When Gou Fugui went against the current from the underground world, it took him more than four hours to climb the rock and gradually swim to the surface.
However, it took him and the people behind him less than an hour to travel downstream from where he jumped into the river and return to this underground world.
As he was thrown out of the wide waterfall cascade with the current, he looked up at the still bright and lovely colorful mushrooms above him and blinked.
He really did come here again. Hopefully, he can find a way to repair the core and a path forward.
Then he fell into the deep pool with the current, but this time he dared not waste any time. He quickly swam to the shore of the pool, dragging the suitcase containing the big black cat and other animals in his hand, and released the animals out of the suitcase.
When the black cat and the other animals in the box came out, Gou Fugui originally thought they would be frightened and run away in panic. However, he underestimated these animals who had experienced many storms. With a meow, the black cat gathered around it and squatted on the ground, obediently remaining still.
They were also staring wide-eyed in amazement at this underground world, but they were much calmer than the crowd that fell behind them—
Almost everyone who was thrown out of the waterfall couldn't help but shout a few times. Fortunately, by the time they had made it this far, everyone's mental fortitude had been forced to improve a lot. After shouting a few times, they immediately shut up and, with the prompting of the wealthy and beautiful woman on the shore, quickly swam from the deep pool towards the shore.
One by one, the people behind him fell and climbed ashore, while Shrimp Rich, whose bloodline had not yet been unleashed by the Seven-Colored Mantis Shrimp, nervously watched the movements in the deep pool.
At this moment, his attention was entirely focused on his eyes, and a faint iridescent light shimmered in his pupils, unseen by anyone else.
He saw the light emanating from the various minerals and water in the deep pool, as well as the bioluminescence of the occasional fish, crabs, and shellfish.
Most of the people who fell from the waterfall have already climbed back up, but a rough count suggests that there are still about twenty people who haven't fallen or made it ashore.
Those who had come ashore earlier were reminded by Song Sanchuan and Master Pang to gather together and not move around.
Actually, no one needs to remind you at this point. After seeing the incredibly dreamlike and beautiful underground world, no one can easily tear themselves away from this miraculous scenery.
Thump, thump, thump!
The last dozen or so people fell one after another.
"Don't stand there, and don't make any loud noises! Hurry up and bring your luggage up!"
Because of the retractable ropes around their waists, everyone was able to get up quickly.
At this point, 110 out of the 113-member team had landed. Only three people remained.
"What's going on? Qiang-ge hasn't come down yet? And what about Xiao-yun and Xie-ge? Weren't the three of them supposed to be bringing up the rear? Did the rope break? What happened on the way?"
"No, don't worry. It seems Xiaoyun's luggage got stuck because she was swept away too fast. Qiang and Xie helped her. They should be down soon. Ah! They're down! They're down!"
Amidst cheers of surprise, Xiaoyun, Wang Daqiang, and finally Xie Tianlang, carrying their luggage, fell one after another from the waterfall into the deep pool.
Before Qi Cai Fugui could even breathe a sigh of relief, his pupils, which had been fixed on the depths of the pool, suddenly contracted—
In his field of vision, an extremely long and thick aquatic creature with sharp horns on its head, an excessively dark blue color, was rapidly approaching from below.
"Hurry up and pull the rope! Get them up here!"
"That underwater serpent is coming to the surface!!"
"Thank you, Tianlang—!"
Almost the instant Gou Fugui shouted Xie Tianlang's name, Xie Tianlang, who had just fallen into the pool, grabbed Xiaoyun's backpack and threw her and her onto the bank of the pool.
At the same time, he kicked Qiang Ge, who was paddling towards the shore, almost instantly sending him to the edge of the pool. Qiang Ge was then pulled ashore by the people on the bank.
Finally, using the recoil from kicking Qiang Ge, he slashed backward! As if he had eyes in the back of his head, he barely dodged the deep green serpent that leaped out of the pool with its mouth wide open!
As everyone gasped in astonishment, Xie Tianlang pulled a tiny throwing knife from the strap on his wrist, the wire attached to the handle carrying it straight into the stone wall behind him. Then, using the force of the knife and the wire, he leaped into the air from the water. In the instant he rose, he used the momentum to deliver a spinning kick, striking the head of the serpent that was still biting him.
He was just a hair's breadth away from kicking the golden horn on the serpent's head.
The onlookers exclaimed, "Holy crap, Captain Xie is awesome!!"
The animals shaking their fur: "Meow~ Wow."
