Looking at the dark, ominous cave entrance, everyone felt a chill creep up from the soles of their feet.
The vines around the cave entrance were twisted and gnarled, like some kind of living thing. The rocks were covered with slippery moss and eerie dark red patches. The familiar stench of decay permeated the air, even stronger than outside.
"Is this the place?"
Su Lan gripped her weapon tightly, her voice tinged with tension, "Prepare high-powered flashlights and cold flames! Check the weapons! Xiao Wang, test the drone!"
One of the team members immediately took out a small drone and tried to control it to fly into the cave entrance.
However, as soon as the drone approached the cave entrance, the screen instantly filled with static, and it completely lost control. It wobbled and crashed into the rocks at the cave entrance, emitting a plume of black smoke, and was rendered useless.
"As expected, the interference here is much stronger!"
The team member reported this with frustration.
"It seems we have no choice but to force our way in."
Su Lan took a deep breath and looked at Ling Qingxue and Zhang Shaozhong, "The three of you, what do you think..."
Ling Qingxue carefully probed the cave entrance with her divine sense, her cold eyes narrowing slightly: "There are remnants of a simple maze formation at the cave entrance, but it has been destroyed. There is a dense aura of death and resentment inside, be careful."
Ye Meier, on the other hand, was excited and rubbing her hands together, saying, "Who cares what demons or monsters are inside? Let's just rush in and beat them to a pulp! Come on, let's go! Lord, stick close to me, I'll protect you!"
As she spoke, she reached out to grab Zhang Shaozhong's arm again.
Zhang Shaozhong quickly dodged to the side. After that punch, his confidence had increased, but he was also more cautious: "Big sister, stop fooling around, listen to the fairy's arrangements."
Ling Qingxue pondered for a moment and said, "I'll go first, Shaozhong will cover the rear, and Mei'er will provide support in the middle. Captain Su, you all follow behind me, keep your distance, and retreat immediately if anything changes."
This arrangement is clearly the most reasonable.
Ling Qingxue is the strongest and has the keenest senses, making her suitable for scouting.
Zhang Shaozhong's chaotic energy is domineering and can effectively suppress evil spirits, ensuring a safe rearguard action.
Night Enchantress is unpredictable and can provide support to both sides from the center.
Su Lan's team was relatively weak and was protected in the middle.
Although Su Lan wanted to fight alongside Ling Qingxue, she knew the importance of the matter and nodded in agreement: "Alright! I'll listen to the fairy!"
After everyone adjusted their formation, Ling Qingxue's fingertip lit up with a soft white ball of light, like a small moon, dispelling the darkness at the cave entrance, and she took the lead and went inside.
Su Lan's team followed closely behind, then Ye Meier, while Zhang Shaozhong circulated his chaotic energy, his body radiating a faint gray light, and he walked cautiously at the back.
Upon entering the cave, the temperature plummeted, and a chilling, damp atmosphere enveloped us like a venomous snake.
The cave was much more spacious than I had imagined, but the terrain was extremely complex, with jagged rocks and the ground covered with slippery mud and unidentified skeletons (some of animals, and some that seemed to be human?).
The stench in the air, mixed with a faint smell of blood, was nauseating.
The ball of light in Ling Qingxue's hand could only illuminate a range of about ten meters around her; deeper inside was an impenetrable darkness that seemed capable of swallowing all light.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the sound of footsteps and heavy breathing echoing clearly in the empty cave.
Watch your step! There's something there!
Ling Qingxue suddenly shouted.
Suddenly, several smaller, faster black shadows, resembling the monsters from before, shot out of the mud ahead and hurtled towards the group like arrows!
"Fire!" Su Lan reacted swiftly and immediately gave the order!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets whistled through the air, riddling most of the shadowy figures with holes, splattering blood everywhere.
But one fish still slipped through the net, broke through the firepower, opened its mouth full of fine teeth, and bit at the throat of a team member!
"court death!"
Zhang Shaozhong, who was covering the rear, squinted and pointed his fingers like a sword. A wisp of condensed gray chaotic energy shot out like a bullet, arriving first despite being behind, and accurately pierced the head of the black shadow!
puff!
The dark figure froze instantly, then turned into a pool of black water and fell down.
"Thank you... thank you, Mr. Zhang!"
The team member, still shaken, thanked them.
Zhang Shaozhong waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to be polite, but he became even more vigilant.
The monsters in this cave seem to be more troublesome than those outside.
As the team ventured deeper into enemy territory, the attacks they encountered became increasingly frequent.
Besides the small monsters that are extremely fast, there are also some strange creatures that can spray corrosive slime or hide in the crevices of rocks to launch sneak attacks.
Fortunately, with Ling Qingxue's divine sense warning and Zhang Shaozhong's powerful restraint from the chaotic energy, coupled with the tacit cooperation and firepower support of Su Lan's team, the situation was resolved without serious danger.
But everyone's mood grew increasingly heavy.
Along the way, they discovered many more traces of human activity—damaged equipment, scattered bullet casings, and even several highly decomposed corpses that had been gnawed beyond recognition. Judging from their clothing, they were the forest rangers and members of the reconnaissance team who had gone missing earlier!
"asshole!"
Su Lan's eyes reddened as she looked at her companion's miserable state, and her fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
Night Enchantress also abandoned her playful mood, her eyes sharpening: "There must be some big guy controlling these things in this godforsaken place."
Ling Qingxue did not speak, but her divine sense had already locked onto the deepest part of the cave, where the energy fluctuations and resentment were as clear as a lighthouse in the dark.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the space in front of us suddenly opened up, revealing a huge underground cavern!
In the center of the cave, there is a murky pool of water that emits a strong, fishy stench.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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