Ember Gun

   Chapter 641

   "Nicholas, the evacuation from the death row has begun, and someone will pick you up soon."

  Merlin’s words sounded in the communicator, and the noise of the electric current was sandwiched in between, and the voice sounded very vague.

  Nikolai did not respond. He sat behind his desk, lowered his head, smoking a cigarette, not knowing what he was thinking.

  He looks like this for a long time. The ashtray on the desk is full of cigarette butts, and there is a faint afterglow on it. The soot falls all around, and he doesn't mean to clean it up.

   Raising his head slightly, Nikolai's face was pale, and he had been underground for a long time, like a corpse with a long sleep.

   "Where are you? Merlin."

   Nikolai asked, after a long time, a hoarse sound came back from the other end.

   "The surface, the Mechanical Academy, I just handed the'flamebearer' to Lorenzo."

   "The flame bearer? So he decided to use this name?"

"Um."

  Nikolay took a deep breath of smoke, and he, who was already thin, became even more old in the smoke.

   "What's wrong? Nikolai." Merlin asked.

  "Thinking, feeling, after all, I will go to death row soon after all. When I come out, the old spirits, the cleansing of institutions... and even you, maybe they will all become part of the ruins."

  Nikolay dropped his cigarette butt, looking melancholy.

   "Merlin, do you think all this is correct?"

   "What do you want to say?"

   "Death row, do you think this kind of refuge really makes sense?" Nicholas said, "I want to be with you more than to survive by chance."

   "But there is always someone who needs to keep the knowledge, Nicholas."

   "Then why not you?" Nikolai asked rhetorically.

   "You know, this kind of entanglement is fruitless, Nicholas, each of us needs to make a choice."

"Of course I know."

  Nicolas slowly got up, and on his desk there was a strangely shaped key and a pistol.

  He took the gun, stuck it around his waist, took the key again, and put it away.

   "I also made a choice, Merlin, I still doubt death sentence."

   "What do you suspect?"

   "I don't know, but just like intuition, I always feel something is wrong."

  Nikolai said and glanced at his feet. Behind the layers of steel and soil, there is the pillar of the furnace, and it is more convenient to be the place of death.

   "Don't do stupid things."

  After a short pause, Merlin said.

  Nicholas smiled, and he responded.

   "No, I will live well, teacher, after all, mine carries your knowledge."

   "I'm sorry, I always feel that I should say goodbye to you personally." Merlin said.

   "It's okay, don't think too badly, maybe we can see you again."

  Nikolay picked up the communicator as he said, and before pushing the door open, he asked Merlin last.

   "By the way...Teacher, is your greed satisfied?"

  The madness and greed of the alchemists for the truth continue to drive these mad people forward and obtain it by all means.

"probably."

   Merlin replied.

  Nicholas looked relaxed after listening, he whispered softly.

"That's good."

  The communication was interrupted. Nikolai pushed open the door and walked out. He stretched his body vigorously, as if there was going to be some intense exercise next.

   "Teacher, what you taught me, if you doubt it, you should practice it."

   Nicholas whispered.

   "Has anyone really seen a death row?" He smiled, "Anyway, I am also on the list. I don't need them to pick me up, I will go there myself."

  Nikolai said, walking towards the depths of the perpetual pump.

The structure of the old Dunling is like a towering tree. The column of the furnace as the rhizome is deeply rooted in the ground. It uses complicated pipes and steel to support the buildings above the surface steadily, and the deep part of the ground. The beginning of the entire city's energy, a furnace like a god-made creation, boils day and night, puffing and puffing water from the Thames River, releasing a steady stream of power, like a giant whale that is ascending, erupting steam.

  Nikolay stood in front of the heavy mechanical valve. He took a deep breath, as if he was about to make a serious decision. After a long pause, he raised his head again and said to the technician beside him, "I'm ready."

  The technicians couldn’t help saying anything. They picked up the safety equipment and put on Nikolai.

This is a protective suit made to fight Roger. After antimemetic and a little holy silver processing, Nicholas feels like he is wearing a heavy armor, and then he puts on a heavy oxygen tube on his back and puts on the connection. The breathing mask completely seals itself from the outside world, and only penetrates the outside world through transparent lenses.

  "Are you sure you want to do this?" the technician couldn't help asking.

