Chapter 244: The Siege Before the Cellar
Bandages were wrapped layer upon layer around Lin Yan's waist. The fresh hemostatic powder applied on top was quickly soaked by the continuously seeping blood. The female support soldier tried her best to be gentle, but every press and tightening of the cloth pulled at the torn wound. Lin Yan's spine involuntarily tensed, and strings of cold sweat rolled down his forehead, splashing onto the ground covered in fungal sap and rubble. He did not cry out in pain; he only gritted his teeth tightly. His tongue had long been bitten open, and the faint taste of blood continuously anchored his nearly dissipating consciousness.
After the resonance node shattered, the spore concentration throughout the entire tunnel dropped by a fraction. The continuous bell tolling that struck the Sea of Consciousness was gone, but the spores drifting from the deep underground still remained, like an inescapable thin mist. The brief rest lasted only eight minutes, the absolute limit they had all agreed upon. The shockwave signal from the destruction of the resonance node would undoubtedly travel through the spore network to the ancient beings. The window of opportunity they had was fleeting.
Leaning against the rock wall, the scout looked down at the wound on his upper arm torn by the scaled beast. He had tied it up simply with a torn piece of cloth, and the cut on his palm, used to wake himself up, was still bleeding. In the instant the illusion had ensnared him earlier, death had been terrifyingly close. Even now, his fingertips were still trembling slightly.
"Two hundred and seventy meters ahead, according to the old mining map, is the entrance to the supply cellar." The miner lowered the glow stone, examining a crumpled paper sketch in his hand. The sketch was a copy they had found earlier in the shelter pod's data cabinet, its corners softened and warped by the dampness. "The cellar was built inside a solid granite rock mass. Back then, the military chose this site because the rock layer was sturdy and resistant to cave-ins. The entrance is a thick alloy sealed door with mechanical locks. It is not a simple rock cave."
"But the ancient beings are definitely waiting for us at the door," Lin Yan said, slowly bracing himself against the rock wall to stand. His center of gravity instinctively shifted to his uninjured leg. The moment his injured calf bore weight, a piercing pain shot through him. "With the resonance node failed, they won't bother with psychic illusions anymore. They will directly assemble the scaled beasts to block the entrance. The commotion we just made is enough for them to complete their assembly."
His Sea of Consciousness slowly expanded its perception, piercing through the layers of rock to capture the restless, unified psychic fluctuations of the beasts in the darkness ahead. There were quite a few—at least seven adult scaled beasts. None were third-tier; they were all second and first-tier powerhouses, coordinated and dispatched by a secondary priest. The priest was hidden at the rear of the scaled beast group, not fighting on the front lines, but solely responsible for linking the perceptions of all the beasts and uniformly directing the rhythm of the attack.
"One secondary priest, seven scaled beasts," Lin Yan reported his perception in a low voice. "The priest itself isn't highly combat-capable, but it can synchronize the vision and movements of all the scaled beasts. Working together, they are far more difficult to deal with than a scattered beast group. We need to find a way to restrain the priest first. Otherwise, we will be surrounded in turns with no chance to catch our breath."
Gripping his short blade tightly, the military police officer's gaze grew solemn. "Five against eight, and we have wounded. Charging head-on is too risky."
"There are no side passages to bypass," the miner shook his head, his finger tracing across the sketch. "The tunnel is a straight path until it reaches the cellar. Both sides are solid granite with no side caves. If we want to reach the cellar door, we can only break through their blockade head-on."
Lin Yan fell silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the four people beside him. "We won't engage them in prolonged combat. We have only one objective: rush to the cellar door and try to open the alloy door. Once inside, the thick alloy door can temporarily isolate the scaled beasts. Tactical assignment: Miner and Scout take the left flank to draw the attention of most of the scaled beasts. Military police officer and Female support soldier take the right flank to ambush the secondary priest at the rear when the opportunity arises. I will take the center, holding off the scaled beasts charging from the front to create opportunities for you. My injuries are severe, and I can't hold out for long. Every move must be fast. If a strike fails, we immediately retreat and regroup."
This plan was extremely risky, as the center was the position under the most pressure. Everyone knew clearly that in Lin Yan's current state, a single heavy blow from any second-tier scaled beast could end him directly.
