“Hey—Miss, we’ve arrived!”
A shout came from a member of the Drago Family up ahead.
Lin Shu stuck her head out from the flying carriage and looked down.
After a day and night of travel, they had arrived above the underground jungle.
Below was a vast stretch of forest. Strangely, a distinct boundary divided the area—on one side, the trees were lush and green, while on the other, the trees were as red as blood, strikingly conspicuous.
Because of the presence of the Crimson Flower below, all the vegetation in this area had been dyed red.
At the foot of the blood-colored slope, the ground split open, forming a massive black cavern, like a giant beast opening its maw.
That was the entrance to the underground jungle.
Lin Shu glanced around but saw no trace of a large group having passed through, nor any camp set up.
“Lia and the others haven’t arrived yet,” Lin Shu said.
Fortunately, they were ahead.
“No time to lose. Let’s head down,” Sephina turned to give orders to the team members on the vehicle behind.
Soon, a squad of seven or eight gathered at the entrance.
Participating in this operation were not only elite blood clan warriors from the Drago Family but also team members hired by Daphne: a plague doctor wearing a bird-beak mask, and a girl with an eye demon responsible for reconnaissance.
“Heave-ho!” The eye demon girl tugged at her shoulder strap, then was drawn to Lin Shu.
“I’ve heard from the Association that there’s a human among the demons. Never thought I’d actually meet you on this commission! Woohoo~ So lucky!”
Only now did Lin Shu see clearly that under her eyepatch was a special eyeball, like a glass marble, clear and shimmering with starlight.
She curiously studied Lin Shu, suddenly leaning in closer: “Your eyes are really pretty!”
“Eh, really? Thank you…” Lin Shu blinked subconsciously.
“I’m Lulu! Looking forward to working with you this time!” She made a “V” gesture and hopped to the front of the team.
“Miss, allow me to clarify in advance.” The plague doctor in the bird mask bowed politely to Sephina. “My healing arts may be a bit much for a human like her, so please try not to let her get injured.”
“Understood, thank you for the reminder.” Sephina smiled and nodded.
The group looked toward the entrance. The sunken ground stretched deep within, with no end in sight.
From inside came the rushing sound of an underground river, and from time to time, a few shrill bat cries.
Sephina turned to address everyone: “Our goal this time is the Crimson Flower Core. The dangers of the underground jungle are all unknown. Please stay vigilant and watch each other’s backs.”
“Understood!!”
The squad officially set out, stepping into the underground jungle.
The eye demon girl used her special eye, scanning the area. “The underground space is several hundred meters deep and the path is rugged. I’ll lead the way up front.”
The deeper they went, the darker it became, so the warriors at the front and back lit torches.
Underfoot, the ground was covered in moss and weeds that rustled as they walked.
“Hey, little human cutie,” one of the blood clan warriors said, holding a torch and turning to Lin Shu, “You and Miss should walk in the middle. Human bodies are too fragile, not like us—we can regenerate.”
“What did you just call her?” another team member widened their eyes.
“Ah? That’s just what Miss calls her, right?”
A companion gave her an elbow. “That’s Miss’s nickname for her. You can’t call her that!”
“Her name is Lin Shu,” Sephina said with a smile. “You did well, but be careful with your words~”
“Yes, Miss!” The blood clan warrior immediately clenched her fist to her chest, giving a standard salute.
Though the team wasn’t large, the relaxed and friendly atmosphere let Lin Shu’s tense nerves unwind a little.
Suddenly, dense wingbeats and buzzing came from the darkness.
“Look out!” Lulu shouted, “Poison bees! Defend yourselves!”
The wingbeats drew closer, and the “whoosh whoosh whoosh” of countless poisonous stingers rained down from above.
The blood clan warriors quickly plunged their great shields into the ground, a transparent protective barrier springing up.
Poisonous stingers struck, their venom corroding the shield, dissolving it rapidly.
“The shield can’t hold!” she shouted.
Lin Shu looked up and saw the dense swarm of bees ahead. She quickly searched her memory for the underground ecology notes she’d read.
She remembered!
“Fire—they’re afraid of fire!” Lin Shu shouted.
“Move!” A team member strode forward, pulling a wineskin from her pack and taking a swig.
She darted out from behind the shield, held the torch up to the bee swarm, and sprayed a mouthful of wine:
“Boom!!”
The wine turned into a great ball of fire, blasting into the swarm. Clusters of poison bees were instantly scorched and fell to the ground.
A burnt, acrid smell filled the air.
“Where’d you learn that trick, the circus?” the shield-bearer teased.
“What? I just came up with it on the spot.”
With the crisis handled, everyone continued deeper into the underground jungle.
The sound of the dark river had faded, leaving only the occasional drip of water.
The vegetation grew sparser, only the blood-red roots clinging to the stone.
“Is this underground jungle really as dangerous as the legends say?”
“So far, aside from those easy-to-handle poison bees, we haven’t seen any tough monsters.”
Lulu glanced into the distance. “There’s a giant hive ahead—must be the bees’ nest. Everyone, be careful.”
Lin Shu looked around, and by the faint light, spotted a side tunnel a few steps away.
“There’s another path here… woah!!”
She’d only taken two steps when the ground gave way beneath her feet.
“Cutie!” “Lin Shu!!”
As she fell, Lin Shu swiftly summoned [Rose Thorns].
The vines quickly coiled around her waist, anchoring the other end into the rock above.
The vine snapped taut, leaving her dangling and swaying in the air.
The ground she’d just stood on had completely collapsed, red grass and debris raining down to reveal a deeper void below.
That was close. Lin Shu’s heart was pounding.
How could the terrain be like this? It was practically a trap.
It was pitch black all around—she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face.
“We’ll pull you up right away!”
The vine at Lin Shu’s waist tightened, making her sway a little as she hung there, her hand brushing against something.
“Lin Shu, y-you… beside you…” Lulu’s voice came from above, tinged with fear and surprise.
Something was next to her?
Lin Shu tentatively reached out and felt something cold and round. “Huh?”
“Whoosh!”
A teammate above tossed down a torch, which landed right beside the “thing” next to Lin Shu.
Only then did Lin Shu see: what she’d touched was a skull—a horned demon’s skull.
And the “thing” beside her was a mound made entirely of piled skulls.
She was hanging right at the edge of this heap of bones.
This was a pit filled with countless corpses!
“Quick, pull her up!” The other teammates sensed something was wrong and rushed to help.
As soon as they spoke, a strange wail echoed from the depths of the pit below Lin Shu’s feet.