activa-t Chapter 444 The Merciless Mockery of Fate
Chapter 444 The Merciless Mockery of Fate
"Did Senior Alice say those words to you herself?"
The more Xu Ning learned about Alice, the more mysterious she seemed.
How did she know information about her past world? Was it a coincidence? Or...?
Xu Ning dared not think any further and could only ask Zhiqiong for information about her.
"How could I possibly have the chance to receive guidance from Senior Alice in person? I've only learned it from books. Alas, I've reached the end of the road; it's a dead end."
Encountering a dead end during an expedition is undoubtedly an extremely frustrating experience.
Zhiqiong walked forward unwillingly, wanting to see if there were any other possibilities along this path.
Xu Ning immediately grabbed her bag and dragged her backwards back to Shen He's side. "Shen He, take her and step back a few steps."
Shen He, like Xu Ning, noticed the anomaly ahead and took a few steps back with the bewildered Zhi Qiong.
Xu Ning walked to the end of the dead end, where there were two earthen-yellow spheres that looked like flower buds against the wall.
Xu Ning felt the rock element polymer that was concentrated together and almost reached the critical point. He couldn't understand how this thing had appeared here by such a coincidence. But if such a dangerous thing was left here, it would eventually harm the innocent.
Xu Ning walked to the two polymers, condensed a bit of rock elemental power on his fingers, and then gently tapped the two rock elemental creations before quickly retreating.
The two rock formations trembled slightly a few times, then suddenly exploded without warning.
This startled Zhiqiong.
She had never seen that strange rock formation before, let alone witnessed its explosion.
"This definitely needs to be recorded."
When all the smoke and dust cleared, Zhiqiong had completely recorded the rock formations she had just seen in her sketchbook.
Then she looked up and saw Jinwu's astonished face.
"You...you...how did you get here?" Jinwu asked in astonishment.
Xu Ning was also quite surprised. How come after following Zhiqiong around, he ended up back in the temporary mine tunnel where Jinwu was?
He explained to Jinwu the rock formations they had just discovered, and also handed Zhiqiong over to Jinwu.
"Please help me contact the Chiiwa Army stationed here. I have a few Fools here who need to be handed over to the General Affairs Department."
Upon hearing about the Fools, Jinwu immediately ran off and brought a whole squad of Thousand Rock Army soldiers.
Xu Ning then led Anton and the others from this exit to the temporary mine tunnel.
"This place can actually be opened? We were so close to the exit, and we were blocked by that black mud and those damned Black Knights, and several of our companions starved to death... We really... really..."
Even when faced with dire circumstances underground, Anton remained calm, but at this moment, he was on the verge of collapse.
"I really feel like our existence is a joke, abandoned for no reason, and mocked by fate once again..."
Xu Ning shook his head and said to the Qianyan Army captain who came to hand over the supplies, "Hand these fools over to Tianquan Ningguang. She will naturally find out the reason. Also, don't make things difficult for them. Just send them back to their country."
The commander of the Chiyan Army immediately agreed and turned to Anton, saying, "Anton, it's all in the past, don't think about it anymore. At least you didn't let your superior down and brought out the rest of the Ninth Company."
Upon hearing the words of the Chiyan Army captain, Anton seemed to recall the captain who had led him, and his previously hunched back gradually straightened again.
"Brother Yanbo, thank you for your reminder, and thank you to Lord Xu Ning and this young lady for their help."
Hearing the familiar way Anton and Yanbo addressed each other, Xu Ning had a general idea of their relationship, but he remained silent and didn't point it out, letting him lead Anton and the others up.
Jinwu waited until they had all left before explaining to Xu Ning, "Lord Xu Ning must have noticed that the relationship between the two of them is somewhat different from how the Liyue people treat the Fatui, right?"
Xu Ning laughed and said, "Isn't it obvious? It's completely different from how the Liyue people treat the Fatui today!"
Jinwu said somewhat nervously, "I can guarantee that Yanbo has absolutely no other intentions. Ever since the situation in the Abyss of the Lava occurred, the Seven Stars ordered the Abyss to be sealed off, but some strange news came out from somewhere that a great treasure has been born in the Abyss. Not only have Liyue and Zhidong sent their armies, but even the monsters have gathered here to fight for it."
Xu Ning chuckled, "The person who came up with this lie has a great imagination. They managed to incorporate all the reactions from different sides, making it impossible not to believe!"
Jinwu felt slightly relieved to see that Xu Ning's attention did not seem to be on Yanbo.
"At least many people believed that those treasure-hunting gangs, with their methods, were like rats that could get into any place, disappearing without a trace once they entered the mining area. However, their digging and blasting everywhere caused great obstacles to our exploration team's work. So we applied to Mu Ning for a team of Thousand Rock Army soldiers to ensure the normal stability of the mining area. It was probably around that time that Yan Bo came into contact with the Fools trapped inside."
Xu Ning said calmly, "He was bound by the strict orders of the Seven Stars and dared not contact or expose these people, yet he secretly provided them with food?"
Jinwu quickly defended Yanbo, saying, "He didn't use any of the Qianyan Army's supplies or provisions. He just felt sorry for those people, so when he caught those treasure-hunting gangs, he would leave some of their supplies at designated supply points. This... this shouldn't be considered a violation of the rules?"
Seeing her somewhat nervous expression, Xu Ning smiled reassuringly. "I don't mean to blame Yanbo. On the contrary, I think he did a good job, just not good enough. At least he should have more faith in the current Seven Stars. As for a few Winter Solstice soldiers, as long as they don't endanger Liyue's safety, we won't easily take their lives to vent our anger. Of course, even if we make them suffer a little, it's better than letting them wait here to die."
Seeing that Xu Ning would not hold Yanbo accountable, Jinwu breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Zhiqiong, who was examining his map, over with one hand.
"Don't run around anymore. You have no idea how worried I am. I've already spoken to Mr. Haidif, and he'll hire another exploration team to set up the detection equipment. You should go and rest!"
Xu Ning had a gut feeling that the girl would explode, and sure enough, Zhiqiong immediately lost her temper.
"Sister Jinwu, you can't make this decision for me. I've already promised Haidifu..."
Jinwu sighed, "I knew you would say that, so I invited Mr. Haidif here as well. He can personally terminate your employment relationship."