Chapter 202 Desert Survival Day 30 (3) Is the return card valid?

Api clutched a mineral water bottle in one hand and supported Yu Miaomiao with the other as he explained, "We were trapped in a mirrored dimension. After I chopped the monster to pieces, we escaped. But as soon as we emerged, the system gave us a prank notification, saying it would randomly burn a non-biological item with low defense. Then, your innermost clothing suddenly turned to ash. You stood there motionless, and I was afraid you'd entered some strange hallucination, so I used my return card and called you."

Yu Miaomiao listened to Api's voice word by word, and slowly regained consciousness.

The feeling of being burned all over was too real, like being in a sea of ​​fire. There were only countless flames in sight, and the body was burning with unbearable pain, which made people desperate and powerless. So she thought about using the return card, but she could clearly hear Api's voice, and her hands were held by her, so she didn't use it.

Only then could she carefully observe her surroundings. The bridge she had just seen was not just one bridge, but a bridge that split into two and formed a circle to the left and right. Further away, it merged into a higher bridge, leading to the red unknown ahead.

She had never heard of this scene before. It was impossible that no one had never seen such a strange place.

She looked at herself. Her inner clothes were indeed gone, but her protective soft armor was still there. However, because the soft armor was designed only to protect key parts, it was like a sleeveless dress, and her legs only covered her knees. Her innermost clothes were all burned.

It wasn't too bad, but her underwear was gone and her sneakers were still there...

Shouldn't the shoes she wore from the real world have the weakest defense? How could it be the clothes she made in the apocalypse?

It's really strange.

There was a treasure chest in front of the bridge. Yu Miaomiao pointed ahead and asked, "Is this treasure chest?"

Api pointed to the mineral water bottle in his hand and said, "I just killed four stalactite snakes while you were standing there in a daze. This is the stalactite liquid I collected. It should be used to open the box in front."

Yu Miaomiao looked at Api worriedly, "You were protecting me just now, are you okay?"

Api straightened himself up and said, "Don't underestimate me. I stood behind Sister Miaomiao and watched you kill so many jumping snakes. I learned this too. Besides, these snakes didn't appear all at once. I can handle them. My shield was bitten, but the high-level shield only lost 5 points of durability, so I still have 90 points."

"That's good." She looked back and saw a dim corridor with broken glass scattered all over the floor at the entrance. It should be the corpse of the salamander that Api mentioned.

They were now standing on a relatively open cliffside land. Yu Miaomiao asked curiously, "There really is molten lava in there, right? Am I seeing things right?"

"You're right. I saw it too. I'm just afraid what we're seeing is an illusion. After all, we've been in that small space the whole time and have been deceived by the mirror." Seeing that Yu Miaomiao had returned to normal, Api asked, "Why don't we open the treasure chest first? Otherwise, the stalactite in this water bottle will melt."

Yu Miaomiao thought for a moment and said, "How long has it been since I received these liquids?"

"About ten minutes."

It took so long. Could it be that she had been standing there for more than ten minutes as punishment?

Yu Miaomiao subconsciously opened the system backpack, and the holographic interface appeared again.

Api said excitedly, "Wow, Sister Miaomiao, is your system functioning normally? It seems that the mirror has restricted some functions of the exploration site owner. Now there's nothing to worry about. Here's the bottle for you, go open it."

All the previous adventure progress was given to Api, because those boxes were opened by Yu Miaomiao and would not increase the progress anymore. The box near the bridge head in front of him had never been seen before, and opening it would definitely increase new progress.

"Don't worry. In case there is some strange place ahead, it's better to confirm it clearly." Yu Miaomiao browsed through the backpack and took out a Polaroid camera that he had never used.

"Hey," Api asked curiously, "Isn't this a camera? Sister Miaomiao, did you bring this thing from the modern era?"

Yu Miaomiao turned on the camera and put in the film. "No, it was given by the system. Since what we see is not necessarily true, then what is photographed by the camera should be correct."

Api said happily, "Why don't we just take a photo together, facing the molten lava behind us? When we return to the real world, this will be a precious memory, a record of the hardships that Sister Miaomiao and I shared."

