Wang Tianwei watched the temperature displayed on the mecha's screen rise higher and higher; they had only been walking inside for a short while, and it had already reached 50 degrees!
Keep in mind that it was the middle of the night, and the temperature outside was close to zero!
"Good thing we decided to come down at night..."
The Federation's mineral resources had always been mined by machines, requiring no manual labor.
The four of them might very well be the first batch of people to come down here in person. The environment before their eyes looked eerie enough...
The power system was still operating, but there were few mining lamps. Passing by the dark corners, there would occasionally be some rustling noises. Before anyone could see clearly whether it was a mutated beast or an animal, it disappeared.
Before long, the air pollution index on the display screen also gradually increased.
The deeper they went, the louder the mecha's movements sounded. Jian Jingyu, at the very front, could not help but lighten his breathing.
"Sister Zebra... the radar seems to be broken."
After going deep underground for who knows how many meters, Jian Jingyu jumped down a small slope, and the radar map suddenly turned into a flurry of static snow.
He shouted in the communication channel for a long time without anyone answering him, and instantly felt something was wrong.
"Sister Zebra??"
He immediately switched to the external speaker,
"Sir Huang? Sister Zebra? Can you hear me?"
"Hmm? What did you say?"
"The radar is broken! I was just talking in the team voice chat, and none of you answered me?"
Wang Tianwei was walking in the third position. Currently, she could see that her radar map was flickering.
"My radar can still show a little bit, but it's not stable either. It seems like something is interfering with or shielding the signal... It might be the ore!!"
Hearing this, Jian Jingyu took two more steps forward. The walls on both sides indeed had traces of being excavated by machines.
Huang Yan also turned on his external speaker.
"This should be some kind of mineral vein that can block signals. Even my spiritual power has been restricted... I can't see what's behind it."
Wang Tianwei followed with interest,
"Where? The ore?"
Huang Yan reached out and knocked on the wall,
"Inside here."
"Oh, then do you guys think the 'Little Bee' is still broadcasting?"
Wang Tianwei always felt as if it had not been affected at all. No matter how the mechas moved, the camera kept following them!
"The military district must have made all preparations in advance. If the academy's bonus point button is really here, it will definitely be able to broadcast."
"Then I think there's a high probability... After all, even when the radar has no signal, it can still fly around us!"
Wang Tianwei narrowed her eyes slightly. She originally thought it was just an ordinary live broadcast camera. To think it actually contained such high technological content?
Something their mechas didn't even have, this little thing actually had?
"...Why do I feel like she's looking at us?"
"To be more blunt than the previous guy, I think she harbors ill intentions!!"
"Don't come over here!!!"
The soldiers who were monitoring the students' safety through the cameras also sensed a hint of danger and immediately operated the "Little Bee" to draw an "X" in the air!
'No matter what you want to do, absolutely not!'
Although they didn't know exactly what Wang Tianwei was thinking, their experience over the past four days told them that when it was time to refuse, they must refuse promptly! Otherwise, it would likely be too late later on!
"Sir Huang, there are three paths ahead... which one should we take?"
Jian Jingyu was a bit helpless. Without a radar, and with a three-way fork appearing, what should they do?
"This is just how it is inside the mine shafts. There are definitely more than just these three forks..."
Huang Yan also felt a headache coming on, but he didn't forget to remind his teammates,
"Everyone, take out your weapons. Without radar warnings, we don't know what we'll encounter next. If we have to fight, be careful..."
"Yes!"
The group twisted and turned through the mine shafts. After four forks, they couldn't remember the way back... Fortunately, Wang Tianwei had the foresight to make a mark with a fluorescent pen at every intersection!
Currently, the only one who still clearly remembered the route they had taken was Huang Yan.
Huang Yan not only knew every path they had walked, but he also converged these paths into a map of the mining area in his mind.
This trick was taught to him by Chao Hao. With his current S-class spiritual power, executing it was a breeze!
It was just that the inner mine caves were not as spacious as the outside; a single passage could only accommodate one mecha passing through. They needed to search path by path. After a long time, it inevitably felt a bit oppressive and frustrating.
"Ha... it's already 3 AM."
Wang Tianwei took a moment to glance at her mecha's energy. Fortunately, 86% remained.
Since they were just looking for the way and not fighting, the consumption was naturally low.
Just at the moment she relaxed, Huang Yan suddenly shouted a warning,
"Run! Lyra! Turn around and run, quickly!"
Walking at the very back, Zhang Lyra shuddered all over when her name was called! Reacting quickly, she turned her head and charged outward!
Jian Jingyu didn't even see clearly what those densely packed things were in the thermal imaging camera before him!?
The "Little Bee" rose from the gap, capturing the terrifying scene behind them.
Chao Hao, who was still watching the live broadcast in the second half of the night, opened his sleep pod door and sat up!
"Ore-Devouring Bugs and Rock-Debris Ants? And so many of them! The Third Military District is playing a bit too rough this time..."
The names of these two star beasts were very fitting. They entrenched themselves in major mineral veins all year round.
Their size was not as large as other star beasts, about the same as a beetle, but they lived in swarms and had astonishing reproductive capabilities!
They were the two star beasts the Federation feared encountering the most when mining, because they didn't just eat ore; they would devour anything rich in energy... including humans and mechas. It could be said that they exploited every possible opening!
Even the machines specifically used for mining would have their crevices clung to by them, sucking the energy completely dry!
It didn't matter how many energy blocks you changed or what you used to recharge! It was all useless; anything that went in never came out!
When the audience saw clearly what those bugs surging over like a tide were, they also felt a wave of horror.
"Ore-Devouring Bugs and Rock-Debris Ants! I was afraid they would run into these! How are you supposed to fight this stuff!?"
"Oh my god! My trypophobia is acting up!"
"The bugs are moving so fast! Run for your lives!!"
"If they get caught, it's going to be disastrous... Firing inside a mine shaft easily leads to friendly fire."
Huang Yan commanded as he ran,
"We can't let those things touch the mechas. Little Bear, hit the accelerator and run! Take a left at the second intersection ahead!!"
Hearing this, everyone knew the severity of the situation!
Zhang Lyra operated her mecha to drop on all fours, turned on the anti-gravity suspension, pressed the acceleration button, and sprinted wildly!
Wang Tianwei even directly transformed into a fighter jet mode, following closely behind!
Huang Yan and Jian Jingyu also turned on their respective accelerations, running so fast it was as if a ghost were chasing them from behind!
The "Little Bee" almost couldn't keep up with the group and was remotely controlled by the soldiers of the Third Military District to attach itself to one of their mechas...
Only after succeeding did they breathe a sigh of relief.
"Phew! We were almost shaken off by them."
"Tsk tsk tsk, the speed of these super-grade mechas is really something else!"
"Goldfish, open fire! Super electromagnetic cannon!"
Jian Jingyu set up his firepower towards the rear just as Huang Yan instructed. A pile of bugs that were about to touch his back were overturned by the electromagnetic cannon! But the ones behind continued to advance wave upon wave...
Little Bear clearly evacuated in the direction commanded by Huang Yan, but upon turning around, she crashed into a wall!
"There is no way forward, Sir Huang!"
"Impossible!"
He remembered clearly that this was the exact route they had taken to get here!
Zhang Lyra caught her breath, only to realize that the "wall" in front of them was squirming!!
"Wait, no! A starbeast is blocking the exit!"
The thermal imager revealed an enormous starbeast, so massive that neither end of it was visible! It completely sealed off the already cramped mine shaft!
