That white shadow precisely intercepted the deep purple crystal core in mid-air—it was none other than the little spirit mouse, Red Bean, who had been sleeping for a long time!
Its tiny body hovered, emitting an unprecedented soft white light all around it.
The little fellow didn't hesitate at all. It just quickly glanced at Su Wan and Lu Shiyan, then looked at the hideous monster mother. Its tiny body shot forward, and with one gulp, it swallowed that deep purple crystal core, which was emanating an evil aura, into its belly!
"Red Bean, no!" Su Wan's heart almost twisted. How violent was the energy of that crystal core? How could Red Bean, such a tiny body, possibly withstand it!
However, the expected tragic scene of explosion did not occur.
Red Bean, having swallowed the crystal core, suddenly burst forth with dazzling white light!
"Squeak!"
The monster mother, bathed in the white light, immediately let out an extremely shrill shriek! The dark green viscous fluid on its body sizzled, black smoke billowed, and countless tentacles twitched and withered frantically.
That overbearing mental impact quickly dissolved under the purification of the white light.
Su Wan and Lu Shiyan immediately felt their minds lighten, and the excruciating pain of soul tearing vanished without a trace.
Opportunity!
Lu Shiyan's thoughts raced, and the lightning-type and Wood-Type Ability within his body were already being furiously activated!
He thrust his hands forward, lightning and flames intertwined, forming a destructive torrent that fiercely slammed into the monster's vital point, which was struggling in pain within the white light and whose carapace had become fragile due to the loss of the crystal core's energy support!
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion echoed through the sky, and the entire Black Wind Stronghold shook violently.
The destructive energy instantly engulfed the monster mother. A scorching smell permeated the air frantically. The monster mother rapidly carbonized in the lightning and fire, and along with its withered tentacles, it all turned to ash, completely annihilated.
The white light gradually receded, and Red Bean's small figure floated down from the air, steadily caught by Su Wan.
Red Bean appeared a bit listless but was otherwise unharmed, opening its mouth to spit out a crystal clear gemstone.
The gemstone was no longer the previous deep purple but presented a pure and flawless transparency, emitting gentle yet incredibly pure mental fluctuations.
A top-tier mental-type crystal core, purified!
However, before everyone could catch their breath.
"Crack! Crackle!"
Behind them, not just the warehouse, but even more ear-piercing cracking sounds came from all directions. The ground beneath their feet shook violently, and an invisible immense force was tearing apart the entire Black Wind Stronghold from underground!
"Rumble, boom!"
Loud noises came one after another, and the ground shook so much that people could barely stand steady.
Countless steel bars were twisted off, and concrete blocks and rubble rained down.
Those Black Wind Stronghold thugs, who had previously been swaggering, had already been scared witless by Lu Shiyan's thunderous methods after the Black Wolf was no longer there to support them.
Now, facing this doomsday scene of collapsing heavens and crumbling earth, they cried out for their parents, utterly terrified.
"Ah, help!"
"It's collapsing! Everything's collapsing!"
"Run! Run outside!"
Screams, cries, and desperate roars, mixed with the roar of collapsing buildings, completely engulfed this sinful place.
Some quick-witted thugs who were close to the exit scrambled, not caring about anything else, only knowing to rush out like madmen.
More people were trapped deep within the constantly collapsing buildings. Their cries ceased abruptly, instantly swallowed by the falling precast slabs and steel beams above their heads, leaving no sound.
Deeper underground, those poor people who had been imprisoned by the Black Wind Stronghold and hadn't yet been treated as "snacks" by the monster now also felt this destructive tremor.
In the darkness, the instinct to survive made them unleash their last bit of strength.
"Clang!"
Someone smashed open a rusty prison door.
"This way! It seems like there's light this way!"
"Quick! Follow me!"
In their despair, people, driven by their desire to live, frantically searched for an escape route in the crumbling passages and amidst the falling debris.
They didn't know what was happening outside, they only knew that if they didn't run now, they would truly be buried with this living hell!
Lu Shiyan and his group did not pay much attention to this, nor did they have the leisure to act as saviors.
"The foundation is collapsing! The entire factory is going to be finished!" Li Kui leaned against the shaking wall. The wound on his shoulder was bleeding again due to the violent shaking, and his face was pale.
Lu Shiyan's heart tightened, and he made a decisive decision: "Go! Leave here immediately!"
He pulled Su Wan over, and with his other hand, he quickly picked up the backpack containing the "Apocalypse Survival Handbook" that had fallen from his grip due to the previous tremor, as well as the pure, transparent mental-type crystal core that Red Bean had spit out.
"Jin Dongdong, keep up!" Lu Shiyan's command was beyond question.
Su Wan tightly held the still listless Red Bean in her arms, her other hand firmly grasped by Lu Shiyan, as she followed him towards the direction they had entered from earlier.
Jin Dongdong was supported by Li Kui, stumbling behind them. The aftershocks of the explosion and the previous mental impact made his head ache terribly, but the instinct to survive made him grit his teeth, not daring to fall behind.
"Boom!"
Not far behind them, a large section of the warehouse roof suddenly collapsed, stirring up a sky full of dust, completely burying the monster mother and also blocking their possibility of returning the way they came.
"This way!" Lu Shiyan unhesitatingly turned to another relatively intact passage, which was the path to the outer perimeter of the factory they had discovered during their earlier exploration.
Where the off-road vehicle was parked!
Xiao Han and A Mo had already dealt with the remaining sentries on the periphery. Seeing Lu Shiyan and the others rush out in disarray, they immediately came forward to meet them.
"Lu Da Shao! Are you all right?"
"Let's get out of here first and find a place to rest!"
"Rumble!"
Just as the off-road vehicle rushed out of the factory gate, an earth-shattering roar came from behind them. The entire Black Wind Stronghold factory area completely turned into ruins, and dust rose into the sky, obscuring half of the sky.
About half an hour later, the convoy drove into a relatively secluded abandoned gas station. It was far from the main road, with broken buildings around to provide cover.
After confirming that the surroundings were temporarily safe, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and got out of the car.
Li Kui clutched the wound on his arm, the blood loss making his lips a bit pale, but he still checked on Jin Dongdong's condition first.
Jin Dongdong leaned against the car, his breath still somewhat weak, but his mind was much clearer than before.
Su Wan carefully checked Red Bean in her arms. The little fellow was still closing its eyes, its breathing faint but relatively steady.
"How is it?" Lu Shiyan walked to Su Wan's side.
"It should have exhausted its strength and fallen asleep." Su Wan let out a soft sigh, still feeling lingering fear, "That was too close just now. If it weren't for Red Bean…"
Lu Shiyan nodded slightly and handed the purified top-tier mental-type crystal core to Su Wan: "Keep this safe. This is very precious."
The crystal core felt warm to the touch and emitted gentle mental fluctuations, completely different from the evil and violent feeling the previous deep purple crystal core gave off.
"The Black Wolf kept that monster for this?" Su Wan caressed the crystal core.