stonecrandall Page 351
Page 351
"Outsiders...why have you trespassed into our sacred land?"
These words struck the minds of every listener like a thunderbolt, not only because it was the first time that a life form other than humans had spoken out and broken the silence, but more importantly, because it indirectly confirmed the claim that an ancient civilization might exist here.
"Hello. We are not enemies." Considering the current complex and volatile situation and the lack of understanding of the opponent's true intentions, Zhao De decided to try peaceful communication first to seek a solution. "Our goal is very simple: we just hope to find the entrance to the long-lost ruins."
After a moment of silence, the mysterious creature that had spoken on behalf of the host responded again:
"If what you say is true, then... perhaps there is still room for negotiation between us."
Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. At least for now, both sides were willing to communicate, which was clearly a good start for what was to come. However, the most urgent task was still to handle the current situation cautiously…
Just as the atmosphere was beginning to ease, an even louder sound suddenly came from afar, followed by the appearance of a massive horde of creatures, several times larger than the ones seen before.
Chapter 906 A More Suitable Hideout
Chapter 906 A More Suitable Hideout
“That’s…” Even a seasoned veteran couldn’t hide the surprise on his face. “It looks like things are getting more complicated…”
Faced with this sudden change, even the previously mild-mannered biological representative frowned, clearly indicating that the newcomer was not a friend but a formidable foe.
“It seems we must expedite these negotiations,” the female leader said, her tone tinged with urgency. “Gentlemen, please prepare for battle. We cannot remain here indefinitely.”
The sky was now completely shrouded in deep black, with only a few stars twinkling faintly, adding an air of unpredictable beauty to the world. However, behind this beauty lurked countless unknowns and dangers…
The appearance of the mysterious horde shattered the brief silence, their roars as deafening as thunder rolling across the sky. Zhao De frowned, watching the massive, unknown beings slowly approach. An indescribable sense of oppression filled the air, as if time itself had stood still.
"Everyone, get your weapons ready!" Zhao De commanded in a low voice, while turning his gaze to the mysterious representative who could communicate. "Friend, what is your relationship with these newcomers? If necessary, please help clarify this."
After a moment's hesitation, the other replied, "They are a force independent of other races, beyond our control. Our connection is not close... However," he paused, "perhaps I could try to speak with them once?"
Before anyone could react, the mysterious creature that had initiated the communication stepped out of the group and headed alone towards the front of the newly arrived, massive group. A brief but tense exchange ensued, ultimately ending in failure: the latter approached with a clearly aggressive posture.
“It seems the talks have yielded no results,” the female leader calmly analyzed. “We must act immediately to devise an evacuation plan or find a more suitable hiding place.”
Just then, hurried footsteps came from not far away. It turned out that a member of the reconnaissance team had rushed back to report: "I have found a hidden route for a quick evacuation! But the road is full of traps and obstacles... If you are not familiar with the route, it may be difficult to reach the destination safely."
“It’s alright, this is the best option right now.” She made a decisive decision. “Everyone, follow my orders. Zhao De, you and a few people who are skilled in trap-breaking techniques come with me; the rest of you, split into small teams and follow behind, stay alert and don’t fall behind.”
The group quickly began to move along the narrow, winding tunnel. The surrounding walls were damp, and the sound of dripping water made movement extremely difficult. Although everyone tried to remain silent, heavy breathing echoed throughout the space, reminding each other of the extreme danger they were in.
After several hours of arduous trekking, they finally saw a faint but much brighter light shining through the ground. Just as everyone was preparing to quicken their pace and rush out, they were unexpectedly attacked from above—
"Oh no! Enemy ambushes!" A cry of alarm rang out, followed by the continuous cracking sounds of rocks being struck.
The crowd immediately scattered to avoid the rain of flying stones. Just as everyone was sinking into despair, a lithe figure leaped from the crowd and headed straight for the point of attack—it was Zhao De.
Chapter 907 Caused considerable losses
Chapter 907 caused considerable losses.
With his exceptional physical abilities, he quickly climbed to the top of the cave and located the creature that had launched the attack. "Hey guys, leave it to me!" With a casual shout, Zhao De swiftly engaged the creature in combat. The two engaged in fierce fighting in the confined space, each move carrying an intense sense of confrontation.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted underground. Some smaller, agile monsters took advantage of the confusion to dart into the crowd, causing considerable losses; while the remaining companions worked hard to build a defensive line to withstand external pressure and look for opportunities to counterattack.
