Lìzhuī tried to lean against the rock wall to rest, only to realize that he was utterly immobile. His sight, hearing, smell, touch, and even taste were all functioning perfectly, but his body refused to move a single inch.
An overwhelming sense of fear gripped him, a feeling he had never experienced before—not even when the Great Water Cave collapsed. After all, back then, he had control over his body and could actively resist fate.
What followed was a deep sense of frustration, and soon, resentment took root. D*mn Lìng Jùn! It was his sweet words and promises that led him into this hell, into donning this cursed armor!
Wén Dàpéng crawled back from the tunnel and immediately noticed something was wrong with Lìzhuī. He dared not act hastily and quickly sent someone to fetch Lìng Húmǐn.
After six men stabilized him, Hǔ Guǎngliáng began to remove the armor. The armor was modular: the helmet, shoulder plates, and arm guards were carefully taken off one by one. Once the chest plate lock was released, Lìzhuī's body collapsed, and the others gently lowered him to the ground.
Lìng Húmǐn quickly assessed the situation. "Mr. Lì, don't panic. I believe the intensity of the battle earlier caused an overload of fatigue toxins in your body, leading to muscle rigidity."
She and Fēng Sǔn'ér placed an oxygen mask on Lìzhuī and administered a sedative.
Lìzhuī could not speak, but he blinked his eyes in a silent gesture of gratitude.
At that moment, Lìng Jùn arrived with his team. "Mǐn Jiě, get ready. We'll be retreating to the Demon Suppression Cave immediately; a large-scale demolition is about to begin here."
Not only this cave, but all the other caves marked as targets had been easily breached. However, the Eastern Guard dared not advance recklessly, as the terrain beneath was highly complex—caves connected by underground rivers, rivers within caves, and caves beneath rivers.
In truth, the Green Alliance didn't need to resist stubbornly; their only objective was to retreat deeper into the caves.
At that moment, Hǔ Guǎngliáng came up with a repulsive idea: to strip the bodies of their clothes and then toss them into the Eastern Cave.
Fēng Sǔn'ér immediately turned her face away in disgust upon hearing this, but Lìng Jùn, to her surprise, approved of the suggestion.
Indeed, it was a strategy that served two purposes. If the guards refused to let them dispose of the bodies, such as by burning them with incendiary grenades, it would surely ignite the wrath of the soldiers. On the other hand, allowing the soldiers to collect the bodies would undoubtedly dampen their morale.
As for stripping the clothes, Hǔ Guǎngliáng's intent was not to desecrate the corpses but to make use of the uniforms, which were incredibly valuable.
Just as Hǔ Guǎngliáng led the villagers to throw the stripped bodies into the Eastern Cave, a sudden high-pitched whistling sound pierced the air. Before anyone could duck, a series of rocket-propelled grenades exploded, instantly showering the group in blood and dismembered limbs, leaving no trace of their bodies.
A fireball surged toward the cave, followed by a deafening explosion, as if a volcano had erupted or the earth itself had cracked open. This was no mere tremor; this was an earth-shattering cataclysm!
Though the passage leading to the Central Cave did not directly face the entrance of the Eastern Cave, even those within the passage and the Central Cave could not escape. Some were killed by the shockwave, others consumed by the flames.
The Heavenly Hole collapsed in an instant, with debris cascading like a meteor shower.
In the Southern Cave, not only did everyone feel as if the world was spinning, but many were knocked unconscious by the shockwave, and some even temporarily lost their hearing. This caused even more panic than death itself!
In the blink of an eye, chaos erupted as people began to scream in terror, desperately pushing deeper into the caves and trampling over each other in their frantic rush.
The cause of this mayhem was the enraged Supreme Commander, who had called in an armed helicopter to enforce heavy firepower. Rockets were launched, and even air-to-ground missiles were fired! However, the explosion caused a massive collapse, blocking the passage and creating further complications for the guards.
