6kv Chapter 54 The Final Trial - The Supreme Golem! The Swarm of Insects in the Dark
Chapter 54 The Final Trial - The Supreme Golem! The Swarm of Insects in the Dark
Five o'clock in the afternoon.
With four hours left until the end of the assessment, it was already completely dark.
In the distance, rolling hills stretched out, with a valley rising slightly in the middle, and a cave entrance with a diameter of ten meters facing the group.
To the west of the nest, behind a clump of low, dead trees.
Zhou Chengjie squatted on the ground, holding up a palm-sized night imaging telescope in his right hand.
Through the telescope, the area around the hole appeared as an eerie orange-red.
You can see continuous, pulsating energy fluctuations seeping from deep underground, like a heat source seen in a thermal imager.
But it's not quite the same; that energy doesn't radiate outwards continuously, but rather, like breathing, it inhales and exhales, with a slow and steady rhythm.
Zhou Chengjie put down his binoculars, his brows furrowing slightly.
"How is it?" Wang Yichuan asked in a low voice.
Zhou Chengjie handed him the binoculars and pointed towards the cave entrance: "There's a huge abyssal energy inside the cave, and it's like it's breathing. It's very strange. I don't know what's hidden inside! In short, something's not normal!"
Wang Yichuan took the binoculars, glanced at them, said nothing, and handed them back.
After observing for a while, Zhou Chengjie looked at everyone and said, "I'll explain the fighting strategy inside the cave."
"The cave is narrow and the view is limited, which is a huge disadvantage for us!"
"Especially those abyssal worms, we can kill them easily in open areas, but in caves, once they surge out from the passages on both sides, the frontal formation can be easily broken up."
"So...we must use our tools sparingly, but we can't be stingy with them. Grenades, Molotov cocktails—throw them when you need to, don't wait until you're surrounded to remember!"
"But the real trouble is the Flame Demon," Zhou Chengjie continued, his tone even more somber than before.
"They are smaller than the little devils, about the size of a monkey, but faster and particularly good at hiding in the small burrows they dig on the sides of the passage."
"You walk through the main passage and think you're safe, when they suddenly pounce from the side and breathe fire right in your face."
"The flames of the Blazing Demon are extremely adhesive; once they stick, they're very difficult to shake off. The Energy Guardian can withstand them, but there's still a risk. Too many mistakes, and this entire assessment will be for nothing!"
Zhou Chengjie then looked at the Spirit Armor Army that was following their group and said, "With the Spirit Armor Army here, we don't need to worry too much about safety."
"But there's one thing you need to understand clearly: if the Spirit Armor Army intervenes, it means you've been deemed 'unable to save yourself'! Once or twice might just result in a few points being deducted. But too many times, and your rating will drop significantly!"
"During the exam, being careful and avoiding a fatal mistake means fewer points lost. But in real combat, it's a matter of life and death! Understand?"
"clear!"
Su Chen looked at the demon cave in the distance, feeling a slight excitement in his heart.
At the same time, he looked towards the sixth level that had already been triggered!
【Ding--】
【...】
The sixth level has been triggered.
[Level Name: Trial of the Final Battle - Supreme Golem]
[Level Introduction:.........]
[Difficulty: Six stars]
Six stars!
The most difficult level 5 only got three and a half stars before.
"This lair has over a thousand monsters; the difficulty level seems... normal!"
"Hopefully I can get a perfect score! That way, will I be able to get over 100 points in a single run? Will I be able to get a high-level reward? Even a skill stone would be great!"
Currently, the scoring criteria are not overly exaggerated; rather, they are based on his actual abilities.
There was no requirement for him to kill all the monsters or the big boss by himself.
He just needs to give it his all and perform at his best.
Su Chen glanced at the level name again.
Trial of the Final Battle - Supreme Golem
Golem?
Is it the lava golem I mentioned before?
Are there not only Flame Demons in the cave, but also a group of Lava Golems?
Golems... If they're elite-level, high-tier, or at their peak, I really can't beat them!
Guns won't work either.
It can only be high-powered items like grenades! And they have to be used well.
"There's one more thing," Zhou Chengjie suddenly spoke, his expression becoming even more serious. "Sometimes the school deliberately sets traps."
"What do you mean?" Zhang Yan blinked.
"They won't give you complete information about the lair. They'll only tell you the approximate composition and location of the forces, but they won't tell you if there are any special individuals inside, much less how strong those special individuals are."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "A lair of this level usually has a leader in charge. It could be a Flame Demon that has lived for a very long time, far stronger than its kind, or it could be some kind of mutated species!"
"Or perhaps the school wanted to test us and only gave us superficial information, while the actual situation was much more dangerous."
"After all, when you're actually fighting in the wilderness, never blindly trust intelligence! You need to be able to deal with all sorts of unexpected events."
"Anyway," he stood up, brushing the dust off his knees, "everyone needs to be on high alert once we're inside. If anything seems amiss, don't try to be brave!"
"Understood!" several people responded at the same time.
Zhou Chengjie glanced down at the timer on his wrist.
