Chapter 76 Doubts

Zuo Ying said: "I haven't noticed these smells before. These smells seem to appear here out of thin air."

Li Yi pondered and said, "Appearing out of thin air? Do you think this description is accurate enough?"

Zuo Ying said firmly: "Yes, this is what I think is the most accurate description."

Li Yi nodded slightly: "Then, can you point out which specific locations appeared out of thin air?"

Zuo Ying said: "Okay."

Sun Duxiu was shocked and said, "Really? According to what you said, that smell is from a few months ago, can it really be fixed?"

Zuo Ying said:

"Maybe I was born with a more sensitive sense of smell, and because of my family, I have some understanding of the common smells of various species. In fact, it's not just me. Even you can do this as long as you make good use of the information collection function of the divine mecha."

Li Yi smiled and said:

"That's right. The amount of information that the divine mecha transmits to us is enormous. Being good at obtaining and extracting the information we need from it will improve our subsequent combat performance. It's more than just a 1+1 relationship."

Sun Duxiu scratched his head and said, "Okay, it seems that I have to specialize in a certain information mode? Just like you, Li Yi, are good at distinguishing various traces and oscillation frequencies?"

"almost."

Li Yi said: "Of course, to achieve this, talent and continuous learning are both essential."

In fact, Li Yi is good at more than just one or two information modes.

But there is no need to say it out loud.

As she spoke, Zuo Ying controlled her E-level Wind God sequence micro-mech and began to move around.

She controlled the micro-mech, pointed to seven locations one after another, and drew circles manually to define the specific range of each location.

These locations are all on the ground, and their diameters are around ten to twenty to thirty meters.

"Damn, it's not a giant creature, is it?"

Sun Duxiu was shocked and said, "Isn't this a giant creature with a diameter of at least 100 meters?"

"It's pretty obvious, isn't it?"

Li Yi said: "Zuo Ying, which location do you think is suspicious of human scent?"

"here."

The location of the micro-mecha is 10 meters to the right of the Shenguan bomb launcher.

The Pluto mecha walked over, tapped lightly, then placed its palm against it to collect information.

"There's nothing special about this ground."

Li Yi pondered and said, "These positions are basically centered around the divine light bullet. It seems that some of my previous inferences may need to be revised."

Good fellow, you are also wrong sometimes, Cai Xiaodong asked quickly:

"How do I modify it?"

"We'll talk about it later. We still need some verification. Let's find the entrance to the fourth level first."

…

Ten minutes later, everyone arrived at the outer circle of another launching device.

"Zuo Ying, is there some smell here too?"

Cai Xiaodong analyzed with a confident look: "If the same smells as before are present here, it means that these smells entered this place from the underground passages around the Shenguang Bullet Launcher."

"The reason is very simple. Since it appeared out of nowhere, there is no other possibility except that it came out from the underground passage!"

"This is the method of elimination that Li Yi often uses!"

Zuo Ying controlled the micro mecha and walked around the area, then shook her head and said, "No."

"No?"

Cai Xiaodong was embarrassed and scratched his head:

"That's really strange, one side has it, but the other side doesn't."

"But doesn't this mean that the passage is at the location of another divine light bullet?"

Cai Xiaodong was still trying to explain something.

“There is indeed no underground passage here.”

Li Yi interrupted and said, "I have confirmed this through the vibration frequency before. If there is an underground passage here, I should have discovered it when I launched various vibration searches and verifications before, right?"

"You always act as a riddler. Who knows if you discovered something then?"

Cai Xiaodong complained: "Then what you said before was a clue. Didn't you really find a passage underground? After all, we just did one thing. Did you find time to do something else?"

"almost."

Li Yi said:

"According to Zuo Ying, since there is no smell here, the situation is clear at a glance."

"How is it so obvious?"

Everyone was very worried about what would happen? Li Yi smiled and said, "Don't worry, let's walk around and cover the area covered by these two divine light bombs."

