Chapter 3: A Perilous Situation!

  Leaving the office building, the night had grown much thicker. Walking on a quiet and dimly lit path, looking up at the sky, the stars twinkled like diamonds, occasionally seeing neatly arranged lights flashing by in the night sky - that was the Mo Tian Empire's magic warship. Passing by, it looked fierce and proud, but for Xiao Hong's Rain Rong Xing, it was often just a glance of disdain.

  The night wind was slightly cool, and Xiao Hong pulled back his gaze, stood up straight, and inserted his rough hands into his pockets. His lonely and desolate figure gradually disappeared into the darkness.

  Back home, pushing open the simple door, Xiao Hong lifted up the old wooden bed and started searching underneath it, making preparations for entering the extremely dangerous fifth layer of the mine tomorrow.

  Soon, on the ground, a small hill of debris was formed, with a tattered quilted jacket, a pair of moldy thick-soled leather boots, a whetstone and so on.

  After checking everything, I thought for a moment and confirmed that nothing was missing. Then, I picked up the whetstone and started sharpening one end of my frequently used pickaxe, making it sharper. Although this would affect the lifespan of the pickaxe, it would be more effective in breaking through rocks.

  After everything was settled, it was already past ten o'clock at night. However, Xiao Hong did not fall asleep, but stood in front of the bookshelf, his index finger constantly sliding over each book, and after a moment, he took out a book called "About Carrying Stones", then sat down at the desk, starting to carefully search and study it.

  So-called "stone loading" refers to the stone used for carving magic patterns, such as white jade, and also the Sakurazuka stone that Sang Hongyun asked Xiao Hong to find, which is a kind of stone loading.

  Different levels of magic patterns require different carrying stones.

  What Xiao Hong needs to consider now is how to find Sakurai Ishi and the details of mining.

  Xiao Hong, who got out of bed early in the morning, had already put on his cotton-padded jacket and trousers, as well as thick-soled leather boots. His head was also wrapped in a tattered cotton hat, trying to wrap his body as tightly as possible.

  Although the weather in midsummer was already somewhat hot, this layer of cotton clothing could help Xiao Hong resist the scorching heat and a small amount of lava droplets. Of course, if he encountered a large amount of lava, such protection would be negligible, but anyway, it's better than nothing.

  After taking two of his own painkillers, Xiao Hong picked up the hoe and a small cloth bag he had prepared, and walked out the door. Before leaving, he glanced back at the furnishings in his home, wondering if he would ever be able to return again. He had lived in this broken-down house for three years, and it was impossible for him not to have any feelings about it.

  In the luxurious reception room of the office building, the sun's rays, through the bright windows, spread throughout the room, making everything look so clean and so magnificent.

  Sang Hongyun was sitting in front of the office desk, holding a knife and fork, with a delicate steak, a sunny-side up egg with a clear distinction between the yolk and white, and a cup of steaming hot milk in front of him.

  "Lord Sang, we are a poor and remote village with limited food options. Our hospitality is not good enough, please forgive us. I have already sent someone to Taowu City to purchase food for you." Chief Xu Qing slightly bowed his head and said respectfully.

  Sang Hongyun didn't say anything, lightly cutting off a small piece of beef and putting it in his mouth, with an even expression that made it difficult for people to detect his true thoughts from his demeanor, always giving the feeling of being deep and not revealing.

  "Hmm, didn't expect that kid to be quite experienced." Through the bright window, looking at Xiao Hong who was wrapped up warmly, carrying a sharp pickaxe, quickly crossing the empty space in front of him, heading towards the mine on the mountain waist, Sang Hongyun said softly, then ignored him and picked up the milk beside him, taking a small sip.

  "Listening to your tone, don't you think that kid will succeed?" Xu Qing asked extremely cautiously.

  Sang Hongyun did not respond, his expression remained calm and serene.

  Very skilled at drilling into the mine, Xiao Hong saw Li Le and several companions standing in a layer of the mine, then shining his eyes and asking Xiao Hong: "Hey, Brother Hong, wasn't Master Sang received you yesterday? Wow, that's the famous Sang Hongyun! You're so lucky!"

  Xiao Hong glanced at Li Le's curious face, but didn't say a word. He quickly walked towards the second floor, while Li Le followed behind him, asking this and that.

  His relationship with Xiao Hongping is still very close, at least compared to other miners. The main reason is that he and Xiao Hong were in the same batch entering Dongcheng Quarry. At that time, as a newcomer, Li Le was often bullied, and Xiao Hong had helped him out. In his impression, Xiao Hong was a bit introverted and didn't like to communicate with people, which was completely opposite to his personality.

  Until he followed Xiao Hong to the third floor of the mine, Li Le didn't ask a single question. However, Li Le still wouldn't give up and continued: "Hong Ge, what did Sang Hongyun want from you yesterday?"

  Xiao Hong still didn't respond, and instead looked towards the entrance of the fourth floor. The heat wave had dissipated, but in the mine on the fourth floor, there were only a few fixed hours every day when it was in a dormant period. Therefore, no matter what happened, Xiao Hong must return during this time, otherwise he would definitely die. And there was another prerequisite: that he could come out of the fifth floor alive.

  "Go and get me a bucket of clear water." Xiao Hong suddenly turned his head and said to Li Le.

