Chapter 1098: 1098

Chapter 1098: Death, Underground Cave

[Name: Pinball Soda]

[Quality: F]

[Effect: When this cap is placed on any container, the liquid within can be turned into a pinball soda with a random taste.]

After Zhang Heng obtained this F-grade item, he tried it out a few times and realized that the taste of the soda was indeed very random. It was not just normal soda like the apple and strawberry that had appeared on the market before. Some weren’t very common, such as durian and bitter melon. There was nothing wrong with drinking them, just that it tasted neither good nor bad.

After giving Fan Meinan the drink, Zhang Heng made two more bottles for Ma Lu and himself.

Ma Lu’s bottle was slightly overturned, and it was tomato-flavored. Zhang Heng received a bottle of sea salt-flavored soda. The trio waited for a while more until the Infinite Building Block’s cooldown was over before they set off again.

Fan Meinan’s face had regained some color, but from the sweat on her forehead, it could be seen that she was not at ease. This was also the day she worked out the most since her illness had worsened. However, she gritted her teeth and did not complain.

The tunnel was not long, and it was supposed to lead to the surface, but the end had been sealed by cement. Even though Ma Lu had already predicted this outcome, this subway line had been abandoned for decades, and other than the platform they came down from, it wasn’t easy to find a direct path to the outside world. When he saw it with his own eyes, he was still a little disappointed.

However, his eyes soon turned to the huge hole in the ground in front of him. Ma Lu was sure that this hole was not in the original plan. The last thing any designer with a brain would do was dig a trap for the transiting passengers in the exit tunnel of the subway station.

Furthermore, the shape of the hole didn’t seem to be regular. It didn’t look like it had been dug by a machine. Instead, it looked like something had broken through the concrete structure and drilled out from underneath.

Ma Lu found it hard to imagine what creature could actually breakthrough a few meters of solid concrete. What kind of terrifying power was that? While he was trying his best not to let his imagination run wild, Zhang Heng and Fan Meinan were already standing by the side of the tunnel. Zhang Heng shone his flashlight down.

It was clear that the tunnel was very steep. It was almost 70 degrees from the ground’s surface, and one could not see the bottom. The bottom side was quite smooth, making it look like a huge slide.

Zhang Heng thought of the ground on the platform that he had seen before. It was the same as this hole. There was no dust there, and it was shining. Now that he thought about it, it was probably the result of the snakes crawling over it.

Zhang Heng used the Hidden Scabbard to cut out a fist-sized stone and threw it into the hole. Not long after, he heard the sound of the stone falling to the ground. He estimated the depth of the hole to be about 30 meters, meaning it was definitely not possible to jump down just like that. Fortunately, it was only smooth on the bottom side. The two sides of the stone wall were full of potholes, so it should be easy to climb down from there.

However, to be on the safe side, Zhang Heng, who had Lv1 rock climbing skills, decided to give it a try himself. Zhang Heng first stepped on a protruding piece of cement stone. He loosened his grip on the wall after he steadied himself and moved his other foot to another climbing point.

Everything had gone smoothly up to this point, and Zhang Heng did not encounter any trouble.

However, just as he moved his last arm away from the hole and was about to continue to extend his leg downward, an accident happened. The place where Zhang Heng’s other foot was standing suddenly collapsed, and immediately, the support point on Zhang Heng’s left hand also shattered from within.

Based on Zhang Heng’s climbing experience, the places he had chosen were all excellent. Furthermore, considering the sturdiness of the cement, logically speaking, it should not be able to withstand such a small amount of strength.

However, now was obviously not the time to dwell on such things. Amidst Fan Meinan and Ma Lu’s exclamations, Zhang Heng’s had already started to fall. However, there was not much panic on his face, even though he was not wearing any safety ropes.

Zhang Heng had his own way of coping. As he fell, he took a deep breath and pulled out the Hidden Scabbard from his waist. Then, he thrust it forcefully into the cement wall above his head.

The result was out of his expectations. The resistance from the blade was not as strong as he had imagined. Of course, this was due to the sharpness of the Hidden Scabbard. However, the main reason was that the cement wall did not have the hardness that it should have. Zhang Heng immediately realized something when he connected it to the previously broken support point.

Yemengarde clearly had some method to corrode the target and change its internal structure on a molecular level. Not only the cement wall in front of him but also the sperm whale that had been reduced to food for the snakes. Its body had also become extremely soft, like a large blob of jelly. It could only be eaten by the snakes.

As the Hidden Scabbard was inserted into the wall, Zhang Heng’s fall gradually came to a stop. Then, he reached out to grab a new support point.

Zhang Heng tried it out. In fact, as long as he didn’t focus all his weight on one support point like before, the situation where the support point suddenly shattered wouldn’t happen again.

As he stabilized his body, Fan Meinan’s concerned voice came from above. “How are you? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” Zhang Heng immediately reported. Then he paused and continued, “But it looks like both of you won’t be able to climb down.”

“It’s okay. We can find another way down. Or you can use LEGO blocks to help us build a ladder.”

“Actually, I have a better suggestion,” Zhang Heng said.

“What is it?”

“How about the two of you stay up there? I’ve already cleared out the snakes nearby. There shouldn’t be any danger up there for the time being.”

“Then, you’re going to deal with Nightmare Gad Alone?” Fan Meinan frowned. “Are you worried that we’ll become a burden to you? I can still be of use. Have you forgotten that I was the one who bought you time to deal with the snake tide?”

Ma Lu opened his mouth to say something, but after thinking about it, he realized that he had not been of much help, so he could only shut his mouth again.

“…”

“No, I’m just more used to fighting alone,” Zhang Heng explained patiently.

He knew that with Fan Meinan’s personality, he would not let him face Nightmare Gad alone. Moreover, Fan Meinan was probably not trying to be brave when he said he could help him. Fan Meinan had once said that even though she had lost the power that Loki had given her, she still had three game items on her. Other than the piece of chocolate that she had used previously, she should still have two props in her hands. However, Zhang Heng did not want Fan Meinan to get involved in the subsequent battles. With Fan Meinan’s current condition, it would be too difficult for her to handle such a high-intensity battle.

Zhang Heng’s original plan was to walk a little further and find a safe place to knock Fan Meinan out so that Ma Lu could take care of her. However, with this hole in the ground, he could stop Fan Meinan from walking any further.

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