28: Chapter 28 Dirty Hands and Red Eyes

When that bit of dark red in the copper pipe slid into the bottom of the echo layer, the first one to bristle wasn't Grey Pupil.

It was a Fire Well Guard Rat.

It crouched by the crevice and sniffed, then suddenly froze. The next instant, it scrambled backward like mad, its claws scraping a series of screeching sounds against the ground.

Grey Pupil whipped his head around, only to see that section of broken copper pipe buried in the damp ash bulge. It was like a heart beating inside.

"Back away!"

No sooner had his voice fallen than the copper pipe split. There was no muffled thud of grey fire, nor the sticky mess of exploding fire-oil, only a thin, almost eerie red line that quietly snaked out from the crack.

The moment that fire touched the ground, the damp ash turned black first. Following that, the black shields, bone fragments, broken copper, and soil crust all began to collapse inward. It was eating.

Like a tiny mouth, it gnawed its way up along the bottom of the echo layer that Lu Jin had just repaired. Damp ash couldn't suppress it, black stone couldn't stop it, and even the old sacrificial patterns buried by the edge of the Fire Well were bitten into a long, thin crack.

The three closest Transport Rats only had time to turn their heads before the red fire curled up their tails and onto their backs, collapsing their fur, flesh, and bones layer by layer into blackened ash.

The corner of Grey Pupil's eye twitched suddenly.

"This fire isn't right!"

Lu Jin had already seen it. That wasn't the fire-oil registered in the exam hall, not the fire-pouring cart of the Red-Armored Girl, nor was it something that could grow from a cluster of grey fire fungus.

That red fire carried a very strange, sweet, bloody scent, as if something from a vast distance away had reached its tongue into this stratum.

"Seal the bottom layer!"

"All bone carts, retreat!"

"Fire-Guard Line, cut the fire veins with me!"

As the orders slammed down, the rat swarm instantly lunged forward. The Tunneling Rats dug like mad, trying to bury the red fire; the Transport Rats dragged black shields up to press down on it; the row of Fire-Guard throwers knelt by the Fire Well, grabbed fire-oil bladders, and hurled them at the fire's head.

A layer of grey-red fire was spread over it, but the red fire only shrank back an inch before biting back along the reverse side of the black shield, gnawing through the entire shield in one bite.

Snap!

The shield shattered in two. The Transport Rat behind it didn't even have time to scream before half its face was gone.

High above, Ji Mingxiao frowned for the first time. He watched the red line crawling upward against the wind path at the bottom of the collapsed pit, his gaze darkening.

"Whole team, pull out."

"Nobody touch that fire."

A Thunder-Spearman paused, stunned: "Brother Ji, isn't that his..."

"It isn't."

Ji Mingxiao spat out only one word, and the Wind-Thunder positioning disk in his palm spun violently. The low-ring hunting vultures ascended simultaneously, the mid-ring wind lines parted, leaving an empty airspace above the collapsed pit.

He didn't want to block the fire for Lu Jin. He wanted even less to take the blame for someone else. But the people remaining on the ground had already smelled the scent.

The Red-Armored Girl, with half her arm armor still cracked, stood behind the last fire-pouring cart, her eyes glowing frighteningly. She saw the red fire gnaw through the bottom of the echo layer and immediately raised her hand in a wave.

"Push the carts!"

"Pour it in along the opening it burned!"

The Wind-Cable Youth also reacted, leading the three remaining Cable Hunters to press in along the edge of the collapsed trench, aiming all their grappling cables at the newly split fire opening.

There were also seven Scale-Spear remnants, dragging broken spears and half a flame-scale flag, lunging in from the other side. They weren't aiming to beat Ji Mingxiao. They just wanted to stomp on Lu Jin when he was at his most miserable.

"Plant the flag when you see the main cave!"

"Force him out!"

The fire-pouring carts rattled over the rubble, and the last copper pipe slammed into the fissure bitten open by the red fire. The Red-Armored Girl personally opened the valve on the cart's belly, and boiling fire-slurry poured straight down the crack.

With this, the entire echo layer truly exploded. Red fire below. Bright fire above. The layer of damp ash and black stone in the middle, which had just been repaired, was instantly cooked through; the whole ground was like meat being boiled, bulging for two breaths before collapsing with a boom.

The ground beneath Lu Jin's feet emptied, and he plummeted directly into the lower sloped cave. Grey Pupil lunged extremely fast, one claw hooking Lu Jin's wrist, the other driving hard into the stone wall. The sacrificial staff on his back scraped against the cave entrance, sparks flying everywhere, and half of the feather-bone snapped on the spot.

A dozen or so rats fell down with them. Some fell into the fire and charred into a ball on the spot. Others hit the sloped wall, their leg bones breaking, unable to even crawl.

