Chapter 39 The Abyss (Part 1)

"Your new skin looks great, did the cleaning company give it to you?"

"This is a stand-in for work, sir."

"Oh, I forgot you're a half-reincarnated being."

The orc cleaner sized up Biris, who was sitting on the same shaft. The Mark 2 was almost as tall as the orc, and its arm was even longer than its opponent's.

The other two shaft ladders, due to their lighter load-bearing capacity, descend faster than these.

The dwarven cleaner was the first to arrive at the platform, which resembled part of a stone altar and was surrounded by a low wall structure. These platforms existed to prevent the plumber from falling into the abyss while working.

Numerous tiny insects, shimmering like fireflies, emerge from the abyss. Behind them, butterflies blooming with roses appear from the silver steps. Various strange and bizarre creatures appear one after another. Curious people always like to weave all sorts of species puzzles based on their own guesses. Perhaps they are not as strange and terrifying as imagined.

When Billis and the orc arrived at the platform, the other three cleaners were already there.

The dense fog clung to the wall, and nearby grew blue plants and motionless spider-like insects clinging to the cliff face.

Perhaps drawn by these strangers, the strange creatures in the abyss became increasingly abundant. On the rocky cliffs lay creatures resembling large apes, whose eyes would open like flowers when they looked at things. There were also puddles woven from tree bark fibers, in which glittering flying fish swam, each fish with fins like bull horns.

They look strange because of insufficient light; they are not scary at all, and are even quite timid.

A giant red-eyed spider accidentally fell into the dwarf's tool bag. When the dwarf went to get the tools, it was so frightened that it almost fell into the reservoir.

This is just the first platform; there's a second and a third below, but you have to use gliding ropes to get to the second and third platforms.

Billis stepped forward with his left foot, but suddenly his right foot missed its mark! There was nothing below! Luckily, the orc cleaner grabbed him from behind.

"Be worried! Have you forgotten what the head of logistics at Melloy Corporation said? The company won't be responsible if there's an accident."

"Thank you, I just wanted to see how to get to the second platform."

“We two can fly down first to scout ahead,” the two winged cleaners said in unison. “If the platform is in good condition, then you can lower the rope.”

"I agree."

I agree.

Not long after the winged people left, fog rolled in from the abyss. This fog was thicker than before, like the spokes of a wheel converging at the axle, with all the fog pouring into the axle, like a waterfall of swirling mist, making visibility very poor.

In the direction the winged man had left, a flying alien species resembling an insect appeared. It was a strange animal with no nose, a huge head underneath, and three bent legs that flew, with a huge hairy abscess on its glowing belly.

However, this creature was just like any other insect, showing no hostility. It didn't seem to care why a stranger was there and quickly leaped into the abyss.

Suddenly, a beam of blue light rose from the intricate terrain below, like a lighthouse on the sea, its spear-like beam illuminating the moss-covered and decaying cliff.

"They succeeded?" Billis asked.

“No, wait a little longer!” The dwarf cleaner stroked his wise beard.

The orc cleaner took three cigarettes out of his work clothes pocket and handed them to Billis and the dwarf.

“Thank you, my Stand doesn’t smoke,” Billis said. In fact, he really wanted to smoke, but the Mark 2 had no need for it at all.

Just then, the blue light disappeared, and the moss and decaying leaves on the cliff, like a trap that had shed its disguise, once again revealed their chilling darkness.

The damp air kept playing tricks on us. The rubble above us was shaken down by an increasingly close sound. As it slid down due to inertia, the whistling sound, accompanied by a red light several times stronger than the blue light before, plunged from one end of the ground to the other. The tremor spread from our shoulders throughout our entire bodies.

It's a pipeline train.

The train approached from afar, getting faster and faster, and farther and farther away, while the insects on the cliff remained motionless, as if they had grown accustomed to the noise.

Billis prepared the rope and tied it to the newly driven iron stake. His neck was kissed by a leaf that flew from nowhere, and his skin was immediately torn open.

Fortunately, it was a stand-in; if it had been the real person, it would have been disastrous.

Something infected the wound, and the Mark 2 automatically activated its defenses, forcing the venom out of the wound.

A few minutes later, the two winged beings returned from the second platform to the first platform. Their wings were covered with a layer of down, and they looked like they had degenerated compared to a few minutes ago.

