Chapter 108 Exploring the Cave: A Big Guy Is About to Emerge...

"My God, am I seeing things? How can there be such a huge cave down there!"

The villagers stared in disbelief at the underground cavern on the screen, exclaiming, "Have we been living above this underground space for over a month?"

The live stream chat room erupted in excitement.

Wow, I didn't expect there to be a hidden map!?

If it weren't for the earthquake creating a fissure, the villagers might never have discovered this secret hidden underground, even after they left.

This looks much bigger than a cave! I wonder if there are any resources inside.

Lu Xuan was also surprised.

He maneuvered the drone around, estimating that the underground space was at least twice the size of a large cave. There were many passageways of varying sizes in all directions, making it seem like a maze. The actual area was probably much larger than what the drone could see.

Li Tie looked at Lu Xuan nervously, "Ah Xuan, look at this cave..."

Lu Xuan saw that some people in the live chat were already urging him to go down and explore. After a moment's thought, he said, "Make the gap bigger, and I'll take some people down to investigate."

Fifteen minutes later.

Wu Cheng and his son, Lei Yan, Zhang Chengming, Xiong Mao, Ge Yuan, and more than a dozen other able-bodied men, carrying weapons and the high-powered flashlights, pinecone lamps, and other lighting tools they had been given, jumped down into the gap, which had been expanded to accommodate an adult, under the leadership of Lu Xuan.

The drone was handed over to Li Tie for control, while the camera closely followed Lu Xuan and his group, ensuring that the villagers remaining in the cave could keep track of their movements and safety at any time.

Upon entering the underground space, Lu Xuan immediately placed pine cone lamps on the protruding parts of the stone walls on the left and right, illuminating most of the dim space. The hunting team members following behind couldn't help but gasp several times.

They were standing on the top side of the road, and going down the edge, there was at least a dozen meters of ground below.

The cave is unusually large, with jagged rocks and a few crystals scattered throughout. Seven or eight tall stone pillars stand around the cave for support, and the ceiling of the cave is covered with countless sharp, upside-down cone-shaped stalactites.

Under the soft yellow light of the pinecone lamps, the aforementioned landscape presented an extremely magnificent and beautiful scene, leaving those who saw it for the first time somewhat mesmerized.

Having witnessed far more wonders and strange sights in modern times, Lu Xuan didn't react much to this.

Noticing the significantly higher humidity inside the cave, and listening carefully, they heard the faint sound of water dripping in the distance, leading them to deduce that there must be a sizable underground river here.

Lu Xuan led the others along a narrow, natural path that hugged the rock wall to the bottom of the cave.

After confirming that there were no other creatures around, the group wandered around the area, especially around several passageways that led to other places.

Lei Yan asked, "What do we do next? Should we split into teams?"

Wu Cheng frowned and said, "We're not sure what threats are here yet. It's too dangerous for our squad."

Lu Xuan didn't speak, but instead summoned a number of bloodsucking vines equal to the number of passages and sent them into the passage.

He shared the vampire vine's senses and discovered that, apart from one path that turned out to be a dead end, there were no dangerous creatures in the other passages for the time being.

After a moment, Lu Xuan pointed to a passage about three meters in diameter directly in front of him and said, "Let's explore this path together first. This should lead to the underground water source."

Everyone else trusted Lu Xuan's judgment, and soon the group followed him into the passage with a water source.

The passageway is not straight, but winding, with some wide sections and others requiring you to bend over to pass.

After walking about a hundred meters, the group discovered a stream less than half a meter wide flowing on the ground. Following the stream, they walked for a while longer, and then the view opened up again, revealing an underground river at least ten meters wide, flowing silently before them.

Viewers in the live stream couldn't help but gasp as they watched the villagers through the drone above.

So much water!

Lu Xuan first used a powerful flashlight to roughly illuminate the surrounding area. After not seeing any suspicious creatures, he installed two pine cone lamps nearby for lighting.

During this time, everyone else gathered at the edge of the underground river.

Zhang Chengming tentatively dipped his hand into the water and hissed, "So cold!"

Wu Yang shone his flashlight into the river. "There are fish in the river, and they're silvery... There seem to be catfish too, but these fish don't seem to have eyes?"

"No eyes? How could that be?" Upon hearing this, the others all crowded around.

Lu Xuan replied nonchalantly, "There's no light here, so the fish in the river naturally lose their eyesight since they don't need them. It's not surprising."

Lu Xuan said, "Alright, everyone go and see if there are any signs of animal activity nearby, or if there are any useful resources we can collect."

The group nodded and began to explore the surrounding area in twos and threes, and soon made some discoveries.

For example, salamanders can occasionally be found on the rock walls, and strange mushrooms that emit green light grow in some corners and edges.

Salamanders are amphibians that contain tetrodotoxin. Ingestion can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, and in severe cases, it can be life-threatening. All salamanders found are killed by the authorities.

As for the glowing mushroom, Lu Xuan tested its toxicity.

Most are poisonous, a small amount is edible, but they have little nutritional value. If you have to say what they're good for, it's probably as a natural light source? Using them as nightlights would be quite romantic.

After searching around and finding no danger, everyone relaxed.

Zhang Chengming looked eagerly at the underground river: "I think the biggest resource here is the fish in the river. Let's catch a net of fish and see what the fish in this underground river taste like."

