Old Chen leaned against the wall and explained the situation.
Their exploration team of seven came down to look for mineral veins and discovered a type of ore they had never seen before at the deepest level. It was golden-blue, glowing, and had an absurdly high concentration of elements.
The original plan was to take samples back, but while taking samples, a crack appeared in the mine wall, and Abyss surged out from the crack.
He and another teammate ran fast and escaped upwards along the passage. Halfway up, he cut his leg, and the two of them hid in the cave to wait for rescue. The remaining five people were trapped at the bottom.
" The Abyss has been leaked?"
Chongyun was somewhat shocked.
What happened during your sampling?
"He just used a pickaxe to chisel off a few pieces of ore."
Old Chen recalled for a moment.
"When we were chiseling the third piece, the mine wall suddenly cracked, and then a dark red mist billowed out, solidifying and chasing after us."
Lin En and Ronava exchanged a glance.
Blackish-red mist? Abyss leakage? Beneath the Chasm lies a vast Abyss, and it's normal for cracks to seep out, but the crack that the exploration team drilled through is clearly larger than usual.
How do you get down to the lowest level?
Lin En asked.
Old Chen pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, which unfolded into a hand-drawn map, marking several main passages in the Chasm underground mining area and a circled mining area.
"If you walk west for about 15 minutes from here, there's a teleportation array left by the miners. It can take you directly to the lowest level. We came up via a different path, but that path is blocked, so we have to use the teleportation array."
Old Chen pointed to the mark on the map.
"After you go down the teleportation array, walk south for a bit, and you'll see where we're mining."
Chongyun took the map, looked at it, folded it, and put it in his pocket.
"You two wait here, we're going down to rescue them."
"I'll go with you."
Old Chen struggled to stand up, but his legs gave way and he sat back down.
"If you continue like this, you'll only hold us back."
Lin En pressed down on his shoulder.
"Wait here, we'll bring the people and the ore back."
The three walked west along the cave passage and found the teleportation array that Old Chen had mentioned.
It was a circular stone disc embedded in the ground, its surface covered with densely packed runes. There was a concave section in the middle, and when you stepped on it, the runes lit up, the space beneath your feet distorted for a moment, and the three of them disappeared from their original spot.
When I landed, there was solid ground beneath my feet, but it was so dark around me that I couldn't see anything.
Lin En pulled a miner's lamp from his bundle and lit it; the dim yellow light illuminated the area within a few steps around him.
He walked in front, holding the lantern, with Chongyun in the middle Ronava at the back.
"It's much colder here than up up."
Chongyun looked around.
" The Ley Lines's energy is also much more chaotic."
On the rock walls on both sides of the passage, you can occasionally see dark red veins seeping out from the cracks, like blood vessels embedded in the stone.
Lin En raised his headlamp higher to illuminate the path beneath his feet.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, a wide-open mining area appeared ahead. Several pickaxes and overturned mine carts were scattered on the ground. There was a clear chisel mark on the rock wall. The color of the stone around the chisel mark was different from the rest of the area. The golden-blue ore fluoresced under the light.
This is it.
Lin En shone his miner's lamp at the chisel mark; it was very fresh.
But where are the people?
The three searched the mining area but didn't find anyone.
Chongyun squatted down and looked at the ground, pointing to several shallow footprints that stretched southward.
"They probably went that way; they were probably chased by something."
The three followed the footprints southward.
They hadn't gone far when the passage turned a corner, and from behind the bend came a low roar, along with the dull thud of metal striking stone.
Lin En shone his headlamp forward, and a huge silhouette appeared in the beam of light. It was covered in a black and red rock shell, with thick limbs, and was using its two front claws to scratch at the rock wall, as if it was digging for something.
"A monster from the Abyss!"
Chongyun held the talisman between his fingers, and had already drawn his greatsword.
The monster seemed to sense the light, turned around, and its crimson eyes were particularly striking in the lamplight.
It roared and charged towards the three of them at great speed.
Lin En tossed his miner's lamp to the ground, drew his dark red longsword, and unleashed a burst of Anemo beneath his feet as he sidestepped to the side of the Rockshell Beast.
Chongyun was a bit faster than him and had already rushed to the front of the monster. He slashed horizontally with his greatsword, the blade striking the joint of the monster's forelimb. Sparks flew, and a thin crack appeared on the rocky shell.
The monster cried out in pain and turned to bite him. Chongyun stepped back, and the talisman slipped from his hand and stuck to the monster's chest. A burst of yellow light erupted, and the monster staggered back a step.
Lin En seized the opportunity, using his left hand to lift the Stone Stele from the ground and strike the Rockshell Beast's hind leg, knocking it down.
He rushed forward, his longsword piercing a slit in the monster's neck. The tip of the sword went in half an inch, and black blood seeped out from the slit.
The monster roared and shook its head, flinging Lin En away.
"So hard?"
He made a comment.
Ronava thrust out her spear, piercing the entire monster through. The Rockshell Beast froze for a moment, then began to shatter from its head, its black and red rock shell peeling off piece by piece until it turned into a pile of debris.
"Good."
Ronava sheathed her spear and glanced at Lin En.
"The teamwork has improved."
Before Lin En could even feel smug, a series of hurried footsteps echoed from the depths of the passage.
He raised his headlamp and shone it over. Five men ran out of the darkness. The leader, who was the fastest, paused for a moment when he saw the three men, then shouted.
"Run! There are more behind!"
Before the words were finished, more heavy thuds echoed through the passageway.
Lin En shone his headlamp forward and saw at least five or six Abyss monsters emerging from the depths, followed by a cloud of dark red mist floating in mid-air. Within the mist, the outline of an Abyss Herald could be vaguely seen.
"Run!"
As the lead explorer rushed past Lin En, he grabbed Lynn's arm, nearly knocking him over.
The four people behind them caught up quickly, two men and two women, all covered in dust and dirt. One of the women was clutching a tin box tightly in her arms, panting as she ran, but she wouldn't let go.
"Are you from an exploration team?"
Lin En was dragged a few steps, then looked back.
"Yes! Hurry! There are monsters behind us!"
Lin En didn't ask any more questions, put the miner's lamp on the ground, and turned to draw his sword.
Chongyun had already blocked the entrance to the passage, his heavy sword held horizontally in front of him, his hands full of talismans.
Ronava's spear hung diagonally at her side, its tip touching the ground, her golden eyes fixed on what was surging out from the depths of the passage.
"You guys go up first!"
Lin En shouted at the five exploration team members.
The five people stumbled and ran north.
The Abyss Rockshell Beast that surged out of the passage were a size larger than the previous one, numbering seven or eight in total. The Abyss Herald behind them floated in the dark red mist, holding a ball of blackish-red energy in its hand, and was kneading something.