Lin Yue raised the steel repeating crossbow in his hand, aiming at the mutant creature several meters in front of him.
Or rather, at the "Bai" in front of him.
The ruby-like eyes, snow-white scales, and streamlined slender body emitted a gentle glow.
This mutant creature in front of him was almost identical to Bai’s "juvenile form".
"Purr!" It called out, and soon, rustling noises could be heard, as a large group of "Bai" appeared from various places, slowly crawling towards him.
"Purr?" "Purr purr" "Purr~"
They all looked at him with extremely curious eyes, their sounds rising and falling.
Lin Yue slowly retreated back to the cave entrance, not lowering the steel repeating crossbow in his hand.
These were Ice Lizards.
According to the system, they are small mutant creatures that enjoy playing in water, but they are still mutants, not his Bai.
Bai is a pet that has formed a deep bond with him, and is his most trustworthy companion, intelligent and powerful, completely different from ordinary mutant creatures.
The ones in front of him were just ordinary mutant creatures that would attack him...
Lin Yue took a deep breath, having retreated to a slightly narrow entrance, continuously thinking of a strategy.
Can he handle this huge number? Where is Bai?
Just then, a louder and more distinct purr sounded. Lin Yue spotted the familiar Bai, wearing an Elemental Necklace, appearing before these little beings.
Then, it rushed over to him quickly, arriving right in front of Lin Yue.
"Purr~" Bai’s voice was higher and had a more intimate and gentle feel, distinct from those Ice Lizards.
Bai rubbed against his leg, then ran in front of the group of Little Ice Lizards, purring for a while, and soon, all the Little Ice Lizards left the vicinity.
Was it mixed in with the leaders of these Little Ice Lizards?
"Purr!" Bai called out again, went ahead, signaling Lin Yue to follow, while the Little Ice Lizards had already gone further away, easing Lin Yue somewhat.
He looked towards the vast interior space of the cavern, inspecting the glowing walls, and suddenly found something growing on them.
Upon identifying it, Lin Yue surprisingly found that the fluorescence wasn’t emitted by the rocks themselves, but by this peculiar moss!
[You have acquired a piece of Fluorescent Moss!]
He touched it lightly, and the system immediately provided feedback.
Fluorescent Moss... might be useful?
After rapidly collecting thirty pieces in a row, thinking that was enough, he continued ahead following Bai, but strange sounds similar to water flow reached his ears.
"Bai, where are you taking us?"
Bai led Lin Yue forward for a while, and the sound of flowing water grew louder.
He surveyed the entire underground space, feeling it spanned at least tens of thousands of square meters, with the height above indiscernible and the surrounding walls covered with glowing moss. The ground was littered with bizarre rocks and pits, making the path uneven.
After walking for a while, he discovered a black river not too far ahead, not tumultuous.
"Purr purr!" Bai rushed forward and jumped in with a splash, appearing joyful.
As Lin Yue approached, he discovered although the river appeared black, it was incredibly clear, with hundreds of Ice Lizards frolicking in the icy water, seeming quite content.
My goodness, he’s stumbled upon the Ice Lizards’ nest.
"Purr purr!" Bai’s form was quite conspicuous, and many Ice Lizards were chasing it, as if it had become the king of the cavern.
However, he could also see more Ice Lizards peering at him from amongst the chaotic rocks and pits around him.
Lin Yue remained tense, never letting go of the Iron Spear in his hand.
At close range, this was more useful than a crossbow arrow.
If these white mutant creatures launched a surprise attack, he would counterattack immediately!
But... could he beat them?
"Purr purr~" Bai climbed up from the river, coming to the shore, its stomach grumbling.
The other Ice Lizards gathered around, following Bai closely.
Lin Yue found more Ice Lizards crawling behind Bai, really treating it as the leader.
Lin Yue looked up, noticing nearly a thousand Ice Lizards with red eyes staring at him, seemingly curious about his next actions.
Could it be that Ice Lizards are actually...
Lin Yue, with doubt, took out a large pile of bread.
These things, saved up from before, weighed a pound each, but tasted terrible. In fact, if left out overnight, they could be used to knock out a mutant sheep if thrown.
Or, used as weapons wouldn’t be impossible.
So, Lin Yue always ate instant noodles or cooked noodles instead, recently eating rice and hand-grabbed pancakes, never considering using this stuff.
At this moment, nearly a thousand Ice Lizards followed Bai, the foodie. Did they perhaps find out from Bai’s mouth that he had something delicious, hence crowding around him?
"Bai, do you want to give these to them to eat?" Lin Yue commanded.
Bai picked up a hard piece of bread and quickly placed it among the Ice Lizard group, then took and placed even more.
Once the large heap of bread was laid out, with a single purr from Bai, the vast underground space echoed with numerous purrs.
And these Ice Lizards, like starving wolves, started vying and attacking each piece of bread.
Ice Lizards, these mutant creatures... are just a bunch of gluttons!
Lin Yue took out two skewers of lamb kebabs and handed them to Bai, who immediately devoured the fragrant meat skewers.
"Purr purr!" Sated and content, the Ice Lizards followed Bai again, seemingly waiting for its command.
"You came here and became the leader? You’re quite impressive." From the chain of events, Lin Yue realized that his hunch seemed to be right.
Bai had likely detected the scent of its kind and led him from the cave entrance, and upon arriving, the larger and stronger Bai instantly became the leader of all the Ice Lizards.
Moreover, Lin Yue noticed the Ice Lizards didn’t seem aggressive, having some intelligence akin to Bai, fundamentally different from other mutant creatures.
"Purr~" Bai accepted Lin Yue’s touch, then called out a few times, and soon, twenty smaller Ice Lizards came out from the group, approached Lin Yue, and imitated Bai’s manner, rubbing against his leg.
"Bai, are you suggesting I take them all?"