Just as the battle was becoming increasingly critical, a blinding white light suddenly appeared, illuminating the entire area—was it the friend who had previously expressed his willingness to help solve the problem finally coming to the rescue?
"Don't just stand there! Follow the light!" the familiar figure shouted. "I've taken care of these troublemakers for you. Now evacuate in the designated direction!"
Hearing this, everyone felt a great sense of relief. Although many challenges and unknown threats still awaited them, at least they now had a clear goal and trustworthy companions. As the last figure completely disappeared at the end of the passage of light…
"Wait! Something's still missing..."
Zhao De brandished his makeshift weapon and engaged in a thrilling battle with the enemy who suddenly leaped out of the darkness.
That guy was agile, clearly not a first-time fighter in this kind of environment.
Zhao De narrowly dodged every attack, and he even had the leisure to shout down, "Hey guys, give it your all! You'll have to treat me to a good meal later!"
Those below couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this, and the tense atmosphere eased slightly. Just as everyone thought they could catch their breath, an alarm sounded again from the other side: "Watch out in the left passage! Something's approaching!"
No sooner had they finished speaking than a huge monster with several pairs of sharp claws burst out of the shadows. Fortunately, they had been well-prepared, and the group immediately formed a battle formation to meet it, using the confined space to limit its range of movement.
"Ah Yun, is your fire talisman ready?" The woman in the lead turned to the short boy beside her and asked.
This child named Yun Che is young, but he possesses a unique skill: he can manipulate flames to form a protective shield or condense them into highly lethal projectiles.
He quickly made the hand gesture and pointed it at the target. Instantly, a blazing pillar of fire shot into the sky, forcing the approaching monster back several steps.
Although they failed to kill him in one fell swoop, it bought the team valuable time. "Move quickly!" Yun Che said while replenishing his energy.
Just as the battle raged on, the beam of light fired by the mysterious friend once again played a crucial role. It not only dispelled the darkness and brought light to guide them, but more importantly, it also dealt damage, inadvertently eliminating a group of creatures that were trying to ambush them.
As the light source gradually stabilized, the group quickened their pace along the illuminated path. "Looks like we really have to thank you this time," Zhao De shouted into the air during a lull. "Don't mention it, we're allies," the man replied with a smile, continuing to use his powerful strength to escort them safely through the journey.
Chapter 908 Rapid Sprint
Chapter 908 Rapid Sprint
After a rapid sprint, they finally saw the cave exit ahead, where the natural light was much brighter.
Just when everyone thought the crisis was about to pass—
"Wait! We're almost there... We need to go back and gather all our teammates first!" A thoughtful teammate suddenly remembered something and shouted, "It seems someone got separated from us while we were escaping!"
These words immediately alerted the others, because if they left now, it could lead to an irreversible situation.
Faced with such a situation, even if the priority is to escape, the safety of each companion must be taken into account.
"Are you sure?" Zhao De asked in a deep voice, his brows furrowed, revealing his deep concern.
“Absolutely certain.” The woman named Qingchuan nodded firmly. “During the chaos just now, one of our team members was unfortunately injured and fell unconscious while protecting everyone. If we don’t take him with us…” She stopped there, but everyone understood what that meant.
After a few seconds of silence, Zhao De issued another order: "Alright, we'll change our plan and go back the way we came to pick up the missing members. But time is of the essence, so please be efficient."
Everyone nodded; Zhao De's orders carried unquestionable authority within the team. Qingchuan tightened her grip on her weapon, took a deep breath, and said, "I remember that team member was Zhang Xiang. He should have lost track of us near that last grove of trees."
“Alright, let’s split into two groups.” Zhao De quickly assigned the tasks. “One group will follow me along the original route to search for Zhang Xiang’s location; the other group, led by Lao Chen, will stay here to guard against any enemy attacks.” After saying that, he turned his gaze to the few young faces in the team and patted them on the shoulder encouragingly.
—
The air inside the cave was damp and stuffy, with occasional drops of water seeping from the cracks in the rocks hitting the ground with a "drip-drip" sound. The small group moved almost silently, with only the soft thud of their hurried but controlled footsteps and the sound of their breathing.
