Wu Renxin stood at the entrance to the Endless Ant Nest, his brows tightly furrowed.
He turned to Lin Yi, a hint of a rueful smile in his voice:
"Brother Lin Yi, I learned through a scouting item..."
"After the ants inside die, each one will deal 10 points of true damage to us."
"So I can't help you with this stage anymore."
"Even I might not be able to clear it."
Lin Yi smiled faintly and nodded to himself.
He cleared his throat, a hint of confidence in his voice:
"These ants may be annoying, but there are still plenty of ways to get farther."
"And... they're all effective methods!"
"Oh?"
A flicker of curiosity crossed Wu Renxin's eyes.
"The first method is called 'stand on your tiptoes.'"
Lin Yi paused, then continued explaining:
"Based on what we know, there are lots of ants inside, and you lose 10 HP for every one you step on."
"So, Brother Renxin, you can simply walk on tiptoe!"
"Reduce the area of your soles touching the ground to reduce the number of ants you kill."
Hearing this, Wu Renxin blankly raised a thumb in praise:
"Brilliant!"
"Absolutely brilliant!"
"Brother Lin Yi, you truly are talented!"
Having said that, Wu Renxin spoke with a slightly hesitant expression:
"But even so, the HP consumed along the way may still be staggering."
"I have plenty of HP, enough to protect myself, but you, Brother Lin Yi..."
"How about I clear the stage first, then come back to get..."
Before Wu Renxin could finish, Lin Yi interrupted him with a wave of his sleeve:
"What's so difficult about that!"
"Killing these ants only costs the killer HP. Can't I just avoid stepping on them?"
"In other words, as long as you carry me on your back and walk on tiptoe, Brother Renxin, we can clear this stage!"
"What do you think, Brother Renxin?"
Wu Renxin froze briefly, seemingly not having expected Lin Yi's method, but still gave an awkward smile:
"That plan... is excellent!"
Heave-ho!
The moment Wu Renxin finished speaking, Lin Yi leaped onto his back and smiled in apparent comfort:
"Brother Renxin, let's go!"
Wu Renxin immediately began sweating, his expression somewhat strained as he said:
"Brother Lin Yi, how... how much do you weigh?"
"Why am I finding this so strenuous?"
A sharp gleam flashed through Lin Yi's eyes as he laughed heartily:
"Oh, Brother Renxin, you're such a joker!"
"I'm just an ordinary person. How heavy could I be?"
"Besides, even if I'm a little heavy, it shouldn't be difficult for an expert like you, right?"
"Oh, right, Brother Renxin, remember to stay on tiptoe at all times to lose less HP!"
Wu Renxin braced himself and nodded, then walked into the entrance without another word.
His expression, however, was frighteningly dark.
The entrance to the Endless Ant Nest resembled a gaping maw of darkness, silently waiting for unsuspecting prey to walk into its trap.
The air around it was damp and reeking of decay, and the rocks at the entrance were riddled with pits from the ravages of time.
On the ground, densely packed ants covered every inch of earth, like a moving black carpet, constantly writhing, gathering, and dispersing.
Though these ants were small, their sheer numbers were enough to inspire fear.
Their antennae swayed gently, as though passing along some sort of information, each ant an indispensable part of this enormous colony.
Carrying Lin Yi on his back, Wu Renxin stood at the edge of the entrance, his brows tightly furrowed.
He rose onto his tiptoes, trying to distribute his weight along the edges of his toes, taking every step with extreme caution.
But seemingly because of Lin Yi's weight, Wu Renxin's face grew somewhat flushed, and his legs began trembling involuntarily.
Lying on Wu Renxin's back, Lin Yi revealed a cold smile.
With his combat power of ten million, Lin Yi secretly exerted force; naturally, Wu Renxin, whose combat power was only one million, struggled to bear it.
Before Heaven entrusts a man with a great task, it must first temper his will and weary his muscles and bones!
Wu Renxin, you're a man destined to do great things!
Sweat more now, and you'll bleed less in the future!
Wu Renxin's legs shook furiously, as though he were carrying some deadly weight.
Inside the tunnel, winding passages formed a maze.
There were numerous passages, each hidden in darkness, as though enticing explorers to venture deeper.
These passages were narrow and damp, their walls covered in layers of ants.
From time to time, ants crawled over their companions, their antennae and feet rustling against the rock.
"Huff..."
"Huff..."
Wu Renxin's eyes were bloodshot as he panted heavily.
Looking at the two paths ahead, one to the left and one to the right, he found himself at a loss and asked in a slightly hoarse voice:
"Which way..."
"Huff..."
"Should we go?"
At this, Lin Yi immediately extended his right hand.
He pointed at the path on the right and said without hesitation:
"Right!"
Wu Renxin nodded and headed right.
The path on the right was even darker, and the sound of ants crawling back and forth was somewhat unsettling.
Water dripped from the stone pillars on the cavern ceiling from time to time, and an eerie, terrifying atmosphere filled the surroundings.
No matter how powerful someone was, the unknown ahead would always inspire an inexplicable fear.
His legs shaking furiously, Wu Renxin staggered onward.
In a sense, his exhaustion had already driven away his fear.
Finally, after walking several hundred meters...
With Lin Yi on his back, Wu Renxin reached the end of the path on the right:
A wall!
To put it simply, this was...
A dead end!
"B-Brother Lin Yi, what's going on?"
His eyes bloodshot and his breath heavy, Wu Renxin looked at the ant-covered wall before him and asked in confusion.
"May..."
Lin Yi had barely uttered a word before Wu Renxin interrupted him with a startled cry:
"I get it!"
"There must be a hidden door behind this wall, right?"
"Watch me!"
Wu Renxin thrust out his right fist and smashed it viciously into the wall before him.
Boom!!!
The force of his punch killed a large swath of ants on the wall, sending them falling to the ground.
The entire wall remained utterly motionless, while Wu Renxin's HP dropped by a chunk.
Pfft!
"Ahem!"
Lin Yi forcibly suppressed his laughter, coughed twice, and said with a perfectly serious face:
"There aren't hidden doors everywhere!"
"Maybe I guessed wrong just now!"
"Let's head back first, then..."
"Go left!"