31: Buried alive

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

Kruger's roar echoed through the empty cavern, carrying a hint of a tremor that even he hadn't noticed. The greed and smugness on his face had long since been replaced by icy terror.

There was no ore vein here.

There was nothing here.

This was a trap!

"It's you! It's all because of you, you idiot!" Fisk grabbed Kruger's collar, his eyes bloodshot, spitting in his face as he spoke. "You were the one who swore everything was foolproof! You were the one who insisted on coming here to take all the credit!"

"Bullshit!" Kruger snapped back, shoving Fisk away. The latter stumbled and nearly fell. "Your people were the ones who found that ore! You were the one who told me that kid was acting suspicious! Now that something's gone wrong, you want to pin all the blame on me?"

"If not you, then who? You lard-brained moron!"

"Who the hell are you calling names!"

In the moment of their infighting, a tooth-gritting groan came from beneath their feet, as if the entire mountain range was letting out a low howl of pain.

It wasn't an illusion.

On the walls, tiny crystals began to rustle and fall, dust filling the air. The rock layer overhead let out an overburdened "crack."

"Boss, look! That pillar!" a thug pointed into the depths of the cave in terror.

It was the first Core Support Pillar Chen Feng had corroded using the Industrial Robot. Now, it was like a bone soaked in acid, its surface covered in cobweb-like cracks.

*Bang!*

With a muffled thud, the support pillar suddenly shattered, turning into a cloud of dust.

The first domino had fallen.

*Boom—*

The chain reaction had begun.

"Run! Run!"

"The exit! The exit is blocked!"

"Help! I don't want to die!"

The thugs scattered in terror, but all paths of retreat were instantly sealed by massive boulders in the ensuing collapse. Giant rocks rained down from the ceiling like raindrops, and the ground split open with bottomless fissures.

"Ah—!"

The shrill screams were clearly transmitted into Chen Feng's ears through the open communicator.

Inside the ventilation duct, Chen Feng calmly watched the light spots on the Life Signal Detector.

One, two, three... Those bright spots of light, after violent flickering and jumping, were wiped away as if by an invisible hand, fading into darkness one by one.

The last few spots were huddled together, representing Kruger and Fisk. In the final moment before being swallowed by the boulders, they seemed to still be scuffling.

Then, they too went out.

The screen was pitch black.

"Targets eliminated." Chen Feng's heart remained untroubled, as if he were merely checking off a list.

He turned off the device, his face devoid of expression—no joy of success, no guilt of slaughter. This was just a calculation; he had input the variables and obtained the only inevitable result.

He had completed the first perfect massacre of his life, directed by his own hand.

However, just as he was about to turn and leave—

*Creeeak—Rumble!*

A terrifying force, far exceeding his worst estimates, erupted from below!

The ventilation duct where he was hiding, the passage he thought was safe, let out a deathbed scream.

The thick metal walls were seized as if by a giant's hand, twisting and deforming violently. The mounting bolts were ripped out, making a sound like popping beans.

Chen Feng's pupils suddenly constricted.

His safe observation point had instantly become the next deadly trap.

An iron coffin being crushed flat.

He must escape from here before being buried alive!