended at an uneven pace, sometimes fast, sometimes slow.
It also swayed from side to side at times, making Lonis wonder if a cable would suddenly snap.
“Hmph, you said you were brave? Now you’re scared.”
“I… I’m not scared at all?”
The silver-haired girl mustered her courage and forcefully retorted.
Actually, it was impossible not to be scared, because as the elevator gradually descended, Lonis could feel the oppressive smell in the air intensifying.
But…
Because Elus and Isumi were by her side, Lonis wasn’t as scared.
After all, this black-hearted girl probably already had a plan in mind, right?
Besides, she had already sweated so much from being bullied, so even the terrifying demons shouldn’t be a match for them now.
…
…
Ding dong,
With a strange sound, the elevator stopped at the deepest level.
The elevator door opened, and a world of darkness came into view.
“This is…”
“Hmm, it seems to be a nuclear war shelter from the previous era?”
“Huh?”
“Coincidentally, they were also researching some unknown experimental plans. If we can utilize those ancient artifacts, perhaps we can uncover some unknown secrets?”
Elus was the first to step forward, entering the dim underground corridor.
The cool air hit her face. On a corner of the wall, Lonis even spotted a nuclear radiation symbol. Just as the girl was about to lean in for a closer look, Isumi stopped her.
“Lonis, don’t move, there’s a trap here.”
“A trap?”
“Yes, it seems to be some kind of alarm mechanism… there are many similar traps.”
Even without removing her eye patch, Isumi’s senses still penetrated the darkness, seeing many unknown things.
“Are there any Rank 7 Yixiu Lords, or indeed Rank 8 Demon Kings?”
Elus inquired.
“No, all I can sense are some ordinary demon puppets, their combat capabilities are probably only around Rank 4-5.”
“Oh, so they’re just minions?”
“No, in the deepest part, there seems to be a peculiar energy flowing. That power is very special and cannot be underestimated.”
“Then, before reaching the deepest part, let’s proceed stealthily. Isumi, can I entrust the reconnaissance work to you?”
“No problem.”
And so, the group walked through the underground world.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lonis finally saw demons with her own “eyes” for the first time.
Just like the ones she faced in the Land of Eternity, stationed in this underground research institute were demons known as Animated Armors.
Their intelligence was considered low among demons, comparable to cats and dogs. However, their combat capabilities were enough to make ordinary people tremble.
The true bodies of the Animated Armors were a kind of decaying creature resembling minced meat. They inhabited the armor, making them look like medieval soldiers in full plate armor from a distance.
However, if one treated them with human tactics, they would lose terribly.
Their joints were exceptionally flexible, and they could attack from all sorts of anti-human angles—while at the same time, their bodies had excellent resistance to physical attacks.
Even with their heads severed, the Animated Armors could still move freely. After defeating beautiful girls, they might even attach themselves to the defeated girls, imprisoning them within the armor as nourishment.
That feeling was exactly like wearing a “tentacle suit.” So this time, Lonis was extra careful and didn’t try to show off.
As for Elus?
She still didn’t take these Animated Armors seriously.
The black-haired girl first released a dark smoke using her own power to block the transmission of sound and magic power. Then, she heavily struck at the Animated Armor with the Crimson Lotus Hammer.
…
“Demon canned food, shatter for me!”
…
One by one, the once arrogant Animated Armors were thus “assassinated” by Elus.
Lonis was already accustomed to it, but the accompanying Dr. O’Kali showed a look of great surprise.
“Th-this is impossible? This power…”
“Heh heh, it’s the power from the Fiery Abyss. Or else, how do you think you recovered?”
“Uh!”
The doctor gasped, but still appeared disbelieving:
“I never thought the power of the Fiery Abyss would see the light of day again… But, what is that dark smoke? Why can you use Yixiu’s power… Could it be that you are a demon?”
“Heh heh, that’s a secret.”
“Secret…”
“Yes, so… can you please keep it a secret, Dr. O’Kali? If you don’t, I’ll have to secretly take care of you right here!”
Elus’s words startled Dr. O’Kali.
However, after spending so much time with the black-hearted girl, Lonis knew she was joking: “Young Lady, please don’t make such jokes… you’ll scare the Doctor.”
“Heh heh, just livening up the atmosphere. After all, we’re about to face something incomprehensible~”
…
…
Unconsciously, the passage had reached its end.
Along the way, they had eliminated over a dozen Animated Armors without triggering any alarms.
And at this moment, though they hadn’t reached the deepest part yet, they had arrived at a small hall…
Compared to the dim tunnel, this place was much brighter. Dim yellowish light shone down from the ceiling, the light source not being electric lamps, but a unique mushroom.
Countless branches and vines pierced through the walls, spreading down from the ceiling.
The shelves that were originally in the room had already been destroyed, and the items stored within were nowhere to be found.
But the most shocking thing was the object in the center of the room.
A heart.
Or rather, a heart composed of resin.
It was semi-transparent and still wriggling, and through those indescribable gelatinous substances, one could see a sleeping person imprisoned within.
The resin heart seemed to be absorbing the nutrients from this person, with wisps of energy flowing along the vines and branches surrounding the heart, seemingly transmitting to some unknown place.
“It’s Mark, a cultivator from our research institute!”
Dr. O’Kali seemed to recognize the imprisoned personnel and rushed forward, wanting to smash the heart.
But Isumi immediately stopped her.
“Dr. O’Kali, don’t be impulsive! We can’t alert them yet.”
“What?”
“This cage has an alarm device. If we touch it, our previous infiltration operation will be all for naught.”
“Then… then what should we do?”
“To catch the leader, you must first catch the king. Let’s head to the deepest part first and see what plan Dr. Marin is carrying out.”
Isumi patted the Doctor’s shoulder and said comfortingly.
