My Abyss Survival Diary

Chapter 74 Welcome to the Second Floor

As his companions gradually awoke, Klein was in the worst condition, kneeling on the ground vomiting uncontrollably, his face deathly pale.

Professor Lorris leaned against the basket; he had been unconscious since the basket fell and was still unconscious.

The one in the best shape was Flanye, who jumped out of the basket and waved Simon's harpoon on the flower field, seemingly unaffected by stress relief.

Pique, also a cave raider, was talking incessantly to his pigeon coop as if nothing was wrong.

"Why are you alright..." Klein felt a wetness in front of his nose, and when he touched it, he found that blood was flowing from his nose.

The old lady piloting the hot air balloon explained to them, "These tunnel raiders scurry around the abyss like mice. They're used to the pressure changes in the abyss. Your physical condition is too poor; it might take you two or three days to adapt to the pressure here. Just stay put."

Simon looked at the old woman in front of him. She looked to be at least seventy years old, with a full head of silver hair held up by a hairpin made of animal bone.

"Are you the contact person for the cave raiders?" he asked.

"Dungeon raiders? No, no, no, Granny Aimee is the ferryman of the abyss. Whether you're a cave raider or an adventurer, as long as you give Granny Aimee gold or other equivalents, Granny Aimee can take you anywhere." The old lady chuckled, revealing a mouthful of gold teeth.

The unique environment of the abyss, with its upper and lower levels, allowed these people to thrive and make a fortune, though it was all money earned at the cost of their lives.

It seems this isn't the first time the old lady has escaped from the Empire's clutches.

They left the cage one by one, and with the help of Granny Amy, Flora carried Professor Loris out of the cage as well.

Simon packed his things and looked up at Granny Aimee, who was smoking: "Elphis paid the toll in advance, right?"

Upon hearing this, the old lady leisurely exhaled a puff of silver smoke, leaving him with a meaningful smile.

"It's not just Elphis... there's a bunch of weirdos who gave me gold and told me to risk my life to get you to the second level."

Simon frowned slightly, noticing something amiss.

Someone even hired Granny Amy to take them to the second floor?

In other words, their whereabouts are now completely exposed to another group.

The metal boot crashed down, crushing the vibrant flowers into juice...

How could this happen?

Simon instinctively felt that his keen hearing was malfunctioning. No! There couldn't be any mistake. After confirming several times, he realized a startling fact: the heavy footsteps were getting louder and louder, and steam-powered armor was approaching their location! Less than thirty meters away!

Tall figures appeared on a nearby mound; their size was even larger than that of the Impure Doctor and the Holy Hammer Sister, and they looked extremely imposing.

The armor is predominantly yellow and black, with rivet decorations on the arm and leg armor. The shoulder armor is engraved with a white skull emblem pierced by three spears. Carrying heavy fuel backpacks and transformable mechanical devices, the entire armor is like a mobile killing fortress.

The two steam-powered armors on the left are equipped with heavy steel hammers, while the two armors on the right hold shotguns that resemble heavy artillery, with a caliber that is no different from that of heavy artillery to ordinary humans.

Only one name in my memory matches the steam armor before me: the Iron Warrior Legion.

They were invincible war machines during the Great Expedition. Scholars called them the pinnacle of siege tactics. With absolute firepower suppression tactics, they captured countless military strongholds for the empire during the Great Expedition. The arrival of the Iron Warriors would inevitably bring artillery fire that would terrify the enemy.

But why are they here?

In Simon's memory, the Imperial forces only operated within the first level.

They had ventured into the second layer and even deeper, but the outcome remains unknown. All that is known is that since then, the Empire has only established outposts on the first layer, temporarily halting its conquest of the Abyss, and ordering the Impure Physicians to begin developing heavy genetic bombs capable of annihilating the entire Abyss.

Why are these iron-cast warriors here, and what is their purpose?

A tense atmosphere spread, and the two cave raiders, Flani and Pik, were clearly unaware of their presence and stood frozen in fear.

At the crucial moment, another person appeared before them...

"Hey, what are you all doing? Don't be nervous, relax, they're here to protect you." A relaxed and teasing male voice reached everyone's ears.

The speaker was a man wearing a windproof jacket. He slid down the embankment and smiled as he looked at everyone present.

The cast-iron warriors raised their gun barrels, as if the person in front of them was their leader.

The man had short black hair that almost covered his forehead and eyes, making him look somewhat gloomy, which didn't match his playful tone.

Seemingly sensing the awkward atmosphere, he took out a candy box from his pocket, popped a candy into his mouth, and showed it to everyone, but no one accepted it.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Karl Weber. Welcome to the second level of the Abyss." He gave an awkward laugh. "Let's get straight to the point. I am Elphis's superior, the man above him. Elphis and I are very close friends."

Simon glanced at Flanie instinctively, but she cautiously shook her head.

This comical man claimed to be Elphis's boss, but Frani didn't recognize him at all.

Who exactly is this guy?

"Are you the leader of the cave raiders?" Simon asked after thinking for a while.

Carl held up a finger and waved it in front of Simon.

"I'm not a cave raider, I'm the one who pays cave raiders for their gold. I hire them to go into the abyss and collect the flesh of sin for me. Now you understand?"

This doesn't make sense, Simon frowned. Why did the people who hired cave raiders suddenly appear in front of them at this moment?

In his imagination, the mastermind behind this had better hide himself well, otherwise the Inquisition would storm his lair, tear him to pieces, and behead everyone involved with the matter with chainsaws.

Seeing that he was still doubting his identity, Karl sighed.

"I know you don't trust me, but that's the truth. Do you want to know who's behind this massive transport route, allowing the tunnel raiders to smuggle blasphemous samples out of the abyss right under the Empire's nose? Do you want to know who's directing this?"

Simon stood there, stunned. He hadn't expected the man to voice all his doubts in one breath.

With a smirk playing on his lips, the man patted his shoulder and gave him a mysterious smile.

"If you want to know the answer, come with me, and while you're at it, bring along the flesh that is evidence of the Hungry Angel's sins."