Everyone had no choice but to continue following.

Fifteen minutes later, the Pluto mecha led the team to stop at the side wall of the hidden map.

This side of the wall is full of strange rocks.

There are boulders of various irregular shapes, such as sharp, round, rugged, etc.

"It looks like this is the first entrance to the fourth level."

Sun Duxiu controlled the heavy magnetic mecha and explored the surroundings for a while, and said suspiciously:

"Is it under some big rock? Why does it feel so thick underneath? It doesn't look like there is an underground passage?"

Cai Xiaodong used the Mingfeng mecha to beat around, but didn't find anything unusual.

"Will it be the same as last time, where the passage is too deep and a few knocks won't show any changes?"

Li Yi didn't keep the secret and said, "Don't waste your time. It's not an underground passage, but a passage on the other side of the wall."

Sun Duxiu suddenly realized:

"Shit, is it dark under the lamp again? I have walked through the underground passage several times, and this time I finally changed to a horizontal passage?"

Li Yi smiled and said:

"It's all thanks to Zuo Ying for discovering the smell, otherwise I would have to do more."

"In fact, Zuo Ying's discovery makes it easy for people to think that there is a passage to the fourth level under the Shenguang Bomb."

“Actually, that’s a misunderstanding.”

"Regardless of the origin of those giant creatures, the sudden appearance of the smell does not mean that there is an underground passage. In fact, there is another possibility."

Everyone wisely did not ask any further questions at this time and waited for Li Yi to continue.

"You, do you still remember the instructor's divinity and what characteristics it possesses?"

Yao Shiwan suddenly had an idea: "Erasing their sense of existence? Right? In other words, those giant creatures, or those giant creatures that haven't completed mecha transformation, have activated a divine skill similar to hiding their aura?"

"Yes, this is another possibility. Yaoshi Wan's reactions have become faster and faster recently."

Li Yi praised her and Pharmacist Wan smiled.

He smiled and continued, "The evidence is that the traces on the ground mean that they did not really appear out of thin air. They most likely came from the fourth level."

"Following the traces left by these giant creatures, we can get here."

"That is to say, this pile of strange rocks opposite me is a passage door."

As he spoke, the Pluto Mech walked forward, fumbled for a while, then leaned over and found a stone on the ground that was vaguely shaped like a cow or horse, about the size of the Pluto Mech's thumb, and pressed it down.

immediately.

Crunching sounds.

These stones with different properties, piled together, rotate, slide, and overlap in an extremely strange trajectory.

After a while, the stones moved flexibly, and a huge doorway one hundred meters long and thirty meters wide appeared in front of everyone.

Everyone was stunned.

"What a complex and exquisite door, it is actually built with pieces of big stones, and there is no sense of incongruity!"

Zheng Xueyuan exclaimed.

"And it's not very thick, only about four or five meters. Logically, I should be able to make different sounds when I knocked it just now, right?"

Cai Xiaodong was also shocked.

"Damn it, Li Yi, how did you find this mechanism?"

Sun Duxiu asked hurriedly.

Li Yi controlled the Pluto mecha and walked forward, knocking on the stones piled up next to the doorway, and said: "This material is different from the special alloy, and it is not an ordinary stone. Although the surface is camouflaged and looks very ordinary. But if you knock it a few more times and listen to the difference in the vibration frequency, you will find that this material has a strong vibration absorption ability."

"In other words, if this kind of stone is used to disguise the entrance of the passage, ordinary people will not be able to find it by ordinary knocking."

Yaoshi Wan couldn't help but be curious: "Li Yi, you said before that the smells discovered by Zuo Ying helped you reach this passage faster. If there were no such smells, how did you plan to find it?"

Li Yi said:

“Although there are no traces left by the advance team here, there are traces left by the original creator of the ancient ruins, right?”

Yao Shiwan frowned, "The traces left by the creator of the ancient ruins, this... this is too magical, such a long-ago trace should have been erased by time, how could it be discovered?"