The others thought there was no problem, and seeing that Lu Xuan didn't object, they took out electric fishing nets and threw them into the river, and also took out animal entrails that were specially reserved for baiting and threw them in as well.

Not long after the fishing net and bait were cast in, the vampire vines that had been quietly hanging on the strange rocks suddenly started to fly up and slap against the riverbank and even the surface of the water.

The viewers in the live stream perked up. What happened? What's going on?

Lu Xuan's expression hardened, and he shouted at the others, "Come back here!"

Realizing something was wrong, the hunting team members quickly gathered around Lu Xuan, while the villagers above held their breath.

Almost simultaneously, ripples appeared on the once calm riverbank, and the water began to swell from the middle, as if something was about to break through the water.

"...Is it a fish?" someone asked uncertainly in a low voice.

Lu Xuan frowned. "That's not right."

His perception wasn't as good as that of a psychic, but even at such close range, he could still roughly sense that what was in the water was definitely not a fish.

"A big guy is about to come out."

As soon as the words were spoken, with a splashing sound of water, a huge creature suddenly appeared in front of everyone.

When everyone saw what the creature looked like, the villagers and onlookers were stunned.

Holy crap! What a huge python!!!

The giant python that suddenly appeared before them was at least half a meter in diameter, and its length above the water was more than five meters. Its huge head was raised high, its blood-red mouth open, hissing as it flicked its tongue at them. Its deep red vertical pupils stared straight at them, and its chilling gaze sent shivers down their spines.

The hunters felt a strong sense of danger; their bodies tensed instinctively, their lips pressed into a straight line, and they stared warily at the giant python.

The atmosphere was tense and ready to explode.

The villagers above were deathly pale, and the women left behind frantically called out their husbands' names.

Lu Qing and her brother Lu Chen were also worried about Lei Yan and Lu Xuan, but Lu Qing noticed that Lu Xuan looked very calm, which reassured her a little.

My brother didn't panic, so it shouldn't be a big problem.

The viewers in the live stream weren't afraid at all from the start; they were too excited to even think about it.

[Previously, people on the forum were lamenting not having the chance to see the streamer showcase their true skills, and now that opportunity has arrived!]

[This python is huge! It could easily swallow a person whole. Streamer, protect our villagers! Kill it!]

[Level 7 Ability User VS. Underground River Python, let's get this party started!]

As the audience cheered, the giant python's tail leaped out of the water, whipping away the still-flailing vampire vines and slamming into the shore, causing rocks to shatter and debris to fly everywhere.

The hunters dodged and instinctively raised their crossbows to fire.

The alloy arrows, which were usually invincible against the wild boars and wolves, only grazed the giant python's skin, causing little damage and enraging it, which then swung its tail more and more frequently.

"Get out of the way!"

The hunting party fled in disarray.

Viewers thought they would soon see Lu Xuan's exciting "anchor versus giant python" showdown, but... nothing happened.

The bloodsucking vines, which had been flung away, were also enraged by the giant python. More vines sprouted from the main branches and surged towards the python, binding it tightly before it could escape.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Xuan raised one hand, condensed a huge wind blade in his palm, and swung it at the giant python's head, which was swaying from side to side.

With a 'plop' sound of wind blades slicing through flesh, the giant python, its expression contorted in rage by the blood-sucking vines, was instantly split in two. Its head and massive body hovered in mid-air for two seconds before crashing into the river with a loud 'bang,' sending a spray of water everywhere.

The fleeing hunters: "..."

The villagers above, holding their breath in tension: !!

The eagerly awaiting viewers in the live stream: ? ? ?

That's it?

That's it! ? ?

That's it?

Lu Xuan: What else?

It's not a mutated beast, just an ordinary wild animal that looks larger than it actually is. How difficult could it be? It's just a matter of one 'cut'.

The audience, gradually realizing what was happening: !!

However, this is not the battle scene they expected!

This kind of one-sided, crushing victory is simply not worth watching!

Terrible review!!!

Lu Xuan waited several minutes to make sure the giant python was completely dead before he had the Vampire Vine scoop the python's body out of his hands and throw it onto the shore.

It was only then that the others realized that the giant python was actually ten meters long. Xiong Mao rubbed his hands together and tentatively stepped forward to try to pick up part of it, but even with his face turning red, he still couldn't lift it.

"So heavy! This python must weigh at least 1,800 pounds."

The others crowded around the giant python's head, which had been thrown up separately. The dead python's mouth was still wide open, and a strong, stench emanated from it. "It stinks!"

"Ah Xuan, what's the use of this?"

Lu Xuan said, "The fangs and venom sacs can be removed. In addition, the snake gall and snake skin are all good things."

Besides these, the most important item is, of course, python meat.

Lu Xuan cut a small piece of meat from the python and placed it on the animal component analyzer, which he had drawn after the plant component analyzer.

Soon, the green indicator light came on, and the ingredient report was displayed.

It is non-toxic and edible, rich in protein, amino acids, and various vitamins, as well as essential elements for the human body such as calcium, iron, and zinc, making it a highly nutritious meat.

Lu Xuan looked at the giant python piled up in front of him, resembling a small mountain, and smiled with satisfaction.

Even if there are no other finds in the underground cave, just this one large, edible python is enough to make a fortune.