  "Ah." Li Le responded with great satisfaction, then loudly ordered his companions behind him: "Go, bring a bucket of clear water over to Brother Hong."

  When the clear water arrived, Xiao Hong directly poured it from head to toe, giving himself a refreshing coolness. Without hesitation, he immediately went down to the fourth floor. A wave of hot air rushed towards him, but Xiao Hong didn't mind. With a serious expression, he led the way with his pickaxe, quickly navigating through the fourth floor. Although his physical condition wasn't great, his footsteps remained steady.

  After seven or eight minutes of walking, Xiao Hong arrived at the entrance of the fifth floor. Looking down, he saw a sea of heat waves and lava flows everywhere, just like a huge furnace, with temperatures of at least 50 degrees Celsius or higher.

  What's more important is that underground magma may erupt at any time, irregularly, possibly in one or two hours, or possibly in one or two minutes.

  Once erupted, Xiao Hong will surely have no bones left.

  So the fifth layer is more like a natural underground cave than a mine tunnel. People dug to this point, saw what was below and stopped digging.

  If it were in the past, Xiao Hong would never have set foot in it, but now, if he doesn't enter, he will definitely die, and if he enters, there might still be hope.

  He tied one end of the rope to the top of the rock pillar, then grasped the rope tightly, gritted his teeth and jumped into the fifth floor. The whole process was very decisive, without any hesitation or delay.

  Hmph.

  Just as Xiao Hong's feet stood on the fifth floor, a faint white smoke formed under his feet, and the sound of cooking food was emitted. The smell of burnt food also entered Xiao Hong's nostrils, and the wet cotton clothes began to emit white steam. His face felt scorching hot.

  Xiao Hong's eyes, however, were exceptionally calm at this moment, without revealing a hint of panic. He quickly scanned his surroundings and then swiftly walked forward, dodging the lava flows while spreading out a small cloth bag and sprinkling handfuls of white ash on the wall surface.

  According to yesterday's study of the book, Xiao Hong knew that the Sakuraishi stone, which is covered with ordinary rocks, is difficult to be detected by the naked eye. However, it has a characteristic, that is, the original stone has an extremely strong adsorption capacity. So Xiao Hong thought of this method.

  Where the whitewash does not peel off on the wall, there may be a cherry blossom stone.

  About five minutes had passed, Xiao Hong had already gone deep into the fifth floor, his wet body had dried up, and he only felt a burning sensation on his skin. The thick soles of his boots also showed signs of melting, and every step forward would leave a black footprint.

  "Hurry up, hurry up." Xiao Hong's heart kept sending out such a voice, he was very clear that he couldn't survive for long in this environment.

  "Huh?"

  Xiao Hong's expression suddenly changed, and he saw that the white ash sprinkled on the dark brown rock wall had suddenly formed a palm-sized white mark, without any ash falling off.

  "This." Xiao Hong only made this sound, then suddenly squatted down, quickly lifted the sharp hoe, and lightly tapped it a few times on top. A faint green light entered Xiao Hong's field of vision.

  "This is Sakurai Ishi!"

  Xiao Hong didn't hesitate much, and squatted down to start digging a groove on the edge of the white mark at an extremely fast speed. Then he increased his strength and chiseled it out with all his might, trying to dig out this piece of sakura stone as quickly as possible. He was very clear that this was not a place to stay for long, and as long as he had this piece of sakura stone, he would have the hope of survival.

  Soon, as Xiao Hong increased his strength, the recessed groove on the edge of the white mark formed a crack. Now all Xiao Hong had to do was to completely pry it off and then leave this haunted place.

  However, at this moment, Xiao Hong's expression changed slightly, and he felt his feet suddenly start shaking violently.

  Rumble!

  After a loud roar, Xiao Hong saw that in the distance, in the direction they had come from, a huge orange-red flame column suddenly burst forth, like a ferocious beast, which was magma erupting from the ground.

  "Oh no." Xiao Hong couldn't help but exclaim, his face turning pale. He looked again and saw the rolling lava rushing towards him like a ferocious flood.

  Below the entrance he came in through, a river of lava instantly formed and rolled towards him.

  There is no doubt that this is what Xiao Hong is most worried about. In this situation, the possibility of escape has almost zero!

  In just one more minute, no, only thirty seconds, Xiao Hong would be swallowed up by the lava and die without a whole body!

  The situation is extremely critical!

  At this time, Xiao Hong saw such a scene, his expression was stern but not flustered. He gritted his teeth and used force to pry the cherry blossom stone from the rock wall with the crowbar inserted in the gap. Holding the stone, Xiao Hong got up and rushed frantically towards the depths of the fifth floor!

  Whether this action is an instinct or Xiao Hong wants to live a little longer, in short, Xiao Hong just wants to get away from the surging magma.

  In the blink of an eye, the scorching magma was less than a hundred meters away from Xiao Hong. He could feel the rolling heat wave behind him, and the cotton clothes on his back had already been scorched.

  Fifty meters, thirty meters!

  Looking at the approaching magma behind him, Xiao Hong, who was running wildly, flashed a desperate whisper: "Is it going to end like this?"

  But at this moment, Xiao Hong, who was desperate, suddenly changed his expression!

  PS: Today officially got on the right track, two chapters 7000 words, seeking recommendations, seeking collection.

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