novelraw Chapter 94 : Sultry Red Forest
Chapter 94 : Sultry Red Forest
Inside the blue crystals, red light flickered as fire attribute energy gathered. As the five Zhu Jing Fu mechas walked past, they could feel the energy contained within.
The cave was dark, with the mechas' light devices casting circular spots on the stone walls.
The five members of Zhu Jing Fu stopped near the snow melting stones. Zhou Chen's mecha reached out, cautiously touching one.
"Ouch..." he inhaled softly.
"This thing looks icy cold, but it feels so hot!"
As he spoke, his fingertip briefly touched the snow melting stone's surface, then quickly pulled back. Inside the cockpit, he couldn't help but blow on his finger, looking quite comical.
"It looks like snow melting stone," Chen Sui bent down and carefully examined the crystal growing from the stone wall. Within the blue crystal was a distinct red line. When touched, the red line diffused, and a burning sensation spread from the fingertips.
"How strange."
Chen Sui frowned, somewhat confused: "Snow melting stones usually grow in cold environments. They have hard shells that can withstand intense energy pressure and are a mecha damage-resistance material. The Sultry Red Forest has enormous advantages in fire and wood attribute energy—how could there be a snow melting stone mine here?"
The possibility of snow melting stones growing here wasn't non-existent, but it was extremely small. Chen Sui felt something was abnormal.
But upon careful inspection of the snow melting stones, she didn't discover any other issues. Because it hadn't been subjected to water attribute energy washing, it didn't form the unique ice crystal core of snow melting stones, but rather a mutated fire crystal core. This material no longer possessed the advantageous ice crystal damage resistance characteristics.
In other words, the mutated snow melting stone was somewhat like waste material, with unclear performance and values.
The Border Army would typically take samples out for testing, and only after approval would they conduct large-scale clearing.
Zhu Jing Fu was different. Even though this snow melting stone looked like waste material, in a situation where they hadn't found snow bud branches in the Sultry Red Forest, they weren't picky.
Upon hearing Chen Sui describe this thing's effect, Zhou Chen immediately started mining. The ore extended deep into the stone wall, and his Four-sided Mace had to strike for quite a while before breaking off a piece.
"This thing should be useful, right?"
Chen Sui looked at what he had excavated. Although the snow melting stone lacked an ice crystal core and had instead mutated to grow a fire crystal core, it might have special properties. Digging it up wouldn't be a loss, but not digging it might be. While the spatial button still had room, she nodded: "Dig away."
Better to have it than not.
Seeing her nod, Zhou Chen immediately rushed forward, frantically searching for traces of snow melting stone in the stone walls. He was extremely enthusiastic about mining.
The rest of Zhu Jing Fu followed behind, walking forward along the sloping mine tunnel that clearly extended underground.
[This coordinate refresh is for—]
The five members of Zhu Jing Fu in the pitch-black mine tunnel stopped in their tracks. Zhou Chen halted his stone wall hammering, and the violent sound of rock collision and vibration ceased. All five could hear the system announcement.
Just as they were curious, the signal light on Chen Sui's mecha flashed several times.
[4702 (912, 455)]
"Oh? It's me."
Chen Sui tossed the snow melting stone into her spatial button and looked up at her teammates.
"It's our turn, but we'll have to wait another three hours. Can't they refresh Golden Tower instead?"
Sighing helplessly, Zhou Chen continued hammering on the stone wall with loud clangs. "Why is this stone so! So! Hard to dig!!"
After complaining about the uselessness of the newly refreshed coordinates, he turned back to cutting the snow melting stone, but was surprised to find that this ore had almost grown together with the stone wall and was completely uncuttable.
The snow melting stone continued to emit high temperatures, with blue halos rippling outward, extremely conspicuous in the dark cave, casting circles of blue light on the surrounding mechas.
Chen Sui looked back and saw Zhou Chen holding Puluo's dual scythes, striking the stone wall, which seemed to be shaking slightly.
The surrounding stones moved toward the direction of the snow melting stone's growth, pressing gradually like teeth coming together, biting the snow melting stone tighter and tighter. The stones were pulled, all converging toward the snow melting stone's position.
This change caused the surrounding stone walls to begin shaking violently, with stones split by the snow melting stone's position breaking apart in large sections.
The entire cave began to shake violently, as if the mountain cave had been split open. Cracks appeared throughout and continued to spread.
Chen Sui saw cracks appearing where Zhou Chen was prying, and instinctively sensed something was wrong.
Xie Chunshi's voice immediately sounded in the team channel: "Watch your mecha propulsion, leave the ground!"
