Li Andy pulled his thoughts and gaze back to reality.
Freed from the erosion of the strange statue, the furnace radiated new vitality, and the magma inside it began to churn, bubbling like boiling water.
The surrounding temperature instantly soared by several degrees.
Li Andy quickly pulled the girls close, ready to respond to any sudden changes.
A few seconds later, under the tense gazes of the three, the furnace slowly rose and walked directly towards the Processing Area.
The large door of the Processing Area looked exceptionally small in contrast to this behemoth, like a small dog curled up at the feet of a giant beast.
“Dong—!”
Its entire body crashed against the large door, and cracks spread like a spiderweb.
“It can cross areas?!” Sophia exclaimed in surprise.
Li Andy frowned slightly, hearing dense gunfire.
The Processing Area had begun to retaliate, but the bullets landing on the furnace were no more than a tickle.
“Dong—!”
“Dong—!!”
After three impacts, the thick wall shattered, and the scene of the Processing Area was laid bare.
The Hound's limbs trembled, as if remembering the fear of being dominated, so it simply retracted its limbs, played dead, and reverted to its original form.
The Furnace Giant advanced as if entering an uninhabited land, stepping over corpses.
The magma that accidentally sloshed out thoughtfully provided burial services.
The hounds immediately scattered and fled, but the assembly line workers continued to work numbly, completely unaware even as the magma submerged their calves.
“You! You! You violated the rules!”
The Fat Machine Monster leaned against the small furnace, trembling as he pointed at the Furnace Giant, like a small mouse with its back against a rock, with nowhere to escape.
“Stop! You can’t do this!”
“They need to work! They need to learn gratitude through work! Only then can they become truly useful people!”
“You stop quickly!”
The Furnace Giant ignored him, advancing in silence.
Coming before the small furnace, he tilted his body, pouring out all the scorching magma.
“Ah ah ah!”
The incredible high temperature actually melted the small furnace.
The Fat Mechanical Monster below, half of his body turned into molten iron, revealing the strange mechanical structure inside.
“Stop… Stop quickly…”
“If you do this…”
“You won’t become human…”
The magma flowed, submerging the machine, like ice melting in water.
With the disappearance of the small furnace, all the workers suddenly looked up at the sky.
Their bodies became blurry and indistinct, finally turning into light and heat, dissipating into the air.
The Furnace Giant sat on the pile of magma, constantly patting his belly and hands, as happy as a several-hundred-ton child.
Before Li Andy and the two girls could recover, fire instantly filled the entire factory.
This fire was intense but not hot, instead, it felt like the warm sun of spring.
The next second, their vision was covered by endless light.
Immediately after, it was as dark as if the lights had gone out, and nothing could be seen.
Sophia was so nervous that her fur bristled, and her two hands, one on the left and one on the right, tightly hugged Li Andy’s and Youxi’s arms:
“What’s going on?!”
“Tap—”
A lantern lit up.
After their eyes adjusted to the dimness, they found that the scene before them had completely changed.
Li Andy held up the lantern, surveying his surroundings.
Here, up, down, left, and right, were all dark mudstone.
Dust mixed in the air, dancing randomly in the light with his breathing.
“We’ve reached the third floor. This should be a mine shaft,” Li Andy said.
“We’ve reached the third floor already? Was it caused by that large furnace? Why… why would it do that?”
Sophia was clearly a bit slow to react, and recalling the recent scene, she couldn’t help but feel confused.
Although domains were absurd and abstract, they were not entirely illogical.
“Maybe it has a grudge with the Fat Machine…”
Li Andy said, “We can think about the debriefing later. First, let’s check if the surroundings are safe.”
Youxi summoned the Specter Nun. Compared to her initial appearance, both of their bodies looked a bit more transparent, like they were running out of energy.
After the Specter Nun returned, Youxi’s body swayed slightly. She said somewhat tiredly, “Brother, the surroundings are safe. There’s nothing else except a stone cart tunnel not far ahead.”
Li Andy nodded:
“Okay, let’s rest here for a while. As for watch duty…”
“I’ll take watch duty!”
Sophia actively raised her hand. Since she was still hugging both of their arms, her prominent chest instantly pressed against the other two.
Youxi paused, glanced at her, then at her own chest, and pursed her lips lightly, saying:
“Sophia, you seem to have gained weight…”
“Huh?”
Sophia was a bit bewildered.
Li Andy pinched his chin, nodding in agreement:
“It is indeed a bit bigger. Perhaps because the food has been better recently?”
“Bigger?”
Sophia finally understood this time. Blushing, she shook off the siblings’ arms,
“You… you two! I’m going to stand guard around here!”
Unable to retort, Sophia turned around huffily.
“Don’t go too far.”
Li Andy watched her leave the range of the light. Although he could no longer clearly see her figure, she was still within his perception range.
At this moment, Youxi suddenly asked:
“Brother, do you like big ones?”
“Depends on the feel.”
“Then… would Brother like to try the feel of mine?”
“Uh…”
For some reason, after Youxi used her ability, there was always a period when she was very special… especially proactive.
“You’re tired. Rest first. You can try anytime after we go back,” Li Andy unusually refused.
“Mm.”
The girl nodded and leaned into his embrace.
“It’s a bit cold. Brother, hold me.”
With the girl in this position, he could reach in and test the feel anytime he wanted.
But Li Andy merely put his arm around her and sat down against the wall.
He was also tired and truly needed a moment to rest.
After carving a mark on the wall with his knife, he slowly closed his eyes.
With each breath, his mind began to empty, various distracting thoughts gradually disappeared, and he quickly entered a meditative state.
The “Forgotten Inverted Cross” meant he could only sleep for a maximum of three hours each time, forcing him to learn how to quickly and efficiently rest.
Sometimes, people's adaptability is truly strong.
However, mental fatigue was still accumulating, and he truly missed the feeling of a long, deep sleep.
Time passed second by second with each breath. He felt about an hour had passed.
Sophia’s voice came back from ahead:
“Andy! Youxi! Look who I found!”
Li Andy opened his eyes and found that his hand, at some point, had been pressed by his sister to a certain position, completing the feel test.
Youxi was still asleep, holding his hand, curled up in his arms like a kitten.
Mm… very soft, just right for a full grip. I like it very much.
Li Andy honestly gave his evaluation in his heart.
Then, he picked up the lantern beside him and happened to see Sophia pulling a gray-clothed girl into the light.
The newcomer was none other than… Meilin.
But at this moment, Meilin, though dusty and disheveled, had very lively eyes, as if a real person had descended.
She walked quickly, excitedly, with tears in her eyes:
“Wuwu… This is great! Are you the rescue team? Father and the uncles are buried in the mine shaft, please save them quickly!”
“Rescue team?”
Li Andy raised an eyebrow, carefully observing her.
One of her hands was carrying a basket full of black bread, like someone delivering food.