Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

Qi Yan pushed aside a tree branch, stepped onto the ground that was gradually turning into bare stone, and began to steer the conversation: "You found that guy who was secretly causing trouble, what are you going to do about it?"

Ceylon lifted her skirt and walked solemnly across the increasingly barren volcanic surface.

"Of course we should arrest them. Siesta is my hometown, and I can't let bad people destroy it."

"Sure, I admire people like you the most in my life, and I'm definitely helping you with this!" Qi Yan patted his chest and assured him, "I'm a kind-hearted person and can't stand those petty scheming things. Helping you is definitely not because I want your favor!"

Ceylon stopped in her tracks, instinctively wanting to get away from Qi Yan.

Unfortunately, the doctor had already arrived beside her and said righteously:

"I'm determined to help you, and I definitely don't want to force you to join Rhodes Island!"

Ceylon turned her head again, only to find in despair that the menacing-looking Jie had somehow appeared beside her, his eyes filled with contemplation:

"The mayor's daughter, the heiress of Siesta, must have a lot of money, right?"

Chapter 206 Eyjafjalla's Resentful Insect Makes a Grand Appearance!

Ceylon's face paled as she realized that she had inadvertently revealed her identity.

A noble lady living alone abroad represents interests that could easily tempt many people.

"You three, that's enough!"

Unable to bear Qi Yan and the other two's antics, Fiamet stepped forward to protect her fellow Liberians behind her, her face full of vigilance.

Qi Yan awkwardly touched his nose, and instead of causing further trouble, changed his tune:

"I, Qi Xiaobai, love protecting the environment more than anything in my life. I can't bear to see those poor little creatures have their homes destroyed because of other people's greedy desires. This time, I must save that poor little guy!"

"Poor...little guy?"

Ceylon's attention was drawn again, her gaze fixed intently on Qi Yan: "Do you know any deeper reasons behind the volcanic disturbance?"

When Ceylon asked, Qi Yan immediately began to show off:

"That's right. Because obsidian in the volcano has been over-mined, the volcanic mineral worms, which feed mainly on obsidian, feel threatened and have to start expanding their territory."

The numerous abnormal volcanic activities we see today are caused by their habitat-expanding activities. What is an effective means of habitat expansion for volcanic worms is a catastrophe for Siesta.

"So that's how it is. No wonder the volcanic Originium Worms, which are usually quite gentle, have suddenly attacked me."

Ceylon instantly understood everything.

Then she saw Qi Yan raise his hand and point to the other side of the volcano, speaking eloquently:

"To save Siesta, we must go to the obsidian mine over there, go deep inside, find the mother volcanic worm, and soothe the little one."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's set off!"

Ceylon was easily swayed by Qi Yan's few words and forgot the half-truths the three had just said.

The group moved forward again, heading in the direction Qi Yan had pointed.

Along the way, as they got closer to the mine Qi Yan had mentioned, they encountered more and more volcanic stone worms.

However, no one else needs to help with these little insects. He simply holds a stainless steel kitchen knife and easily takes care of them as if he were chopping melons and vegetables.

Seeing Jie's clean and efficient movements, Ceylon felt much more at ease, and her steps became lighter.

Soon, a dark hole came into view.

The scorching wind rushed out of the cave entrance, even distorting the air. The passageway inside the cave was quite wide, not as narrow as one might imagine.

Qi Yan peeked out from the cave entrance, his tongue lolling out from the heat, and quickly turned to Mostima:

"I remember you fought the Rat King before, using fire Originium Arts. Could you help resolve that?"

"Do I look like someone who can use Originium Arts right now?" Mostima said helplessly, her hands empty. "I don't have my staff with me, and I don't have any casting units."

"Or I could find a piece of active Originium now and turn myself into an Infected, then I could use Originium Arts bare-handed."

Qi Yan pondered for a moment, nodded, and then the two of them began to search diligently for active source stones near the mine.

Ceylon and Fiammetta were terrified at the sight.

Fiameta immediately stepped forward to stop Mostima, while Ceylon opened his small parasol.

A pale blue curtain of water enveloped everyone, and Qi Yan and the others were instantly refreshed, feeling as if they were soaking in cool, refreshing water, which swept away the fatigue caused by the scorching heat of the volcano along the way.

"Everyone, I can't hold on for much longer. Let's not waste any more time and hurry in to find the mother worm that Qi Yan mentioned," Ceylon urged earnestly.

She was genuinely afraid that Mostima would put on a self-infecting performance in front of her; just imagining that scene sent chills down her spine.

Urged on by Ceylon, the group finally stepped into the volcano.

As they went deeper, the light grew dimmer, and the group had to take out their devices and use the built-in flashlight function for illumination.

Inside the dimly lit mine, the occasional rustling sound of volcanic mineral worms crawling by made the atmosphere even more oppressive.

"It's getting hotter and hotter."

Ceylon sustained the spell, clearly feeling his physical strength rapidly draining away.

"Hold on, the number of volcanic Originium Worms is increasing, which means we are indeed getting closer to the mother worm." The doctor's face also showed a bit of solemnity.

His gaze caught a faint red light.

In this pitch-black environment, the fiery red light stood out strikingly, but the color itself did not bring any joy.

“It’s magma… Could it be that we’ve already come into contact with the internal structure of the volcano?” Fiameta asked, somewhat puzzled. “From the outside, this volcano looks quite large; we shouldn’t have been able to pass through its structure so easily.”

"It's not real magma; it's obsidian residue naturally excreted from the mother worm's physiological structure."

Qi Yan's explanation caused everyone's expression to change.

As they moved forward, the enormous lava pool, with a diameter of ten meters, came into full view.