"That's fine. There are only 25 sheets of film. It's pointless to just take a photo of the molten lava." Yu Miaomiao took out the camera and pointed it at the two of them. "One, two, three, eggplant."

Before the flash came on, Yu Miaomiao was grabbed by Api and she fell into Api's arms, hugged by Api.

"Sister Miaomiao, you are so old-fashioned. What era is this and you still don't like eggplants?" Api leaned over to look at the photo paper with pictures slowly emerging from Yu Miaomiao's hand.

Yu Miaomiao was seen being held in Api's arms, like an adult holding a doll.

"What...I'm so small compared to you." Yu Miaomiao muttered, but she was still very happy in her heart.

In the photo, she and the Api head were standing on one side, and on the other side was the boiling lava behind them.

It seems that what they saw should be objective existence. As for why the boiling magma did not emit a hot breath, it might be a setting in the expedition area.

"Here, for you." Api handed Yu Miaomiao several bottles filled with stalactite liquid.

Just now, when Yu Miaomiao was looking for something in the system, she saw an item card that she had been wanting to use but hadn't been willing to use. "Wait, I'm going to use a Lucky Card. I feel unlucky coming to the Prank Cave. It just so happens that I'm going to draw a card soon, so I opened the Lucky Card before opening the box."

"Okay, it would be great if we could get something useful for the adventure later." Api looked at Yu Miaomiao expectantly and clicked on the system backpack.

Api was deeply touched. The things in Miaomiao's backpack, which was never short of water, should be the richest in the whole apocalypse. Even though Miaomiao had the ability to hide the system interface, she never used it in front of him. This showed that Sister Miaomiao had never been influenced by Ziren and always trusted her.

After Yu Miaomiao clicked on the [One-Day Good Luck Card (Uniquely Bound)] in her backpack, sequins fell from the sky in an instant, covering her from head to toe. After another two seconds, all the sequins disappeared at the same time, as if they were absorbed into her body.

"Wow, Sister Miaomiao, the scene just now was so gorgeous, you looked like you were crowned with sequins." Api exclaimed.

"Really?" Yu Miaomiao didn't feel anything special. She took the bottle and walked towards the treasure chest, pouring all the liquid into the groove above the treasure chest.

[Lucky trait successfully triggered. Expedition gift pack: 55 screws, 44 iron ingots, 24 refined iron ingots, 11 titanium ingots, 2 anti-fall airbags, 2 stimulants, 14 plastic blocks. Has been stored in the system warehouse.]

It’s really good to trigger luck. It seems that this card is really useful.

Yu Miaomiao took out the anti-fall airbag and gave one to Api. "With this, you don't have to worry about hitting a cliff during the adventure."

"Bang--"

At the same moment she finished the transaction, there was a sound of gravel breaking behind her.

"Sister Miaomiao, run quickly, the cave entrance behind has collapsed." Api pulled Yu Miaomiao and ran forward.

Yu Miaomiao looked behind her while running.

The cave entrance they had just come out of had many broken stones, and the ground on the flat ground connected to the cave entrance also began to sink and collapse.

Unexpectedly, this secret passage has always been a single-threaded road. It should be that when she opened the treasure chest, the road behind her would be destroyed, as if it was urging the survivor to move forward.

Arriving at the bridgeheads on both sides, Api hesitated and asked, "Sister Miaomiao, which way should we go?"

The bridges here are also very strange. The bridge on the left is made of stalactites, bends around the lava, and connects to the mirror bridge on the right.

Yu Miaomiao was also unsure: "It's a mirror..."

She was worried that snakes might emerge from the stalactites.

Api almost cried: "I am afraid of heights, and I am afraid..."

Through the mirrored bridge deck, you can see the molten lava rolling under the bridge, and the fiery red molten liquid seems to be able to splash onto the bridge at any time.

Moreover, the handrails on the left and right sides of the bridge are far apart, and there are no chains as safety railings between each glass handrail. It is normal for Api to be afraid.

"Then let's go to the stalactite one. Even if there are snakes, we can't defeat them. We can just use the return card and run away." After making the decision, Yu Miaomiao was about to walk towards the gray-white stone bridge.

As soon as she stepped on it, the bridge deck quickly dropped half a meter, and red magma invaded the bridge deck, making a "squeaking" sound of burning. The two had to retreat.

