Chapter 13: Desperate Flight, Using the Terrain; Crystal Dust and Killing Qi Surge, a Temporary Escape

He's been discovered!

Moreover, he was simultaneously detected by all the Iron Crow Army inside the cave!

At that moment, Chen Wen felt as if countless icy needles were piercing his body.

The intense killing qi was no longer diffused in the air; it surged toward him like a tangible tide.

Carrying a suffocating stench of blood and medicine, it sought to utterly engulf him.

【Warning! Locked onto high-intensity Killing Qi! Mental pressure increased! Stamina recovery efficiency reduced by 80%! Advise immediate withdrawal!】

【Abnormal Status: 'Deep Killing Qi Erosion' (Stacked)! Stamina continuously draining, reaction speed slightly decreased, willpower check difficulty increased!】

The system's warning blared like an alarm, and the red negative status icons on the panel flashed wildly.

Chen Wen's heart nearly leapt out of his throat, and his muscles tensed to the limit in an instant.

He could even clearly see that the nearest supervisors had silently drawn the curved blades at their waists.

The blades, inlaid with azure crystals, emitted an ominous glow in the dim light.

Further away, the two guards blocking the cave entrance also adjusted their stances.

One hand pressed on the weapon at his waist, the other reached toward his back

——where something resembling a crossbow bolt seemed to be hung!

Can't meet it head-on!

Will die!

Will definitely die!

His fourfold thinking speed raced wildly at this moment, survival instinct overriding the instant shock.

He almost relied on the reflex honed during his time as a routed soldier, ingrained into his bones, his body moving before consciousness——

He violently rolled sideways backward!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Almost as soon as he left his spot, several short bolts with azure-feathered tails struck precisely into the shadow where he had been hiding.

The bolt heads sank deep into the rock, emitting a grating sound.

If it were midnight, he would already have been shot into a hedgehog!

"Enemy attack!"

A low, hoarse, inhuman roar

Finally issued from the mouth of an officer-like Iron Crow Army soldier, it broke the cave's deathly silence.

As if a switch had been flipped, all the Iron Crow Army soldiers sprang into action at once!

Their movements were uniform and silent yet efficient, as five or six of them lunged toward the tunnel entrance where Chen Wen was.

The rest quickly tightened their grip, strengthening control over the prisoners and the guards blocking the cave mouth, lest this be a feint to lure the tiger away from the mountain.

The few soldiers charging at him were extremely fast, their steps heavy and eerie.

With an inhuman sense of coordination, the clatter of their cold iron armor echoed in the cave.

Mixed with that suffocating killing qi, it was like a soul‑chasing hymn from hell.

Chen Wen's scalp went numb; he had no time to think, flipping and leaping up.

He poured his fourfold strength and speed entirely into his legs, sprinting desperately down the passage he had come from without looking back.

Footsteps, the clatter of iron armor, and the ever‑closer icy killing qi clung tightly behind him.

【Continuous high‑intensity running, stamina draining rapidly! Current stamina: 71%... 69%...】

【Due to 'Deep Killing Qi Erosion', stamina recovery is nearly halted!】

The passage was not wide, accommodating at most two people side by side.

This somewhat limited the pursuers' encirclement, but their approach speed far exceeded Chen Wen's expectations!

These Iron Crow Army soldiers moved through the complex terrain of the mine as if walking on flat ground!

Can't run in a straight line!

They are well‑trained soldiers, and they have crossbow bolts!

Chen Wen suddenly recalled that there were several side passages midway through the tunnel!

Although he didn't know where they led, they were undoubtedly his only chance at survival right now!

He gritted his teeth, pushing his speed to the limit, wind howling in his ears.

The footsteps behind grew ever closer, even the regular 'click‑click' of the iron armor plates striking each other could be heard.

Just as a pursuer was about to enter striking range and swing his blade at the back of his neck,

Chen Wen made a sharp turn, darting into a narrow, downward‑sloping side passage beside him!

"Bang!"

The Iron Crow Army soldier who couldn't stop in time slammed heavily into the rock wall at the fork, emitting a dull thud.

But Chen Wen had no time to rejoice before hearing the icy command of an officer from behind:

"Split pursuit! Show no mercy!"

At least two soldiers followed closely, turning into this side passage!

