Death Train: SSS-level talent right from the start!

Chen Ye squatted at the edge of the cave entrance, shone his flashlight down, and then looked up at Zhao Hai: "Let's go down and take a look. It's only a star and a half difficulty level. Even if there's something down there, it won't exceed our capabilities."

Zhao Hai nodded and was the first to jump.

His figure disappeared into the darkness, and about two seconds later, the sound of him landing came from below—a muffled thud, not too heavy.

"Come down, the pit isn't very deep."

Chen Ye was the second to jump. The fall was very short; the moment his feet touched the ground, his knees bent slightly to cushion the impact.

The ground beneath my feet was soft mud, and it felt unsettling to step on it.

This is a natural underground passage, about 1.5 meters wide and 2 meters high. The cave walls are a mixture of soil and gravel, and the surface is covered with glowing plants.

Blue-green fluorescent light emanated from the plants, casting an eerie glow over the entire passageway.

The light was not strong, but it densely covered the entire cave wall, enough to make the outline of the passage visible.

Qin Zhaoyang was the third to jump down. He stumbled when he landed, but Chen Ye reached out and grabbed him.

Then came Zhou Yating, Li Zheng, and Wang Shuo.

After all six people landed, the beams of their flashlights and the fluorescent light from the plants intertwined, casting a play of light and shadow in the passageway.

"Walk."

Chen Ye led the way and walked deeper into the passage.

The passageway is narrow, and it would be a bit crowded for two people to walk side by side.

Chen Ye walked in front, with Zhao Hai following behind him. The beams of their flashlights crisscrossed and extended forward in the passage, illuminating the path ahead.

The soil underfoot was soft and damp, making a slight "plop" sound when stepped on.

The air was filled with the smell of humus, mixed with a sweet, rotten odor. The two smells combined were not particularly unpleasant, but they made people instinctively uncomfortable.

After walking several hundred meters, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

Chen Ye emerged from the narrow side passage and stood still.

Before us was an extremely wide passage.

The cave is estimated to be over ten meters wide and at least five meters high. The cave walls are densely covered with luminous plants, and blue-green fluorescent light fills the entire space.

The passage stretched in two directions; the one on the left disappeared into the distance, and the one on the right also seemed endless. Every few meters along the cave wall, there was a narrow fork in the path, about the same size as the one they had just come out of.

Chen Ye's gaze swept over the dense network of branching passages: "It seems the insect hive is underground. Those narrow passages we passed through should be the exits to the various buildings on the surface, and those houses are the entrances to the insect hive, including the one we came into."

Zhou Yating walked up from the back of the group, drew the short knife from her waist, and carved a deep scratch on the cave wall.

"Squad leader, what are you doing?"

Qin Zhaoyang leaned closer to take a look at the carvings on the stone wall.

"Make a mark so we can find our way back more easily." Zhou Yating sheathed the dagger. "This passage slopes downwards. We've already gone down at least ten meters since we came down from the cave entrance."

Qin Zhaoyang said "Oh" and withdrew his head.

"Let's go further in and see if we can find an elite monster."

After Chen Ye finished speaking, he strode towards the right.

Zhao Hai and the others quickly followed.

……

Another location in the underground space.

The walls on both sides of the passage were also covered with blue-green luminescent plants, and the fluorescent light dyed the entire passage in a cold hue.

Tang Jingxin walked at the front, her pace neither too fast nor too slow.

Sean followed on his right, his eyes constantly scanning both sides of the passageway.

The three team members behind him spread out in a loose formation.

Jiang Ning and Jian Lan walked at the very back of the group.

The passage ahead suddenly narrowed.

Tang Jingxin stopped in her tracks.

He raised his right hand, fingers spread, signaling the line to stop.

Sean immediately stopped and looked in the direction Tang Jingxin was staring at.

About fifty meters ahead, the cave walls on both sides of the passage were covered with cocoons.

The cocoons were denser than those seen before, and their surfaces were covered with thick, vascular-like patterns that pulsated slightly.

The cocoons spread from the cave walls all the way to the ground, piling up and almost blocking the entire passage, leaving only a narrow crack.

Looking around, there were at least a hundred cocoons.

"Boss, should we go over there?"

Sean's voice was very low.

"Of course we have to go."

Tang Jingxin's tone was indifferent.

He turned his head, his gaze passing over Sean and landing on Jian Lan at the back of the group: "You go first and see if these cocoons will burst open."

Jian Lan's face turned deathly pale instantly. Her lips trembled slightly, and she subconsciously took half a step closer to Jiang Ning.

"We joined your team to cooperate in dealing with Chen Ye. My men are not your subordinates, and I have already paid you for your services."

Jiang Ning's voice came from the back of the group. He took two steps forward and stood in front of Jian Lan.

Sean turned and took a step forward, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Someone has to go first." He glanced at Jian Lan, then at Jiang Ning. "She's the lowest-ranked in the team. If she doesn't go, are you?"

Jian Lan's face turned even paler.

"Brother Ning..."

"You stay in the back. I'll go."

Jiang Ning's voice was calm.

He didn't look at Jian Lan again and strode forward.

Tang Jingxin turned her head to look at Jiang Ning's back, and the corners of her mouth slowly curved up.

He hadn't seen Jiang Ning make a move yet, so this was a good opportunity to observe.

Jiang Ning walked to the edge of the cocoon area and stood still.

The Emperor Engine roared deep within him.

"Thump-thump—thump-thump—thump-thump—"

A pale red halo emerged from within Jiang Ning's body, like a thin layer of blood mist enveloping him.

The next second, Jiang Ning moved.

His speed was so fast that it was almost impossible for the naked eye to keep up. His pale red figure drew an arc in the blue-green fluorescent light and rushed directly into the cocoon area.

The moment his toes touched the first cocoon, a crack appeared on the cocoon shell.

"Click—"

The crack widened, and dark red liquid gushed out. A pair of dark red chelicerae emerged from the crack, their tips ending in sharp black claws.

A facehugger crawled out of its cocoon.

Then the cocoons around it began to split open almost simultaneously.

The cracking sounds continued, and dark red liquid gushed out of the cocoon, forming tiny streams on the floor of the passage.

Facehuggers emerge from their cocoons, their grayish-white bodies moving rapidly in the blue-green fluorescent light.

Attracted by Jiang Ning, they all chased after him.

Jiang Ning was incredibly fast. His pale red figure moved swiftly through the cocoon area, and when the facehuggers pounced on him, they only managed to hit air.

Behind him, facehuggers gathered into a dark red tide, densely packed and a dark, oppressive mass.

"Get rid of these bugs."

Tang Jingxin's voice came from behind.

Sean pulled a longbow from his storage space. The bow was dark brown, with a faint, pale green glow swirling around it.

One arrow after another was nocked onto the bowstring.

Draw the bow, shoot the arrow, draw the bow again, shoot the arrow again.

Each arrow pierced the body of a facehugger with pinpoint accuracy, the arrow disappearing into the insect's flesh and exiting from the other side, embedding itself in the cave wall. One arrow, one kill, clean and efficient.