Although she approved of Li Yi, she had to raise questions because his statement was too unbelievable.

Others also felt that this was far from the truth.

Sun Duxiu said: "Li Yi, if you want to hide something, you don't have to force an explanation like this. We all understand."

Zuo Ying said, "I think Brother Yi should be able to do it, because the traces of time left inside this relic are not obvious."

Cai Xiaodong quickly asked: "What does this mean?"

Zuo Ying said: "For example, the reason why I can be sure that the smells just now appeared two or three months ago is not only because of the powerful information collection system of the divine mecha, but also because the minute substances here change much slower than usual."

Li Yi smiled slightly and said:

"Zuo Ying is right. This is exactly the core reason."

"Inside this relic, the deeper you go, the slower the life activities and material flows inside, as if time is condensed here."

"Moreover, in this entire area of ​​the level, there is no strong external force to disturb the internal balance."

“As a result, many traces were left behind very smoothly.”

"Even if we go to various places for archaeology, as long as the seals are intact, we can use various signs to infer what happened thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of millions of years ago, right?"

"Of course, the traces of the ancients are indeed very thin and barely detectable, but as long as we are more patient, it is only a matter of time before we find the path."

"And the special smell discovered by Zuo Ying helped me identify a group of problematic historical traces, that's all."

After listening to this, Cai Xiaodong was gradually convinced and couldn't help but exclaimed:

"I see. Then, Li Yi, you and Zuo Ying, combined with your abilities, are actually the best partners for exploring mysteries and treasure hunting?"

Pharmacist Wan changed the subject without leaving a trace: "By the way, wasn't the upgrade pool supposed to be here? Why can't I see it?"

Li Yi said: "This passage is probably different from the path discovered by the advance team."

Pharmacist Wan continued:

"Well, we can't use the upgrade pool now that we see it. After all, it's just virtual. Since the entrance is already open, why don't we go in and give it a try?"

Li Yi nodded and said, "Let's go. There's not much time left. Go to the fourth level as soon as possible to collect intelligence and pave the way for the next entry."

At this moment, the seven mechas entered one after another according to the order planned by Li Yi.

As usual, the first ones in the group are naturally the Pluto Mecha and the Fire Luan Mecha.

…

Accompanied by a change in the light and dark environment, the passage began to extend downwards.

I walked in circles for seven or eight hundred meters, like walking down a circular staircase, and descended about 300 meters in altitude.

Then.

A vast place suddenly appeared in front of everyone.

The dark red light illuminated the huge hollow mountain ahead.

Under my feet, there was a cliff that was at least seven or eight hundred meters high.

There were countless hot smoke rising in the air.

Looking up at the sky, you will see a dark dome covered with various crystalline crystals melted at high temperatures, shining like the stars in the sky.

The path at the feet of the mechas was like a winding mountain road, spiraling downward along the inside of the magma pool.

There is a huge passage entrance at the opposite end, which is close to the magma level.

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

It is estimated that from that passage, one can reach a deeper level.

Li Yi controlled the Pluto mecha and stretched out his hand to block it. He said, "Stop immediately. There is a huge magma pool a few steps ahead. Although our divine mechas are not afraid of it, it will be troublesome to fall into it, especially for those with weaker strength. It will be even more troublesome if they fall into it."

At this moment, as all the mechas stepped into the magma land, AI Xiaochi's voice was heard:

"Congratulations on discovering the hidden map in the ruins. This map connects the fourth and fifth levels, and is also the limit of the current control authority. Please explore with caution."

"Since the value of the new path you discovered is unclear and the risk factor is not low, the opening information of the new map is only S-level, with an estimated value of 41 million."

After listening to ai Xiaochi, Cai Xiaodong couldn't help but complain:

"Listen to this description. What does it mean to be only S-level? Is a profit of 40 million very rude?"

