Chapter 87: Qin Yao’s Shock

Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Qin Yao’s Shock

"Looking at me like that—want another round?"

Lin Ji raised an eyebrow, forcing a calm tone as he teased, trying to cover up the awkwardness that had just passed between them.

Qin Yao, instead of getting angry, licked her dry, crimson lips and was about to say something wild and provocative.

"C-Captain..."

A trembling voice filled with utter terror suddenly cut through their locked gazes.

Everyone had just escaped the cave and collapsed on the scorched earth, still catching their breath.

Bai Taotao’s originally rosy cheeks suddenly turned deathly pale. She whipped her head around, staring fixedly at the ravine they had just fled from, her large eyes filled with despair.

Her voice shook as she clutched tightly at the hem of Lin Ji’s clothes.

"That... that huge thing... it didn’t stop!"

"It’s underground... following the scorching lava... it’s coming after us!"

Hearing this, Lin Ji felt a chill shoot straight to the crown of his head, his scalp tingling with dread.

He knew all too well the absolute sharpness of Bai Taotao’s [E-Grade Affinity] when it came to sensing danger.

The girl usually seemed a bit slow and silly, but at critical moments like this, her intuition was more accurate than any radar!

"What?"

Even Qin Yao, who had just been wearing an expression of madness and laziness, changed color upon hearing this, a rare look of clear horror flashing across her face.

She had thought that collapsing the cave passage would be enough to trap that Level 5 monster inside.

She never expected that thing didn’t even need the passage—it could actually move freely through the underground lava!

"Run! Back to the ship!"

Qin Yao’s voice turned unusually sharp.

Even the usual seductive lilt in her tone vanished without a trace, replaced only by an instinctive fear of death.

"If it reaches the surface, we won’t even leave ashes behind!"

Lin Ji reacted faster than she did.

"Everyone, retreat! Run!"

Seeing Bai Taotao’s legs go weak, nearly collapsing into the ash, Lin Ji shouted sharply.

Bai Taotao’s face was flushed red from the heat, her large eyes brimming with tears.

"Captain... my legs are weak... I can’t move."

The girl’s voice was choked with sobs, her pitiful appearance leaving no room for anger.

Without another word, Lin Ji stepped over, reached out an arm, and scooped her up horizontally.

In his haste, his large hand landed squarely and firmly on the soft, rounded curve.

Through the thin fabric of her Lolita skirt, that astonishing elasticity and fullness instantly traveled from his palm throughout his entire body.

"Ah..."

Bai Taotao gasped in surprise, her small hands instinctively wrapping around Lin Ji’s neck.

She curled up tightly against his broad chest like a startled kitten.

"Hold on tight. If you fall, I won’t turn back to pick you up."

Lin Ji felt the warmth and softness in his arms, along with that pair of youthful yet already developing peaks, and couldn’t help but feel a surge of heat in his heart.

Bai Taotao buried her flushed face in the crook of Lin Ji’s neck, her long, slender legs tightly wrapped around the man’s neck.

As Lin Ji sprinted across the volcanic rock with long, swift strides.

Their bodies inevitably pressed and rubbed against each other violently, again and again.

Bai Taotao felt the intense scent of male hormones flooding her nostrils, making her so embarrassed that her breathing grew rapid.

"Your hands... don’t move around, Captain."

Bai Taotao whimpered softly, but her body clung even tighter out of fear and that strange sense of shame.

Lin Ji had no time for flirtation. The ground beneath his feet trembled incessantly from the surging magma.

"Shut up and hold on tight!"

Feeling the delicate sensation in his palms, he pushed off with his feet.

His entire figure leaped between the scorched rocks like a bolt of black lightning.

Waves of heat grew increasingly intense, and the sulfurous smell in the air was so thick it was suffocating.

From behind them came muffled, thunderous rumbles—the sound of that Level 5 monster advancing at full speed through the underground magma.

Gu Yihan and Su Qingyue followed closely on either side of Lin Ji. None of them dared to look back, focusing only on desperately charging toward the direction of the sea.

Qin Yao ran barefoot at the front. Her leather jacket was soaked through with sweat, clinging tightly to her back, waist, and hips.

Her fair, jade-like feet stepped on the scorching rock surface, emitting faint wisps of red smoke, yet her speed never faltered.

"The beach is just ahead! Faster!"

Qin Yao shouted over her shoulder, the madness in her eyes now fueling their will to survive.

Finally, they saw the ironclad ship anchored by the shore, standing like a black fortress amidst the waves.

Lin Ji, holding the soft Bai Taotao in his arms, leaped forward.

The two landed heavily on the deck.

Lin Ji didn’t let go immediately. Instead, due to momentum, he shifted Bai Taotao’s body upward slightly.

Bai Taotao’s crimson face pressed against Lin Ji’s ear, and she could even feel the man’s heavy breathing.

"Captain... you can put me down now."

Lin Ji released the hand that was still savoring that soft, fleshy sensation and looked straight ahead.

The danger wasn’t over yet. The aura of that monster was already closing in on the coastline.

If the ship wasn’t fast enough, that Level 5 monster capable of navigating through magma.

Could still chase them from beneath the sea and capsize the ship along with everyone on it!

"Tang Ling! The Power Chamber!"

Lin Ji set Bai Taotao down and roared at Tang Ling.

"Take out the Moltenheart Source Crystal we just dug up and shove it straight into the Steam Core! I want maximum speed!"

"Roger that!"

Tang Ling didn’t even bother wiping her sweat. Grabbing her toolkit, she rushed into the lower-level Power Chamber like a whirlwind.

Without hesitation, she pulled out a Moltenheart Source Crystal glowing with a faint, heartbeat-like light from her pouch.

Although it was her first time using this, relying on her freakish mechanical intuition.

She directly tossed it into the combustion chamber of the five operating Steam Cores!

"Boom—!!"

The moment the Moltenheart Source Crystal made contact with the furnace flames, it unleashed an incredibly terrifying surge of high-energy power.

The temperature in the entire Power Chamber instantly skyrocketed to a horrifying level.

The exhaust pipes, which had been spewing white steam, now emitted scorching currents of air tinged with a faint red glow!

The five Steam Cores equipped with the [Energy Micro-Cycle Pressure Valve] were not only perfectly coordinated at this moment.

They were forcibly pushed into an unprecedented overclocked state by this violent surge of primal energy!

"Hum—!"

Accompanied by a deafening roar that seemed capable of tearing metal apart.

The entire massive Steam Ironclad lurched violently, as if kicked hard in the stern by an invisible giant beast.

The enormous hull tilted sharply upward, then plowed through the sea, carving out two massive white walls of water.

With a terrifying speed that defied all logic, it shot forward like an arrow released from a bow!

Standing on the deck, Qin Yao staggered from the sudden, overwhelming force pushing against her back, nearly losing her balance.

She quickly reached out to steady herself against the cold Alloy Armor railing.

Then, she turned her head.

Her slightly frenzied peach-blossom eyes carefully examined the ship for the first time.

The hull structure was entirely clad in Alloy Armor.

From below deck came the steady, thunderous roar of the five coordinated cores, even in their overclocked state.

Through the second-floor glass, she could see the spacious, bright Captain’s quarters.

There was even a bathing installation!

The astonishment in Qin Yao’s eyes grew deeper and deeper.