The winged man, panting heavily, said intermittently, "Let's wait until tomorrow. We can't go down today."

"Why?"

"There is poison in the fog. We need to find a way to remove the poisonous gas, or wait for it to dissipate on its own."

The orcs tightened the ropes on the iron stakes, the dwarves drove the stakes deeper with hammers, and Biris marked them with a glowing marker.

"Let's stop here for today, one step at a time."

After a brief discussion, the five pipeline cleaning companies decided to return to the surface.

When they returned to the ground, several cleaning company managers had already set up outdoor tents, boiled water, and lit lights to welcome the sunset.

Billis entered the tent, where a pillar stood in the middle, a huge lamp filled with yellow oil, the light illuminating a leather net, some odds and ends piled in a straw basket, breadcrumbs scattered on a felt blanket, and some tools casually piled on a pile of round stones in a corner.

The shadow of the adjacent tent revealed two large candelabra nearby, their candles burning as if inside a crystal ball filled with water; those were very likely the tents of the winged people.

Billis took the glass ball out of his arms; he had secretly caught some insects and put them into the ball when he left the abyss.

Sitting on the rug, Irenshere saw a glass jar full of insects and let out a woman's scream: "Terrible insects and fly legs! Throw it away!"

Billis paused for a moment, then deliberately walked towards Irenshere while holding the glass ball: "What did you say? What did you say?"

"I hate bugs!"

"What a cute little bug."

"Take it away! Take it away!"

One worm happened to be molting, its body smooth and shiny, like a sword half-drawn from its scabbard.

"Ah! What's that! It's a python's head!"

Poor Irenshere, his voice had already distorted with fear.

Billy decided to stop scaring his partner and covered the glass ball with an ordinary towel.

Irenshere stared at the other person, his voice urgent and agitated: "You want revenge on me?"

What are you talking about?

"You're a cleaner, I'm of a higher status than you, you resent me, don't you?"

"Hey buddy, are you scared out of your wits by some bugs?"

"In short, stay away from me."

"You're not a woman, of course I don't want to be with you."

Irensie sprayed herself with some perfume, adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, took out a book, and began to read.

Who knows if he's actually studying!

Billis stepped out of the tent alone. Outside, the grass and trees were lush and green. Pigeons on the surrounding pines cooed softly. Some small animals darted up and down in the grass. Guinea fowl climbed on vines that were rarely visited by people. Tits fled immediately after hearing the slightest noise.

The orc cleaner played his flute between the trees, while the dwarf, having changed out of his work clothes and into linen garments, leaned on a spear-like wooden staff in his right hand as he followed two winged men to catch pheasants in the field.

But to deal with real pheasants, one had to rely on the silver bow on the winged man's back. Two silver arrows gleamed in the braids of Erji's hair. However, the winged man did not intend to kill the pheasants; he only wanted to scare them.

Bilis had intended to go over and chat with them for the night, but then remembered something and returned to the tent.

Irenshere was still engrossed in reading.

"Hey buddy," Billis asked, "can we talk about work?"

Irenshere turned to the next page, pretending not to hear.

"Those four cleaners, they didn't know the truth, right?"

Irenshere picked up a pen and copied the words and phrases he saw into the booklet.

Billis took the pen away and pressed the book down on the table.

"Hey, you must know something else. Tell me."

Irenshere pushed up his glasses with his elbow and took out a wet wipe to wipe his hand that Billies had touched.

"There's poison in the abyss. Those cleaners thought it was just ordinary toxins. Irenshere, are you listening to me?"

Irenshere has started trimming her nails again.

"You're the least agent-like agent I've ever met, or rather, you were just pretending to be a woman..."

Suddenly, Irenshere gently pushed Billis with his palm, a gesture imbued with magic, which sent Billis flying out of the tent.

Billy immediately got up, as if nothing had happened.

"Oh, so you're a sorcerer. But your magic is far inferior to my wife's."

Irenshere took this as a provocation, ignored it, turned his back, pretended to be sleepy, and covered his face with a book.

Billies also wanted to lie down and sleep, but after lying down, he realized that the Mark II didn't need to sleep at all.

So he quietly took his toolbox and went up the well ladder alone.