204: Chapter 203 Seeking One's Own Death

It was worth noting that this was inside a pitch-black, enclosed cave. Aside from a few shade-loving fungi, other plants basically couldn't survive. Yet, the cave was filled with common outdoor plants. Except for their abnormal colors, their growth was much more luxuriant than those outside under conditions of sufficient sunlight and rain. Although there were only a few dozen plants, they all exhibited giantism; weeds grew several meters high, and shrubs looked like large trees, with their tops piercing into the rocks at the cave's ceiling. As for the large trees, there were only two, and they grew entirely horizontally. Completely defying phototropism, they twisted and coiled around each other, snaking more than a hundred meters deep into the cave. Their trunks, several meters thick, almost blocked the passage, and other plants could only grow in the gaps they left. If left to grow like this, the cave would cease to exist within a few years.

This also meant that when the Japanese later restarted the base, it took them nearly half a year to clear the plants and open the way, and it wasn't until recently that they finally broke through the second concrete wall. Of course, the original state of the cave base was something Cao Xiao had deduced based on the conditions deep inside and the mountains of wood piled outside the camp. He had already investigated the secrets here clearly last night, but he didn't interfere so as not to alert the enemy. He understood the secrets within the cave better than those Japanese who had studied the place for half a century; with the skills those Japanese possessed, they were merely heading to their deaths.

“Boss, there should still be quite a few people inside, as well as heavy weapons. Since we don't know the situation inside, a reckless attack would put us at a disadvantage. We might as well just blow up the entrance; without large-scale excavation tools, they'll never get out,” Duan Hong suggested as he approached the cave entrance where Cao Xiao stood.

“This cave shouldn't be shallow, and I don't know if there are other exits. First, light a fire with green wood at the entrance to create thick smoke and smoke them out. You guys climb the trees and keep an eye out to see if there's smoke rising anywhere nearby.” Cao Xiao wanted to go in and see for himself, so he naturally wouldn't agree to blowing up the entrance. The interior of this cave branched out in all directions, and the longest tunnels already exceeded his detection range. Using smoke was a good method.

The people inside attempted to charge out relying on heavy machine-gun fire, but once the Vulcan Cannon was set up at the entrance and a squad of men was slaughtered for nothing, the gunfire inside immediately fell silent. The nearly one hundred Japanese inside seemed to have resigned themselves to their fate, showing no movement even as everyone cut down green branches to start the fire. Cao Xiao was examining the wood transported out of the cave when Niu Zhen came over to tell him that something was wrong inside. Cao Xiao investigated and immediately ordered the bodyguards to extinguish the fire and prepare to enter the cave in pursuit. It turned out those Japanese had already left the entrance base and were heading deeper into the cave.

“Ohno-kun, countless of our ancestors died in there. Have you really decided to go in?”

“Yes, we've already sent out a distress signal, and a rescue team will arrive before long. We spent so much time on that path and sacrificed nearly a hundred lives without being able to clear it. For us to go in now is just suicide. Ohno-kun, please reconsider!”

“Yoshida, Eto, and all of you, listen to me. We don't know who the enemy is, but more than two hundred people in the camp have been wiped out, and our people stationed outside the mountains won't be spared either. The distress signal is a shortwave signal, and electromagnetic interference in Yeren Mountain is very severe, limiting the transmission distance. So even if it was sent, no one received it. Even if they did, we'll all be corpses by the time the higher-ups organize a rescue team to get here!”

“Then we can blow up the entrance and find a place to hide while waiting for rescue. There are so many caves here, it's like a labyrinth. Even if they open the entrance, they won't find us in a short time...”

“Shut up! You coward! As long as we find the place where our ancestors stored the treasures, there will be an exit. Otherwise, after losing so many people, how can I explain it to the home country if I don't get the items! Keep moving! Hurry! I'll shoot anyone who speaks up again!”

Cao Xiao observed the movements of the Japanese and thought to himself that these people were simply seeking their own deaths. If they had looked for another exit, they might have had a slim chance of survival, but they insisted on heading toward that place. Even he, with the industrial mother machine, felt some trepidation toward that area, let alone a group of ordinary people. Over the last half-century, the situation there had long since changed. Their ancestors had already warned them with a floor full of white bones, yet the leader, Ohno, ignored the lessons of the past and stubbornly led his companions onto a path of death. For this, Cao Xiao could only mourn for them in advance.

“Go search and gather all the fuel and flamethrowers. We might need them in a bit,” Cao Xiao ordered.