This side passage was narrower and darker than the main tunnel, with a steep slope and a slick surface.

Chen Wen could only scramble down desperately, one deep step, one shallow step.

Only his fourfold balance and reflexes kept him from falling.

【Discovered trace azure crystal fragments, energy field interference continues. Diligence Points (WP) +0.1……+0.1……】

The system continued to faithfully record the meager WP income, but Chen Wen had no bandwidth for it now.

He noticed that, the lower he went, the stronger the bitter medicinal and bloody smell in the air became.

Even the musty smell was overridden; occasional specks of crystal fragments emitting a faint blue light could be seen on the rock walls on both sides.

This side tunnel, could it also lead to a mining site?

The pursuers behind still chased relentlessly; their footsteps echoed in the narrow passage, like death's drumbeat.

Running like this won't work; stamina drains too fast, and we'll eventually be caught!

We must find a way to shake them off!

Chen Wen ran while quickly scanning his surroundings.

His fourfold vision strained to catch any usable terrain in the dim light.

Up ahead appeared a slightly wider turn, with more discarded mining debris and tools scattered on the ground.

Got it!

Chen Wen's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness as he rushed past the corner.

He suddenly reached out and grabbed a protruding stone on the rock wall.

Using his forward momentum and fourfold strength, he forcibly flung himself to change direction.

At the same time, he fiercely kicked a pile of scattered ore and an old pickaxe on the ground.

Clatter——!

The debris and tools he kicked flew backward, temporarily forming a barrier zone.

The Iron Crow Army soldier leading the chase obviously didn't expect this.

His foot tripped on the scattered debris, his body staggered, and his speed involuntarily slowed for a moment.

Now!

Chen Wen hesitated not at all, turned and threw his wooden stick like a spear with all his might.

His fourfold strength gave the ordinary stick astonishing speed, producing a piercing whistling as it shot straight at the soldier's face.

The soldier reacted extremely quickly, immediately raising his iron-arm-clad arm to block.

Bang!

The stick struck the iron armor and instantly shattered into several pieces.

But the tremendous impact still shook the soldier's arm violently.

His body swayed backward, further obstructing the passage.

The second pursuer was temporarily blocked behind.

That brief obstruction was exactly what Chen Wen needed.

He didn't even look at the result, turned and continued fleeing madly downward.

【Successfully created an obstacle, delaying the pursuers. Diligence Points (WP)+15!】

【Throwing attack (improvised weapon), hit target. Diligence Points (WP)+5!】

The system's prompt flashed, but this trivial WP gain could hardly alleviate the crisis.

He sprinted downward another few dozen meters, and the passage began to level out.

Moreover, a faint sound of water and heavier moisture appeared ahead.

Could there be an underground river?

Chen Wen's heart just rose with a hint of hope, when suddenly he felt the ground give way beneath his feet!

Uh-oh!

The patch of ground he stepped on suddenly collapsed!

That appeared to be an abandoned shallow mine pit, covered only by a thin layer of rubble and dirt.

It could not support a person's weight at all!

The sensation of weightlessness came, and Chen Wen's whole body plummeted downward!

His heart sank; this was it!

Boom! Clatter——!

He crashed heavily into the pit bottom; fortunately the pit wasn't deep, just over a meter, and the bottom was soft silt and standing water.

But the tremendous impact still nearly displaced his organs, and his vision went dark.

【Fall damage! Stamina -12%! Current stamina: 54%!】

【Abnormal status: "Minor bruise" (movement speed slightly reduced)!】

The pit bottom reeked of intense killing intent, even several times stronger than above!

It seemed to have accumulated a lot of discarded, powdered blue crystal residue, mixed in the muddy water.

Ugh……

Chen Wen struggled to get up, but his injured leg and the pervasive intense killing intent made him feel a wave of weak dizziness.

And just then

From the passage ahead came the cautious footsteps of the pursuers approaching!

They obviously heard the commotion over here!

Desperate situation!

Truly a desperate situation!

Chen Wen leaned against the cold pit wall smeared with blue powder, a sense of despair welling up in his heart.

Stamina was more than half gone, he bore injuries, and was being eroded by the intense killing intent.

Above were two fully armed pursuers, their killing intent blazing……

Was he going to die here?