Even Qicai Fugui couldn't help but sigh. The Great Sirius's reaction speed and combat power were indeed the ceiling for mortals. Under such circumstances, he was able to save people first and then escape unscathed. He even almost kicked the little golden horn, the most important part of the Flood Dragon.
They can jump even more energetically than rainbow mantis shrimp.
Everyone was cheering for Xie Tianlang, but the deep yellow eyes of the serpent that had been kicked bulged with vicious lines.
It roared and suddenly leaped three meters out of the deep pool, seemingly wanting to continue chasing and tearing at the human insect jumping in front of it.
Its imposing presence was so terrifying that the people and animals by the pool instinctively retreated. Song Sanchuan even drew his gun from his waist and aimed it at the serpent's head immediately.
Just as he aimed, the serpent, which had been staring at Xie Tianlang with its gaping maw, suddenly turned its head and looked at Song Sanchuan with its deep yellow vertical pupils.
Song Sanchuan's hands trembled.
He even instinctively pulled the trigger, but Gou Fugui, who rushed over, immediately reached out and pressed down on the gun.
Because the Seven-Colored Shrimp Fortune's strength was too great, it actually blocked the bullet's trajectory, preventing Song Sanchuan from pulling the trigger all the way and the bullet from being fired.
Song Sanchuan was nearly scared out of his wits by his brother Fugui's actions. He immediately let go and started cursing, "What are you doing, you bastard?! Are you trying to scare me to death?!"
If he hadn't released his grip quickly and if Gou Fugui hadn't been strong enough, that shot would have killed his brother Fugui!
The Seven-Colored Shrimp Fugui didn't answer him directly. He simply turned around and looked at the serpent whose gaze was still fixed on them, his beautiful phoenix eyes and yellow vertical pupils meeting in quiet stare.
He even glanced at Xie Tianlang, telling him not to act rashly.
“We mean no harm. We’ll be leaving soon. I promise we won’t commit any killing or destruction in this central area. Let’s avoid a lose-lose situation! We’re just trying to survive.”
The azure serpent listened to the long-haired youth's words, its scarlet tongue flicking out from its mouth. It offered no reply, nor did it continue its attack. Instead, it fixed its gaze unblinkingly on everyone who had arrived, its eyes filled with a terror that would terrify anyone who saw them.
Those he had his eye on trembled and dared not utter a word, but Gou Fugui breathed a sigh of relief. He gestured for Xie Tianlang to come back quickly, then addressed the intimidated crowd and animals:
"Stop standing there, quickly grab your things and head towards those two passages."
"This place is the central area of this underground world, and it is very likely to be the most beautiful and magical place, but it is also definitely the most dangerous place."
We're new here and unfamiliar with everything, so let's settle down somewhere on the outskirts first.
The people who were stunned by Gou Fugui's words immediately reacted and left with their luggage without saying a word. Along the way, they only dared to communicate with their eyes. This time, they chose the passage to the east, which was close to the river.
At least being near a river ensures a sufficient water supply.
Only when they reached the edge of the irregularly circular central area of the underground world did the group, who had been too afraid to speak, dare to secretly turn around and cautiously glance at the giant tree with its dreamlike, shimmering white light, before speaking in hushed tones.
"Wow, that silvery-white tree is so beautiful! It's practically a divine tree!"
"It's not just trees! Didn't you look up at the top of your heads? The rock face above us is covered with colorful little mushrooms!"
"I saw fish and shrimp in the river, and butterflies and birds in the flowers and grass along the riverbank... Putting everything else aside, I just want to ask, are the fish and shrimp edible?"
"Smack!"
"Fugui'er already said he wouldn't kill anymore! Aren't the potatoes you brought enough for you?"
"Okay, okay, then I'll eat potatoes and sweet potatoes. I'll grow some vegetables too, alright?"
Gou Fugui listened to their conversation and shook his head with a smile: "I said no killing, but I didn't say we can't eat fish and shrimp. It's just that it's best to let us live better without disrupting the ecological balance of the underground world."
"We can catch a few fish and raise them in an area by the river. We should be able to eat them ourselves."
"The same applies to growing vegetables and grains. Ideally, what we grow and raise should exceed what we consume."
After learning that the tree was the core of the world, Gou Fugui considered many ways to repair it, but he could only think of one method that might be vaguely useful—
As the power of solar flares increases and Earth's orbit deviates slightly, the life force on Earth's surface must be significantly reduced and depleted.
The more the Earth is damaged, the harder it becomes to return to normal on its own. Therefore, if the world wants to have the life force to restore itself to normal, it needs more life.