“Boss, what do we need these for? There's a lot of fuel here, and it's a hassle to carry. If we get hit by a bullet later, we'll be finished,” Li Quanshuo said, puzzled.

“Then tell me, why would the Japanese prepare so much fuel and so many flamethrowers?” Cao Xiao asked back with a smile.

“Uh! I don't know! Why?” Li Quanshuo was stunned by the question and asked instinctively.

“Their goal is in this cave. Since they prepared so much, it means it will be used extensively inside. Don't ask me such obvious questions next time; it'll lower my IQ!” Cao Xiao said with a face full of disdain.

“Hahaha!”

Cao Xiao's words amused the others, who looked at Li Quanshuo with schadenfreude. The latter glared at Cao Xiao through gritted teeth, but Cao Xiao completely ignored him. In fact, this was Cao Xiao's consistent strategy. To others, his actions seemed to have no rhyme or reason, and if he explained everything, it would only foster their curiosity. So, every time he didn't want to explain, he would use his sharp tongue to stifle their curiosity.

“Zheng Hui, Huang Sheng, and Elder Huang will stay outside. Prepare some food and wait for us to come out. Everyone else, strap on a tank of fuel and a flamethrower and follow me in. Bring all the weapons as well.” Once the bodyguards had gathered the items, Cao Xiao strapped on a flamethrower himself and spoke to everyone.

The flamethrowers were small, weighing less than ten kilograms, so carrying them wouldn't hinder movement. A tank of fuel weighed twenty kilograms, and with weapons and equipment, each person was carrying about forty kilograms. Except for Cao Xiao, everyone found it a bit strenuous, but there was no other way. If he went in alone, he wouldn't need to bring anything, but with others, he had to make sufficient preparations to provide a cover. Otherwise, if it wasn't convenient for him to act, he couldn't guarantee everyone's safety.

Walking into the entrance and ignoring the corpses left on the ground, they reached the base built by the Japanese years ago within twenty meters. However, there were now only scattered pieces of engineering machinery. Cao Xiao took the lead; there were too many tunnels inside, and the others didn't know where the Japanese had gone, so it saved trouble if he led the way. This cave was likely formed by volcanic lava gaps eroded and weathered by water flow. The walls were hard rock, and the ground was moist, loose sand and gravel. Logically, given the abnormal environment in the cave, there should have been a large amount of moss growing, but there were scorch marks everywhere on the cave walls. This was likely the work of those Japanese, showing they were extremely wary of any plants in the cave, leaving nothing growing in their wake.

Without Cao Xiao saying a word, the bodyguards had also sensed the problem. Duan Hong and the others walking behind Cao Xiao exchanged glances, finally fixing their eyes on Niu Zhen. The meaning was self-evident. Niu Zhen could only reluctantly and cautiously ask Cao Xiao, “Boss, can I ask a question?”

“Speak,” Cao Xiao replied with a single word.

“What exactly are we doing? Did you know all along that there was something wrong here? Has that expert also come?” Niu Zhen finished speaking quickly in one breath, then paused his steps, slightly increasing the distance between himself and Cao Xiao while hiding behind Duan Hong.

“What? Have you seen this kind of situation before?” Cao Xiao didn't answer but stopped in place and turned back curiously to ask.

“We've seen similar places in Miaojiang where plants have mutated, but we always stayed far away from such places. Mr. Cao, if that expert hasn't come, let's not take the risk. Those things aren't something ordinary people can handle; conventional thermal weapons are useless, and no matter how many people there are, it's to no avail.” It was Duan Hong who spoke. He was the longest-serving and most steady person present, having experienced more danger than the others. In this abnormal situation, he already felt a sense of danger. In this critical moment, he was no longer afraid of Cao Xiao's sharp tongue and advised him with heavy solemnity, as if facing a great enemy.

