"How could this be?"
Meng Chao stared at the blood-red crystals that kept falling and sensed the ancient power that was gradually awakening in the depths of the crystal mine. It was like a demonic dragon that had its head raised from a bottomless abyss. It was about to roar and overturn the world.
He could not believe it and cried out. "Only half of the crystal bombs were used, and they didn't explode in the depths of the Red Radiance Jade mine. They only exploded on the surface. Why did they still cause a chain reaction? Why —"
"Duh!"
Lu Siya pressed her hands against the walls of the mine and sensed the spirit energy gathering and gushing out. She gritted her teeth and said, "The Red Radiance Jades are the most unstable. We don't know just how much there is in this place and how pure they are. Perhaps a small spark can cause an explosion that will shatter the world. Besides, aside from the White Spirit detonating half of the crystal bombs, we're still fighting here. Everyone has released their vitality magnetic fields to the max and even used self-destruct guns. All sorts of spirit energy ripples are crashing into each other madly and causing a chain reaction. What's so strange about that?"
"Is there no other way to stop it?"
Meng Chao clenched his fists and said in a quivering voice, "This explosion will turn into the spirit energy tsunami that the White Spirit said will destroy the world. It will overturn the entire Raging Waves and cause the Deity Realm elites and Apocalyptic Beasts to go through spirit energy deviation. The area within a circular area of one hundred kilometers will sink into extreme weather that will last for years and turn it into a forbidden zone for humans and a paradise for monsters."
"How would I know?"
Lu Siya gasped for breath. "Perhaps the scale of this explosion is much smaller than what the White Spirit originally planned, but it's like an avalanche or a tsunami. No one knows just how big it will become in the end.
"You have to understand that aside from the Red Radiance Jade mine, there are hundreds of crystal mines with different natures within a circular area of one hundred kilometers around us. Once the spirit energy from the Red Radiance Jade mine surges out and causes more than one hundred crystal mines to resonate with each other, it'll be like more than one hundred highly active chemicals mixing together. No one knows what the consequences will be!
"Perhaps the White Spirit's plan will succeed. A super large and powerful spirit energy tsunami will envelop all of Raging Waves, Graveyard Forest, and Shattered Starlake. All the Deity Realm elites and Apocalyptic Beasts will go through spirit energy deviation and die together with the White Spirit or explode.
"Perhaps, the resonance of the crystals will transform into pure destructive power, just like a hundred nuclear bombs exploding under the Raging Waves Mountain Range, blasting the entire mountain range into the sky.
"Perhaps the crystal resonance will be weaker than what the White Spirit expected, and the Deity Realm superhumans and Apocalyptic Beasts will get radiation sickness. They won't die on the spot, but after a year and a half, their cells will rot away one by one, and they will die in pain.
"Or perhaps if the crystal resonance was a little weaker, we could reduce the spirit energy tsunami to a safe range for superhumans to absorb, and we could temporarily create a blessed land filled with incredibly thick spirit energy. All the superhumans in it would be nourished by the power that had been hidden underground for billions of years. Their cultivation realms would increase by leaps and bounds, and their cultivation realms would improve by leaps and bounds. That would be a blessing in disguise.
"I don't know which possibility is higher, but one thing is for sure."
Meng Chao and Qin Hu asked at the same time, "What is it?"
"We're dead."
Lu Siya said airily. "The chain reaction has already started. We're so close to the Red Radiance Jade mine. We won't be able to escape to the surface in time.
"Even if the rampaging spirit energy from the Red Radiance Jades is already at the end of its tether when it reaches the surface and can be refined and absorbed by the human body, we'll definitely be burned until not even our bones will be left. Forget about our heroic spirits, not even our brainwaves will be able to escape."
Meng Chao was speechless.
"I knew it, you stupid woman —" Qin Hu said.
"But there's another way."
"Ms. Lu, is there any other way that I can be of help? Just tell me. Even if I have to die a horrible death, I'll protect you and help you escape!"
"We still have half of the crystal bombs. We can only do this," Lu Siya said fiercely.
"The natural entrance to the Red Radiance Jade mine isn't big. Once we climb out of the crack, we'll put in all the crystal bombs and blow up the entrance of the mine.
"Even though spirit energy isn't normal lava and can't be blocked by collapsed rocks for a long period of time, if it's blocked for a second longer, we'll have an extra second to escape. Besides, during the process of destroying the rocks, spirit energy will be used up a lot. Perhaps it will be weakened to the point where it will resonate with destruction, and the spirit energy tsunami will turn into spirit energy nectar."
Meng Chao and Qin Hu looked at each other.
The two of them immediately took action and gathered the remaining crystal bombs.
