126: Chapter 126 In-depth exploration, encountering a Zerg nest

The moment the countdown hit zero, Chen Wuwang stepped into the cockpit of the "earth dragon".

The lights inside the mech glowed a cold blue, and the various data on the dashboard pulsed steadily.

He sat in the main control seat, and his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye automatically synchronized with the tunnel scan map, revealing the rock strata structure ahead clearly—

They had reached a depth of eighty zhang, but the geological feedback was abnormal: the density had plummeted, and the echo was hollow, as if they had dug through a wall into a massive cavern behind it.

"Tiezhu." He spoke, his voice not loud, yet it penetrated the low hum of the engine, "Confirm the resonance frequency one last time."

Chen Tiezhu stood before the control console on the right, his hands resting on the psychic furnace control levers, his knuckles slightly white from the force.

He didn't turn his head, only responding in a muffled voice, "It's set. Shell-stripping mode, advancing at thirty percent pressure; it won't disturb the deeper structures."

"Xiao Dao."

"Here."

Chen Xiaodao leaned against the cabin door, his right hand resting on the hilt of his sword, his left mechanical arm's joints humming slightly.

He looked up at the detection screen, "The spore thread concentration is six times higher than yesterday, and there's an acidic smell in the air."

"Has the mask filter alarm gone off?"

"It flashed just a moment ago, but I manually cleared the notification."

"Don't push yourself." Chen Wuwang glanced at him, "Later, you follow behind me. You are not allowed to take the lead."

Xiao Dao didn't speak, merely tightening the scabbard against his belt.

The "earth dragon" tracks slowly engaged, grinding over the seams of gravel and metal rails, emitting a dull clicking sound.

A pale cyan halo lit up around the tip of the drill, and the psychic energy conduit began to supply power.

The mech pushed forward, the rock walls retreating rapidly on both sides. The overhead floodlights swept across the fissures, occasionally illuminating strands of floating green threads, like mist, yet wriggling slowly as if they were living things.

"The temperature has dropped seven degrees." Tiezhu said suddenly, "The ventilation System is still running; it shouldn't be this cold."

Chen Wuwang didn't answer, switching his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye to thermal imaging mode.

On the screen, the rock strata ahead were no longer a uniform orange-red, but a deep purple, interspersed with countless tiny white dots—those were biological signatures, so dense they almost merged into one.

"Stop." He ordered in a low voice.

The mech braked.

The drill was only half a foot away from the final layer of rock shell.

The three of them fell silent at the same time. The echo of the cavity on the detector became increasingly clear, like some kind of creature breathing—slow, heavy, and accompanied by a rhythmic tremor.

"Let me." Tiezhu took off the shoulder-mounted hammer, a psychic resonance hammer he had modified himself, its head covered in tiny Talismans.

He walked to the front of the mech, pressed the tip of the hammer against the rock wall, and tapped it lightly.

Thud—

The sound was hollow, like knocking on a giant coffin.

Immediately after, a second sound, a third, the rhythm quickening.

With every tap, the feedback became more obvious: the interior was empty, and it wasn't a natural karst cave. The structure was orderly, the walls covered in attachments of uneven thickness, and in some areas, one could even hear faint scratching sounds.

"It's not a mineral vein." Tiezhu stepped back half a pace, his voice slightly hoarse, "Behind this... it's empty, but not dead empty."

Xiao Dao drew his sword, the tip picking up a wisp of passing spore thread. The moment the thread touched the spiritual energy, it curled up violently, like a bug that had been scalded.

The spiritual patterns on the sword vibrated violently, emitting a short warning chime.

"It's alive." He said, "The entire wall surface is alive."

Chen Wuwang stood up and walked to the edge of the fissure.

He reached out, drew his Titanium Alloy Dagger from his waist, and the blade sliced across the rock face, shaving off a piece of the surface rock.

The debris fell away, revealing a layer of dark brown material underneath. The surface was covered in honeycomb-like holes, and in every hole, a faint green light flickered, like breathing.

He leaned in to take a look, then immediately raised his hand to turn off the main lighting.

The cabin plunged into darkness, with only the eerie light from the dashboard reflecting on the three men's faces.

"Everyone, mute your mics." He ordered in a low voice, "Do not open communications, do not move your weapons, wait for my signal."

A moment later, he turned the searchlight back on, but adjusted it to a narrow-beam infrared mode.

The light, like a blade, cut through the dust and mist ahead, shining onto the area that had just been sliced open by the dagger.

In that instant, everyone saw clearly.

