The bloody scent in Xie Jianxun’s nasal cavity lingered persistently.
Even after he rinsed the wound with bottled water and washed his bloodied hands, the smell remained.
During the rest period, he needed to replenish his energy. He rummaged through his Light Brain Space and unexpectedly found a pack of energy bars, though he couldn’t remember when he’d bought them.
After a moment of recollection, Xie Jianxun suddenly realized.
It was that morning before departure—Yiwen had handed him a packed bag. On top was his breakfast egg sandwich for the day, and he hadn’t checked the contents below before tossing the whole thing into his Light Brain Space.
So it was Yiwen who had prepared them.
He lowered his head, smiled, and asked, “I’ve got energy bars here. Want one?”
You Liang replied, “I don’t eat anything under three digits.”
Xie Jianxun: “…”
He said that, but the man still walked over honestly enough and took an energy bar, shoving it into his mouth.
“By the way, do you go out into the wilds often?” Xie Jianxun turned his head and chatted with You Liang.
You Liang tacitly admitted it, buzzing as he spoke, “Going out into the wilds is fun—it’s my favorite extracurricular activity. Why shouldn’t I come out?”
Xie Jianxun recalled their first meeting and found it hard to believe. “But when we first met, you seemed to really hate being thrown into the wilderness?”
You Liang paused for a moment before stammering, “Because before, there were always a bunch of people with me, and I never had to worry about anything. This time… uh… I failed too many classes, so my dad confiscated all my bodyguards and said he wanted me to taste the wilderness alone.”
Xie Jianxun: “…”
This father-son duo both had real adventurous spirits.
You Liang said listlessly, “My goal right now is just to not fail any classes. Oh, and to get out of this damn cave.”
A faint vibration rumbled again, and the two rolled to their feet from the ground.
The movement tugged at the wound on his leg, making Xie Jianxun draw in a slight breath.
“They’re back?!” You Liang tilted his head to listen, frowning as he spoke.
No way, Xie Jianxun cried inwardly. Were they really this unlucky?
“Go, go, go.” You Liang grabbed Xie Jianxun’s arm and yanked him backward. The two retreated tensely and cautiously, but the vibrations grew more pronounced, drawing closer and closer.
At the end of the tunnel, the silhouette of a Giant Mining Beast appeared.
Behind his Night Vision Goggles, Xie Jianxun’s eyes widened as he sucked in a breath.
You Liang also made out its outrageous appearance, his voice trembling slightly. “W-What the hell is that thing?”
“Deeply crystallized Giant Mining Beast. Move.”
In his Earmic, Xie Jianxun heard Idis urging him to get away immediately. Without thinking, he asked, “Can’t we kill it?”
The electronic eye on the Earmic flashed with red light and responded calmly, “Observe its head—most of it is encased in crystals. It’s a Mutant Mining Beast; regular bullets can’t penetrate that outer shell.”
Xie Jianxun immediately understood. No wonder a stack of ordinary Mineral Beasts had rushed past earlier—this tough killer god had been waiting behind them!
The Giant Mining Beast lumbered slowly toward the other end, and the two humans sighed in unison with relief.
The next second, as if it had heard their voices, the beast’s head snapped around abruptly.
Xie Jianxun’s heart leaped into his throat as he nudged You Liang.
You Liang nodded. They prepared to flee at any moment—but they feared one thing above all.
If they dove deeper into the cave to evade this beast, their frantic running might make it impossible to find even this fork in the road!
…Though honestly, they were already lost enough that a little more disorientation probably wouldn’t matter.
Both sides were locked in a standoff. They didn’t move, and neither did the beast.
Its front hooves, wrapped in crystallized bodies, had twisted toward their position.
You Liang squeezed the words through gritted teeth. “Run?”
Xie Jianxun calculated—they were both wearing Exoskeletons, so they should be able to outpace it.
He nodded. “Run.”
The instant they turned to flee, the Giant Mining Beast moved as well.
It lifted its head from the ground, as if catching a faint whiff of blood in the air that ignited its fierce attack instinct. It pawed at the cave wall with its front hooves twice before charging straight at them.
Its speed was even faster than the previous Mineral Beasts!
No wonder it hadn’t bothered hurrying after the ordinary ones escaping ahead—chasing them was effortless!
“Holy shit, what is this thing!”
As they ran, You Liang couldn’t hold back and yelled. They were already spotted anyway, so a little noise didn’t matter. “How is it running so fast? We can’t shake it even with the Exoskeletons?!”
Xie Jianxun shouted back, “It’s mutated!”
“Did it get brain-eaten by bugs too?! Why else would it chase us—we’re not even on its menu!”
Bug-brained or not, that beast had locked onto them now!
For the first time, Xie Jianxun was chased like this. His breathing grew ragged, his heart pounded, and he had to squeeze out more of his own power to boost their escape speed.
He hadn’t felt this cornered since getting the Exoskeleton!
The two raced through a long tunnel at sports-car acceleration, took a sharp turn, and plunged into another fork.
They stumbled along the way, accumulating minor scrapes. The sharp turns and branches were especially plentiful—this was a natural underground mineral labyrinth.
A violent crashing sound echoed from behind as the beast caught up but smashed into the wall on the turn.
But given the hardness of its forehead, that impact was just a drizzle.
Xie Jianxun yelled, “Fork!”
You Liang roared, “I’m not blind! Which way?”
No time to choose— just run!
Xie Jianxun picked one at random with his eyes closed. His limbs suddenly lightened as Idis took control of his body!
You Liang twisted his head back stubbornly. “Really can’t kill it?”
Xie Jianxun was sweating bullets from his nose. “Really, really! Look at its temples—wrapped so thick… That crystal grew like armor!”
A beep sounded from somewhere.
