"Let's go."
Ariel straightened his collar and was the first to walk out of the utility room.
The Rat-faced Member followed closely behind, his expression returning to its usual arrogance, though a faint, imperceptible dullness lingered deep in his eyes.
The two returned to the main mine shaft.
The rest of the journey became exceptionally smooth.
With the Rat-faced Member leading the way, every Team Magma member they encountered reacted like mice seeing a cat; they lowered their heads and quickly moved aside, not even daring to breathe loudly.
"Oh, if it isn't Brother Huo? How do you have the time to come down here for an inspection today?"
Occasionally, a few Minor Leaders with slightly higher positions tried to suck up to him, but before they could even get close, the Rat-faced Member glared them back with an extremely impatient look.
"Get lost, don't block the way! Lord Fire Ghost has urgent business for me to handle!"
He roared in a tone even more arrogant than usual, perfectly executing Ariel's command.
Those Minor Leaders, having been rebuffed, retreated resentfully to the side, muttering in low voices.
"This guy, relying on Lord Fire Ghost's backing, is really getting more and more arrogant."
"Shh, keep it down. If he hears you, there'll be hell to pay!"
Ariel followed behind, taking it all in, finding it somewhat amusing in his heart.
This really was the perfect disguise.
Using the very 'mad dog' the enemy feared most to clear his path, he walked openly toward their heartland.
As they continued upward, the surrounding environment began to change.
The mine shaft became wider and sturdier, with alloy plates even lining the walls.
The temperature in the air rose sharply, and even the rock walls became scalding hot.
The guard presence also increased significantly, with squads stationed at regular intervals, but without exception, they all automatically gave way under the Rat-faced Member's "tyranny."
Finally, after passing through a heavy alloy gate, the view suddenly opened up.
They had arrived at the summit of Mt. Chimney.
Ariel's gaze swept across the area, silently memorizing the positions of all guards and firepower deployments.
His guide had completed his mission.
Ariel led the Rat-faced Member inconspicuously to a corner piled with clutter at the edge of the platform; this was a blind spot for the surveillance cameras.
"Wait here. Do not make a sound or move without my command," Ariel ordered in a low voice.
"Yes, sir."
The Rat-faced Member stood like a statue, facing the wall, motionless.
He took a deep breath, the scorching air filling his lungs.
Now, only the final step remained.
The members of the Team Magma were like a swarm of busy worker ants, setting up some kind of large mining machinery on the summit. The clanging of metal frames and the Roars of commands were constant.
Ariel pulled down the brim of his hat and bypassed the construction areas with practiced ease.
Based on his memory from just now, he quickly found his way to that inconspicuous rock wall.
He performed a convincing shift change with a guard. The other man patted his shoulder, told him to stay sharp, and then left on his own.
The entire process was almost excessively smooth.
Soon, he stood before the rock wall embedded with the mysterious ore.
Ariel's gaze fell upon the dozen or so purplish-red ores, and a question surfaced in his mind.
These things were clearly the most valuable treasures of the entire volcano. Why hadn't the Team Magma immediately sent heavy guards to mine them directly?
Instead, they were making such a big fuss outside with those ordinary ore veins?
Did they not know the true value of this stuff?
Ariel reached out to touch the rock wall, but the scalding temperature made him pull back immediately.
He stared at the ores; they were not inanimate objects.
Each piece was like a miniature heart, pulsing slightly with a slow and powerful rhythm.
Purplish-red light flowed within the ore, and the surrounding space seemed to warp slightly due to the intense heat they radiated.
Whatever.
If they didn't recognize their worth, it just played into his hands.
Ariel stopped overthinking, pulled a dagger from his waist, and carefully began to pry at the first piece of ore.
The moment the tip of the dagger touched the junction between the ore and the rock, a strong surge of energy traveled up the blade, numbing his wrist.
The energy reaction of this thing was even more intense than expected.
Ariel steadied his mind. Instead of using brute force, he attached his spiritual power to the dagger, carefully sensing the energy nodes between the ore and the rock.
Click.
The first piece of ore fell away as expected, landing in his other hand which he had prepared.
It was warm to the touch and heavy, and the internal pulsing was even clearer.
Ariel quickly stored it in his space ring and immediately set to work on the next piece.
Time was tight; he had to finish all of this before the relief shift arrived.
One piece, two pieces, three pieces... By the time he pried off the last and largest piece of ore, his forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat. This wasn't entirely from the heat, but more from the exhaustion of high mental concentration.
Just as he stored this piece of ore into his space ring and was about to erase the traces, the sound of footsteps came from outside the mine shaft.
They're here!
Ariel felt a chill in his heart, but there was no panic on his face.
He quickly adjusted his expression, deliberately hunching his back and clutching his chest with one hand, gasping for air as if he might collapse at any moment.
A Team Magma member walked in. Seeing Ariel's half-dead state, he frowned.
"Hey, it's time. Why are you still here?"
Ariel didn't look up. Using a deliberately forced, raspy voice, he complained fitfully:
"I can't... The ore in here... the energy is too strong, it's making my heart hurt..."
Hearing this, the member let out a disdainful sneer.
"Heh, your constitution is too weak. If you can't even handle this much energy fluctuation, how are you going to do great things in the Team Magma?"
He glanced at the empty rock wall, didn't notice anything unusual, and casually urged:
"Fine, fine, get lost already. Don't be an eyesore here. If you die here, I'll be the one who has to collect your corpse."
"Yes, yes..."
As if receiving a great pardon, Ariel kept his head down and squeezed past him with unsteady steps, never letting the other person see his face clearly.
Walking out of the mine shaft and returning to the open area at the summit, Ariel took a deep breath of the sulfur-tinged air and straightened his back.
The weak appearance from just now vanished without a trace.
He didn't head down the mountain immediately, but instead walked unhurriedly through the base as if he were on patrol.
He needed to confirm if there were any other hidden dangers.
As he passed a remote corner, a heavy scent of blood wafted into his nostrils.
That was the interrogation area.
Ariel's footsteps paused, and his gaze inadvertently swept over.
Then, he saw a familiar face.
Ken.
At this moment, Ken was chained to a pillar, his body covered in wounds. Whip marks and brandings crisscrossed his body; not a single patch of skin was left unmarred.
His eyes were hollow and numb, as if he were a shell that had lost its soul.
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