The pharmacist smiled and said, "AI Xiaochi naturally has his own evaluation system. Most likely, our new map had a very high initial value, but after a quick look, it was not very optimistic, so it was discounted greatly."

Li Yi also said: "Indeed, this path does have many visible dangers. If you take the wrong path, you may die."

"What do you mean by dangerous?" Cai Xiaodong asked puzzledly.

"First of all, the depth of this magma pool is estimated to be quite deep. The closer you get to the core, the higher the temperature. By then, although the divine mecha will not be damaged, your strength will definitely be at risk of being overloaded. You must surface as soon as possible."

Cai Xiaodong's mouth twitched as he said:

"Well, my strength is indeed not suitable for staying in a dangerous environment for so long."

Li Yi continued: "Moreover, the path here is narrow, only ten meters wide, and can only accommodate one divine mecha. If you encounter any guard mecha, there is a great risk of falling into the magma pool or being surrounded."

"But if we can speed through to level 5 here, the benefits should be significant."

"There's a fifth level, so there won't be a sixth level, right? When will this end?"

Zheng Xueyuan asked quickly.

Li Yi smiled and said:

"Don't worry. Didn't the instructor say before that whoever clears the third level first will basically win? For us, the third team, we are basically sure to win. The question now is whether we can explore the entire ruins and maximize the benefits."

"Besides, our goal is the C-level upgrade pool. If we don't find it, will we return empty-handed from our trip to the ruins two months later?"

"Besides, by then, the margin for error won't be as high as it is now. Once an accident happens, your life will be completely gone."

Zheng Xueyuan nodded: "Indeed, Brother Yi is right."

Pharmacist Wan also said:

"That's right. The key point for us now is to quickly find out enough information within the remaining ten minutes."

The results were surprising.

Everyone walked safely along the inner path and came to another huge passage on the horizontal surface of the magma and walked in.

And when everyone had just walked a few steps in and were about to take a closer look.

Suddenly, there was a clicking sound in my mind.

"Yeah, the time limit has expired."

Then, the virtual reality in front of him completely disappeared in a flash of black light.

…

Hiss~ Seven helmets popped out one after another on the seats.

"Damn it, you guys played for four hours straight. Didn't you consider my feelings?"

Next to me, the muscular man Tan Haoran gave me a resentful look.

Cai Xiaodong patted Tan Haoran on the shoulder and said, "Thank you, Brother Haoran, for attracting the firepower for me. This allowed me to survive and once again witness Li Yi's awesomeness."

"Fuck, did you really pass the level of the divine light bullet?"

Cai Xiaodong said proudly: "Of course, and I also found a new hidden map."

Li Yi said with a smile: "Cai Xiaodong, stop saying sarcastic things. Tan Haoran fell into the glacier just to pull you back."

Tan Haoran's expression brightened, and he quickly said, "Yes, Cai Xiaodong, how dare you be so ignorant and mock me?"

"I apologize, I apologize."

After laughing for a while, everyone was very happy.

After all, this time, not only did we crack the divine light bullet that we thought we could not deal with before, we also successfully entered the fourth level and developed a hidden map, which brought us a lot of gains.

The weak groups around here know that this time there will be a big split between the strong and the weak.

Therefore, at most, I can only envy and be jealous of Li Yi's group.

But I have no motivation to find out the latest information.

Fang Tao and Zheng Xuefei's respective groups have already been eliminated.

When they saw everyone woke up, they all came over to say hello.

Fang Tao smiled and said:

"Li Yi, I just heard some words. I heard that you have entered the fourth level? Then I really want to congratulate you. You have reserved a place in the ruins in advance."

Li Yi shook his head and said, "There is still a month before the third class competition. By then, there is no telling how the situation will change. It is not a good time to publicize it now. Speaking of which, you haven't made it to the second level yet? I see Zhou Huize and the others have made it to the third level."

Fang Tao's face darkened slightly as he asked, "They have already made it to the third level? Is this news true?"

