Chapter 512: Chapter 379: The Battle Inside the Cave_2
But Yara hadn’t anticipated that there was actually a way to counter the Earth Listening Technique, and it was surprisingly simple, merely to remain still.
After all, the principle behind the Earth Listening Technique was to detect the enemy’s movements based on vibrations in the ground, but as long as one didn’t move, this ability became somewhat ineffective.
However, since most of their time was spent in underground caverns, the effectiveness of the Earth Listening Technique was greatly enhanced, which is why Yara had chosen Mekhi for the team.
Besides Mekhi, the other two Awakeners had abilities of Air Wall and Healing Water Technique, respectively.
Just from the names of the Awakening Abilities, one could roughly guess the remaining two Awakeners’ acquired abilities.
Xzavier’s ability was quite special, as the Air Walls he created were very similar to One-Way Magic Glass, which only allowed visibility from the inside out, while merging seamlessly with the environment on the other side.
The Air Walls Xzavier created were very effective, but these Air Walls were not permanent; if they weren’t attacked, their practicality remained significant.
Regrettably, the Air Walls that Xzavier could create would last at most a week, and that was if they weren’t attacked at all. If they were, their duration would decrease depending on the intensity of the attack they endured.
Moreover, the important thing was that when Xzavier created Air Walls, he could only make ’air bricks’ with a maximum area of half a meter at a time. To actually form a wall, it required a considerable number of air bricks to be put together.
Apart from Xzavier’s Air Wall, the remaining rugged-looking survivor had acquired the Awakening Ability of the Healing Water Technique, which could heal any wound as long as there was liquid, and the purer the water used during the awakening, the better the healing effect.
This ability in ancient times actually relied on luck because a clear water source didn’t necessarily mean it was clean; it depended on the amount of microbes present in the water.
The microbes in the water couldn’t be seen with the naked eye, but nowadays, even a child knows that to obtain pure water one can use a water purifier or by multiple rounds of boiling, collecting only the water from condensed steam.
So, the robust survivor carried with him not only a small amount of food but also various sized bottles, all with nothing but pure water in them.
However, after receiving the equipment provided by Yara, this fellow armed himself with firearms, and at that moment, it suddenly dawned on others that he might have joined the team just to snag a set of gear and leave.
Unfortunately for him, while that thought was good in theory, it was difficult to execute in practice, and in the end, he was dragged along into the cavern.
Because everyone’s abilities were commendable, their initial progress was fast.
Although they encountered a few Soldier Bugs, the team quickly dealt with them, but as they ventured deeper and deeper, more and more of the Bugs Clan appeared before their eyes.
Due to the narrow passages, they did not use firearms when they encountered Soldier Bugs, but instead relied on melee weapons they carried.
After all, they were now deep inside the Bug Nest, and while firearms had great lethality, melee weapons were even more useful in this environment.
Because some areas within the passage were too narrow to walk side by side, Zachary now understood that these people were probably already accustomed to such conditions.
As they ventured even further, even Zachary joined the battle. Although they had formed a hunting squad, Yara had chosen individuals with no significant backgrounds but with formidable personal strength.
So, although they could clear the battlefield at a very fast pace, the scent of blood attracted more and more Soldier Bugs to their location.
As he had shattered the night’s peace, Zachary simply took up his firearms and precisely targeted the attacking Soldier Bugs.
While repelling wave after wave of Soldier Bugs, as Yara and her companions were discussing whether to make a strategic retreat, Zachary looked somewhat disheartened.
Although they had hunted many from the Bug Race this time, they had encountered neither Flame Bugs nor Brain Bugs.
Thinking about the reward the Officials promised for capturing one alive, the gleam in everyone’s eyes brightened. They figured since they were already here, it would be a pity to leave, so they decided to delve deeper and try their luck.
Besides having Xzavier use his Earth Listening Technique to continuously search through the complex network of paths, everyone else rested and conserved their energy.
When the group arrived at a huge underground plaza, Zachary and his team didn’t reveal themselves immediately. Instead, they hid in various locations to see what the Bugs Clan was up to beneath the ground.
Only after careful observation did Zachary realize that what the Bugs Clan was constructing on the plaza appeared to be a sacrificial altar.
Although the purpose of the Bugs Clan’s sacrificial altar was unknown, such a thing might seem useless on the surface, but when the occasion for its use arose, it could potentially have a far greater impact than anyone could anticipate.
Therefore, adhering to the principle "whatever the enemy constructs, we must destroy," became their goal.
Yara directly took the heavy weapon from her back, then carefully retrieved its Ammunition from her backpack.
This time, Yara was preparing to use White Phosphorus Grenades, which at one point were banned due to their excessive lethality. So much so that, unless those affected swiftly removed their clothing, they could quickly get burned down to their skin.
Moreover, it had been tested that just a single White Phosphorus Grenade was enough to reduce a wooden house to a pile of ashes.
As soon as Yara loaded the White Phosphorus Grenades, the Bug Race, as if sensing the danger, launched a frenzied attack on their area.
Yara didn’t order the others to leave the underground passage but instead commanded Xzavier to create bricks of air wall, attempting to block the Soldier Bugs with this method.
The battle was about to erupt. Once Yara assembled the White Phosphorus Grenades, she aimed at the densest part of the Bug Race and fired.
Mid-flight, the Missile began to disintegrate, and then white phosphorus from within the missile started to spray out in all directions.
With a spark from an unknown source, the scattered white phosphorus instantaneously turned into a sea of fire.
Granted, the explosion of the White Phosphorus Grenades caused heavy losses to the Soldier Bugs, but considering the prolific breeding of the Bug Race, the loss of a few Soldier Bugs was insignificant to them.
However, the undying flames ignited by the White Phosphorus Grenades indeed hindered the effective assault of the Soldier Bugs on them.
Driven perhaps by the Brain Bug, the Soldier Bugs saw that the flames on the ground spared nothing, but after all, those flames were inanimate objects. There were many ways to bypass them—
Especially since they were not above ground, where the inability to fly would prevent them from crossing the flames.
At this point, as Yara and her team had retreated into the passage, the Soldier Bugs could not only cross to their side through the ground but could also bypass the ground flames by climbing along the walls or the ceiling of the passage.
Facing this situation, the hunting squad began to fire their firearms first. After all, there were still some flames lingering at the entrance to the passage. Their shooting didn’t necessarily have to kill the Soldier Bugs.
Merely knocking them to the ground, where they would come into contact with the flames, was enough. Like parasites boring into bone, the fire would claim the lives of those Soldier Bugs.
However, the undying flames ignited by the White Phosphorus Grenades indeed hindered the effective assault of the Soldier Bugs on them.
Driven perhaps by the Brain Bug, the Soldier Bugs saw that the flames on the ground spared nothing, but after all, those flames were inanimate objects. There were many ways to bypass them—
Especially since they were not above ground, where the inability to fly would prevent them from crossing the flames.
