novelsite Chapter 13 Desperate Situation
Chapter 13 Desperate Situation
The SUV roared to a stop in a desolate mountain valley, followed closely by the armored bus.
Located on the eastern side of the Blackthorn Forest mountain range, the entrance to the Star Moon Mine is hidden in a recess in the mountain wall.
This site was once the largest heartstone mine in the country, with mining entirely handled by "Star Moon Heavy Industries". Now it has been abandoned for decades, with only the broken and rusted closed gate remaining, exuding a deathly chill in the miasma.
Pushing open the dilapidated door, a stench of decay and rust hit you.
The rock face was covered with bizarre, fleshy, vein-like creatures. The dead parts were shriveled and blackened, crumbling at the slightest touch like burnt charcoal. Dark purple, foul-smelling slime from the rubble remained in the cracks underfoot, making it sticky and slippery.
"roar--!"
Just a hundred meters into the mine, a deafening roar came from the depths of darkness. More than a hundred filthy beasts charged forward in a dark mass, their fangs bared and saliva mixed with venom dripping down, corroding the ground and leaving black spots.
"First and second-tier trash beasts, I'll kill as many as you come!" Zhou Siyuan grinned as he charged forward, his arm muscles bulging as he lifted two canine beasts, each half a person's height, and rammed them together.
With a muffled thud, the beast's brains splattered, and its foul-smelling purple blood splattered all over him.
Under the overwhelming force of the second level of the Meridian Opening Realm, the filthy beast blocking his way was instantly torn to shreds.
Zhou Siyu shrank behind him, her face no longer showing any composure, her eyes revealing a fierce ruthlessness. The dagger in her hand stabbed out from time to time like a venomous snake, targeting the beast's eye sockets, throat and other vital points. Every strike was precise and ruthless.
The other three people Lin Fan brought were no ordinary fighters either; all of them possessed the combat power of the Meridian Opening Realm. The three of them formed a triangular formation at the very front of the group, and amidst the flashing swords, the roars of the filthy beasts and the sounds of corpses crashing to the ground rose and fell.
With these four formidable figures leading the way, Lin Fan and Teacher Zhao didn't even need to make a move. The students could simply stay in the back and eliminate any remaining filthy beasts.
"It's so great to have a powerful backer. If we were alone, we'd be devoured by those filthy beasts, leaving not even bones behind!"
A student from Class C wiped the cold sweat from his face, his tone full of relief.
Li Ai stood in the crowd, her face as pale as paper, a metallic taste rising in her throat.
Zhou Siyuan's punch wasn't serious, but it still injured her quite badly; the difference in their cultivation levels was truly insurmountable.
She moved quietly, her eyes scanning her surroundings quickly, trying to find a branch in the mine tunnel as an escape route.
Lin Fan seemed to sense something, turned to her and smiled broadly: "Junior, trying to run away? Do you think your senior will let you?"
Damn!
Li Ai clenched her fist tightly, her nails digging deep into her palm, using the stinging pain to counteract the panic in her heart.
What do you mean by "using any means necessary"? Faced with absolute force and power, even if she, a small fry, were to become desperate, she would be no threat at all!
As the team ventured deeper into the mine, several forks appeared in the tunnel.
Zhou Siyuan volunteered to lead half of the group to the left, while the three people brought by Lin Fan also led other students to clear out the various branch paths, ostensibly to "improve efficiency."
In the end, Lin Fan was left with only Li Ai and eight freshmen who looked nervous, trembling, and unable to even hold their weapons steady.
At the end of the mine tunnel is an open platform, in the center of which stands a rusty elevator shaft.
A slightly chubby young man stepped forward and patted the controller next to him. The display screen was completely black. He shook his head and said, "The elevator is broken. Below is a hundred-meter-deep lower mine shaft. The miasma is thicker, and the filthy beasts are more ferocious, but they can't climb up."
