The Seriousness of the Situation

It must be said that Zhang Xuezhou has honed his running skills to a certain level.

He was the first to run away, followed by Zhang Manqian, and then Wang Haoran a moment before pulling on Turkalando, who was still about to say something.

Almost without any hesitation or doubt, the group fled quite decisively.

Running away to the wrong place might not cause any problems, but running away at the wrong place could cost you your life.

The iron gate of the isolation wall was slammed shut, and everyone's hearts pounded as the mechanical lock was engaged.

"They're here?" Wang Haoran exclaimed in surprise.

"Hey!"

Turkalando reacted and then used her Spiritual Qi, which made Wang Haoran was pulling Turkalando, shiver. He felt as if his right hand was holding his own granddaughter.

A strange feeling surged into his head, and as if remembering something, he swiftly released his right hand from Turcalando's grasp, like a venomous snake.

Zhang Manqian grabbed a flamethrower from behind the partition wall and aimed it at the doorway.

The flamethrower is not very powerful, with a range of only five meters, but the flames have a natural deterrent effect on most living creatures. Moreover, the flamethrower can illuminate the surroundings for a short time, making it a necessary emergency firearm.

"I saw some wriggling green hairs, but I'm not sure if it's the white worm," Zhang Xuezhou said with a deep breath. "It doesn't seem to have noticed us yet. Now we just need to wait for An Ran to investigate!"

It's not surprising to find life in the areas of a cave near the outside world, but the further you go into the cave, the less suitable it becomes for ordinary life to survive.

The discovery of any organism in such an environment implies an unpredictable nature.

Zhang Xuezhou had no intention of gambling with his life; therefore, fleeing was his first principle.

There was no sound coming from behind the barrier, and he had no intention of losing face.

After gesturing to everyone, Zhang Xuezhou squatted down.

He pressed his ear close to the iron gate, maximizing his sensory abilities.

Besides the sound of everyone's heartbeats, Zhang Xuezhou could hear the sparse falling of sulfur dust in the cave, as well as a soft rustling sound.

If Ren Anran hadn't already been on a spirit tour, Zhang Xuezhou would have almost escaped his spirit to investigate and see what kind of creatures he was seeing.

If it turns out to be a false alarm, that would be a good thing. If they had really encountered alien insects, their current situation would be quite awkward.

Ren Anran's spirit had not yet returned to her body, so Zhang Xuezhou dared not launch an attack rashly, nor did he dare to take Ren Anran's body far away, lest it make it difficult for her to return to her body.

He listened quietly and gestured for everyone to keep quiet as much as possible.

The construction of the isolation wall undoubtedly provided a concealment effect. Not to mention the barrier against alien beasts, having a wall in between always reduces the probability of being discovered.

"This isolation wall doesn't have any gun ports, which makes it inconvenient to fire, but it also makes it impossible to send messages to Sister An Ran using the searchlight," Zhang Manqian whispered.

"An Ran's reconnaissance will take at most ten minutes," Zhang Xuezhou replied in a low voice. "She should be back in a few more minutes!"

Before Ren Anran's Yang Soul escaped, he had made an agreement with Zhang Xuezhou and the others that as long as the alien insects did not launch a direct attack, Zhang Xuezhou was not afraid to wait a little longer.

But this waiting time is undoubtedly extremely agonizing.

The rustling sound in his ears seemed to indicate that something was getting closer, and Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but become more alert.

"Twelve meters away from us... eleven meters away..."

Zhang Xuezhou called out the numbers in a low voice.

He had the keenest senses, but as time went on, even Wang Haoran, Zhang Manqian, and the others could hear the faint sounds getting closer and closer.

Everyone was understandably shocked.

This did not align with Zhang Xuezhou's previously outlined long-range strike plan, but Turkalando appeared quite excited.

"Saati, it's time for our invincible combination!" Turkalando said, his eyes gleaming. "You kill it, and I'll keep it from escaping."

"I can't kill him!"

Zhang Xuezhou reached out and raised his wrist, looking at the two minutes remaining. He felt that he might not be able to get through this last bit of time.

Ren Anran has a meticulous habit. If the other party is to investigate for ten minutes, they will definitely not run back to indicate that they have finished after only nine minutes. Consequently, Ren Anran's return time is almost exactly on time.

He glanced at the isolation wall, then at the lifeless Ren Anran, and was immediately troubled about how to handle the current situation.

They couldn't win a fight, they couldn't run away, and they couldn't afford to wait any longer.

"They're only ten steps away, Saati, should we open the door?"

Turkalando was clearly fully prepared to use his Spiritual Qi, which made Zhang Xuezhou take a deep breath.

Strike first and you'll be strong; strike later and you'll suffer. Time is running out, and he can only hope that the deterrent effect of his realm technique can provide some buffer.

"Unless there is a chance of a fatal blow, do not fire rashly, lest it break free from my deterrent influence!"

Zhang Xuezhou gave a brief instruction, and after Zhang Manqian and Wang Haoran nodded, he pulled the mechanical lock he was gripping tightly, and the sealed, thick iron door was immediately pushed open with two fist-sized gaps.

In just a few seconds, the intimidating power brought by his realm technique pressed down heavily forward.

"Hiss hiss hiss!"

A violent hissing sound followed, like a steam whistle, and then a crisp 'crack' sound.

When Zhang Manqian shone her searchlight outside, Zhang Xuezhou saw a huge green worm lying on the ground four meters away.

The green worm is 1.2 meters long, covered in sharp, green hairs like a porcupine. It has six black dot-like eyes on each side, three pairs of thoracic legs the size of human calves on its three-segmented, thick thorax, and eight pairs of abdominal legs slightly smaller than the thoracic legs. Pale green and pale yellow longitudinal stripes cover its entire body, giving it a color that evokes a strong sense of unease.

At the very front of the worm are its chewing mouthparts, eight sharp, knife-like teeth still stained with remnants of rotting flesh.

Whether it was due to Zhang Xuezhou's increased deterrent power, the underdeveloped brain of this green worm, or some other reason, the moment the pressure of the realm was forcefully suppressed, the green worm's head drooped down, leaving only its many thoracic and abdominal legs slowly stretching out on the ground, struggling and wandering like a headless dead snake.

"Crushed to death!"

When the pressure of a realm becomes strong enough, or the opponent becomes weak enough, this intimidation brings not only psychological fear, terror, and submission, but at its extreme, it can even terrify someone to death.

The green worm in front of us is clearly one of these rare cases of death.

With a powerful blow delivered by Zhang Xuezhou's all-out intimidation, the green worm silently perished.

But no one was happy about it.

Before them was a giant worm unlike any other, but it was not the white worm that the Turs had discovered.

On the contrary, everyone felt a sense of unease, realizing that the seriousness of the situation was likely beyond what was expected.

There was more than one alien insect in the Gobala Cave corridor.