"Let me take the center," the scout said, frowning. "Your injuries can't withstand a frontal impact."
"I am the most suitable," Lin Yan said, shaking his head gently. "Only I can continuously lock onto the priest's psychic position. If the priest tries to relocate or direct the scaled beasts to flank, I will be the first to notice. You four focus on fighting; leave the perception to me."
No one argued further. In the darkness underground, there was no extra time for repeated hesitation.
The five of them tightened their packs once more, dimming the glow stones to their lowest brightness to retain only a faint glimmer, avoiding premature exposure of their position. Short blades, rock spikes, and rock hammers were gripped firmly. Moving with extremely light footsteps, they continued forward along the tunnel. The air grew heavier with the distinct, foul stench of the scaled beasts, mixed with the damp, earthy smell of the granite.
The distance of two hundred and seventy meters was infinitely stretched in the oppressive atmosphere.
After turning a gentle rock curve, the entrance to the cellar finally appeared in their field of vision.
The tunnel ahead opened up slightly. Directly facing them was a dark gray alloy gate embedded into the rock mass. The door panel was covered with rust and scratches, and the lock mechanism was an old-fashioned hand-cranked mechanical lock, with a deactivated electronic recognition panel beside it. Over ten meters of open ground lay in front of the gate. Seven scaled beasts were spread out in a fan shape, their bodies lowered, bone spikes pointing outward, and their crimson eyes staring fixedly at the tunnel entrance. At the very back of the beast group, sitting atop a protruding rock platform, was the secondary priest.
Its physique was slimmer than that of ordinary scaled beasts, and its skin was a deeper dark brown. Several slender psychic tentacles extended from its head, trembling slightly as they linked the senses of all the scaled beasts into a single net. It did not hiss; it simply sat there quietly, like a calm chess player, patiently waiting for its prey to step onto the board.
The instant the five figures appeared at the mouth of the rock curve, the priest's tentacles vibrated violently.
The attack order was given.
The two first-tier scaled beasts at the very front pushed off the ground with their four limbs, streaking across the ground at high speed straight toward Lin Yan in the center. A foul-smelling wind hit his face as bone spikes tore through the air.
"Move!" Lin Yan shouted in a low voice.
The miner and the scout immediately charged diagonally to the left. Their short blades and rock hammers swung out simultaneously to meet two scaled beasts that had turned toward the left. The sounds of metal clashing and scaled beasts hissing exploded instantly. Using the cover of the fighting on the left, the military police officer and the female support soldier lowered their bodies and flanked to the right, their eyes locked firmly onto the secondary priest on the rock platform.
Lin Yan faced the two lunging first-tier scaled beasts alone. The ancient martial arts techniques unfolded in this moment. Avoiding the frontal bone spikes, he sidestepped and spun, his short blade precisely slicing open the soft skin under the jaw of the first scaled beast. Dark green blood sprayed from the wound. The beast cried out in pain and roared, frantically shaking its head. But the second scaled beast was already upon him, its bone spikes slamming hard into Lin Yan's left shoulder.
Thud!
The massive impact sent him stumbling backward. His back slammed heavily against the rock wall, and the wound on his waist was shaken once again. A surge of hot, metallic sweetness rushed to his throat. He forcibly swallowed the blood back down, his vision flashing black intermittently. Forcing himself not to fall, he twisted his wrist and slashed horizontally with his short blade, forcing the scaled beast back.
Sitting on the rock platform, the priest's tentacles trembled continuously, constantly adjusting its tactics. One of the two scaled beasts originally pouncing on the left flank broke off, turning to pounce on the right flank to intercept the military police officer and the female support soldier, preventing them from getting close. The remaining second-tier scaled beast slowly walked out from the beast group, steadily pressing toward Lin Yan.
The second-tier scaled beast was a full size larger and bulkier than the first-tier ones, with longer bone spikes and a fiercer gaze. It was in no rush to charge, advancing step by step, sealing off the space for Lin Yan to dodge left or right.
"Careful, the second-tier is coming!" the miner called out loudly, catching it in his peripheral vision. He was currently entangled with a scaled beast, his rock hammer constantly blocking attacks, and he couldn't spare a moment to support the center. The scout had taken a hit to the shoulder, his combat suit torn open and flesh bleeding; he was equally unable to help.
