Shen Heng nodded slightly.
Then, silence returned to the cave.
The soldiers who hadn't finished eating ate in small bites, while those who had mostly sat there in a daze.
Shen Heng sat in his seat, looking at the people inside the cave.
He wasn't lying to them; sending them there wouldn't have wasted much time.
However, the decision to send them there wasn't solely based on that reason!
Others include, for example...
It's becoming increasingly difficult to encounter people stranded outside the area. Under these circumstances, ensuring the safety of the rescued soldiers is more effective.
Or perhaps, after searching for two months without finding a way out, they figured a half-day's wait wouldn't make a difference.
Of course, the most important thing is...
They are too weak, so weak that they might not survive if they encounter even a slightly decent Calamity Beast!
Despite their large numbers, they don't have a single Fourth Tier fighter.
In this situation, things might have been alright a little over a month ago.
But now, a large portion of the surviving Calamity Beast are either in groups or are very strong on their own.
In this situation, letting them go out on their own is not much different from delivering groceries.
Of course, you can't blame them. Once captured by the Calamity Beast, those who were slightly stronger were almost certain to be killed!
After all, this applies to both humans and the Calamity Beast.
Anything that reaches a certain level of strength but is beyond one's control is an unstable factor!
The soft, fragmented sounds gradually faded into the night.
Two days later, at the outpost.
Shen Heng looked into the distance.
There, a welcoming soldier was explaining the upcoming tasks to the other newly arrived soldiers.
After a short while, it seemed that the story was over.
The warrior leading the way turned halfway around, taking a step forward while waving his hand, seemingly signaling everyone to follow him.
And indeed, everyone followed him and walked forward.
However, before they had even taken two steps...
Suddenly, someone stopped.
Influenced by him, the people behind him stopped, and then the people next to them noticed them and stopped as well.
One person tells ten, ten people tell...
Okay, anyway, everyone stopped.
The crowd stared at the man, seemingly puzzled as to why he had suddenly stopped.
Ignoring them, the person shifted left and right, constantly looking back as if searching for something.
Finally, he found his goal.
Stop, and stare straight at that spot.
Raise your hand in salute.
Everyone instinctively followed his gaze, then paused and raised their hands in salute.
A chorus of voices called out.
" Captain Shen, mission successful! May your military prowess last!"
The sound echoed over the stronghold.
Shen Heng stood there, watching the scene unfold before him.
He paused, raised his hand, and saluted.
Without lingering, the soldiers turned and followed the soldier who had guided them back, their smiles on their faces.
"These guys are pretty good at causing trouble!" a slightly taller figure nearby laughed.
Shen Heng declined to comment.
He turned his gaze back to the man and said:
" Chen Hua, I'm leaving this to you!"
"Don't worry, Captain Shen! I will do my best to protect them!" Chen Hua said solemnly, looking at Shen Heng.
Shen Heng nodded slightly.
"Don't just think about relying on yourself. In places like this, we humans are weakened even more than the Calamity Beast. Especially with your ability to grow to Gigantification, your dependence on Origin Power will be even greater. In this situation, you need to rely more on... no, it's not so much about relying on, you need to learn to make good use of everyone's abilities. Only in this way will the possibility of this base continuing to exist be greater!"
"Yes, I understand!" Chen Hua nodded vigorously.
Shen Heng looked at the tall, thick-browed man in front of him, said nothing more, and nodded.
"In that case, I'll be going now!"
As he spoke, he turned around.
Before I even left, I heard Chen Hua shouting:
" Captain Shen, wait!"
Shen Heng stopped and looked at Chen Hua with some doubt in his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Chen Hua smiled, raised his hand, clenched his fist, and gestured forcefully.
"Mission successful! May your martial prowess endure!"
Shen Heng paused for a moment, then chuckled and said:
May the martial spirit endure!
The figure quickly disappeared.
Chen Hua raised his hand to cover his eyes, watching with some envy the figure that was rapidly disappearing into the distance.
"Tsk, if only I could use Origin Power without any worries like Captain Shen, then I could probably even fight a Late Fifth Tier Calamity Beast that's two minor ranks higher than him."
"Pity..."
Shaking his head, Chen Hua didn't think about it anymore and walked out of the stronghold.
Even when they are not out hunting, they still have some simple tasks.
Today's task is to dig a large enough trap down the mountain...
Several days later.
A pitch-black swamp.
The trees stood tall, their intertwined roots forming a small opening.
The cave wasn't very deep, and the smell of damp earth filled the air. You could vaguely see several thick tree roots hanging down from the cave ceiling and extending along the ground.
All around, shrouded in the darkness of night, was utterly silent.
Shen Heng slowly descended from the air and landed outside the cave.
The ground beneath my feet sank slightly, making a soft sound.
His expression remained unchanged as he walked inside.
Then, with practiced skill, they started a fire, roasted the meat, and guided the branches to form a bed.
After completing these tasks, Shen Heng sat down directly on the bed.
In a total of more than two months, we have searched more than twenty spaces, but we still haven't found a way out.
I've asked quite a few Fifth Tier Calamity Beast, but they're all...
I don't know! I don't know! I don't know!
They had no idea how to get out, or even why they were there, or where this place was!
A few who know the truth are those who remain on the Mountain of Truth, witnessing firsthand how they were affected!
In this situation...
Shen Heng stared at the flickering flames, his brows furrowed.
Could it be that we can't actually get out at all?
No, that's highly unlikely. Where is there a place that only allows entry but not exit?
If you can't get out, it's probably because you haven't found the right method!
So, now that we've asked a bunch of questions about the Fifth Tier and still haven't found a solution, should we look for Sixth Tier Calamity Beast?
After visiting more than twenty spaces, Shen Heng hadn't heard a single word about Sixth Tier Calamity Beast possibly passing by.
In this situation, would we have to examine every single space and every inch of land one by one?
No, that's not right, there's also that tentacle-like thing.
The owner of that tentacle must be somewhere in another dimension...
But is it really better to go find a creature that is very likely imprisoned in such a place than to search inch by inch on your own?
Shen Heng sat on the bed, lost in thought.
One thought after another flashed through his mind...
a long time.
"Crackling--"
The sound of sparks flying rang out.
Shen Heng snapped out of his daze and glanced at the roasted Calamity Beast.
Just like the past two months, I picked it up and started eating.
After a while...
Shen Heng put down the wooden skewers he had finished eating and walked towards the bed.
Although he still hasn't found a way out, he hasn't come away empty-handed in these two months.
At least twenty-odd spaces were eliminated, and efforts were made to bring together the warriors scattered in those spaces.
And then, there's more.
Thoughts flashed through his mind within the storage space.
Fourth and fifth tier Origin Crystal were piled up inside like small mountains...
P. S.: No update today.