There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

Chapter 546 The rooster crows, the lamp goes out, and one doesn't touch the gold.

The "Mountain Digger Armor" I mentioned disappeared into the darkness like a sharp arrow. No one could see what it looked like. All that could be heard was the rustling sound of it crawling through the mine, and it vanished from sight in an instant.

Standing before the two Phoenix Crying and Angry Sun Chickens who had just performed such a great feat, they couldn't help but hope that the magical creature I brought out would create another miracle.

Gray scratched his head and asked, "Boss Marcus, what did you throw out?"

I said mysteriously, "This is a closely guarded secret of our Mountain Moving Sect, called the Mountain Digging Beetle. It's a creature that splits mountains; no matter how hard the rock, it can't stop its digging! Since insects can dig and build nests in this mine, it definitely can't stop its claws!"

But Harris asked me with some concern, "Since this animal is so good at digging burrows, wouldn't it just escape if we threw it out? It's such a waste to lose such a powerful creature like this..."

Wait a minute, what did the original story say again? It shouldn't have run away, right? As soon as I thought about it, I immediately recalled a bunch of stories about it.

Okay, to prove how amazing this thing is, we need to tell a lot of stories. This time, I'm going to have to brag a bit.

After thinking for a moment, I said confidently, "Don't worry... I have two of these mountain-digging beetles, one big and one small. As long as I hold onto one, the other will obediently come back. There's no need to worry about it escaping alone."

Harris seemed very curious about the strange creature and quickly asked, "Where's the other one? The one we just saw was the small one, could you bring out the big one so I can take a look?!"

"The big one... well..."

I gasped and couldn't help but glance at Gotz, who was laughing heartlessly to the side.

...This guy probably doesn't know that he's a small animal using the Mountain Moving Technique, does he?

I waved my hand and said, "Don't ask. It's not convenient to take out the bigger treasures. I can only reveal that they are a father and a son..."

Harris said regretfully, "Well, that's a real shame..."

What a pity! Do you remember that little green creature you just threw out? It was the one that kept pestering you for cucumbers on the Genesis spaceship and even nibbled on the ham you'd been hiding?

And the big one... how many years have you known each other? You don't recognize him just because he's wearing the Wei Tian Power Armor?

I quickly said, "There will be another chance next time. Don't be discouraged. Let me tell you, this thing is extremely powerful. Because it was not properly guarded, it has caused countless disasters, so I dare not take it out casually!"

Gray asked curiously, "Really?"

I nodded solemnly and said, "Of course, back then they accidentally dug open the sacred mountain and opened the magic box, releasing the snake-headed banshee and the human-bodied scorpion demon. Fortunately, we found seven heroes who were able to subdue them..."

Gray was horrified. "Isn't that incredibly dangerous? Are there really monsters this dangerous in this world?!"

I shook my head: "That's dangerous? Let me tell you, the most dangerous time was when they released the ancient Titans. Even the eight Olympian gods almost lost when they joined forces."

"Who are the eight main gods?" Gray asked curiously.

"Eight... those eight! One rode a donkey, one carried a flower basket, one used a cane, and one loved to wield a greatsword—these eight, in the end, rode on Poseidon's raging waves and disappeared at the ends of the earth..."

The more I talked, the more I felt something was wrong. It seemed like I had remembered the story wrong somewhere.

If this continues, it seems like Gots should have become a simp for one of the goddesses, almost to the point of destroying the divine court...

I'm not being discriminatory... but does he even deserve it?

"Enough of that, let's go inside, Gotz!"

Without saying anything more, I left a bewildered Gray and Harris behind and ventured back into the deserted mine.

…………

Shortly after we entered, we discovered a path that had been dug in the wall of the mine, where there had previously been no way to go.

The scattered clods of soil were bound together by a strange colloid, adhering perfectly to the nearby terracotta wall and rock, so much so that we were unable to find any abnormal traces despite multiple inspections.

The kappa's digging instinct is truly absurd; it was able to break through this rock layer in a short time, cutting through the camouflage outside the insect nest as easily as slicing tofu, thus pointing us to the exact location.

