In the darkness, the stacked sand and stones suddenly shifted, making a rustling sound as they rolled to the side. Several people shook off the dust and crawled out from below, coughing for a while. Atira looked at the others and asked:
"Is everyone here?"
"I'm here." Parker was the first to answer.
The Big Cat People merely placed the Heavy Shield in front, gripping the opal on the handle with his paw. The eyes of the lion head decoration on the shield emitted a faint glow, allowing everyone to see his position—and also to see the surrounding environment clearly.
The tunnel had collapsed halfway.
Hilveld extended a hand to help Miss Nightingale crawl out from under the sand and dirt. Elisa coughed, expressing her gratitude: "Thank you."
She looked up and inadvertently saw Hilveld frowning, her beautiful face also clouded with a layer of gloom, as if hesitant and undecided, a sight quite out of character from her usual self.
Elisa was slightly taken aback, thinking of something. She actually felt a bit worried in her heart, hesitating for a moment before comforting, "Don't worry too much, Miss Hilveld. The Captain will be okay."
Hilveld simply nodded lightly.
Elisa saw that the gloom still lingered on her face, knowing that she was still worried, and sighed gently, feeling a bit envious in her heart. She took out the Communication Crystal, wiped the dust off it, and made the crystal light up.
Elisa's voice was gritty: "Gita, are you still there?"
On the crystal, an unsteady flickering screen refracted, faintly showing the image of the young Natural Historian alongside Xiesta and Xiangzi—due to unstable communication, Gita's voice emerged somewhat anxious and distorted:
"Sister Elisa, Sister Atira, I'm still here. What happened on your side? I can't reach Brother Ade."
Silence fell upon everyone.
Elisa glanced at Hilveld beside her—
But Miss Ship's Officer calmed down, responding, "Gita, the Captain stayed behind to cover our retreat and is temporarily separated from us... Currently, there's a strong magic interference underground in Idus, temporarily disrupting communication."
"...Is the Captain okay?" Gita's tone was full of worry.
"He'll be fine."
Only then did Elisa ask, "What should we do next? Should we go back..."
"I don't want to go back and see those things. Didn't you guys see? The Captain's Energy Angel didn't last a moment before disappearing in front of those things. How high is their level?" Parker quickly shook his head as if it were a rattle. "I'm certain if we go back, we're just serving ourselves up on a silver platter. And the Captain is surely already done for. Going back won't help."
"Parker, shut your crow's mouth."
"Elisa, Parker makes a valid point," Atira said, uncharacteristically calm, "Right now, our chance was won by Ade. He instructed us to return to the ship and rendezvous with him. Ade is the team's Commander, and you must follow his orders."
But she paused for a moment, "I'm staying to search for Ade. Reed, give me the Communication Crystal from Xiangzi. If he's already back on the ship, you notify me."
"You're still the same," the Big Cat People shook his head, smoothing the mane on his chin, asked, "Do you need my help?"
"No need, you take the others back," Atira replied, "I'm Lady Ameya's... you understand."
The Big Cat People shrugged. "Alright."
"Hilveld." Atira looked at Miss Ship's Officer again.
The Noble Lady composed herself. She contemplated for a moment, then finally nodded: "I understand. With such changes in Idus underground, the situation in town will change quickly... The Blood Shark Sky Pirates might flood into the tunnel. We must return to the ship to re-strategize—"
"You can leave this side to me, but the Captain..."
Atira nodded, "I view Ade as my own brother. I will find him and bring him back, don't worry."
"Thank you, Atira..."
The Elf Miss smiled slightly, stepped up, and gently hugged her.
Hilveld stepped back, slightly at a loss. This was a rare moment when she felt the warmth of the team, a feeling woven with the suffocating pressure in her heart, making her feel a bit bewildered for the first time.
She softly repeated once more:
"Thank you."
...
In the square underground hall, Fang Hong was cautiously sending a reply to that ID.
He was filled with regret, wondering why he hadn't seen the message from 'R' earlier. If he had, he could have replied in time. 'R' only came online once in a long time; missing this chance meant who knew when they'd meet again.
He sent his letter back, hoping the recipient would eventually see it, because even at their most active, they only came online once or twice a month, so he held no hope that they would reply immediately.
But occasionally, there are rare, unexpected events in this world.
After Fang Hong clicked send and was about to close the mailbox, he suddenly heard a 'ding', startling him so much his hand almost shook—a notification of a reply. The next moment, he saw a brand-new email lying quietly in his mailbox, and Fang Hong glanced incredulously at the sender; as expected:
Sender: R, Sent at: May 21, AM 1:07:42
'——So late, and you're still not asleep?'
Seeing this message, filled with a personal style of prioritizing trivial concerns, Fang Hong understood that it was indeed the person he knew.