When Lin Sanjiu was halfway into the cave, the fire behind her suddenly flared up as if someone had poured gasoline on it. Half of the cave was dyed red. The air was distorted by the heat of the fire. Heatwaves gushed out of the cave, making it hard for Lin Sanjiu to breathe.
Lin Sanjiu narrowed her eyes and looked behind her. Her heart was suddenly gripped by a blankness.
Hiliu was dead.
At that moment, Lin Sanjiu even had the urge to dig up Hiliu's body and find a proper place to bury her. However, her rationality stopped her from doing so. Lin Sanjiu continued to run toward the entrance of the cave.
There was a faint light coming from the cave in front of them. They were not far from the entrance. Just as Lin Sanjiu turned a corner and was about to dash out, she stopped abruptly. She raised her arm and blocked Ji Shanqing, who was beside her. Then, she pressed him to the ground. A bolt of lightning grazed past his head and struck the stone wall with a loud boom, creating a trail of sparks.
"What —"
Before the grand prize could finish his sentence, he saw the [Weather Forecaster]'s lips move rapidly again. Lin Sanjiu immediately understood what he meant. She grabbed the grand prize and ran back, "We are too late. There are at least 20 Ability users waiting for us outside. If we go out now, we will die!"
"What should we do?"
Lin Sanjiu bit her lips so hard that they turned white. Apparently, she was out of ideas. She dragged the grand prize and ran a few steps deeper into the cave. She hid behind a corner. After a few seconds, she peeked her head out and realized that the duoluozhong did not follow them.
However, Lin Sanjiu's face didn't look any better.
"Sis …" Ji Shanqing also noticed that something was amiss, "Did I see it wrong?"
"No, you didn't see it wrong," Lin Sanjiu suddenly coughed. She quickly pulled him down and crouched down. "The entrance of the cave has indeed been sealed by their abilities. The smoke can't escape now, so we are all trapped in this cave."
As she spoke, she called out two bottles of water and a change of clothes. She tore open the clothes and wet them with water. The two of them covered their mouths and noses with wet cloths and lay on the ground. Their expressions turned ugly.
Thick smoke billowed out from the nursery cave. In the blink of an eye, it had covered the entire tunnel. Just looking at the billowing black smoke above their heads was enough to send chills down their spines. Covering her mouth and nose was only a temporary solution. If they couldn't get out, Lin Sanjiu would choke to death, let alone her grand prize.
The only thing they could do now was to break out of the encirclement. However, the [Weather Forecaster], who was still standing in the thick smoke, didn't give them the slightest bit of hope. Since the beginning of the battle, she had not stopped talking. She was talking so fast that Lin Sanjiu couldn't even keep up with her thoughts. It was obvious that the duoluozhongs outside were gathering at the entrance of the cave.
For a moment, Lin Sanjiu really didn't know what she could do to break out of the encirclement.
"Can we break the ability that is sealing the entrance first?" The thick smoke didn't affect the grand prize that much, so he could still take off the wet cloth and speak. Lin Sanjiu, on the other hand, could only cover her mouth and shake her head.
According to the analysis of the [Weather Forecaster], the barrier that sealed the entrance of the cave could only be broken at a close distance. However, the barrier was one-way. It didn't allow the things inside to come out, but the duoluozhongs outside could attack. If that was the case, she would be turned into a hornet's nest by the countless duoluozhongs before she could even get close to the barrier.
At this moment, Mrs. Manas added, "Your Higher Consciousness has been drained too much. You won't be able to defend against their attacks for long."
Lin Sanjiu hammered the wall of the cave anxiously. Even though her brain was working fast, she couldn't come up with a solution.
She had been through countless life-threatening situations over the past few years. She didn't believe that she would be like a rat in a burrow and eventually choke to death. However, even the grand prize could only furrow his brows at this moment. He couldn't come up with a solution even after a long time.
"Forget it. Let's just force our way through —"
Lin Sanjiu took off the wet cloth and forced herself to speak. She was choked by the thick smoke and started coughing again. Ji Shanqing's expression instantly turned grim. Just as she was about to stand up, she heard a shrill wail coming from the burning cave behind her. Lin Sanjiu was stunned.
