Hao Ren knew that when it came to Lily, common sense usually took a back seat . When he thought she was a werewolf, she barked . When he thought she was brave, she flinched . When he felt she would babble nonsense, she became poetic . When he felt she was poetic, she was nagging like a child .
But nothing amazed him like the way the MDT did . The memory of the walking dead girl in the virtual world of Zorm was still fresh in his mind .
Hao Ren petted Lily's on her head and walked to the front of the group . "Be careful of the magma and steam . The sun has just set . Heat is still trapped underneath . Getting hit by the spouts would be as good as falling into a steel furnace . "
He was mainly talking to Lily and Vivian . He was not worried for Y'zaks and his daughter; after all, the two demons treated lava pool as their bath tube .
Vivian looked at the golden light at the horizon . She smacked herself on the cheeks . "I don't like sunlight . . . especially the one on this planet," she said .
"Battie, as a vampire, you are the alpha and the omega!" Lily was dancing back and forth around Vivian . "I mean normal vampires would be already half-dead under the sun, but amazingly you are standing here and falling with the planet into the sun . Now you can brag about that back home . "
Vivian waved her hand weakly as she did not want to bicker with Lily . "I just want to get things done and head home before the sun rises again . "
Hao Ren yanked out a palm-sized device, silvery crystal plate like a tablet computer . A hologram was showing a navigation map that the Petrachelys had rendered using its onboard radar . It was a disturbing image . The ground beneath their feet was not stable . It was a scum-like, high-melting point, and lightweight rock of only a few meters thick . There were a dozen magmatic flows underneath . The structure was not stable . It was fragile . Collapses and spouts could happen at any time .
"The crack is right ahead," Hao Ren said, pointing to a black 'hill' several hundred meters ahead . "Radar shows there is an opening, shaft-like cave underneath . The existence of such a stable passage in this place was astounding . It's probably not a naturally formed place . "
"The ground is soft," Lily used her tail to balance herself . "I think it's a magma lake below . . . "
The small expedition team trod very carefully on the scorched land with the guidance of the navigation map . It was worse than hell . It was not wholly dark on the dark side; the crust had not yet cooled down, cracks still glowed red inside while magma was flowing on the surface . New cracks were appearing from where high-pressure steam spouted like a fountain, some of which could even reach dozens of kilometers high in the air .
Lily clung to Hao Ren; hands grabbed his armed . She was scared of the steam spout . "Mr . Landlord, I will protect you!"
But her tail was between her legs . Hao Ren would have believed her if not the giveaway .
"Beware of the sudden cracks appearing," Y'zaks warned . "I will lead in front . "
Yes, the planet was falling towards the sun, and the condition was worse than the demon world, but Y'zaks did not flinch; he was the strongest in the team . He went ahead of Hao Ren and walked in front of the team . Y'lisabet leaped to keep up with her papa . The papa and daughter were chattering, "Papa, isn't the red hill in our hometown same as this one?""Not really . The one in our hometown is much cooler than this one . . . "
Yes, the planet was falling towards the sun, and the condition was worse than the demon world, but Y'zaks did not flinch; he was the strongest in the team . He went ahead of Hao Ren and walked in front of the team . Y'lisabet leaped to keep up with her papa . The papa and daughter were chattering, "Papa, isn't the red hill in our hometown same as this one?""Not really . The one in our hometown is much cooler than this one . . . "
Y'lisabet trod a few steps ahead; the ground under her feet suddenly rose up . "Watch out!" Hao Ren called out .
But it was too late . The surface burst open as powerful steam spouted violently from into the air like a gas pillar . Y'lisabet had gone .
Lily screamed in shock . She looked up at the sky, but it was dark, she could see nothing . She became nervous . "Would she be okay?"
"She will be fine . Maybe suffering a little shock at most," Y'zaks appeared very calm . He smiled as he squinted at the direction where his daughter was supposed to have gone . "While she is much much weaker than the other demons, this heat is not going to hurt her a bit . Oh, look! There she is—coming down . "
Before Y'zaks' voice trailed off, the little toothy reappeared and was falling out of the sky . Y'lisabet was yelling through the comm . "Catch me! Catch me!"
They held their hands together forming a human safety net . But the little girl accurately fell outside the net .
