A huge tentacle pierced through the layers of rock around the cavern, stretching across a deep ravine. It was nearly two meters in diameter, its black hide covered in dry, cracked patterns, and its shape resembled a bizarre train. Hao Ren recognized at a glance that it was part of a Firstborn tentacle. He was simply too familiar with the thing.
"Just as I thought... The virtual world's setting is based on reality. Traces of the Goddess's creation lie dormant on the real Zhuom planet." Hao Ren jumped into the ravine and carefully touched the Firstborn tentacle, which appeared to have completely withered. "...This tentacle should already be dead, but I wonder if there might still be living tissue deep underground."
Vivian looked around, unease showing on her face. "This is a refuge of the Zhuom people, and Firstborn tentacles have invaded a place like this..."
"No matter how you look at it, the Zhuom people seem to have survived. At least, they're alive in the virtual world." Hao Ren clapped his hands as he spoke and stood up. After jumping back to the surface, he once again carefully observed the enormous cavern. It was connected to the artificial superalloy corridors from before and appeared to be a preexisting underground cavity. The cavern ceiling had been reinforced with huge alloy grids and beams, while traces of injected synthetic materials could also be seen in the surrounding rock layers. These reinforcements were what had allowed the caverns to survive until today, enabling them to hold out until the final collapse even as the planet slowly disintegrated.
As the group continued deeper along the underground passageways, they encountered more than one cavern like this. Some were natural, while others were artificial. Some had been remodeled into living areas, while others had once