Lu Jin rolled over as he landed, grabbing a nearby thrower rat that hadn't quite died yet and tossing it into the side fire-opening. As the fire-opening was blocked, the red fire paused slightly. But it only paused for half a breath. The corpse was soon gnawed into a layer of charred ash, and the fire-head continued to drill forward.

Grey Pupil slid down from above, his tail and back both burned with a long black streak.

"We can't hold the main cave."

"If we retreat another thirty feet, the Return Fire Well will also be bitten open."

With a boom from above, the scale-spear had already been thrust into the remnant of the main cave. The Red-Armored Girl stood by the fissure, pointing the long pipe downward.

"Lu Jin!"

"Don't you love drilling underground? Keep drilling!"

Fire-slurry splashed down. Three Ambush Rats lunged forward to meet it, but as soon as they touched a little bit, their entire bodies curled up from the burning.

The Wind-Cable Youth raised his hand and flung his hook; the hook caught the outermost black shield of the second-level short wall, and with a violent tug, the entire slanted short wall collapsed with a roar. A team of Fire-Guard throwers behind the wall was exposed, and a second round of wind blades immediately slashed down; two were decapitated on the spot, while the other four had their packs explode, smearing grey-red fire-oil all over half the narrow passage.

The rat swarm finally panicked. It wasn't fear of death. It was fear of that fire.

Grey fire could be endured, thunder could be dodged, blades could be traded, but only this red fire seemed to bite specifically along the strata they were most familiar with. It burned and pushed, ripping open the true transport lines Lu Jin had painstakingly buried one by one; the bone carts, copper pipes, black shields, and the outer edges of the sacrificial basins were all illuminated brightly.

Outside the surveillance mirror, some teachers' complexions changed.

"This fire-seed isn't on record!"

The black-robed Inspector's mirror board in his hand lifted suddenly, the mirror surface turning to lock onto that waste-crevice on the outer edge of the collapsed field, which was so thin it was almost invisible. He said nothing. But his eyes were terrifyingly cold.

Lu Jin had no time to worry about what they saw above. He stood in the half-collapsed sloped cave, surrounded by fire, blood, charred rats, and rubble.

The path in front was blocked by fire-pouring carts, the path behind was being gnawed through by red fire, Grey Pupil had burns on his shoulders and back, seven of the thrower team had died, nine more Cart-pulling Rats were lost, and the outer edge of the Return Fire Well in the deepest layer had started to glow red. If they held on a bit longer, the well would be burned through. By then, it wouldn't just be a few teams of rats that died. It would be the entire foundation.

Grey Pupil stared fixedly at the red fire drawing closer and closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"Take the fire basin and go."

"I'll lead the rest to block it."

Lu Jin glanced at him.

"You can't block it."

"Then let them die first."

Grey Pupil's grey eyes didn't move, but his claw tips were already pressed into the ground. Lu Jin did not answer him.

He crouched down, grabbed the corpse of a thrower rat by his feet that had been burned to only half its length, and tossed it into the half-collapsed sacrificial basin nearby. He then took a piece of the trampled Flame-Scale flag, a piece of broken copper pipe stained with red fire, and a still-smoking rat claw, pressing them all in.

Grey Pupil's pupils constricted violently.

"You want to open the furnace now?"

"What else?"

Lu Jin looked up, glancing at the faces by the fissure above that were glowing with excitement. The Red-Armored Girl had already led her people down to the second level, the Wind-Cable Youth was swinging a second grappling cable down along the collapse, and the Scale-Spear remnants had planted half a Flame-Scale flag into the fissure wall; the fire pattern on the spear tail flashed, and the entire narrow passage was illuminated in blood-red.

Lu Jin wiped the dried blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice cold and devoid of any fluctuation.

"They brought the fire."

"I'll accept it."

After he finished speaking, the bone clacker vibrated.

"Transport Team, collect the corpses."

"Dead or alive, drag them all to me."

"Fire-seeds, flag fragments, broken spears, charred bones, don't miss a single thing."

"Digging Squad, dismantle the copper pipes and surround the furnace."

"Fire-Guard Line, kneel, and do not retreat."

As this oracle fell, the rat swarm that had already been in chaos came to a dead stop. One Gray-tailed Burrowing Rat after another raised its head. They looked at the half-collapsed sacrificial basin, watched Lu Jin throw the corpses of their kind inside, and watched Grey Pupil drag the second, third, and fourth charred rat corpse with a grim face.

Not a single rat retreated. Even the little ones that had just been screeching and running in panic from the fire lowered their heads, pressed their charred, curled tails against the ground, and shoved the corpses toward the sacrificial basin with all their might.

At this, the line of faith changed completely. It wasn't fear. It was rage. It was the fierce spirit pressed into their bones when their home was burned through, their path of survival blocked, and they had to drag the corpses of their own kind onto the altar themselves.

The Red-Armored Girl saw it too. She paused for half a breath, then sneered.

"Want to sacrifice while burning?"

