Many zombies took the opportunity to escape, and they didn't have the energy to pursue them.
They had to deal with the zombies in front of them first.
The seven of them fought for nearly two hours, panting, before they finally cleared the zombies in the lake.
All the crystal cores were collected into Xu Qian's space, to be divided later.
The mud outside the cave entrance had been reburied, so everyone had to start digging again.
However, with their previous experience, they quickly cleared the area.
Xu Qian took out a hammer and tapped the center of the manhole cover.
Immediately, the manhole cover fell off like ceramic shards.
Just as Xiang Jintian was about to go in and scout, Xu Qian's heart tightened, and she immediately grabbed his sleeve.
"Don't go, listen carefully."
From inside the hole came faint sounds of scratching and gnawing, and shuffling...
Who would dare to go in without knowing what kind of monsters were inside?
Xu Qian looked down into the hole. There was no ladder inside, but the passage was incredibly smooth, like a slide.
Xiang Jintian's eyes were gentle, and he comforted her, "It's okay, someone has to go down and scout. I'll send you a message once I'm down. Don't come down until you hear from me."
Everyone else agreed, except for Xu Qian, who remained silent with a cold expression.
No one could stop what their leader wanted to do.
Xiang Jintian straddled the opening, sitting with his legs dangling over the smooth edge.
He braced himself on the handrail above to avoid falling.
As he prepared to leave, Xiang Jintian gave a faint smile and mouthed words to Xu Qian.
"Don't be afraid."
He let go and quickly slid down.
There was no sound.
Xu Qian rubbed her temples and sat down on a nearby stone step.
Time crawled by. After nearly ten minutes, there was still no news on the walkie-talkie.
Xu Qian grew a little anxious. She suggested, "I'll go down and check on him."
Everyone knew that Sister Qian was their leader's girlfriend, so her worry was understandable.
However, if their leader hadn't sent a message, it was likely very dangerous.
For a moment, they were in a dilemma.
Time passed slowly. Another five minutes went by.
Xu Qian's eyes were deep with concern. She couldn't wait any longer.
"I'll go down and scout first. If I have any news, I'll find a way to send it out, maybe with fireworks or firecrackers. Listen carefully."
The others exchanged glances but didn't stop her.
They were also very worried about their leader's safety.
"Yes."
Without hesitation, Xu Qian immediately slid down.
She descended very quickly.
Her backside met a cold, slippery sensation. The entire passage was likely made of metal.
It was pitch black inside. Even with Xu Qian's excellent eyesight, she couldn't see anything.
After sliding for almost five minutes, the sensation beneath her shifted to something soft and squishy, with popping sounds.
Xu Qian had a bad feeling about it but could do nothing.
The descent was too fast, and she was so dizzy that she couldn't even reach out to touch anything.
Suddenly, Xu Qian was propelled forward like an unsheathed sword, landing on a soft mass before bouncing back to the ground.
Before Xu Qian could recover, she stood up, and the scene before her made her feel like she was going to vomit.
The soft, squishy thing beneath her was egg sacs!
Inside, it was brightly lit. Tens of thousands of egg sacs clung to the walls and the ground.
They had not yet hatched. They were dense and plump, like pearls.
She had crushed quite a few of them as she slid down, turning the egg sacs in the passage into a white pulp.
Xu Qian raised her hand and pressed her throbbing temples.
After a while, she finally recovered.
She took out a flashlight and shone it down the passage. Countless egg sacs grew on the walls, and it was estimated that they would soon spread outside.
Xu Qian's brows furrowed. What would these egg sacs turn into when they hatched?