Remove all restrictions and transform into a bizarre girl.

The car's air conditioning blew out a cool breeze, carrying a slight new car smell.

Chen Nian looked at the desolate wilderness outside and sighed.

"The journey will take about two and a half to three hours." Xu Xue held the steering wheel with one hand and pulled a folded map from the storage compartment with the other, handing it to Chen Nian. "While you're at it, go over the latest situation in the mining area again. I also brought some test data with me; you can look at those after you've finished looking at the map."

Chen Nian took the map and unfolded it. Several locations were marked with a red pen, and there were dense annotations and data written next to them.

She turned to the side, bringing the map closer to the light coming in through the car window, and began to examine it carefully.

The SUV drove smoothly along the highway, and the scenery outside the window gradually transitioned from streets and buildings to open countryside. The gray road surface stretched out under the wheels, pointing to the unknown mining area in the distance.

Chen Nian spread the map on her lap and slowly moved her fingertips along the route marked in red.

Several monitoring points on the outskirts of the mining area were marked with triangles, with the date and energy fluctuation values ​​written next to them. Some values ​​were marked with question marks, indicating that Xu Xue herself had not fully confirmed the data.

Chen Nian couldn't understand these data, nor did she want to know. She wasn't there for scientific research; her main purpose was to protect Xu Xue, so she didn't press for answers.

After studying the map for a while and memorizing it, I folded it up and put it back in the glove box. I leaned back in my chair and focused my gaze on the road ahead.

The scenery outside the window had transitioned from the countryside to a more desolate area. The vegetation on both sides of the road was becoming increasingly sparse, and occasionally one or two abandoned guard posts or rusted signs could be seen flashing past the car window.

A low gray wall appeared ahead of the road, and the outlines of several abandoned buildings could be vaguely seen behind the wall; the edge of the mining area was almost there.

"Almost there," Xu Xue said, turning on her turn signal. The wheels rolled over a section of gravel road, the car bumped slightly, and then stopped in front of a rusty iron gate.

The fence next to the gate had mostly collapsed, and the chain on the gate had been cut, with a brand new padlock hanging on it.

Xu Xue turned off the engine, removed the key, and turned to Chen Nian: "We're here. Get out of the car; we'll have to walk the rest of the way."

As Chen Nian pushed open the car door and stepped onto the gravel ground, a dry wind blew in her face, carrying the smell of slag and dust.

This place doesn't have the sweetness of the mine in Area C; instead, it tastes quite normal.

Based on reasoning, such a powerful and eerie place should not exist in this rear area.

However, the conditions for the formation of a mine do require a large number of strange gatherings to occur, so it's normal for there to be problems.

She closed the car door and looked around—the mining area behind the iron gate was larger than she had imagined, with gray buildings scattered among the undulating terrain. Some of the roofs had collapsed halfway, revealing rusted steel frames, like rows of silent skeletons.

Xu Xue took a metal box and a backpack out of the trunk, locked the car door, walked to the iron gate, took out a key from her pocket, and unlocked the new lock.

"Speak as quietly as possible once you're inside." Xu Xue pushed open the iron gate, the rusty hinges making a dull creaking sound. "The mine's structure is unstable; too much noise could cause a collapse."

Chen Nian nodded and followed her through the iron gate.

The path underfoot changed from gravel to compacted ground, with piles of discarded machine parts and rusted iron barrels on both sides, as well as some miscellaneous items of unknown origin, gleaming grayish in the sunlight.

The smell of slag and dust in the air grew stronger, along with a very faint, indescribable odor, like the lingering smell of some mineral after it had been heated.

"That gray building over there used to be the mining area dispatch center." Xu Xue walked ahead, turned sideways and pointed to a three-story building a hundred meters away. "There's an entrance to the underground inside. I explored it once before, but I stopped at the bottom platform and didn't dare to go any further."

Chen Nian looked at the building. Large patches of paint had peeled off the exterior walls, and most of the windows were broken, with only a few pieces hanging precariously on the window frames.

The open space in front of the building was overgrown with withered yellow weeds, which rustled in the wind.

"What did you feel when you went down there?" Chen Nian asked from behind.

Xu Xue didn't stop walking, but after a moment of silence, she answered, "It feels... like something is watching me. There's no sound, no smell, but the back of my neck feels cold." After saying that, she added, "Or maybe I'm just scaring myself."

The two walked to the building entrance.

The door was made of wood and was warped, so it couldn't be closed properly, leaving a gap large enough for one person to squeeze through sideways.

Xu Xue squeezed in first, followed by Chen Nian.

As the two stepped into the lobby on the first floor, the light suddenly dimmed. It took their pupils a few seconds to adjust from the bright outside to the dimly lit interior.

The scene inside the hall was even more dilapidated than the outside. Broken glass and rubble were scattered on the floor, several overturned chairs were piled in the corner, the control panel was overturned on the ground, and all the monitors were shattered.

On the opposite wall is a half-open iron door, behind which you can see a dark staircase leading downwards, like an open mouth.

Xu Xue took a flashlight out of the metal box and handed it to Chen Nian, then took one for herself. After turning it on, she shone it on the iron gate: "Go down the stairs to about three floors to the ground platform. Once you get there, you can see the entrance to the mine's geological profile."

Chen Nian took the flashlight, held it in her hand and tested the brightness. She had originally intended to use the blue crystal for lighting.

But since Xu Xue had already given her a flashlight, she decided to let it go.

If Xu Xue thinks I'm showing off my wealth, then that wouldn't be good.

Then he walked to the iron gate and shone his flashlight down the stairs.

The light was swallowed by the darkness, and the end was not visible, but the steps of the stairs were still intact, only covered with a thin layer of ash.

"Let's go," Chen Nian said, stepping over the threshold of the iron gate and onto the first step.

The flashlight beam streaked across the darkness, illuminating the path beneath her feet.

Footsteps followed behind, one in front and one behind, at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Two beams of light swayed and intertwined in the stairwell, illuminating the cracks and pipes on the walls clearly before being swallowed by darkness.

The deeper you go, the cooler the air becomes, and the lingering smell of slag becomes clearer. In addition, there is a very faint, almost imperceptible humming sound coming from deep beneath your feet.

But in this situation, if you don't feel any danger, you shouldn't spend 1 Gray Coins to hire someone to protect you.

There is definitely something wrong with it.

The thought had barely crossed Chen Nian's mind when...

……