Chapter 88 Thriller

In the blink of an eye, the sixth virtual ruins exploration began.

This time, after a week of intensive training, everyone in the group has made progress.

Among them, the most outstanding achievement was the evolution potion that Zuo Ying exchanged. It was so effective that it helped her successfully condense the divine genes and become an evolver.

She ranked fifth in last year's rookie competition. Her foundation was not bad, but compared with a monster like Li Yi, her performance was not that outrageous.

At this moment, the divine nature of Baikui on her body was like invisible gentle sunshine, which made everyone around her feel refreshed physically and mentally.

"I am very grateful for everyone's care for me. Although I am weak, you have always taken good care of me and have never given up on me."

Zuo Ying's gratitude to everyone was natural and sincere.

Moreover, each person’s name was mentioned solemnly and thanked one by one, which was very ceremonial.

Tan Haoran smiled and said, "In fact, sometimes it is not because of our strength that we are together, but a wonderful fate. If we had a utilitarian mindset from the beginning, I am afraid our cooperation would not be so smooth."

"Of course, we have to thank Li Yi for his strong command ability. If it were me who was in charge, I would probably still be stuck in the second level now."

Li Yi said: "That's not necessary. After all, I also need your help to complete many things that I can't do alone."

After a few jokes, the topic shifted to Cai Xiaodong.

"Cai Xiaodong, did you get a tube of kidney-strengthening and body-building medicine before? How was the effect?"

When it comes to this, Cai Xiaodong has a constipated face.

"Stop talking about it. I'd rather try a gentler potion."

Sun Duxiu laughed loudly and said, "After drinking, Cai Xiaodong was so hard that he didn't even get any sleep. He vented his endless energy outside the dormitory in the middle of the night, rubbing and rubbing against the wall. It really made me laugh to death."

Cai Xiaodong was shocked and asked, "You were spying on me?"

Sun Duxiu laughed and said, "I'm still keeping that small sip, waiting to see the effect on you before drinking it."

Li Yi smiled and said:

"Cai Xiaodong, I see that your aura is much stronger than before, which shows that the potion is still useful. At the very least, your combat endurance should be improved."

Cai Xiaodong said:

"That's right. I regretted sharing a sip with Sun Duxiu. If I had known earlier, I should have borrowed thirty merits from you and drank the rest. Now I must be even more vigorous!"

Sun Duxiu reached out and touched Cai Xiaodong's waist, and said in surprise:

"It's true. Your kidneys seem to have a motor. They are very agitated."

Cai Xiaodong said proudly: "Isn't it? I told you not to drink first, you are stupid, now the virtual ruins mecha is activated, you can only wait until next time."

Sun Duxiu chuckled and said, "Forget it, next time will be next time, I'm not in a hurry."

"Haha, someone said he's not in a hurry, but he's actually very anxious."

While joking, Tan Haoran also shared his experience after obtaining the fragments of the divine nucleus: "Although the divine radiation that can be produced is very small, the quality is indeed high. If there are more military achievements in the future, I would like to continue to work on this thing."

This gave Li Yi some associations.

It seems that when I explore the ruins in a month and a half, I can try to get some divine nuclei to increase the divine radiation in my body.

As they talked, helmets were put on one after another, and everyone's consciousness sank into the virtual reality.

…

Boom!!! On the snow-covered ice surface, eight mechas landed calmly.

The first surprise was that the Zanpakuken was also simulated successfully.

Li Yi began his mobilization speech as usual: "This time, we will explore the fourth level again to see if we can find a way to safely reach the upgrade pool and find a way for the advance team to enter the fifth level."

"We are still far from being able to compete with the slime creatures, so our goal this time is still to investigate the cause of death and obtain evidence!"

"When the battle is unavoidable, go all out, empty your mind as much as possible, and enter a high wartime state, understand?"

Everyone responded loudly: "Understood!"