She quickly exchanged glances with Ji Shanqing. Both of them didn't move but pricked up their ears.
"Mommy," the voice of a young girl was sobbing, "Mommy, save me! Save me!"
"What's going on?"
Both of them were dumbfounded.
"Those kids were so dumb just now. Why …" the grand prize muttered. He was at a loss, "Sis, should we go back and have a look?"
Before Lin Sanjiu could say anything, the sound of something crashing into the cave came from inside. The girl was so startled that she screamed again. Her voice didn't seem to come from far away. She seemed to be right beside the nursery cave. She was crying and coughing as she yelled, "Someone, save my mommy!"
"Her mommy …?"
When Lin Sanjiu recalled that Hiliu was the only adult female in the fire cave, she nodded and crouched down. Together with the grand prize, they walked as fast as they could into the thick smoke.
When they returned to the underground nursery cave, it was a completely different scene.
Hundreds and thousands of cribs were connected into a sea of fire. Black smoke rose from the red flames. Countless figures on fire were writhing on the cribs, screaming in low voices. Many of them seemed to feel no pain, and sat motionless on the cribs.
Hiliu was still lying quietly on the ground. She had lost all signs of life. However, there was a small figure next to her. The figure was hugging Hiliu's shoulder and coughing violently. Her face was covered with snot and tears. She even choked on her own saliva.
Lin Sanjiu's heart skipped a beat. She rushed over and pulled the child up. Using the scorching light from the fire, she studied the little girl.
Unlike the other numb and strange children, this little girl was also skinny and shriveled, but her eyes were lively. Clearly, she was sane. When she saw Lin Sanjiu, she even shivered for a moment. Then, she came to her senses and cried, "My mom —"
"She's your mommy?" Lin Sanjiu frowned. She covered the little girl's face with her wet cloth, "How did you know Hiliu?"
The little girl took two deep breaths through the wet cloth. She quickly removed the cloth and said, "I often sneak out to play. Someone told me … But mommy never comes to see me …"
"Why are you different from the others? Where were you just now? " Lin Sanjiu studied the little girl again. Her stomach was flat, and she looked like a normal child before the apocalypse. If Lin Sanjiu had seen such a child just now, she would never have let Hiliu light the fire.
"I don't know," the little girl seemed a little scared. She moved closer to Hiliu. Her words were a little jumbled, "They said that they would occasionally see people like me … I don't know what they mean … No one plays with me here. When I came back just now, I saw my mommy here. She didn't move. It was so hot …"
"When you came back?"
Lin Sanjiu was startled. Before she could say anything, Ji Shanqing had already rushed forward and pressed the little girl's shoulder, "You mean, you just came back? Where did you come from? "
The little girl was startled. She was stunned for a moment before she stuttered, "There, there, there is a small path."
"There is another path!"
Both of them couldn't help feeling excited. They heaved a sigh of relief at the same time. Lin Sanjiu's expression lightened. She thought for a moment and put Hiliu's body away. Then, she picked up the little girl, who was stunned, and said, "Don't worry. Your mommy went somewhere else. Now, tell us, where is the small path? "
"Over there," the little girl was obviously confused by the scene in front of her. She obediently pointed to a direction behind the sea of fire. She was sitting in Lin Sanjiu's lap. Her feet were dangling from Lin Sanjiu's arms, and there was a flower-shaped birthmark on her toes.
Even though the [Defense Willpower] could not defend against many attacks, it was enough to block the fire. Fortunately, the path that the little girl mentioned was not too far away. The two of them walked through the sea of fire for a minute or two before they arrived at the "path".
Although it was called a small path, it was actually a crack in the rock wall.
However, as time passed, the crack gradually widened until it was big enough for a skinny child to squeeze through. However, Lin Sanjiu and Ji Shanqing couldn't squeeze through the crack. They were so anxious that they racked their brains to come up with a solution. In the end, they had to risk their lives and use the [Tornado Whip]. Only then did they manage to widen the crack a little.
When they crawled out from the ground, Lin Sanjiu's body was covered with cuts caused by the sharp rocks. The grand prize's outer two layers of clothes were torn to shreds. As he moved, his clothes fluttered in the air. Ji Shanqing didn't look too good. Fortunately, they had escaped from the thick smoke and the duoluozhongs.