Or rather, a healthy ecosystem that can form a vital life force.
Although the underground world looked magnificent, he had run along the tunnel at the bottom of the river for more than an hour and found that apart from the relatively complete and beautiful ecosystem in the irregular circular area in the center, the beautiful underground plants and life became less and less as he went down the river.
I don't know if it's because we're getting further and further away from that giant Tree of Life, or for some other reason.
But if they could create a few beautiful ecosystems in other, somewhat desolate areas, wouldn't that increase the vitality of life?
Although there are only a few hundred of them, it may take a lot of time to improve the ecosystem and there may not be enough time to save it, but we should still give it a try, right?
So after walking a few hundred meters downstream along the river, everyone stopped in an open area that was more than half the size of the central area, about half the size of a football field, and put down their luggage.
The air here is noticeably less fresh and abundant than in the central area; it's generally damp and quite dark. Apart from some shimmering ferns and aquatic plants along the underground riverbank, there aren't even many colorful mushrooms growing overhead.
Several children in the group couldn't help but hug their parents' and grandparents' legs tightly: "Grandpa, it's so dark here...it's a little scary."
The old man reached out and patted his granddaughter's head: "Guoguo, don't be afraid. It's always unfamiliar to come to a new place, but we can build a safe and beautiful home of our own with our own hands."
"Although it's dark here, we won't be afraid if we turn on a light."
"There's nothing here now, but there will be in the future."
"Most importantly, it's not hot here, right? Does Guoguo still have a sore throat and keep sweating?"
So the girl answered loudly, "Guoguo isn't sweating anymore! Guoguo feels the temperature is very comfortable right now!!"
"It's still a bit chilly!" the little boy said.
So the adults and elderly people who were initially feeling a bit disappointed started to smile gently.
Yes, although there's nothing here, and they may have to start over and go through another difficult period, at least there's no killing heat here, and they can live peacefully.
As long as you're alive, there's hope.
So, filled with hope, everyone quickly put down their luggage. They turned on the flashlights of their phones, which were no longer working, and dozens of small white lights illuminated the dark underground world.
"Everyone, please tidy up your accommodations first. It's best to arrange them in a circle with some open space around them. There are a total of 32 families here. We don't have tents, only sleeping bags and bedding. So, please lay out your mats and sheets first."
"Should we start a fire first? Our straw mats and thin blankets are wet. The temperature here might get colder at night. Although we don't need thick blankets, at 18 or 19 degrees Celsius, we still need thin blankets."
"But the gas we brought won't last long, and there's no wood around here to start a fire..."
As they packed their things, they discovered one problem after another. The food they brought was enough to last for at least half a month, but the living resources here were far worse.
Song Sanchuan glanced at Gou Fugui, and the beautiful woman nodded.
Song Sanchuan dragged a generator he had brought into the darkness, and then, amidst everyone's puzzled looks, said, "I'm going to modify this generator a bit, to make it the kind that generates electricity through water. That way, we'll have more usable energy, and everyone can live a better life."
Immediately, everyone who had been worried showed expressions of admiration.
"Wow, our Sanchuan is amazing! We've really been able to get by thanks to the machines you built. It's true what they say: if you master math, physics, and chemistry, you can go anywhere in the world without fear!"
"...It's a pity that I don't know if the children will have the opportunity to learn math, physics, and chemistry again."
"Hey, you old man, you're talking such discouraging things. This disaster can't last forever. As long as we get through it, we'll go back one day! And the children can rebuild the world!"
"You're right, you're being pessimistic. Let's think about how to make a living! I used to be a great farmer. This way, each family can send two people to pack up their belongings, and the rest of you can come with me around here and take a look. The land under our feet is a bit damp and soggy, but we can still grow some things!"
"Yes, yes, the most important thing is to plant the food quickly! The ground doesn't get sunlight, but we can supplement it with artificial light; those shade-loving plants will always survive a bit." An elderly woman, particularly skilled in farming, slapped her thigh as she spoke.
"If I had known this would happen, I should have brought a few more light bulbs!"
"We came too quickly... It's a pity we can't go up anymore."
Everyone was observing the land and getting familiar with the surrounding environment. Meanwhile, on the dark riverbank, Song Sanchuan quickly modified a solar generator using tools and various parts that Fugui'er had taken out of his pocket, which was about two meters away from him.
While he was making the changes, he couldn't help but glance at Qi Cai Fu Gui's long, iridescent hair. On his third glance, he finally received a cold, somewhat ferocious look from Qi Cai Fu Gui.