Behind the rock shell was a massive, downward-sloping cavity, bottomless and deep.

The four walls were like a honeycomb, densely packed with holes, and in every single hole, arthropods were crawling—

Some were molting, their shells cracking to reveal wet, new limbs;

Some had swollen abdomens, busy laying eggs deep into the nest;

And others were moving in groups, carrying some kind of crystalline substance in an orderly fashion, resembling a living city.

Spore threads hung down from the ceiling, interwoven into a web, and occasionally small flying insects shuttled between them, their compound eyes gleaming coldly under the infrared light.

"This is... the Zerg's lair?" Tiezhu's voice was pressed extremely low, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the hammer handle.

Xiao Dao had already drawn his sword three inches from its scabbard, the blade trembling slightly, reflecting his tense jawline.

Chen Wuwang didn't speak. He stared at that wriggling nest, a blood-colored pattern flashing deep within his pupils before vanishing.

He slowly raised his hand and sliced a mark into the mech's outer shell.

Ssh—

The sound of tearing metal was short and piercing.

A deep scar remained on the shoulder armor of the "earth dragon"; it was the Chen family's mark of war.

"This is the Zerg nest." He finally spoke, his voice not loud, yet like iron blocks hitting the ground, "We must destroy it."

Tiezhu nodded immediately and turned to rush toward the control console: "I'll clear the field."

Xiao Dao sheathed his sword, kicked off with both feet, and leaped onto the mech's shoulder platform: "I'll take the lead."

"Wait." Chen Wuwang raised his hand to stop him, "Don't move yet."

Before his words had even faded, at the edge of the searchlight beam, a Sentry-class Worker Ant slowly raised its head, its compound eyes staring straight toward the fissure.

Immediately after, a second, a third... seven or eight of the same type of Zerg stopped moving simultaneously, their antennae swaying slightly, as if they were catching some kind of signal.

"They've discovered us." Xiao Dao said in a low voice.

"Not just that." Chen Wuwang narrowed his eyes, "They are transmitting a message."

A slight tremor came from the ground, as if something was crawling up from the depths.

"Ignite." He suddenly ordered.

Tiezhu didn't hesitate, slamming the startup button for the flamethrower.

Boom—

A torrent of flames erupted from the back of the "earth dragon", sweeping across the entrance area.

The spore thread network ignited instantly, tongues of fire spreading like vines, illuminating the entire nest entrance.

Several nearby Worker Ants were swept into the fire, their shells bursting and green bodily fluids splattering.

There were no screams, but countless antennae twitched simultaneously, and a dense scratching sound came from deep within the nest, as if an army of thousands was awakening.

"Go!" Chen Wuwang leaped out of the cockpit, landing on the mech's shoulder platform, dagger in hand, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye running at full power, locking onto the high-risk areas on both sides of the fissure.

Xiao Dao had already soared into the air, riding his sword as he dashed forward, carving the first arc of light in the sky. Sword Qi exploded, and three scouting insects that had just taken flight were cut down on the spot, their remains falling into the sea of fire.

The remaining clan members poured out from the tunnel behind, firearms and Talismans firing simultaneously, a net of firepower quickly covering the front of the fissure. The sounds of explosions, metal grinding, and insect limbs snapping blended into a chaotic mess.

Tiezhu controlled the "earth dragon" to advance step by step, the flamethrower firing continuously, forcibly clearing a patch of scorched earth on the outer edge of the nest.

The mech's tracks crushed insect corpses, the armor covered in green mucus, and the right arm's cooling System began to alarm, but he didn't stop.

Chen Wuwang stood at the very front, his dagger swinging repeatedly, two incoming stingers deflected with precision.

He lowered his head and glanced at his watch; the countdown had restarted: they had to suppress the first wave of counterattacks within thirty minutes, or the high-level units would fully awaken.

"Xiao Dao! High up on the left!"

The sword light shifted, a black shadow was cleaved down, slamming into the rock floor and twitching ceaselessly.

"Tiezhu! Cut the fire, switch to the shock cannon!"

The flames extinguished, and a conical device popped out from the mech's shoulder, charging up before slamming into the ground with a blast.

Rumble!

The shockwave spread, large swathes of the spore thread network snapped, several nest holes collapsed, and dozens of Zerg fell.

Yet, in this brief gap of suppression, more compound eyes lit up deep within the nest.

In the darkness, countless arthropod limbs began to move, their speed increasing, like a tide surging out from the abyss.

Chen Wuwang gripped his dagger tightly, his breathing steady. He knew that the real battle had only just begun.