The place they came out from was another residential cave in the upper ring. It was said that because of the crack, no one lived in this cave. Therefore, the little girl always sneaked out from this cave to play.
"If we go further up, we will be out," the little girl tried her best to describe the place. At the same time, she stretched her arms and gestured, "It's this big outside. I heard it's scary."
"Don't be afraid," Lin Sanjiu comforted her hurriedly. She walked to the entrance of the cave and looked around. From afar, she could see groups of duoluozhongs gathering at the entrance of the large nursery cave. They formed an ugly greenish-black color. She turned to look at her grand prize, and the latter understood her intention. Both of them left the cave silently and climbed up the ring above their heads. They left their pursuers far behind.
The little girl seemed to know that this was a critical moment. She kept quiet along the way except for the occasional sob. Just like that, Lin Sanjiu finally escaped from the City of Ants, which was like a huge "bowl".
Even though they had escaped, they didn't dare to slow down. Lin Sanjiu ran non-stop for a few hours until the temperature suddenly plummeted. It was only when Lin Sanjiu shivered that she finally slowed down. She looked at her surroundings blankly.
The landscape of the world of Salvation of God did not make sense at all. There was no pattern at all.
The City of Ants was dry, dry, and hot. It was filled with large patches of rocks and soil. The outside of the City of Ants was covered with a dull, dusty, and sparse forest. They had traveled for quite a distance. The forest was like the hairline of the middle-aged man, gradually receding into the distance. Finally, they couldn't see any tall plants anymore.
Instead, they saw a thick layer of ice beneath their feet.
The white fog above their heads was still rolling as usual, blocking out the sun and obscuring the sky. When they looked into the distance, they saw a boundless glacier plain. The snow piled up on the horizon, forming one hill after another.
Lin Sanjiu felt goosebumps all over her body when she heard the sneeze of the little girl in her arms. Ji Shanqing carefully slowed down his pace, afraid that he would slip and fall flat on his face like before. The group slowed down. In the boundless ice and snow, they slowly moved forward, full of doubts.
After walking for a while, Lin Sanjiu saw that the skin of the little girl in her arms had turned blue from the cold. She finally stopped.
"We are at least a few hundred kilometers away from the City of Ants," the grand prize calculated in his mind. He raised his head and said, "It seems like we are safe for the time being."
"Let's rest here for a while. We can build an igloo to keep warm," Lin Sanjiu said. As Lin Sanjiu spoke, she took out a spare black singlet and wrapped it around the shivering little girl. "I've read about this before. It seems that the Eskimos also use igloos to keep themselves warm …"
Ji Shanqing seemed reluctant, "But … What if Deva comes? A few hundred kilometers is just a matter of a few steps for her. Besides, if we want to build an igloo, we have to transport snow from there. I think we should go deeper. Maybe we can get out of this glacier … "
"It's her," Lin Sanjiu pointed at the little girl in her arms, "If she doesn't warm herself by the fire, I'm afraid she won't be able to bear the cold."
Ji Shanqing sighed. He glanced at the little girl from afar unhappily, "Alright."
"Don't be unhappy. If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have been able to escape." Lin Sanjiu placed the little girl on the ground and comforted her, "Let's go build an igloo. You won't feel cold soon. Wait for us here. Don't run around. "
The little girl's teeth chattered in the cold. She forced herself to nod. Then, she raised her head and smiled at Lin Sanjiu.
Lin Sanjiu was stunned for a moment. Then, she returned the smile. She stood up and walked toward her grand prize. As she walked, she called out to him, "Do you know how to build an igloo?"
Ji Shanqing pulled a long face and turned his head. The next second, his expression froze and turned into fear. He couldn't utter a single word.
Lin Sanjiu's nerves tightened. She turned around abruptly. When she looked around, she was also stunned.
The little girl behind her had disappeared. The black vest that was wrapped around her was still there. It had fallen onto the ice and was currently being stepped on by a foot the size of a house, revealing a part of it.
Two large feet were squatting on the layer of ice. The upper part of the body was hidden in the white mist. There was a flower-shaped birthmark on one of the toes.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
