The Scarecrow, stepping on crows, soared into the air, its eyes fixed only on Law's group.
However, the copper mechanical lifeforms also took to the air, intercepting the Scarecrow mid-flight.
The rust-inducing characteristic of the copper mechanical lifeforms seemed ineffective against the Scarecrow.
No matter how many copper mechanical lifeforms relentlessly piled onto it, they couldn't inflict the slightest harm on the Scarecrow.
But their actions firmly trapped the Scarecrow.
Enraged, the Scarecrow was helpless, forced to watch as Law's group disappeared into the entrance.
As if sensing the Scarecrow's fury, the crows' bodies, originally bluish-black, began to show faint streaks of blood-red, and their speed in sweeping through the copper mechanical lifeforms accelerated.
Yet the number of copper mechanical lifeforms was staggering, holding the Scarecrow completely in place.
Meanwhile, Law's group successfully entered the first underground level of the ruins.
The group walked through a passageway overgrown with unknown vines. Light seeped in through cracks in the ceiling structures, casting mottled spots on the ground.
The main combatants were positioned at the front and rear, with support personnel in the middle.
In this formation, they advanced cautiously.
They were newcomers, knowing nothing about the underground ruins. Therefore, Tonpa expanded the range of his Nen Ability to its maximum, at the cost of his Nen depleting three times faster than usual.
"Law, it's best if I establish an entrance/exit outside," Knov suggested, glancing at the quiet surroundings.
They had descended too hastily earlier and hadn't established an entrance/exit outside the ruins. If danger arose, they wouldn't be able to evacuate in time.
Law stopped and didn't immediately respond to Knov's suggestion. Instead, he looked at Tonpa and asked, "What's the situation above?"
Hearing this, Tonpa adjusted the range of his Nen Ability. A moment later, he looked towards the entrance leading to the surface and said, "That Scarecrow is heading towards the entrance, bringing all those gear monsters with it."
Upon hearing Tonpa's report, Law looked at Knov, who sighed softly, also realizing there was no time now to go outside the ruins to establish an entrance/exit. If they insisted, they might become separated from the team.
"Then set the entrance/exit here."
Law glanced at the staircase not far away leading to the surface. This was a compromise… after all, it wasn't far from the exit to the surface. Compared to entering here, the difficulty of breaking out would be relatively lower.
Knov nodded upon hearing this and carefully observed the surroundings, his gaze sweeping around, finally settling on the ceiling of the passageway.
Entrance/exits could be set on walls, so the ceiling was also possible.
Watching Knov establish the entrance/exit on the ceiling, Law looked towards Sheila, who was in the center of the formation, and said, "Have Ai-chan appraise these vines."
"Alright," Sheila responded, then summoned Ai-chan.
While Ai-chan swallowed a section of vine, the team didn't stay put waiting for the appraisal result but continued forward.
They had only walked a few hundred meters when they encountered several dozen copper mechanical lifeforms.
In terms of individual capability, the threat level of copper mechanical lifeforms wasn't high.
Merely a few dozen couldn't even make a splash in front of Law's group… Stargie resolved them with long-range attacks.
At Law's instruction, Stargie left one alive.
Then, Kuro was used as a test subject to probe the attack patterns of the copper mechanical lifeform.
"Watch carefully," Law said calmly.
Everyone nodded upon hearing this and looked at the copper mechanical lifeform in the area.
Kuro, in his physical form, reluctantly pounced on the specially spared copper mechanical lifeform, grappling with it for a while, drawing out its attack methods.
Finally, he deliberately let the copper mechanical lifeform land a hit… his right leg immediately rusted and lost sensation.
After completing the task, and upon Law's permission, Kuro dispatched the copper mechanical lifeform with a swipe of his claw.
"Wasted another small bit of Nen," Kuro muttered under his breath, severed the rusted body part, and then spent some Nen to regenerate it.
"The area that got hit rusted," Biscuit's eyes flashed, immediately recalling the previous copper mechanical lifeform.
Although the forms were different, the attack characteristic was the same.
"So, we can't let these things touch us," Shiro said gravely.
"Attack patterns are pretty straightforward, it's easy to dodge," Nobunaga said.
"That's true, but the number of these monsters is huge."
"We also have a lot of people."
"Alright..."
Through Kuro's firsthand demonstration, everyone generally understood the attack methods of the copper mechanical lifeforms.
Later, the appraisal result for the vines came out.
The result was unexpected: this unknown vine plant was edible, with extremely high nutritional value and water content.
Hearing the vine was edible, Nique immediately broke off a piece to eat. As soon as it entered his mouth, his eyes lit up.
"Delicious!"
He looked in surprise at this unassuming, juicy stem section.
"Let me try."
Buhara also broke off a piece to eat. It was cool on the tongue, the texture similar to watermelon, but the flavor was lighter, though a slight sweetness could still be tasted.
For a moment, everyone sampled the taste of the vine plant.
"Given the growth of these vines, staying here we wouldn't have to worry about food at all," Shiro's tone held a trace of regret. He had already checked… there was only one type of plant in the passageway, so finding tobacco material was basically hopeless.
Law glanced at the vines spreading across the wall surface. They didn't have many leaves, and the roots and stems were about as thick as an adult's arm.
According to Ai-chan's explanation, this vine had strong adaptability. If transplanted to areas with scarce food sources, it could probably sustain an entire country.
Law didn't try the vine's taste. Instead, he picked up an energy crystal from the remains of a copper mechanical lifeform and handed it to Sheila.
He didn't hand it directly to Ai-chan because Ai-chan seemed quite wary of him.
Sheila took the energy crystal, somewhat helplessly, then handed it to Ai-chan for appraisal.
"We can't linger here too long. Let's go."
Watching Ai-chan enter appraisal mode, Law looked back towards the direction of the entrance, faintly able to hear commotion coming from above.
Subsequently, the group continued forward.
Visibility in the first underground level of the ruins was still decent, so luminous algae weren't needed.
With Ai-chan's appraisal ability and Tonpa's Nen Ability, the team didn't need to proceed with excessive caution.
Soon, they moved farther from the entrance. Along the way, they found many rooms. Upon entering, there were no significant gains.
No damaged household items, no graphics or text. There were only vines growing everywhere, and scattered remains of copper mechanical lifeforms and stone blocks.
Unlike the Hunter Association, having ample confidence, Law's team explored the first underground level of the ruins with clear efficiency. Presumably, they would head to the second underground level before long.
Meanwhile.
Usamen and Pekotero arrived at the location where their teammate had signaled.
Crunch.
Usamen crushed an energy crystal in his hand, then threw it forward down the passageway.
The phosphorescent fluid inside splashed out, like a glow stick in the darkness, illuminating the passageway.
What entered their sight was a floor covered in tattered fabric.
Seeing those scraps, the expressions of both Usamen and Pekotero changed.
Those were... fragments of Mascher's clothing.