"This is insane! I've never been so reckless in my entire life!"
Inside the tunnel of the underground reservoir, March 7th patted her chest as if she'd had a terrible fright. That scene just now was simply too crazy, wasn't it?
The few of them had actually fought their way out of that massive crowd. Amidst the sounds of explosions and scattered blood, screams and curses blended into one. With the terrifying damage output from the front line, absolutely no one could stop them. And Stelle, bringing up the rear, was a god-tier bodyguard; anyone who tried to give chase was knocked to the ground with a solid thwack from her bat, falling into a very peaceful slumber.
There was even a big robot that looked like a final boss, with what seemed to be a kid on top of it, but it looked like they just ignored him? It seemed Wende even gave the kid a flick on the forehead on the way past…
Oh well. At any rate, they got in safely. The process wasn't important.
"So… March, can you get off my back now? And your hands…"
Wende looked helplessly at March, who he was carrying on his back. If she hadn't run out of stamina just now, they probably would have arrived here a few minutes earlier.
Then again, has this kid March been infected by Stelle? Her little hands are just as restless! Stelle's eyes over there are practically bulging out! If you don't let go soon, you're going to attract the other wolf!
"Ah…? AH! Sorry! I forgot about that!"
March quickly let go, her face beet red as she scrambled off Wende's back. However, the corner of her mouth seemed to curve up into a slight, uncontrollable smirk…
"Sigh, well, at least we're inside. The road ahead can't be any harder than what we just went through, right?" Himeko said with a sense of resignation. That mad dash just now was truly stimulating. How long had it been since she had caused a ruckus like that?
Smack!
Wende expressionlessly slapped Stelle's little hand away. He glanced at her aggrieved face, then turned to look at March.
"Ehehe…"
March scratched her head, looking a little embarrassed.
"Let's go. According to the map, if we just keep following this path for… uh, a very long distance, we'll reach the bottom of the Legendary Tower."
Dan Heng looked at the notes on the map, rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't mistaken, then silently put the map away and turned to the others.
"Um… Wende, how much food did you bring?"
Seeing Dan Heng's indescribable expression, March decisively turned to Wende.
"If Stelle and March don't have much of an appetite, it's probably enough for one day," Wende said with a shrug.
"Huh? What do you mean we don't have much of an appetite?!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
"The two of you who eat the most shouldn't talk!"
Wende was at his wit's end with these two goofballs. But it was just going hungry. Weren't things the same back in Belobog…?
Right?
Recalling those black bread loaves that were impossible to cut… he suddenly felt that was a bit better than the motor-oil-flavored food here… Being unable to eat something and something being inedible are two different things!
"Let's go. The sooner we resolve the situation on Punklorde, the sooner we can leave this place. The Corporation promised us…"
At this, Himeko gave a deliberate wink.
"They say the buffet at Pier Point is the most luxurious in the universe. We were in a hurry last time we visited the Corporation. If we go this time, we might get to experience it."
Himeko said with a light chuckle.
"Wow! Is it that legendary buffet that gathers delicacies from the entire galaxy?! Just thinking about it gets me all fired up!"
The little foodie March was instantly filled with fighting spirit!
"Er… Let's move."
Seeing this, Wende decisively moved to the very front of the group. He was afraid little March might turn into a berserker, driven by the thought of delicious food.
As if they knew the underground reservoir was a troublesome place, the people from the Cinder Gang didn't pursue them inside. Instead, they reinforced their defenses at the junction, seemingly terrified by the Express crew's surprise attack. Those humanoid monsters were simply impossible for normal people to stop! And they even dared to tease the Boss! They were simply inhumane beasts!
"Wuwuwu… It hurts so much…"
Nolan sat on his big robot, clutching his forehead, his eyes blurry with tears. Wende's forehead flick just now had caused such great psychological trauma to this 10-year-old child!
And it happened in public, right in front of his own underlings! Damn it, damn it, damn it!
Little Nolan gritted his teeth, recalling the figure from before. The next time he saw that detestable guy, he would definitely use his "Titan" to smash him into a pulp!
"Boss, should we still…"
A member of the Cinder Gang stooped and walked to Nolan's side. He glanced at the entrance to the underground reservoir and asked for Nolan's orders.
"Seal it up!"
Nolan clutched his head and left without looking back.
"Yes, sir…"
"Get the cement over here! Seal this whole thing up for me!"
---o---
Drip… Drip…
Water droplets continuously fell from the ceiling of the structure. The inside of the underground reservoir was dark and damp.
Everyone once again put on the masks personally made by Wende, because the musty smell in the reservoir was extremely pungent, and they weren't sure if there were any substances underground that could be a threat to them.
"…No signal."
Dan Heng looked at the perpetually spinning icon on his phone and said to Wende beside him.
"Mm, we should be about two kilometers below the surface here," Wende nodded, guessing based on the detailed notes on the map.
The lights on the tunnel ceiling cast a faint, eerie glow. This reservoir, which had existed since the establishment of the Neon Metropolis, had weathered over a dozen centuries. Its underground network was a complex maze, especially the core of the reservoir…
It was said that the main body of the reservoir was located there, and it was also the "home" of that legendary figure.
Along the way, Wende and the others saw quite a few human skeletons. On Punklorde, it seemed that someone dying was an easy and commonplace affair.
However, judging by the condition of the skeletons, they had probably been here for several hundred years.
Continuing deeper, the group arrived at a level area. This place was five kilometers underground, still some distance from the reservoir itself.
"Ah… how long have we been walking?" Stelle asked March, who was busy playing an offline game.
"Uh, I think it's been almost an hour? What's up?" March scratched her head and put her phone away.
"Oh… how come there aren't even any trash cans here? And no treasure chests either…" Stelle said with a solemn expression, as if she had discovered a very serious problem.
"Ugh, I knew you were thinking about something unreliable."
With dead fish eyes, March shrugged helplessly.