…

This time, with all the previous experience, everyone progressed very quickly and entered the fourth level within half an hour.

At this moment, above the magma pool, eight mechas were standing on the edge of the cliff, looking down.

Cai Xiaodong said:

"It's a bit weird. The lava pool seems to have risen nearly eight meters."

Tan Haoran frowned and said:

"It's not like it, it's true. The channel that could absorb light sources is almost soaked by magma to the entrance."

"Could it be that the end of that passage is where the advance team arrived?"

"We have searched all other possible passages. Maybe it is not that place."

Everyone was talking about it.

Li Yi pondered and said, "First, let's see if there are any other fish that have escaped the net, and then go to the light-absorbing channel to have a look."

If possible, he didn't want to go to that passage so early. He always felt that if he went in through that passage, the whole group would be destroyed faster.

This would waste precious exploration time.

Although he wanted more high-intensity combat excitement, he should try to avoid battles involving unknown situations where he couldn't control the intensity.

When everyone heard Li Yi say this, they naturally had no objection.

After experiencing this so many times, they had long had blind confidence in Li Yi's judgment.

Li Yi said:

"So this time, the four of us going to explore the bottom of the magma pool will be me, Tan Haoran, Yao Shiwan, and Zhang Xuqiang."

"Zuo Ying, you have become an evolver this time. Your physique and senses have improved. See if you can find some residual subtle smells. Although the hope is slim, you can try your best."

"The priority location is near the entrance of the lower passage, and the area extending 30 to 50 meters to the right will be the focus of the inspection."

"Zheng Xueyuan, try to use the power of destiny to target the wreckage of the remaining four members of the advance team and see if you can hit them from a distance and determine their location. Even though it's just a matter of luck, it's worth a gamble."

As he spoke, the Pluto mecha stretched out his hands to circle a few locations and said, "Start from these locations first, there may be some unexpected gains."

Several people were confused as to why the focus was on a certain area.

But because Li Yi had not made any specific arrangements, no one interrupted him to ask questions.

"Sun Duxiu, you and Cai Xiaodong will be in charge of the alert, especially the entrance to the passage we entered. It is best to use the long-range detection system to maintain a detailed investigation of non-dense areas within a 100-kilometer range."

After Li Yi finished speaking, Sun Duxiu asked impatiently: "Why do we have to specifically explore the non-dense areas within a 100-kilometer radius this time? There will probably be a lot of obstructions."

Li Yi said:

"You are wrong, Sun Duxiu. The distance from here to the non-dense area is 100 kilometers, which happens to be the least obstructed. We have been separated for a week now. According to the previous rules, some giant creatures may give up waiting for the dense area and come from there. Therefore, we must be alert to prevent our retreat from being cut off."

Sun Duxiu was stunned for a moment and said:

"Is it possible that the giant creature can escape the control of the ruins and leave the densely populated area?"

“There is just this possibility and sign.”

Li Yi explained: "It's not very obvious, but this time, along the way, there are many more footprints of giant creatures at the connection points between the non-dense areas and the dense areas. And they are not the same type as the giant canine creatures before, so it is estimated that there are other giant creatures awakened in the dense areas."

Everyone was startled.

Could it be that this relic is still continuing to activate resistance? Cai Xiaodong hurriedly asked: "Zuo Ying, do you smell it?"

Zuo Ying said, "I can't tell what's going on at such a long distance, but since Brother Yi said that, it must be true."

"Yes, but it's uncomfortable just like this. Don't let it get more and more difficult when we actually enter the ruins."

Li Yi said:

"At present, the control inside the ruins should still be effective, but it is inevitable that it will be destroyed, just like the laboratory built by the gourd man, which released the control of the slime creatures. Perhaps, the huge creature that may be out of control this time may also be affected by external forces."

"Okay, that's enough for now. Let's investigate as soon as possible. Time waits for no one."

At this moment, the Pluto mecha took the lead and fell straight into the magma.