"Who are you showing this sacrifice to!"

She raised her hand and fired a pipe of fire-slurry. Before the fire-slurry could hit the ground, three Fire-Guard throwers had already lunged out. They didn't throw their bladders; instead, they hugged the fire-oil bladders on their backs and rammed into the fire. Boom!

When the grey-red fire collided with the poured fire, half the sloped passage was instantly blown apart. Those three throwers didn't even leave a shadow behind, only exploding a thicker layer of grey fire and more corpse-ash by the sacrificial basin.

Grey Pupil dragged the last charred corpse into the basin and backhanded his staff to smash the broken copper pipe. The dark red fire-seed card inside finally revealed itself. The black wax had already melted. The fire pattern in the center of the card, however, was breathing as if it were alive.

With just one glance, the wanji ember furnace in Lu Jin's Sea of Consciousness shook heavily. It was like a hungry beast smelling rotting meat, or like something deeper and more distant shifting slightly behind the furnace wall.

The next moment, the whispers came. First, one sound. Like someone pressing their mouth against his ear through a thick wall of ash. Give it to me. Following that was the second sound, the third, the countless sounds. Give me fire. Give me eyes. Give me more flesh that can feel pain.

The sacrificial basin in front of Lu Jin suddenly seemed to deepen. The bottom of the basin was no longer charred ash, flag fragments, and rat corpses, but faces squeezed behind grey mist. Some human, some rat, some things whose outlines were impossible to make out. Their eyes were all red, red to the point of black, all staring at that bit of pulsing fire deep within the furnace door.

In the further darkness, something opened a slit. Just one. Like a vertical eye.

Grey Pupil slammed his staff onto the ground, stone chips flying.

"Watch the furnace!"

"Don't look at it!"

The bit of scattered black fire in Lu Jin's eyes retracted violently. He raised his hand and pressed it into the sacrificial basin; his palm was instantly burned through a layer of skin by the fire-seed card, the smell of scorching flesh pungent.

"Enter the furnace."

Boom! The grey fire, red fire, charred blood from the rat corpses, residual patterns from the Flame-Scale flag, and the enemy blood beneath the sacrificial basin that hadn't yet been extinguished were all sucked into his Sea of Consciousness in one rush.

For the first time, the wanji ember furnace emitted a nearly ear-splitting roar. The furnace walls bulged layer by layer, as if something inside were crashing against them madly. The whispers brought by the high-pollution sacrifices squeezed in like mad, and the dark red fire pattern on the fire-seed card was like a living snake, twisting its body in an attempt to crawl out of the furnace opening.

The veins on Lu Jin's forehead bulged, and blood streamed down the bridge of his nose. Enemies were still pressing down from above.

The Wind-Cable Youth had already slid down half a yard along the grappling cable, his long hook stabbing right at the edge of the sacrificial basin. The Red-Armored Girl dragged the last fire-pouring cart and forced it forward, the long fire-patterned pipe almost touching the entrance of the sloped cave. Of the seven Scale-Spear remnants, only four were left alive, but they were still taking turns thrusting their spears, specifically aiming at Lu Jin's feet.

Grey Pupil led the Ambush Rats to hold them off. He whipped his staff to snap the grappling cable, but took another spear hit to his shoulder. Two Ambush Rats grabbed the Cable Hunter and tumbled into the fire pit together, and three Tunneling Rats used their bodies to block the fire-pouring pipe, managing to buy Lu Jin a breath of respite.

In that breath, the words on the furnace wall finally burned through. Dark red. Like blood written in ash. [Fire-Ash Gnawing]

The moment the four characters appeared, all the fire in the sacrificial basin went still. The whispers went still too. Only that vertical eye deep in the grey mist remained, blinking gently, then retreating back into the darker place.

Lu Jin stared at the four characters, his voice cracked and hoarse.

"Load."

His Sea of Consciousness shook violently. The entry descended. It poured fiercely from Lu Jin's palm, along the line of faith, and along the rat backs lowered in circles around the sacrificial basin.

The first to change was Grey Pupil. The layer of originally cold, hard grey at the bottom of his eyes was first pierced by a line of crimson intent. Following that, the second Ambush Rat, the third Fire-Guard thrower, the fourth Cart-pulling Rat, the fifth mother rat still lying at the entrance of the rear storage area protecting her young...

Pair after pair of rat eyes were lit up as if by the same fire. Crimson red. Burning brightly. Even deep within their pupils, it was as if a layer of moving ash had been pressed in.

The Red-Armored Girl, who was about to press down from above, suddenly paused in her movements. So did the Wind-Cable Youth.

Because a sound rang out from beneath the ground. It wasn't a scream. It wasn't a collapse. It was a whole expanse of rat claws landing at the same time. Thud. Thud. Thud. Like war drums. And like something, in the deeper parts of this subterranean cave, had finally opened its eyes in unison.