Human Hearts

The team assembled, and after a brief greeting, Huang Dongshi, taking the lead, stood before the underground city's portal.

"Everyone stick close and stay alert!" Huang Dongshi stepped through first.

Xu Feng, Cheng Xiaoyu, and Liu Chenhao followed closely behind, followed by the rest of Huang Dongshi's team.

Light flashed, and the environment changed drastically.

A wave of damp air, carrying a faint scent of mold and the musky odor of some insect secretion, washed over them.

Before them lay a vast, winding natural cave system. The cave walls were uneven, covered in honeycomb-like holes and hanging stalactites.

The light was extremely dim, with only weak fluorescence emanating from some glowing moss and minerals deep within the cave.

Rustling sounds came from all directions.

It wasn't long before...

The first wave of monsters appeared.

They were giant ants, half a person's height, with glossy black carapaces, sharp mouthparts, and formidable mandibles!

They swarmed out from holes in the rock walls and cracks in the ground, dense and numerous.

Interspersed among them were smaller flying ants with transparent wings, emitting an irritating buzzing sound.

"They're C-class low-grade Iron Jaw Ants and Flying Sting Ants! Everyone be careful, there are quite a few of them!"

Someone in the team shouted.

"Prepare for battle!"

Huang Dongshi gave the order. His team members immediately took up their formations, staffs glowing, swords drawn.

Xu Feng retreated a few steps, took the Dark Silver Longbow from his back, and nocked an arrow.

He didn't use any fancy techniques, relying solely on his powerful arm strength and precise eyesight to draw the bowstring to its fullest.

He released!

Whoosh--!

The arrow left the string with a sharp whistling sound, accurately striking the weak spot between the compound eyes of an Iron Jaw Ant charging at the front!

The arrow's immense kinetic energy pierced directly through its head, trailing a spray of viscous fluid. The Iron Jaw Ant fell to the ground with a thud.

[Breakthrough Points + 52]

Xu Feng's expression remained unchanged. He drew another arrow, nocked it, and fired.

His movements were fluid, his rhythm steady.

Each arrow was powerful and hit its mark without fail, specifically targeting the joints, compound eyes, and mouthparts of these C-class low-grade monsters.

Although he wasn't skilled in archery, his sheer strength compensated for everything. In the face of absolute power and dynamic vision, these ants, with their not-so-fast movement speed, were practically living targets.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Arrows flew one after another, felling Iron Jaw Ants and Flying Sting Ants.

Xu Feng was like an efficient harvesting machine, clearing the threats ahead.

"Great archery! Brother Xu is amazing!"

Huang Dongshi shouted in praise upon seeing this. His team members echoed his sentiments, their faces breaking into relaxed smiles.

With someone clearing out the grunts, they were happy to conserve their magic power.

Liu Chenhao, wielding his magnificent longsword, also cut down a few approaching ants, shouting excitedly:

"Big Brother Xu is so strong!!!"

Cheng Xiaoyu, however, was much quieter. He held a rather ancient-looking black short sword, patrolling the edges of the battlefield.

Although he didn't engage the ants, his eyes were calm and alert as he observed their surroundings.

This included Huang Dongshi's team.

Even though Cheng Xiaoyu wasn't contributing much, Huang Dongshi and the others didn't pay him much attention.

After all, Cheng Xiaoyu's Hunter rank was only E-class. In tackling this C-class dungeon, he was at best considered a mere errand boy.

As they ventured deeper into the cave, Xu Feng noticed that the ground began to be littered with a large number of ant corpses, their deaths varied. Many appeared to have been torn apart and drained by more powerful predators.

The musky odor in the air grew increasingly pungent, mixed with a hint of cloying sweetness.

Looks like there's more than just ants here.

Xu Feng thought to himself.

At the same time, the Breakthrough Points gained from killing fellow monsters began to sharply decrease, from the initial fifty-plus points down to twenty, then ten, and even just a few.

"Everyone be careful! There might be something big ahead! Look at these ant corpses, they look like they were hunted by a natural predator!"