"Ouch . . . " Y'lisabet dusted her butt and got to her feet . "Where were you guys looking at . . . ?"
Hao Ren looked at the little demon, surprised . "Can't you fly? Don't higher demons fly?"
Hao Ren looked at the little demon, surprised . "Can't you fly? Don't higher demons fly?"
"I'm not a grown-up yet, no wings," Y'lisabet jumped back up to her papa . "While in the air, I saw the entrance! Behind that hill!" she said .
With the help of the navigation map and Y'lisabet, they found the said fissure .
It was a neat, almost perfectly circular opening . A downward shaft was perpendicular to the ground, right in the center of a crater; from the look of it, something should have been covering the opening .
It could be an installation like a door, but it had long gone .
"It was burned beyond recognition . But I'm sure there used to be an artificial structure here," Vivian said as she leaned forward and glanced down at the shaft . "I can see the ground underneath; it's solid down there . Want to go down?"
"Like we have a choice," Hao Ren quipped . "My shield is the toughest . I will go in first . Move on my signal . "
Vivian suddenly stopped Hao Ren as she summoned a tiny bat . "There may be danger down there . Let the bat check it out first…"
Before the bat could take off, it had withered and turned into a dried bat . Vivian quickly tucked it away embarrassingly .
Vivian suddenly stopped Hao Ren as she summoned a tiny bat . "There may be danger down there . Let the bat check it out first…"
Before the bat could take off, it had withered and turned into a dried bat . Vivian quickly tucked it away embarrassingly .
"Sorry, I didn't have a life-support collar for the bat," Hao Ren smiled . He threw a probe with a camera into the shaft . It was clear . He leaped inside .
Hao Ren made a hard landing . The ground underneath was hot but still solid . He scanned the surroundings as he got to his feet . The place looked like a subway intersection .
He was right in the middle of an intersection where three dark tunnels met . The tubes might lead to somewhere .
He clicked the comm . "Clear . It looks like an underground bunker . We might have found the refuge . "
Everyone descended . Looking at the ever-extending tunnels of darkness, Lily was wide-eyed . "This place has not melted yet?"
"It looks unnatural . Look at these walls; it is high-tech metallurgy," Hao Ren said, pointing at the walls that had blackened and twisted but were obviously of strong composite material . "But they are not going to hold up for long . The planet is falling apart and about reaching the tipping point . We need to be fast . "
Vivian frowned as she stared at the three tunnels . "Which way should we go? Or should we split up?"
"Don't split up . There may be more forks ahead, we won't be able to cover all them," Hao Ren shook his head . "Radar shows that there are still more caves deeper underground, the refuge might be down here . As long as these tunnels are not blocked, they would be able to reach it . Let's follow the navigation . "
Hao Ren knew that when it came to Lily, common sense usually took a back seat . When he thought she was a werewolf, she barked . When he thought she was brave, she flinched . When he felt she would babble nonsense, she became poetic . When he felt she was poetic, she was nagging like a child . But nothing amazed him like the way the MDT did . The memory of the walking dead girl in the virtual world of Zorm was still fresh in his mind . Hao Ren petted Lilys on her head and walked to the front of the group . Be careful of the magma and steam . The sun has just set . Heat is still trapped underneath . Getting hit by the spouts would be as good as falling into a steel furnace . He was mainly talking to Lily and Vivian . He was not worried for Yzaks and his daughter; after all, the two demons treated lava pool as their bath tube . Vivian looked at the golden light at the horizon . She smacked herself on the cheeks . I dont like sunlight . especially the one on this planet, she said . Battie, as a vampire, you are the alpha and the omega! Lily was dancing back and forth around Vivian . I mean normal vampires would be already half-dead under the sun, but amazingly you are standing here and falling with the planet into the sun . Now you can brag about that back home . Vivian waved her hand weakly as she did not want to bicker with Lily . I just want to get things done and head home before the sun rises again . Hao Ren yanked out a palm-sized device, silvery crystal plate like a tablet computer . A hologram was showing a navigation map that the Petrachelys had rendered using its onboard radar . It was a disturbing image . The ground beneath their feet was not stable . It was a scum-like, high-melting point, and lightweight rock of only a few meters thick . There were a dozen magmatic flows underneath . The structure was not stable . It was fragile . Collapses and spouts could happen at any time . The crack is right ahead, Hao Ren said, pointing to a black hill several hundred meters ahead . Radar