"What should I do... Sister Miaomiao, is the only way for us to walk on the mirror bridge?" A Pi held Yu Miaomiao's arm tightly with some embarrassment.

"I'll go take a look first, don't worry." Yu Miaomiao approached the mirror bridge step by step. The rolling magma was right under her feet. As soon as she stepped on it, the winding bridge surface sank half a meter, just like before.

Both sides will sink, so no matter which side they go, the bridge will sink, and they will have to walk through an area soaked in molten lava.

Can the shield withstand it?

A-Pi looked at the collapsing ground behind him and shouted anxiously, "Sister Miaomiao, look behind you."

The flat ground in front of the tunnel entrance has completely sunk, and the gap can be seen filled with red flames filled with molten lava.

If you don't choose a path, you will fall down sooner or later...

It seems like I'm going to fall wherever I go.

"Sister Miaomiao, can we just walk on each side?" Api said what Miaomiao was thinking.

The bridge entrance was divided into left and right, just like the two false doors she saw in front of the secret door. If they walked up at the same time, would other paths appear?

"Let's go for a walk." Yu Miaomiao knew that Api was afraid of seeing the lava below, so she spontaneously walked beside the mirror bridge.

Api pulled Yu Miaomiao's hand, as if to encourage herself, "Okay, Sister Miaomiao, you count one, two, three and we'll step on one foot together."

When Yu Miaomiao called out "three", they both stepped forward with their right feet at the same time in tacit understanding.

The bridge under Yu Miaomiao's feet did not sink as expected, and the bridge surface remained normal, but over there on Api's side...

Api didn't retract his foot, but observed carefully and said: "Sister Miaomiao, the bridge here is still sinking a little, but your side is not..."

Yu Miaomiao stood still and pressed her body forward, and the bridge surface sank a little.

It turns out there are low balance bridges on both sides.

Api also noticed this problem and scratched his head, "Is this the trouble of not losing weight?"

The system backpack was now operational. She took out a stone and said to Api, "Let's see if this stone can make up for the weight difference between us."

At the end of the countdown, the two stepped forward together and then retreated synchronously.

It’s still not enough, the bridge surface on Api’s side still sinks a little.

Seeing that there was not much flat land left behind, Api suggested: "We should be able to walk even after sinking this little bit. Why don't we go forward first? This section of the separated curved bridge road is only about 20 meters long and will merge together at the back. We just need to run faster."

"Let's try again. It's better to be safe. We can't be impatient in the exploration area." Yu Miaomiao changed to an iron block and picked it up.

As a result, after the two of them advanced and retreated together, they found that Api's bridge deck had still sunk a little, but not much.

"Let's go, Sister Meow Meow. I'm afraid the ground will collapse onto our bridge, and it will be even more terrible if the bridge breaks." Api couldn't wait any longer.

For some reason, Yu Miaomiao, who had tried the weight twice, always felt something was wrong. "Why don't we just forget it and leave now?"

After all, the situation now is different from before. The environment we are in is not full of monsters. Now we are facing natural disasters, and the situation is too uncontrollable.

"Leave? You mean go back? At least cross this bridge. Sister Meow Meow, look over there." Api's eyesight was better. In the firelight, he pointed to the opposite end of the bridge. "There's a red treasure chest over there. It's different from the previous one. It should contain good stuff."

Yu Miaomiao was still a little nervous. "Even if I open that box, my progress won't improve much. Anyway, I should have no problem getting into the top ten. There's no need to take any more risks."

Api's eyes were filled with pleading, "Sister Miaomiao, I wanted to come in and help you. I don't want to be a burden to you. Your progress has only increased by 1% so far. I should at least accompany you to open a few more."

Yu Miaomiao tried it and found that the backpack function was working normally. She thought that if it didn't work, she would just leave and said, "Okay."

Yu Miaomiao held an iron block in one hand and hung a jet device almost as heavy as a stone behind him. "It should be OK now. Let's walk and listen to my slogans. We'd better walk in sync. Don't be too anxious."

After the two people stepped onto the bridge at the same time, the bridges on both sides were almost level. It seemed that the only thing that mattered was that the people on both sides of the bridge had to be of the same weight.