"Check the equipment one last time."
Everyone immediately sprang into action.
At the same time, Zhou Chengjie pressed the communicator on his shoulder: "Teams, report your positions."
There was a two-second silence on the communicator, followed by a rustling sound of electricity.
"Team Two is in position, east of the cave entrance." It was Guo Hao's voice, brief and crisp, revealing no emotion.
"..."
"Team Seven is in position..."
After listening to the last report, Zhou Chengjie said, "The correction time is now 17:02:33."
"At 17:15:00, one team will lead the way into the cave; the rest of the teams should follow immediately!"
After giving the order, Zhou Chengjie looked up at the direction of the cave entrance, took a deep breath, and felt the night wind carrying the fishy smell of sulfur fill his lungs.
........
To the east of the nest, behind a clump of low, dead trees.
Guo Hao squatted on the ground, looking at the cave in front of him, his brows furrowed and never relaxed.
"Brother Hao."
A voice came from the side. Guo Hao turned his head and saw Zhao Kang, the captain of No. 7 Middle School, coming over.
Zhao Kang and he had known each other for more than ten years. Their families lived in the same community and were close to each other, so they were considered to be very good friends.
"You seem to be at odds with those people in Zhou Chengjie's team?"
Guo Hao did not respond immediately.
He tucked the flashlight back into his tactical vest, gave a forced smile, and said, "In the first semester of my second year of high school, the third monthly exam and the practical assessment will be held in the abandoned industrial area outside the south city."
"During that assessment, Zhou Chengjie and I were assigned to the same area, each leading our own team."
"Originally, we were each fighting our own battles, keeping to ourselves." Guo Hao paused, glancing westward, "But then a pack of demonic wolves appeared, quite large, about forty or fifty of them. But back then, what was our strength? It was still very difficult to deal with them!"
"My team of twelve people held off most of them, so Zhou Chengjie's team was under much less pressure."
"And then?" Zhao Kang asked.
"Then he finished off the rest. He could have easily gone around to the flank and helped wipe out the wolf pack in one fell swoop."
Guo Hao's voice deepened: "But he didn't. He led the team and retreated! And we couldn't hold on, many of us were eliminated, and the final score was the worst I've ever had in my entire high school career!"
Zhao Kang was taken aback: "He...did it on purpose?"
"Heh~ He had a lot of reasons afterward, but I couldn't be bothered with them. So what if we broke up?" Guo Hao sneered.
Zhao Kang frowned and said, "Then what about this battle? What if he sabotages us?"
Guo Hao's tone was firm: "He wouldn't dare! The mission is overseen by instructors, and the Spirit Armor Army is also present. If he dares to deliberately arrange unfairness, he'll be dead afterward."
"Besides..." He paused, a slight smirk playing on his lips, "Just because I agreed to let him command doesn't mean I have to follow his lead. We'll each attack from our own direction; can he really give orders from inside the cave?"
"In times like these, real skill comes into play!"
"Both of our teams need to give it their best."
Zhao Kang nodded emphatically: "Yes, I understand!"
They were both among the top students in the community's primary and middle schools!
Everyone has had their moment of glory, and everyone has a competitive spirit.
.......
[Battle begins, all troops mobilize!]
West side of the nest - entrance to the cave.
Zhou Chengjie glanced at the dark space inside the cave, took a deep breath, and raised his hand: "Let's go in!"
The crowd filed in.
The moment Su Chen stepped into the cave entrance, he felt as if he had entered another world.
The beam of the flashlight sliced out white fan-shaped areas in the darkness, sweeping across the cave walls.
The space here is much larger than I imagined!
The cave ceiling is at least fifteen or sixteen meters above the ground, and the cave walls are smooth and curved, clearly not dug out by a monster, but more like a naturally formed underground cave.
"I thought it would be a dug-out cave like a snake pit, but it turns out to be a natural cave system! In that case, the space is probably much larger than I imagined."
Wang Yichuan said something in a low voice, and the beam of his flashlight swept across a group of stalactite-like rock columns on the cave wall.
After walking for a while, Su Chen looked up.
The stalactite's color is wrong!
Normal stalactites are grayish-white or pale yellow, but these... are black.
The team advanced about two hundred meters before the tunnel began to narrow.
The spacious hall-like space gradually transformed into a mine tunnel about five or six meters wide.
The stalactites overhead became denser and longer, some hanging down from the cave ceiling, almost touching people's heads.
Su Chen noticed that a drop of black liquid was hanging from the tip of several stalactites.
The liquid was viscous and heavy, trembling slightly as it clung to the tip of the stone.
Then... it fell.
"Tick-tock~"
The black liquid splattered on the ground, splashing up a small patch of dark water.
Su Chen squatted down and gently poked at the pool of liquid with the tip of his knife.
The moment the blade touched the liquid, it made a faint hissing sound, as if something was being corroded.
"This is blood!"
Zhou Chengjie's voice came from the side. He was squatting beside another puddle of liquid, dipping a knife in it, and said, "Blood contaminated by abyssal energy is corrosive. It's been clotting for quite some time, at least two hours!"
