NOVEL NEXT Chapter 278: Miracle?
Lin Yue lay in the tent on a wooden bed, listening to the gurgling sound of water outside. He never thought he would witness nightfall in the Underground Ruins.
Or more specifically, to experience nightfall in this Ice Lizard Cave, heralding the impending disaster.
Lin Yue once tried to progress from Zone F towards what seemed to be another passage, only to find it blocked by an enormous boulder, making passage impossible.
The path was completely sealed.
After returning to the Ice Lizard Cave from Zone F, Lin Yue attempted another method.
By communicating with the Little Ice Lizards living here through Black Dot and others, Lin Yue was able to use a Diamond Iron Pickaxe to open the solid ice.
Then, he dug for a while with the Diamond Iron Pickaxe, but ultimately realized that without the help of an Exoskeleton, it was impossible to remove such a massive amount of earth and stone and restore the passage to its original state.
The volume was just way too much.
"It should still be daytime outside... But if I start digging now towards my Shelter, I fear I wouldn't reach there even by tomorrow?"
The Storage Space had just over a hundred cubic meters, not enough to hold much sand, stone, or bricks. Even if making multiple trips to Zone F, it still wouldn't be enough time.
Unless...
Unless Bai and Xiao Meng noticed something wrong and cleared the bricks in search of him...
Not a single Ancient Secret Realm Gate appeared, at least in Zone F, that was indeed the case.
Wait, could Black Dot and the others send a message?
Even if C Zone collapsed, there should be a reaction from behind the door, right? Should I try?
Lin Yue quickly got up.
He couldn't just lie down like this.
He had to save himself!
Lying down wasn't in his nature.
Lin Yue didn't immediately pack up the tent. The Little Ice Lizards seemed very interested in the tent, constantly crawling over and around it, so he just let them play.
"Black Dot, Green Claw, Little Six, Red Line, you guys eat something to restore your strength; we need to save ourselves!"
The Little Ice Lizards under his command immediately perked up, following Lin Yue into the ice cave he had chiseled open.
"If possible, you guys break through to the passage on our Shelter side and inform Bai and Xiao Meng!" Lin Yue said, secretly giving them some energy bars, stuffing them directly into their mouths.
"Squeak squeak!" The Little Ice Lizards were full of energy. Although they were tired from half a day's battle, after a good rest in the river and eating a lot, their spirits were quite rejuvenated.
Hearing Lin Yue's command, they immediately began looking for gaps in the passage Lin Yue had opened, using both their front and back legs to carve a pathway out!
Meanwhile, Lin Yue didn't stop. He found that although the top of the passage had fallen with the bricks, the main structure wasn't damaged and there were many gaps between the bricks.
If the Little Ice Lizards could inform Bai and Xiao Meng, and if both sides worked hard...
Maybe, just maybe, a passage could be created!
Lin Yue swung the Diamond Iron Pickaxe, striking with all his might!
...
It's unclear how much time passed.
Lin Yue had lost track of how many times he had collected brick debris blocking the passage into Storage Space or thrown them into the open area of Zone F.
The Little Ice Lizards went off and didn't return, no matter which route was taken.
The buried area in Underground Ruins C Zone had been cleared up to the fork leading to the Shelter, and although there was still some distance to the Underground Ruins Stone Gate, the progress was significant.
"Squeak, squeak!" Suddenly, as Lin Yue had just stored a large boulder in Storage Space, a much-needed sound erupted!
"Little Six!" Lin Yue joyously watched as the dust-covered Little Six emerged from a gap!
Little Six scurried to his side, looking quite exhausted.
"Here, have some water and food!" Lin Yue quickly prepared food and drinks for the little guy. Shortly after, Black Dot and the others also returned one after the other.
"Did you contact Bai and Xiao Meng?" Setting down the food and water again, he quickly asked.
The Little Ice Lizards, upon hearing the names Bai and Xiao Meng, fervently nodded before devouring the food.
Lin Yue noticed their little claws were stained with blood, indicating the journey was not easy.
However, with Bai and Xiao Meng on their way...
"Boom!" At that moment, Lin Yue heard a dull sound coming from afar, exactly in the direction of the Shelter!
Then, the dull sound echoed again!
Are they coming?
Lin Yue picked up the Diamond Iron Pickaxe again and fiercely began chiseling at the large rocks.
Very quickly, the Storage Space filled up, and he returned to Zone F to unload the large amount of material, repeating the process a few times, quickly exhausting his physical strength.
A hundred cubic meters can only hold so much, and human stamina is equally limited.
Combat doesn't consume much energy, but this repetitive mechanical labor takes far more than a battle could.
Lin Yue gritted his teeth, persisting.
He glanced at the system panel for a moment.
There were five hours left until disaster struck—midnight.