My Abyss Survival Diary

Chapter 43 The Cave Thief Makes His Debut

The hot air balloon slowly rose from the darkness of the abyss, its edges scraping against the rock walls, the gravel scraping against the patches with a soft, rustling sound.

The rattan basket swayed in the airflow, and the iron cans clattered against each other, like a dilapidated mobile general store.

Simon stepped back, making room for the edge of the hole.

A thick roll of Aso rope was thrown down from the hot air balloon. Elphis caught it precisely, tightened it, and wrapped it around a large tree at the edge of the cavity, tying two knots.

The hot air balloon was secured, the burner flames diminished, the airbag slowly contracted in the wind, and the people in the basket began to throw things down.

The oddly shaped guns were not standard equipment of the Empire, but rather modified parts pieced together from various components.

The stock was blackened by the dampness of the forest, and the barrel was wrapped with rust-proof cloth strips and secured with wire.

The ammunition boxes were wrapped in oiled paper, then covered with a layer of sheet metal, and there were several bulging canvas bags with their openings tied tightly, so it was impossible to tell what was inside.

Two metal boxes slid off the edge of the basket and crashed heavily to the ground.

Three figures flipped out of the basket and jumped directly to the ground.

The burner flame gradually shrank, and the gasbag began to deflate.

Elphis pulled his trekking axe from his waist, walked to the big tree, and pressed the axe blade against the rope securing the hot air balloon.

He glanced at the remaining flames still burning in the basket, then tightened his wrist, and the rope snapped.

The hot air balloon lost its anchor and the airbags began to burn.

The flames climbed along the edge of the patch, burning through the thick hemp thread, which was then blown away by the wind, swirling and falling into the large cavity.

Within minutes, the entire airbag turned into a burning rag, fell into darkness, and disappeared.

"If you destroy the hot air balloon, how will you get back?" Simon asked.

Elphis tucked the axe back into his belt and dusted off his hands.

"We have our own way."

He didn't explain, and Simon didn't press for an answer.

The young girl was the first to rush over. She had a dirty braid tied at the end with a red ribbon, and the braid swung back and forth behind her.

He was wearing a thin gray vest, the hem of which wasn't tucked into his pants, hanging down to his side and revealing a section of his gun holster.

Two pistols were holstered, grips facing outwards, polished to a shine.

The trouser legs were tucked into the high leather boots, the boot surfaces were covered in mud, and there was a patch on the toe of the left boot, which was riveted on with sheet metal.

Her face was small, with slightly high cheekbones, thin lips, and a pale pink scar on her forehead that stretched from the end of her eyebrow to her hairline; it had healed long ago.

She threw herself onto Elphis, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hung on him.

The braid swung and hit Elphis's iron mask with a clang.

"Boss!" Her voice was bright, with a childlike joy, echoing through the open woods.

Elphis was knocked back a step by the impact, barely managing to regain his balance.

He reached out to pull her off him, his fingers grabbing the back of her vest by the collar, and tugged, but couldn't budge it.

"Franny, you're not a little girl anymore, stop acting like that."

The girl let go, slid off Elphis, and took a step back.

She tilted her head, looking Simon up and down, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment, then moving to the harpoon, then to Brienne in the birdcage, and finally back to his face.

"Is this the sinner you were talking about?" she asked Elphis, tilting her head, her tone a mix of curiosity and resentment.

"Mr. Simon," Elphis introduced to the three men, "a very serious sinner, who will take on the most important duties."

Two other people approached. The one in front wore round-framed glasses with thick lenses, making it impossible to see the color of his eyes.

His hair was long, greasy, and plastered to his scalp, with a few strands hanging down in front of his forehead.

He was pale, with dark circles under his eyes, and looked listless, as if he hadn't slept for several days.

He carried a cage woven from vines and twigs on his shoulder, inside which sat several ugly, strange birds, cooing softly.

"Pique, the intelligence officer," he mumbled weakly, nodding at Simon.

The person standing behind him was a full head taller than Pique, with shoulders as broad as a door.

His beard grew from his cheekbone all the way to his collarbone, and the beard was yellowed from smoke, with bits of leaves and dirt mixed in.

He was wearing a brown-yellow coat and carrying a long, rectangular canvas bag tied with a rope at the top. Judging from its shape, it probably contained parts of a firearm.

"My name is Brock, a firearms expert." He grinned.

Elfis glanced at Simon, then at the three men. "Pick is in charge of intelligence and communications, Brock is in charge of weapons, and Flannery... is in charge of combat."

Upon hearing her name called, Florian jumped forward and stood in front of Simon.

She was half a head shorter than Simon, but when she looked up at him, her gaze showed no sign of looking up at him; it was like a kitten with its tail raised, sizing up a dog bigger than itself.

Her braids swung over her shoulders, with the strip of cloth at the end hanging down her chest.

She put her hands on her hips and raised her chin slightly. "Why not give the task to me? I can do anything. I've killed fungal corpses and hunted beasts. And strictly speaking, I'm not a cave raider."

Elphis sighed and rubbed his forehead. This little girl was too straightforward; she could say anything.

Simon bent down to be at eye level with Florian, and said slowly, "I guess Elphis doesn't want you to take the risk; he thinks it's too dangerous, and he's counting on you to protect him."

Flannery blinked, then turned to Elphis, her hands clenched into fists and hanging at her sides. "Boss, I want to have a match with him. If I win, you can give me the mission!"

Elphis finally spoke:

"Time is of the essence, don't waste any time."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was deep, carrying an unquestionable quality.

Florian pouted; her lips were already thin, and when she pouted, she looked like a squirrel with puffed-out cheeks.

"All right……"

Elphes ignored her. He turned and walked toward Pike and Brock, beginning to inventory the equipment that had been thrown down from the basket.

Frani stood still, walked up to Simon, and poked his arm with her finger.

"Your name is Simon... right?"

Simon looked up.

"Once this is all over, I want to fight you." Her tone was serious, almost cutely so. "The boss said you're amazing, and I want to see just how amazing you are."

"Okay," Simon agreed, "after things are done."

Flanye was taken aback, as if she hadn't expected him to agree so readily. The corners of her mouth slowly turned up, revealing two small tiger teeth.

"You keep your word." She held out her hand, her little finger sticking up.

Simon looked at the raised little finger, then at her face, and reached out his hand, hooking his little finger with hers.

Frani nodded in satisfaction, then turned and ran back to Elphis's side.

Brienne's head swayed gently in the birdcage, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

"Interesting..." she murmured softly.

Simon slung the harpoon over his shoulder and walked toward Pike and Brock. The ground was littered with guns, ammunition, canvas bags, and two old tin boxes.

Brock was unpacking a canvas bag and pulling out bundles of metal parts wrapped in oil paper.

Piqué squatted down, opened the pigeon coop, and released a strange, ugly bird.

Elphis stood among them, his iron mask gleaming dimly in the morning light.

"Everything must be at the ambush site before dawn tomorrow!" he shouted, "We'll conduct the first test with small bone caskets!"