"In that case, let's go back and rejoin the others." Just as Lin Fan finished speaking, a frantic cry for help came from afar: "Help! There's a fifth-tier corrupted beast here!"
"Someone's in danger! Go check it out!" Lin Fan's expression changed, and he rushed out instantly, his white figure quickly disappearing into the darkness of the mine tunnel.
Seeing this, the other students quickly followed, afraid of being left behind and encountering the evil beast. For a moment, only Li Ai was left in the same spot.
Li Ai was stunned.
He... just left like that?
Just as a glimmer of hope for escape ignited in her heart, her body suddenly froze on the spot, as if her limbs and bones were nailed down, unable to move an inch.
Several invisible energy nails silently struck her acupoints, carrying the unique energy fluctuations of the Meridian Opening Realm.
"Spiritual Technique: Bone-Piercing Nail?!" Li Ai's heart sank.
Having practiced spirituality before, she naturally recognized its methods.
"Not much strength, but quite knowledgeable." A familiar voice came from the corner. Zhou Siyu emerged from behind the crack in the rock, her gentle mask completely torn off, leaving only a twisted and ferocious expression.
She held a jade pendant in her hand, radiating spiritual light and full of spiritual energy; it was from this pendant that she emitted spiritual magic.
"Hehe~ Brother Lin Fan doesn't want to get his hands dirty, and he has someone around him to provide an alibi, so even if the Zhenlong Division comes, they can't do anything about it."
"No one will know who killed you. You won't even leave a corpse behind. We'll throw you down to feed the filthy beasts later."
"Senior Li, your death is nigh!"
Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Siyu made a sudden move, her dagger flashing coldly as she plunged it into Li Ai's abdomen without hesitation!
"Sizzle—"
The sound of the blade piercing flesh was ear-piercing, and blood gushed out instantly, staining Li Ai's clothes red, dripping down the hem, and pooling into a small pool of blood on the ground.
One cut, another cut, and yet another.
The pungent smell of blood permeated the mine. Zhou Siyu seemed determined to kill Li Ai, stabbing her not-so-fatal abdomen with each blow, almost disemboweling her.
A tearing pain shot through her abdomen, causing Li Ai's body to convulse. Cold sweat instantly soaked through her clothes, and a strong, metallic taste rose in her throat, with crimson liquid spilling from the corner of her mouth.
"Why...why?" The excruciating pain made Li Ai's vision go black, and her voice trembled involuntarily.
She struggled to move her hands, grabbing Zhou Siyu's shoulders, her wine-red eyes filled with resentment and confusion.
"Why?" Zhou Siyu tilted her head slightly, deliberately showing an innocent look, and playfully stuck out her tongue, but her eyes hid a bone-chilling mockery: "Of course it's because you're blocking the way."
"Do you still remember Guo Xia, the young master of the Guo family?"
Guo Xia...
A memory flashed through Li Ai's mind: the cold winter ten years ago, the boy covered in wounds who hid in the backyard of her family's wine shop to avoid trouble.
She gave him a bowl of hot porridge and a few pieces of homemade pear blossom candy, and took him in for two days; that was all.
"Hehe, looks like you've remembered." Zhou Siyu suddenly twisted the hilt of the knife, and the ripped wound sent a piercing pain through her.
"You really think you can rise to the top with this cliché 'damsel in distress' story? You don't actually believe you can use that to become a socialite, do you?"
She scoffed, her tone full of disdain: "Do you think a marriage alliance between a powerful and wealthy family would tolerate a lowly commoner like you interfering?"
"Sister Weiwei and Guo Xia are already engaged. This is a bargaining chip for the Guo and Lin families to consolidate their positions. You're stuck in the middle; what are you if not an obstacle?"
Zhou Siyu leaned close to Li Ai's ear, her voice soft yet venomous: "If you die, when Guo Xia returns from Bingyan Fortress, all he'll see is a cold, lifeless corpse. He'll naturally give up, and Weiwei's engagement will be secure. As for you? You're nothing but a forgotten piece of trash."