Xie Jianxun’s ears were sharp—perhaps because he wasn’t controlling his body right now, his attention focused outward.
He sensed it keenly. “What was that sound?”
You Liang panted as he ran, his bangs soaked with sweat on his forehead. He was clearly exhausted. They didn’t know how long they’d been fleeing; they only knew the vibrations trailed relentlessly behind.
He didn’t react at first to Xie Jianxun’s words.
A moment later, he snapped back. “What’d you say?”
Xie Jianxun affirmed, “There’s a notification sound!”
You Liang: “What notification in this godforsaken hole?” But he’d already slowed down, and Xie Jianxun noticed his abnormal state—too much sweat on his face!
With the Exoskeleton assisting his muscles, how was he this tired?
It hit him instantly. “Your Exoskeleton!”
You Liang froze.
He fumbled in panic to twist open the function display on his arm, only to find it had just a sliver of power left.
“Mine…” He couldn’t speak. “My Exoskeleton… is gonna… run out of power…”
Without power, he’d be a useless burden in the tunnel—one who couldn’t run, the most likely prey for the beast.
He glanced at Xie Jianxun.
The Little Adventurer had slowed too, his face hidden behind the Night Vision Goggles, expression unreadable.
After a moment, he said gravely, “How long can it hold?”
You Liang: “…Less than ten minutes.”
They had to avoid prolonged Exoskeleton use, no more sprinting—they needed a spot to hide from the pursuit… Why was it still chasing? The blood scent?
As Xie Jianxun pondered seriously, You Liang’s heart sank.
He closed his eyes briefly, fully understanding his companion’s mindset.
Who’d want to drag along a deadweight who couldn’t run?
If they stayed out of pity, wouldn’t they both get smashed by the beast?
With that thought, he shoved Xie Jianxun away and hissed, “Get the hell out of here!”
Xie Jianxun stumbled from the push, eyes wide. “…W-What?”
You Liang snapped irritably, “What are you doing! You wanna watch me die here? Got nothing better to do?!”
Xie Jianxun was baffled. “How are you dying? I’m still thinking of a way…”
“What way? Gonna swap your Exoskeleton battery with mine?”
The words slipped out, and Xie Jianxun paused before frantically searching his Exoskeleton main unit, opening it to check, then closing it.
You Liang: “…What are you doing?”
The Little Adventurer’s temper flared too. “What else? Looking for a spare battery! You think I’d just stand here doing nothing?!”
His soft voice turned unyieldingly firm in that moment—a tone no one present or absent had ever heard. Everyone froze in place.
“Worst case, we fight it head-on. It’s just a big, tough beast. I don’t believe its skull has zero gaps!”
As he spoke, his arm shook, and the gun dropped straight into Xie Jianxun’s elbow crook. With a cold face, he pulled back the safety.
You Liang’s lips trembled; he couldn’t speak.
“You said… it’s really hard to kill…”
“Find the gaps—we can hit them. That shell isn’t seamless iron… just small targets.” Xie Jianxun took a deep breath, squeezed his eyes shut hard. His hands shook too. “It’s not like I haven’t shot before…”
“We can’t even shoot.”
Xie Jianxun’s eyes snapped open. “Why not?”
You Liang blinked in confusion. “I didn’t say anything!”
From the Earmic, Idis said coldly, “Out of bullets.”
At that moment, the beast reappeared before them, its crystals scraping the walls with a teeth-grating screech.
The electronic eye flashed, red light flaring brightly to illuminate the space ahead of them.
“Go forward, left turn. Scanned a larger chamber.”
The mechanic’s voice was nearly distorted—maybe signal issues or something. Xie Jianxun could barely make it out.
“There might be natural rocks inside to hide behind. Try it first.”
Xie Jianxun grabbed You Liang and ran forward without a word.
You Liang said nothing either, squeezing the last of his Exoskeleton’s power. He took the lead, shaking off Xie Jianxun’s hand and grabbing his elbow instead. “Forward?”
The two stumbled awkwardly into a small corner.
Sure enough, the space ahead brightened—they’d entered a relatively spacious stone chamber!
Before they could find a hiding spot, they realized the beast hadn’t followed. It seemed to prowl at the chamber entrance for a moment before lumbering away slowly.
The vibrations from the ground weakened, and You Liang’s Exoskeleton automatically disengaged.
He braced his arm against a nearby rock and finally exhaled heavily.
“The second I get back, I’m cramming for exams.”
You Liang thought expressionlessly, “This has to be punishment for failing too many classes.”
Xie Jianxun also found a spot to prop himself up. After disengaging the Exoskeleton, waves of delayed soreness hit him, nearly overwhelming.
He slowly sat on the ground, feeling the wound on his calf had split open, sending continuous sharp stabs of pain. He had plenty of minor scrapes too, from carelessness earlier.
By contrast, after Idis silently took over his body later, those small bumps and bruises stopped.
Thinking of that, Xie Jianxun felt a thief-like guilt.
He quietly raised his hand to cover the Earmic, playing ostrich to hide from the electronic eye.
You Liang saw him covering his ear and found it odd. “What are you doing? Did your ear get hurt?”
Xie Jianxun didn’t know if it was hurt, but he heard an ambiguous chuckle from the Earmic.
Low and deep. Unknowingly, Xie Jianxun’s earlobes heated up.
The Little Adventurer was speechless for a long while before deflecting, “Let’s rest first and figure out next steps…”
He realized the vibrations were intensifying again.
But this vibration felt different from before—larger amplitude, slower overall rhythm.
Like some colossal thing was lumbering back to its nest along the tunnel.
“Go.”
It was too late. The two looked up in panic to see a pair of glowing yellow eyes peering into the chamber from outside, fixing on them.