Behind the seemingly puzzle-solving adventure, any carelessness will cost you blood.

Ah Pi listened to Yu Miaomiao's command and walked forward synchronously. She looked over several times, still feeling a little aggrieved, and said, "Sister Miaomiao, you seem to have sunk a little deeper than me. How about I pick up something and put it on my hands?"

The two of them had already walked one-third of the way. Since they could continue walking, there was no need to change the existing balance. Yu Miaomiao shook her head and said, "Let's finish the walk quickly. I always feel a little uncomfortable."

"good."

【System prompt: Please draw your gift pack card】

The two people standing on the bridge welcomed today's card drawing at the same time.

She just looked at the time and it was 11:50, but she didn't expect it to be 12 o'clock already.

Yu Miaomiao was surrounded by five cards, which was the first time she had seen such a situation.

Api on the opposite bridge is also surrounded by five cards.

It seems that everyone is drawing from five cards today.

The cave they were in was a fiery red, but the card was black, which seemed out of place with the surrounding environment.

Apart from the vine pattern, there is no extraneous words on the card when you open it, only three simple words and a line of instructions.

They are "Life Card", "Friendship Card", "Love Card", "Family Card" and "Wealth Card".

"Card rewards will be distributed the next day."

The next day?

Yu Miaomiao looked at Api's card, which was also five black cards. She couldn't see the words on them clearly, so she didn't study them carefully.

Why are there five cards like this? It's so weird.

And for all survivors, isn’t freedom the most important thing? Gaining the freedom to leave the end of the world.

What does it mean? Doesn’t the system want to give survivors freedom?

For some reason, Yu Miaomiao felt a little creepy when drawing the cards this time.

If I have to choose... life is definitely the most precious. How can the other four compare with life?

But why should she make this choice?

It's so baffling...

And after being selected, what reward will she be given tomorrow? Will she be given an extra life?

Yu Miaomiao felt that drawing cards was everyone's private matter, so she quickly selected the "Life Card" and just waited for Api to select one.

In addition to Api's fingers moving in the air, the magma beneath her and the red light on the stone wall in the distance also stopped.

"Clang—"

After Api's card drawing interface disappeared, the flat ground behind them had completely disappeared, leaving only a bare bridge pillar.

At this point, you can see that there are two bridge piles. The bridge that seems to be connected together is clearly connected to a mirror pile and a stalactite pile.

The mirror bridge where Yu Miaomiao was standing was connected to the stalactite piles.

Api's...

"Api, run!"

Yu Miaomiao shouted, and Api also saw the situation at the bridge head and rushed forward.

At this point, the two of them no longer cared about whether they were in sync or not. As long as they ran to the meeting point and were on a bridge, they would be safe.

“Dala——”

As they ran quickly, the mirrored bridge piles connecting the stalactite bridge suddenly made a crisp sound.

The bridge pile is cracked...

At the same time, the stone bridge where Api was standing began to break behind her, and sections of stone fell down.

“Run!!!!!”

Yu Miaomiao ran while shouting, and at the same time opened the system backpack, thinking that if A Pi couldn't escape, she would go back immediately.

What?

The backpack won’t open???

No matter how many times Yu Miaomiao tried using her mind, she couldn't open the backpack.

As for the high-end backpack, she tried but couldn't take the things out.

For some reason, she felt a sense of foreboding.

"Sister Meow Meow!"

The stalactite bridge opposite had completely sunk, and even the stone in front of Api fell along with it. Api's path was completely blocked, and she fell down along with the stone bridge.

However, nothing in the advanced backpack expander could be taken out and used. Yu Miaomiao kept using his mind to use the return card, but it still had no effect.

Standing on this bridge, not only could she not open the holographic system interface, but even the connection between her and the advanced backpack expander was severed, and she completely lost contact with the system.

The stalactite bridge has been immersed in the boiling magma, and Api's ankles have been submerged in the fiery red liquid.

"Wait for me!" Yu Miaomiao shouted anxiously, running forward without stopping. As long as she ran to the other end of the bridge, she should be able to open the system backpack and take Api back with her.

"Sister Meow Meow, what should I do..." Api continued to move forward while crying in the lava, stretching his hands weakly forward, as if trying to grab the bridge head not far in front of him.

