Why did you provoke me?

A month passed like this before they finally finished running across the entire battlefield.

The energy within the lines of thought has accumulated to two-tenths.

They encountered several dangers during this period, but they avoided them all by using their hair to shield themselves from direct confrontation.

However, this attracted the attention of the Fourth Battlefield's management forces, who actually issued a mission to find Yu Meng and her companion.

Yu Meng was annoyed by their harassment, so she spat out poison as if it were free, and used the properties of the Illusion Pearl to give them psychological suggestions. In this way, no one bothered her for the rest of the trip.

But it also left behind a lingering effect: whenever people on the battlefield saw a smiling face or a crying face, they would lower their heads and mutter a few words that Yu Meng couldn't understand.

Seeing Niannian covering her mouth and snickering, Yu Meng glared at her, "Who am I doing this for, you little ingrate?"

"I wasn't thinking anything, I just wanted to laugh," Niannian quickly explained.

"Hmph, if you dare to tell anyone about these things after we get out, I'll see if I still talk to you."

Niannian turned around, suppressing her laughter, her shoulders trembling. It was clear she was having a hard time holding it in.

"Are we still going? I still want to go and see that depression." Yu Meng asked, seeing her laughing incessantly.

"Let's go, let's go now," Niannian replied hastily.

"Is it really that ridiculous?" Yu Meng asked on the way.

"They're so afraid of you, you've become the source of their fear. Fourth Sister, should we just shut this up?"

Yu Meng stumbled slightly. "Stop. Don't overthink it!"

"Fourth Sister, shall we conduct an experiment?" Niannian rolled her eyes, a thought forming in her mind.

"What?"

"How about we go see how intimidating the two of us sisters are?"

"Are you going to loot supplies?"

Niannian choked for a moment, "It's just a try, I don't really want to."

"Niannian, I'm dealing with them because they were the ones who had bad intentions towards me first. What you're doing now is showing off and bullying them."

"But they made us take so many unnecessary detours."

"Yes, but didn't I get my revenge?"

"Fourth sister, you're so kind-hearted."

"Didn't you already know?" Yu Meng said meaningfully.

"Hmph, you only know how to bully me. Can't I bully others?" Nian Nian pouted, but her eyes were full of laughter.

"Okay, next time something like this happens, you go first, I'll be waiting."

"That's settled then, I'll come next time." Niannian's mood improved.

The quicksand in the depression continued to flow as always, neither fast nor slow.

Yu Meng, with Nian Nian in tow, did not approach. She closed her eyes briefly, then raised her right foot, an invisible force rippling outwards like concentric circles.

Perhaps in an instant, or perhaps after a long time, the sand in the depression sank rapidly downwards like flowing water.

Yu Meng swiftly grabbed Niannian and lifted her into the air.

In just a short while, a huge black crater appeared before their eyes.

Yu Meng pursed her lips; she seemed to have acted impulsively.

"Fourth Sister, do you feel a bit cooler?" Niannian craned her neck to look into the deep pit.

Yu Meng didn't speak, but frowned as she glanced at the communication bell in her hand.

Niannian also glanced at her communication bell.

"What's wrong?" Niannian asked, activating her communication bell. A weak voice came through, "Is anyone nearby? I need help."

At the same time, this sentence also came through Yu Meng's communication bell.

Niannian looked at Yu Meng and asked, "Who is it? One of our people?"

Yu Meng looked at the unfamiliar label and said, "I don't know, but it should be one of our people. I only give this communication bell to my own people."

"Should I send him the coordinates?" Niannian asked tentatively.

"Okay, you decide this, I'll play support."

"You really want me to do it?"

"Niannian, this is a call for help, it's a matter of life and death. Think carefully before you act," Yu Meng cautioned.

"I know."

Niannian sent a message: "Your information and the situation where you are."

Deep underground, Hua Shulang held his communication bell. He had sent out his distress message ten days ago, but there had been no response.

The team members sat around him, no one spoke, they all silently tidied their own things.

A pen was being passed around in the crowd; it wasn't that there weren't more pens, but in this situation, one pen was enough.

They had been groping around in this dark environment for so long that they had lost track of how many days it had been.

"Captain, can we still get out?" someone asked in a low voice.

"Yes, definitely." Hua Shulang's voice was hoarse, but her tone was firm.

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have provoked them. I should have just agreed to treat them in the first place," a woman said, choking back tears.

No one spoke; no one offered comfort or blame. Only the woman's intermittent sobs could be heard.

After a long silence, Hua Shulang spoke, "It's not your fault, it's my fault as the captain." As for what he did wrong, he didn't say.

"Write down everything you want to write. I have some oiled paper here, so it should be able to be preserved. In case someone comes someday, maybe you can send a message to your family." A weathered voice rang out.

Hua Shulang didn't stop him; he gripped the communication bell tightly in his hand. He remembered Secretary Wu's words: if there were any unsolvable difficulties, he could send a message to this life-saving channel.

But now, three days have passed since he sent his message, and he hasn't received any reply. He didn't really have much hope; this was underground, after all—who would expect to find someone so deep down?

He tried to sit up straight and straighten his clothes. Even if he died, he wanted to die with dignity.

"Captain, this is our last ration. Should we divide it equally?"

"Let's split it. I'll skip mine," Hua Shulang said calmly.

"I don't want mine either, give it to the younger ones," said the person who had mentioned having oil paper earlier.

"Mine's fine too." Another voice came, but it was unclear who it was.

The crying stopped. "I...I want it."

The air seemed to stand still.

"Give it to her." Hua Shulang's voice remained calm.

"I can't die. I still need to find my father. That was my mother's last wish," she explained softly, as if it were her duty to take it.

No one spoke; only the soft sound of chewing could be heard.

Hua Shulang felt his hand tremble. His first reaction was not excitement, but a stiffness in his muscles.

Then, she slowly lowered her head, her eyes fixed on her slowly rising hand. Her clenched fingers slowly opened, and a faint light flickered, shining particularly brightly at that moment.

His other trembling hand pressed a protrusion, and a line of text appeared before his eyes.

Upon seeing these words, he suddenly felt like crying.

After composing himself, he finally spoke, "I am Hua Shulang, and we are buried deep underground."

Niannian, on the ground, looked at the newly appeared voice and then at Yu Meng in surprise, "Fourth Sister, how could it be him?"

Yu Meng was also surprised; she hadn't expected to receive news of Hua Shulang at this time.

"Should we save her?" Niannian asked hesitantly.

"He is my mother-in-law's adopted son, and I promised to take care of him," Yu Meng replied, seemingly ignoring the question.

"That means we're saved." Niannian squinted. "But how do we find them?"