"Of course, we saw it with our own eyes."

"It seems that our group's progress is a bit slow. Thank you for your reminder."

Fang Tao became serious and turned to leave.

Judging from his appearance, he probably went back to discuss countermeasures.

After all, ever since Li Yi entered the fourth level ahead of schedule, they can no longer be considered competitors.

The first-place group has basically been booked, and because of the group restructuring, the top two groups are 100% guaranteed to get a spot.

However, the third group exceeded the 20 places mentioned at the beginning.

Therefore, if Fang Tao's team wants to secure a spot, they must strive for the second place.

When Zheng Xuefei walked over, she had already heard the conversation between the two.

She hurried over and asked, "Li Yi, has Zhou Huize from Class 1 really made it to the third level?"

"That's right."

"Fuck, then we are doomed to fail, right?"

Zheng Xuefei winked at Zheng Xueyuan frantically, but Zheng Xueyuan seemed not to see anything, so she could only stomp her feet and leave.

Sun Duxiu came over and said with emotion:

"Great! This is the feeling of having someone powerful! Fang Tao and Zhou Qisheng used to step on me all the time, but now it's their turn to jump up and down. Not bad, really not bad."

Li Yi patted Sun Duxiu on the shoulder:

"Don't be so arrogant. If they get angry and beat you up, I won't help you."

Sun Duxiu raised his head and said, "I'm not afraid. They are definitely more afraid of punishment than being unhappy with me."

…

After the gathering, Chen Qiongzhi said some words of encouragement and pointed out the details, and then let everyone go.

This time, her state and expression were slightly different from the previous times.

But Li Yi couldn't see anything for the time being.

When he was about to go to the cafeteria, Chen Qiongzhi said:

"Li Yi, stay a moment and come to my office."

"receive!"

There was no choice but to follow Chen Qiongzhi to her office.

now.

Chen Qiongzhi sat in a rather comfortable posture, while Li Yi stood upright in front of her.

"Do you know why I called you alone this time?"

Li Yi thought for a while and said:

"Something to do with some discoveries in virtual reality?"

Chen Qiongzhi nodded and said:

"That's right. Regarding the smells discovered by Zuo Ying, you told the other members of the team at the time that those giant creatures came from the path you discovered, right?"

Li Yi said: "Yes."

"In fact, you discovered something else, but you didn't tell the rest of the team, right?"

Li Yi was surprised and said: "The instructor has a keen eye. He actually observed me so carefully."

Chen Qiongzhi smiled slightly: "It's not that I have observed you a lot, but I have a general understanding of your personality. You, kid, usually keep some information in reserve when you discover it."

"Also, I have to thank you for keeping this secret this time, because it involves some confidentiality, so it's best if you don't tell me."

"At the same time, I hope you will keep this matter a secret from now on, understand?"

Li Yi said: "Well... I don't know what specific information the instructor wants me to keep secret."

"For example, regarding that mysterious existence that can erase one's sense of existence, I hope you won't reveal any more information, understand?"

Li Yi understood, it was indeed this matter.

He did discover at that time that the huge creature, or the huge mecha, that could erase its sense of existence was most likely the Dust Mecha.

At that time, he deliberately blurred some of his statements so that people would not think of Chen Qiongzhi.

But he didn't expect that Chen Qiongzhi would take the initiative to come to him to talk about this matter.

"But if I don't understand the whole story, I can't guarantee that I won't tell others unnecessary information."

Li Yi laughed:

"How about you, instructor, tell me the whole story and I promise to keep it a secret?

"You kid still want to beat the snake with a stick?"

Chen Qiongzhi smiled and shook her head:

"I can only tell you a little, but not too much. For the rest, you have to figure it out yourself. If you can't figure it out, it's not my problem."

Li Yi immediately said, "Don't worry, instructor. Besides, you can't leave tonight. We haven't practiced together for a long time since last week."

(End of this chapter)