Under the roars of the Red Radiance Jades and the threat of death, they moved really quickly and soon packed up everything.
Meng Chao dragged Lin Chuan away again.
"Don't bother about me. It's not worth it."
Lin Chuan widened his dazed eyes and stared at a world that did not exist. He gave Meng Chao a light push. "Let's go. I deserve it. I should stay here and receive my punishment.
"I'm just begging you, Meng Chao. Please take Whitey's carcass out and conduct research on it. You can uncover the secrets of monster intelligence and explore the possibility of humans communicating with monsters so that you can create the better world you mentioned. This is Whitey's last wish. She heard everything you said just now."
Meng Chao nodded.
As a harvester, he would definitely not let go of the White Spirit's carcass.
She was one of the future Nine Great Supernatural Entities.
If he could solve the mystery behind the White Spirit's evolution, it would be really beneficial for him when he fought against the other Eight Great Supernatural Entities in the near future.
But he could not just watch Lin Chuan die here.
"That's right. You do deserve it. You should receive the punishment of the law in front of all the citizens!"
Meng Chao dragged Lin Chuan to his feet. "If you've truly recognized your mistakes and dare to face your arrogance and inferiority complex, then go to the judgment platform and tell them everything you've done. Don't worry, you will also have the chance to tell them your motives and ideals. You can also tell them how you've been bullied in the past. You can tell them your displeasure with Dragon City's current situation, your worries, and your hopes.
"I believe that when the story of you and the White Spirit is presented to all the citizens, they won't just treat you and the White Spirit as heinous demons. Instead, it will stir up continuous thought and debate. The education and competition of the poor will definitely receive more attention.
"Even if you die and are punished according to the law or even reduced to ashes, when the rich children lie in their bathtubs in their mansions and watch your judgment ceremony comfortably, they might shudder for a few seconds and be worried that a second Lin Chuan and the White Spirit will appear.
"That's enough. This is the starting point for us to change the future. That's enough, Big Brother Lin!"
He did his best to carry Lin Chuan on his back.
This time, Lin Chuan no longer struggled.
"Mr. Hu, bring the White Spirit's carcass!" Meng Chao called out to Qin Hu.
Qin Hu's mustache curled up, and he spat. "Damn it, brat, didn't you see the hundreds of holes on my body? I'm about to piss! Right now, running for our lives is more important. I wouldn't have the patience to bring something like that!"
"It's worth a lot of money!" Meng Chao reminded him.
Qin Hu's eyes lit up. He quickly picked up the White Spirit's carcass and tied it tightly to his body.
Right when the four of them ran out of the Red Radiance Jade mine, they heard a shocking explosion behind them. It sounded like a large number of crystals had fallen to the ground from the top of the cave. The super dense spirit energy that was saturated with spirit energy was like magma that licked their soles.
They did not dare to turn their heads around. With the last of their strength, they crawled forward through the winding cracks until their elbows and knees were torn to shreds, and their bones were exposed.
"It's here," Lu Siya said while gasping for breath.
Lu Siya finally stopped. She gasped for breath and said, "Put the remaining crystal bombs here. Then, we might be able to blow up the entire rock stratum and temporarily stop the Red Radiance Jade mine from gushing out!"
In a flurry, the three of them piled up all the crystal bombs together.
When they looked behind them, the narrow crack leading to the Red Radiance Jade mine had already turned a piercing red. It looked like an aquatic dragon baring its fangs and was about to catch up to them at any moment.
"Set the explosion time to three minutes later. Once I tear open the seal, run as fast as you can. The further, the better!" Lu Siya said to Meng Chao and Qin Hu.
Just when she was about to tear open the seal, Lin Chuan stopped her.
He had no idea where he got his strength from, but he broke free from Meng Chao's back and crawled to the crystal bombs.
"No, run. I'll stay and detonate them manually," he said calmly.
"What?"
Meng Chao and the other two were stunned.
"If you do this, you won't be able to blow up the entire rock stratum," Lin Chuan said.
"The rock stratum here is very sturdy. Ahem, if you put the crystal bombs on the surface, you won't be able to blow up a lot of the rock stratum. Even if the wall collapses, there will definitely be a lot of cracks left in the middle. The spirit energy tsunami will still seep through the cracks and catch up to you.
"Someone has to stay behind and use an explosive tool to make a hole in the wall and stuff the crystal bombs into the depths of the rock stratum. Then, ahem, seal them and detonate them from the inside. That's the only way we can blow up the entire rock stratum in one go and temporarily block the spirit energy tsunami inside.
"Let me do it. In the past … Dad taught me how to make holes and detonate them."
"But it's too late!"
