Chapter 247 - Spoiler
Chapter 247: Spoiler
“How could this be?”
Meng Chao looked at the clusters of the red crystals crumbling nonstop and sensed the ancient power in the crystal mine gradually waking up. It was like a demonic dragon rising its head from the endless abyss to roar as it overturned the world.
Meng Chao could not believe it and cried out, “That creature used only half of the crystal bombs, and it didn’t even make them explode at the depths of the Red Crystal Jade mine. They only exploded on the surface, so why did it cause a chain reaction, why—”
“Duh!” Lu Siya pressed her hands to the wall of the mine to sense the gathering spots of the spirit energy and how they gushed out. She gritted her teeth and said, “The Red Radiance Jades are the most unstable mineral. We don’t know how much energy is stored here and how pure it is.
“A small spark might cause an earth shattering explosion. Besides, aside from the White Spirit exploding half of the crystal bombs, we also fought here. Everyone released their vitality magnetic fields and we even used the self-destruct gun. All sorts of spirit energy ripples clashed against each other, so there’s nothing strange about us setting off the mine.”
“Can we really do nothing to stop it?” Meng Chao clenched his fists and said in a quivering voice, “This explosion will turn out just as the White Spirit said. It will become a spirit energy tsunami that destroys the world and overturns the entire Raging Waves.
“The Deity Realm fighters and Apocalyptic Beasts will go through spirit energy deviation, and everything within a large circular area of this place will experience extreme weather conditions for a long period of time. It’ll turn into a forbidden zone for humans but a heaven for monsters.”
“How should I know?” Lu Siya asked while panting. “Perhaps this explosion will be much smaller than the one the White Spirit had planned, but just like an avalanche and a tsunami, no one knows how big it will end up.
“You should know that aside from the Red Radiance Jade mine, there are hundreds of other crystal mines above us, below us, and around us. Once the spirit energy from the Red Radiance Jade mine gushes out, it will resonate with more than one hundred crystal mines, and it’ll be like more than one hundred incredibly active chemicals fusing together. No one knows what will happen!
“Perhaps the White Spirit’s plan will still work. An incredibly powerful spirit energy tsunami that will cover a large area will envelope all of Raging Waves, Graveyard Forest, and Shattered Starlake. All the Deity Realm elites and Apocalyptic Beast will go through spirit energy deviation and will either die together or explode.
“Perhaps the resonance of the crystals will turn into a pure, destructive force that will be like one hundred nuclear bombs exploding under Raging Waves, and the entire mountain range will be blasted to high heavens.
“Perhaps the strength of the resonance will be smaller than what the White Spirit expected, so the Deity Realm fighters and Apocalyptic Beast will get radiation sickness. Even though they will not die on the spot, their cells will rot one by one for years, and they will die in pain.
“Perhaps the strength of the resonance will be even smaller and the intensity of the spirit energy tsunami low enough that it can be safely absorbed by superhumans. For a period of time, it will create a blessed place with incredibly thick spirit energy where superhumans can nourish themselves with the energy that has been hidden underground for billions of years, and their cultivation bases will increase by leaps and bounds. Their strength will improve astronomically. That would be a blessing in disguise.
“I don’t know which possibility is the highest, but there is something that is certain.”
Meng Chao and Qin Hu spoke together. “What is it?”
“We’re dead meat,” Lu Siya said airily. “The chain reaction has already started, and we’re too close to the Red Radiance Jade mine. We won’t be able to escape to the surface in time.
“Even if the rampaging spirit energy from the Red Radiance Jades is already at its last breath when it reaches the surface and can be absorbed directly by the human body, we’ll definitely be burnt to a crisp. Forget even about turning into heroic spirits, since not even our brainwaves will be able to escape.”
Meng Chao found himself speechless.
“I knew it. You stupid woman—” Qin Hu started.
“But there is one way,” Lu Siya said.
Qin Hu changed his tune. “Ms. Lu, what method is it? If you can use me, please say it. Even if my bones end up getting crushed, I will escort you out of this place!”
“We still have half of the crystal bombs left. We can use them as our last resort,” Lu Siya said sternly. “The natural opening of this Red Radiance Jade mine isn’t big. When we climb to the crack, we can put all our crystal bombs there and blow up the entrance.
“Even though spirit energy isn’t normal coal-seam fire and can’t be blocked by collapsed rocks, but with every second it’s slowed, we’ll have one extra second to flee to safety.
“Besides, it’ll use up a lot of energy to destroy the stones in its way, so it might end up weakened to the point that it will not hit the requirements to form a spirit energy resonance, and the spirit energy tsunami will just turn into dew for us to increase our power.”
Meng Chao and Qin Hu looked at each other.
They immediately took action and searched for the remaining crystal bombs.
