361: Abyssal Corpse Lake

On the temporary defensive position, a deathly silence enveloped every member of the Spear Falcon team.

The image of the silently flowing river of corpses seemed to be branded on everyone's retinas, lingering persistently.

An ineffable sense of oppression permeated the air, mixed with a slightly metallic scent, adding to the heaviness.

Chen Liya forced herself to break free from the nauseating visual impact. She took a deep breath, feeling the cold air sting her lungs, yet it also cleared her chaotic thoughts slightly.

"Captain..." Ma Si's voice, dry and hoarse, broke the silence. He subconsciously swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Should we... should we evacuate immediately? This... this is not something we can handle."

"Is it really necessary to keep recording?"

Several team members nodded in agreement, their faces filled with lingering shock. Faced with such an incomprehensibly terrifying scale, humanity's first instinct was to flee.

Chen Liya's gaze slowly swept over the pale faces of her team members. She understood their fear, for she herself was struggling to suppress a tremor.

But her rationality told her that fear wouldn't solve the problem. As the captain of a code-named team, she had her duties.

"Evacuation is a certainty," Chen Liya's voice rang out, trying to calm her team. "But we cannot return empty-handed."

She pointed at the footage. "The images we recorded, though terrifying, are likely just the tip of the iceberg. We might be just one step away from the truth."

The 3D map last transmitted by the floating sphere showed a massive main passage winding forward, disappearing at the edge of the detection range.

Based on the direction and scale of the passage, its end likely connected to a core area. There, perhaps, was the nest of these monsters, or the true location of that 'existence.'

This much, everyone present understood to some extent.

Chen Liya surveyed the group, having made her decision: "I know this is very risky, but think about it: if we can bring back intelligence about that core area, even just a little, how significant would it be for Honeycomb Experimental City, for the company, for the entire planet? This might save countless lives."

"We are the company's sharpest blade; how can we retreat like this!"

The team members remained silent, exchanging glances. Fear still lingered, but the captain's analysis and the weight of responsibility began to tip the scales in their hearts.

"The floating sphere's energy is still enough for one short-range extended probe. If we can advance a bit further along the passage, we might find more clues."

"It's a huge risk," Ma Si frowned, "but if we can figure out what's really going on down there..."

"Captain, let's do it!"

Finally, after a brief, tense discussion, the team reached a consensus. They would risk moving forward, approaching the possible end of the passage as much as possible for one last, audacious reconnaissance.

"All attention," Chen Liya issued new orders, "Rapid, covert infiltration. Follow the main passage map's direction, advance eighty kilometers, and reach the estimated area directly above the passage."

Not taking the escort ship was a carefully considered decision.

The escort ship high in the sky was their last resort and escape route, not to be exposed lightly. While the number of monsters on the surface wasn't large, if there were types with extremely strong anti-air capabilities, or if their "controller" could perceive aerial threats, then if the escort ship were shot down, they would completely lose the ability for rapid evacuation and fire support.

"Check equipment, move out!"

Six figures darted out from the temporary position like phantoms, their power armor's stealth function fully engaged, making them almost one with the rugged surrounding terrain.

Guided by the map on their power armor's HUD, they moved rapidly across the rugged, barren surface.

The eighty-kilometer journey wasn't long with the aid of the power armor, but every step was filled with psychological pressure.

The team members were on edge, vigilant for any potential threats. Fortunately, perhaps due to the river of corpses underground, the surface appeared unusually "clean," and they didn't encounter hordes of monsters.

Approximately half an hour later, the team arrived at the edge of a deep valley.

Based on the map and the direction of the underground passage, about seventy meters directly below them should be the direction where the main passage likely extended, perhaps even approaching its end.

"This is it," Chen Liya signaled the team to spread out and establish covert observation points.

The valley floor was shrouded in mist, with poor visibility, but geological scans showed an unusually complex structure below.

