Chapter 233 - 140: Underground Lair (Part 2)
The Treasure-Hunting Catman Mobile Fortress had also successfully been upgraded to a Level 2 Fortress. Its area had expanded significantly, and its appearance had changed dramatically.
The main tower grew from a two-story building to a four-story one. Liu Xingxing had dismantled the old mechanical arms, replacing them with new, thicker ones that could move. He also installed lighting; the main tower alone now had one main fortress lamp and eight directional lights on its four sides. Searchlights and edge lights were installed along the platform’s perimeter. When moving at night, it was as bright as a little sun.
In addition to the changes to the main tower and lighting, several new structures had appeared on the Treasure-Hunting Catman Mobile Fortress’s platform. Some were tool-related buildings for treasure hunting, while others were for combat and summoning Combat Sequences.
It was worth noting that after reaching Level 2, the Treasure-Hunting Catman Fortress had become even faster. The Undead Fortress’s current top speed was 150 km/h, while the Treasure-Hunting Catman Fortress could reach 180 km/h.
With enough resources, Liu Xingxing had finally developed his own Combat Sequence, meaning he was no longer a completely defenseless rookie.
As it approached the Undead Fortress, the Treasure-Hunting Catman Fortress slowed down and turned off most of its lights, leaving only the edge lights around the platform illuminated. It then docked, linking up with the Undead Fortress.
Liu Xingxing shot out of his main tower like a blur and rushed nonstop toward the Undead Main Tower, heading straight for the roof.
"Boss, I’m back!" Liu Xingxing’s excited voice arrived before he did.
Li Ziyu turned his head just in time to see Liu Xingxing running up the stairs, a smile appearing on his face. "How did it go? Was it a smooth trip? Did you run into any danger?"
Five days after leaving the Undead Mountain Range, Li Ziyu had sent Liu Xingxing out to find the location of the Underground City.
After the Treasure-Hunting Catman Mobile Fortress was upgraded to Level 2, Liu Xingxing was a completely different person. His combat power had soared, and with a top speed of 180 km/h, there was no need to worry too much as long as he wasn’t completely reckless.
"I found something, but I can’t be sure if it’s the Underground City. There are underground tunnels, and the area is quite large." As he spoke about his discovery, Liu Xingxing’s expression turned serious. When it came to treasure hunting, he meant business.
’He actually found something?’
Zhang Peng shot Liu Xingxing a surprised glance. When Li Ziyu first sent Liu Xingxing out, Zhang Peng hadn’t really expected him to find anything, always feeling that the flighty kid was a bit unreliable.
Li Ziyu, on the other hand, had faith in him. After all, Liu Xingxing was the one who had discovered the Wraith Mountain Range. With his fortress upgraded, finding the Underground City seemed perfectly normal, right?
"Well done, Xingxing! You’ve brought me some great news. What else? You didn’t just find some tunnels underground, did you?" Li Ziyu asked cheerfully.
The kid was no longer the clueless rookie he once was. The Liu Xingxing of today wouldn’t dig his own fortress out of the ground, nor would he go digging up the ancestral graves of the Natives. Since he said he’d found something and was reporting back, he must have made a real discovery.
Liu Xingxing nodded, took a water flask from his waist, and had a drink before continuing, "In the area where I found the underground tunnels, I encountered Demonized Creatures. There were quite a few of them, spread over a wide area. I didn’t dare get into a drawn-out fight, so I used the fortress’s speed to get away."
If he hadn’t run into the Demonized Creatures, Liu Xingxing wouldn’t have been so sure that what he’d found was related to the Underground City.
But encountering so many Demonized Creatures on the surface suggested that the underground tunnels were very likely the legendary lair of the Demonized Creatures—the Underground City itself.
Hearing this, Li Ziyu and Zhang Peng instantly understood that the underground tunnels were almost certainly the Underground City.
"How far away are the tunnels you found? Did you find an entrance?" Li Ziyu asked immediately.
"About two hundred kilometers. Do we still need to look for an entrance?" Liu Xingxing replied with the distance, then asked in surprise.
"Without an entrance, how are we supposed to get in?" Li Ziyu said, exasperated.
Liu Xingxing turned to Zhang Peng and scratched his head. "Well... can’t we just have Brother Peng dig a tunnel for us?"
’Huh... I guess that works too.’
The Gopher Fortress could burrow, and digging tunnels was its specialty. They really didn’t need to find the Underground City’s entrance; creating their own tunnel would actually be more convenient.
’The kid’s finally had a smart idea.’
Li Ziyu raised an eyebrow, confirmed the direction with Liu Xingxing, and ordered the Undead Fortress to advance at full speed toward the Underground City’s location.
...
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—
A dozen or so arrows flew through the air, turning a snarling, red-eyed Desert Wolf wreathed in black energy into a porcupine. It collapsed to the ground, its life force rapidly fading.
Only after confirming the creature in front of them had no signs of life did the Skeleton Short Bowmen lower their Rapid-Fire Short Bows. Protected within a circle of Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warriors, Li Ziyu and the others watched the scene with calm expressions.
Mumu strode forward, carrying his Totem Pole, and inspected the body. He turned and shouted back, "Lord City Lord, it’s a demonized Desert Wolf."
Li Ziyu waved Mumu back. Mumu cast a wary glance at their surroundings before returning.
"Boss, the underground tunnels start just ahead," Liu Xingxing said, pointing into the darkness.
"Zhang Peng, you’re up," Li Ziyu said, glancing at him.
Zhang Peng nodded and walked toward his Gopher Mobile Fortress.
Soon, the Gopher Mobile Fortress started up and drove into the darkness. Not long after, Li Ziyu and the others heard a deep rumbling sound.
[Private Chat]
Conscience Merchant: Boss, I’m through.