Longyou Year 48, June 23, First Half of the Night
"The army stops advancing!"
Two kilometers northwest of the Hive Station, three thousand Longyou soldiers braved the wind and snow for three hours. At Li Xuanyan’s command, they finally halted.
"Twenty-seven kilometers in just over three hours; walking along the tunnel is so much faster than the usual pace on the snowy plains."
Xia Hong couldn’t help but murmur in admiration from within the Cold Resistance Level squad ahead.
Beside him, Song Ning immediately said, "The tunnel built by Great Xia is laid along a flat road, and at its inception, they must have put in effort to clear debris and ditches on both sides. Thus, we encountered no obstacles, and it’s normal for our speed to have doubled."
"If simply walking by the tunnel can double the speed, wouldn’t it be even faster to walk through it directly?"
"Much more than a little; my father said that Great Xia probably set up many coal stoves and torches inside the tunnels, making them much warmer than outside. Marching inside would eliminate concerns about terrain and harsh weather, making the speed seven or eight times faster at least."
"Why don’t we just use the tunnel and save all this effort, marching three hours from Wushuang?"
"I heard it was the leader who worried Great Xia might have set some traps in the tunnel."
"I see, I just thought..."
"Shut up, a major battle is imminent; stop chattering, we’re about to go underground."
Scolded by Song Kang, the two turned their heads to see hundreds of Longyou soldiers quickly dispersing across the eastern snowy plains three to five kilometers around, led by a group of Cold Resistance Levels. They pulled out their spears, furiously poking and sweeping the ground, clearly searching for something.
After half a small hour, a soldier on the northern snowy plain shouted in amazement, drawing many over. Follow current novᴇls on novel(ꜰ)ire.net
Li Xuanling immediately led the Cold Resistance Levels over at a sprint.
Seeing the leader and others approaching, the soldiers quickly made way.
"The entrance has been buried."
Before they got close, the soldiers inside reported, and expressions immediately turned grim for Xuanling and others.
Approaching the site, they saw the hole on the ground; Xuanling and the other Cold Resistance Levels looked visibly solemn.
The snow above the entrance had been cleared by the soldiers; underneath lay a two-meter-wide circular pit. Unlike the otherwise black ground, the earth in the pit appeared much fresher, clearly newly filled.
Meng Ying approached the hole and thrust his longsword into the ground.
The Ice Abyss, covered in perpetual snow, had extremely hard ground, requiring effort to pierce even with the sharpest weapons.
But this spot was different; Meng Ying’s longsword carved through the ground as if slicing tofu, leaving the handle above ground.
Clearly, it was originally an entrance to the Hive underground station, only recently filled. By the moisture and compactness of the soil, it was evident the filling had occurred within the past day or two.
"There are a total of nine ground entrances to the Hive; we’ve confirmed six were filled yesterday, leaving three in this area. Could Great Xia have sealed off all passages to the surface?"
Everyone shook their heads at Meng Ying’s words.
The Hive Station lies a hundred meters deep underground; let alone the main zone space below, the volume of work even along twenty-nine passages is incredibly extensive and complex. Even with over ten thousand Earth-digging Realm workers, it would take years to complete. Great Xia had controlled the Hive for only just over two months; how could it be possible?
"Impossible, they likely only sealed off this portion of the entrances. Notify others, confirm all nine entrance locations, then form groups of five and forcefully damage the nearby ground; you’re bound to find a passage below."
At Li Xuanling’s command, the Cold Resistance Levels bowed in acknowledgment, leading their soldiers to confirm all surrounding entrances.
Li Xuandu remained still nearby, furrowing his brow, speaking quietly, "We inspected Mirror Valley last night, confirmed it was empty. The tunnel from Mirror Valley to the Hive showed traces of vast Earth-digging Realm supplies, roughly estimated at over five thousand. Adding Wushuang’s four thousand, Great Xia likely amassed at least nine thousand, if not ten thousand below."
Li Xuanling nodded lightly. Last night, accompanied by her third brother, Li Xuandu, Meng Ying, and Cheng Guang, she conducted a reconnaissance of Hive Station.
The four hadn’t successfully penetrated the Hive underground, but from extensive cleanup traces around the station and the vacant condition at Mirror Valley, much could be inferred.
Upon returning from Mirror Valley, they unexpectedly discovered another snow-covered tunnel connecting it to the Hive, with leftover warmth and deep wheel tracks indicating Great Xia had recently moved massive Earth-digging Realm forces and supplies there.
Having examined around the Hive without traces of large-scale human movement, it was apparent that the group had entered the underground station. Hence, Li Xuandu commented accordingly.
Afterwards, without finishing, Li Xuandu pondered a moment and added:
"Filling the entrance, hiding underground; Xia Hong intends to avoid battle. Even if they’ve stored ample resources below, they’ll only last a few months. When those months pass, how can they not lose?"