Pharmacist Wan and others, who were controlling the mechas, also followed.

On the public channel, Li Yi said:

"This time, we can expand the scope of our exploration and explore as far as possible to the extreme extent of this magma pool."

The three of them agreed, and then dispersed.

…

In the blink of an eye, fifteen minutes passed.

On the public channel, Zuo Ying said:

"In the areas that Brother Yi pointed out, we found some very faint residual odor substances, which are very similar to the smell we smelled in the laboratory before!"

Another three minutes passed, and a surprised voice came from Zheng Xueyuan: "I also found that 43 meters to the right of the second passage, the power of destiny will have some weak reaction."

On the public channel, Cai Xiaodong also said almost at the same time:

"It appeared! A huge hairy head poked out from the densely populated area and the non-dense area. I couldn't see clearly what it was, it flashed by for a moment, but it is definitely not the same type as the dog-like creature!"

Compared with the continuous discoveries in the non-magma group, nothing useful has been found in the magma group so far.

Walk in silence and explore carefully.

After all, we have found everything we could last time. This time, if we want to gain more, the time and energy we need to spend will naturally not be comparable to last time.

In the blink of an eye, a total of 20 minutes passed.

Finally, the magma groups reached the limit of the magma pool one after another and encountered extremely dense soil layers and hardened metal rocks.

Li Yi said on the public channel:

"Magma team, each of you report your findings."

"Report, Pharmacist Wan didn't find anything."

“Nothing.”

"Neither have I."

Li Yi frowned, thought for a moment and said, "Then let's all come back and exit the lava first. Can everyone still bear the load now?"

“Just barely.”

"Then hurry up and don't overload yourself in the lava."

…

20 minutes later.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Four mechas, carrying a large amount of magma red juice, jumped out of the magma surface one after another, and with the help of divine energy, they soared to the upper level of the cliff.

There was steam rising in the air.

The Pluto Mecha first arrived at the location discovered by Zheng Xueyuan.

"Is this the place where your destiny power reacts? Which member's is it specifically? Point out the exact location."

Zheng Xueyuan controlled the Biyi mecha, and while pointing the direction, he said: "This is the position where the captain Teng Qingguang, the C-class purple electric mecha, reacts; this is the position where the team member Zhang Baiquan, the C-class golden flame mecha, reacts. These two are the main ones."

The location of the purple electric mecha is 41 meters above and straight to the right, centered on the center of the passage.

The Golden Flame Mecha needs to be extended by another 2 meters.

Li Yi said: "Zheng Xueyuan, please explain the angle in detail."

Tan Haoran walked over in the Changrong mecha and said, "Li Yi, how did you define this range so that it is possible to hit it with the power of destiny?"

Cai Xiaodong was still on guard at the entrance of the passage above, but he also listened to the conversation between the people and quickly interrupted, "I know, Li Yi must have discovered some hidden traces again. But I'm curious, why didn't he find it last time, but found it this time?"

Li Yi smiled and said:

"You are the one who answered for me. Yes, I did find new traces. Of course, these traces are not new, but I have condensed the fifth divine gene, which has improved my coordination, and thus I have made another breakthrough in my physique and sensory abilities."

Tan Haoran said in surprise:

"Yes, Li Yi's strength has improved, but it's not just as simple as that. His insight will definitely improve as well. It seems like we have one more weapon to explore the ruins."

Pharmacist Wan said thoughtfully:

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

"It seems that we really need to learn and study the processing and identification of information patterns. This way, we can play a miraculous role in various occasions in the future."

Everyone has seen the huge potential of being good at processing a certain information pattern, and they have indeed become more thoughtful.

Li Yi smiled and said:

"That would be great. All members can even specialize in different categories. This way, no matter what type of ruins we encounter in the future, it will be as easy as taking something out of a bag."

Zhang Xuqiang asked: "By the way, what are the specifics of the traces that Li Yi found? Is there any explanation?"