But by then the kappa had disappeared on the other side of the deep cave, and I couldn't see where it had dug to. So I had to take out my tools and widen the small cave it had dug to make sure that Gots and I could pass through normally.

"Gotz, you've lived here for so long, and you've never been inside this mine before?" I asked Gotz quietly during a break from work.

Gotz clenched his fists, and with a slight effort, he broke apart the hardened, dry soil on the wall, quickly beginning the demolition work. "No, Old Man Hook told us before he left that there was something wrong with these mines in Mount Mads and that they had to be kept sealed off. That's why I've never come near here..."

"Oh, then good luck, working class."

"A worker? Why did you hit someone? As a sheriff, you can't do that..." Gotz asked me, completely bewildered.

I ignored him, thinking to myself that Old Man Hook was just too suspicious, habitually hiding many things and being wary of everyone around him.

Although his motivations differed from those of old Yorkson, their methods were remarkably similar, which was quite infuriating.

The things he kept from me included the whereabouts of several other miners, the unknown cause of Lady Lilia's strange illness, and the truth about the haunted mine.

These things are right around us, yet we are forced to remain ignorant and unaware in this treacherous world. Are we afraid that we will have a mental breakdown after we learn the truth?

Besides, if that's the case, I could have broken down dozens of times by now, for reasons that would be completely different each time.

I believe that preparation is key to success, while lack of preparation leads to failure. If there are no contingency plans for what is about to happen, it is entirely possible for things to slide into an irreversible abyss.

Of course, it's not that I can't understand what Old Man Hook did.

Just like Mr. Rhodes in a parallel world, who willingly faced the conspiracy of the Thousand-Faced God alone, the more people know, the greater the help; sometimes, it also means more resistance.

Besides, life is unpredictable; how could he have imagined that a genius like me would emerge from the mining town?

For example, in the seemingly unremarkable year of 1592, the Japanese Taiko Toyotomi Hideyoshi could not have imagined that the Siege of Osaka twenty-three years later would completely bury the Toyotomi family.

Emperor Wanli, Zhu Yijun, could not have imagined that fifty-two years later his grandson, Zhu Youjian, would hang himself on Coal Hill.

Of course, no one in the world expected that 349 years later, the French would surrender just six weeks after the start of the war.

Today’s breasts (1/1).

"Okay, let's go in!"

Thanks to the hard work of the construction worker, even though I slacked off a little, it didn't affect the overall construction schedule, and we quickly dug a hole large enough to get in.

Ah, happiness is often something you can grasp completely, while dedication is often hidden. But my initial intention in slacking off wasn't because I was lazy.

Just now, as I approached this dark terracotta wall, I felt that chilling sensation again, as if my subconscious was telling me to leave as soon as possible.

I had felt this way before when I approached the mine, but this time the feeling was particularly strong. Accompanying the slight dizziness in the darkness was a sudden message from the colonist system.

"Unknown event: When the colonists approached this ancient building, they were filled with a strong sense of foreboding. It is unclear why, but there is likely to be great danger lurking in this dusty building."

"System notification: The area you are currently approaching poses a great threat. Colonists, please be on high alert."

I checked that the automatic counterattack mode was activated, then placed my finger on the ejection button of the first-dimensional equipment, stopping Gots who was about to cross the tunnel.

"You're too tall and you'll block the door. It's more appropriate for me to walk in front."

Having said that, I rushed ahead of Gotz and crawled into the tunnel, relighting the torch in my hand.

This is still an artificial mine shaft made using wooden piles and rock excavation techniques, with marks left by pickaxe chisels on both walls.

The door we just opened has been confirmed to be man-made. It was dug open by some unknown insects and then plugged with secretions. The orderly sealing marks reminded us of the people who desperately abandoned the mine when the crisis broke out in Mineral Town.

The torchlight burned weakly in the confined and thin air. Behind the tunnel, there was a pungent, strange smell. The incomplete burning also caused thick smoke, which suddenly drove out some other insects from the cave.

At this moment, this long-abandoned mine has been forcibly occupied by uninvited guests.

The walls were covered with dense, silk-like cocoon marks, and dark green and purulent yellow fluids were unevenly distributed throughout the cave. Many fat insects that had failed to emerge from their cocoons had become shriveled and charred, becoming the source of a pungent stench.

