60: Chapter 60 Armor
"Looks like we've hit the jackpot." Li Ming looked at the room piled with treasure. "But we still need to check if the previous owner of this place left any surprises."
Watching A6 inspecting the pile of treasure, Li Ming didn't know whether to laugh or cry, suddenly realizing it might take quite a while to dig everything out.
After confirming that no traps were found, Li Ming tilted his head and looked at Vida.
Although Vida herself didn't lack wealth, she still collected all of these items.
Who would refuse money? Not to mention, these should be left for the Commander.
He needed them more; the operation of a massive port required the support of hard currency, yet the Commander had explicitly refused to let his companions share their own wealth with the port.
But the wealth here came with a reason the Commander couldn't refuse—it was the "spoils of war" he rightfully deserved.
However, it was clear that Li Ming didn't keep his attention here, instead fixing his gaze on the next door at the end of the room.
What lay behind that?
After Vida finished packing the treasure, Li Ming temporarily suppressed the urge to keep moving forward. Everyone had been busy for nearly four or five hours; it was time for a break.
If he continued any further, he'd end up with low blood sugar.
"Everyone, let's sit down and rest for a while."
A6 sat quietly on the steps beside Li Ming, while Li Ming sprawled on the ground without any regard for his image.
Vida sat cross-legged. Looking at Li Ming's appearance, she somehow found it a bit amusing.
She took out an oil lamp; while they weren't moving, the heat from the lamp could keep everyone a bit warmer.
"Didn't expect this, did you? I brought this!" Li Ming pulled a box out of his bag, filled to the brim with scallion pancakes.
A6 still remembered these; Z23 had prepared them for him, saying they were for him to eat on the road.
"Try them, Nimi's handiwork." Li Ming gave everyone a portion and then began eating happily himself. "What a pity the others don't have the luck to taste this."
Delicious... A6 held a large piece of scallion pancake and nibbled on it quietly.
Vida had certainly eaten better—after all, the dishes Yat Sen and Fusou used to make were true delicacies. However, Vida still ate with great relish.
"Has the Commander ever eaten this kind before?" she asked.
"I have... but those were always store-bought." Li Ming thought for a moment. "This is the first time I've tasted ones handmade by Nimi."
After a brief rest, Li Ming licked his dry lips. "It's about time; we should keep moving."
A6 still took the lead.
This time there wasn't a long corridor; after a few minutes, they saw a glimmer of light.
Is it the exit? Li Ming wondered.
Clearly, it was not the exit.
It was still that same mysterious fluorescence.
Massive chains hung vertically down. From the ceiling where the exit was, it was impossible to tell what was below for a moment.
On the left and right sides were giant suits of metal armor, over ten meters tall. It was unknown who they were meant for; they leaned on greatswords, standing like sentinels.
The three of them walked out of the corridor and looked down.
Below the chains, something massive was firmly imprisoned...
"What is that?" Li Ming adjusted his glasses... Oh right, his glasses had been lost somewhere. No wonder he couldn't see things clearly from a distance.
Fumbling around, he pulled a box from his bag. It was his spare pair of glasses. When Fujian had stuffed them into his bag, he thought he wouldn't need them; now it seemed she was absolutely right to do so.
Putting on the glasses, Li Ming finally saw clearly what the thing below was.
"It looks like another... suit of armor?" Li Ming was puzzled. This armor wasn't as large as the ones surrounding it. "And it's bound by chains. Is this something potentially dangerous, or some kind of performance art?"
A6 looked at the stairs to the side; she didn't want to experience another fall.
Li Ming saw the door behind the armor, which meant it was likely the only way forward now.
"Let's go, we're heading down." Li Ming made the decision.
Fortunately, there were no miraculous falling adventures this time, and the three of them reached the bottom without incident.
There was nothing else around, just walls and floors built from plain, massive stone bricks. The only exceptions were the six giant suits of armor around them and the smaller, three-meter-tall suit of armor in front of them, kneeling on the ground with its limbs restrained by chains.
There seemed to have been some symbols on the armor once, but they had been erased.
The door was right behind the armor, but Li Ming had a feeling that if they approached the door directly, something bad would happen.
Besides, Li Ming looked at Vida and A6. Even he himself was no longer an ordinary person, let alone with them around.
He gave A6 a hand signal.
Receiving the order, A6 stepped forward with her rifle raised, while Li Ming took out his pistol and aimed it at the armor.
Seeing that the surrounding space was wide enough, Vida deployed her rigging. Solid iron balls were still cannonballs; you shouldn't assume they lacked power just because they were old-fashioned.
When A6 got within ten meters of the armor, it suddenly raised its head.
A pained roar and glowing eye slits allowed A6 to immediately identify hostility. She retreated quickly and opened fire instantly.
Unfortunately, conventional rifle rounds didn't penetrate the armor; instead, they enraged the armor... or rather, the unknown creature within.
It stood up. Although its limbs were restrained by chains, its strength was immense. It soon shook the chains above, and before long, the sound of falling rubble could be heard.
"Vida!"
"Yes, Commander."
Broadside volley.
A dozen large iron balls, heated by exploding gunpowder, flew across and slammed the giant thing directly in front of the opposite door.
The chains at the top broke loose and fell straight down.
"Commander, watch out!" Vida immediately pulled Li Ming to the side, dodging the falling chains.
The giant thing scrambled up, swinging the chains frantically, and another chain flew across horizontally.
A6 emptied her magazine, immediately threw the gun at the opponent, and simultaneously drew the Ship-Slaying Sword from her back.
Vida had just regained her footing; seeing the flying chain, she had to give up on attacking again, retracted her rigging, and tackled Li Ming to the ground.
The giant thing charged toward A6, staggering but with massive momentum.
A6 appeared so frail, yet she simply severed the chain quietly and waited calmly for the opponent to rush over.
Vida scrambled up, while Li Ming lay directly on the ground, firing his pistol.
The bullets hit the giant thing, but they were useless...
The giant thing tripped; it seemed a bullet had wedged into a gap in the armor.
It fell straight in front of A6, its head facing her.
A6 didn't hesitate, thrusting the sword down into the neck before severing the opponent's limbs, completely neutralizing the threat.
The head let out a mournful cry, and the limbs struggled for two or three minutes before finally stopping completely.
"Well done, A6." Li Ming climbed up, looking at the giant thing with lingering fear, while also glancing at the Ship-Slaying Sword in A6's hand.
What a truly sharp blade.
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