The First Peak

The group took a moment to rest—though resting was just an excuse to thoroughly re-examine Jiang Tang's spawn point, for fear that she had overlooked any crucial information.

Just as they were about to conclude that there was nothing to be found, Master of Slacking suddenly brought up some news: "Boss..."

At his voice, several pairs of eyes locked onto him.

Pinned by those sharp, inquisitive gazes, Master of Slacking shivered so violently he nearly bit his tongue. He quickly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, his voice trembling with a hint of a sob: "N-no... I mean, in the Fengyun Tianxia group chat... there’s, there’s new information!"

Cheng Shuili signaled for him to continue.

Master of Slacking hurried to look at his interface, reciting at a rapid-fire pace: "This dungeon lasts for eight hours, and every two hours, the acid rain will reach a peak intensity. At that time, all protective items and structures will lose their effectiveness. Please proceed to the underground shelter to take cover."

This was indeed new information.

Did this mean that besides the underground shelter, there was nowhere else to hide?

Cheng Shuili paused, a cold sweat breaking out at the thought.

This dungeon was absolutely riddled with traps.

They had found the time for the first acid rain peak, while the Fengyun Tianxia group had discovered the frequency and the specific method of avoidance.

These two pieces of information... were absolutely indispensable.

Because the Fengyun Tianxia group did not know the time of the first peak, they would likely mistake the first peak for occurring at the two-hour mark based on the frequency. Meanwhile, because Cheng Shuili's group did not know the specific avoidance method, they would have naturally sought to investigate the locations marked with red exclamation points.

It really was... a dead end on both sides!

Cheng Shuili shook her head and leaned back over the map to look more closely.

A realistic map—one where they could determine their direction based on the surrounding architecture—could not possibly fail to mark the location of the underground shelter.

"It must be on the map."

Cheng Shuili whispered to herself, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible urgency.

Qi Wanyi understood the gravity of the situation just as well. She immediately leaned over the map, her fingertips nearly pressing into the yellowed paper.

"A fully functional industrial park must have the underground pipe networks and emergency facilities marked! We just haven't found the right method or... the right place."

Cheng Shuili's gaze swept across the map like a hawk, darting over every symbol and every line. Warehouses, pipes, reaction tanks, cooling towers...

Finally, her finger stopped on a grid-like area that had seemed like mere decoration or shadow. This area spanned the entire underground of the industrial zone, connecting several major buildings, including that red warehouse and the central ruins of the research institute.

"So that's it."

Cheng Shuili looked up abruptly.

The others immediately fixed their eyes on the spot she was pointing to.

"This is the underground structure diagram! These intersecting lines... they are the underground tunnels and the locations of the shelters!"

The group gathered around immediately.

Sure enough, looking closely, those pale gray grid lines were not random scribbles; they were systematically connected across the various areas, forming an underground network.

At several key nodes, there were incredibly tiny, almost faded symbols. One of them, a shield-like mark, was located exactly beneath their feet!

Cheng Shuili checked the time; there were only ten minutes left until the one-hour mark. The rendezvous had wasted too much of their time; the most urgent task now was to find the entrance to this underground shelter!

Without needing a word from Cheng Shuili, the group scattered like a swarm to search immediately.

A race against life and death! No one dared to waste a single second!

Only Master of Slacking stood there, bewildered, looking at one person then another. Feeling that standing still wasn't a good idea, he took two steps to follow Cheng Shuili, but immediately realized he should just stay quiet and keep out of the way.

Qi Wanyi carefully tapped on the walls, while Ailin swung her iron hammer, smashing against the solid structures near the suspected area, trying to test or jar open any mechanisms in the most brutal way possible.

Jiang Tang and Xinxue lay on the ground, their fingers brushing rapidly over the dust-filled floor seams, searching for any possible rings, buttons, or gaps.

"Here!"

Almost at the same time, the voices of Qi Wanyi and Jiang Tang rang out!

Qi Wanyi's hand stopped in front of a seemingly pristine metal wall, the tapping sound from which was slightly dull.

Meanwhile, Jiang Tang had dug out a cold, circular metal ring embedded in the ground from beneath a pile of discarded electrical cables and debris!

"The wall is hollow!"

"There's something on the floor!"

Cheng Shuili made an instant decision: "Check the floor first! Ailin!"

Ailin did not hesitate, smashing her hammer around the ring Jiang Tang had cleared!

Clang!

With a muffled thud, dust rained down. A square metal floor panel, roughly one square meter, sank an inch, revealing a gap along its edges!

It was a hidden trapdoor!

"It's open!"

Jiang Tang and Xinxue grabbed the cold ring and pulled upward with all their might!

Creeeeeak!

A teeth-grinding sound of metal friction rang out. The heavy trapdoor was pried open with great difficulty, revealing a dark, musty-smelling tunnel beneath. A cold metal staircase extended downward, disappearing into the darkness.

What else was there to say?

The group immediately followed the stairs down. To be safe, Cheng Shuili took the lead, wielding her Night Hunt, with the rest of the group following close behind and Ailin guarding the rear with her hammer.

The group was so in sync that Master of Slacking couldn't find a suitable spot for himself after searching for ages. In the end, he simply followed behind Ailin and slipped down in silence.

Ailin glanced at him, then took a few steps up the stairs, reached out to grab the inner ring, took a deep breath, and slammed the heavy trapdoor shut!

Bang!

With a heavy, muffled thud, the last sliver of light and the destructive sound of the rain outside were completely cut off.

The entire world plunged into absolute darkness and silence, with only the sound of their breathing echoing in the narrow passage.

Qi Wanyi pulled open her backpack and took out a flashlight; Cheng Shuili also brought out the one she had stashed in her Abyss Ring.

The two flashlights flickered on, instantly restoring the light.

They were standing on a narrow metal landing; the stairs continued downward, plunging deeper into the dark.

Cheng Shuili checked the time; the one-hour mark had passed. They had no way of knowing what was happening outside. The air inside was humid and cold, carrying a heavy scent of rust and dust, but at least the corrosive sulfurous smell of the surface was gone.

"Are we safe?"

Jiang Tang's voice trembled with the relief of having survived. She carefully moved her wrist, which she had accidentally scraped; under the flashlight's beam, her skin was slightly red, but it didn't seem to be anything serious.

"We should be safe."

Qi Wanyi answered, her gaze falling once again on Master of Slacking. She finally asked: "Boss... who is this?"