What's even more disgusting is that the floor is now covered with strange insects with shells and patterns, no legs and no eyes. Each one is about the size of a finger, but their body shapes are all different. They are suddenly awakened by the sound, rubbing their abdomens against the floor and wriggling around aimlessly in a panic.

Having entered the mine first, I was so terrified by what I saw that I kept backing away.

This isn't a matter of how brave you are, it's just that it looks disgusting!

These insects live in darkness so dark that their eyes are nowhere to be seen. Their bodies still retain some features of carapace, compound eyes, and arthropods, but they are all fat and ugly, crawling all over the ground. If you accidentally step on one, it will burst out with a disgusting liquid. And there are so many of them that it is impossible to count them. If you stretch out your foot, you will definitely step on two. If you don't move, they will crawl onto your body...

In the corner, I also saw the escape hole dug by the kappa, clearly indicating that it had escaped from there...

At this point, it seems there's only one way...

"Gotz, come in and see God!"

I shouted something behind me, trembling all over. Gotz, not understanding what was going on, sped up and crawled in. As a result, we were both trapped inside, unable to move forward or backward. We could only shake our bodies like trembling worms to prevent them from crawling on us.

"Marcus! Why did you trick me into coming to this godforsaken place?!"

Gotz said, his jaw clenched.

I answered matter-of-factly, "Of course we'll share the hardship! This is an unprecedented situation; do you think I would enjoy it all by myself?"

"Better to sacrifice a friend than myself!" In times like these, sacrificing a friend can perfectly solve the problem!

Gotz felt something wriggling in his trouser leg, so he quickly shook his left leg and sure enough, a few insects fell off.

"Marcus, put those animals off your shoulder! Aren't they supposed to be good at dealing with bugs?"

At the critical moment, Gotz first thought of the Alpha Chickens that came in with me and suggested that I ask them to come out and save the day again.

But when I turned my head, I saw two Alphas huddled around my neck, burying their heads in their feathers and playing dead, their furry bodies trembling and shedding fur.

"...There are just too many of them this time. Even the Angry Chicken, which hasn't super evolved yet, can't handle them! How about you transform into a Deep One and eat all the bugs?" I nudged Gots.

Gots said in despair, "How could anyone possibly eat this?! The outside is full of ordinary bugs, so why are these inside so strange?!"

We stood our ground for a while, unwilling to retreat. Now that we were already inside, these insects, though disgusting to look at, couldn't cause any real harm.

Since we're already here...

"Keep pushing! If we don't charge, we're not charging our own people! Gotz, give it your all!"

I gritted my teeth and took a step... kicking Gotz. After he lost his balance and started running into the mine, I followed him, gritting my teeth and ignoring the slippery, juicy feeling under my feet, quickly rushing through this dark place.

The further you go, the more ferocious and terrifying the insects become. Their soft bodies gradually develop chitinous exoskeletons, and they begin to grow more than six jointed legs, as well as increasingly sophisticated chewing mouthparts.

Fortunately, these ugly worms were not phototactic, so Gotz and I made a relatively smooth sprint.

We dared not touch the insect-infested rock face, and our steps were heavy with trepidation from the nauseating sensation, but the torches illuminated the path in the darkness, and we soon found the next entrance...

Inside, the graceful, butterfly-like flying insects of the Lepidoptera order have been completely abandoned. Instead, we see more Anoptera with their robust bodies, folded wings, and piercing-sucking mouthparts. The overall design leans towards a clumsy, heavy-duty Soviet style…

"Gotz, I feel we were too hasty..."

I exclaimed.

Our rash entry is no different from trying to join a large-scale charity event in the US with just a nail clipper.

Such a large-scale insect gathering is beyond our imagination. It is not the kind of spread pest that Cliff conjectured, but an evolutionary insect plague that broke out for a specific reason!

The air was thinner deeper in the mine, and the strange smell became more pronounced, as if something was rotting and decaying inside the cave.

"Marcus! Look over there!"

Gotz, who was running ahead, suddenly spoke. He could see further in the darkness, but what surprised him so much about the insects' gradually numbing will?