Peerless Bodyguard of a Stunning Beauty

Just as the three women were dismissing the assistant’s claim, Zhao Rong stepped forward to support him. "Lili, Yu Lan, Xuelian," he said, "the assistant is correct. There are indeed people here."

The women were stunned to hear Zhao Rong confirm that people were inside the Earth’s core.

Lili said in disbelief, "Zhao Rong, how could anyone survive here? What could they possibly eat to stay alive?"

Yu Lan didn’t believe it either. "Zhao Rong, at first I thought the assistant was just seeing things," she said. "But I didn’t expect you to be mistaken as well. This place is so desolate, terrifying, and cut off from the rest of the world. How could anyone possibly exist here?"

Xuelian immediately pulled a DJI drone from her pocket and launched it into the air. "Zhao Rong," she said, "if you’re right that there are people in the Earth’s core, my drone will find them. I’m going to do a full aerial survey of the area now."

Hearing their disbelief, Zhao Rong led them forward. "Lili, Yu Lan, Xuelian, when I say there are people here, I don’t mean natives. These people hiding in the core most likely came from the surface, just like us. As for what they’re doing down here, I’m not sure yet. We’ll only get the real answer after we capture them."

Lili speculated, "Could they have drilled their way here from the surface?"

Yu Lan’s imagination ran wild. "They must have discovered some kind of rare mineral in the core!" she said. "That’s why they took such a huge risk to come down here. They plan to take the minerals back to the surface and make a fortune!"

The DJI drone’s camera feed confirmed it; Xuelian spotted traces of human activity on the ground. "Lili! Yu Lan! Zhao Rong! Come look, quick!" she called out. "My drone actually spotted a small, man-made house!"

Lili stepped forward to look at the drone footage and shook her head. "Xuelian, I don’t think that’s a house. It looks more like a weathered rock."

Yu Lan also shook her head. "Modern houses look nothing like that," she said. "The structure in your video doesn’t look like a house at all. It’s more like a bird’s nest."

While Lili and Yu Lan remained skeptical, the assistant stepped forward confidently. "Lili, Yu Lan, you’re mistaken," he said. "I’m sure the building in Xuelian’s video is a human dwelling. Look, it has a door, and there’s even a lock on it!"

Just then, Zhao Rong suddenly ordered, "Everyone, get down! There’s a Jeep not far ahead!"

Before Zhao Rong could finish his sentence, a Jeep appeared about 1,000 meters in front of them. The three women were astounded when they saw it.

Lili said in disbelief, "Holy crap, no way. A Jeep in a place like this? What on earth is going on?"

Yu Lan’s eyes widened, finding the situation unbelievable. "Could it be that other people reached the Earth’s core before us?" she asked. "And they’ve already begun exploring and studying it?"

Xuelian pointed at the video from the DJI drone on her phone. "I can say with certainty that there isn’t just one person here, but a whole team," she declared. "Look! They have a Jeep, a Toyota Corolla, bicycles, excavators, cranes... a lot of equipment."

The assistant sucked in a sharp breath, sensing trouble. "Zhao Rong, do you think they’re bad guys?" he asked. "They must be up to some dangerous and sinister plot down here."

Zhao Rong observed the Jeep carefully. "Quick, look," he said, pointing. "Not far behind that Jeep, there’s a drilling rig."

The three women and the assistant looked where Zhao Rong was pointing and, sure enough, saw a drilling rig.

Looking at the rig, Lili exclaimed in surprise, "You don’t think these bad guys drilled through the crust and mantle to get to the core, do you?"

Yu Lan said thoughtfully, "They must be trying to drill straight through the Earth... to destroy the whole planet."

Xuelian stared at the flag fluttering on the drilling rig. "Damn it," she said indignantly. "I thought it was the Americans causing this kind of trouble, but it’s the Island Country. Look, that’s their flag!"

When the assistant saw the Island Country’s flag, he immediately pulled a rocket launcher from his bag. "If there’s one thing I hate in this world, it’s the people of the Island Country and that flag of theirs," he seethed. "I’m going to blast that drilling rig to pieces and burn that flag to cinders right now!"

Just as the assistant was about to fire, Zhao Rong grabbed his arm. "Assistant, don’t be rash," he said. "First, we need to figure out what’s going on. Once we’ve exposed the mastermind behind all this, it won’t be too late to blast the rig and burn their flag."

Lili chimed in, "Assistant, don’t tip our hand. We need to lie low and observe before we make a move."

While observing the situation, Yu Lan added, "Have you guys noticed their rig? It’s state-of-the-art. And they’re using the most advanced PDC diamond drill bits."

Xuelian thought for a moment. "It seems these bad guys must have a wealthy backer," she said. "Otherwise, they’d never have enough money to fund their illegal activities."

As he crawled forward, Zhao Rong whispered to the others behind him, "Lili, Yu Lan, Xuelian, Assistant, get ready. We’re about to move into the area around the rig to find out what’s really going on."