   "Don't worry, it's just a routine inspection," Nikolai said, and his voice became thicker. "It's just that I will conduct the inspection myself this time."

  The technician could not persuade him when he saw this. After all, according to the regulations, Nicholas had done nothing wrong, and the order to check the operation of the Pillar of the Furnace was within his authority.

  They could only let go. After waiting a few seconds, the heavy mechanical valve slowly opened.

  Nikolay looked at the crimson world behind the door. Even through the protective clothing, he could still feel the heat of the air, as if a giant dragon was breathing its breath.

   Picking up the safety rope, Nikolai walked into the crimson world.

The Pillar of the Furnace is the core of many powers surrounding the old Dunling system. Here is the world's largest melting furnace. The fireworks in it have never extinguished since they ignite. In order to control such powerful fireworks, the Perpetual Pump has made a lot of safety Designed so that the Pillar of the Furnace is usually isolated and sealed by several blockades.

  It has undergone a certain degree of automation. Only during safety inspections will people enter, but each safety inspection is a risky risk for the staff.

  Now Nikolai has also joined this adventure.

  He has always felt that the existence of the death row is very strange. In the impression, he does not remember what is under the Pillar of the Forge, and it seems that there is no direct access to the depths.

  Through the information search, Nicholas only knew that the depths there was a garbage dump, which was used to discharge the ash in the furnace. Nicholas could not understand why he wanted to build a refuge here.

  Nikolai raised similar questions to Merlin and Arthur, but they were both rejected in the end. Now he couldn't help but decided to go there in person and check it out.

I can clearly feel that as Nicholas left the package of the perpetual pump, the temperature in the dim passage was astonishing, and the sound of the fan came from the darkness, as if thousands of fans were operating, pumping the hot gas. Leave.

  After years of renovation, this underground space is like a maze. Except for the area of ​​the perpetual pump, the maps of other areas have not been updated for many years, and most of them have been abandoned and left desolate.

  Nikolay walked along the road in his memory, clutching the safety line tightly in his hand, ready to hang himself on the handle on the side at any time.

  Continue down.

  He has been here very few times. At that time, he was just an ordinary technician, selected to maintain the pipes of the Pillar of the Furnace, and at that time Nicholas rarely went deep like this.

As he progressed to the depths underground, he could clearly feel that the temperature was constantly rising. This was normal. The temperature of the furnace pillar was extremely high. In order to cool it, the Mechanical Yard attracted the Thames River and set up a large number of The cobweb-like ventilation ducts rotate and roar together, as if to set off a storm in this underground world.

  Cleaning organs have never worried about the intrusion of the Pillar of the Furnace. The harsh environment here has caused it to become the grave of the invaders even if it is invaded.

Even through the protective clothing, Nicholas already felt the heat, he was breathing heavily. Fortunately, there was enough oxygen. If there was no oxygen supply, he would directly breathe the hot and stale underground air. Nikolai felt that he might not be able to go. How far will it fall.

  The surrounding environment has gradually opened up, covered with rust and dust, as if no one had ever been here.

  Nikolay climbed up the suspended ladder. He didn’t know how long it had not been maintained. Every time he moved, it made a babble, as if it was about to collapse.

  Besides these messy noises, it is very quiet here. It seems that only Nicholas exists alone, making him look extremely lonely.

  He walked through a suspended corridor, and the next place was endless darkness. Nicholas kicked out some residues, they were submerged in the darkness, and there was nothing.

  咚! Boom! Boom!

  It sounded like a heartbeat, but this heartbeat sound was much louder than ordinary people's heartbeat, as if it came from the chest of a giant.

  A ray of red light enveloped Nikolai's body. He looked to the other side, and saw flames that were difficult to look at directly from the cracks of steel, as if behind these metals, was wrapped in a scorching sun.

  The furnace began to stir.

It not only supplies energy for the city, but is also responsible for smelting metals. There are some special alloys. Only the pillars of the furnace can reach the extreme temperature. The molten metal and the fireworks are intertwined, pouring into the flow channel, forming a handful after another. Weapons for killing.

  Thinking about it, Nikolai only felt the promenade under his feet tremble, and then he felt a sense of frustration.

Oops.