Only then did Cao Xiao understand why everyone was so nervous at the first sign of trouble; it turned out they had encountered similar situations. The Miaojiang they mentioned didn't refer to the Miao ethnic inhabited areas of Guizhou and Yunnan. He had seen records of Miaojiang in the archives of the Supervision Office. Miaojiang was a treacherous area located at the junction of Guizhou, Hunan, and Guangxi, a place of barren hills and turbulent waters, infested with poisonous insects and surrounded by wolves, tigers, and leopards. It had been the subject of various mysterious legends since ancient times and still retained its veil of mystery today, with the core area being inaccessible to outsiders. It was normal for Duan Hong and the others to have encountered something similar there; flesh and blood were truly powerless against eerie creatures and could hardly protect themselves. Although Cao Xiao was also an ordinary person, he had the spatial abilities granted by the industrial mother machine. As long as he was careful, he would naturally have nothing to fear from these extraordinary creatures. Even if he couldn't confront them head-on, he could directly extinguish the source of danger. No matter what kind of monsters or ghosts they were, as long as they were immediately pulled into the space, they could no longer pose a threat. To put everyone's mind at ease, Cao Xiao said confidently, “You don't have to worry. Not only are the Japanese clearing the way for us ahead, but that person will naturally appear if there's danger.”

The others were only half-convinced and still felt uneasy. Since there were existences deep inside that human strength couldn't resist, those Japanese absolutely had no hope of survival, so no one would know what happened today. Alternatively, the boss could just ask that expert to take action; there was no need for them to take the risk. But they couldn't speak up again. If the boss insisted on going in, further talk would be useless and would only leave an impression of cowardice in the boss's eyes.

Meanwhile, deep in the cave where the Japanese were, it was a different scene. This group of over a hundred Japanese had traveled nearly a thousand meters. With flamethrowers clearing the way, regardless of whether there was a threat, they would burn any plant they saw before daring to move forward. Although they moved slowly, they hadn't lost anyone, nor had they encountered any danger; the journey seemed calm. The large amount of burning fuel emitted bright flames and heat, so no one felt the cold. These people also found their confidence and were no longer afraid, and their pace of advancement unknowingly quickened. However, as the leader, Ono Koji had a restless look on his face, his brow furrowed as if he were deep in thought.

“Lord Ohno, what are you thinking about? We haven't encountered any of those evil things along the way; that's a good thing! Perhaps there are no such things in this tunnel we're taking at all. We've burned so much fuel but haven't felt any difficulty breathing, which means this tunnel likely has an exit to the surface not far away. I deduce those things might all be anaerobic organisms, so there won't be any danger ahead, and we'll be able to get out before long! This mission can be considered a failure, but we can't be blamed. The intelligence department was too useless; the attack was too sudden and fierce. My students Tanabe, Suzuki, and the others have probably all sacrificed themselves. When we return, you must secure generous compensation for them and then capture all those who attacked us to offer as sacrifices to them!” Fujiwara Asao, in her thirties, was in the prime of her life. As the only woman left in the team and a famous doctoral professor of botany at Hantan University, she had always had a significant say in the group. Coupled with an ambiguous relationship with Ono Koji, she was the only one who could talk to him so freely.

Ono Koji's train of thought was suddenly interrupted. Hearing this, he shouted in uncontrollable rage at Fujiwara Asao, who was acting pitiful, “Damn it! You stupid woman, haven't you noticed it's too quiet? The tunnel we're taking is the one on the map left by our ancestors, which goes straight down. If we don't reach the destination first, there's no other passage out. Have you forgotten what was recorded in the archives? Those things have moved beyond the scope of normal plants and can live on the surface, in water, and in enclosed underground spaces. Oxygen and sunlight don't affect their growth. To this day, we've sacrificed countless people and still haven't collected a single specimen. Do you know what that means? You're still thinking about those pretty boys you kept. If we really encounter those things, you can go down and join them!”

“Hey! There's a light over there!”

“Wow! It's so beautiful, just like the starry sky!”

“Huh? Look, there are spots of light flying, like fireflies!”

“How can there be fireflies underground?”

“No! Fireflies aren't this small! They're not flying, they're floating!”

“These spots of light are approaching us. My god! What exactly are they? They're simply too beautiful! I see a cosmic galaxy!”

Ono Koji had just finished his scolding when his attention was drawn by the successive cries of surprise. He saw that on the previously pitch-black cave walls ahead, clusters of eerie green light spheres the size of ping-pong balls were slowly lighting up. When the spheres reached their maximum brightness, the cave became as bright as day. At the same time, tiny spots of light began to drift continuously from those spheres, floating toward the group. However, this scenery, beautiful enough to intoxicate anyone, made Ono Koji turn pale with horror. Even if he didn't know what they were, they had seen many lethal and strange things since coming here. The more beautiful something was, the more dangerous it was, especially when it appeared in such an eerie environment. What terrified him even more was that everyone had no defenses against it. If you don't seek death, you won't die, yet many people couldn't help but actively approach those spots of light, wanting to hold them in their hands—Fujiwara Asao being one of them...