Chapter Forty-Nine: A Mode Fraught with Difficulties

The abandoned military base wasn't the crucial point; the critical issue was that there was a Corrupted Insect at the peak of the mountain!

Qi An's perception range had expanded somewhat through the tempering of this mission, and she could still sense a vague presence at the 2.5-kilometer mark.

Right now, that sensory feedback was extremely faint, and Qi An estimated there was likely only one or two of them.

If the insect was on the mountain peak, their vehicles were completely exposed, rendering it irrelevant whether the drone was detected or not. She controlled the drone to scan the area she had sensed.

At first glance, she saw nothing. Panning in closer for a scan, Qi An spotted moving tentacles beneath the canopy of a small tree!

There was more than one. Another was perched upon a grayish-white boulder, but its figure was very small, its skin pale, and its tentacles slender and long—it was a Sage Insect!

The Sage Insect raised its head. With facial features resembling a human, its eyes narrowed as it gazed directly into the camera!

Qi An's heart skipped a beat. The drone abruptly soared upward, stopping only when it reached the absolute limit of signal connectivity.

The Sage Insect had shrunk into an almost invisible speck, yet it remained there with a profound sense of presence, standing nonchalantly against the wind.

This probably wasn't a Singer; this was an Apprentice Priest!

Qi An immediately reported this discovery over the public channel. Everyone in the convoy turned solemn, and Yu Shuang commanded, "Accelerate, shake them off!"

Yang Yuning pressed down on the accelerator. The concrete here was severely cracked, but the roadbed remained intact, making it not overly difficult to traverse. Indeed, there was still room to increase the convoy's speed.

Five kilometers, over ten kilometers—Qi An's drone kept its unblinking gaze fixed on the mountaintop, yet she never saw the insect move.

Were they uninterested in them? Or, seeing no vehicles and knowing it couldn't catch up, did it simply give up?

Qi An wasn't sure, neither was Yu Shuang, but she immediately designated the abandoned military base as a hazardous waypoint and reported it to headquarters.

If there were transport convoys following behind them, they should be able to avoid this crisis.

The convoy maintained its speed without slowing down. After driving for over two hours, the setting sun began to dip below the horizon.

The tense strings in everyone's hearts relaxed just a fraction. Qi An considered relieving Yang Yuning so she could drive for a while.

However, a tunnel appeared ahead.

Yu Shuang, riding in the lead vehicle, gripped her walkie-talkie. "This should be the last tunnel before we get out of the mountains. Once we clear this mountain range, Central Plain Base No. 1 is one hundred kilometers ahead, and three hundred kilometers further is our final destination!"

This was the final barrier, but the lead vehicle came to a halt.

Because the tunnel entrance was blocked by a cave-in.

Rockfalls and concrete blocks were piled up at the semi-circular tunnel entrance, tangled with vines and brush. The tiny opening left exposed wouldn't even allow a tricycle to pass through!

Yang Yuning immediately adjusted his tactical vest, grabbed his tools, and got out of the car. Qi An followed closely, and Yu Shuang alighted from the rear vehicle as well.

Problems were meant to be solved; they had not a single moment to hesitate!

"The tunnel structure is still relatively intact. These rocks can be blasted and cleared away," Yang Yuning said, though his tone was far from relaxed. "There is the sound of water inside the tunnel."

Water was already seeping out from the crevices beneath the barrier of fallen rocks. Clambering over the debris, they could see at a glance that the entire interior of the tunnel was flooded!

Everyone's mood grew even heavier. Amidst the surrounding silence, Yang Yuning snapped off a tree branch and probed downward from the edge of the tunnel.

"It's not deep! Only... about twenty centimeters!" He pulled the branch back up, his voice sounding somewhat more upbeat.

Hearing this, Sun Yiran bit her lip and said, "There's seepage from the top of the tunnel and water at the bottom as well. There must be a pit in the middle of the tunnel."

They looked at one another in dismay. Yang Yuning stated, "I'll go in and take a look."

This was a necessary step. The fallen rocks outside could be cleared, but whether the convoy could pass depended on the water depth, the load-bearing capacity of the roadbed, and the size of the depression in the middle.

Yang Yuning tightly tucked his trouser legs into his combat boots. Yu Shuang was doing the same, but several people stopped her.

"You're the commander, you can't go. I'll do it!" Qin Tianxiang declared. Nearby, Tang Long and Zhuang Xiao were already making preparations to enter the water.

"......Zhuang Xiao will do. Zhuang Xiao has sharp eyes and is quick on his feet," Yu Shuang yielded, issuing the order.

Zhuang Xiao flashed a smug look at Tang Long and proudly stepped into the water.

The conditions at the edge of the tunnel were better than anticipated, for after they had walked several meters inward, the standing water had only just risen past their boots.

However, the depths of the tunnel were pitch black, and the three flashlight beams could only illuminate a limited range. The daylight outside was also rapidly fading, and soon Qi An could barely make out the figures of the three men.

The walkie-talkie signal was also poor, the channel choked with harsh static.

Both she and Yu Shuang crouched on the lowest rocks—which practically merged with the road foundation—and stared intently at the movement deep within the tunnel.

"There are quite a few living creatures in here," Sun Yiran observed.

Yu Shuang swept her flashlight beam along the tunnel wall, while Qi An directed hers into the water, sensing that fish must be lurking beneath the surface because tiny ripples continuously disturbed it.

Just as she narrowed her eyes to peer through the beam, the sound of gunfire echoed from the depths of the tunnel!

Yu Shuang instantly sprang to her feet and took two strides into the water!

Qi An looked up just in time to see a cloud of blackness rushing toward them at high speed from the depths of the tunnel. Her instinct was to open fire, but her mind reined in her hands just in time.

These were startled bats; shooting at them would only provoke an attack!

The black cloud moved with ferocious speed, reaching the entrance in a mere two seconds.

In the lower tier, unusually large bats brushed past Qi An's face!

The pungent, fishy stench choked her for a fraction of a second, but as she ducked her head to dodge, she saw something in the water darting swiftly toward Yu Shuang!

"Captain! Behind you!" Qi An cried out in alarm.

Yu Shuang spun around. Before she could clearly identify the creature, her formidable reflexes and lightning-fast speed enabled her to grab blindly into the water.

She caught a snake in her bare hand!

The snake twisted its head to sink its fangs into Yu Shuang's wrist, but she flung it away with a violent jerk.

Qi An's heart, which had been clenched tight, finally relaxed at this sight, failing to notice that her own right foot was now half-submerged in the water.

The gunfire in the distance had ceased, and Qin Tianxiang's roar rang out: "There are snakes in this water! Nests of them! Damn it! This is so fucking disgusting!"

"Is anyone bitten?" Yu Shuang shouted back anxiously.

"No!"

In truth, all three men had been attacked by snakes. There was indeed a massive, immensely deep pit in the middle of the tunnel; the moment they approached and churned the water, it had triggered a nest of serpents.

Countless snakes had lunged up from the bottom of the pit to attack them, but Yang Yuning had immediately released a force field, repelling the swarming vipers!

Seeing Yang Yuning's Esper ability at close range for the first time, Qin Tianxiang was thoroughly awestruck, calling out "Brother Yang" with complete and utter admiration!

The figures of the three men came running back from the depths of the tunnel, all of them completely unharmed.

Yet, Qi An suddenly felt something foreign inside her boot.

A pang of shock struck her heart, and she immediately lifted her leg to shake it off!