Chapter 60: Section 61: Volcanic Cave


    The wind roared, bringing rolling heat.


    Before them was a bizarre sight.


    Yellow sand and crimson hard soil merged distinctly, the terrain abruptly changing here. The signs of human intervention were very noticeable.


    Zhenjin and his companions stood in the middle of the desert, but not far from them was a stretch of red land, devoid of any yellow sand.


    “This looks like the scene after a volcanic eruption,” Cang Xu exclaimed.


    Zi Di sniffed, “The air is also filled with the smell of sulfur.”


    ...


    Pfft…


    Suddenly, gray-white smoke emerged from the black ground nearby. Then, a stream of crimson magma spurted out like a fountain, splashing around.


    Like molten iron, the lava sprayed around, lifting large plumes of smoke.


    Everyone frowned.


    In the air, the smell of sulfur grew stronger, bringing severe irritation to the nostrils.


    “If we were splashed by the magma, wouldn’t we be dead?”


    Including Zhenjin, everyone looked solemn.


    “I originally thought the desert was the most perilous place, but I didn’t expect such a deadly area on this island. Compared to it, the desert seems more bearable.”


    “Lord Zhenjin, what should we do next?”


    The group was at a loss, the young knight always being their mainstay.


    The original plan was to leave the desert.


    Though their goal was achieved, the situation seemed to have gotten worse.


    The direction was correct, there should be no mistake. Previously, the exploration team had been trapped in the desert but persisted in this direction and finally made it out.


    “It seems that the initial location we teleported to was significantly different from what we imagined. The terrain of the desert is adjacent to forest and volcanic terrain,” analyzed Cang Xu.


    Zhenjin nodded slightly, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, “This is actually a good thing, everyone.”


    As soon as he began to speak, he immediately drew everyone’s attention.


    “This is volcanic terrain, indeed very dangerous, and even more terrifying than the desert.”


    “But risk usually contains opportunity. Think about it, everyone. We are in danger here; so are the gun scorpions. Their bodies are adapted to the desert environment, but here, can they burrow? The underground surging magma will annihilate them.”


    “Would there be any gold mica stone here? Probably not, and even if there were, it would be melted by the magma. Without gold mica stone as food, what would the scorpion packs eat?”


    The team’s morale soared; Zhenjin’s words truly made sense.


    “Let’s go, we move forward. This is our chance to get rid of the scorpion packs!” commanded Zhenjin. The exploration team continued onward, officially entering this volcanic terrain.


    Half a day later.


    Clang!


    Spider Blade struck fiercely on the head of the Silver Spear Scorpion, causing a loud clash of metal.


    Zhenjin pulled back, dodging the giant pincers.


    A white mark was imprinted on the head of the Silver Spear Scorpion, but Zhenjin’s attack did not penetrate the scorpion’s golden armor.


    The Silver Spear Scorpion retreated, no longer engaging in battle.


    A large group of scorpions immediately gathered around it, protecting their leader.


    Zhenjin’s hands went numb, and his arms trembled slightly. He stood still, his body straight, but his legs continuously sent out feelings of weakness.


    A fierce battle had once again pushed him to his physical limits.


    Fortunately, the scorpions retreated.


    Surrounding the Silver Spear Scorpion, the scorpion packs kept retreating until they reached a certain distance before stopping again.


    This situation was the same as in the desert.


    The exploration team entered the volcanic terrain, and the scorpion packs, undeterred by the terrain, still followed.


    Once he confirmed it was temporarily safe, Zhenjin turned and rejoined the team.


    The faces of the team members looked grim.


    “Damn it, these scorpions are determined to follow us!”


    “Their food is clearly gold mica stone, yet they keep following us. Aren’t they too belligerent?”


    “Didn’t Lord Cang Xu have a guess before? This must have been deliberately arranged by the Island Master. Being belligerent is the greatest advantage of a biological weapon!”


    Seeing Zhenjin return, the discussions ceased.


    Someone immediately greeted him, “Lord, the scorpion packs are still behind us. What should we do?”


    Zhenjin’s face was stern as he pointed toward the dark mass to the northwest, “We climb the mountain.”


    It was a dark, low mountain.


    It might be an active volcano!


    No one opposed Zhenjin. At this moment, in this team, the young knight’s word was law.


