[1] Yuta Tomigashi

(Forbidden World, Monday, March 27, 2011, noon; Northern California, abandoned mine pits in the woods)

The sound of footsteps echoed through the deep cavern, and the light of the flashlight shone through fine dust. At the forefront was Aiho Izumikawa, followed by Hiohi Dongjing, who was in charge of confirming the stability of the passage and controlling the robot, followed by Professor Shauna and his party, and Yuta Tomigashi and Yurokuka Kotori were in charge of the rear.

This so-called scientific expedition is full of doubts in his opinion. Needless to say, the two members of the dark department of the school city, Professor Shauna, who seems to be a normal person, also emits magic fluctuations under the shroud of divine thoughts, and this so-called mine ...... I don't know why, but the further he went, the more his thoughts were disturbed.

The uneven rock walls are ghostly in the light. From time to time, Professor Shauna stopped rummaging through the piles of rocks, but found nothing, and finally stopped wasting time. Once they had resumed their speed, they were not long before they reached the "crossroads".

"Dividing the army into three ways is undoubtedly quite a dangerous approach. Aiho Huang Izumikawa calmly pointed out their situation, which as a guide is undoubtedly much more rational than the characters in some horror films, "Professor Shauna, which passage are you going to explore first?"

Actually, there is no danger in dividing the soldiers into three ways, okay? Yuta Tomigashi complained a little in his heart. Not to mention Poping Dongjing's [Metal Manipulation] ability, just the entire set of high-end equipment from the school city can beat any scientific expedition team in other countries, and Professor Shauna, as a hidden magician, definitely has a hole card in the box.

As for him and the little bird Yu Liuhua, they don't care about the so-called danger. Even if they suppressed their strength in the human realm because of the ease of manipulation, the power of the Black Flame and the True Eye of the Evil King could still easily open tunnels to the surface, even if they encountered crypt creatures.

If you act separately, you don't have to worry about revealing secrets, and you can burst out with your strongest combat power to the fullest, and you won't be tied down by each other's intentions like you are now.

"So, let's start exploring the passage here. ”

The sloping cave was a little wider than expected, but the rugged rocks and the occasional cracks still made it difficult for two of Professor Shauna's students. Further on, they passed through three cavernous structures that resembled "forks in the road", where the dry, muddy air gradually brought a little dampness, the occasional faint dripping sound could be heard, and the traces of excavation and abandoned tools became scarcer.

There are signs that they are leaving the mine and are about to enter a naturally occurring cave system. Thanks to the intelligent robots and modeling tools of School City, they don't need to worry about getting lost in this nine-fold maze, and they can move forward with confidence. Regrettably, until now, Professor Shauna has not been able to find the relics of the civilization she said she had hoped for.

Anyway, this guy shouldn't be just looking for an excuse, right? Yuta Tomigashi frowned, and touched the back of the bird Yurouka with his elbow without a trace. If that's the case, then why did she bring two ordinary students, or did the School City have a behind-the-scenes deal ♂ with some secret magic society?

Well, although the physiological structure of this body is completely different from that of humans in this world, they really can't watch innocent people die in vain in a cold manner.

"The Dark Shield of the Evil King's True Eye......" Knowing his thoughts from the spiritual connection, the little bird Yu Liuhua turned his head with a smile on his face, and the dark golden light flashed in his eyes, "It's ready, ready to go." ”

The traces of the miners' excavation finally disappeared in a wide cavern, and the searchlight on the helmet shone on the naturally occurring stalactites, a pale halo that made people shudder. Po Pingdongjing took out the lighting device from his backpack - they didn't use it on the march to save electricity - and it was only then that this magnificent hall was completely displayed in their eyes.

The soft light dispelled the darkness that permeated the surroundings, and not far away were groups of stalagmites, white and warm as jade. Through the ages, the stone pillars that run through the roof and the ground have carved winding and intricate lines, as if some kind of immortal writing that transcends eternity, and seems to have endless changes. The lines on the surface of the pillars outline an uneven and unpleasant irregular structure, and the arabesque-like ornamentation abruptly and harmoniously mixes the shape of a five-pointed star. If an artist were to do this kind of design, it would be an unclean inspiration from the most wonderful nightmares.