Li Yi said:

"The traces were not generated from the outside, but were transmitted by the aftermath of the battle on the other side, destroying the original structure here."

"However, the structure here is originally bumpy, and it is difficult to tell whether it is due to the rise and fall of magma or other vibrations."

"It was only after my strength improved and my ability to distinguish became higher that I was able to see the problem."

"But even so, we can only rely on luck, because the battle may change direction at any time. But now it seems that we are lucky, while the advance team is a little unlucky."

Yao Shiwan followed Li Yi's train of thought this time and said thoughtfully:

"The advance team had bad luck. Does that mean the range of the aftermath was relatively small, which means they had almost no ability to resist and were wiped out immediately?"

Li Yi nodded and said, "That's right, and this also confirms the question Cai Xiaodong raised before."

"What's the problem?"

Several people were surprised.

Cai Xiaodong blurted out, "Are you saying that the slime creatures are not enough to wipe out the advance team?"

Li Yi nodded and said, "No, to be precise, the slime creatures have the power to wipe out the advance team, but not so quickly or so fiercely. Behind these four giant slime creatures, there should be another one that is even more powerful and can quickly wipe out the advance team."

"There is already a lot of evidence to support this argument, and indirect evidence."

"For example, the attack mode of the slime creatures that you experienced firsthand."

Cai Xiaodong answered:

"It's bullets and wrapping, then stripping off energy, spraying venom, etc."

"Cai Xiaodong has made good progress recently, and his combat thinking has become more and more sophisticated."

Li Yi praised and said, "That's right, this method is simple but tough enough, but the instantaneous damage is not enough. This is the biggest indirect evidence."

"And direct evidence can also be seen from the remains of the magnetic mecha, that is, gnawing."

"Fuck, yeah, I almost overlooked this detail."

Cai Xiaodong shouted, "The Explosive Magnetic Mech was clearly destroyed by being bitten, but the slime creatures we encountered never showed their biting ability when they attacked us!"

Everyone was shocked.

They indeed overlooked this detail. After all, the fighting time was very short at that time, and they subconsciously thought that they just didn't deserve to be bitten by the slime creatures.

Now that I think about it, maybe the slime creatures don't have the habit of biting! Sun Duxiu frowned:

"Indeed, I managed to fight the slime creature for two or three minutes, but in such a long time, I never saw it use its biting skill once."

Li Yi continued, "Also, the source of the toxicity of those poisonous ferns on the dome is also a problem. I have checked various channels. Ancient ferns are non-toxic and do not have the ability to release pheromones. Therefore, where these poisonous ferns come from is also something we need to pay attention to."

As he spoke, the Pluto mecha started knocking on several locations on the wall given by Zheng Xueyuan, putting its palms close to them to collect frequency information.

Fortunately, this part is not made of special alloy, but just a regular high-density soil layer.

Therefore, the frequency transmission difficulty is not high.

After a while, Li Yi said:

"It seems that we have to go through that light-absorbing channel. Everyone, get ready to go in. Be careful on the road, as there may be considerable danger there."

"yes!"

…

Soon, eight mechas entered the second passage that was about to be swallowed by magma, which was also the passage they decisively exited halfway through last time.

The mechas advanced cautiously.

Ten seconds later.

The light has all disappeared.

Relying on the information collection system, the mechas can barely "see" the surrounding situation.

But as we went deeper into the channel, even the collection of other information became scarce.

"Be careful, once the public frequency signal disappears completely, go at full speed!"

"Remember, you must always keep in mind your walking distance. When you reach 740 meters, you must turn right at a 12-degree angle. Walk another 300 meters, turn left at a 7-degree angle, and then walk straight ahead to get out of the passage!"

The communication signal, which was so close, also became intermittent.

Li Yi repeated his orders over and over again, explaining the path through which he had previously reflected the frequency.

Ahead, after passing a certain important node.