With the Team Leader's command, all five Zhu Jing Fu mechas detached from the ground, flying suspended in the cave without any contact with the stone walls.
Next came the sound of rolling stones.
Thunderous collapse!
The blue light on the snow melting stone was obscured by the flashing red line at its center, and the entire cave was filled with alternating red and blue colors.
An extremely hot air current began to spread from the stone wall direction.
The rocks at the top of the cave collapsed, with dust and gravel falling through the cracked fissures.
The cave suddenly began to spin.
Even with the mechas propelling and flying, they couldn't evade in an orderly fashion within the cramped space.
Particularly concerning was that the snow melting stones, now detached from the stone walls, didn't fall downward with gravity but instead flew straight at the mechas based on energy levels.
This impact wasn't just the striking of stones but also carried a fire attribute energy shock.
Broken stones and fragmented mountain body also came with energy impacts.
Chen Sui immediately realized upon feeling this impact: "This isn't snow melting stone. Or rather, this snow melting stone isn't just ore anymore—it's being controlled by an energy body."
There must be a high-level energy body in this cave!
It's manipulating the energy of the snow melting stone!
As soon as she said this, the entire cave began to violently shake. The stones above completely shattered and collapsed, and the surrounding stone walls caved in toward the center.
Giant rocks flew everywhere. The Zhu Jing Fu mechas were struck by falling rocks and fell directly into the deep pit below.
The camera was completely covered by hazy black dust, with only infrared able to capture rough outlines.
One could vaguely see the Zhu Jing Fu mechas wrapped in a layer of energy, golden light protecting the mechas inside layer by layer as stones fell like rain.
As the entire ground collapsed, the mechas fell along with the giant rocks.
The control room was also surprised by this sudden change.
Especially the three judges who had just been discussing how Zhu Jing Fu indeed hadn't spared the snow melting stone.
The next second, the mountain cave began to collapse.
Meanwhile, in the rainforest of Sultry Red Forest above the mountain cave.
The quicksand ground covered with vines began to continuously sink, with sand rolling and gathering downward.
Similar fracture-like marks appeared above, as if the entire ground had been torn open.
Red magma rolled up from the cracks, and extremely hot bubbles churned in the flowing magma.
When the bubbles burst, flames splashed toward the surroundings. When they landed on the vines covering the quicksand, they immediately ignited them.
Tree branches began to burn from the flames. The rolling fire covered the quicksand surface, directly mixing with the sand, covered with layers of grit, completely disguising the scorching magma.
In the control room, everyone looked toward Mo Qiu'an. Ji Qing asked first: "Director Mo, this kind of problem shouldn't have occurred in this mountain cave before, right?"
Mo Qiu'an's expression was serious. She nodded slightly: "Sultry Red Forest, as an SS-level energy field, although not as dangerous as SSS level, is still a key focus for the management department due to its special dual attributes. Each clearing marks the types and numbers of energy bodies, and the management department still has documentation of the resources and clearing process."
"The snow melting stone vein is the only one in this location in the entire Sultry Red Forest. There have never been any energy body traces inside, and even the base station records don't indicate high-level energy bodies can be explored here."
Mo Qiu'an's face was stern. If Zhu Jing Fu discovered facts different from the energy field management department's records during the competition, it either meant facts were concealed during the clearing process, or the management department's clearing work was seriously flawed.
Either way, it would lead to very serious consequences.
Mo Qiu'an's face had already turned cold as she concentrated on the screen showing Zhu Jing Fu's performance, trying to follow their perspective to see what kind of energy body Chen Sui had sensed.
At this moment, on the other side of the Sultry Red Forest track, Golden Tower had heard the coordinate refresh message and looked at each other as they saw Zhu Jing Fu's coordinates near Base Station B.
Analyst Qi Songhuai confirmed: "I told you Zhu Jing Fu was still around and Jacques Delot was eliminated! They're near Base Station B—they must be looking for us!"
"What is this, two-way pursuit?" Single combat unit Xi Xi smiled helplessly at this ironic coincidence.
"Let's go directly to find Zhu Jing Fu, no need to go to Base Station B," Xin Yan said. They had already left the Silent Monument Forest and had planned to look for Zhu Jing Fu near Base Station B. Now with the coordinates refreshed, they could head straight for Zhu Jing Fu's position.
"What is Chen Sui doing there? I've been to that area—there's a quicksand pit that's quite dangerous."
Single combat unit Xi Xi was confused. She had come from that direction and had been near the quicksand. She'd taken a detour and spent considerable time before reuniting with her teammates.
Qi Songhuai felt he understood perfectly and quickly added: "Zhu Jing Fu found we weren't at the base and definitely couldn't sit still. Based on my experience, they must have found some treasure there. Zhu Jing Fu is very good at finding treasures—I'm guessing it's some material."