His mother and little sister still hadn't been found……

No! I can't die!

An extremely strong, unwilling thought burst forth from the depths of his heart!

He hasn't found his family yet, and he hasn't ended this man-eating world!

How can he collapse in a place like this!

"Get up! Chen Wen! Get up for me!"

He roared wildly in his heart!

Four times his willpower at this moment overwhelmed the pain of his body and the erosion of the killing qi!

He suddenly braced his hands against the muddy pit wall, trying to use the leverage to stand up.

Just then, his palm unintentionally pressed against a spot embedded in the pit wall.

On a slightly larger piece of azure crystal compared to the other fragments.

An abrupt anomaly occurred!

That crystal suddenly flashed a faint blue light barely perceptible.

Chen Wen felt a sting in his palm, as if something had pricked him.

Immediately, a stream of energy far purer and icier than the surrounding killing qi, even carrying a hint of violence, surged violently into his body along his arm!

【Warning! Detected direct contact with high-purity 'Nether Energy Crystal Ore'! Unknown alien energy invading!】

【The 'Cow Horse System' is suffering strong interference! Analyzing energy components……】

【The 'Killing Qi Erosion' state has undergone an unknown mutation!??】

The system panel was instantly flooded with garbled code and question marks!

Chen Wen let out a muffled groan, feeling a bone-chilling icy yet scorching frenzied power wildly crashing inside his body.

It almost tore him apart! The intense pain nearly made him faint.

But at the same time, an extremely strange sensation also welled up.

He seemed…… able to 'perceive' the pervasive, omnipresent killing qi around him more clearly?

They were no longer formless, intangible oppression!

But turned into something…… that could be 'touched'

Even…… could be 'provoked' icy current?

At the passage entrance, two Iron Crow Army soldiers had already approached.

Their cold iron masks looked down on Chen Wen struggling at the pit bottom, the sabers in their hands slowly lifting.

At this critical moment——

Chen Wen, almost by instinct, thrust the chaotic, icy, frenzied energy within his body.

Mixing it with his strong will to survive, he violently 'pushed' it toward the piled, powdery crystal debris at the pit bottom!

"Get lost!"

He let out a suppressed low growl!

Hum——!

The muddy water at the pit bottom stained with blue powder seemed to tremble slightly.

The next moment.

A surge of killing qi far exceeding normal concentration, a pale blue almost visible to the naked eye.

As if stirred by an invisible force, it erupted violently from the pit bottom.

Like a smoke grenade, it instantly spread throughout the mine pit and a short stretch of the passage above!

The two Iron Crow Army soldiers about to jump down into the pit were the first to bear the brunt.

They were hit squarely by this sudden, several-times stronger killing qi!

Their movements froze abruptly!

Even though their bodies had long been exposed to Nether Energy Crystal Ore and undergone pharmaceutical alteration.

Faced with this short-term, highly concentrated killing qi shock, they also seemed to show a hint of discomfort and stagnation.

Their heads, covered by iron masks, swayed slightly, and their raised arms halted midair.

That icy gaze seemed to show a moment of dispersion.

Now is the time!

Although he didn't understand what had happened, Chen Wen would certainly not let this heaven-sent escape opportunity slip by!

He endured the intense pain in his body and the turmoil of energy within.

Summoning his last strength, he crawled out of the mine pit using hands and feet.

He didn't even glance at the two soldiers temporarily shrouded in the intense killing qi.

He stumbled toward the deeper part of the passage, running desperately toward the direction where the water sound came from!

Behind him, the rich azure killing qi slowly surged, temporarily obscuring everything.

【Successfully created a high-concentration killing qi environment, hindering pursuers. Diligence Points (WP) +30!】

【Successfully escaped the immediate danger zone. Diligence Points (WP) +20!】

【Current WP balance: low.】

【Warning! Unknown alien energy exists within the body, continuously interfering with the system and bodily functions; please address it promptly!】

Chen Wen had no time to heed the system's warning; he now had only one thought!

Flee! Get away from those pursuers!

Find a place to hide!

As long as he escapes those pursuers, he can buy himself enough time to maneuver!

After all, I have four times the ability—I can definitely think of a way!

The water sound grew louder, at the end of the passage ahead.

Faintly visible was a patch of weak light and the outline of an underground river...