The public frequency signal suddenly disappeared completely!

Li Yi did not hesitate, and started to run away from the passage as fast as he could! Li Yi kept in mind the shape of the passage he had judged before, and kept running. After walking for nearly two kilometers, he finally rushed out of the passage.

The view ahead suddenly becomes clear.

"Is this another scene in the fourth level? Or is it a direct access to the fifth level?"

While he was thinking, the Ice Wheel Mecha arrived behind him.

Following closely were the Biyi Mecha, Mingfeng Mecha, Baikui Mecha, and the Liqiong Mecha which was responsible for the rear guard.

"Where are Yaoshi Wan and Tan Haoran?"

"I don't know. I followed your instructions and ran all the way without running into any other mechas."

Sun Duxiu frowned.

"Was it eaten by that passage?"

Cai Xiaodong said awkwardly.

Li Yi's expression was also slightly solemn.

Although he had anticipated that there would be problems at the entrance, he was mentally prepared.

Unexpectedly, the divine mecha could be made to disappear.

"Why don't we wait a little longer? Maybe he just got tripped."

Zuo Ying suggested in a low voice.

Zheng Xueyuan said: "When I was running over here in the Bi-Winged Mecha just now, I seemed to feel something trying to grab me at my feet, but I don't know if it was luck that it didn't grab me."

After these words were spoken, several people looked a little surprised.

Cai Xiaodong said: "I have the same feeling, but I thought it was just the friction caused by the swirling airflow when the mecha ran at a high speed. Now it seems..."

"Any of you who have this strange feeling, please report your specific location."

Li Yi continued:

"Zhang Xuqiang, come with me to investigate. Maybe we can still save the situation before too much time has passed."

Although this is a virtual reality, Li Yi doesn't want to be seriously short of manpower when facing the slime creatures next time.

“Wouldn’t that be too risky?”

"No, but this channel may only have special attacks on the divine mechas of the Vulcan sequence, or there may be some special interference."

Li Yi said quickly.

Cai Xiaodong suddenly realized: "Yes, Tan Haoran and Yao Shiwan are both in the Vulcan Sequence, but the rest of us are not."

"Others stay where they are. You can explore in a small area, but don't go too far away or make a big noise. Do you understand?"

"clear!"

As they were talking, the Pluto Mecha and the Ice Wheel Mecha immediately returned to the passage.

Boom! Boom! Boom! At the beginning, there was actually an echo at the entrance of the cave.

Zhang Xuqiang said: "I remember when I felt something strange at my feet, it was 682 meters from the opposite entrance."

Li Yi nodded and said, "Mine is 721 meters from the entrance. Cai Xiaodong and the others are in the middle of our sensing point, so let's go check around 721 meters. There is no signal around there. You and I should not be too far apart. If necessary, we can touch each other's palms to transmit information."

"clear."

As they spoke, the signal became weaker and weaker.

The two of them soon arrived at their first target location.

After groping around in the surrounding passages for a while and knocking around, I found nothing.

After thinking about it, Li Yi's heart moved slightly. He controlled the Pluto mecha to leap upward, stretched out his right palm and touched the dome.

"Hey, this touch..."

Immediately, the Pluto mecha touched the Ice Wheel mecha with its palm and transmitted the message: "Three seconds later, synchronously activate the freezing wave, direction, vertically upwards!"

Then, the Pluto mecha directly released a shock wave of ice, spraying it upwards.

The ice wheel mecha also started at the same time, the spiral ice wheel freezing wave! Crackle! The upper passage was instantly frozen by the absolute low temperature.

Immediately afterwards, the entire dark and narrow passage began to shake violently as if there was an earthquake.

The two huge mechas were actually moved around at random.

This shock force is really extraordinary! "What on earth is this passage? Why is it so outrageous?"

In the cockpit, Zhang Xuqiang was shocked and the stress on his body continued to rise.

(End of this chapter)