The things that could attract Zhu Jing Fu were limited: materials, energy bodies, or contestants.
There were no elimination coordinates near Base Station B, so they hadn't engaged with contestants. Xi Xi had said there were no energy body traces at that coordinate point, so only one guess remained.
Speaking of this, Qi Songhuai became more enthusiastic: "Let's hurry over. Whatever Zhu Jing Fu is willing to take must be good stuff—let's get a share too."
His intention to join the excitement and intercept was too obvious. His teammates couldn't bear to look at him, but undeniably, Qi Songhuai made sense.
In the White Sand Sky Pillar Sea Domain, who hadn't regretted letting Zhu Jing Fu alone take the To-Water Fish Bone?
Especially Saint Laurent—Noya had nearly turned his intestines green with regret, spending the entire off-season saying Zhu Jing Fu had no sportsmanship.
Golden Tower was also curious about what good thing Zhu Jing Fu had discovered.
Whether it was an energy body or materials, they wouldn't lose either way.
The five headed toward Chen Sui's refreshed coordinates.
Meanwhile, Zhu Jing Fu was experiencing a mountain cave collapse, falling directly from the collapsing tunnel. They went through a rugged passage with dust and broken stones falling everywhere. The mechas experienced intense weightlessness as scorching magma rolled down around the stone cave.
During the fall, the mechas' propulsion activated. After a brief panic, Zhu Jing Fu quickly stabilized. Zhou Chen's Four-sided Mace inserted into the stone wall, leaving a trail several meters long, using the resistance to stop his fall while reaching out to grab his nearby companions.
At the same time, rolling magma flowed from the stone walls, rushing directly past the Four-sided Mace, with fierce heat waves surging forward!
The magma impacted the Four-sided Mace, making howling sounds before crashing into the magma pool on the ground with a huge splash.
Zhou Chen's arm felt the burning energy and kept inhaling sharply.
Chen Sui was grabbed by Zhou Chen's arm. Seeing the falling stones gradually subsiding, with only magma rolling down from the uncollapsed mountain cave, her mecha stepped on the stone wall, flipped upward with the leverage, and propelled into the air, dodging falling rocks while looking down.
Below was a huge pit filled with rolling magma. As the magma churned, layers of flame burned fiercely, with concentrated fire attribute energy billowing toward them.
"Wait, where did this magma come from? Is this underground a volcano?" Zhou Chen looked down at the flowing magma with concern. "I hope it doesn't erupt—I still haven't found the snow bud branches."
"No need to look anymore."
Chen Sui watched as the stone cave above collapsed, with snow melting stones carried into the magma along with the stone walls. As the magma below churned, it revealed black stone at the bottom, along with snow bud branch clusters growing like tree branches within the stone.
With the magma flow, the snow bud branch clusters were covered again by the red-hot liquid.
"The snow bud branches are down there. This isn't a volcano—it's an energy body."
Chen Sui sensed surging energy fluctuations within the magma. The rippling circles of magma weren't caused by the cave collapse but by the energy body's breath.
The churning magma itself was an energy body.
Seeing the falling rocks stop, a layer of green light burst around Chen Sui, briefly illuminating the cave.
The cave collapse above had directly opened a channel between the mine tunnel and the underground magma. The magma in the mine now flowed through this huge opening, rolling downward.
"Wood-Born Flower," with a thought from Chen Sui, countless vines emerged from the giant shadow of Wood-Born Flower, climbing the stone walls and growing rapidly in midair, weaving a giant net above the magma layer.
Seeing this, the Zhu Jing Fu mechas immediately leaped down from midair, landing on the tree net.
"Where's the energy body?" Looking down at the flowing magma, Zhou Chen moved close to Chen Sui and carefully asked.
"This entire thing, all of it," Chen Sui's words nearly made Zhou Chen black out. "One True God, you can open your eyes now."
"There are snow bud branch clusters all over down there."
Chen Sui's statement undoubtedly made even Mo Qiu'an in the control room unable to contain herself.
In the control room, Ji Qing looked at the liquid, rolling magma and introduced it at the same time as Chen Sui on the screen:
"Magma Beast, a fire attribute energy body that appears alongside energy ore. Generally gathered around stone mines, it can absorb the energy from ores to nourish itself. Usually low-level, it seems the fire attribute of the snow melting stone has nourished this Magma Beast."
"It's SSS-level."
Chen Sui coldly announced its level. Normal Magma Beasts are low-level energy bodies—to grow to this level, this Magma Beast must have absorbed countless snow melting stone ores.