He stood up and shone the beam of his flashlight forward.
As the passage continued forward, more and more stalactites appeared on the cave ceiling, and the black droplets on the ground became increasingly dense.
In some places, the water has pooled into small puddles, resembling a miniature version of some kind of eerie underground lake.
"This kind of environment is very appealing to abyssal demonic insects! There must have been quite a few demonic insects here before," Zhou Chengjie analyzed.
He paused, his tone turning somber: "They've clearly become aware of our actions. They've probably all moved deeper into the cave, intending to fight us a tough battle there!"
"If they concentrate all their forces against us... then just unleash Hellfire!"
"Normally, teams are only equipped with two Hellfire Type 1 super bombs. But our team is stronger, so the school gave us two more, making a total of four."
"Su Chen, Lin Xiyue, Wang Yichuan, and I each have one. But don't use them unless absolutely necessary!"
Su Chen touched the cold, heavy bomb at his waist; the anti-slip texture on the metal casing felt rough against his fingertips.
Four shots of Hellfire are enough to blow the entire football field to the sky!
He continued walking forward with the group.
The tunnel is getting narrower and narrower.
The beam of the flashlight swept across the cracks of varying sizes on the cave wall.
Zhang Yan muttered, "These crevices clearly show signs of abyssal demonic insects crawling through them...maybe they're hiding right now!"
"Unfortunately, a flashlight can't shine through there, and it's impossible to just blow it up!"
Su Chen looked inside.
No board was triggered...
However, it's also possible that the crack is winding and has obstructions, making it invisible.
...
After walking about another three or four hundred meters, the tunnel narrowed from five or six meters wide to three or four meters wide.
Su Chen noticed that the ground beneath his feet had begun to slope.
Keep going down!
They are going deeper into the area.
"This direction... isn't right." Zhou Chengjie, who was walking at the front of the group, suddenly stopped and shone his flashlight beam at a protruding rock wall in front of him.
There were several deep scratches on the surface of the rock wall, with dark red debris embedded in the fingernail-width gaps.
"These marks weren't left by a demonic insect." Wang Yichuan took a closer look. "The spacing between the claws is too large, at least twice that of a demonic insect. Moreover, the claw marks are pointing downwards at a very steep angle, indicating that this thing swooped down from the cave ceiling."
"Little devil?" Zhang Yan asked.
"It doesn't look like it." Wang Yichuan shook his head. "The little devil's claws were also thinner, and the marks it left were sharper. This one... is thicker and blunter, like it was polished with a stone."
Everyone had their own guesses, but there was no definitive answer.
Zhou Chengjie didn't dwell on the issue. He patted Hei Ling's head, signaling it to continue exploring the path.
The Shadow Panther darted out silently, disappearing into the darkness ahead in a few leaps.
...
The procession continued forward.
After walking for a few more minutes, the tunnel suddenly narrowed to an extreme.
The rock walls on both sides are almost touching your shoulders, and the height above your head is less than three meters. The whole space gives people a sense of oppression as if they are being buried alive.
The ground beneath their feet changed from a gentle slope to a distinct downhill slope.
The slope wasn't steep, but you could feel your body's center of gravity shifting forward.
Su Chen's flashlight beam swept across the ground and revealed a nearly dried-up black stream.
It's not water.
It was a contaminated black liquid, viscous and heavy.
Zhou Chengjie squatted down and ran his finger along the dry riverbed, his fingertip covered in a layer of black clay. "This river has been dry for at least seven or eight years. Now all of this is filth left behind by abyssal creatures."
He stood up, the beam of his flashlight sweeping across the rock walls on either side.
There are cracks in the rock face.
They come in various sizes and widths.
It's wide enough for a person to pass sideways, but so narrow that you can't even fit a fist in.
Just then...
Su Chen's gaze quickly swept over the cracks, and the translucent panels lit up one after another in his field of vision!
Abyssal Demon Worm
Strength Rank: Second Realm - Initial Soldier Level
...]
Abyssal worms.
Not just a few, but hundreds!
They're hidden in those cracks!
They are waiting.
As the troops advance deeper and the encirclement tightens, the enemy forces will advance further.
Su Chen calmly withdrew his gaze.
He took a deep breath and said, "There are hundreds of abyssal demonic insects hiding in the cracks here."
Everyone looked at him, and Zhang Yan stared at the dark crack with a puzzled expression, looking at it again and again.
"Really? I can't tell!"
Zhou Chengjie, recalling Su Chen's performance in the Hundred Transformations Snake incident, asked with a serious expression, "Are you sure?"
"Hmm! It's not so much seeing, but more like a feeling, an intuition. This feeling is very strong! They're waiting, waiting for us to keep going forward, and then... blocking our retreat, trapping us like turtles in a jar!"
Hearing this, Zhou Chengjie's serious expression vanished, replaced by a light laugh: "Then... as they wish, let's continue!"
Su Chen also stretched his neck and loosened his muscles, then said, "Okay!"