Pursuit Below

Captain Su saw that Li Luo was also prepared to venture deeper into the cave and asked, "Li Luo, do you need any supplies?"

Li Luo thought for a moment and said, "Food."

A small suitcase full of canned food was brought over. Li Luo swung it onto her back.

Seeing that everyone was ready, Captain Su stopped wasting time and commanded, "Let's go."

He took the lead and entered the cave, with several deputies following close behind.

Mo Ling and Li Luo were in the middle.

As he controlled the Cube into the cave, the flesh pellets eagerly received it and pushed it inward.

After rounding a bend, the cave sent the Cube down a slope.

The transport speed began to increase. The flesh pellets wriggled continuously, accelerating like intestines squeezing the Cube downward.

Mo Ling saw that the cave wall behind the flesh pellets did indeed contain small fungal growths resembling mushrooms, with white fungal flesh farther behind them.

Inside the tough fungal flesh were fibrous structures that stretched, contracted, and swayed. They were remarkably resilient, surging up and down like waves.

Though the cave twisted and turned, Mo Ling inside the Cube did not feel as though he was being flung around. He only felt a soft, cushioned motion.

As the speed increased, the flesh pellets grew longer and longer until they completely wrapped around the Cube.

Mo Ling hurriedly straightened himself and braced against the metal wall, but the shaking still left him dizzy.

At last, the flesh pellets began slowing the Cube down.

After a stretch of deceleration, Mo Ling saw the exit.

It was an opening identical to the entrance aboveground, slanting downward toward the cap of a gigantic mushroom.

The Cube was tossed onto the mushroom cap, pressing a deep hollow into the soft mushroom flesh before it slowly bounced back.

Seeing that they had finally reached their destination, Mo Ling quickly controlled the Cube back into the air.

It was a vast underground world, with countless towering stone pillars supporting the pitch-black sky.

Yet life here was exceptionally abundant. Massive mushrooms and glowing plants grew everywhere.

It reminded Mo Ling of an era—the Carboniferous Period.

The air was warm and humid. Within moments of arriving, the Cube was already covered in droplets of water.

The plants looked densely packed and luxuriant. Ferns in particular occupied much of the lower space, their Root Systems sprawling through the damp soil.

There were also many enormous insects, fitting perfectly with the Carboniferous Period's other name, the Age of Giant Insects.

Soon afterward, Mo Ling saw Li Luo and the soldiers who had followed them down.

Captain Su had already contacted the soldiers who had descended earlier, and before long, they returned to the side of the passage.

"Why were you so reckless? You came down, confirmed it was safe, and still didn't go back to report?" Captain Su berated them.

The soldiers repeatedly apologized and kept explaining themselves. Only after they reported the direction in which Little Lamb had fled did he stop scolding them.

Once everyone had gathered, Captain Su began assigning tasks. One person was to return above the cave and report the situation, while several others stayed behind to establish a camp.

He himself planned to lead most of the group to explore this underground world.

Li Luo walked to one side and pulled up a blade of grass, only to discover that its broken end had not turned into transparent Theseus Cells.

After she told Captain Su, he immediately arranged for the soldiers to inspect the nearby flora and fauna.

The results showed that some of the nearby plants and small animals were Theseus Cell lifeforms, while the others were normal cellular lifeforms.

"Captain, the flesh pellets in the passage are normal cellular lifeforms, but the mushroom we used to cushion our descent was a Theseus Cell lifeform."

There was a region like this?

After resting, Captain Su led the team in the direction Little Lamb had fled.

The vegetation on the ground was far too dense, and the terrain was uneven. Beneath the low plants lay fallen branches, making travel extremely difficult.

Some areas were not covered by glowing plants and were completely dark. The group had no choice but to mark them and go around.

Before long, the team encountered something strange.

Ahead of them, a group of Bird-Eating Spiders the size of human heads were fighting two Red-Eyed Dragonflies with wingspans over two meters wide.

The Bird-Eating Spiders leaped into the air and continuously tore at the Red-Eyed Dragonflies' wings.

The Red-Eyed Dragonflies tried to fly higher, but they could not shake off the Bird-Eating Spiders. Once their wings were bitten off, they fell into the plants.

Then the Bird-Eating Spiders on the ground swarmed them, and in an instant, fluid splattered everywhere.

The burst Red-Eyed Dragonfly corpses quickly turned into Transparent Liquid, and the Bird-Eating Spiders gathered around to drink it.

The remaining Red-Eyed Dragonfly swooped down to counterattack. It had only just bitten through one Bird-Eating Spider's limb when it was attacked in the same manner and knocked down.

The Bird-Eating Spider whose limb had been bitten off drank the Transparent Liquid left behind by the dragonfly even as blue bodily fluid flowed from its wound.

The blue fluid dripped onto the plant leaves, staining them blue.

Mo Ling controlled the Cube closer and saw everything clearly.

"Are they hunting Theseus Cell lifeforms?"

The Bird-Eating Spiders raised their heads to glance at the Cube, ignored it, and continued feasting.

After eating and drinking their fill, they circled the team a few times before losing interest and leaving.

"Why aren't they attacking us?" one soldier asked strangely, gripping his weapon.

"Maybe they're full?"

"They got full from just two dragonflies?"

No one had any idea. Captain Su had someone record the incident before continuing onward.

Gradually, Mo Ling flew the Cube ahead of the group. Since it could fly, it began taking on the role of scout.

Before long, Mo Ling discovered signs of battle.

Looking ahead, he saw Transparent Liquid and some kind of clothing scattered all over the ground. He immediately turned back and told Li Luo what he had found.

Upon hearing the news, everyone hurried toward the battlefield.

Once they arrived, they finally saw the two sides still fighting.

One side consisted of humanoid creatures slightly shorter than humans. Their limbs and physiques closely resembled those of humans, but their bodies were beautiful and slender, with pronounced curves.

Their skin was exceptionally smooth and silver-gray. Their silvery-white hair drifted lightly, and their features fit human standards of beauty.

If not for their elongated ears and pitch-black pupils, they could easily have been mistaken for humans.

These creatures wore light clothing and spoke Abyssal Language in terror.

The other side was the familiar Little Lamb.

It had grown much larger. Its legs had become thick and sturdy, and it stood upright, reaching the height of a human chest. Its two long horn-chainsaws spun wildly.

Even its gray curls could not hide its powerful muscles. White flashes constantly burst from its hands as its cold gaze fixed upon the fleeing humanoid creatures.

The humanoid creatures that tried to attack were struck down by liquid chains erupting from Little Lamb's body before they could get close.

The situation was extremely dire.

"Attack!" The moment Captain Su saw Little Lamb, he decisively gave the order to attack.