On the right flank, the military police officer and the female support soldier were locked in combat with the intercepting scaled beast. The female support soldier's short dagger struck the beast's ribs but failed to pierce the hard scales, leaving only a shallow mark. The scaled beast whipped its head to counterattack. The military police officer blocked horizontally with his blade, but a deep wound was scraped onto his arm by the bone spike. Breaking through to the rock platform was much harder than they had anticipated.
Lin Yan's breathing grew increasingly rapid, and his Sea of Consciousness drifted in waves. The wounds on his body continued to lose blood, and his strength was fading fast. The second-tier scaled beast suddenly accelerated, its bone spikes thrusting directly at his chest. Lin Yan twisted his body to barely dodge, simultaneously kicking toward the joint of the beast's front limb. The kick lacked power, only causing the scaled beast to stumble slightly. Taking advantage of this, the beast swung its tail. Its thick, spiked tail whipped horizontally, striking Lin Yan's outer thigh fiercely.
Agonizing pain exploded. Lin Yan's center of gravity shifted, and he fell to one knee.
The second-tier scaled beast let out a low hiss, slowly lowering its head. Its bone spikes aimed at his neck, preparing to finish off its prey.
In this hair-raising moment, the bone shard the little boy had given him fell from the cloth pouch at Lin Yan's waist, landing beside his hand. Almost instinctively, he grabbed the small, rough scaled beast bone shard. Using the momentum of the scaled beast lowering its head to approach, he pushed his arm upward with all his might. The bone shard pierced precisely into the soft spot between the second-tier scaled beast's eye and its scales.
A shrill shriek echoed through the tunnel, causing sand to rain down from the rock walls. The second-tier scaled beast frantically shook its head and stepped back, one of its eyeballs destroyed by the bone shard, blood gushing out.
Seizing this brief respite, Lin Yan braced himself against the ground, trying to stand. But his legs refused to obey. The moment he lifted his upper body, another wave of dizziness hit him.
Seeing the second-tier scaled beast injured, the secondary priest on the rock platform's tentacles trembled violently. It prepared to mobilize all remaining scaled beasts to surround and completely lock down the squad. Its attention was entirely focused on the entangled battlefield, completely ignoring the female support soldier, who had seized the gap and circled to the side of the rock platform.
Abandoning her struggle with the blocking scaled beast, she stepped on the protruding points of the rock wall and leaped upward. Her short dagger thrust straight toward the base of the psychic tentacles on the priest's back—the most vital spot of a secondary priest.
Sensing the danger, the priest frantically turned to dodge, but it was too late. The short dagger plunged fiercely into the nerve cluster at the base of the tentacles.
A soundless psychic shriek exploded in everyone's Sea of Consciousness. It was not as lingering as the resonance, but it was sharp and piercing.
The psychic network linking the entire beast group instantly severed.
All the scaled beasts froze in their movements. Their unified coordination completely collapsed, turning them back into wild beasts fighting solely on instinct.
"The priest is down!" the female support soldier shouted in a low voice. She quickly jumped down from the rock platform and immediately turned around to defend herself upon landing.
Deprived of command, the scaled beasts' formation fell into chaos. Seizing the opportunity, the miner brought his rock hammer down to shatter the skull of the scaled beast in front of him. Enduring the pain, the scout exerted force, his short blade piercing through the throat of another scaled beast. The military police officer also dispatched the beast blocking his path and turned to rush to the center for support.
The injured second-tier scaled beast remained as ferocious as ever. Its blinded side caused it to charge blindly. Lin Yan, lying on the ground, barely managed to roll sideways to dodge its assault. The military police officer quickly stepped forward. Coordinating with Lin Yan, one above and one below, they drove their short blades into the scaled beast's carotid artery. Dark green blood gushed out. The second-tier scaled beast struggled for a few seconds before crashing heavily to the ground.
The remaining scaled beasts, having lost their command, fell one after another under the combined assault of the four fighters.
The sounds of battle gradually subsided. Scaled beast corpses lay scattered across the open ground, and a heavy, foul stench permeated the entire area in front of the cellar. All five of them were injured; no one was unscathed.
