The fairy maid cheers for her deceased master today.

The exploration continues.

The three of them carefully walked down the hillside and entered the largest mine entrance of the quarry.

The cave was even more gloomy and dimly lit than the outside. Ax immediately lit a kerosene lamp.

I never imagined that kerosene lamps could be used in this way.

No, that was its original purpose. X almost used it as a dedicated weapon.

Inside the mine, abandoned minecarts and rusted rails lay scattered on the ground, covered with a thick layer of rust and moss. Water droplets dripped from the cracks in the rocks, making a "drip-drip" sound that was particularly clear in the silent quarry.

Walking along this only road deeper into the quarry, with towering rock walls on both sides covered with dark green moss and vines.

The air was even more humid, with a faint, almost imperceptible stench of decay.

X walked in front, reminding the fairies behind him.

"Be careful. There might be a trap here. After all, this is a place someone else set up."

Holding a kerosene lamp in one hand and a revolver in the other, X continued deeper into the territory. Angel remained vigilant, ready to unleash her magic at any moment.

Soon, the group finally arrived at a relatively open underground space.

In the center of the clearing was a huge rock, with strange symbols and patterns carved on it. Behind the rock, they also discovered another small cave.

"Where is this place?" Elena couldn't help but ask.

Ax walked up to the huge rock and carefully examined the symbols and patterns on it.

The symbols and patterns looked very ancient, like some kind of unknown script. Alex reached out and gently touched the symbols and patterns, the cold touch sending a shiver down his fingertips.

"These symbols and patterns..." Axe murmured to himself, "look like a puzzle."

However, it's too old... and the marks are also very old, so it doesn't seem like a mystery left by a kidnapper.

In other words, it has nothing to do with this kidnapping case.

He stepped back a few paces and examined the rock more closely. The symbols and patterns on the rock seemed to tell a story, but Ax couldn't understand their meaning.

It's unrelated to the kidnapping case, but... it might be related to this quarry.

Ax suddenly realized that even in England before his time travel, open-pit quarries were the most common type of mining. Why dig so deep? Could there really be some rare mineral here?

X shook his head, deciding not to waste any more brain cells, and prepared to continue exploring.

But just then, a cold wind suddenly blew out from the cave, carrying a strong, putrid stench. Ax, Elena, and Angel all felt a chill and involuntarily shivered.

"Watch out!" Ex whispered immediately, his eyes fixed warily on the cave. "Something's coming."

A low hissing sound came from the cave, as if something was wriggling inside.

Then, a huge dark shadow slowly crawled out of the cave.

It was a swamp mutant.

But unlike any we've seen before, it was much larger, its body covered in thick, black carapace that gleamed with a metallic sheen.

Its head resembles a giant praying mantis, with two sharp, scythe-like forelimbs. Its eyes are blood-red, radiating an evil light.

Ex squinted.

This should be considered an elite monster, right?

There's no obvious contamination zone here, yet such a powerful swamp mutant exists. Where did this mutant come from?!

This swamp monster was clearly much more powerful than any they had seen before. It let out a deafening hiss and charged at them like a black cannonball.

However, X was prepared.

Since this strange creature even made a sound to warn me before attacking...

If we don't teach it a lesson, wouldn't that be too unfair?

"Elena, Angel, watch your eyes!"

"Ex shouted, and raised the specially made kerosene lamp directly."

The elite swamp mutant was incredibly fast; it swung its scythe-like forelimbs and slashed directly at Ex.

"Master!" Angel exclaimed instinctively.

X just sneered and then pressed the switch on the flashing kerosene lamp.

"boom!"

A blinding white light erupted once again.

The elite swamp mutant let out an angry hiss and charged forward, glowing with light, once again wielding its scythe-like forelimbs to slash at X.

Is he really that reckless?

Your body is practically smoking!

As expected of an elite monster, it can even suppress its instincts and forcibly exchange injuries for injuries.

Ex quickly dodged, but the scythe still grazed his arm, leaving a bloody mark.

"Sir!" Elena exclaimed, immediately casting vine magic to entangle the elite swamp alien's body.

"I'm fine. Angel, Ice Flower!" Ex shouted.

Angel immediately cast an ice flower spell, slamming ice flowers into the head of the elite swamp monster. The elite swamp monster, struck by the ice flowers, let out a painful screech, and with the added effect of the white light, its movements instantly slowed.

X took the opportunity to create some distance, then took out a new, perfectly wrapped flashing incendiary block and added it to the mechanism of the special kerosene lamp.

The mantis-like monster shook its head, spread its wings, and prepared to charge forward again.

"Too slow!"

"Ex shouted, and charged forward instead, raising the kerosene lamp high and pressing the switch on the kerosene lamp again."

The burning block is in full contact with the flame.

"boom!"

This time, the elite swamp mutant didn't have time to dodge, and the blinding white light shone on it even closer.

It let out a deafening, painful scream, fell to the ground, and struggled violently.

Elena took the opportunity to tighten the vines, Angel also used her firepower advantage to smash the ice flowers, and X followed up with more shots.

Under the combined effects of white light, vines, ice flowers, and silver bullets, the elite swamp mutant's body finally disintegrated into black slime and reintegrated into the ground.

"Phew..." Ex breathed a sigh of relief and covered the wound on his arm.

"Master, are you alright?" Elena and Angel both gathered around with concern.

"I'm fine," X shook his head. "Just a few scratches."

With Flash in hand, I'm invincible. This Flash Block can even counter Spring-Leg Jack, let alone a mere Mantis Xenomorph.

Ex tore off a strip of cloth and simply bandaged the wound.

Then he turned around, preparing to go deeper... Just then, he noticed a small metal box lying on the ground in the hole where the elite swamp aliens emerged.

"What is that?" Elena asked curiously.

X walked over and picked up the metal box.

The box is made of copper and has no symbols or patterns on it.

He carefully opened the box, inside was a yellowed parchment with a message written on it.

"This is..." Ex carefully examined the words on the parchment.

"What does it say?" Elena asked quickly.

"It's on a piece of parchment, a riddle left to us by the kidnappers."

Ex frowned.

"The prisoner also said that we need to go to the next location. And the location is the answer to the riddle."

"Master, this is a joke!" Angel complained.

"Yes, I know. But for now, we can only do as they say."