"How could there be a Magma Beast in Sultry Red Forest?!" Mo Qiu'an's expression was grave.
Magma Beasts mostly exist in mining areas as products of energy mutation. They are born as energy bodies and require enormous mineral energy concentration to level up.
The Sultry Red Forest rarely produces large mining areas. Base stations are established according to resource distribution and energy fluctuations.
If an energy body of this level had been born, the base station wouldn't have failed to capture its energy signal.
Mo Qiu'an's confusion remained unanswered. In the screen, Chen Sui stared at this Magma Beast and suddenly understood.
The Sultry Red Forest shouldn't have fire attribute snow melting stone mines either.
This wood attribute energy field had experienced an external fire attribute invasion, with this location as the invasion point.
It was a special space.
Understanding this, Chen Sui no longer dwelled on it.
"Kill it, and all the snow bud branches below are ours," Chen Sui's words transformed all of Zhou Chen's surprise into surging fighting spirit.
"Damn, when you put it that way, we have to fight."
"Zhou Xiaoguai!"
The Four-sided Mace, washed by the flowing magma, had acquired some black marks, but with lightning covering it from above, it returned to its silver-white cold glow.
As he raised his hand, the Black Arrow Hawk appeared with a swoosh, surrounded by electricity. Lightning encircled with its hovering, illuminating the entire cave.
The rolling magma suddenly churned more frantically, like the Magma Beast's roar. Fire rose fiercely from the bottom, with a magma water column shooting straight up at the tree net!
"It's quite fierce. Wait, how do we fight this thing?" Zhou Chen was somewhat at a loss.
Lightning followed the path of the Four-sided Mace, striking directly into the magma and exploding, sending the scorching molten iron in all directions.
When magma hit the mountain rocks, it was like a missile, exploding on impact and creating fist-sized holes, with fierce fire burning from the small craters.
After being struck by lightning, the magma immediately began to boil.
The liquid gathered, beginning to coalesce into a giant beast-like figure. Its body's outer layer was black lava, with scorching, flowing magma in the crevices.
As this huge Magma Beast stood up, the entire bottom of the stone cave was covered with magma traces. Its massive body gradually straightened, approaching the tree net.
Gu Qinxue drew her Thorny Fire Whip, eyeing the opponent with hostility. The massive fire attribute energy pressure made her feel a suffocating threat, causing her to frown with disgust.
Chen Sui noticed her movement and saw the Magma Beast reveal a ferocious grinning expression before opening its giant teeth. A blast of fierce flames shot out like a fire gun, burning directly toward the tree net.
She aimed carefully, raised her cannon, and fired toward the Magma Beast's open fangs.
The cannon, modified with Fierce Fire Star Stone, unleashed powerful explosive capability when fire attribute energy was activated.
As soon as the shell was fired, it exploded between the Magma Beast's fangs with a tremendous boom.
The Magma Beast's body was torn apart by the impact, with countless magma splashing in all directions. The magma hitting the stone walls created many craters before slowly flowing down.
Chen Sui's single shot directly scattered the Magma Beast's coalesced body. Zhou Chen's lightning still coursed through the magma liquid, but seeing this, he felt his lightning was inadequate.
"Is it over already?"
He looked at the magma slowly flowing down the stone walls, gathering, and reforming the Magma Beast's body in the liquid.
"Of course not," Chen Sui watched the Magma Beast's body reconstitute in just seconds and narrowed her eyes. "Regeneration 6."
"The cannon won't work—let's use energy directly," she nodded to Zhou Chen, who immediately understood. "Can you locate the energy crystal position?"
Chen Sui stared at the Magma Beast's re-coalesced massive body and shook her head: "The energy concealment is too heavy. Let's split its body first."
Zhou Chen nodded, and simultaneously the mechas took to the air. Chen Sui looked at her other teammates. As they nodded in acknowledgment, seeing the Magma Beast emit a fiery roar, Chen Sui raised her hand. The Wood-Born Flower vines retracted from the center toward the surroundings, and the tree net dissipated.
The Magma Beast spewed a fire fountain dozens of meters high. Magma sprayed from the fountain's center with brilliant bright orange-red tails, exposing all five Zhu Jing Fu members to these fiery meteors.
Xie Chunshi raised his hand and swept out a blue water screen. The fiery stars crashed into the water screen, creating intense energy collisions like strong alcohol poured on fire, making the flames burn even more fiercely.
"Everyone make way!"
At Zhou Chen's shout, the other four scattered in different directions. The black and gold mecha, wielding the Four-sided Mace, chopped down from above. The lightning crawled like a dragon on the bamboo-jointed mace body. With a long cry from the Black Arrow Hawk, Zhou Chen saw the Four-sided Mace smash into the Magma Beast's body.
