My Abyss Survival Diary

Chapter 68 On the Eve of Evacuation

The sky was just beginning to lighten, the fog had not yet dissipated, and grayish-white moisture swirled along the ground.

Professor Loris leaned against the tree trunk, with a tattered cloth on his knees and several bottles and jars on it.

He poured a vial of dark green liquid from a narrow-necked bottle, held it up to his eyes and shook it; it was turbid, with tiny particles suspended inside.

He flicked the tube wall with his thumb, and a few bubbles rose up before sinking back down. The old man mumbled something, then stretched out two fingers, pinched some fine powder, and added it to the tube. The color of the liquid gradually changed from dark green to a turbid grayish-white.

A look of relief appeared on his weathered old face. He hurriedly stood up, his knees clicking a few times, and bent down to approach Flannery.

Flani, covered in dark green scales, leaned against the trunk of a large tree, gnawing on a small piece of rotten flesh with relish.

She never allowed anyone to approach her while she was eating, except for Professor Lorris and Simon…

The former is her best caretaker, while the latter will actually hit her when she bares her teeth and guards her food.

"Drink this."

Frani stared intently at the tube of dark green liquid with her golden eyes, then glanced at Professor Loris before reaching out to take it and tilting her head back to pour the liquid into her mouth.

She swallowed the medicine, her Adam's apple bobbing a few times.

Under the expectant gaze of Professor Loris and everyone else, she let out a painful scream, scratching her head with her claws, and her body gradually began to change...

The dark green scales curled up from the edges and then peeled off inch by inch, revealing the normal skin underneath. The shoulders returned to their normal size, the fingers became thinner, the joints also became thinner, and the nails on the fingers faded from black to gray, and finally became normal, flesh-colored nails.

Unfortunately, her body was still enlarged after being injected with purple and yellow drugs, and her little girl soul was forever trapped in this adult body.

Flani looked down at her hands, turning them over and over, clenching her fist, relaxing, and then clenching it again.

She looked up and asked in a hoarse voice, "Where's the boss?"

"He distracted the nuns and Andrei, buying us time." Simon paused, then decided to tell her the truth directly, "He is seriously injured and in much worse condition than before; he may not survive."

Flanye's eyes were red-rimmed. She lowered her head, her body trembling, but she bit her lip and refused to cry.

"Is there anything else the boss wants to say?" she asked again.

"Just one sentence: Survive."

This was something he made up on the spot, because Elphis's last words before she left were for Simon to take good care of her.

But if Elphes were still alive, he would probably say the same thing.

Flanye nodded, her eyelashes were wet, but she didn't cry.

She wiped her eyes haphazardly with the back of her hand, sniffed, and then turned to face Klein.

"Is there anything to eat?"

Klein pulled a can from his backpack and handed it over.

Flanye caught it, pried open the metal sheet with her fingernails, scooped out the chunk of meat with her fingers, stuffed it into her mouth, chewed quickly, her cheeks bulging, and ate in a rather messy manner.

Pique squatted at the edge of the camp, with an empty pigeon coop beside him.

He looked up at the gray sky, a gray bone whistle in his mouth, and blew out a melodious tune.

A strange cry came from the sky, both shrill and hoarse.

A gray shadow slipped down through the gaps in the tree canopy, its wings flapping slowly, each flap revealing bloody holes and patches on its wings. The strange bird landed on Pick's shoulder, its claws gripping his coat, its beak slowly opening to vomit a crumpled wad of waterproof fabric.

Unfold the waterproof cloth; there is some blurry text on the fabric.

"Tomorrow at noon, in the southwest area of ​​the Great Hollow. You'll only be there for ten minutes. If you're late, you won't be waited for." Pik handed the fabric to Simon, then carefully and quickly withdrew his hand.

"Tomorrow at noon, during the day?" Klein leaned closer, frowning as he read the words on the fabric. "The people of the Empire can see the hot air balloon at a glance. Isn't that too risky?"

"They won't change the time for us." Simon stood up and dusted off his trousers.

He looked at Klein, then at Pick, then at Professor Loris.

"I'll go scout the vicinity of the Great Hollow." Simon picked up the harpoon from the tree trunk and slung it over his shoulder.

He looked around. Now that Flani had returned to normal, they were now able to protect themselves.

This time, the reconnaissance team carried no backpack or harpoon, making them much lighter. They only carried a mounted rifle and the birdcage containing Brenée.

The straight-line distance from the camp to the southwest area of ​​the Great Hollow is about four kilometers, but he took a longer route, first going east through a patch of low-lying ferns, then turning south and following a stream. After about an hour, he finally saw the Great Hollow leading to the second level.

The edge of the large cavity appeared in the fog, much larger than expected.

With a diameter of at least three hundred meters, the soil at its edges curls up and extends downwards, like a huge scar torn open in the earth.

The good news is that the fog has been very thick during the day these past few days, with the grayish-white fog filling the upper part of the hole, making it almost impossible for him to see the opposite bank.

Their only advantage now is that the Empire doesn't know when they will leave. They are probably still holding out, but they can't move the entire stronghold here. Holding out here would also be subject to harassment from fungal zombies and hunting beasts. They are probably patrolling around the Great Hollow in shifts.

Simon pondered cautiously. This was a game of hide-and-seek. If they could hide until noon the next day, everyone could evacuate safely.

He circled the area for another ten minutes, confirming that there were no clear footprints, no discarded bullet casings, and no signs that anyone had been there recently.

Everything was laid out for tomorrow noon, their only chance to escape the first floor.

Breanne, inside the birdcage, stared at the large void and quietly spoke:

"Have you ever thought about jumping from here?"

"You're talking about the phenomenon of heights, right?" Simon casually offered his professional knowledge, "When people are extremely afraid, they will form a psychological defense mechanism in response."

The more you fear "falling" and "losing control," the more your brain will simulate jumping from a height to combat this fear of losing control.

The brain is amazing, isn't it?

"No, I mean it, I jumped down from the great hole and went straight to the second level."

Simon stared at Brienne in the birdcage, wondering what was wrong with her.

"You still have half my life force, don't you want to try jumping directly from the first level to the second?" she asked jokingly.

"I see," Simon nodded.

The last time he was on the verge of death by the steam emitted by the hungry angel, it was Brienne who gave him half of her life force, allowing him to live.

"I'll try if it's an emergency."

"I was just joking..." Brienne said, sounding a little flustered. "Don't take it seriously!"

If she were to jump from here, her own life would likely be consumed.

It seems this man is even crazier than she imagined...