Chapter 19 (1/2)

Zero moved through the cave, his boots on the slimy earth.

The slime of the golden bug was so slippery that it would fall if he wasn't careful.

Therefore, Lingcun walked carefully and at the same time, he lowered his footsteps.

All subterranean creatures have lost their vision due to environmental reasons, but their hearing is unusually well-developed.

They would be able to detect the sound of the needle dropping, so they did not move too fast, afraid that the insects would notice them if they made a sound.

This cave that was dug up by the gold devouring bug was curvy. It silently calculated its own footsteps and came to a conclusion that it had already walked nearly a kilometer.

However, the cave didn't seem to have an end, so he didn't take it to heart at all.

In the quiet underground, in the dark abyss, he walked alone.

It was as if this completely unfamiliar world had awakened them. Although there were many people in the Z7 base, but they all felt lonely.

After all, there was a gap of nearly half a century between him and those people.

Zero can't remember the past. Who is he?

From where?

What have you done?

There was no answer to any of this, but he knew that as long as he walked, one day he would come close and know the truth.

At this moment.

At the end of the cave.

However, the end of the tunnel wasn't quite the same. After reaching this place, it turned at a 90-degree angle, directly extending towards the dark abyss.

Zero took out the cold fireworks, lit them up, and threw them down.

Fiery light flashed across the vertical passageway, and some fist-sized iron beetles immediately scattered, far away from the cold but bright light.

Fortunately, the distance between them was only about ten meters.

The distance between them wasn't enough for Zero to notice. Cold Smoke continued to burn in the underground passageway. He used his hands and feet to climb down through the uneven surface of the tunnel.

By the time his feet touched the ground, the smoke was out.

Darkness returned to the underground once more. Soon, a ray of green light shone, dispersing the metal beetles that were gathering towards zero.

Zero continued along the transverse passage that the golden bug had made. He held a light stick in his hand.

The passageway continued to slant downwards, as if it was going straight to hell.

But this time, the journey of zero ended quickly.

This was because he could hear some special sounds coming from the quiet underground.

”Zzzzz ~ ~ ~”

It was like the sound of an alternating current, but also like the sound of something rubbing against each other.

It was impossible to say for sure, but he took out the .500 revolver.

This large caliber weapon, if fired at close range, was like the tough shell of a metal-eating bug. It might not be able to offset the impact of 50 rounds.

The sound was getting closer.

Under the green fluorescent light, the passageway came to an end.

At the end of the cave, there was an even bigger cave. Zero estimated that it had a circumference of about three hundred meters.

The strange sound came from the cave, from the edge of the zero squat.

Under the green fluorescent light, there were several huge insects intertwined with each other. The strange sounds came from the insects' slimy bodies rubbing against each other.

The Golden-Swallowing Worm was like a maggot that had been magnified countless times. It was difficult for people to distinguish its head from its tail.

Right now, several large insects were entangled, making it even more difficult to distinguish them.

Under the fluorescent light, something's reflection stung his eyes.

At the edge of the cave, there was a thick layer of copper mud.

Those were the gold devouring insects' food, Zero revealed a thoughtful expression.

Why would the golden insect bring food here?

Furthermore, with the amount of copper sludge, these foods could last a few golden insects for several days. In other words, did they prepare food in advance?

Why?

Could it be because of the 'movement' below?

Zero quickly analyzed the situation in front of him.

The intertwining of golden insects, such as snakes, that reproduce.

But the golden bug is asexual and does not need to reproduce through this behavior.

Zero didn't know much about this creature, and all he knew was that he'd gotten it from a chart when Old Jack took the assignment.

He couldn't tell, but he didn't want to stay.

The task of scouting did not include the destruction of the golden bug.

Nothing superfluous would happen, but when he turned to leave, something new was happening to the insects in the cave below.

The head of the largest golden bug suddenly popped out its head. On its fat white head, there were two rows of six small, scarlet eyes.

A cross crack appeared in the center of the insect's head, and it rolled over with the fat, revealing a mouth that was the same size as its head.

Under the green light, everything was clear.

There were three layers of small inverted teeth in the mouth. These were the unremarkable inverted teeth, but they were able to cut open mountains and dig stones.

But now, the mouthpart's target was his companion.

Puff! The insect swallowed its companion into its mouth.

The giant bug continued to suck, and it swallowed the other bug into its stomach bit by bit.

His pupils contracted.

What is this?

Kill each other?

Very quickly, the bug swallowed its companion whole, and its body gained a full circle.

Beneath the insect was a crease, as if the devouring companion were struggling.