130: Soak in a hot spring

"Let's go then."

Jiang Yuan straightened his collar, which wasn't even messy.

"The humidity here is still a bit heavy; it's time for a hot spring bath."

The Silverback Gorilla watched the two retreating figures. Only after that terrifying human had completely vanished into the mist did it let out a long sigh and thump its chest again, though this time it was significantly lighter, as if it were trying to calm its own nerves.

Leaving the mist-shrouded territory of the Silverback Gorilla, the land rover defender climbed steadily along the rugged volcanic rock road.

As the altitude increased, that suffocating, humid heat finally dissipated completely, replaced by the biting cold wind characteristic of high mountains. The vegetation also transitioned from dense tropical rainforest to low-lying alpine shrubs and black volcanic lava terrain.

This was the hinterland of the Virunga Mountains.

Two hours later, the vehicle stopped at the edge of a massive extinct volcanic crater.

It was nearly dusk, and the setting sun had dyed the sky a strange, purplish-red. Beneath them lay a deep and tranquil volcanic lake. The lake water displayed a profound emerald green, like a massive gemstone embedded in a bowl of black rock.

Although the scenery was breathtaking, the temperature here had dropped to single digits. The cold wind howled, carrying volcanic ash, stinging their cheeks.

"We're sleeping here tonight?"

Lin Xia wrapped her windbreaker tighter around herself, looking at the desolate obsidian wasteland before them, her teeth chattering slightly. "The wind is too strong here, and... I want to take a bath."

After trekking through the rainforest all day, even with Jiang Yuan's force field protecting her, that psychological feeling of stickiness wouldn't go away. She just wanted a hot shower for half an hour, not to be blasted by wind in a place as cold as an ice cellar.

"Of course we're going to take a bath."

Jiang Yuan stood at the edge of the cliff, overlooking the emerald yet icy lake water below, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"Not only take a bath, but we're going to have the most comfortable soak possible."

He raised his wrist and swiped lightly across the holographic projection.

"Zero, is the terrain scan complete?"

"Complete. An active magma layer has been detected 800 meters underground. Thermal energy rating: Grade A."

"Very good."

Jiang Yuan snapped his fingers.

"Right here, make me a hot spring."

Lin Xia thought she had misheard. "A hot spring? This is an extinct volcanic lake, the water is cold..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she witnessed the most insane "infrastructure" project of her life.

That familiar silver capsule landed on the ground once more.

This time, the nanobots didn't immediately construct a building. Instead, they separated into a black torrent, like a massive black python, winding its way down the cliff face and plunging directly into a protruding rock platform by the lakeside.

Rumble—

The ground gave a slight tremor.

Three [Geothermal Induction Probes], only as thick as an arm, pushed by anti-gravity engines, pierced directly into the hard volcanic rock with a piercing whistle, boring into the ground several hundred meters deep as if it were cutting through tofu.

In just ten seconds.

The heat dissipation valves at the tips of the probes glowed with a dark red light.

That was the sign that heat from the earth's core was being instantly extracted by the superconducting material.

Meanwhile, the rock platform at the edge of the cliff rapidly changed shape under the consumption and reorganization of the nanobots.

The rough obsidian was smoothed and polished, transforming into an infinity pool with perfect curves.

The bottom of the pool was paved with white microcrystalline stone, and the edges were bordered by a completely transparent force field barrier.

Immediately after, the icy lake water was drawn up, purified through the [Quantum Filtration System] to remove sulfur toxins and microorganisms, and then flowed past the scorching geothermal probes.

Splash...

Steaming hot, clear water filled the pool.

White water vapor rose into the cold air, instantly transforming this desolate volcanic crater into a mist-shrouded fairyland.

"It's... done?"

Lin Xia stared blankly at the steaming infinity pool hanging off the edge of the cliff, feeling her common sense being ground into the dust once again.

It took less than five minutes.

In the wilderness at an altitude of 3,000 meters, drilling, heat extraction, pool construction, and water purification—all completed in one go.

Even if God himself were the contractor, it wouldn't be much better, right?

"What are you standing there for?"

Jiang Yuan had already walked toward the pool.

As he walked, the black nano-combat suit seemed to come alive; it rapidly receded and reorganized from the collar, finally transforming into a simple pair of black swim trunks at his waist.

He tested the water temperature.

"42 degrees, perfect."

Jiang Yuan looked back at Lin Xia, who was still dazed, and casually tossed a small metal chip over to her.

"Stick it on your clothes."

Lin Xia caught it instinctively and followed instructions.

The next second, her outdoor windbreaker and the quick-dry clothes underneath also liquefied, instantly reorganizing based on her body data into a well-fitted one-piece swimsuit.

Since she couldn't resist this kind of black technology, she might as well enjoy it.

Lin Xia took a deep breath, took off her shoes, and gingerly dipped her feet into the water.

"Hiss—"

The scalding hot spring water enveloped her icy ankles, and that tingling warmth instantly spread through her blood to her whole body, making her unable to help but let out a sigh of comfort.

She submerged herself completely in the water.

All exhaustion, cold, and soreness vanished into thin air at this moment.

The two lay on the edge of the infinity pool.

Before them was the bottomless volcanic lake, and above them, the starry sky was gradually lighting up.

And the most breathtaking scenery was on the opposite side.

On the other side of the lake, another taller volcano—Mount Nyiragongo—was awakening in the night.

It was an extremely active volcano.

Above the crater, the originally pitch-black clouds were now illuminated a blood-red. A red plume of smoke rose slowly; that was the breathing of the churning lava lake.

"Soaking in a hot spring while watching a volcanic eruption (even if it's just smoke)."

Jiang Yuan leaned against the pool edge and waved his hand. A floating tray drifted over, carrying a pot of warm sake and two glass cups.

"This is probably the pinnacle of luxury in the wild on Earth."

He poured a cup of sake and handed it to Lin Xia.

Lin Xia took the cup, her cheeks flushed slightly from the steam.

She looked at the eerie yet magnificent red clouds in the distance, then at the man beside her who had turned wilderness survival into a life of divine luxury.

"Jiang Yuan."

"Hm?"

"What if that volcano actually erupts right now?"

Jiang Yuan took a sip of his sake, watching that smear of crimson in the distance, his eyes as calm as a deep pool of water.

"Then let it erupt."

"It would take twenty minutes for the lava to flow here anyway."

"That's enough time for us to finish this pot of sake."

Lin Xia laughed.

She stopped speaking, and following Jiang Yuan's example, she tilted her head back, completely relaxing her body in the warm spring water, letting the red volcanic clouds reflect in her eyes.

The night wind howled, but it could not blow into this warm corner.

Only the sake in their cups and the pulse of the distant earth resonated at this moment.