Lin Yan still maintained a half-kneeling posture, bracing himself with his short blade as he panted heavily. He looked down at his waist. The bandage was completely soaked with blood, dripping continuously down his pant leg, forming small pools of blood on the ground.
"The cellar door," he said, raising his eyes to look at the alloy gate, his voice hoarse. "Open the door quickly. We go in first."
The miner quickly walked to the door and reached out to touch the old hand-cranked lock dial. The lock was heavily rusted, and the gears were jammed. Turning the dial required considerable effort. He set his rock hammer aside, gripped the handles of the lock dial with both hands, and gritted his teeth to exert force. Once, twice... The dull sound of gears turning slowly rang out.
Deep within the cavern, the Spiderweb Ancient Being perceived the fall of the secondary priest and the complete annihilation of the ambushing scaled beasts. Several consciousnesses intertwined, falling into a long silence.
It had consecutively set up three levels of obstacles: the worm interception, the resonance illusion, and the cellar siege. Each level was enough to crush an ordinary human squad. Yet Lin Yan had led this five-man squad and stubbornly fought their way through it all.
He is almost at the cellar, the psychic fluctuations of the Spiderweb Ancient Being flowed slowly. There is old communication equipment in the cellar. Once they successfully send a signal to the barrier cities, the coordinates of this rift will be exposed. Subsequent regular reinforcement troops and heavy assault equipment will advance. We cannot allow the signal to be transmitted.
The Beast Commander transmitted an anxious intent, requesting the immediate deployment of high-tier scaled beasts from further regions to provide reinforcements.
The consciousness of the supreme ruler slowly descended, stopping it.
There is no need to rush the deployment of high-tier combat power, the supreme ruler's intent was indifferent. There is a spore reservoir we previously buried inside the cellar. They think reaching the cellar means salvation, unaware that room is the final cage. Let them open the door and go in.
The alloy lock dial finally clicked into place with a crisp sound.
The miner stopped his movements and pushed the alloy gate. The heavy door panel slowly opened inward, revealing a gap. A stale smell of rust mixed with a dense spore scent slowly poured out from the crack.
The faint light of the glow stone shone through the gap into the cellar. The dark room lay in silent ambush, waiting for the visitors stepping inside.
Gripping his short blade tightly and suppressing the dizziness, Lin Yan took the lead and stepped toward the gap. He did not yet know that the destination he had reached with all his might was still not a path to survival.
End of Chapter.
After the resonance node shattered, the spore concentration throughout the entire tunnel dropped by a fraction. The continuous bell tolling that struck the Sea of Consciousness was gone, but the spores drifting from the deep underground still remained, like an inescapable thin mist. The brief rest lasted only eight minutes, the absolute limit they had all agreed upon. The shockwave signal from the destruction of the resonance node would undoubtedly travel through the spore network to the ancient beings. The window of opportunity they had was fleeting.
Leaning against the rock wall, the scout looked down at the wound on his upper arm torn by the scaled beast. He had tied it up simply with a torn piece of cloth, and the cut on his palm, used to wake himself up, was still bleeding. In the instant the illusion had ensnared him earlier, death had been terrifyingly close. Even now, his fingertips were still trembling slightly.
"Two hundred and seventy meters ahead, according to the old mining map, is the entrance to the supply cellar." The miner lowered the glow stone, examining a crumpled paper sketch in his hand. The sketch was a copy they had found earlier in the shelter pod's data cabinet, its corners softened and warped by the dampness. "The cellar was built inside a solid granite rock mass. Back then, the military chose this site because the rock layer was sturdy and resistant to cave-ins. The entrance is a thick alloy sealed door with mechanical locks. It is not a simple rock cave."
"But the ancient beings are definitely waiting for us at the door," Lin Yan said, slowly bracing himself against the rock wall to stand. His center of gravity instinctively shifted to his uninjured leg. The moment his injured calf bore weight, a piercing pain shot through him. "With the resonance node failed, they won't bother with psychic illusions anymore. They will directly assemble the scaled beasts to block the entrance. The commotion we just made is enough for them to complete their assembly."
