Lin Xia bent down, meeting Larvitar's pair of crimson eyes filled with curiosity and an urge to explore. He spoke solemnly.
"Larvitar, it's up to you now! Start from here and dig downward to open a mine tunnel! Whether we can find something tasty depends on you!"
Lin Xia paused, his tone turning serious.
"But remember! The moment you feel the temperature rise to a level that makes you uncomfortable, or if the rock beneath your claws becomes abnormally scorching hot or shows signs of melting, stop immediately! Safety comes first! You must never break into a magma layer! Understood?"
His voice carried an unquestionable concern.
In this Douluo world, where even a Titled Douluo could fall to their death, digging straight into a magma pool?
Lin Xia had zero confidence of getting out unscathed.
Although Larvitar was extraordinarily gifted, at its current stage, it clearly hadn't reached the level of swimming freely in magma.
"Larvitar—!"
Larvitar understood the concern and warning in Lin Xia's words. It nodded its little head vigorously and let out a response brimming with confidence and fighting spirit. Its rock-armored body lowered slightly, crimson pupils locking onto the ground beneath its feet that radiated a powerful "fragrance." Its short hind legs kicked off the ground hard!
Clang! Crack! Boom—!!!
Accompanied by the familiar, teeth-grinding sound of rock being torn apart and rubble exploding, Larvitar instantly transformed into a high-efficiency tunneling machine.
Its sharp claws, covered in rock armor, moved like a blur. Hard obsidian and tuffstone were sliced open and peeled away beneath its claws as easily as soft soil.
Large amounts of stones were deftly shoveled behind it, and a neat, slanted tunnel over two meters in diameter rapidly took shape, extending downward at a visible pace.
Lin Xia and Lou Gao exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in the other's eyes.
Although Larvitar was clearing the way, neither of them relaxed their guard.
Lou Gao swiftly took out two well-maintained, gleaming AK-47s from his storage Soul Tool. He handed one to Lin Xia, while he himself smoothly chambered a round and disengaged the safety.
The two stood back-to-back at the tunnel entrance in a horn-like formation, the dark muzzles of their guns vigilantly sweeping over the seemingly lazy volcanic Soul Beasts around them.
Time passed, second by second.
The pile of rubble at the tunnel entrance grew higher, and the mine tunnel continued to extend deeper underground.
However, what slightly surprised Lin Xia was that those Soul Beasts still maintained their original state.
The lava lizards rolled over and continued sunbathing. The magma earth dragons remained focused on digging up moss-like plants near the geothermal springs. Far away, the volcanic stone giant leisurely spat magma bubbles while soaking in boiling water.
They seemed genuinely… indifferent to the huge commotion Larvitar was causing and to the presence of two humans.
"Teacher, they… really don't seem to be reacting?"
Lin Xia lowered his voice, frowning slightly. This was completely different from the immediate disturbance he had anticipated.
Lou Gao narrowed his eyes as he observed carefully. He lowered the muzzle a little, but his finger still rested on the trigger guard.
"It is strange. This reaction is exactly the same as when we first came here over ten years ago. Could it be… that they only act after hearing some kind of signal?"
Lou Gao pondered for a moment and offered another hypothesis.
"Or maybe… they're treating Larvitar as some newly emerged volcanic Soul Beast cub that specializes in digging?"
"After all, that rock armor on the little guy and that earth-vein aura of his really do have a bit of local flavor in this environment."
Lin Xia nodded. Lou Gao's speculation wasn't unreasonable.
Larvitar's appearance and abilities didn't feel out of place in a volcanic region.
As long as that strange "cry" didn't appear, perhaps they were temporarily safe?
Yet this calmness only made the unease in Lin Xia's heart grow heavier.
"No matter what, stay alert. We're going in!"
Lou Gao made the decision decisively.
At this moment, Larvitar had already dug more than thirty meters deep, and the tunnel entrance was dark and profound.
Lin Xia was about to light a torch, but Lou Gao stopped him with a smile.
"No need for that. In the underground rock layers of this volcano, there's a naturally occurring mineral called fireglow stone. The light isn't very strong, but it's sufficient for illumination and it's safer."
Lou Gao pointed toward the tunnel wall.
Sure enough, as Larvitar continued digging deeper, clusters of tiny crystals embedded in the rock walls gradually appeared. They emitted a soft orange-red glow, like scattered sparks of fire, dimly illuminating the interior of the passage. Though faint, the light was sufficient to make out their surroundings, lending the tunnel a mysterious atmosphere reminiscent of an underground lava world.
Lin Xia put away the fire striker, tightened his grip on the AK in his hands, and followed behind Lou Gao as they cautiously stepped into the mine tunnel.
The air inside was even hotter and more stifling than outside, permeated with a heavy mixture of earthy stone and pungent sulfur.
Beneath their feet was a slightly slick path of crushed rubble that Larvitar had cleared out.
The two advanced one after the other, their nerves stretched taut. The muzzles of their guns shifted in tandem with their line of sight, while their ears strained to catch even the slightest abnormal sound from inside or outside the tunnel.
The ka-cha, ka-cha sounds of Larvitar's excavation echoed and amplified within the tunnel, becoming the sole, dominant rhythm.
They proceeded along the downward-sloping passage for about ten minutes, estimating that they had already reached a depth of nearly a hundred meters.
The tunnel twisted and turned, but its general direction extended toward the core region of the volcanic mountain range.
The glow of Fire Glowstone along the tunnel walls grew increasingly dense, and the brightness rose accordingly. The orange-red radiance cast the uneven rock surfaces into sharp relief, like infernal bas-reliefs carved into the walls.
However, the deeper they went, the more tightly Lin Xia's brows furrowed.
It was too hot.
This heat was completely different from the dry, scorching sensation near the volcanic crater on the surface.
This was a suffocating, oppressive heat that seeped in from all directions—from the rocks beneath their feet, from the surrounding walls, from the strata overhead—as if they were standing inside a colossal steamer!
Sweat was no longer merely flowing, it burst forth as if floodgates had been thrown open, instantly soaking through his clothes and plastering them tightly against his skin, bringing an unbearable, sticky discomfort.
With every breath, the scorching air seemed to sear his throat and windpipe, producing a burning pain. His lungs felt as though a piece of red-hot branding iron had been shoved inside them.
Even his vision began to waver slightly from the heat. Sweat ran into his eyes, stinging painfully and blurring his sight.
Lin Xia could even feel waves of heat scorching the exposed skin on the backs of his hands and his cheeks, causing a faint, persistent pain.
"Huff… huff…"
Lin Xia gasped for air, feeling as though the oxygen in his lungs was being evaporated by the heat itself. His voice was dry, strained, and laced with exhaustion.
"Teacher… th-this… isn't this a bit off? The temperature's rising way too fast! When you were mining back then, was it this terrifying down below?"
Lou Gao wasn't faring much better. Sweat filled the deep creases of his weathered face, and his bald head gleamed slickly, as though he had just been hauled out of water.
He stopped in his tracks and viciously wiped his face with his sleeve, yet the sweat immediately poured out again.
He, too, was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently. His eyes were filled with shock, uncertainty, and an unprecedented gravity.
"This isn't right—something is seriously wrong!"
Lou Gao's voice was hoarse, carrying disbelief, confusion, and a trace of barely concealed tension.
"Back then, we dug much deeper than this! It was hot, yes, but never to this extent! At most, we were drenched in sweat and could still keep working. But now…"
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