shows there is an opening, shaft-like cave underneath . The existence of such a stable passage in this place was astounding . Its probably not a naturally formed place . The ground is soft, Lily used her tail to balance herself . I think its a magma lake below . The small expedition team trod very carefully on the scorched land with the guidance of the navigation map . It was worse than hell . It was not wholly dark on the dark side; the crust had not yet cooled down, cracks still glowed red inside while magma was flowing on the surface . New cracks were appearing from where high-pressure steam spouted like a fountain, some of which could even reach dozens of kilometers high in the air . Lily clung to Hao Ren; hands grabbed his armed . She was scared of the steam spout . Mr . Landlord, I will protect you! But her tail was between her legs . Hao Ren would have believed her if not the giveaway . Beware of the sudden cracks appearing, Yzaks warned . I will lead in front . Yes, the planet was falling towards the sun, and the condition was worse than the demon world, but Yzaks did not flinch; he was the strongest in the team . He went ahead of Hao Ren and walked in front of the team . Ylisabet leaped to keep up with her papa . The papa and daughter were chattering, Papa, isnt the red hill in our hometown same as this one?Not really . The one in our hometown is much cooler than this one . Ylisabet trod a few steps ahead; the ground under her feet suddenly rose up . Watch out! Hao Ren called out . But it was too late . The surface burst open as powerful steam spouted violently from into the air like a gas pillar . Ylisabet had gone . Lily screamed in shock . She looked up at the sky, but it was dark, she could see nothing . She became nervous . Would she be okay? She will be fine . Maybe suffering a little shock at most, Yzaks appeared very calm . He smiled as he squinted at the direction where his daughter was supposed to have gone . While she is much much weaker than the other demons, this heat is not going to hurt her a bit . Oh, look! There she is—coming down . Before Yzaks voice trailed off, the little toothy reappeared and was falling out of the sky . Ylisabet was yelling through the comm . Catch me! Catch me! They held their hands together forming a human safety net . But the little girl accurately fell outside the net . Ouch . Ylisabet dusted her butt and got to her feet . Where were you guys looking at . ? Hao Ren looked at the little demon, surprised . Cant you fly? Dont higher demons fly? Im not a grown-up yet, no wings, Ylisabet jumped back up to her papa . While in the air, I saw the entrance! Behind that hill! she said . With the help of the navigation map and Ylisabet, they found the said fissure . It was a neat, almost perfectly circular opening . A downward shaft was perpendicular to the ground, right in the center of a crater; from the look of it, something should have been covering the opening . It could be an installation like a door, but it had long gone . It was burned beyond recognition . But Im sure there used to be an artificial structure here, Vivian said as she leaned forward and glanced down at the shaft . I can see the ground underneath; its solid down there . Want to go down? Like we have a choice, Hao Ren quipped . My shield is the toughest . I will go in first . Move on my signal . Vivian suddenly stopped Hao Ren as she summoned a tiny bat . There may be danger down there . Let the bat check it out first… Before the bat could take off, it had withered and turned into a dried bat . Vivian quickly tucked it away embarrassingly . Sorry, I didnt have a life-support collar for the bat, Hao Ren smiled . He threw a probe with a camera into the shaft . It was clear . He leaped inside . Hao Ren made a hard landing . The ground underneath was hot but still solid . He scanned the surroundings as he got to his feet . The place looked like a subway intersection . He was right in the middle of an intersection where three dark tunnels met . The tubes might lead to somewhere . He clicked the comm . Clear . It looks like an underground bunker . We might have found the refuge . Everyone descended . Looking at the ever-extending tunnels of darkness, Lily was wide-eyed . This place has not melted yet? It looks unnatural . Look at these walls; it is high-tech metallurgy, Hao Ren said, pointing at the walls that had blackened and twisted but were obviously of strong composite material . But they are not going to hold up for long . The planet is falling apart and about reaching the tipping point . We need to be fast . Vivian frowned as she stared at the three tunnels . Which way should we go? Or should we split up? Dont split up . There may be more forks ahead, we wont be able to cover all them, Hao Ren shook his head . Radar shows that there are still more caves deeper underground, the refuge might be down here . As long as these tunnels are not blocked, they would be able to reach it . Lets follow the navigation .
Chapter end
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