Boonie Bears: Another World Fantasy

"By the way, I still don't know your name—"

Beth's voice sounded a little unnatural, but a casual glance down revealed a height of over ten meters and a dark red well shaft that made her gasp instantly.

The carriage, which was barely visible just moments ago, now looked tiny and was submerged in darkness.

“Salta…”

Salta swallowed nervously, large beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.

We need to get her up there before she's completely exhausted.

"Crack!"

Suddenly, a crisp sound broke the silence, and Salta felt her foot slip. Looking down, she saw that her leg was resting on a rusty ladder step. This step was far too weak to support the weight of two people. Instantly, the step cracked, falling straight down with a heavy force, grazing Beth's left arm, and then disappearing into the dark bottom of the well.

"Ahhh!" Beth screamed, too frightened to move.

"Phew...that was close, are you alright, Beth?" Salta broke out in a cold sweat. Luckily, the handrail next to her was sturdy enough; if she had fallen from there...

He glanced at Naya behind him, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming she was safe. Salta quickly adjusted his posture and tightened the ropes binding him.

The temperature inside the well continued to rise, and the handrails of the ladder felt as if they had been scalded with boiling water. The faint tremors around them became incredibly noticeable at this moment, and the ladder began to shake inappropriately, causing the well walls to tremble incessantly.

Meanwhile, Salta's condition was getting worse, and his physical strength was already completely exhausted.

"Huff... huff..." His movements became slower and slower. Even Beth, who was right behind him, noticed something was wrong.

“Salta? Are you alright?” Beth asked worriedly.

“This isn’t good… Beth, if I lose my grip, could you help her up…” The words were barely out of his mouth when Salta immediately realized how absurd the idea was. Beth also didn’t have a safety rope, and if he were to fall, not only would he be unable to hand Naya over to her immediately, but he might also drag both of them into the abyss.

"Damn it..." He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth tightly.

"Hold on, don't let go—" Beth stretched out a hand and braced it against the base of his hind legs, trying to give him some upward support.

There was another level above, less than ten meters away, but Salta's trembling arms continued to strain as he climbed.

"I promise you, I will definitely get you out of here..." Salta murmured to himself.

In an instant, a violent tremor erupted from below, sweeping through the already fragile shaft. Several joints between the ladder and the shaft arm were broken, and several bolts fell from above.

"Salta! The elevator shaft... the elevator shaft has been cracked!" Beth's heart sank to the bottom as she watched the huge crack spread out from beside her.

"Get up! Beth!!" he shouted in a panic.

They were just a few steps away from the half-open hall door on the first floor, and Salta could even see the emergency lights flashing inside.

A cool sensation washed over him, dripping onto his face like a gentle stream. Startled, he reached up and touched his face, only to find his hands covered in a wet liquid.

"Ptooey, ptooey, what is this?" he asked in surprise as he spat out what was in his mouth.

Beth froze. She stared down at the water droplets dancing in her hand, puzzled. The once scalding hot handrail of the staircase suddenly turned icy cold, making her shiver involuntarily.

"Water?" Beth murmured to herself, her gaze shifting again to the crack beside her. To her surprise, she discovered that the water was indeed flowing from the crack.

At this moment, the water in the crack grew stronger and stronger, like a small waterfall cascading down from a height. The water flowed rapidly, soaking the surrounding well walls and forming a waterlogged area.

"It seems the partition between the cooling pool and the water storage system was breached."

Besides this, Beth couldn't think of any other reason that could have caused this situation.

The door to the first-floor lobby, which the two had managed to pry open, slammed shut like a deadly guillotine after Beth squeezed through. Salta kicked it hard in frustration, but it was no use.

"We have to go!" Beth reminded her. She waded through the ankle-deep water and began searching for the emergency exit, following the path she remembered.

Because the protective shell of the storage tank was accidentally cracked, a large amount of water and coolant gushed out, turning the entire first floor into a shallow pool, and the water level was still rising...

At the crater, several kilometers away, a curtain of volcanic ash completely blocked out the setting sun. A vast expanse of crimson red enveloped the entire Bear Ridge, and the mournful evacuation sirens became the last sound.

The crater's edge was sharply defined in the last rays of the sun, but this tranquil scene was soon shattered by a deafening roar. White Bear Mountain began to erupt violently, spewing lava like a molten river of hell, cascading down the slopes. Hot volcanic ash and rock fragments fell like snowflakes.

Huge volcanic rocks were hurled into the air, crashing down at the foot of the mountain like falling meteors, unleashing destructive power comparable to air-to-ground missiles.

A streak of black smoke shot straight toward the outpost where Salta and the others were located, instantly leveling the entire building from the basement level upwards.