Meng Chao cast a glance at the spot where the four of them had fled and said anxiously, "The chain reaction is getting stronger. Big Brother Lin, making holes and detonating them will take a lot of time. Even if you set up the crystal bombs, the spirit flames will burn you to ashes!"
"I know. I'm sorry, Meng Chao. I don't want to run away from responsibility and punishment anymore, but …"
Lin Chuan smiled and extended a trembling index finger to tap his temple gently.
Sticky blood flowed out of the corners of his eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth nonstop, and he could not stop it no matter what.
His vitality magnetic field was also incredibly chaotic and dim. He was like a candle in the wind that would be extinguished at the slightest blow.
"I can't … Ahem, it's impossible for me to crawl for more than ten hours in such a complicated underground environment and escape to the surface. It's better for me to stay here and buy more time for you."
Lin Chuan laughed in a self-deprecating manner and whispered, "Besides, I'm the one who caused all of this. I have to think of a way to redeem myself. Siya said that as long as we don't go past the threshold of the crystal resonance, the spirit energy tsunami might turn into spirit energy dew, which is beneficial to humans.
"I … Ahem, I might not be able to change anything, but you're right, Meng Chao. I have to try. Perhaps we're just a little bit away from the tipping point, and I'm just one insignificant change away from it."
He fumbled about and found the explosive tool.
He hugged the metal rod with the runic symbols carved on it tightly.
It was as if he was hugging his own life.
"Big Brother Lin …" Meng Chao felt the spirit flames burn his eyes again, and his vision became blurry.
"It's a great virtue to know your wrongs and change them. Lin Chuan, you're a f * cking man. I admire you!"
Qin Hu gave him a thumbs up. Then, he tugged at Meng Chao and Lu Siya's sleeves. "Since they're so brave, let's not waste Mr. Lin's kindness. Let's hurry up and run! Why are we wasting time?!"
Meng Chao and Lu Siya's feet looked as if they were stuck to the stone by the sticky liquid from the Stone Statue Fungus. No matter what, they could not move.
"Siya?"
Lin Chuan widened his eyes and called out softly.
Lu Siya turned around and used all her strength to bite down on her forearm. Her teeth sank deep into her flesh, and she forced herself not to make a single sound.
Lin Chuan called out a few times, but he did not get any response. His expression became a little gloomy, but soon, he calmed down.
"I'm sorry, Siya. You forgot about me."
He stopped talking. He tightened his grip around the explosive tool and used all his strength to dig into the wall.
Blood flowed down the dents on the metal rod and activated the spirit energy magnetic field formed by the intersecting runic symbols. It caused the metal rod to vibrate at a high frequency.
Sparks flew, and like an impact drill, it created a shallow hole in the sturdy stone.
The recoil force caused the wounds that had just formed on his body to split open once more. Just looking at it made one's heart wrench in pain.
Lin Chuan's eyelids twitched, but he did not make a sound.
Lu Siya shuddered, and she let go of her bloody arm.
She opened her mouth, but did not know what to say. She searched her body for a long time before she brought out a crystalline pill that was still warm from her inner pocket.
Lu Siya handed the pill to Meng Chao.
Meng Chao smelled the fragrance of a few high-grade superbeast materials.
He knew that this should be the highest grade gene medicine the Lu family had meticulously prepared for the direct descendants. Even though it could not bring the dead back to life, it could at least temporarily activate the potential of life and suppress all pain.
Meng Chao went forward and knelt down on one knee. "Big Brother Lin, open your mouth."
Lin Chuan was as obedient as a child.
He held the pill in his mouth and gulped. Then, he smiled like a child. "It's so sweet."
Lu Siya swayed, and she nearly fell to the ground.
Meng Chao closed his eyes and made up his mind. "Big Brother Lin, we're leaving!"
"Let's go. Trust your idol one last time. I can block the spirit energy tsunami."
Lin Chuan paused for a moment before he asked for confirmation. "Meng Chao, tomorrow will be better, right?"
"That's right."
Meng Chao said firmly. "Tomorrow will definitely be better!"
Before his voice faded away, Kindling shone at the corner of his eyes, and a notification popped up.
[Normal citizen Lin Chuan received your treatment, and his pain has lessened. Increased contribution points by 1.]
Meng Chao was shocked.
He was not a pseudo-heroic citizen or a special citizen.
But right now, Lin Chuan was determined to be a normal citizen by Kindling. Why?
His mind raced, and he understood.
That was right. What Lin Chuan was doing right now was something that any normal Dragon Citizen would do if they ran into him.
'Then, goodbye, idol.
Goodbye, normal citizen Lin Chuan! '
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