As Chen Yang gained more experience, he learned to use the Tenacious Blade to crack the ice layer first, and then use brute force to break it open. This made him faster, and by nightfall he had dug about ten meters.
During this process, he discovered that he could slightly control the density of the ice, making it easier for him to dig.
However, this progress was truly frustrating. He had no choice but to enter the micro-world to see if Wengji had any solutions.
“Use magma,” Wengji said. “The temperature of magma can melt ice, and it can melt very deep. Since you haven’t used your escaping quota while you’ve been out recently, bring out the magma.”
"Won't magma turn into stone when it cools?"
“Do you think it’s easier to take out the rocks or break the ice? I’ll have Hong Gui make you a pure iron magma container. Pure iron isn’t easily melted by magma. You can just draw out the magma from the volcano each time and take it out. Then pour the cooled rocks out of the container,” Weng Ji said. “Wait for me, I’ll go to Antarctica right away and find a way to get you the ice-breaking equipment.”
"No, no, I'll do it myself first," Chen Yang said quickly. When he told Weng Ji about the extraterrestrial remains, the highly respected professor almost crushed the teacup in his hand.
Chen Yang doesn't need to directly touch the items he takes out; he just needs to have them around him.
Furthermore, he can control the location in the real world with his mind, so it is possible for him to do so.
Simply place the container on the ice, add the lava, let it cool, and then pour it out. He just needs to repeat this process.
Wengji went to Honggui to ask for a container, and Honggui, without asking why, simply gave him a suitable container.
It was a cylindrical barrel with a diameter of half a meter. No one knew what Hong Gui had made it for, but he just brought it over anyway.
The metal cylinder wasn't tall, just a bit thick, but it still weighed fifty pounds. Luckily, it only weighed fifty pounds; otherwise, just bringing the metal cylinder out would have required Chen Yang to exert a considerable amount of effort to carry it.
As Wengji had instructed, he placed the bucket in the ice cave he had already dug ten meters deep, and then spent half a day in the micro-world running to the side of the volcano near Liyuan.
Chen Yang's first death occurred here, so seeing the boiling magma inside still evokes lingering fear in him.
Moreover, this time, he had to walk more than ten meters away from the lava to draw it out.
However, he froze as soon as he got close to the lava.
He discovered that he had a fairly good control over the magma and could control it with simple methods.
Magma flows like a liquid, yet it is hotter than fire and glows. When it cools down, it turns into soil. It is a mixture of elements, which is why Chen Yang was able to control magma unexpectedly.
This discovery put Chen Yang at ease. At least now, if the Liyuan Volcano were to experience a minor volcanic activity, he wouldn't have to die here again.
After leaving the micro-world, Chen Yang thought to himself about channeling the magma into the bucket he had placed there.
As soon as the magma appeared in Antarctica, the surrounding temperature changed immediately. The iron barrel instantly turned red and became extremely hot. Before Chen Yang could even see what was happening, a large amount of water vapor engulfed him.
He quickly left the cave entrance, his whole body burning red.
The temperature of steam can be higher than that of boiling water, and the water vapor that accumulated after the magma melted and froze was quite hot. Fortunately, Chen Yang reacted quickly and used his Lightness of Body technique in time.
He had a sudden inspiration and used his lightness of body and ability to control water to gather water vapor in the cave.
This caused the temperature to concentrate even more. Only after all the water vapor condensed and the temperature returned to normal Antarctic conditions did Chen Yang begin to observe the results of his operation.
Ongji's trick was indeed effective. With just one injection of magma, the water level dropped by more than ten meters, and the ice around the cooled iron barrel was not as hard.
Chen Yang's control over water vapor was also very effective; he used supernatural power to create a state similar to a pressure cooker in the ice cave.
He took out the stone formed from the cooled magma inside the iron bucket, drew out magma again, and then injected magma in the same way to control the water vapor.
This time the effect was even more obvious, and the temperature inside the cave was different. Chen Yang seized the opportunity and continued the operation.
However, the deeper the hole, the more difficult it is for him to operate.
Furthermore, there is a limit to the amount he can take out; the amount he stockpiled for a month is almost used up.
"I wonder if digging 500 meters will be of any use. If there's a large spaceship underground, then this hole I'm digging is completely useless," Chen Yang thought to himself.
However, the micro-world shouldn't assign him a task he can't complete. If there really is a large spaceship underground, there should be a way to enter. It's unlikely he'd be asked to dig through 500 meters of defenses that span several kilometers; that's an undertaking requiring national intervention. It's impossible for an individual to accomplish.
Chen Yang hadn't even used up all the weight limits yet, and his day in the micro-world was already coming to an end.
The main problem is that it's too deep, and it's too troublesome and time-consuming for him to empty the soil each time.
However, this is currently the most reliable method.
They're already more than 200 meters underground. At that height, ignition is impossible. There simply isn't enough air for combustion. It's already difficult enough for Chen Yang to control the wind to keep breathing; igniting a fire underground is completely out of the question.
Of all the tasks assigned by the micro-world, this is the one that has left him most at a loss so far.
He could guess that if they used up all the weight they brought out, it wouldn't be enough for 500 meters, and going deeper would make all sorts of operations very inconvenient.
Each time the lava melts, the space it creates is only big enough for three people; if someone wants to move around, only one person can fit in.
Chen Yang continued chiseling for a whole day.
This time, he was much faster, chiseling twenty meters in a single day.
If all else fails, then let's keep digging here for another ten days or so. Even if it's a waste of time, it's worth it. Below us is proof of the existence of aliens!
Those who knew the inside story were going crazy, especially Onggi, who almost tried to find a way to fly to Antarctica on the spot.
Chen Yang told them to be patient and wait until he completed his mission to see what the situation was before making any decisions.
On the second night, Chen Yang was unable to bring out any more lava, as he had already used up the limit of the micro-world's lava-bringing capacity.
Chen Yang plans to continue chiseling the remaining portion. Now that the restrictions on bringing out lava from the micro-world have been relaxed, he can bring out lava once a day and then dig it out himself during the day. He estimates that it will be about three more days.
He roughly measured the distance by throwing stones, and it was already over 300 meters, almost 400 meters. With a little more effort, hope was just ahead.
On the third day of work, Chen Yang discovered that he had caught a cold.
This is unbelievable! How could someone with such a weak constitution catch a cold? Even the storms in Antarctica didn't make him sick.
However, he quickly found the reason.
Having to endure such extreme temperature differences every day, it's no wonder I caught a cold. Anyone else would have developed a high fever or become a corpse in Antarctica long ago.
The older generation was right after all; alternating between hot and cold temperatures makes it easy to catch a cold.
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