The sudden impact from the surface completely destroyed the entire basement level, rendering the once incredibly sturdy structure extremely fragile. Millions of gallons of water leaked out of the reservoir and cooling tower without restraint. Like a burst dam, the floodwaters rapidly filled all the underground floors, turning the only exit into a raging torrent that mercilessly devoured all living things within.

"Beth, watch out!!"

Salta's voice was drowned out by the roar of the water, and he was thrown away by the powerful impact. The rope that bound him tightly to Naya's waist snapped under the strain.

The two were thrown uncontrollably into the surging water, the icy water instantly engulfing them. Salta held his breath and plunged into the water, searching for Naya's figure in the waist-deep water.

Various heavy objects were mixed in the water. Salta used all his strength to push them away and swam towards Naya, who was floating not far away. He hugged her tightly and lifted her out of the water.

On the other side, pieces of the shattered ceiling fell down one by one, and Beth struggled to stand up in the water.

“Salta…we’re afraid…” Her soaked blonde hair clung to Beth’s cheeks, but it couldn’t hide the despair on her face.

“I’m afraid we won’t be able to get out—” she said, leaning against the broken glass wall.

At this moment, although the sound of leaking water churning everywhere could be heard, Salta remained unusually calm.

“It’s alright, Beth…it’s alright…” His lips were pale, and his voice trembled uncontrollably.

The turbulent water continued to surge and pour back between them, as if it wouldn't stop until it had completely filled all the dozens of underground levels.

……

Zhenxing Island.

"Dr. Su Luo?"

After a busy afternoon, Xiao Luo carried a large stack of printed data and came to Su Luo's study door, gently knocking on the door.

He knew that whenever she encountered troubles, she would always come here to seek a moment of peace and relaxation.

Su Luo, who had been standing by the window for a long time, looked somewhat dazed. After hearing the knock on the door, she slowly turned around and gestured for Xiao Luo to come in. At this moment, the curtains in the room were fully opened, and Su Luo looked up at the outside of the window.

Most of the sky was filled with drifting volcanic ash.

The wall-mounted TV was playing a video, shot from the air, showing the eruption of Mount White Bear. With continuous roars, the volcano was completely out of control.

Xiao Luo's attention was quickly drawn to the scene, but he still managed to shift his gaze back to Su Luo, asking with concern, "Doctor, are you alright?"

Su Luo tried to conceal her inner pessimism and sensitivity, then quickly adjusted her demeanor to make her tone sound stronger:

"Xiao Luo, how is the pre-start of Skyfire progressing?"

She hoped to steer the conversation towards work as quickly as possible, avoiding getting bogged down in personal emotions. After all, given the tense situation, their team had no time to focus on anything else.

"It failed. The power required to keep the Heavenly Fire running is too great; ordinary energy sources simply cannot sustain it..."

The answer was as expected. Su Luo returned to the familiar mahogany table, put on his glasses, and carefully examined each line of error data.

Previously, his attempt to start the cockpit of the Skyfire caused a large-scale power outage on Zhenxing Island, and he had to give up before he even figured out how to start it.

"If we can't find an alternative energy source, the Heavenly Fire will always be just a decoration, and it won't be of any use even if it's repaired..." She rubbed her temples, staring blankly at the white ceiling, seemingly seriously considering what to do next.

If only a Leyte could appear at this moment and follow him, adapting to local customs. The mysteries surrounding Skyfire would then be easily solved…

"Oh, right, Xiao Luo, do you remember the companions we met when we went to Bear Ridge?" she asked belatedly. Recalling the series of bizarre and strange events that happened there, Su Luo hoped that she had also encountered such people in her life—people who were unassuming yet actually had extraordinary backgrounds.

"You mean that Salta?" Ronaldinho raised an eyebrow and asked.

"No, I was talking about someone else. I remember his name was—Sharp… something like that." Although they had only met a few times and spoken very little, Su Luo always observed his every move, intentionally or unintentionally.

Especially on that rainy day after the death of his lover, the boy's stubborn gaze and reddened eyes were heartbreaking.

"There is such a person... Oh, is it that boy with long hair?" Xiao Luo slapped his forehead, and Sharp's somewhat blurry appearance reappeared in his mind.

"Keep an eye on him for me, and that reporter next to him," Su Luo said casually. He then took off his glasses and wiped them with a velvet cloth, seemingly with ulterior motives.

"This—it couldn't be that Mr. Wei made you do this, could it?" Xiao Luo asked in a low voice to confirm.

"Hmph, who is Genius Wei to me? Why should I fawn over him like this?" Su Luo was somewhat dissatisfied with this statement, and his expression changed.

"Once they fall into the trap set by the V Group, it's very difficult for them to escape unscathed. I'm just curious... who else is pulling the strings behind the scenes—"

After speaking, Su Luo turned his gaze to the exquisite artificial bow and arrow in the glass cabinet in the study and stared at it for a long time.

"A storm is brewing, and some people are probably already impatient..."