Zhang Shi knew this well. He looked into the distance, already having made up his mind. He gathered Ge Dalong, Wu Qing, and several capable soldiers. After a brief discussion, they decided to organize a small team to venture deep into the source of the worms' appearance—the polluted river—to search for a larger worm nest or other key to controlling the worms.

When Zhang Shigang saw these worms crawling from the river to the shore, he thought of the underground ruins beneath the river, so this was his first target.

Venturing deep into the swarm of worms was difficult, and although the worms didn't seem particularly aggressive, Zhang Shi was determined not to gamble with his safety. After inquiring about the specific components of the insecticide bomb from Gong Yi, he learned that the insecticide had actually been provided by Wu Qing.

“I’ve been researching these things, and I tried mixing some herbs with them. I didn’t expect it to work so well.”

Wu Qing glossed over the matter casually, as if she had only done something insignificant.

Zhang Shi didn't delve into the matter further; with the insecticide, the plan became much simpler to execute. He sent men to blast away the insect swarm with insecticidal bombs, then led his men at a jog towards the riverbank, with winged human scouts assisting them in spraying the insecticide from the air. Under the rain, the insecticide spread rapidly, quickly establishing a straight path along Zhang Shi's planned route.

Zhang Shi and his companions raced along the path and soon spotted the giant rock protruding from the water. Due to the continuous rainfall, the river level had risen considerably, and the water had already submerged most of the rock.

Zhang Shi carefully examined the nearby waters and found no trace of worms. Only then did he feel relieved. After sprinkling a large amount of insecticide into the river, he decisively went into the water.

After skillfully triggering the mechanism on the boulder, the boulder slowly parted, revealing the secret chamber below.

As the boulder completely separated, a pale green magic circle appeared, covering the entrance to the secret chamber and completely blocking the river. Zhang Shi tried it and found that his body could freely enter and exit the magic circle without any hindrance. This magic circle seemed to be specifically designed to block the river.

Zhang Shi didn't waste any time. He quickly jumped into the secret room, found the stone slab, inserted the key he brought from Huo Family Village into it, and activated the mechanism again. The stone slab quickly descended.

Before long, the group arrived underground. Zhang Shi, holding a torch, carefully explored the path ahead, following his memory. Last time he came here, there were glowing stones embedded in the rock walls, but now it was pitch black. He wondered if it was related to the dissipation of spiritual energy.

After passing through a dark passage, a faint red light appeared in front of Zhang Shi and the others.

Zhang Shi frowned, stopped, and released Pipi to scout ahead. As soon as Pipi landed, it sensed something was wrong. It smelled a strong scent of blood ahead and heard low growls. It then lay down and warned Zhang Shi.

Zhang Shi and the torches were of one mind. Zhang Shi sensed the danger ahead and knew that his trip had not been in vain. He decisively ordered the torches to be extinguished and slowed down to approach the front.

In the darkness, Zhang Shi and his group cautiously advanced, relying on their keen sense of their surroundings and Pipi's accurate intuition. The red light grew stronger, accompanied by an indescribable sense of oppression, as if something awaited them ahead.

As the distance shortened, they finally emerged from the passage and arrived at the open underground ruins. Only then could they discern the source of the red light—a gigantic tumor embedded in the mountain wall above them, its red glow illuminating the surroundings like a sea of ​​blood. The low, guttural roars that echoed from within the cave were terrifying, as if countless unknown creatures lurked within, ready to attack at any moment.

Zhang Shi frowned. He remembered that the last time he came here, this place was a glowing boulder, but he didn't know why it had become like this.

Although Zhang Shi had some worries, he was even more eager and determined to face the unknown. He quietly instructed everyone to prepare, and at the same time took out several bottles of pre-prepared enhanced insecticide bombs from his backpack and distributed them to everyone, just in case.

The group slowly entered the cave, the ground beneath their feet seemingly trembling slightly, requiring extreme caution with every step. The air inside was heavy and damp, mixed with a distinctly pungent smell of blood, making it feel suffocating. Pipi clung tightly to Zhang Shi's feet, warily looking around, its eyes gleaming eerily in the darkness, becoming a source of comfort in this terrifying environment.

As they ventured deeper into the ruins, the red light illuminated enormous insect nests teeming with worms. These nests were either curled up or writhing, their bodies emitting a faint glow, forming a terrifying swarm of insects.

At the center of the insect nest, there seemed to be an even larger figure, moving slowly. Beneath it was a blood-red cocoon, and its enormous body almost filled the entire cocoon. Each movement was accompanied by a deep rumble. Zhang Shi recognized it at a glance; it was exactly the same as the mother beast in the mine. This ruin had become a hatchery for the worms.

Faced with this terrifying scene, Zhang Shi did not back down. He knew that this was their goal, and he could not tolerate such a huge hidden danger around his shelter.

Zhang Shi quickly exchanged glances with the others and formulated an action plan. One group was responsible for distracting the worms and creating chaos with insect-killing bombs; the other group, led by him, would quietly approach the center of the worm nest and try to eliminate the mother beast.

The operation began with several deafening explosions. The power of the insect-killing bombs instantly threw the swarm into chaos, with the worms scattering in all directions, creating utter confusion within the cave. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhang Shi and his team quickly traversed the swarm, heading straight for the core of the insect hive.

Startled by the loud noise, the mother beast slowly moved her body and crawled out of the insect nest, heading towards the source of the chaos. She was clearly in a weakened state, moving much slower than the one in the mine. Zhang Shi noticed her condition and secretly thought that there was hope.

Taking advantage of the swarm's dispersion, Zhang Shi launched the first attack on the mother beast. He appeared above the mother beast's head with a blink of an eye, his body enhanced by ice armor and various halos, greatly increasing his attributes. With just one strike, he cleaved the mother beast's carapace, and the powerful destructive force of the triple strike blasted the mother beast's flesh apart, causing it to howl in agony.

With just one strike, Zhang Shi discovered the quality of this female beast. Blood gushed from its wounds like a waterfall to the ground, and it did not exhibit any self-healing ability. Its strength was much weaker than the one in the mine.

Zhang Shi smiled. Now that it had lost its self-healing ability, it was much easier to deal with. He felt that he had the monster under his control.