That place might've been connected to a four-dimensional space, though for some reason, it used endless dead trees to drain every living creature's time and energy, killing everything that passed through to achieve its twisted goal. That thing must've been a product of the Fourth Dimension.
By some freak coincidence of yin and yang, Jing Shu had gotten the largest crimson crystal. Not only that, she'd also collected a good amount of crimson liquid. Even now, whenever she thought about it, her heart still raced. Back then, she'd almost exploded from within, about to die on the spot. It was the Rubik's Cube Space that saved her, giving her an anchor point and using that crimson liquid and crystal to restore her body to the state it was in before she was injured.
"Come to think of it, there's less crimson liquid in the space again. Is the Cube Space secretly using it on its own?" Jing Shu shook her head, pushing the thought aside.
Zhen Nantian was right. The Cube Space was a dimensional product, something far beyond the Fourth Dimension. She just didn't know exactly how many dimensions it belonged to.
She looked toward Zhen Nantian in the dark, saying nothing. They locked eyes, each trying to read something deeper from the other's gaze.
If that was the case, Zhen Nantian must also possess something dimensional. But what kind? Did his slow movements and time delay come from the time aspect of the Fourth Dimension, or the speed of the Fifth?
Should she ask him about dimensional matters? But if he turned the question back on her and asked about the Cube Space, what would she say? After living two lives, that space was her greatest secret. She wouldn't tell anyone about it, not ever again.
Her pounding heart gradually calmed. She cared about keeping the Cube Space hidden, but he couldn't see it anyway. He only knew she had a dimensional artifact, and chances were, he did too. Neither of them knew the other's full abilities. That was good enough. She wouldn't ask, and she wouldn't say anything about the Cube Space. That was settled.
"Damn it, it's him! That's the demon the boss put a bounty on! He's here!"
"It's him! Quick, call for—uh!" The voice cut off as the speaker fell to the ground.
"Protect the supplies below! Check on Dr. B! He's not alone!"
Even that light drizzle seemed to have some kind of time limit.
Ratatatata!
Gunfire erupted without warning. Zhen Nantian was suddenly caught in a fierce battle. Down below, Jing Shu had no idea what was happening on the surface. Still, two A-grade mercenary squads were no joke.
"This is it." Jing Shu didn't hesitate anymore. She activated both the tunnel and mountain charges. With limited materials, she had to use a fire detonator system—basically, a fuse that lit the thunder tube, which in turn triggered the explosives.
Boom! Rumble—!
Trouble really came all at once. As the mountain battle reached its climax, just as the bodyguards reached the opening to protect Dr. B, a giant mushroom cloud erupted upward. The explosion shattered eardrums, and molten magma burst out like a broken cup spilling from the cracks, surging wildly with the shockwaves.
The bodyguards who'd just arrived were instantly swallowed by the lava below.
The mountain, like an overturned bowl, completely collapsed. The foundations and inner walls gave way, tumbling into the molten sea. It was like massive stones splashing into water, waves of magma crashing in all directions.
Thick dust and smoke instantly engulfed the battlefield.
Panting, Jing Shu carried her two heavy backpacks and ran far from the mountain pass. Xiao Dou, her battle chicken, was exhausted, tongue lolling as it flopped flat on the ground.
The smoke and the mushroom cloud completely blocked her night vision. She pulled on her gas mask, squinting as screams echoed from the haze. She couldn't see what was happening inside. The explosion had been carefully calculated—she'd hoped to blow them all up, but too bad, only a few unlucky ones got caught.
By now, the survivors probably had no idea what'd even happened. They didn't know Dr. B had already taken the supplies and fled.
The tunnel and the mountain entrance were both destroyed. Austin would have to re-survey the whole area, wasting at least half a day. That much time was enough for her to escape the upper-level control zone.
Jing Shu didn't rest. She started preparing for the grand escape.
Five minutes later, the battlefield went completely silent. No more gunfire. From the thick smoke, a faint silhouette walked out.
Zhen Nantian.
"Reinforcements will arrive in ten minutes, at least three attack choppers. They'll probably start a carpet search," he said, sending a quick message to the group chat:
[Mountain pass destroyed. No survivors. Snake Spirit, take your team and retreat. Rendezvous later.]
"This is the only gas car left. We'll ditch it off a cliff near the meetup point. You driving, or me?"
"You drive. I'm injured."
She didn't have time to check how bad his wounds were. Fearing the search choppers, Jing Shu floored the accelerator. She didn't dare turn on the headlights, just tore down the dark highway as fast as she could. Thankfully, the road wasn't broken. America had plenty of highways, and their pursuers wouldn't know which one she'd taken. She didn't run into any mountains or land shifts either.
Zhen Nantian narrowed his eyes, saying nothing.
Jing Shu stayed silent too, forcing herself not to ask about his dimensional artifact.
This time, reuniting with the transport ship and the rest of the team went far smoother. Soon, they were safely aboard. The ship sped across the endless sea, far from anyone's reach. No matter how powerful those slavers were, they couldn't find them now.
She let out a long breath. She made herself a huge bowl of milk powder, boiled a dozen sunny-side-up eggs, took out her sprouted bean sprouts, the pickled kimchi she'd made, the lettuce she'd grown, and the sausages from home. She diced everything, mixed it with leftover rice, scallions, sesame, soy sauce, and topped it all with an egg for a perfect sunny egg rice bowl.
"Phew~ Finally feel alive again." She leaned back in the ship's lounge, sipping her milk. Xiao Dou lay at her feet, eyes half-closed in bliss.
The others weren't strangers to seeing her eat, but it always amazed them. How the hell did Jing Shu manage to eat something different every single day of the year?
Snake Spirit coughed. "Shouldn't we, uh, get that bullet out of the captain?"
"Huh?" Jing Shu blinked, then saw Zhen Nantian limping over, blood still seeping from his side. She suddenly remembered—oh right, he'd said he was injured. She'd been too tense to even process that earlier.
"Three bullets," he said calmly. "Lost about fifteen hundred milliliters of blood. I'll wait until it hits my physical limit before taking them out."
"What??" Jing Shu stared at him like he'd lost his mind. "You think this is trimming your nails or something? Waiting till it grows too long to cut?"