"Release new Di Shu (Mole) and floating spheres! Di Shu (Mole) drill downwards to confirm precise depth and structure. Floating spheres prepare; once the passage location is confirmed, immediately begin reconnaissance!"

A few minutes later, feedback arrived: "Captain! Confirmation of a huge cavity seventy-two meters below! Not a passage, but a... a massive underground space of inestimable scale!"

Everyone's heart leaped. A massive underground space? This was very likely the core area they were looking for!

"Floating spheres prepare to infiltrate!" Chen Liya commanded.

A blue speck of light silently fell downwards, passing through hard rock layers, and finally broke through a barrier, entering that unknown darkness.

The main screen of the tactical goggles instantly switched to the real-time footage transmitted by the floating sphere.

However, the footage stabilized for less than two seconds!

Just as the floating sphere began scanning its surroundings, and the transmitted images were still a blurry outline of an incredibly vast, dark space, suddenly, several viscous, sickly green glowing liquids shot out from the darkness below!

Extremely fast, with tricky angles!

"Warning! Under attack!" the operator exclaimed.

The floating sphere attempted evasive maneuvers, but the green viscous liquids seemed to have a life of their own, twisting in the air to track their target! One of them accurately struck the floating sphere's main body!

Zzzzz—crunch—!

A grating, corrosive sound came through the audio sensor! The superalloy of the floating sphere's outer shell was visibly corroding and dissolving at a rapid rate, emitting pungent white smoke! The internal precision components instantly short-circuited, and the transmitted footage violently shook and was filled with static!

"Floating sphere damaged! Loss of control! Imminent crash!"

Just at the last moment before the floating sphere completely lost signal, its camera, in its falling and tumbling, fortunately caught a fleeting glimpse of the space below!

The image was extremely blurry and shaky, but it was enough to make the blood of everyone who saw it curdle!

It was a gigantic underground cavern, seemingly without end, with a soaring ceiling that couldn't be seen. And on the ground, there was a true mountain of corpses and a sea of blood!

Countless humanoid corpses were piled haphazardly, forming a literal mountain composed of flesh and bones!

The scale of the mountain of corpses was suffocatingly vast, far exceeding the river of corpses seen in the passage earlier!

Even more horrifying, at the foot of the mountain of corpses, was a vast, boundless lake of liquid, shimmering with an eerie, greasy luster! The color of the lake water was indescribable, like milk with strawberry and blueberry jam added, with undissolved limbs and foam floating on its surface.

And right by the lake, another group of even more bizarre monsters, seemingly made of slime and amorphous flesh, mechanically dragged corpses into the eerie lake to soak.

Moments later, they would retrieve the corpses, which seemed to have undergone some change, and transport them to another dark direction deeper within the cavern.

"Wait, I think I've seen this thing in the company's database..." Ma Si murmured in a lost voice, his face ashen, "life milk?!"

The floating sphere's signal completely cut out, and the screen turned to a dead, black silence.

But that last, hellish image was already recorded in the data core of their power armor. And like the deepest nightmare, it was etched into everyone's minds.

Chen Liya felt a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head, leaving her body icy cold.

At this point, the situation was clear.

The monsters' target was the Nova People. And they, humans, might not be exempt.

"All personnel listen! Evacuate this location immediately! Repeat, evacuate immediately! Emergency call, escort ship, request highest priority pickup! Destination, Honeycomb Experimental City! Full speed ahead!"

"We must report everything here to command immediately! This crisis is no longer just a crisis for the Nova People or the Trisolarans; this is a survival crisis for the entire planet!"

Without any hesitation, the team members sprinted at top speed towards the designated rendezvous point.

One minute later, the escort ship high in the sky de-cloaked, swooping down like a giant shadow. The moment the hatch opened, six figures flew skyward, shooting inside.

The escort ship's engines emitted a brief roar, breaking the sound barrier in the blink of an eye, transforming into a streak of light, and speeding towards Honeycomb Experimental City.