His Sea of Consciousness slowly expanded its perception, piercing through the layers of rock to capture the restless, unified psychic fluctuations of the beasts in the darkness ahead. There were quite a few—at least seven adult scaled beasts. None were third-tier; they were all second and first-tier powerhouses, coordinated and dispatched by a secondary priest. The priest was hidden at the rear of the scaled beast group, not fighting on the front lines, but solely responsible for linking the perceptions of all the beasts and uniformly directing the rhythm of the attack.
"One secondary priest, seven scaled beasts," Lin Yan reported his perception in a low voice. "The priest itself isn't highly combat-capable, but it can synchronize the vision and movements of all the scaled beasts. Working together, they are far more difficult to deal with than a scattered beast group. We need to find a way to restrain the priest first. Otherwise, we will be surrounded in turns with no chance to catch our breath."
Gripping his short blade tightly, the military police officer's gaze grew solemn. "Five against eight, and we have wounded. Charging head-on is too risky."
"There are no side passages to bypass," the miner shook his head, his finger tracing across the sketch. "The tunnel is a straight path until it reaches the cellar. Both sides are solid granite with no side caves. If we want to reach the cellar door, we can only break through their blockade head-on."
Lin Yan fell silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the four people beside him. "We won't engage them in prolonged combat. We have only one objective: rush to the cellar door and try to open the alloy door. Once inside, the thick alloy door can temporarily isolate the scaled beasts. Tactical assignment: Miner and Scout take the left flank to draw the attention of most of the scaled beasts. Military police officer and Female support soldier take the right flank to ambush the secondary priest at the rear when the opportunity arises. I will take the center, holding off the scaled beasts charging from the front to create opportunities for you. My injuries are severe, and I can't hold out for long. Every move must be fast. If a strike fails, we immediately retreat and regroup."
This plan was extremely risky, as the center was the position under the most pressure. Everyone knew clearly that in Lin Yan's current state, a single heavy blow from any second-tier scaled beast could end him directly.
"Let me take the center," the scout said, frowning. "Your injuries can't withstand a frontal impact."
"I am the most suitable," Lin Yan said, shaking his head gently. "Only I can continuously lock onto the priest's psychic position. If the priest tries to relocate or direct the scaled beasts to flank, I will be the first to notice. You four focus on fighting; leave the perception to me."
No one argued further. In the darkness underground, there was no extra time for repeated hesitation.
The five of them tightened their packs once more, dimming the glow stones to their lowest brightness to retain only a faint glimmer, avoiding premature exposure of their position. Short blades, rock spikes, and rock hammers were gripped firmly. Moving with extremely light footsteps, they continued forward along the tunnel. The air grew heavier with the distinct, foul stench of the scaled beasts, mixed with the damp, earthy smell of the granite.
The distance of two hundred and seventy meters was infinitely stretched in the oppressive atmosphere.
After turning a gentle rock curve, the entrance to the cellar finally appeared in their field of vision.
The tunnel ahead opened up slightly. Directly facing them was a dark gray alloy gate embedded into the rock mass. The door panel was covered with rust and scratches, and the lock mechanism was an old-fashioned hand-cranked mechanical lock, with a deactivated electronic recognition panel beside it. Over ten meters of open ground lay in front of the gate. Seven scaled beasts were spread out in a fan shape, their bodies lowered, bone spikes pointing outward, and their crimson eyes staring fixedly at the tunnel entrance. At the very back of the beast group, sitting atop a protruding rock platform, was the secondary priest.
Its physique was slimmer than that of ordinary scaled beasts, and its skin was a deeper dark brown. Several slender psychic tentacles extended from its head, trembling slightly as they linked the senses of all the scaled beasts into a single net. It did not hiss; it simply sat there quietly, like a calm chess player, patiently waiting for its prey to step onto the board.
The instant the five figures appeared at the mouth of the rock curve, the priest's tentacles vibrated violently.
The attack order was given.
The two first-tier scaled beasts at the very front pushed off the ground with their four limbs, streaking across the ground at high speed straight toward Lin Yan in the center. A foul-smelling wind hit his face as bone spikes tore through the air.
"Move!" Lin Yan shouted in a low voice.