The engineers of the guard unit had already set up a trestle on the mountaintop, from which they lowered a mecha exoskeleton into the cave entrance to clear the debris once again.
The so-called "mecha" was an exoskeletal system designed to provide enhanced strength. However, the Eastern Tai Company also had a heavier, armored exoskeleton, which was too cumbersome to be used effectively in tight spaces.
Lìng Jùn, struggling to his feet, vaguely saw the demolition team leader, Gè Yùnshēng. "Lǎo Gè! Plant explosives at the Southern Cave entrance too; we'll blow it ourselves!"
Gè Yùnshēng muttered something, but clearly, he didn't hear Lìng Jùn's words, and likewise, Lìng Jùn couldn't hear his. They were both temporarily deafened.
After a few gestures, Gè Yùnshēng finally understood, and signaled to two of his assistants. The three of them began heading toward the Southern Cave.
Meanwhile, Li Zui, Hǔzi, Lìng Húmǐn, and others were being escorted by Liú Fúshuǐ, Wén Dàpéng, and Rǎn Xiǎofēi, as they stealthily entered the Demon Suppression Cave's underground river, with the dark river waterfall not far ahead.
Suddenly, a pack of mutated beasts rushed from a side tunnel, their heads like crocodiles, but their bodies resembling lizards. Yes, they were called Crocodile Lizards, genetically modified creatures, combining the immense biting power of crocodiles with the agility of lizards and their ability to climb with ease.
The diving team carried a vast amount of recently seized weaponry, but it was of little use in the water; in fact, these weapons were little more than toys in such an environment. Their only option was to flee!
The narrow waterway was a blessing in disguise; otherwise, had the crocodile lizards descended upon them all at once, there would have been no survivors. However, it was only a matter of time—every time they were bitten three or four times, it would be over before long, and they would all be wiped out.
"Damned if I'm running away!" Wén Dàpéng shouted inwardly. Just fifteen minutes ago, he had been viciously scolded by Lìng Jùn. Now, he found himself once again being chased down, in a state of utter distress!
No! I won't flee any longer. If I'm going to die, I'll die on my terms!
Wén Dàpéng sidestepped quickly, pressing himself against the rocky wall. He then unstrapped his waterproof backpack, opened it, and groped inside. As his hand brushed against a "Loyalty Bomb," a crocodile lizard lunged at him.
Just in time! Wén Dàpéng raised his left arm to block, while his right hand swiftly flicked open the safety cover. His thumb pressed down firmly on the trigger.
The crocodile's jaws snapped shut, biting into his arm with a sickening crunch, severing his bone. With a vicious tug, it ripped half his arm off. Despite the searing, heart-wrenching pain, Wén Dàpéng kept his thumb pressed on the trigger.
It wasn't time for release yet—he needed more mutated beasts to bite him!
Sure enough, the second and third crocodile lizards simultaneously latched onto his legs. The fourth one, meanwhile, opened its jaws wide and lunged at his head!
Wén Dàpéng threw his head back, laughing at the approaching jaws, and simultaneously released the trigger. The Loyalty Bomb exploded, followed by an even more violent detonation as the backpack, filled with grenades and explosives, detonated.
The powerful shockwave tore apart a dozen crocodile lizards in an instant! Seven members of the Green Alliance were killed on the spot, while several others were knocked unconscious, sinking to the bottom of the water, left to their fate.
The remaining survivors, however, found themselves fortunate in their misfortune. The mighty surge of water swept them backward, pushing them straight to the base of the waterfall.
In the days prior, they had set up a winch system atop the Falling Water Cave. Liú Fúshuǐ flashed his flashlight a few times, and the winch began to descend. Everyone hurriedly lifted Lì Zui onto the platform.
"Fēng Sǔn'ér, Hǔzi, Lìng Húmǐn, you escort the hero up first!" Liú Fúshuǐ ordered.
The ones lifting the hero were disappointed and reluctant to step down from the winch, which was understandable—every second counted in times of crisis.
