Han Xiao Liu carefully moved his feet toward the nearby Dap Ghost Insect, his perfect body control allowing him to walk almost silently.
Holding a glass bottle in his left hand and a small wooden board in his right, Han Xiao Liu took a deep breath and held it, aiming the bottle's mouth at the Ghost Insect that had already folded its wings. He gently tapped the insect with the wooden board.
Before the Dap Ghost Insect could react, it was scooped into the glass bottle. Han Xiao Liu quickly withdrew his wooden board and put the lid on.
The first Dap Ghost Insect was captured without incident.
“Whew~~~~”
Han Xiao Liu could feel his heart racing. He straightened his legs, bent over, and took a few moments to catch his breath before standing upright.
Hu Ba Yi and Xue Li watched the whole process, holding their breath. Their anxiety was no less than Han Xiao Liu's as he captured the insect.
But when they saw Han Xiao Liu successfully capture it, they were filled with admiration.
Normally, people would avoid this creature at all costs, but Han Xiao Liu dared to capture it.
Han Xiao Liu truly embodied the qualities of "boldness with carefulness" and "quick eyes and quick hands".
“Han Boss, amazing!”
Hu Ba Yi sincerely gave him a thumbs up. Soldiers admire strength, and Hu Ba Yi was no exception.
Xue Li let out a sigh of relief. She was genuinely worried that something might happen to Han Xiao Liu.
“Han Boss, what next?”
“I need to capture ten more. You guys have to stay quiet. As for what you’re looking for, we’ll definitely find it if we search carefully.”
“Okay, be careful.”
With that, the three of them cautiously moved forward.
As they turned around a bend in the passage, they were stunned by the sight before them.
Han Xiao Liu also gasped.
Before them was a vast space, at least two hundred meters in diameter and over a hundred meters tall. Despite the lack of light, they could clearly see everything around them.
The reason was that the space was illuminated by the faint blue glow of the sleeping Dap Ghost Insects. It was clear that the number of insects here was astonishing.
What made them feel even more uneasy was a wooden structure in the center, towering several stories high. Each level was adorned with dozens of skeletons, and the ground was covered with countless black corpses.
Han Xiao Liu was wearing a mask, but he could still smell the nauseating stench of decay.
“Put them on, it’s too smelly.”
Without a word, Xue Li and Hu Ba Yi put on their masks. Xue Li almost threw up, having never smelled such a strong stench before.
“What is this?”
Xue Li asked subconsciously.
“This should be the Demon Tower. Perhaps it’s the legendary Nine-Level Demon Tower.”
Han Xiao Liu counted and confirmed that it was indeed nine levels. However, this structure was probably not the real Nine-Level Demon Tower, more like a sacrificial platform. But it was definitely related to the Nine-Level Demon Tower, both being creations of the Demon Realm.
There was no time to think further. Every second spent here increased the danger.
“Turn off your flashlights. The ground is full of bones. If you accidentally step on one, it will make noise. So be extremely careful when moving.”
Han Xiao Liu was nervous and sweating slightly.
He had to cross the field of corpses and approach the Demon Tower to continue capturing Dap Ghost Insects.
Han Xiao Liu was completely focused, carefully considering each step and even planning his next few steps. There were simply too many corpses.
“Hmm? The bag, this might be what Xue Li is looking for.”
Han Xiao Liu immediately shook the bag in front of Xue Li and then shone his flashlight on it. He then pointed outside, signaling for her to leave.
Xue Li gave him an “OK” gesture and started retreating.
Hu Ba Yi did the same. He already knew the situation and there was no need for him to continue exploring.
These two were reliable.
“Whew~~ Let’s do this!”
Han Xiao Liu took out a second glass bottle from his system. He had already stored the first one in his system space.
The Dap Ghost Insect mission now read 1/10.
Han Xiao Liu was worried that his movements would trigger a chain reaction, so he tried to capture the ones that were alone and resting.
Xue Li and Hu Ba Yi had already retreated to the entrance, both watching Han Xiao Liu nervously.
“Tenth one! Hang in there! And one extra for the collection.”
Han Xiao Liu was sweating profusely. When he was capturing the eighth one, a Dap Ghost Insect nearby flapped its wings, almost causing Han Xiao Liu to collapse and pray for mercy.
Luckily, it was a false alarm.
“Last one done!”
At this point, Han Xiao Liu didn’t have time for anything else. Research? Forget it. He just wanted to get back the way he came. It was terrifying.
Even with his powerful physique, he didn’t want to confront these fire-playing insects.
Although Han Xiao Liu successfully captured the insects, only ten or so, it took him almost half an hour.
He cautiously retraced his steps. But halfway back, he noticed shadows moving at the entrance.
“Oh, god! It must be the archeology team!”
Han Xiao Liu didn’t dare speak loudly. He could only use his flashlight to signal Xue Li at the entrance.
“Professor, these inscriptions on the wall are Ghost Hole script. This is a major discovery for our Western Region archeology. Chu Jian, you must photograph it carefully.”
“Yes, Professor Hao, it’s magnificent. This is the first time I’ve seen real Ghost Hole script.”
Professor Chen was also excited, with tears in his eyes.
“Click~”
A flash of light from a camera.
Han Xiao Liu cursed internally. He wanted to rush over and kill them. He could feel his spine tingling even without turning around, as the brightness inside the cave suddenly increased.
Han Xiao Liu turned his head and saw many Dap Ghost Insects beginning to flap their wings. Some of them had even woken up.
Hu Ba Yi froze in place. Xue Li Yang turned to notify Professor and the others.
But… it was too late.
“Click~”
“So beautiful.”
Professor Chen, Hao Ai Guo, Chu Jian, and a soldier named Ga Wa had reached the entrance.
Hao Ai Guo and Chu Jian’s faces were filled with excitement. Hao Ai Guo’s excited voice reached their ears. They were completely engrossed in their own world.
“Professor Hao, shut up! Chu Jian, turn off your flash.”
Xue Li’s voice was low, but her tone was urgent and filled with anger.
The four of them had been walking with their heads down. Their eyes were completely captivated by the corpses on the ground. What the hell! What was there to see in corpses?
But this was only Han Xiao Liu’s thought. For real archeologists, corpses were extremely valuable.
Hearing Xue Li’s voice, the four of them looked up and saw the countless Dap Ghost Insects in front of them. Their scalps tingled.
“Click~”
“Click~”
Chu Jian instinctively pressed the shutter button. The flash illuminated the cave. He accidentally stepped on a bone.
“Damn it, you’re a pig! Run!”
The Dap Ghost Insects fully woke up!