Kael stepped forward, supporting the bottom of the backpack with one hand to help Pike steady himself.

He was usually very strict with this little follower, but at this moment he showed a rare hint of concern:

"Walk slower, watch your step."

After he finished speaking, he himself picked up a bag of beast meat weighing as much as two hundred kilograms and carried it steadily on his shoulder.

Once everything was sorted, the group proceeded along the dark tunnel, heading deeper into the subway station.

The air here was extremely hazy, filled with a heavy scent of rust and the musty smell of never seeing daylight.

The tracks beneath their feet were already terribly corroded, and most of the sleepers had decayed and turned black, making them somewhat soft and slippery to step on.

The flashlight’s beam swept through, causing a few fat rats to scurry away in panic among the gaps covered in luminescent moss.

Muddy water dripped along the cracked dome, splashing "plop plop" on their heads.

The group crossed the remains of a concrete pillar in the middle of the path and then turned deeper into a cave on the left.

Due to the heavy beast meat they carried, both Kael and Pike’s footsteps appeared somewhat heavy.

Their rough breathing occasionally echoed in the dim tunnel.

Fang Cheng walked in the middle of the group, avoiding the puddles underfoot, and appeared to casually remark:

"I spent too long alone in the mountains. Now, what’s the situation in this world? Are all living people hiding underground?"

Roken spat out a bloody drool and used his uninjured hand to hold a rifle, grunting to respond:

"Indeed, sir, above ground, besides radiation that can burn human skin, there are man-eating monsters."

"Were it not for scrambling for a bite to eat, who would be willing to climb out from safety only to die."

"What happened before that caused this, I don’t quite understand history."

Fang Cheng followed up with a question.

Pike, carrying a big bag of meat, grunted while walking, turned his head after hearing this, and said with a naive face:

"It’s alright, Uncle, I don’t understand history either. In our camp, barely anyone can read, only Sister Ira attended school properly!"

Ira’s pale face managed a faint smile, slowed her pace to walk alongside Fang Cheng, and softly explained:

"Sir, we too heard from the elders in the Inner City since childhood. It’s said that more than a thousand years ago, in the Old Era, society was extremely prosperous and had unimaginable technological creations, allowing everyone to live happily."

"But then something happened, an intense bright light lit up the sky, followed by fire descended..."

"What followed was hundreds of years of prolonged war that ultimately led to the destruction of the world, most perished in that war."

"Yes, yes, the surface was blown apart, there’s radiation and poison gas everywhere."

Roken caught his breath on the side and continued:

"Plants died out, animals turned into monsters, coupled with ghostly weather like perpetual night storms... humans simply can’t survive up there."

Kael, leading the way, shone his flashlight on a hole in the front, reminding everyone to avoid it, and casually added:

"I also heard from the elders that our underground city used to be some kind of ’subway network’ from the Old Era."

"Later, the people hiding here just continued digging downward generation by generation along these tunnels, establishing camps underground and forming a vast underground network."

"Now, the camps here are all connected, and we occasionally go to the surface to hunt through subway station exits."

As Fang Cheng listened to their descriptions, he recalled the words of the Masked Guest.

No wonder when he first entered the world and wandered the wilderness for a long time, he didn’t see any living souls; turns out they’re all underground like moles.

"Uncle, what about you?"

Pike curiously widened his eyes, looking at Fang Cheng:

"You’re so impressive, you don’t even fear Black Monsters, surely you come from a camp much larger than ours, right? Is it bigger than Iron City?"

Fang Cheng looked ahead into the darkness, his expression calm:

"I come from a far distant place, there’s a huge city there, right by the sea."

"The sea?"

Pike blinked, his face under the gas mask full of confusion:

"What is the sea? Is it a camp that’s much, much bigger than Iron City? Can the rats in it be eaten?"

Fang Cheng chuckled, just about to speak, but a crisp voice promptly explained.

"The sea is an endless expanse of water on the surface."

Ira adjusted the straps of her backpack that were making her shoulders sore, interjecting lightly:

"I saw an album in the orphanage when I was young, it said that more than a thousand years ago, the Old Era was prosperous, without radiation, without monsters, the sky was blue, the sea was blue too..."

At this point, she paused, her eyes showing a trace of confusion about unknown things:

"But ever since the fire fell from the sky and burned the surface, in this world... is there really still a ’sea’?"

Fang Cheng smiled dismissively, not explaining the existence of another world, casually saying:

"I heard it from my elders too."

No one pursued the matter further.

In the Wasteland, no one probed deeply into the background of a strong man.

The group continued to traverse the dark tunnel.

The further they went deeper, the more cold and damp the surrounding air became.

Just as Fang Cheng stepped over a pile of collapsed fragments, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

A vague tugging sensation came from deep within his consciousness, as if a faint voice was invisibly calling to him.

He paused instantly, casting his gaze into a certain direction within the darkness.

In the depths of his mind, a phantom shadow of a red vortex faintly emerged, flickering ominously.

"What is that?"

Fang Cheng’s eyes narrowed slightly, instantly realizing the issue.

Having opened the passage to this world, several hours had already elapsed.

Evidently, the space passage within the cave required a tremendous amount of energy to remain active; from the movement now, it should be nearing its limit.

Once the energy depletes and the passage closes.

Not knowing how to reopen it, he might be trapped in this Wasteland World forever.

Fang Cheng swiftly contemplated.

Information on the Otherworld had been partially gathered, along with acquiring treasures like the Blood Core. Further exploration of Iron City might not be worth the risk.

If he forcefully stayed, he faced the danger of being trapped in the Otherworld.

Besides, the time for the physical test was also nearing its end.

It’s time to evacuate.

Fang Cheng weighed the pros and cons, making a decisive choice

As for returning later, finding a way when the time comes.

"Hold on a moment."

He suddenly called out.

The four people walking in front swiftly halted.

Seeing Fang Cheng standing in place, frowning, they assumed some change had occurred and promptly became tense.

Kael dropped the meat to the ground, quickly pressing his right hand on the knife handle, asking as if facing a great enemy:

"Sir, is there a situation?"

"I suddenly remembered something urgent, today we won’t be heading to Iron City."

Fang Cheng maintained his usual composure and altered his course:

"You should just lead me to the northern exit near the mountains."

Kael was stunned hearing this.

Though surprised by the abrupt change in plans from this strong man, he dared not ask an extra question, immediately nodding:

"Understood, at the fork ahead, heading north, there is an abandoned ventilation shaft. It leads directly to the northernmost ruins of the city, beyond which lie mountains.

After explaining in detail, Kael

"Follow me."

The group consequently altered their course temporarily.

About twenty minutes later.

The group followed an upward-sloping maintenance path and reached a heavy, rusted iron door.

A crack in the door allowed icy wind from the surface’s perpetual night to seep in.

Having bid farewell to the four, Fang Cheng stepped forward, intending to push open the door and leave.

"Sir, wait a moment."

Ira suddenly spoke up.

She stepped forward two paces, clasped the lock of her gas mask with both hands, and twisted forcefully.

Accompanied by the slight "hiss" of the valve leaking, she removed the mask.

Revealing a pale yet very delicate face.

Due to prolonged suffocation, it now had a slightly pathological flush, with strands of hair matted to her forehead by sweat.

She pulled out a necklace with a luminous blue gem from around her neck, extending it to Fang Cheng with both hands:

"For saving my life, I have no way to repay you. Please accept this."