The group plummeted through empty air, crashing onto the floor below.
**Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!**
They slammed into various machines, their HP instantly dropping from 20 to 15.
Ignoring the sharp pain in his chest, Su Han executed an acrobatic flip to his feet, the Red-Cutting Peach Wood Sword flashing into his hand as he scanned the room. It was empty except for unfamiliar control consoles. Above the consoles, four panes of grimy glass looked out onto what resembled an arena, its metal floor stained a horrific crimson.
*This isn't a substation!* The thought sent a jolt of alarm through him. He glanced at Jiang Yunpeng; the priest's face was pale and stunned, clearly just as bewildered.
*This quest just got a lot harder...* Ignoring the others gathering at the window, Su Han rushed to the heavy metal door and peered out.
The corridor outside was four blocks wide, its floor slick with blood. Bloated corpses leaned against the walls – victims who hadn't turned into zombies. Grip tightening on his sword, Su Han cautiously stepped into the corridor, checking both directions. One end terminated in another metal door; the other led to an upward staircase.
*What were they researching down here?* He frowned, unease coiling in his gut.
Jiang Yunpeng emerged, pointing towards the staircase. "Up there. That should be it."
Su Han nodded, turning to follow. But in that split-second turn, a blur of movement flashed past the distant metal door.
*What was that?!* He whipped his head back, but the corridor was empty. "Just my eyes?" he muttered, scanning again before hurrying after the others.
They ascended the stairs, emerging onto an identical corridor: four blocks wide, lined with metal doors. Jiang Yunpeng headed straight for the last door. Inside was an office. Behind a wooden desk in the corner, a blocky figure in a white lab coat cowered. Seeing them, he scrambled up, lurching towards Jiang Yunpeng and grabbing his arms desperately.
"You came! Someone actually defeated the Blade Dancer to save me! The Creator didn't lie!" he sobbed.
"We'll get you out," Jiang Yunpeng reassured him firmly.
Su Han's brow furrowed. "Blade Dancer?" he murmured.
The researcher's head snapped towards him, terror flooding his features. "What? You didn't kill it?!"
Before Jiang Yunpeng could respond, the man screamed, clawing at his hair, "You shouldn't have come! Get out! It's—"
**BOOM!**
A massive impact shook the floor beneath them. Su Han's heart lurched. He snatched wood planks from his inventory, ready to place a block underfoot.
But disaster struck faster.
**CRACK!**
An ear-splitting crash reverberated. The floor beneath them instantly fissured. Xiao Ling, her beautiful face etched with terror, dashed to Su Han and clung to his arm. She looked up, trembling, about to speak—
**KRA-KOOM!**
The entire floor shattered like glass. The group plummeted again. Su Han desperately swung his arms, trying to place blocks mid-fall, but the next floor would shatter an instant before he could act. Layer after layer collapsed beneath them as they fell deeper. Su Han's face grew grim. The height was now lethal. No water bucket in his inventory meant certain death on impact.
"Damn it!" he swore internally, scanning the others. Xiao Ling clung to him, eyes squeezed shut. Jiang Yunpeng held onto the researcher and the motionless Jiang Xue'er. Neither looked like they had a solution.
*Falling like this is suicide. Find a way! NOW!* He ripped open his inventory. Steel Shield, Steel Fishing Rod, seeds, apples, bed, torches, coal, Iron Pickaxe, cobblestone...
*The Fishing Rod!* A desperate idea sparked. *Maybe I can hook the edge!*
He yanked out the Steel Fishing Rod. Jiang Yunpeng stared, shocked. "A Steel Rod?! You can smelt already?!"
"Not the time!" Su Han yelled back, baffled by the misplaced focus. He cast the line towards the priest. *Who cares about smelting now?!*
*Swish!* The hook sailed *over* Jiang Yunpeng's head, embedding itself deep into a ceiling beam high on the wall. The line snapped taut. Su Han and Xiao Ling jerked to a halt, dangling.
Jiang Yunpeng's eyes widened in horror as he stared up at them, still falling. "SU HAN!! SU HAN!!! YOU SAID YOU'D HOOK US! HELP US! HEY—!" His voice faded rapidly as they vanished into the darkness below.
Su Han winced, watching them disappear. *How was I supposed to get a perfect cast mid-fall?!* Regret was useless now. *Get up first...*
**SPLASH!**
The sound of water hitting the ground echoed from the depths.
**"ROOOAAARRR!"**
A guttural, inhuman bellow ripped through the darkness. Beneath the roar, Su Han could faintly make out Jiang Yunpeng's voice and the researcher's despairing cries.
*They're alive!*
*Need to get down there! Fast!*
He placed a cobblestone block beneath his feet and began rapidly building a staircase down the sheer wall with more cobblestone. As he descended, the light faded, but the sounds grew clearer: the clash of combat, inhuman snarls, desperate shouts.
Su Han paused halfway down. *Charging in blind against whatever tore through floors is suicide. Power up first.* He summoned his status screen. 15 Stat Points. *All-in on Attack!* His blocky fingers flew, dumping all 15 points into ATK.
**[ATK: 7 -> 10]**
**"AAAAAAGH!!!"**
Jiang Yunpeng's agonized scream ripped through the chamber.
*Not enough!* Su Han realized with cold dread. *Whatever's down there overpowered a Shield-wielding Guardian and shattered a dozen floors in seconds. I need one-hit crippling force!* He stashed the Peach Wood Sword and drew the Arcane Dirk.
**[ATK: 11]**
*Still not enough! Half a year's lifespan... for double power!*
**"Moonlit Night!"**
Dark energy erupted from the shortsword, expanding into a perfect hundred-meter sphere. A luminous, full moon coalesced at its zenith, bathing the entire cavern in stark, ethereal light. Su Han checked his stats:
**[Name: Su Han]**
**[Age: 20 (Remaining Lifespan: 79 years)]**
**[HP: 40]**
**[ATK: 22]**
**[DEF: 6]**
**[STR: 6]**
**[STA: 6]**
**[MOV SPD: 4]**
**[ATK SPD: 2]**
**[REGEN SPD: 2]**
**[CAST SPD: 2]**
"With the Dragon's Breath Ring... this should be *just* enough?" he muttered, peering down into the moonlit abyss to assess the situation below.