The miner and the scout immediately charged diagonally to the left. Their short blades and rock hammers swung out simultaneously to meet two scaled beasts that had turned toward the left. The sounds of metal clashing and scaled beasts hissing exploded instantly. Using the cover of the fighting on the left, the military police officer and the female support soldier lowered their bodies and flanked to the right, their eyes locked firmly onto the secondary priest on the rock platform.
Lin Yan faced the two lunging first-tier scaled beasts alone. The ancient martial arts techniques unfolded in this moment. Avoiding the frontal bone spikes, he sidestepped and spun, his short blade precisely slicing open the soft skin under the jaw of the first scaled beast. Dark green blood sprayed from the wound. The beast cried out in pain and roared, frantically shaking its head. But the second scaled beast was already upon him, its bone spikes slamming hard into Lin Yan's left shoulder.
Thud!
The massive impact sent him stumbling backward. His back slammed heavily against the rock wall, and the wound on his waist was shaken once again. A surge of hot, metallic sweetness rushed to his throat. He forcibly swallowed the blood back down, his vision flashing black intermittently. Forcing himself not to fall, he twisted his wrist and slashed horizontally with his short blade, forcing the scaled beast back.
Sitting on the rock platform, the priest's tentacles trembled continuously, constantly adjusting its tactics. One of the two scaled beasts originally pouncing on the left flank broke off, turning to pounce on the right flank to intercept the military police officer and the female support soldier, preventing them from getting close. The remaining second-tier scaled beast slowly walked out from the beast group, steadily pressing toward Lin Yan.
The second-tier scaled beast was a full size larger and bulkier than the first-tier ones, with longer bone spikes and a fiercer gaze. It was in no rush to charge, advancing step by step, sealing off the space for Lin Yan to dodge left or right.
"Careful, the second-tier is coming!" the miner called out loudly, catching it in his peripheral vision. He was currently entangled with a scaled beast, his rock hammer constantly blocking attacks, and he couldn't spare a moment to support the center. The scout had taken a hit to the shoulder, his combat suit torn open and flesh bleeding; he was equally unable to help.
On the right flank, the military police officer and the female support soldier were locked in combat with the intercepting scaled beast. The female support soldier's short dagger struck the beast's ribs but failed to pierce the hard scales, leaving only a shallow mark. The scaled beast whipped its head to counterattack. The military police officer blocked horizontally with his blade, but a deep wound was scraped onto his arm by the bone spike. Breaking through to the rock platform was much harder than they had anticipated.
Lin Yan's breathing grew increasingly rapid, and his Sea of Consciousness drifted in waves. The wounds on his body continued to lose blood, and his strength was fading fast. The second-tier scaled beast suddenly accelerated, its bone spikes thrusting directly at his chest. Lin Yan twisted his body to barely dodge, simultaneously kicking toward the joint of the beast's front limb. The kick lacked power, only causing the scaled beast to stumble slightly. Taking advantage of this, the beast swung its tail. Its thick, spiked tail whipped horizontally, striking Lin Yan's outer thigh fiercely.
Agonizing pain exploded. Lin Yan's center of gravity shifted, and he fell to one knee.
The second-tier scaled beast let out a low hiss, slowly lowering its head. Its bone spikes aimed at his neck, preparing to finish off its prey.
In this hair-raising moment, the bone shard the little boy had given him fell from the cloth pouch at Lin Yan's waist, landing beside his hand. Almost instinctively, he grabbed the small, rough scaled beast bone shard. Using the momentum of the scaled beast lowering its head to approach, he pushed his arm upward with all his might. The bone shard pierced precisely into the soft spot between the second-tier scaled beast's eye and its scales.
A shrill shriek echoed through the tunnel, causing sand to rain down from the rock walls. The second-tier scaled beast frantically shook its head and stepped back, one of its eyeballs destroyed by the bone shard, blood gushing out.
Seizing this brief respite, Lin Yan braced himself against the ground, trying to stand. But his legs refused to obey. The moment he lifted his upper body, another wave of dizziness hit him.
Seeing the second-tier scaled beast injured, the secondary priest on the rock platform's tentacles trembled violently. It prepared to mobilize all remaining scaled beasts to surround and completely lock down the squad. Its attention was entirely focused on the entangled battlefield, completely ignoring the female support soldier, who had seized the gap and circled to the side of the rock platform.