"BOOM—"
Lightning penetrated the Magma Beast's head, with an explosive jet of magma spraying from its split body, quickly splashing in all directions.
The black and gold mecha was hit first, directly covered in magma. A layer of lightning covered the mecha's surface. As the magma fell, it triggered the full-body lightning on Zhou Chen's mecha shell, instantly spreading to the Magma Beast along the magma's falling trails.
Two layers of lightning continuously electrocuted the energy body's robust form, making the magma on the Magma Beast boil and churn.
Zhou Chen seized the opportunity. Seeing its entire body crawling with lightning, he covered his Four-sided Mace with a thick layer of lightning energy and cut vertically toward the Magma Beast's left shoulder.
"Swoosh!"
With a clean, crisp chop, half the Magma Beast's body was cut off!
The magma fell into the fire sea below, and the energy concealment on the Magma Beast's body instantly lessened.
Chen Sui's energy perception, like countless fluorescent lights, glowed green and flew like moths toward the fire sea.
The energy body's energy skeleton was crystal clear in her perception. Chen Sui watched the energy body that had never left the fire sea and her eyes flashed.
"It's hiding deep—this guy's energy crystal is inside the fire sea."
Zhou Chen's weapon-holding hand paused, and the pain from the burning fire intensified.
Hearing this, he partially lifted the weight from his Four-sided Mace. The Magma Beast seemed to seize this opportunity, rapidly regenerating its severed half-body.
Then from its body, it suddenly produced a several-meter-high flame. The fire twisted ferociously, rushing toward the black crystal mecha.
"Shit, this thing is too hot!" Zhou Chen dodged sideways, trying to avoid the fire beast's attack range. However, the fire beast seemed to target him specifically—even after passing the mecha, it suddenly turned back.
Seeing the danger, Gu Qinxue's Thorny Fire Whip snapped forward, circling Zhou Chen's body and pulling him backward.
"Ah Xue, be careful!" Zhou Chen, lowering his head and retreating, saw the thorns at his waist and immediately felt alarmed. "Don't explode, ahhh!"
The Thorny Fire Whip was very prone to energy compression causing explosions in this fire attribute environment.
Such an explosion wouldn't kill the Magma Beast, but it could certainly kill him.
Hearing Zhou Chen's trembling fearful words, Gu Qinxue laughed lightly and snorted, her tone somewhat contemptuous: "My energy control hasn't fallen to that level."
After speaking, she threw her mecha backward, tossing him toward the single combat unit, while her figure charged forward: "Ah Sui, help me!"
"Coming," Chen Sui saw the shadow of a spiritual body appearing behind her and knew Gu Qinxue intended to directly challenge the Magma Beast with fire.
At this moment, many small flame clusters suddenly formed within the churning magma.
These flame clusters floated toward the air like huge bubbles, carrying enormous energy, locking onto the external energy fluctuations, quickly gathering and smashing toward Zhu Jing Fu.
Chen Sui set up her cannon, using Fierce Fire Star Stone bullets to clear the path ahead of Gu Qinxue's rapid charge toward the Magma Beast.
As the flame clusters and their blazing fire approached, the temperature around Zhu Jing Fu instantly rose, with the air distorted by the burning flames.
Chen Sui's shells collided with the flame clusters, the fierce fire triggering massive explosions that scattered all the surrounding fire attribute energy.
The cannon fire was deafening. The mountain cave began to shake from the violent artillery impacts, with stones falling from the upper cave entrance and dust once again descending.
Gu Qinxue's figure charged into the swirling dust and flames. The giant form of the Three-Eyed Droopy-Eared Rabbit flickered as fire sparks rushed into her body like light.
The Magma Beast, sensing its fire attribute energy being contested, began to emit low growls, exhaling huge white vapor.
Xie Chunshi concentrated energy, lowering the high temperature around the Zhu Jing Fu mechas. Puluo's shield had been changed to a scythe. When catching Zhou Chen who had been thrown by Gu Qinxue, he directly used the scythe's long handle to brace against his back. Zhou Chen's waist was struck by the long handle, and he let out a howl as his figure stopped.
This sound was quickly drowned out by explosions and the Magma Beast's screeches.
Gu Qinxue condensed flames into countless arrows, piercing toward the Magma Beast's body. Each arrow directly penetrated the lava layer outside the Magma Beast, causing the magma inside its body to burst out.
Magma flowed down the Magma Beast's body. The Magma Beast writhed in pain, and the flames, sensing its emotions, began to roll violently.