Boom!
Amid the loud noise, the mutilated remains fell on their backs to the sky, blood splattering.
As the numbers dwindled, the brutal fight and competition between the two teams was about to draw to a conclusion. With one foot crushing a corpse, the scar-faced man with bronze skin wrapped in electric light looked coldly at the last stand, "Hand over the item, and I'll spare your lives."
"Keep dreaming, horse-fucker!"
The critically wounded captain sneered, hugging the backpack tightly to his chest and raising the other hand holding explosives, "Take one more step, and we'll all be sent off together!"
"Really?" The scar-faced man looked at him indifferently, unwavering as he took a step forward, "I don't believe you."
A flicker of hesitation appeared in the captain's eyes, which the sharp-eyed man caught and his smile grew wickeder, "Don't worry, I keep my word. Hand over the —"
Boom!!!
Another loud noise, something seemed to whoosh over their heads.
Flying out of a suddenly opened crack, defying gravity, it moved across the ceiling and zoomed away, leaving behind an excited cry, "Woo-hoo, takeoff!!!"
Then vanished through another crack that appeared out of nowhere.
The crack closed.
Leaving behind a deathly silence.
The captain and the scar-faced man stared in shock for a moment; the team members exchanged puzzled looks.
Had something just gone by?
But then, the roar of an engine started up again, as if it had taken the wrong turn, flying out from another crack in the ceiling; along the wall from top to bottom, it charged towards the ground, and then darted into another swiftly opening crack, "Woo-hoo, I fly again!"
Disappeared from sight.
"..."
In a moment of bewilderment, everyone stood frozen.
In the silence that followed, the captain, still holding the explosives, felt a lightness in his embrace, as if a rope had flown from somewhere, hooked his bag, and pulled it away.
Leaving behind an awkward silence.
"Uh, so..."
The captain swallowed hard, "Since it's all clear now, shall we... take our leave?"
...
Far away, it seemed as though the sound of an explosion could be faintly heard.
But it was unclear.
Amid the rushing winds, Ji Jue heard the cheer from Xiao An in the backseat, "Bro Ji Jue, I've grabbed the goods!"
Ji Jue turned around in confusion, saw the open backpack in Xiao An's hands, and the shining brilliance inside, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Holy shit!"
Time Sand Crystal, fuck!
A Time Sand Crystal as big as a human head, ever seen that?!
He had seen it today!
No, it really was a human head... you could vaguely make out the sculpted face; was it Mercury's?
To be a Saint, to make a statue of oneself out of Time Sand worth millions per ounce, and such a large chunk at that?! Out in the world of Ember, wouldn't craftsman fight like mad dogs for it?
"What do you mean robbed?"
He patted Xiao An on the head and said sternly, "We found it, understand?"
"Huh?" Xiao An was puzzled.
"It must have been discarded since no one wanted it, and we stumbled upon it," Ji Jue shoved the Time Sand Crystal back into the backpack for Xiao An to secure, "We'll pocket it and guard it for whoever lost it. If no one claims it, then we can keep it for ourselves, right?"
"Oh, right!"
Xiao An nodded semi-understandingly. Although he didn't understand what was happening, it must be correct if Brother Ji Jue said so.
"This I've found!"
Ji Jue nodded in satisfaction—teachable youth!
The 'found' items had already filled the cart of the small donkey to the brim, poking out sharply here and there. Thank goodness for Xiao An's proficient use of ropes for quick packing; otherwise, they'd have lost many treasures.
You could pick anything from any corner of the Saint's workshop and it'd be valuable.
Occasionally stumbling upon unrecognizable items, the Prophet would remind them not to forget to take them.
Learning and eating, while also collecting local specialties—had this not been in the Crack Realm, Ji Jue would have found this trip incredibly leisurely!
With another roaring sound, the faint light at the end of the changing, narrow corridor emerged—they once again passed through the wall and appeared in a vast hall.
The vast space was empty except for the rustling fall of Dust, with not a soul around.
A desolate silence.
Only a lonely armchair stood amidst the dust, its once glorious and solemn white robe cast aside on the floor, discarded.
For a moment, Ji Jue caught a glimpse of that contemplative figure from his daze, but soon enough, it all vanished, tossed to the back of his mind.
Then, after passing through walls and tunnels, they seemed to arrive at a strange furnace room, the massive Melting Furnaces filled with Embers, no longer feeling the warmth and bustle of the past.
Giant pipes spread out everywhere, across the ceiling and the ground.
Moving among them felt like being among ants and Dust.
And after passing through there, Ji Jue found himself seemingly back in a familiar place, a mess that seemed to have been visited by someone, yet no one to be found.
He felt as if he had gotten lost, yet also on the correct path.
And so, he moves through the core, not knowing which direction to take next.
He was getting closer to the inner layers, but one wrong move risked being ejected from the fiercely operating workshop, back to an earlier position.
For example, where on earth was Non-attack?
He just felt that the closer he got to the core, the harder the paths became, and without heed, he could be flung out by the workshop's violent rotations, returning to an even earlier spot.