"What are you looking at? And don't move closer to me. I've told you not to come near me or I'll easily hit you. Do you really want me to smash your head in with one punch?"
Song Sanchuan twitched his lips, feeling that his specially recruited comrade-in-arms was becoming more and more mysterious and strange: "It's not that I really can't figure out where you dyed your hair... Do you carry hair dye with you in your space?"
"Your hair color is so natural and cool, and most importantly... haven't you noticed? Your hair glows in the dark! It's like a dazzling fluorescent light."
“I saw Xiaoming, Duoduo and several other kids staring at your hair.”
Song Sanchuan found it amazing as he spoke, and couldn't help but take half a step closer to Gou Fugui, who was deliberately keeping his distance from him.
As soon as he finished moving, Gou Fugui turned on the light on his wristwatch. Under Song Sanchuan's puzzled gaze, he took out a piece of black ore that looked particularly hard from his pocket, held the stone in one hand and clenched his fist in the other. The next second, he punched it, and the black ore made a slight collision sound and shattered into more than a dozen pieces.
It also revealed the deep red crystal inside, which was interspersed with gold threads.
The tool in Song Sanchuan's hand pierced his own hand, and in excruciating pain, he screamed, "Damn it!"
"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! What did you just do?! How could you shatter a piece of ore with a single punch?! Are your hands made of diamond?!"
Song Sanchuan could hardly believe his eyes, yet his eyes told him firmly: Sun Zai! Don't doubt it, everything you're seeing is real!
Then Song Sanchuan realized that what Fugui had said about punching him in the head was not an exaggeration; it was a factual description!
Actions speak louder than words, and Song Sanchuan immediately kept three meters away from Gou Fugui.
But he still looked at Gou Fugui with a completely unscientific expression: "What's going on with your fists and hair... Could it be that you've awakened some kind of Superman or Giant's ability?!"
Gou Fugui rolled his eyes at him: "I've also awakened the Mary Sue skill. Keep pretending, I have to get down to business."
After Gou Fugui finished speaking, he saw Xie Tianlang tidying up the straw mats and thin blankets of the three brothers not far away.
At this moment, Da Tianlang had already packed their seemingly sparse luggage and was sitting on a soft mat, looking at him with a lovesick smile.
The wealthy beauty subconsciously rubbed her earlobe at his overly enthusiastic wolfish eyes, then calmly walked up to him and kicked him with her foot: "What are you looking at! If you look again, I'll eat you up!"
Xie Tianlang laughed: "Wolf meat is a bit tough, but I can braise or stew it for you."
The wealthy beauty rolled her eyes and threw the broken stones in her hand at him: "I've broken all the pretty stones I picked up on the road. It's easy for you to make another necklace, isn't it?"
Xie Tianlang couldn't help but raise his eyebrows as he looked at the extremely gorgeous red crystal in his hand, which was deep red with gold lines mixed in.
The handful of stones his wife Yuanyuan threw at him could probably buy a house in the capital with ease.
However, Yuanyuan actually offered him the materials for the necklace. Does this mean that Yuanyuan is particularly fond of him?
Then Seven-Colored Shrimp Fugui noticed that the Big Sirius beside him was laughing excessively.
The urge was so strong that his fists started to itch.
However, Sirius was extremely perceptive of his family's emotions, and he immediately stuffed the handful of stones into his pouch, then reached out to ask Yuanyuan for sandpaper. After getting the sandpaper, he began polishing the first small piece of ore while changing the subject:
"We should be safe here for a while now. What are your thoughts? You said there would be no killing or destruction, so you have a plan. Is the next step large-scale production?"
The young man shook his head, his dazzling hair, beautiful even in the darkness, swaying with it.
"Don't produce much. We need optimal, sustainable production and development. The life force on the Earth's surface has been greatly diminished due to the high temperatures. If we want to repair the core of the world, perhaps we can actively create and increase the life force."
"But with our numbers, we can only develop a very small amount of production, so we should value quality over quantity. I want to build several beautiful ecosystems underground, not necessarily more beautiful than the one at the World Tree, but still full of life."
"Do you think that if we do that, the power of life will increase?"
Gou Fugui tilted his head and looked at Xie Tianlang intently, asking a question. The man looked at his eyes, which shone even in the darkness, reached out and touched his hair, and nodded firmly: "Yes."
He is always right.
In his eyes.
This damn favoritism.
"So how are you going to give them the tools and seeds? Just by making them out of thin air?"
