With the sound of explosions, the aerial building began to shake as well.

The General Administration Chief roared in a furious rage, "Do you think blowing up the Pillar Bridge will drag me down with you? I'm telling you, you have no hope of releasing those things from the underground nest! Kill them!"

This last command was directed at the players by his side. As soon as he finished speaking, two players immediately charged towards Lang Lang and Xin Hui. Xin Hui shoved Lang Lang behind her, but was sent flying by a flying item chain that lashed towards her. As the chain then whipped towards Lang Lang, both Xin Hui and 179, who was nearby, threw themselves in front of her without hesitation. At the same moment, another player threw something like a carpet onto the ground, causing the three people clinging together to freeze rigidly in place!

The others who were also holding hostages had already been killed. It seemed Lang Lang's group could be quickly finished off too. However, before the iron chain could land on the three of them, a person who suddenly appeared out of nowhere grabbed it. The C-grade item instantly turned to dust in his hand. Simultaneously, a cutting plane appeared out of thin air, directly bisecting another player who was attacking from the side!

The corpse hit the ground, blood gushing out. Xu Huo stood in the pool of blood, smiling coldly at the group of players opposite him. "Isn't it a bit dishonorable to bully the weak and outnumber the few?"

The next second, over a dozen guns were aimed at him in unison. Xu Huo's eyes darkened. He waved his hand, placing "The Severing Ties Door" in front of him. Then, using the Crimson Sword, he cut through the floor in front and behind. The building floor, whose supporting metal he had already destroyed with the "Life Core," suddenly collapsed and fell. He, along with Lang Lang's group of three and the opposing players, all fell together.

The aerial building was constructed atop the Pillar Bridge, its main structure having sufficient support. Xu Huo hadn't originally intended to destroy the entire Pillar Bridge, he had just created an opening in the floor. Coincidentally, there was a section suspended below, enough for him to fall through.

Fortunately, it seemed Yuan Cun's item hadn't sealed the floor, so he didn't need to use a Super Item. The moment he fell out, he didn't use an item to slow his descent. Instead, he killed three players at top speed, then caught Lang Lang, and used the kite string to pull up 179.

But in that brief moment, 179, who was flying through the air, suddenly flipped his entire body backwards. After folding in half, he went limp, dangling in the air.

Xu Huo's expression darkened. He placed the "101 Emergency Shelter" over his head, went inside after opening the door, and then pulled the not-too-distant Xin Hui in with him.

The refuge fell rapidly, hitting the ground in just a few seconds. However, as long as enough distance was created, the effects of characteristics and items would be greatly diminished. Therefore, just before landing, Xu Huo put away the refuge and switched to the "Chair That Lands Upright." This item could land safely under any circumstances. He held onto Lang Lang and, to ensure safety, also used the piano wire. As for Xin Hui, he used the "Floating Balloon" to make her weightless and float before landing.

The three landed safely, but immediately afterwards, Xu Huo felt an abnormal force crash against his "Absolute Safety Distance." Looking back, he saw it was Yuan Cun who had followed them down!

"Absolute Safety Distance" had a time limit. After a quick assessment, he placed "The Severing Ties Door" in front as a shield, then swung his sword through the air, slashing forward!

This Yuan Cun's evolution rate far exceeded Xu Huo's, and his speed was abnormally fast. He effortlessly dodged the sword energy and was right in front of Xu Huo in the blink of an eye!

With nowhere to retreat, Xu Huo threw down the "Desert Windmill." Taking advantage of the sudden sandstorm, he hurled the "Irresistible Straight Shot," then dismantled a nearby building, hoping to buy some time.

However, to his surprise, as the building tilted, a large area of the ground also caved in. As the building pressed down, the nearby ground began to collapse. After the surface layer gave way, deep, long trenches actually appeared below—apart from the surface layer of metal structure, the underground of this entire nearby area had already been completely hollowed out!

What happened next was beyond Xu Huo's control. As the building collapsed, the ground began to lose its balance. After tilting, the nearby buildings, including the Pillar Bridge, showed a tendency to fall towards the center. Overlapping, they successfully blocked the pursuing Yuan Cun!

Unfortunately, the time bought was too limited. Just as Xu Huo turned to leave, Yuan Cun flashed several times and blocked his path. As Yuan Cun raised his hand, Xin Hui suddenly rushed out from the side, crashing into Xu Huo, and they both jumped into the ground fissure!

Hidden by the sandstorm earlier, they hadn't been able to see clearly. It turned out this ground fissure was actually filled with all kinds of fungi. Moreover, unlike the large patches of white mycelium under the foggy forest in the cleanup area, the fungi down here came in a variety of colors, constantly spewing vibrant powder. Swept up by the sandstorm, it quickly spread to the surroundings!

Xu Huo and Xin Hui tumbled into the ground fissure and were then covered by the mycelium that followed. Yuan Cun chased to the edge of the fissure. Seeing a red light flashing on his watch, his expression changed slightly, and he immediately retreated from the fissure edge!

At that moment, his communicator began to flash. Upon answering, the General Administration Chief asked, "Are they dead?"

Yuan Cun's voice was unfriendly. "You didn't mention beforehand that Clown City's underground is filled with A-grade fungi. Just one breath, even a tiny bit of contact with these things can cause infection, and it's fundamentally incurable. We agreed before I came, I'm only helping you capture people, I didn't agree to take such a huge risk."

The General Administration Chief probably also knew about the ground collapse now and immediately said, "Clown City has a response strategy. People will be there soon. The places that just exploded must have Xin Lang's people. You must capture all of them, can't let them continue destroying the ground!"

Yuan Cun looked towards another area where powder was surging. "I think it's too late."

"Then why aren't you taking action?!" the General Administration Chief urged anxiously. "Is this all the skill a senior player from the Holy Sword Society has? The price can be negotiated..."

Before he could finish, Yuan Cun hung up. He stared at the ground fissure for two seconds before turning and leaving.

Meanwhile, Xu Huo and Xin Hui were hanging from a rocky ledge about twenty meters below the surface. In the emergency, Xu Huo only had time to put on the "Oxygen Supply," and inevitably got some powder on the back of his hand.

"Don't worry, Lang Lang can save you," Xin Hui said. "I've lived underground since I was a child. I've been infected with fungi countless times and still survived to this day."

Xu Huo was silent. "No side effects from transforming?"

Xin Hui's face fell. Gnashing her teeth, she said, "My mom looks like this! It's a genetic issue, not a fungal infection!"

"I'll reluctantly believe you," Xu Huo said, jumping onto a nearby rock. Hearing the commotion above ground, he asked, "Was your plan to blow open the ground and bring the underground nest into Clown City? If everyone in Clown City is dead, doing this wouldn't have any meaning, right."

"These fungi have created a perfect underground world," Lang Lang appeared in a nearby tunnel. "A single type of fungus might be lethal, but when they grow together, they can balance each other. They can make people suffer immensely, yet not die quickly."