"Did you hear that?" Qingchuan abruptly stopped, her eyes scanning her surroundings warily. The faint sound she had just heard, which definitely didn't belong to her teammates' movements, had alerted her.
Zhao De reacted immediately, raising a hand to signal everyone to stop and drawing his short sword: "What was that sound?"
Just then, from behind a pile of rubble not far from them, came a weak yet desperate cry: "Who...is there? Please...save me..." It was indeed Zhang Xiang!
Several people quickened their pace and ran towards the direction of the sound. They saw Zhang Xiang sitting half-on the ground, his left leg injured and unable to stand properly, blood already soaking through his trouser leg.
"Thank goodness we found you!" Qingchuan was the first to rush over and squat down. After checking his wound, she looked up at her teammate and said, "Luckily it's not too serious, but this isn't a suitable place to treat it."
Just as they were preparing to help the injured man away, a series of hurried footsteps approached from deeper within...
-
"Damn it, the pursuers are coming again!" a young man named Liu Fei cursed. He was originally part of a defensive team, but seeing the critical situation ahead, he disregarded everything else and joined the rescue operation.
Zhao De remained remarkably calm, demonstrating remarkable composure even in an emergency: "Judging from the footsteps, there aren't many of them. Let's set up an ambush first! Qingchuan, you're in charge of bandaging Zhang Xiang to stop the bleeding. The rest of you, come with me to find advantageous terrain to engage them!"
Chapter 909 Hesitated for a moment
Chapter 909 Hesitated for a moment
At the leader's command, everyone except a few who remained behind quickly took their positions and got into action. When the intruders approached close enough to make their faces discernible, the combat teams, who had been lying in ambush, launched a fierce attack simultaneously. Within minutes, the situation was successfully turned around.
—.
After dealing with the sudden attackers, the group didn't linger but immediately set off again towards the cave entrance. After a brief and perilous ordeal, they finally saw the increasingly bright sunlight.
Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Zhang Xiang suddenly grabbed Zhao De's arm tightly: "Captain... there's something very important I didn't have time to tell you..." He gasped for breath, trying to speak.
As Zhao De leaned down to listen, his brow furrowed slightly: "Don't rush, let's talk slowly after we're safe."
“No, I have to tell you now.” Zhang Xiang’s eyes were unusually serious, even somewhat desperate. “Actually… in the chaos, I also discovered the entrance to the enemy’s secret base… it was hidden in an inconspicuous place deep in this cave.”
These words were like a bombshell dropped into the crowd, and everyone looked shocked. "Can you confirm the exact location?" Qingchuan hurriedly asked.
“I can point out the general direction, but…” He hesitated for a moment, seemingly weighing some important information, “…if we can find and destroy it, we can stop the enemy from taking further action…”
"It seems we need to make a choice..." Zhao De's gaze slowly swept across everyone's faces. "Either choose to escape immediately and avoid further danger, or risk going deep behind enemy lines to try and increase the chances of victory. Whatever the outcome, this will be a crucial moment that will determine our fate... What do you think?"
The last question was clearly directed at Qingchuan, his capable assistant who had always been by his side.
Qingchuan's eyes were unusually firm at this moment. She looked up and met Zhao De's gaze: "I think we should take a gamble. If we can really destroy the enemy's secret base in one fell swoop, we can not only save more innocent lives, but also perhaps end this long war."
Her words were like a shot in the arm for everyone, instantly replacing the unease and fear caused by the unknown with a surge of excitement.
“Okay, we’ll do it your way.” Zhao De nodded in agreement. “But we must be careful; we can’t underestimate our enemy. Liu Fei and Xiao Ma, you two stay here to take care of Zhang Xiang. The rest of you, get ready to leave!”
—
With the decision made, the pace of the operation quickened considerably. The team split into two groups: one group continued to escort Zhang Xiang and the other wounded towards the cave entrance, while the rest followed the direction indicated by Zhang Xiang to explore deeper into the cave.
The cave gradually darkened, with only occasional flashes of fluorescent fungi providing a faint light. This environment, ironically, instilled a sense of tension and unease in everyone, as if unpredictable dangers lurked at any moment.
After walking for about an hour, as we turned into a more open space, we indeed saw an inconspicuous small door hidden behind the rocks, but upon closer inspection, we could see signs of human intervention.
"Is this it?" Zhao De asked softly.