Darkness Invasion

An atmosphere of despair permeated the ranks, and quickly infected people's hearts.

The dark underground was already oppressive, not to mention they had just experienced an earthquake and were in a situation with nowhere to escape.

The collapse of this tunnel is practically a death sentence for people.

"..."

In this situation, Vivian was understandably flustered.

The Source Material Branch that Linsey had given her on her chest brought a touch of warmth to her body at that moment, and Vivian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But when she turned her head, she saw the gloomy expressions on the faces of the others.

"..."

"Everyone, don't panic. Let's first check what's going on."

Vivian immediately issued the order.

A clear idea also gave people some confidence, and some soldiers immediately obeyed and stepped forward.

After inspecting the area, they found that the collapse extended from where people were digging all the way to where they were standing.

The cause of this collapse is very simple.

The tunnel structure of the mine had actually been destroyed by the first earthquake.

The rocks and soil blocking the exit also served to support the tunnel structure.

So after the soldiers had been digging the tunnel for a day...

These vital load-bearing structures were violently breached, ultimately causing the pressure to destroy the tunnel once again.

Faced with this outcome, Mill whispered to Vivian:

"Miss, should we continue digging?"

"If we keep digging, it's likely that more collapses will occur..."

"We can't waste our time." Vivian was decisive; she immediately shook her head. "We don't have the materials to support the mine tunnel. If we continue digging, we'll just be burying ourselves alive."

Vivian turned her head to look behind her:

"Everyone, are there any other roads leading to the outside world?"

"..."

The rescued miners looked at each other, but no one answered.

These people also knew who their savior was.

Except for some young children who still cry and fuss, they are all willing to cooperate with Vivian's work.

There is only one reason for their silence at this moment.

Nobody knows any other way out of here.

As things developed to this point, even Vivian's expression darkened, and she even seemed somewhat at a loss.

"This..."

"If it were her father, if it were Linsey..."

At that moment, the girl suddenly remembered something.

During her free time, Linsey also told Vivian her adventure stories, just as she had promised.

One of the sections about Black Mountain includes a story of adventure in the Underground World.

Vivian's memories began to activate, and she slowly recalled some of the little bits of scientific knowledge that Linsey had shared with her:

"In a closed environment, wind represents the flow of air, and you can often find a way to survive by following this direction. Moreover, resources are crucial for survival underground; oxygen, clean water, and food are all necessary conditions for sustaining life."

Vivian's first thought was food and water.

The Banyan Forest is rich in resources, so these messengers traveling abroad naturally have enough food to sustain them for a journey of more than a month.

But now, the number of people is different.

They couldn't simply abandon these mine dwellers and let them starve; their time for activity had to be compressed.

Vivian thought for a moment, then addressed the bewildered miners:

"Everyone, do you know where the food was originally stored in the mine?"

To make her purpose clear, the girl pointed to the collapsed tunnel behind her:

"This road is definitely blocked now!"

"We now need to find another way out of the mountain, so we need to prepare as much food as possible!"

Among the residents of the mine.

It was the same ragged man who raised his hand:

"I... I know!"

"The Lord has stockpiled food and water in a dead end at a side road of the Mine 4. If it hasn't collapsed, I can lead everyone there!"

Vivian immediately made a decision:

"Okay, let's set off immediately!"

Among the miners, many were seriously injured, including several with broken legs.

But in this situation, staying put means certain death.

People could only help each other and endure the pain to continue their journey.

On the way to the depths of the mine, the man who made two consecutive impressive appearances also caught Vivian's attention.

She then took the initiative to strike up a conversation with the man:

"Sir, I haven't asked your name yet?"

"Miss, you can just call me Red Stone." The ragged man was quite tactful and introduced himself, "You should remember—I was watching from the sidelines when the leader was talking to you. In this camp, I'm actually someone who can speak up."

Vivian then asked directly:

"I'd like to confirm in advance how long the supplies here will last us?"

Red Stone turned his head and looked at the line behind him:

"This number of people... for normal use, will not exceed one month."

"But strict rationing should be able to delay things for a few more weeks."

With such a person in the team, Vivian also had a new perspective:

"Mr. Red Stone, since there is no other way out of this mine, do you know of any mine tunnels that are closer to the surface?"

"If there is such a place, we can find the corresponding location and then figure out a way to open up a road to get out."

Red Stone lowered his head and pondered for a few seconds, then quickly responded:

"As expected of someone from that Banyan Forest, this method works!"

"A place like this—I remember there's a branch of the Mine 2 that goes close to the surface. But it's a transverse tunnel, and the terrain is complicated. Even without a collapse, it would probably take several hours to get there."

By this point, Vivian had regained her composure.

She even encouraged Red Stone, who was not young:

"No problem, it's good that there's hope for now."

"If we all work together, we can always overcome any difficulty!"

And so, the group continued downwards, led by Red Stone.

Mine 4 is a tunnel leading deep underground.

It was because of this depth that the original leader of the mine hid precious food and water inside.

After several hours of trekking, and navigating around several collapsed tunnels.

Red Stone used his knowledge as a camp administrator to successfully lead people to the food storage area.

But upon arriving here, the situation was different from what people had imagined.

The bottom of the mine tunnel, which was theoretically a dead end, has been cracked open by the earthquake, revealing a dark and deep fissure.

And in those places where grain is stored.

The locks on the boxes were forcibly broken.

The grain was dragged away into the darkness deep underground, leaving only streaks of dust on the ground.

Continue peering down into the depths of the ground through the crack.

"..."

Everyone, including Vivian, felt a chill run down their spines.

In the pitch-black world, it seemed as if something was gazing at the people who had come here!