Yuta Tomigashi and the others scattered, carefully traversing the slippery stone face between the stalagmites, recording this rare natural wonder with a camera and a recording microphone. It took a lot of time to search the entire hall, and Aiho Hagokawa then said they needed to rest and eat.

"Excitement may dilute hunger and exhaustion, but the human body is always consuming energy. "I don't want to take any unnecessary risks, even if it's a small loss on the way back." ”

They didn't want to spoil these precious stalactites, so instead of using the thick cylindrical stalagmites as seats, they casually burrowed into a wide passage and sat on the protruding stone walls on both sides to replenish their water and food. As for the problem of internal urgency, before departure, Po Pingdong Jing gave each person a survival device produced by the school city, which can collect excrement and precipitate water - Yuta Tomigashi had to be convinced.

After eating and drinking, the group once again embarked on a journey of exploration. This hall is where many underground passages converge, and the robots brought by Poping Dongjing are simply not enough, so he has to choose one of them to move forward, and assign the other two robots to explore other routes. Due to the presence of water, the cave floor is slippery, so they are all cautious, for fear of stepping on the air and sliding into the unknown dark realm where they can't see their fingers.

After climbing down the steep rock pipe and passing several forks in the road, the group stopped to confirm their position. Po Pingdongjing turned on the hologram function of the data terminal to show the complex cave system they were passing through. Before they knew it, they had already walked a winding route that added up to more than 10 kilometers – an astonishing achievement for such a complex terrain, thanks to the intelligent robot's pathfinding.

"Look, there seem to be some marks on the floor of the passage over there. Susan's inadvertent glance seemed to open the door to archaeological work that had not made much progress until now, and Yuta Tomigashi and the others hurriedly turned their gaze away, and she then lowered her head and approached to observe the dark brown lines, "The color is significantly different from the rock under our feet, not like ......"

Her voice came to an abrupt halt the moment she approached.

Yuta Tomigashi saw what was beneath her feet through the gaps in her limbs.

Bloodstain. Traces of prey being dragged. A creature of similar size to them.

Loud screams echoed through the narrow cavern. The dark brown dry liquid stretched into the depths of darkness, reminding him of the digestive tract of some kind of behemoth. The craggy rock walls seemed to squeeze against them from all sides, as if they were about to force their group of intruders into an abyss-like bottomless stomach.

The adjusted mental structure allowed Yuta Tomigashi to recover from his fear quickly, and hurriedly pressed the panicked Susan in front of him, and said in a calm low voice: "Take a deep breath, calm down, don't be nervous...... Miss Susan, this is just a trail that has dried up for a long time, and it won't hurt you. Our robots can detect any potential dangers, and Miss Huang Quanchuan also carries advanced weapons purchased from the school city. ”

He quietly used his magic as a black flamemaker, while the little bird behind him, Yu Liuhua, silently used dark magic to mask the fluctuations of his spell casting. The passage was too narrow for the people behind to come to the front, so he had to wait a little while to pass the robot over to Susan after overcoming his fears.

The robot that looked like it was rolling forward quickly disappeared from view. The data terminal in Po Pingdongjing's hand quickly analyzed the collected information - the traces were formed about five days ago, and the towed object was about 35 centimeters wide at the shoulder. Obviously, due to the size of the passage, the dragged creatures – if not humans – are most likely to be the same size as them.

"It would be nice to bring a DNA test...... Forget it, this kind of thing is not predictable. Po Pingdong's voice came from behind, "Now wait and see what happens, and wait for the results of the robot's feedback." ”

Yuta Tomigashi stared at the slightly trembling back in front of him, thinking that the next few minutes would probably be the longest time the other party had ever had. The little bird behind him, Yu Liuhua, secretly held his hand, and a layer of dark shield that was imperceptible to the naked eye instantly covered his body.

There is nothing to be afraid of. He grabbed the girl's tender fingers with his backhand.

If there really are any cannibal monsters hiding in this labyrinth, then ...... Wait to be consumed by the black flames!

……