Chapter 986 (1/2)

Chapter 986: 306. Black Pupa_3

Time passed tediously as the tunneling progressed.

Noland Lee’s cautious planning before taking action had paid off.

In the process of tunneling straight downward, he encountered no resistance.

But when the depth approached 2000 meters, an unexpected encounter forced him to hit the pause button.

“Sssss…”

“Click, clack…”

In the dark, confined space, Noland Lee and the Rock Spirit entered a state of complete stillness.

A barely perceptible noise lingered in Noland Lee’s ears.

It was somewhat like the rustling of leaves in the evening breeze, and a bit like the sound of fingernails scraping across a blackboard.

The noise echoed in the cramped underground space, making it hard for Noland Lee to determine its exact direction.

He cast “Earth Shield,” using the Pangula Family’s secret codes to enhance the shield’s defensive power.

He called up the Personal Panel in his mind and looked at the status bar.

There were no negative effects displayed.

“So, this is just noise and not some kind of magic spell?”

Noland Lee speculated silently, considering whether to throw out a “Detect Geomancy Energy” spell to see what was messing around.

Due to the spell fluctuations of “Detect Geomancy Energy,” which could trigger alerts from magic instruments, Noland Lee had refrained from using this spell the entire way.

Now, the noise in his ears and the darkness before his eyes gave Noland Lee a creeping sensation.

For safety’s sake, he might have to risk being discovered by magic instruments and throw out a “Detect Geomancy Energy” spell.

While Noland Lee hesitated, a very faint vibration came from the ground beneath his feet.

“Sssss… Click, clack…”

The noise grew louder and much clearer.

Noland Lee looked down towards the source of the noise; it was indeed coming from directly below him.

“It seems like someone is doing the same thing as me.”

Noland Lee’s face took on a peculiar expression.

He recognized it; this was the noise of tunneling through the ground…

“Could it be that I’ve encountered a Mole Man underground?”

Noland Lee stroked his chin, contemplating the information he had about these extraordinary creatures.

It was said that about six years ago, the area of Barren Stone Quarry was a mountainous region covered with jungles.

An extraterrestrial space pollution incident erupted here six years ago, followed by the emergence of the Barren Stone vein and the Mole Men that fed on Barren Stone.

In a certain sense, Human Wizards were competing with Mole Men for sustenance.

Mole Men consumed Barren Stone to reproduce and strengthen themselves.

To strengthen themselves was easy to understand; the more Barren Stone the Mole Men ate, the more protective hardened nodules they developed on their bodies, and the more hits they could withstand.

As for reproduction…

That was quite peculiar.

The Wizard Advancement Association discovered:

Within the Mole Man community, those with powerful spell casting abilities and an extraordinary resilience were all male.

After extensive research and dissection, the Wizard Research Association finally concluded:

Mole Men were born “female.”

Mole Men that ate a considerable amount of Barren Stone could develop a special physiological structure, evolving into “male,” thereby earning the right to seek a mate.

Noland Lee wasn’t particularly interested in the so-called “special physiological structure.”

All he wanted to know was whether the creature digging upwards beneath him was indeed a Mole Man.

Noland Lee activated “Life and Death Tracking,” staring intently downward.

Everything remained pitch black, with no blood-red outlines appearing in his field of view.

The dark yellow color that symbolized corpses and the blue lines that symbolized Undead also did not appear in his Magic Vision.

Noland Lee’s heart sank slightly, realizing he might have encountered an extraordinary creature that was neither a living being nor an Undead.

It was likely a Magic Servant or a magic puppet, a magical creation.

If that was the case, it meant that he wasn’t the only Wizard tunneling through this oppressive underground area.

This Wizard was probably hidden in a far distant place, controlling their magic puppet through a Magic Circle, remotely excavating a cave.