    After all, everyone’s life rested on his shoulders.


    As they drew closer to Black Mountain, the temperature in the air increased.


    The ground underfoot was soft, and even through their boots, it felt as hot as stepping into water heated to over fifty degrees.


    Many people had blisters on their feet.


    The soil here was black, with some areas bulging and others forming pits. According to Cang Xu’s guess, after the volcanic eruption, the flowing lava cooled down and formed the ground as it is now.


    Scorpions, clearly more heat-resistant than humans, kept following the exploration team up the mountain.


    Midway up the slope, Zhenjin and his people found a cave.


    Zhenjin sent one person to go into the cave and scout.


    It was risky to scout, and Zhenjin didn’t hazard himself.


    If there were any monsters inside the cave capable of surviving such an environment, they would undoubtedly be more dangerous than the scorpions.


    The team member entered the cave, cautiously walking about ten meters before reaching the cave wall.


    “There are no signs of life, it’s safe for now.”


    Updated with this report, the whole team entered the cave.


    It was very hot inside. Sёar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There were many vents on the walls, ground, and ceiling of the cave, intermittently spewing some fumes.


    These fumes contained a considerable amount of water, as well as powdery sulfur.


    Zhenjin’s vision was greatly disturbed by the smoke. Just moments after entering the cave, he started feeling minor stings in his eyes.


    As for everyone else, their eyes were already red.


    As they reached the bottom of the cave, the stifling heat made many sweat profusely.


    The long trek had drained the energy and physical strength of the exploration team members so much that some suffered from dizziness and vertigo. They found it difficult to adapt to the environment all at once.


    “Sir, we should leave quickly.”


    “I feel like I can’t hold up anymore.”


    “We surely can’t spend the night here.”


    Zhenjin scanned the group, his face determined, yet he loudly vetoed, “No, this is ideal. We won’t spend the night here, but we will fight those scorpions here!”


    The scorpions had consistently tracked them, and the young knight was determined to start the battle. He came here to create a battlefield advantageous to them.


    Everyone was astonished.


    Zhenjin turned around, smiling, “Didn’t you realize on our way here? Those gun scorpions seemed to be very afraid of this smoke.”


    Upon reflection, everyone perked up.


    Somebody blurted out, “That’s right, they’ve been avoiding the fumes all along.”


    “It’s possible these fumes are highly harmful to them, which is why they never come close.”


    Cang Xu frowned, “Logically, scorpions and spiders have respiratory organs. On either side at the front of their abdomen, they have one or more sac-like structures called air sacs. Inside these are 15 to 20 thin plates formed by overlapping folds of the body wall, resembling the pages of a book, hence called ‘book lungs.’ When blood flows through these book lungs, gas exchange occurs, absorbing fresh air and expelling waste gases from the body, completing the process of respiration.”


    “However, merely based on their avoidance of the smoke, we cannot determine the actual harm these fumes pose to them. It may be possible that they just disdain it, and these fumes are not such a fatal threat.”


    “That’s a possibility,” Zhenjin sighed, “but we’ve reached our limit. Who can continue the trek now?”


    Silence followed.


    Zhenjin stated the facts.


    The physical abilities of the people had reached the brink of collapse. Five to six hours earlier, they had been desperately clinging to life out of fear of death and longing for survival.


    If it weren’t for the scorpions following them, the team members would have collapsed motionless long ago.


    Zhenjin paused for a moment, then continued, “Our food supply is also running out.”


    The young knight looked towards Zi Di.


    Zi Di quickly understood and displayed the pack in public.


    The food reserves in the pack were even less than everyone expected.


    “Can you corrode the cave walls with potions?” Zhenjin asked again.


    “It should be possible, not a big issue. But it still needs to be tested before confirmation,” Zi Di answered meticulously.


    Under everyone’s gaze, the young girl pulled out a potion and splashed it on the cave wall.


    The cave wall immediately melted like a heated candle, forming quickly.


    Zhenjin watched this extraordinary scene; it was the same potion that had helped Zi Di and others avoid a sandstorm.


    The air grew more foul, nearly nauseating enough to induce vomiting.


    But after ten or so breaths, the original cave wall had completely disappeared, further deepening the cave by several steps.


    Zhenjin finally relaxed.


    With such a potion, they could now create a battle terrain favorable for themselves inside this cave.