  It has been too long since no one has visited here. Under the repeated baptism of humidity and dryness, the metal has long been covered with rust and damaged. During the time Nicholas stayed, it completely shattered.

  Nicholas fell into the darkness below, and he whispered inwardly. He, who has always been cautious, would actually make mistakes in such matters.

Fortunately, he set up a safety line in advance, and Nicholas who fell halfway was pulled tight by the rope and slammed into the wall on the other side. He didn't have time to protect, and the oxygen mask shattered into a gap, and the glass was broken. Stabbed the skin.

   Without waiting for Nicholas to do anything to save, the other end of the safety rope above also broke, the fragile metal was twisted, and Nicholas fell again.

  For a moment, Nicholas's mind was blank, but there was no regret.

  Nikolai has always felt that the death row is a treacherous conspiracy. If he does not get the answer, this guy with a slight obsessive-compulsive disorder will not be at ease.

   Raised his hand abruptly and grabbed the bulge on the wall. Nicholas stabilized his body. He lowered his head and could hear the echo in the dark. It was very close, which seemed not as high as expected.

The safety line above    also fell, extending into the darkness, and Nicholas jumped down.

  After a few seconds, the shock came.

  Nicholas fell to the ground fiercely, and he grinned in pain. Fortunately, he was not dead, but the mask was completely broken, and the hot air poured into his nose, choking Nicholas into absent-mindedness.

   Tired up to get up. He tried to fix it, but the leak was so serious that he could only throw it away.

  Nikolai let out an angry low growl, he unloaded the heavy oxygen tank and threw it aside.

  His eyes are a little confused. The hot heat can sometimes make people hallucinate. He knows this very well, but he didn't expect it to come so quickly.

  It seems that there are women singing softly, the heat is not, but a kind of comforting warmth, they surround Nikolai, urging him to fall asleep.

"Shut up."

   Nikolai cursed, he dragged up the oxygen tank in embarrassment, rushed the pipe towards him, and greedily inhaled the oxygen to make himself slightly awake.

  There are often various accidents in the maintenance of the Pillars of the Forge, so they usually act in small groups, but now Nikola is the only one. Fortunately, the communicator is still with him, and he may be able to call for help...

  Nikolai's thoughts stopped and he saw what he had been looking for.

A door full of dust, he was erected not far in front, as if waiting for Nicholas all the time. He took a few deep breaths of oxygen, took off his heavy protective clothing forcefully, and felt the skin upload for a while. The tingling came, like being burned.

But this made Nikolai a lot lighter. He ran quickly and inserted the weird-shaped key in his hand into the keyhole. Dryness spread from it. Nikolai prayed that the lock cylinder would not be rusted to death, and he gently applied force. , The door opens.

  Nicholas fell directly in. He stretched out his hand according to the memory position and pulled down the valve.

  Soon after the dim light came on, after a burst of noise, the narrow elevator began to descend.

   "I remember correctly..."

  Nikolay said to himself.

In the continuous update and iteration of Pillars of the Forge, many things are difficult to remember in detail on the map. In a certain version of the map, Nicholas once saw this. This is a maintenance elevator, and rare can go directly to the "garbage" below. Field" elevator.

After that, the icon seemed to have been deliberately erased, no one knew, and this key was found by Nikolai from the depths of the archives. It was mixed with a bunch of keys that I didn’t know what it was used to open. , It took him a long time to find out.

  Continuously descending in the darkness, Nikolai tried to keep himself awake, and I don’t know how long it took before the door opened.

He staggered to his feet, the air was no longer hot, but a slight cooling sensation, which made Nicolas sober a lot. He walked to the edge of the platform and looked down at the many buildings below, and he could see the shadows of people. Moving, there is a huge armor slowly advancing.

  Nikolai's expression became completely stiff. It stands to reason that this place should be a refuge, but here is just a group of troops in the dark.

  The breathing became suppressed, he muttered to himself.

   "Here... Where is it?"

   "The bottom of the mourning, the resident of the scavenger department."

  Someone replied that Nikolai turned his head in horror, but he felt that he had been hit by something. His vision was blurred and he fell down. At the end of his consciousness, he heard someone say to him.

   "Don't be afraid, we will take you to the death row."

   Galahad walked to Nikolai's side and slammed him up.

  (End of this chapter)