Chapter 673 - 425: Only a Storm Can Knock Down a Great Tree (Part 3)

Chapter 673: Chapter 425: Only a Storm Can Knock Down a Great Tree (Part 3)

"Are your injuries all healed?" a brown-skinned woman in her early twenties asked with concern. She was Naja, the one Miso had mentioned.

"My... my injuries are all healed." Miso blushed, earning a round of teasing from the villagers that made Naja a bit embarrassed as well.

"Everyone, please stop praising me. I was just doing my part."

Miso said earnestly, "The villagers are all good people, so I will make sure to protect everyone!"

The relocation soon began. Miso took one last look at the empty village, then turned and followed the other villagers.

’He had already decided: once the village finished relocating, he would tell everyone the truth.’

"Miso, what’s that you’re carrying on your back?" the village chief’s granddaughter asked curiously, pointing at his back.

"This? Oh, this. It’s a Weapon my benefactor gave me."

Miso patted the automatic rifle on his back.

"He said I set some kind of ’flag’ and that I was asking for trouble, so he gave me a lot of Weapons for self-defense. My benefactor is such a great person."

"So what kind of Weapon is it?" the village chief’s granddaughter asked, her curiosity piqued.

"He said it’s called a Solar Flare VK-74 Rechargeable Automatic Rifle. I tried it, and this thing is way easier to use than a sword!"

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Waves of heat rolled across the landscape. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but an endless chain of dark-red volcanoes. Tongues of lava could be seen shooting high into the air from time to time, their fiery trails intertwining in the sky.

There was nothing here but rock and lava; not a single blade of grass grew.

The sky was gloomy, shrouded by a vast and magnificent gray cloud of volcanic ash that blanketed almost the entire Volcanic Area. It created a heavy, oppressive atmosphere, as if a lid had been clamped down on the World, sealing it in.

Countless volcanoes spewed thick smoke that connected with the clouds, as if feeding the enormous ash cloud a ceaseless supply of Energy. Some of the most towering peaks were completely swallowed by the clouds, and as the ash layer drifted, a hazy, fiery glow could often be seen shining from within.

Zhou Chen was galloping at full speed, heading for the ruins to the west of the volcano.

Spirit Horse Bao Li was a fine horse. It could gallop even on rugged volcanic paths and use its Triple Jump to clear any obstacles, putting certain people who can’t even manage a double jump to shame.

Eleven hours later, Zhou Chen finally arrived at the location of the ruins indicated on his map.

Then, he was dumbfounded.

A massive, seemingly bottomless crater had appeared before him. Looking across to the far side, he could see it was at least five kilometers in diameter! 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

Zhou Chen quickly opened his map, only to see the words [MAP UPDATING] pop up. The spot where he stood, once depicted as normal terrain, was now a black, circular pit.

"That’s strange. There shouldn’t be a pit here..." he heard the Nameless Ghost mutter.

"Wait a minute. You didn’t draw this map yourself, did you?"

The Gaia Map in Zhou Chen’s hands was the one the Nameless Ghost had given him.

"Of course not. The Satellite Cities update their maps periodically. The map I gave you was updated a month ago... Perhaps this Transformation occurred within the last month," the Nameless Ghost said.

Zhou Chen stroked his chin in thought. ’Could that expedition team have done this?’

Miso had said an expedition team had come to fight the Magma Giant Beast half a month ago, and it was that very team that had discovered the ruins in this area. It was highly likely that the appearance of this crater was related to them.

Just as Zhou Chen was lost in thought, the ground beneath his feet suddenly began to rumble, the vibrations growing more and more intense.

He peered over the edge into the crater, and the color drained from his face.

A tremendously violent surge of Energy was erupting from below, and crimson magma was rushing upward!