Chapter 18 - The Giant Cave

The Beast Tide was drawing near.

Xu Hang began to make the final arrangements.

He had fully armed farmers, a group of ordinary level 2 and 3 soldiers, ten catapults, and two magic cannons.

This was his full combat strength.

Xu Hang's only fatal flaw was his defense.

Although the farmers could take on thousands of enemies on their own, Xu Hang's buildings might be damaged. He was not happy with the idea of his hard work getting destroyed.

Currently, the most simple way to increase his defense was through using alloys.

If he covered the key parts of his catapults and the surface of the buildings with alloy, they would undoubtedly be more sturdy!

Even an elite beast would not be able to destroy them!

Xu Hang felt that his plan was solid and did just that.

However, there was a problem. He lacked ores.

40 ores were needed to make one alloy. The conversion rate was acceptable, but Xu Hang needed an enormous amount. 

Even with Yang Mingyue's help, he still did not have enough.

So, Xu Hang decided to travel again. This time, he would head north. There were more mountains in the north. The danger level was higher but with Hill around, there was nothing to be afraid of.

Xu Hang brought along a magic cannon, Hill, and two soldiers. He set off in his car.

If there were any special discoveries, they might need to make another trip.

His magic crystals were used up little by little.

They were at the edge of a dense northern forest. It was quite far compared to the cave where his farmer killed the dragons.

A bee from this forest was enough to fight toe-to-toe with a level 1 soldier, while a poisonous snake could instantly kill a level 2 soldier!

It was hard to imagine how powerful the elite beasts in this forest would be.

The sun shone through the forest onto flowers and plants. 

A mantis was camouflaged on a fallen tree trunk, waiting for its prey. Suddenly, a black shadow flew over its head and landed heavily on the ground. Some flowers were squashed and dust flew everywhere.

It was Xu Hang and his group. 

Before they set off, Xu Hang had covered his car with some plants and a thin layer of alloy.

With that, he could drive as fast as he wanted without having to worry about damaging the magic four-wheeled car. 

They were traveling at the speed of light.

He was in a hurry to complete his defense before the beasts' attack.

Additionally, Xu Hang used to enjoy watching car races. Now that he had the opportunity to drive such a spectacular car, there was no reason for him to not step on the accelerator as hard as possible.

"Master, there's a cave ahead."

An unusually large cave caught Hill's attention.

Xu Hang had a feeling that they would find something in this cave.

He stopped the car and looked around. After confirming that there were no threats, he waved his hand and said, "Let's go into the cave."

The cave was very deep.

"Looks like this cave will lead us directly to the inner part of the mountain. Hill, lit up the torches."

"Yes, Master."

Three torches were lit up. Only then did Xu Hang see a huge footprint.

"Good heavens, how big is this magical beast?"

"Master!"

Hill suddenly let out a cry of surprise.

"Footprints left behind usually have very natural edges. However, this footprint's edges were badly jagged."

"D*mn, this…"

Xu Hang was so shocked that his jaw almost fell off.

He might be in danger after all. 

Fortunately, Xu Hang was mentally prepared. He immediately calmed down and began to analyze the situation.

After taking a better look at the footprint, he agreed with what Hill said. 

"Is it possible to guess the appearance of the magical beast based on this footprint?" asked Xu Hang.

"No," replied Hill immediately.

"This magical beast must have lived and grown for a long time. It probably moved around a lot. From time to time, its footprint would gradually change."

"Master, come and take a look."

Xu Hang followed Hill and they walked a little deeper into the cave. 

Then, they squatted down and began to examine the soil carefully.

"This spot looked like it was dug out with a small shovel."

"The size is even smaller than my thumb."

Xu Hang was a little dumbfounded.

"What was going on?"

Hill continued, "I'm sure that the footprint was to throw us off."

Xu Hang thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "I'll go get the car. If we're not able to beat it, at least we can escape."

After saying that, he left the cave and drove the car in.

Luckily, the cave's tracks were quite stable.

As they went deeper into the cave, it got darker and darker. Even the torches could only provide a little bit of light.

Suddenly, all the torches on the wall lit up unanimously. The torches' shadows almost looked like ferocious beasts. It would send a chill down anyone's spine.

*Dong! Dong! Dong!*

Heavy footsteps could be heard.

In the distance, a huge shadow could be seen!

The shadow looked like a huge dragon that was breathing out fire.

Almost instantly, the temperature of the entire cave rose!

*Dong! Dong! Dong!*

The shadow slowly walked forward. 

Every step sounded heavier than before. 

Xu Hang's heart was about to jump out from his throat. 

All of them held their breaths. They waited quietly for this huge beast's appearance.

It felt like time had stopped. 

Some water on the cave's ceiling dripped onto the ground. 

*Drip, drip, drip.* 

Then, a head appeared along with a pair of cold, green eyes. They were staring straight at Xu Hang and his group.

Even though Xu Hang had plenty of experience with danger, he could not help but be taken aback. 

Hill picked up his alloy battle axe and held it tightly in his hand. He was ready to fight at any time.

They had never seen such a huge beast before.

Xu Hang was not stupid enough to think that they could simply take on the beast.

He sighed in his heart.

'It's a really big boss!'