As the Red Radiance Jades roared and the threat of death loomed over their heads, they moved quickly. Soon, they gathered everything together.
Meng Chao went to drag Lin Chuan out.
“Don’t bother about me. It’s not worth it.” Lin Chuan widened his dim eyes and stared at a world that did not exist. He nudged Meng Chao lightly. “Go. This is what I deserve. I should stay here and be punished.
“But I’m begging you, Meng Chao. Bring Whitey’s corpse out and examine it. Figure out the secrets behind a monster’s intelligence and explore the possibility of humans communicating with monsters. Create the beautiful world you spoke of. This is Whitey’s will. She heard what you said just now.”
Meng Chao nodded.
As a harvester, he could naturally not miss out on examining the White Spirit’s carcass.
It was one of the future Nine Great Supernatural Entities.
If he could figure out the mystery behind the White Spirit’s evolution, it would be extremely beneficial to their fight against the remaining eight Supernatural Entities in the near future.
But he could not just watch Lin Chuan die in this place.
“That’s right, you do deserve to be punished, but you should be punished by the law in front of all the citizens!”
Meng Chao yanked Lin Chuan to his feet. “If you really admit your mistakes and are willing to face your low self-esteem and conceitedness, then go and tell the judges what you have done honestly. Don’t worry, you will have the chance to talk about your motives, ideals, and how you once were persecuted. You can talk about what displeases you about the current Dragon City, your worries, and your hopes.
“I believe that once you share your full story with the White Spirit, the citizens will not treat you and her as a demon who have done every evil conceivable. Instead, you will make the people think and discuss this nonstop. The problem of the poor’s education and the competition between us will definitely be regarded with importance by more people.
“Even if you’re executed and your ashes are scattered, when those rich people lay in their bathtubs in their mansions and watch your execution in a state of comfort, they might shudder in fear for a few seconds and worry that a second Lin Chuan and White Spirit will appear.
“And that’s enough. That’s enough of the starting point for us to change the future, Big Brother Lin!”
Meng Chao used every bit of his strength to take Lin Chuan on his back.
This time, Lin Chuan didn’t struggle.
“Mr. Hu, take the White Spirit’s corpse!” Meng Chao shouted out.
Qin Hu let out a puff of air that made his moustache flare. He spat. “Damn it, brat. Can’t you see that I have hundreds of holes in me? Even my pee is leaking out. Running for our lives is more important now! Who’d have the patience to carry that bugger around?!”
“It’s worth a lot of money!” Meng Chao reminded him.
Qin Hu’s eyes lit up, and he quickly picked up the White Spirit’s carcass before tying it tightly on him.
Right after the four of them ran out of the Red Radiance Jade mine, they heard a shocking explosion. It sounded like a large number of crystal clusters had fallen from the ceiling. Highly dense, oversaturated spirit energy licked at their soles like magma.
They did not even dare to turn their heads around and used the last bit of their strength to crawl forward through the winding crack, to the point that their elbows and knees were scrapped so badly that their bones could be seen.
“Right here.” Lu Siya finally stopped and said while wheezing, “Put… Put the remaining crystal bombs here. Then… Then we can… blow up the rock stratum here. We’ll… block the surge of the Red Radiance Jade mine… for a while!”
The three of them stacked all the crystal bombs together in a flurry of motion.
They looked behind them. The fine crack that led to the Red Radiance Jade mine had already turned a piercing shade of red. It was like an aquatic dragon baring its teeth. It could catch up to them at any moment.
“Set the explosion timer to three minutes. Once I rip off the seal, we’ll run with everything we have. The further we run, the better!” Lu Siya said to Meng Chao and Qin Hu.
Right when she was about to reach out to tear off the seal, Lin Chuan stopped her.
He had managed to summon strength and moved down from Meng Chao’s back. Then, he fumbled his way on top of the crystal bombs.
“No. You run. I’ll stay and detonate the bombs manually,” he said calmly.
“What?”
The three were stunned.
“Siya’s plan won’t help you blow up the entire rock stratum,” Lin Chuan said. “The rock stratum here is very sturdy—cough—If you put the crystal bombs on the surface, you won’t be able to make a lot of rocks collapse. Even if the wall collapses, there will definitely be a lot of cracks left in the middle. The spirit energy tsunami will be able to seep through the cracks and catch up to you, then burn you to a crisp.
“Someone has to stay and use chisels to open up holes on the walls and stuff the crystal bombs into the depths of the rock stratum. Then—cough—seal them up. They must be detonated while they’re inside since only then will there be a possibility that the entire rock stratum will collapse, which will allow us to temporarily block the spirit energy tsunami.
“Let me do it. Long ago… my dad taught me how to make the holes and detonate them.”
