The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

It was as if it were a warning from a deeper place.

Zhou Jian stopped in his tracks. The strands of hair wrapped around his thumb were still vibrating slightly, not frequently, but persistently.

The authority of death seems to have a special sensitivity to the aura of death of its own kind or of a higher level.

Deep within the main mine tunnel, there exists something that also exudes the aura of death!

Zhou Jian simply noted down this information and marked it, without delving any further.

Instead, he turned around and went down another side road.

The terrain here is much more complicated than he imagined.

Beneath the mine shafts lay a dense network of secondary tunnels, interconnected in all directions, with no idea where they led.

As they went deeper, rustling sounds came again from all directions.

This time, the sound didn't come from ahead, but from... the wall.

Zhou Jian raised his head and looked at the rock walls on both sides of the tunnel.

The rock face is covered with countless holes, each the size of a fist, and they are bottomless.

That chilling friction sound came from these countless holes.

This is not a simple mine.

It is a nest.

A gigantic insect nest.

The number of people he killed before was probably less than one ten-thousandth of the entire nest.

If someone with trypophobia came here, they would probably be scared to death on the spot by the ubiquitous sounds and holes.

Zhou Jian wasn't afraid of any of that.

He simply listened quietly to the subtle sounds coming from those holes, assessing the potential threats.

That single strand of hair, though powerful, was ultimately just a wisp of power.

Its destructive power has its limits.

However, Zhou Jian's own strength was too weak.

Once surrounded by the endless monsters in the holes, even if he possessed the power of death, he wouldn't be able to escape unscathed.

Having realized this, Zhou Jian decisively abandoned the idea of ​​completely eradicating the area.

The task is to ensure the mining of blue fluorite, not to stir up this hornet's nest.

He turned around and began to retrace his steps.

"Hiss—!"

Just as he turned around, a cluster of scarlet lights suddenly emerged from a side path he had previously overlooked.

Another swarm of insects.

Their numbers were no less than the first wave, and they surged forward frantically, seemingly intent on tearing this creature that dared to trespass into their territory to shreds.

Zhou Jian remained expressionless, without even stopping his steps.

He simply raised his right hand.

The gray hair was stretched out and then silently darted out again, tracing a path that was impossible for an ordinary person to catch, heading towards the surging swarm of insects.

There was no earth-shattering fanfare, nor any dazzling light effects.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment wherever the hair touched.

Immediately following was a series of dense, teeth-grinding cracking sounds.

That was the sound of the carapace and flesh being precisely cut and split open from the inside.

The hundreds of black-armored mineral beetles at the forefront maintained their forward momentum, but after rushing a few meters, their bodies were all split in two.

Dark black blood and internal organs burst open instantly, filling the entire passage.

A silent massacre has been staged once again.

When the last mineral worm split open, the gray-white hair floated back and wrapped around Zhou Jian's thumb again.

Without even glancing at the corpses on the ground, he stepped through the remains and pools of blood and continued walking towards the cave entrance.

......

An hour later.

Zhou Jian's figure emerged from the deep darkness.

His clothes were spotless, a stark contrast to the overwhelming, almost tangible, stench of blood wafting from the cave entrance.

Only the soles of the shoes were covered with a thick layer of dark, bloody mud.

"Captain Zhou!"

The soldier who had been guarding the cave entrance immediately came forward.

Behind him, three thousand Dragon Kingdom warriors maintained their standard ranks, but each of their faces was filled with eagerness and curiosity.

Although they didn't go inside, they didn't know exactly what happened inside.

But the overwhelming stench of blood was so strong that they could smell it clearly even from a distance.

The smell was thick, fishy, ​​and even so strong that it was tangible, like the smell of blood.

Some soldiers who had never experienced this situation before were already feeling nauseous.

It's hard to imagine how one person could commit such a horrific massacre in such a short time.

Meeting the gaze of the soldier and the three thousand men behind him, the soldier asked, "Captain Zhou, what about those monsters...?"

"Has it all been cleaned up?"

His words trembled slightly, a tremor that was both excitement and awe.

However, Zhou Jian simply shook his head calmly.

"without."

One word instantly froze the atmosphere at the scene.

Everyone was stunned.

No?

Are you kidding me!

The strong smell of blood has almost permeated the entire mine shaft. Is this what you call not being cleaned properly?

What would it look like if it were cleaned thoroughly?

Before they could recover from their shock, Zhou Jian continued to explain in his emotionless voice.

"There are too many branching paths deep in the mine, leading in all directions, like a maze."

"Moreover, the walls deeper inside are covered with countless fist-sized holes, each filled with monsters."

Zhou Jian's words were brief, but contained a great deal of information.

Those present were all elite soldiers, and they instantly pictured the scene in their minds.

A massive lair composed of countless monsters.

Once you go deep inside, you will be completely overwhelmed by monsters surging out from all directions.

Thinking about this, many people broke out in a cold sweat.

They finally understood why Zhou Jian wouldn't let them in.

With their strength, they would be nothing more than cannon fodder if they went in; they wouldn't even make a ripple.

The soldier leading the group swallowed hard and said with difficulty, "So...you mean...?"

Zhou Jian: "However, the area around the mine is now basically safe. As long as we don't go deep into the mine, those monsters won't come out on their own anymore."

Upon hearing this, the soldier breathed a sigh of relief, and then his eyes lit up.

"Does that mean we can go in and mine blue fluorite now?"

Zhou Jian nodded.

"Can."

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, the faces of the three thousand soldiers were instantly filled with ecstasy.

"Everyone, prepare to enter! First team of mining crew, bring your tools and distribute them!"

At the command, the previously silent team immediately sprang into action with high efficiency.

Zhou Jian didn't say anything more, turned around, and led the way back into the mine.

Three thousand soldiers, carrying homemade torches, followed closely behind.

However, when they actually stepped into the mine and saw what was inside, everyone was stunned by what they saw.

The orderly queue froze for a moment.

"vomit......"

Several young soldiers could no longer hold back and immediately bent over to retch.

The scene before us can no longer be described as tragic.

This is a hellish slaughterhouse.

Although Zhou Jian had already retrieved the monster's corpse, the ground, walls, and even the cave ceiling were covered in sticky blood and mud.

Layer upon layer, so thick it looked like a black and red carpet had been laid out.

The stench of blood in the air was so strong it was suffocating.

They could clearly imagine the horrific massacre that had occurred here not long ago.

Countless monsters surged in like a tide, only to be annihilated by a man in a way they could not comprehend.

Everyone's gaze involuntarily converged on the back of the person walking at the very front.

Humans are inherently drawn to strength.

Zhou Jian can do things that they can't.

At this moment, Zhou Jian's image in their minds became much more impressive.

Zhou Jian ignored the commotion behind him.

He did not participate in the mining.

After leading everyone into a relatively safe mining area, he continued alone into the deeper parts of the mine.

He stopped at the boundary between light and darkness.