Gou Fugui raised his eyebrows: "How could that be? Do you think I'm stupid? Of course we should deliver things in a sustainable and aboveboard manner!"
"The growth of life force isn't something only humans can participate in and contribute to. Are you looking down on our animal army?"
As Gou Fugui spoke these words with his eyebrows raised, the animals had gathered behind him without him even noticing.
The sight of sixty-eight animals gathered together was quite impressive, especially since their eyes seemed to glow faintly in the darkness.
"Although we can no longer go up the river, we animals still have a chance to dig our way up!"
"The dogs help dig and turn the soil, the cats catch some small fish along the river so everyone can start raising them, and they also catch the ground rats and insects that are running around everywhere."
Chickens, ducks, and geese should live near the river and not wander too far; laying one or two eggs a day is ideal. Alpacas eat some grass and grow wool to make sweaters! Finally…”
As Bai Bian Fugui was saying this, the eight groundhogs that had arrived first had already secretly followed from the central area. The big groundhog came to the side of the eldest Fugui and once again skillfully offered a small potato that was slightly glowing.
The eldest brother, Fugui, picked up the glowing little potato and looked at it, thinking that this was probably a unique edible plant found in this underground world.
He handed the glowing potato to Xie Tianlang: "You lead everyone to plant potatoes, and while you're at it, explore the surroundings and make sure everyone is safe. I'll take my men and dig the shortest path up from here."
It would be absolutely impossible for just over a hundred people to dig a nearly 500-meter-long, walkable tunnel vertically downwards. They didn't have large drilling tools or support structures to stabilize the tunnel, and they would have buried themselves halfway through.
But it's different for small animals like groundhogs. They don't need burrows that are too big or wide, and they don't need to worry about collapsing structures. They just need to lead their little mouse brothers to dig a watermelon-sized hole leading to the surface, connecting underground and above-ground resources.
Xie Tianlang looked at the incredibly proud man, and once again couldn't control his wildly beating heart. But before he could even praise his Yuanyuan, several kids and young men who had been eavesdropping nearby spoke up.
"Good heavens, Brother Fugui, are you really that amazing! Can you command the giant rats to dig holes?!"
"You're so silly! Those aren't big rats, they're groundhogs! My dad says they're the best at digging burrows! But Brother Fugui is so amazing, all the animals seem to listen to him!"
"Brother Fugui, can you really get these rats to dig a hole upwards?! If you can, the air here will be better, and maybe we can even get some sunlight in!"
"What's so special about that! With Brother Fugui's skills, he can make mice dig holes and maybe even help us transport things!! Oh, these are truly precious mice!"
For some inexplicable reason, everyone gathered around, each one incredibly excited.
From that moment on, Xie Tianlang realized that as a die-hard fan of Michelle Reis, he suddenly had over a hundred more formidable rivals who were even more skilled at praising her.
Gou Fugui found a secluded corner with few people and started using an electric drill to drill through the rock wall and dig a hole.
A group of people were secretly praising Fugui: "Look how professional Fugui is at burrowing! The groundhogs are all behaving very well around him!"
After breaking through the most solid rock section, Fugui began to let the groundhogs in to dig a hole with their claws.
Seeing the groundhog obediently burrowing, the group exclaimed as they turned over the ground, "Wow, groundhog, we're really listening and starting to burrow! Do you think we'll have a hole in a month?"
"Of course! I think it won't even take a month! In twenty days, Fugui will be able to lead the groundhogs to successfully dig the burrow!"
"No, no, no! Look at my brother Fugui's head of colorful hair! I think it can be dug up in half a month! Believe in Brother Fugui and you'll live forever!!"
Xie Tianlang: "..."
However, in reality, Gui Ge, whom everyone trusted, didn't even need half a month. In just three days, he led his groundhog henchmen to dig out several vertical tunnels from underground to the surface.
The groundhog's excellent digging skills certainly played a crucial role, but human ingenuity also contributed significantly!
When encountering solid, upward-reaching rock layers, Fugui, a groundhog without skill upgrades, is unable to break through those rocks.
But Fugui, the groundhog carrying an electric drill, is really good at digging holes!
Three days later, when the groundhog Fugui dug through the last barrier from the parched soil and saw the blazing sun in the sky, the survivors gathered 500 meters below the cave cheered and jumped for joy as they watched the gentle light filtering down from the tunnel.
"I told you, believing in Brother Gui will grant you eternal life!"
"Brother Fugui! Forever a god!!"
On the 20th day of the high-temperature apocalypse, and the 4th day underground, everything is in ruins and waiting to be rebuilt.
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