An experienced Hunter in the team warned.

A subtle glint flashed in Huang Dongshi's eyes. He said loudly, "A natural predator? That could very well be the leader of this underground city!"

"Come on, brothers! The leader is just ahead! If we take it down, this underground city will be ours!"

"Afterward, the rewards will be distributed fairly based on everyone's contributions!"

His words boosted morale.

The group quickened their pace, passing through an area that was more complex and covered in a web-like network of white threads.

However, Xu Feng vaguely sensed that Huang Dongshi and the others behind him seemed to be slowing their steps. Their hushed whispers also increased, as if they were secretly discussing something.

They intentionally or unintentionally fell behind the main group.

Cheng Xiaoyu also noticed this. He moved closer to Xu Feng and Liu Chenhao and whispered, "Be careful."

Liu Chenhao, still caught up in the excitement of the adventure, was a bit confused.

"Careful of what? Ants? Brother Xu is killing them so fast!"

Seeing this, Cheng Xiaoyu shook his head. His expression remained stern as he held his short blade, constantly on guard.

Xu Feng said nothing, merely nodding slightly at Cheng Xiaoyu. The three continued forward side-by-side.

Finally, they reached the deepest part of the cave.

It was an extremely vast underground cavern. Countless thick, white silk threads, dripping with a strange, viscous fluid, hung from the ceiling, interwoven into a massive, three-dimensional spiderweb that filled more than half the space.

In the center of the web, numerous shriveled corpses of ants and other insects were stuck.

And on a high platform at the very back of the cave, a colossal creature was crouched.

It was a spider-like monster the size of a small truck!

Its entire body was covered in dark purple, metallic-sheened carapace, and its eight spiny, segmented legs resembled steel supports.

Most terrifying was its head, which bore a total of eight compound eyes that gleamed with cold red light. As its mouthparts opened and closed, sharp venomous fangs were revealed.

A ferocious aura far exceeding that of a normal C-class monster permeated the air, making it feel thick and heavy.

"High-level C-class... no, this aura, it's probably on the verge of B-class! It has the leader template buff!"

Someone from Huang Dongshi's team exclaimed, their voice trembling.

However, what drew everyone's attention even more was a small pile of angular crystals emitting a faint purple glow next to the giant spider.

"C-class magic stone ore!"

Someone couldn't help but shout, their voice filled with greed.

Although the quantity was far less than the bag Xu Feng had obtained last time, this was a higher-grade C-class ore!

A rough estimate put its value at over thirty million!

Immense profit and deadly threat were presented before them simultaneously.

Just then, a sudden change occurred!

"The leader is just ahead! Everyone, attack together!"

Huang Dongshi suddenly roared. But as he shouted, he and his seven team members actually retreated instead of advancing, rushing madly towards the entrance passage they had just come from!

"Captain Huang! Where are you going?!"

Liu Chenhao shouted in shock.

The answer he received was a deafening roar!

BOOM--!!!

The fire mage in Huang Dongshi's team, with a prepared fireball, fiercely struck the rock face above the narrow passage entrance they had just passed through!

The violent explosion triggered a chain reaction of collapses. Countless rocks rained down, instantly sealing the entrance completely!

Smoke and dust filled the air.

Inside the cave, only Xu Feng, Cheng Xiaoyu, and Liu Chenhao remained.

And before them, the terrifying spider leader, completely awakened by the thunderous explosion, its eight compound eyes instantly locking onto them!

Hiss--!!!

A piercing hiss echoed through the cave. The spider leader slowly stood up, its eight long legs scraping against the ground, producing a bone-chilling screech.

A dense killing intent surged like a tide.

Outside the passage, the sounds of Huang Dongshi and the others rapidly retreating could be faintly heard, along with their undisguised cold laughter:

"A few idiots! So what if they're B-class? Be my bait and hold that monster!

When you're all dead and the monster is weakened, we'll come back to clean up the mess. The magic stone... will be ours! Hahahaha!"