“But it’s too late!” Meng Chao cast a glance at the place where they escaped from and said anxiously, “The chain reaction is getting stronger. Big Brother Lin, you need a lot of time to make the holes and explode the crystal bombs. Even if you set them up on time, you’ll be burnt to a crisp by the spirit flames!”
“I know. I’m sorry, Meng Chao. I don’t want to run away from my responsibility and my judgment, but…” Lin Chuan smiled and raised a shivering index finger to tap at his temple.
Blood kept flowing out of the corner of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. He could not stop them no matter what.
His vitality magnetic field had become incredibly chaotic and dim. He was like a waning candle in the wind that would extinguish at any moment.
“I won’t make it—cough—I can’t crawl for another ten hours in such a complicated underground terrain and escape to the surface. It would be better for me to stay here and buy more time for you.”
Lin Chuan gave a self-deprecating smile and whispered, “Besides, this is a problem I caused, and I must do my best to turn things around, even if it’s just a little. Siya already mentioned that as long as the crystal resonance doesn’t go over the limit, the spirit energy tsunami will just turn into dew that is beneficial for humans.
“I—cough—might not be able to change anything, but Meng Chao, you’re right. We have to try. Perhaps we’re just one step away from making it fall below the requirement. All that’s left… All that’s left is for me to make a small, insignificant change.”
He groped about for the chisel.
Then, he held the metal stick that had runic symbols carved on it tightly in his hands.
It was as if he was hugging his own life.
“Big Brother Lin…” Meng Chao felt as if spirit flames were burning his eyes again, and his vision blurred.
“Admitting to your mistakes and trying to remedy it is the best thing a person can do. Lin Chuan, you’re a real man. I admire you!”
Qin Hu gave him two thumbs up and grabbed Meng Chao and Lu Siya’s sleeves. “Since he has the guts to do this, we can’t let his goodwill go to waste. We have to run. We can’t waste our time dilly-dallying over here!”
But Meng Chao and Lu Siya’s feet seemed to be glued to the stones by the sticky liquid from Stone Statue Fungus. No matter what, they refused to move.
“Siya?” Lin Chuan called out softly.
Lu Siya turned around and used all her strength to bite into her forearm. Her teeth dug deep into her flesh, but she forced herself not to say anything.
Lin Chuan called out to her a few more times, but he did not get any response. He looked a little dejected, but soon, he calmed down.
“I’m sorry, Siya, forget me.”
He stopped talking and just held the chisel tightly. Then, with the last bits of his strength, he started digging holes in the wall.
His blood flowed down the lines off the runic symbols and dripped down the metal chisel. It activated the spirit energy magnetic field that was formed by the runic symbols intersecting with each other, and the metal stick began to vibrate rapidly.
Sparks flew everywhere, and like an impact drill, he created shallow holes on the sturdy stones.
The recoil caused the wounds that had just closed up on his body to tear again. It looked painful.
Lin Chuan’s eyes twitched, but he did not make a single sound.
But Lu Siya shuddered and released her bloody arm.
She opened her mouth, but did not know what she should say. She groped around her body for a long time before she brought out a crystalline pill from her breast pocket. It still contained warmth from her body.
Lu Siya handed the pill to Meng Chao.
He sniffed it and detected the fragrance of materials from high-grade superbeasts.
He guessed that it was highest grade gene medicine prepared meticulously by the Lu family for its direct descendants. Even though it could not allow a person to return from the dead, it could temporarily activate their potential and suppress all pain.
Meng Chao walked forward and knelt down on one knee. He said, “Big Brother Lin, open your mouth.”
Lin Chuan was as obedient as a child.
When the pill entered his mouth, he gulped and smiled like a child. “It’s sweet.”
Lu Siya swayed and nearly fell on the ground.
Meng Chao shut his eyes and said resolutely, “Big Brother Lin, we’re leaving now.”
“Go. Trust your idol one last time. I’ll block the spirit energy tsunami.”
Lin Chuan paused for a moment, then asked again, just for confirmation, “Meng Chao, tomorrow will be better, right?”
“Yeah,” Meng Chao said firmly. “Tomorrow will definitely be better!”
Before his voice faded away, Kindling shone at the corner of his eyes, and a notification popped up.
[Normal citizen Lin Chuan has been cured by you. His pain has lessened. Increased contribution points by 1.]
Meng Chao shuddered.
He was no longer a pseudo heroic citizen or a special citizen.
At that moment, Lin Chuan was classified as a normal citizen by Kindling. Why?
His mind raced, but soon, he gained his answer.
‘That’s right. What Lin Chuan is doing right now is something that all normal Dragon Citizens would do if they were caught in this situation.
‘…Then, goodbye, my idol.
‘Farewell, normal citizen Lin Chuan.’
Goodbye, My Idol