Su Yao returned to the safe house with the mysterious gem, but before she could even rest properly, the system sent another message. This time, the notification pointed to a shelter deep underground in the city, where an air purification device developed before the apocalypse was said to be located. If it could be obtained and repaired, it would greatly improve the air quality inside the safe house and reduce the risk of illness caused by breathing cold, polluted air for a long time.
After a brief regrouping, Su Yao set off again. She arrived at a hidden entrance in the city and slowly descended the steep, icy stairs. The further she went, the colder and damper the air became, and the walls were covered with eerie, fluorescent moss, adding to the sinister atmosphere of the dark passage.
Upon entering the underground passage, Su Yao heard the sound of flowing water; the ice on the underground river was slowly melting. Suddenly, several mutated creatures resembling crocodiles leaped out of the river. Their skin was as hard as steel, covered with sharp ice spikes, and they lunged at Su Yao with their gaping maws. Su Yao swiftly retrieved a lightning spear from her spatial storage and thrust it at the nearest mutated crocodile. Lightning power surged from the spear tip, instantly causing the crocodile to tremble violently, but it did not fall; instead, it writhed even more frantically.
While dodging attacks from the other crocodiles, Su Yao increased the output of her lightning power. Seizing an opportunity, she leaped into the air and forcefully plunged her spear into the back of another mutated crocodile. Powerful lightning energy erupted within it, and the crocodile finally collapsed to the ground. After a fierce battle, Su Yao defeated the group of mutated crocodiles, but she had also exhausted a considerable amount of her strength.
Continuing on, Su Yao encountered a massive metal door with a complex electronic lock and keypad. Upon closer inspection, she noticed some vague clues around the keypad, seemingly related to the coordinates and date of a pre-apocalyptic city. Relying on her knowledge and memory, Su Yao began attempting to crack the code.
After several unsuccessful attempts, the metal door suddenly activated its defense mechanism, unleashing a barrage of ice arrows from the surrounding walls. Su Yao quickly cast a fire shield, melting the ice arrows one by one. At that moment, she suddenly remembered a similar ancient code mentioned in a book she found in the museum. So she tried again, combining the clues from the book with the new code. Finally, with a dull thud, the metal door slowly opened.
Behind the door was a spacious hall, with the air purifier in the center, but the surrounding area was riddled with traps and mechanisms. As soon as Su Yao stepped into the hall, streaks of blue light appeared on the floor, instantly conjuring sharp ice spikes wherever they touched. Su Yao used her special ability to fly into the air, dodging the ice spikes. However, spinning ice blades also appeared in the air, flying towards her.
Su Yao nimbly weaved through the ice blades, searching for a way to pass. She discovered that the attacks of the ice spikes and blades followed a certain pattern, seemingly operating according to some ancient formation. Recalling records of formations in ancient texts, she cautiously approached the air purification device, following the method to break it.
Just as she was about to reach the device, an alarm sounded in the hall, and the surrounding temperature plummeted. A giant ice phoenix flew out from behind the device, its wings whipping up a gust of biting wind. Su Yao knew that this ice phoenix was the ultimate guardian of this place.
The Ice Phoenix spat out an ice ball at Su Yao, which grew larger as it flew. Su Yao used her fire power to create a massive fireball that collided with the ice ball, the impact of the explosion sending her staggering back several steps. The Ice Phoenix seized the opportunity to attack, its claws reaching for Su Yao. Su Yao grabbed her spear and engaged the Ice Phoenix in close combat.
During the battle, Su Yao noticed that the Ice Phoenix would pause briefly after each attack to gather its power. Seizing this opportunity, she imbued her spear with both lightning and fire powers the moment the Ice Phoenix paused again, and thrust it towards the Ice Phoenix's abdomen. The Ice Phoenix, severely wounded, let out a piercing cry.
Su Yao pressed her advantage, relentlessly attacking the Ice Phoenix's weaknesses. After a fierce battle, the Ice Phoenix was finally defeated, turning into a pile of ice. Su Yao walked to the air purification device and began to check its condition. Although the device was somewhat damaged, she successfully repaired the key parts using her knowledge and some tools she retrieved from her spatial storage.
Su Yao stored the air purifier in her spatial storage and prepared to leave. But at that moment, the underground shelter began to shake violently, seemingly on the verge of collapse. She quickly ran towards the exit, dodging falling rocks and ice blocks along the way. At the last second, Su Yao successfully escaped the underground shelter.
Back on the ground, Su Yao breathed a sigh of relief. But she knew the road home was still fraught with danger. Along the way, she encountered some small mutated creatures, but she easily dealt with them. When she returned to the safe house with the air purifier, her family's faces lit up with joy; they knew this would provide them with another layer of protection in this cruel apocalypse.
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