Looking at the size of the lava pool, the professor asked with a mixture of surprise and doubt:

"This must be the nest of the mother insect, which must have taken countless years to accumulate before it appeared, right?"

Qi Yan chuckled: "Don't dream about it. This is just the amount left by that uncivilized little guy when he passed by."

"A mother worm that can produce such a huge lump, and you call it a little guy?!"

The doctor's voice rose three octaves, and his scream echoed through the cave for a long time.

As he finished speaking, a low hissing sound came from the depths of the cave, as if in response to the doctor's voice.

Ceylon's expression changed drastically, and he quickly spoke up to remind her:

"That's the cry of a volcanic magma worm. But with such a deep sound, I can't even imagine how big it really is!"

Heat waves erupted from the depths of the cave, transforming into visible, distorted air currents that assaulted the crowd.

Ceylon gritted his teeth and stood in front of everyone, doing his best to support the water curtain.

When the heatwave subsided, everyone looked up and saw a volcano appear in their sight.

It could be described as a moving volcano, its enormous body writhing within the cave, making the originally spacious cave feel somewhat crowded. It was constantly leaving lava on its body, and as it moved, the surrounding rocks began to show slight signs of melting.

"What...you're kidding me." Ceylon's face drained of color. "Run! This is beyond our capabilities! We must go back and find reinforcements immediately!"

"A mere Eyjafjalla worm is nothing to worry about."

Qi Yan stood proudly with his hands behind his back, and said calmly, "To deal with him, I don't even need to lift a finger!"

Who is Eyjafjalla?

"Why is it Eyjafjalla the Grudge Bug?"

Mostima and the doctor both asked the same question, showing no sense of urgency that a formidable enemy was at hand.

Even Fiammetta wasn't too nervous, waving his hand in an attempt to reassure Ceylon:

“Don’t be afraid. Although Mostima and I didn’t bring any weapons and can’t participate in this battle, with Qi Yan here, no matter how many… uh, resentment worms there are, they can’t hurt us.”

Upon hearing this, Ceylon's eyes widened slightly as she looked at Qi Yan, who was standing there with his hands behind his back, feigning composure.

"He's that powerful?"

Qi Yan slowly turned his head to look at her, one corner of his mouth constantly turning upwards, revealing a standard Dragon King smile:

"Since I came out to have fun, I didn't bring any Originium with me."

Fiametta and the others were instantly dumbfounded.

The doctor was trembling and almost left, but Qi Yan, who had sensed his intention, grabbed him.

"Don't drag us into this mess! Amiya, save me!" the Doctor shouted hoarsely.

"What are you barking about?" Qi Yan slapped the doctor on the head. "Even though we're all just accessories now, the big boss is still in the team!"

"Hey, let's get this going! Let's take down Eyjafjalla's Resentment Bugs all by ourselves!"

Everyone was stunned, and then, to their horrified surprise, Jie actually charged forward with a steel kitchen knife.

Chapter 207: Brother Zi’s Defeat

The deep hissing of the mother insect, the muffled thud of exploding lava, and the gurgling sound of melting stone walls overlapped, making the cave extremely chaotic.

Amidst the chaos, a white-haired figure wielding a fine steel kitchen knife moved nimbly through the magma crevices, occasionally slashing at the massive body of the mother insect.

Each of Zi's slashes precisely targeted the weakest point on the mother insect's Originium shell, drawing blood with every strike.

On the other side, Qi Yan and the others fled in panic, looking disheveled under the rain of lava splashed by the mother insect.

Only Ceylon supported the water curtain, continuously releasing Originium Arts to lower the surrounding temperature for Zi, which was somewhat useful.

However, Ceylon's breathing became noticeably rapid, and it was clear that his strength was about to run out.

Qi Yan and the others' eyelids twitched upon seeing this.

With the arrival of the Queen Insect, the temperature inside the cave was no less than that of the barbecue grills in Siesta city. Once the water curtain of Ceylon broke, they would all be turned into medium-rare lamb skewers.

"Hold on, young lady! My beautiful white fur is now in your hands!"

During their escape, Qi Yan did not forget to loudly encourage Ceylon.

The doctor and others also quickly offered their support:

"Our lives depend on you!"

"I...I tried my best!"

Sweating began to bead on Ceylon's forehead, and the water curtain he was maintaining was visibly thinning.

A crisp sound echoed in everyone's ears.

The creature paused, then quickly fled from the mother insect back to the group, a hint of embarrassment appearing on its fierce face.

"Boss, the knife broke."

In his hand, the half-broken kitchen knife was slightly red.

If it weren't for Ceylon's Originium Arts encasing his palms, he would probably have been burned.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

The team's only damage dealer's weapon couldn't withstand the high temperature, leaving a group of unarmed people with no ability to fight back.

You can't exactly punch a mother worm covered in lava, can you?

A huge ball of magma fell from the sky.

Without even having time to be stunned, everyone scattered and fled again.

Jie flung the half-cooked knife in his hand at the mother insect, dealing the final blow, and then turned to look for his boss.

Jie's expression suddenly froze as he looked at Qi Yan, who had already run more than ten meters away.

Seeing that things were not going well, Mostima and the Doctor decisively caught up with Qi Yan's footsteps, and the three of them ran like their lives depended on it.

Only Ceylan remained, still struggling to hold up the water curtain, completely unaware that his teammates had already begun to flee for their lives.

"Hey bro, what are you standing there for? We'll be really familiar with each other soon!"

Qi Yan still had a conscience; during his escape, he didn't forget to turn back and shout a warning.

Fiameta rushed up, picked up Ceylon, and ran away.

Jie felt a scorching heat wave behind him, and the mother insect's rage materialized, roaring as she charged at him.