Shenhe’s forced march was silent and swift. Four elite Millelith soldiers followed closely behind, wearing rough miner’s attire over uniforms tightly lined with talismans—the "Breath-Hiding Talismans" personally crafted by Madam Ping. A faint yet resilient halo enveloped each of them, like a solitary skiff holding its ground in an ocean of turbid Abyssal miasma. When the halo brushed against the purplish-black particles suspended in the air, it emitted an exceedingly faint "sizzle," much like ice chips falling onto a red-hot iron plate. Every step taken on the mineral paths—choked with twisted crystal clusters—required the utmost caution. Those dark purple crystals pulsed faintly like living things, radiating a heart-stopping chill and ominous energy.
Above their heads, electro-crystalline butterflies, polluted to a purplish-black hue, drifted aimlessly. As they beat their wings, they scattered specks of gloomy light, resembling restless, unblinking will-o'-the-wisps wandering through a deadly minefield, adding an eerie sense of "vitality" to the oppressive environment.
"Stay alert. Avoid the crystal clusters," Shenhe's voice was cold as ice as she took the lead into this cursed place. The squad members gripped their mining picks—which concealed built-in crossbows—holding their breaths and stalking along the abandoned mine tunnel toward the general area where Gaming's signal flare had last ascended.
Chapter 113