The cold wind blew her forehead hair, chilling Xu Qian until goosebumps rose all over her body.
She narrowed her eyes, gazing down into the bottomless blackness, completely unaware of what lay beneath.
After sliding for about five minutes, her vision suddenly brightened.
A thought flickered through Xu Qian's mind, and she unfurled the wings on her back, stabilizing herself.
The girl's brow furrowed. Was this an ice cellar?
Chunks of ice were neatly arranged within the room, with no other entrances.
Could this not be the main entrance?
"Ding, that's correct. The main entrance is heavily guarded. The system recommends the most efficient route for you." kuAiδugg
"Where is the entrance?"
"Ding, the system cannot identify it."
Xu Qian: ...
Just as she was feeling around the ice walls, the boy slid down the passage.
Xu Qian flew over, grabbed him by the collar, and set him down steadily on the ground.
"Xiao Lu, let's look for an entrance."
"Qian'er, after completing this mission, can I absorb crystal cores now?"
Xu Qian turned and glanced at him, noticing that Xu Lu's eyes had turned dark green.
He wanted to be angry but couldn't quite manage it, his expression sullen.
Xu Qian sighed and said, "Yes, but first, behave and complete the mission."
Xiao Ping's green eyes lit up, and he nodded emphatically.
The two searched the ice cellar but found no entrance. Xu Qian's small face was already pale with cold; the temperature in the ice cellar was no joke.
Xiao Ping quietly held her icy-cold hand and whispered, "Let's go up first. Staying here won't help."
Xu Qian shook her head. She had finally managed to get down here.
Besides, the item could only be used once a day. If they went up now, they would have to wait until tomorrow.
Suddenly, a drop of icy water landed on her cheek, sending a chilling sensation through her.
Xu Qian looked up and saw that the ice overhead showed signs of melting, while the ice on the ground remained solid.
Where there's smoke, there's fire.
The girl unfurled her wings and flew up, using her super-powered shovel to smash the melting ice.
The shattered ice clattered down, revealing a sealed ventilation shaft.
Xu Qian reached up and felt the edges of the opening, faintly sensing warmth emanating from within.
A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. It seemed the base was located above.
Xu Qian pried open the ventilation shaft, and the warm air immediately rushed into her nose, causing her to sneeze involuntarily.
Extreme cold, extreme heat – she hadn't adjusted yet.
Hearing the sound, Xiao Ping's expression immediately tensed.
"Qian'er, how is it?"
Xu Qian shook her head, indicating she was fine. "Come up."
The two crawled forward along the passage, and after a while, they found a grated ventilation shaft.
Through the gaps, they could see many people walking back and forth below.
Xu Qian narrowed her eyes slightly and crouched down to observe.
The laboratory was surrounded by piles of ice. People in lab coats were gathered around a test bench, and in the center lay a...
Octopus person?
Its eyes were purple, and its limbs were no longer recognizable as such...
Tentacles were tightly bound, twitching occasionally.
Most people were busy writing reports.
An old man with black hair injected a blue syringe into the octopus person's neck.
Not long after, the octopus person let out a roar, and more limbs began to sprout, two more tentacles growing, which they quickly restrained.
The old man with black hair laughed heartily, appearing quite deranged.
"A new mutant is about to be born, hahahahahaha!"
"Congratulations, Director Huang."
"Congratulations, congratulations."
The old man with black hair stopped laughing, his expression becoming very serious.
"This is all thanks to everyone's efforts. I, Huang Jingming, do not deserve such congratulations!"
"Everyone, let's continue to work hard, shall we?"
The crowd became even more excited, responding in unison.