Abandoning her struggle with the blocking scaled beast, she stepped on the protruding points of the rock wall and leaped upward. Her short dagger thrust straight toward the base of the psychic tentacles on the priest's back—the most vital spot of a secondary priest.
Sensing the danger, the priest frantically turned to dodge, but it was too late. The short dagger plunged fiercely into the nerve cluster at the base of the tentacles.
A soundless psychic shriek exploded in everyone's Sea of Consciousness. It was not as lingering as the resonance, but it was sharp and piercing.
The psychic network linking the entire beast group instantly severed.
All the scaled beasts froze in their movements. Their unified coordination completely collapsed, turning them back into wild beasts fighting solely on instinct.
"The priest is down!" the female support soldier shouted in a low voice. She quickly jumped down from the rock platform and immediately turned around to defend herself upon landing.
Deprived of command, the scaled beasts' formation fell into chaos. Seizing the opportunity, the miner brought his rock hammer down to shatter the skull of the scaled beast in front of him. Enduring the pain, the scout exerted force, his short blade piercing through the throat of another scaled beast. The military police officer also dispatched the beast blocking his path and turned to rush to the center for support.
The injured second-tier scaled beast remained as ferocious as ever. Its blinded side caused it to charge blindly. Lin Yan, lying on the ground, barely managed to roll sideways to dodge its assault. The military police officer quickly stepped forward. Coordinating with Lin Yan, one above and one below, they drove their short blades into the scaled beast's carotid artery. Dark green blood gushed out. The second-tier scaled beast struggled for a few seconds before crashing heavily to the ground.
The remaining scaled beasts, having lost their command, fell one after another under the combined assault of the four fighters.
The sounds of battle gradually subsided. Scaled beast corpses lay scattered across the open ground, and a heavy, foul stench permeated the entire area in front of the cellar. All five of them were injured; no one was unscathed.
Lin Yan still maintained a half-kneeling posture, bracing himself with his short blade as he panted heavily. He looked down at his waist. The bandage was completely soaked with blood, dripping continuously down his pant leg, forming small pools of blood on the ground.
"The cellar door," he said, raising his eyes to look at the alloy gate, his voice hoarse. "Open the door quickly. We go in first."
The miner quickly walked to the door and reached out to touch the old hand-cranked lock dial. The lock was heavily rusted, and the gears were jammed. Turning the dial required considerable effort. He set his rock hammer aside, gripped the handles of the lock dial with both hands, and gritted his teeth to exert force. Once, twice... The dull sound of gears turning slowly rang out.
Deep within the cavern, the Spiderweb Ancient Being perceived the fall of the secondary priest and the complete annihilation of the ambushing scaled beasts. Several consciousnesses intertwined, falling into a long silence.
It had consecutively set up three levels of obstacles: the worm interception, the resonance illusion, and the cellar siege. Each level was enough to crush an ordinary human squad. Yet Lin Yan had led this five-man squad and stubbornly fought their way through it all.
He is almost at the cellar, the psychic fluctuations of the Spiderweb Ancient Being flowed slowly. There is old communication equipment in the cellar. Once they successfully send a signal to the barrier cities, the coordinates of this rift will be exposed. Subsequent regular reinforcement troops and heavy assault equipment will advance. We cannot allow the signal to be transmitted.
The Beast Commander transmitted an anxious intent, requesting the immediate deployment of high-tier scaled beasts from further regions to provide reinforcements.
The consciousness of the supreme ruler slowly descended, stopping it.
There is no need to rush the deployment of high-tier combat power, the supreme ruler's intent was indifferent. There is a spore reservoir we previously buried inside the cellar. They think reaching the cellar means salvation, unaware that room is the final cage. Let them open the door and go in.
The alloy lock dial finally clicked into place with a crisp sound.
The miner stopped his movements and pushed the alloy gate. The heavy door panel slowly opened inward, revealing a gap. A stale smell of rust mixed with a dense spore scent slowly poured out from the crack.
The faint light of the glow stone shone through the gap into the cellar. The dark room lay in silent ambush, waiting for the visitors stepping inside.
Gripping his short blade tightly and suppressing the dizziness, Lin Yan took the lead and stepped toward the gap. He did not yet know that the destination he had reached with all his might was still not a path to survival.
End of Chapter.