As Api's feet sank deeper and deeper, her movement speed gradually slowed down.

Yu Miaomiao gasped and asked, "Is the molten lava hot? Is it real flame, or just an illusion?"

Just like she just did.

At this time, she was only two steps away from reaching the bridge head. Perhaps because she was in a hurry and ran too fast, or for some other reason, Yu Miaomiao's feet suddenly slipped and she fell to the ground. The moment she fell, she quickly supported herself and got up, using all her strength to rush forward.

"I don't know..." Api shouted in panic. Not long after, she was heard shouting again, "It's hot, it hurts, Sister Miaomiao, it hurts, it's real, it's real molten lava, save me!"

In the boiling magma, Api kept struggling and trying to move forward, but she had no support under her feet. She was stepping on real magma. The more she struggled, the faster she sank. She could feel the burning pain, but her feet seemed to be still there. Was it really an illusion?

Api, who was still moving around in the lava, stopped instantly.

Yu Miaomiao was five or six meters away from Api, and she couldn't hear Api mumbling to himself. She asked questions anxiously, but could no longer hear any response from Api.

At this time, Yu Miaomiao had already run to the end connection of the two semicircular bridges. She immediately used her mind to use the return card.

It still doesn't work, the game system is still disconnected.

"Api, I can't open the system. Can you try yours?" Yu Miaomiao shouted loudly, her voice trembling more and more. She had already seen that half of Api's leg had been submerged in the lava.

Yu Miaomiao shouted for a long time, but Api didn't respond at all. She could only shout Api's name over and over again, trying to wake her up.

"No, it's useless... Sister Miaomiao, save me." I don't know if it was because Api took a few steps in the red liquid, or because the magma was flowing, Api, who was soaked in the red liquid, was pulled under the magma that Yu Miaomiao was facing. Half of Api's body had disappeared, and he was completely merged into the magma.

"Where's the shield? Is it still durable?" Yu Miaomiao asked quickly, wanting to throw the jet device down. "Catch this, press the switch next to it, and see if I can bring you up."

"No...durability, 10 points, 9 points." A Pi responded weakly, her whole body began to turn red, but even so, Yu Miaomiao, who was standing above her, still didn't feel any hot temperature.

The shield is still there, so the Api man should be fine. Yu Miaomiao shouted "Catch it!" without hesitation and threw the jet device down.

"Bang—zi—"

The molten lava had already reached Api's waist. She seemed to hear Yu Miaomiao's voice in the void. She opened her hands weakly and brushed past the belt of the jet device. After the machine fell into the molten lava, it immediately exploded and instantly turned into a pool of red water, merged into the molten lava and disappeared, leaving only a little smoke rising.

Yu Miaomiao had never been so desperate as she was now. She stretched out her hand weakly, trying to pull Api out of the molten lava, but even if she half-lay down, her hand was still at least two or three meters away from Api.

Just as Yu Miaomiao was about to take off the software and throw it to Api, she heard Api's voice.

"Sister Meow Meow, be careful."

Api, who had been whimpering in pain, suddenly regained consciousness and reminded him.

If Yu Miaomiao hadn't been watching Api's mouth opening and closing and the direction of the sound, she would have suspected that she had heard it wrong.

In fact, the surroundings were very quiet. Even the lava was rolling without any sound. Yu Miaomiao could clearly hear what Api said under her head.

"Sister Miaomiao, is the return card no longer valid?"

Yu Miaomiao replied with a slightly tearful tone, "Yes, I can't open or use anything here."

Tears fell drop by drop and hit Api's face.

"Sister Miaomiao, why are you crying? Your tears are so salty. Please stop crying. I'm going to die from your saltiness."

Api's voice was a little weak, but every word was clear.

Yu Miaomiao saw that Api had completely fallen into the lava. She couldn't waste time doing this any longer. She had to move forward to a place where she could open the system backpack and take Api away.

"Api, wait for me. I will definitely rescue you. As long as I keep moving forward, I will eventually reach a place where I can open the system backpack." Yu Miaomiao, who had made up her mind, was about to wipe her tears and get up when she heard Api ask, "Sister Miaomiao, what's in the double hot pot you mentioned?"