However, Fēng Sǔn'ér and Hǔzi wanted to let others go first, but Liú Fúshuǐ was firm. He pushed them onto the winch without hesitation. "Stop dithering! Protect the hero first!" he commanded.
Liú Fúshuǐ flashed the flashlight again, signaling the winch to start ascending. Just as it was about two meters off the ground, a young boy suddenly leapt up and grabbed the iron frame with both hands.
The winch immediately swayed violently, and the steel cables creaked under the strain.
"Overload! Overload! One of you has to get off!" the operator above yelled, quickly lowering the winch again.
Liú Fúshuǐ seized the boy by his belt, yanking him down with one swift motion.
"Beast! You're courting death!" he snarled, delivering a savage slap.
The boy's face immediately blossomed with five red welts. "Father! I don't want to die!"
"Silence! How did I raise you? If you're going to die, die like a man! Coward!"
Liú Fúshuǐ raised his hand again to strike, but Rǎn Xiǎofēi gripped his arm firmly. At that moment, Hǔzi leapt down from the winch, clasped the boy's belt with his right hand, lifted him, and gently pushed him onto the platform.
"Brothers up top, you can start ascending!" Hǔzi called out loudly.
The winch resumed its slow ascent. Liú Fúshuǐ no longer resisted, merely casting a silent glance at Hǔzi, his eyes brimming with tears.
The explosion had caused massive collapses within the waterway, blocking the flow and causing the water level to rise rapidly—an advantage, for now.
Following Liú Fúshuǐ's orders, the winch was no longer lowered. Instead, several ropes were deployed to climb along the rising water.
The wounded and non-combatants retreated into the Tongtian Cave, while Liú Fúshuǐ and Rǎn Xiǎofēi, leading the remaining elite, stood guard at Hanshui Cave.
As for the winch platform, Liú Fúshuǐ decided to abandon it. Beneath the water chamber lay branching tunnels; if the enemy came through the pool, there would be no escape.
Though the water level kept rising, Liú Fúshuǐ remained uneasy, aware that creatures like the crocodile lizards could slip through even the tiniest crevice.
Lìng Hú Mǐn immediately began surgery on Hǔzi, incising the left shoulder muscle to extract shrapnel with forceps before stitching the wound. Under the influence of anesthesia, Hǔzi soon drifted into a deep sleep.
When the shockwave struck earlier, Lì Zui had trembled violently; the rigid muscles had relaxed somewhat but remained weak and immobile.
As the surgery concluded, Sǔn'ér began preparing for battle. She abandoned her bow and arrows, opting instead for a full complement of firearms, attaching two Loyalty Bombs to her tactical vest.
"Master Liú, it seems the crocodile beasts were all blown to bits. We'll have to clear the waterway, or my master won't be able to get through," Rǎn Xiǎofēi pondered the next move.
Liú Fúshuǐ said nothing, instead pressing his ear against the rock. Suddenly, he sprang up. "They're coming! Brothers, ready your weapons!"
This wave of crocodile lizards arrived in vastly greater numbers and seemed to act with coordinated precision, splitting into three groups upon emerging from the waterway's mouth. Two advanced along the east and west cave walls, while the third plunged into the pool, lying in wait to provide support.
The Green Alliance, already on edge, opened fire chaotically even before Liú Fúshuǐ's command.
The worst part was most had no shooting training; they simply held the trigger down, emptying their magazines with a staccato rattle.
Only a few stray bullets struck the crocodile lizards, but none inflicted fatal wounds. These creatures moved with remarkable agility and were armored with a surface resembling crocodile hide—actually composed of high-polymer fiber.
"Throw grenades!" Liú Fúshuǐ shouted, hurling one himself toward the waterway entrance.
Everyone else followed suit, tossing grenades wildly before dropping prone. "Boom! Boom! Boom!" only three explosions sounded—most grenades hadn't had their pins pulled!
Seizing the opportunity, the crocodile lizards surged forward in a frenzied onslaught, ravenously feasting on their prey.