This place was already under martial law, but Tang Yu was, after all, the future landlord. After proving his identity, the patrolling soldiers let him pass.
He was about to enter when he heard his cousin's shout.
Turning around, he saw Tang Yu sprinting over. Seeing Tang Yu and the martial-law-enforced wasteland behind him, he looked as if he had seen a ghost, "You... you didn't really buy a piece of land, did you?"
Tang Yu held his forehead and countered, "Brother Yu, why have you come here? How are Mom and Dad..."
"Oh, you don't have to worry about them; I've left that task to Xiaojia."
So you chased me down just to avoid this tough task!
A few people walked into the wasteland, followed by some soldiers.
It was evident that there had already been planning here, but the project had only just begun when it was forced to a halt.
The cousin had already accepted the fact that his younger cousin was a rich man, but...
"You are at a loss buying this place. If I had known earlier, I would definitely have stopped you."
Tang Yu knew that, as an insider, his cousin would know much more about this place. He did not speak, just silently watched his cousin, waiting for an explanation.
"Do you know how long it has been since the accident here? An entire week!"
"On the first day of the incident, quite a few Demonized Beasts ran out of the nest, and some construction workers consequently lost their lives... Of course, for the original owner of the land, the death of a few dozen people in the apocalypse doesn't count for much. It might sound heartless to put it this way, but it's the truth."
He sighed and continued,
"Those Demonized Beasts weren't strong, and they were quickly dealt with, but for the source of the Demonization, the higher-ups were helpless. Eventually, it even alarmed the Military. You should understand that any threat within the Sanctuary would be wiped out by the Military as soon as possible. However, they remain helpless against the source of these Demonized Beasts up until today."
"That's why the original real estate development can only be put on hold. Although you've bought the land, Yu, if the source of the problem is not resolved, even if you are willing to take the risk and want to develop it, Luoxia officials won't agree. For the officials, the safety of the entire Sanctuary is always the top priority. Developing this area might trigger a chain reaction with the dangerous source."
"I had also heard that the owner of the land had plans to sell it, yet I never thought it would be to you."
He shook his head, "Now we can only hope that the officials will quickly deal with the source of danger."
During their conversation, they had arrived at a small mound.
The security was even tighter here; several heavy machine guns and flamethrowers were set up in front, their dark muzzles pointing forward.
Tang Yu's gaze, however, was fixed on the entrance of the hole in front of the mound, which was larger than a soccer goal.
"The entrance wasn't this big originally. It was enlarged to fully explore the interior of the nest, but this nest turned out to be much deeper than imagined."
Tang Yu finally saw Winnie, Xiaoli, and some contact personnel sent by the other party.
Apart from Carmen and his brothers, who stayed in the villa responsible for the safety of Tang Dad and Tang's Mom, all the other followers had already arrived here.
"What exactly are these Demonized Beasts?" Tang Yu asked.
Suddenly, from the depths of the cave, a tide of black surged toward the entrance at an extremely fast speed, visible from the range of the searchlights.
"Ant swarm appearing, prepare to attack! I repeat, prepare to attack!"
At the entrance of the cave, the Commander raised his voice, his gaze intensively fixed on the ant swarm, "The number of Black Ants has increased."
Tang Yu concentrated his gaze.
This black tide was indeed composed of countless Black Ants.
A single Black Ant was not big, about the size of chopsticks, and its aura was very weak. It might even be the weakest Demonized Beast he had ever seen, one that ordinary people could handle. However, this tide of Black Ants was made up of countless Demonized Black Ants, a dark, oppressive mass, making one's scalp tingle at a mere glance.
The soldiers guarding the entrance threw incendiary bombs at the swarm of Black Ants.
Flames crackled and burned, filling the air with a stench of char. At that time, several black ants, much larger than before, about the size of a backpack, burst forth from the flames.
The machine gun mounted at the entrance of the cave immediately opened fire, rapping out a burst that took down these Elite Black Ants.
The Black Ant tide couldn't even get close to the entrance before being annihilated. However, in the eyes of these soldiers, Tang Yu saw concern.
The Captain defending this position didn't hide his worries. His gaze seemed to try piercing through the cave, yet he sighed, "These Black Ants pose little threat to us, but beneath this area, the Black Ants have constructed a vast empire. Their network is extensive. The Ant Queen continually breeds more Black Ants. As long as we can't find the Queen and deal with the source of the Black Ant population, this area will never be able to lift martial law."
"Fire attack, poison gas, they're all useless. Even, if the situation deteriorates, the higher-ups don't rule out the possibility of using unconventional weapons..."
Tang Yu understood his implication.
If the situation worsened, Luoxia officials wouldn't hesitate anymore, and by then, this area might be thoroughly destroyed, not to mention any development.
However, Tang Yu didn't care. In fact, from the other's words, he felt that this matter might not be that troublesome.
"So, as long as the Ant Queen is dealt with, there won't be any problem, right?"
"Indeed, that's the case. But the entire Black Ant Nest is like a massive maze. Finding the Queen is far from easy," the Captain said bitterly.
Tang Yu nodded and strode into the cave.
Eileen and the other followers remained silent, closely following behind.
His cousin bit his lip and followed closely.
The Captain was stunned, "Wait, you're going in—"
He wanted to stop them but realized he had no reason to... The Captain had heard of these people's strength, and they had spent a significant sum to purchase this land. If it weren't personally investigated, anyone would be unwilling to let it go.
He hesitated for a moment, then instructed the others to guard the entrance and, taking some Elite Awakeners with him, hurried to follow them.
And an array of foul smells.
The spotlight's beam swept over.
The deeper they went, the more rugged and difficult the path became.
"This cave is narrow, and once we encounter Black Ants, it will be far more dangerous than being out in the open. Everyone, stay alert."
Tang Yu and his team led the way.
As the Captain and his Awakeners advanced, he kept warning them about certain precautions and marked their path to prevent getting lost in the caves.
At another fork, Tang Yu shook his head, "It seems continuing won't yield any results."
Hearing this, the Captain showed a look of relief on his face and was about to turn back.
However, Tang Yu continued, "Xing Yue, locate the Ant Queen."
"Yes, Captain, I've been waiting for you to say that," Xing Yue said.
Xing Yue withdrew a Black Ant sample that she'd recently collected in a transparent plastic bag, tinkered with it for a bit, and then the weapon in her hand, looking like an over-sized keychain with a crystal, made a slight sound.
She narrowed her eyes, her hair slightly fluttering, and after a while, she finally spoke, "Found it!"
So they just located the Ant Queen?!
Why does this feel so fake!