Chapter 585: Invitation

The tip of the tentacle struck the mech's left arm shell; the silvery surface exuded a viscous translucent fluid, and the moment the fluid touched the shell it began to smoke, corroding the armor into pitted hollows.

The mech lifted its arm to try to shake off the tentacle, but the suction cups clung firmly; while the armor was being wildly corroded, several more tentacles snapped out, pulling the mech toward the shadows.

The mech's feet furrowed two deep grooves in the mycelial carpet, the internal framework of the left arm became faintly exposed, and Ying Duo, seeing the danger, could only immediately activate the Cannon Barrel on the mech's right arm.

Three consecutive armor‑piercing rounds struck the thick middle section of the tentacle, each carving a massive wound, sending silvery skin fragments and bodily fluid splattering.

Qi Junyi finally shouted the full command: "Defend—!"

Luo Jinyou was yanked behind by Qi Junyi; he looked up at the tentacle wrestling with the mech and immediately recognized who had acted at that moment.

"Fang Zhiyan, is his target me?"

Luo Jinyou instantly realized Fang Zhiyan wanted the divine shard on his body, and meanwhile the mech's three armor‑piercing rounds severed that tentacle; the mech swung its arm, and a burst of electric sparks crackled inside.

That was the Rune circuit being damaged, the kinetic noise from the energy clash.

The mech's left hand was essentially destroyed.

And that tentacle? Its severed end quickly grew a translucent membrane, and a new tip regenerated at high speed, though it was somewhat shorter.

The silvery tentacle curled around the mech blocking the front and thrust again at Luo Jinyou.

Luo Jinyou planted both hands on the ground, countless spikes sprouted from above his head and hammered down at the tentacle one by one, but it deftly evaded each.

The mech's rear ammunition bay lid burst open, two micro tracking missiles trailed white smoke as they launched, drawing intersecting arcs in the air that precisely struck the base of the tentacle—the spot where it emerged from a fissure in the rock wall.

Qi Junyi then leapt high and hammered a powerful punch into the silvery tentacle; its surface was highly elastic, still trembling as his fist sent it flying.

Just now almost everyone swapped their weapons for flamethrowers, with only a few retaining other firearms; flamethrowers are effective against mycelium, but the fluid secreted by the tentacle's surface completely repelled the heat.

Unlike mycelium, which must adapt later, Fang Zhiyan's tentacle is innately resistant to this.

After being blasted away by Qi Junyi, the tentacle wobbled twice in midair, then silently and swiftly slipped back into the fissure of the shadowed rock wall.

"It retreated?"

Qi Junyi clenched his fist; the protective energy it had just used turned out to be completely ineffective—just a single contact, and the tentacle's slime directly corroded the shielding energy.

A corrosive sting still lingered on his hand, but he dared not relax, let alone seek treatment; he stared fixedly at the shadow, while Fang Zhiyan made no further attack.

【2】 Ying Duo switched the mech to standby mode, pressed the self‑check button to assess damage, and went to examine where the tentacle had just emerged.

Ying Duo switched the mech to standby mode, pressed the self-check button to assess the damage while going to look at where the tentacle had just emerged.

The left arm's self‑check results popped up: the structural frame was slightly deformed, the Rune circuit suffered extensive damage, and over sixty percent of the outer armor was corroded.

Repairs are possible, but will take a lot of time.

The most time‑ and effort‑saving method is to detach the entire left arm, which also reduces unnecessary energy consumption on that arm.

"There's space below."

Shen Zexi also walked over to inspect, and they decided to send someone down to scout, but it wasn't necessary to be that troublesome; Ying Duo had already launched a small probe robot inside.

Everyone could view the mini‑map and see the small probe's real‑time exploration progress; only a few were still foolishly waiting for the robot to return.

The robot's deep route had been winding, but after a turn, the surrounding pitted, wavy‑lined walls suddenly became straight.

The robot seemed to enter a large chamber; it circled the perimeter inside, appearing to be a perfectly square area.

"There are artificial structures below, and orderly passages."

"Artificial?" Qi Junyi frowned at the words, "Below the Eternal Silent Abyss?"

The Eternal Silent Abyss itself is scarcely visited; along the way they passed a few temporary outposts, but only on the surface.

The emergence of artificial structures deep underground means someone has been stationed here for a considerable time.

"Wait, wasn't the speaker just now not Ying Duo?"

No one thought to explain the situation to Qi Junyi; the few just started chatting among themselves.

"Fang Zhiyan must be there, conducting experiments on him, right?"

Shen Zexi glanced at the distance, where a massive mushroom, its fragments nearly fused with surrounding rocks, lay, especially with Lin Xun atop it.

How to deal with Lin Xun is also a problem; the mushroom might still be salvageable, given Lin Xun's terrifying regenerative ability.

"So that place is the madman's lair?" Qi Hengyu scratched his head; he was completely drained and couldn't join the upcoming fight any time soon.

"It seems so; the real trouble is probably over there."

Meng Kexin nodded as well; the small robot kept advancing, its explored area expanding.

"In other words, that old thing has been hiding there all along? We're the adventure heroes up here, and it's watching the show from below."

The player character sits cross‑legged on the ground, so how many bosses does this instance actually have?

Lin Xun definitely counts as a boss, given its two phases and accompanying map mechanics; if the final boss is that so‑called god, then Fang Zhiyan would be a hidden boss?

"Why bother with all that nonsense?"

Chi Jinan gave a cold glance at the few huddling to discuss strategy, then strode directly to the opening where the tentacle had just emerged.

Suddenly, the green dot on the mini‑map representing the probe vanished; Fang Zhiyan must have spotted the intruding guest.

"Are you rushing to your death?"

Ying Duo lifted his gaze coldly, meeting Chi Jinan eye to eye.

Though reluctant to admit it, Chi Jinan's rank is indeed the highest in their squad; Ying Duo has fought him and knows all too well how troublesome and entangling Chi Jinan's abilities are.

The crucial point is that if Chi Jinan unleashes full firepower, his output would likely not be weaker than Ying Duo's.

Moreover, Chi Jinan's Aberrant Arts are wholly under his control, and Ying Duo's firepower network cannot deploy underground; in this regard, Chi Jinan is better suited for subterranean combat.