Chapter 75: Awakening

"This cave... there's something wrong with it, isn't there?" Tang Yingying shrank her neck as she looked at the cave before her.

Zhao Kuo frowned deeply and said, "During the Fifth Revolution, players helped the upper levels suppress the rebellion in the lower levels. Countless lower-level citizens died in that war, and their bodies were dumped in the caves of the 13th level."

That cave must be this one.

"Tang Yingying, release the rabbit and the crocodile," Zhao Kuo instructed.

Tang Yingying immediately summoned her adorable little rabbit and cute little crocodile. As soon as the two summoned creatures appeared, they darted into the cave.

Naturally, Tang Yingying was controlling them.

At the same time, Luo Ping'an said, "I don't have much combat ability, so I'll keep watch outside."

Zhao Kuo nodded. That had been his plan all along. Someone needed to keep watch outside; otherwise, they might be ambushed without even realizing it.

Luo Ping'an was undoubtedly the best person for the job.

Still, Zhao Kuo added, "Stay safe."

"You too," Luo Ping'an nodded, watching as the two of them entered the cave.

This feeling of fighting side by side... it's actually quite nice. Luo Ping'an smiled, found a hidden spot to crouch in, and began monitoring the surroundings.

As soon as Zhao Kuo entered the cave, he squinted his eyes.

The stench in the air was unmistakable—a smell reminiscent of rotting fish.

"It seems there's only one path. They're not far ahead," Tang Yingying sent a message through the system.

The cave was eerily quiet, and speaking aloud would easily alert the two people ahead.

By now, the plush rabbit and plush crocodile had caught up to Zhou Xing and Crimina. Being plush toys, the two summoned creatures made no sound as they moved across the uneven ground.

Zhao Kuo felt another pang of envy for Tang Yingying's profession.

Fortunately, there was indeed only one path in the cave. If there had been multiple forks, it would have been much harder to follow.

But what surprised both of them was that the cave wasn't pitch black. Instead, there was a faint, hazy light that allowed them to see the path ahead.

Zhao Kuo had been planning to buy night-vision equipment from the trading platform, but this saved him the trouble.

After walking for about twenty minutes, they finally discovered the source of the light.

Ahead was a spiral staircase leading downward, like the interior of a tall tower. The hazy light shone upward from the bottom, and floating in the middle of the spiral staircase were numerous corpses.

These corpses were likely the lower-level citizens who had died during the Fifth Revolution sixty-three years ago.

Now, their bodies floated in an eerie manner, showing no signs of decay. They looked as if they were merely asleep, lifelike and serene.

Zhao Kuo suddenly felt a sense of foreboding, and his Super Potential Expert ability was sending constant warnings.

There was immense danger below!

Zhao Kuo watched as Zhou Xing and Crimina continued descending the spiral staircase, his eyes flickering.

His vision couldn't penetrate the hazy light to see what lay at the bottom of the staircase, but the danger warnings from his Super Potential Focus made him hesitate.

The remote control for the [Roar of Death] was in Zhao Kuo's hands. To be honest, he didn't need to know what Crimina planned to do with the nuclear bomb.

Although the bomb's destructive power was immense, it was inherently stable.

Aside from the remote control, even the most violent impact wouldn't cause it to detonate.

Moreover, unless the situation deteriorated to an irreparable point, the doctor probably wouldn't allow the [Roar of Death] to explode.

After all, this was a weapon capable of destroying all of Eternal Station.

But... there were always exceptions.

This place was clearly unusual. The moment Zhao Kuo entered, he remembered the evil god mentioned in the books from the secret room.

Only an evil god could create such a bizarre scene.

If it really was the evil god, there might indeed be a way to detonate the [Roar of Death].

At this moment, Zhao Kuo realized he hadn't considered enough. If the doctor had a way to communicate with the evil god, then the remote control in his hands was essentially meaningless.

Had he been played?

Zhao Kuo's eyes flickered. He couldn't confirm his suspicions.

Yes, before everything was revealed, all his thoughts were just speculation.

But such speculation was terrifying. If the nuclear bomb exploded, or if the evil god awakened, he, along with Tang Yingying, Gu Shan, and the others, would be utterly annihilated.

No, he had to follow. If such a situation arose, he would do everything in his power to stop it!

With this resolve, Zhao Kuo pulled Tang Yingying into the spiral staircase.

As they walked past the floating corpses, Tang Yingying showed no fear. As a reincarnator, she had seen scenes far more bizarre and horrifying than this. Although those memories hadn't fully awakened, they had given her a certain resistance to such things.

The further down the staircase they went, the brighter the world became. The light was no longer a hazy glow but had turned piercing and scorching.

Finally, Crimina reached the bottom of the spiral staircase. Below was an ocean of light.

The light emanated from a strange crystal that shimmered with countless colors. Sealed within the crystal was a naked young man.

The young man's lower body was encased in the crystal, while his upper body was exposed.

Chains pierced through his palms and collarbone, suspending his upper body. Black blood dripped from his wounds, congealing into strange flowers.

"This is... our god," Crimina murmured as she approached the mysterious young man.

Zhou Xing, however, quickly pulled her back, saying, "Don't forget the doctor's words. He may be our god, but he's also our demon!"

Crimina's eyes cleared slightly, and she nodded solemnly.

She then took out a dagger from her pocket and cut her palm deeply.

The pain made the girl wince. Although she didn't know why she had to cut her palm, the doctor and her brother had instructed her to do so, and that was reason enough.

Blood flowed from her wound but didn't fall to the ground. Instead, it floated upward and drifted toward the crystal.

Zhou Xing's face lit up with excitement.

Crimina, however, showed a pained expression, as if recalling a terrible memory.

It was a memory of black rain pouring from the sky, and herself, still a baby, crying in the downpour.

Just then, a figure slowly approached and picked her up.

It was Jon's voice.

"Poor little girl. From now on, you'll be my sister. Your name will be Crimina."

The blood floated to the sealed young man's lips. In an instant, his pale lips gained a hint of color.

A sudden breeze swept through the cave.

The sealed young man slowly raised his head: "Humans are always greedy. ​***, this time, I've won."

The middle part seemed to be a name, but it was erased by a mysterious force.

At that moment, Zhao Kuo, hiding in the shadows, felt an overwhelmingly evil gaze upon him!