The loud sound traveled through the winding tunnels.
The farther it went, the weaker it became.
In Beyond's team, there was a member with exceptional hearing… Pekotero.
He heard it the moment the sound reached them.
However, the sound wasn't too faint, so his teammates heard it too.
The difference was, Pekotero could simulate the general scene based on the sound.
"Someone got their head smashed from behind, and the force was incredibly strong."
Pekotero licked a lollipop, looking in the direction the sound came from.
Although the sound came from there, the architectural passages within the ruins were extremely winding, making it hard to pinpoint the exact direction.
"It's not too far," Muheer said calmly.
"Yes."
Pekotero pulled the lollipop out of his mouth and said seriously, "But compared to the one doing the smashing, the one getting smashed is scarier. Because, being hit by a punch that strong and not getting injured? I'd say there should at least be a slight fracture, right?"
Hearing Pekotero's words, everyone looked towards Pariston and Beyond.
A faint light appeared in Pariston's deep eyes. He lightly pressed his thumb against his chin and said, "Assuming Pekotero's information is correct, then those creating the sound could be Netero's team and the unknown entity that killed Mascher."
That kind of sound had nothing to do with the copper mechanical lifeforms.
If the copper mechanical lifeforms were excluded, then within the ruins, besides them, only Netero's team and the unknown entity that killed Mascher remained.
"Whoever it is, it has nothing to do with us, right?" Curly gently pushed up his spiral-framed glasses.
"Agreed."
Hornby glanced at the copper mechanical lifeforms being suppressed by the Golem and said gravely, "Even with Golem here, these troublesome things are endless. If we drag on here too long, we might be worn down to death."
"That's true, but isn't this also an opportunity?"
"What opportunity?"
"The chance to eliminate the Association team!"
"The risk is too high. We should return to the surface as soon as possible."
"Right, and that sound might not necessarily be coming from the Association team."
A single sound sparked different opinions.
Some advocated leaving quickly, others advocated seizing the opportunity to eliminate the Association team.
The former was the best choice under the current circumstances… the latter was based on uncertain factors.
Normally, anyone would choose the former.
However, in Beyond's team, there were too many abnormal individuals.
Pariston looked at the Golem clearing away the copper mechanical lifeforms and said with a smile, "Golem, adding one more hour to the original plan, do you think you can hold out?"
"No problem."
The Golem's mechanical voice came from the cockpit.
"Good." Pariston narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the silent Beyond, and said seriously, "I think Netero's team is a troublesome issue after all."
At this moment, the team members all looked at Beyond, awaiting the crucial opinion.
Facing everyone's gaze, Beyond stroked his beard, thinking about the recent maneuvering and the battles with the Association team.
Netero's side had the ability to track their movements. If not resolved, it was indeed a potential problem.
With this in mind, Beyond had his answer.
…
Hearing the sound, Law's group, swiftly moving through the tunnels, halted.
Behind them, the wreckage of copper mechanical lifeforms stretched into the dark distance beyond sight.
"Sound?"
Kuro wasn't sure.
"I think I heard it too," Tonpa frowned.
"No need to doubt, there definitely was a sound, and it came from deep within the ruins," The skeleton said in a tone of certainty.
Law couldn't help but look at the skeleton and smiled, "Your ears are sharp."
As he spoke, his gaze fixed on the skeleton's bald head.
The skeleton gave an awkward laugh, the sound of bones clacking.
"Let's go, we'll check it out."
Law withdrew his gaze, almost without hesitation, and continued forward.
Vines covered the ceiling ahead in the tunnel, and over a dozen sharp, elongated shadows suddenly shot out, attacking Law.
The circular light of his Domain swept towards those shadows, slicing them into countless fragments before their forms were even clear, scattering them to both sides of the tunnel, turning into silent wreckage.
Attacks from micro-sized copper mechanical lifeforms were commonplace, insignificant interludes.
The team members had no objections to Law's decision and quickly followed.
Compared to Beyond's team's hesitation, Law's side seemed very decisive.
The reason was that Law's team was equipped with sufficient [Lichens], which could efficiently restore Nen and stamina, so they didn't have to worry about being ground down by the endless copper mechanical lifeforms.
The sound faded, sinking like a stone into the sea.
Two or three full minutes passed without any new commotion.
Perhaps subsequent sounds were smaller and couldn't travel this far.
Or perhaps no new sounds were produced afterward.
Without sound as a guide, it was difficult for Law to pinpoint the location, but it wasn't a major issue.
The structure of the ruins could greatly reduce the difficulty of finding the sound's source.
The team moved forward in silence, gradually heading towards the source of the sound.
A short while later, another, less loud sound came.
It seemed the sound source was quite far from them, or perhaps for other reasons.
As they went deeper, the number of copper mechanical lifeforms encountered along the way noticeably increased.
But no matter how many there were, they all disintegrated within Law's Domain. In cases where that wasn't enough, Stargie provided area-of-effect output.
Meanwhile, Kuro, while moving swiftly, managed to snatch some energy crystals from the scattered wreckage.
Partly because the crystals tasted okay when eaten, and partly because Law had asked to store some.
The sounds from the depths weren't frequent, with slightly long intervals.
Based on sound alone, it was hard to tell what was happening.
However, the incoming sounds were becoming clearer, indicating the team was getting closer to the source.
At the same time, the density of copper mechanical lifeforms visibly increased.
Just moments ago, they passed a three-way tunnel intersection. The copper mechanical lifeforms emerging from those tunnels were like toothpaste being squeezed out.
This analogy wasn't an exaggeration.
Faced with the assault of copper mechanical lifeforms, Law's group didn't spare their Nen, destroying them at the fastest speed possible.
About ten minutes later.
The team arrived at an entrance leading downwards.
Looking at the descending staircase, Law could already hear sounds like copper being smashed with a hammer.
Below, someone was fighting copper mechanical lifeforms.
The team members exchanged glances, almost all thinking of that Hunter License.
After exploring the underground ruins for so long, they had a general understanding of the structure. They knew going down here led to an open, flat area like a room, equivalent to a main artery.
If it was that kind of terrain, being surrounded by copper mechanical lifeforms would be a very troublesome situation.
"Knov, you know what to do if something happens later," Law looked into the depths of the entrance where sounds frequently came from.
"Yeah."
Knov nodded.
Even without specific instructions from Law, he knew his role.
Once combat or danger occurred, he would quickly set up an entrance and immediately take non-combatants into the Hide-and-Seek dimension.
After speaking, Law turned to look at Sheila and the others, continuing, "And all of you."
Non-combat members like Sheila and a few others silently nodded.
"Let's go. Be prepared for combat."
After the simple arrangements, Law swiftly descended the staircase, the team members following closely behind.
The staircase wasn't long but was steep.
Moments later, Law was the first to reach the flat terrain of the main artery.
In the distance, Netero's unique golden Guanyin burst into view.
Simultaneously, copper mechanical lifeforms emerged from various tunnels, swarming towards the area where the golden Guanyin was.
Seeing Netero's golden Guanyin, Law wasn't surprised at all.
The Hunter License found in the upper levels of the ruins was new. It either belonged to Netero's side or Beyond's side.
Having prepared for this psychologically, the appearance of the golden Guanyin wasn't surprising.