Crossing the wilderness to survive, starting with a broken kitchen knife.

Zhang Shi was well aware of this. He gazed into the distance, a plan already in mind. He gathered Ge Dalong, Wu Qing, and several other capable soldiers. After a brief discussion, they decided to organize a small team and venture deep into the source of the worms—the polluted river—to search for a larger nest or other key to controlling the worms.

When Zhang Shigang saw these worms crawling out of the river and onto the shore, he immediately thought of the underground ruins under the river, so his first target was here.

It was difficult to penetrate the worms surrounded by them. Although these insects seemed weak, Zhang Shi would never gamble with his own safety. After asking Gong Yi about the specific ingredients of the insecticide bomb, he learned that the insecticide was actually provided by Wu Qing.

"I've been researching these things, so I tried mixing some herbs, and I didn't expect the effect to be so good."

Wu Qingyun brushed the matter off calmly, as if it was just a trivial matter.

Zhang Shi didn't dwell on the matter. With the insecticide, executing his plan was much simpler. He dispatched his men to blast the swarm with insecticide bombs, then led them all the way to the riverbank at a trot. Winged scouts assisted them in spraying the insecticide from the air. Drowned by rainwater, the insecticide spread rapidly, spreading along Zhang Shi's planned path, quickly forming a straight path.

Zhang Shi and the others sprinted along the path and soon came upon the huge rock protruding from the water. Due to the continuous rainfall, the water level of the stream had risen considerably, and the water had already covered most of the rock.

Zhang Shi carefully checked the nearby waters and found no trace of worms. He then felt relieved and sprinkled a handful of insecticide in the river before decisively jumping into the water.

After skillfully triggering the mechanism of the boulder, the boulder slowly separated, revealing the secret room underneath.

As the boulder completely separated, a pale green magic circle appeared, covering the entrance to the chamber, completely blocking the river from flowing out. Zhang Shi tried it and found that his body could freely enter and exit the magic circle without any hindrance. This magic circle seemed to be set up specifically to block the river water.

Zhang Shi didn't waste any time and quickly jumped into the secret room. He found the stone slab and inserted the key he brought out from Huojiacun into it. He activated the mechanism again and the stone slab quickly dropped down.

Not long after, everyone arrived underground. Zhang Shi held a torch and carefully explored the way ahead according to his memory. The last time he came here, there were glowing stones inlaid on the rock wall, but now it was pitch black here. He didn't know if it was related to the dissipation of spiritual energy.

After passing through a dark passage, a faint red light appeared in front of Zhang Shi and others.

Zhang Shi frowned, stopped, and released Pipi to investigate. As soon as Pipi landed, he noticed something was wrong. He smelled the strong scent of blood ahead and heard a series of low roars. He then crouched down and warned Zhang Shi.

Zhang Shi shared the same thoughts and saw that there was danger ahead. He knew that his trip was not in vain, so he decisively ordered the torches to be extinguished, slowed down his pace and slowly approached the front.

In the darkness, Zhang Shi and his companions, relying on their keen sense of the environment and Pipi's precise intuition, moved forward cautiously. The red light grew stronger, accompanied by an indescribable sense of oppression, as if something was waiting for them ahead.

As the distance closed, they finally emerged from the passage and arrived at the vast underground ruins. Only then could they discern the source of the red light—a massive tumor embedded in the mountain wall overhead, illuminating the surroundings like a sea of ​​blood. The deep, roaring roars that occasionally emanated from the cavern were terrifying, as if countless unknown creatures lurked within, ready to attack at any moment.

Zhang Shi frowned. He remembered that the last time he came here, there was a huge glowing rock. He didn't know why it became what it is now.

Zhang Shi felt a surge of worry, but even more so, a desire and determination to face the unknown. He quietly instructed everyone to prepare, and at the same time, he pulled several bottles of pre-prepared, enhanced insecticide bombs from his backpack and distributed them to everyone, just in case.

The group slowly entered the cave, the ground beneath their feet seeming to tremble slightly, requiring extreme caution with every step. The air within the cave was thick and humid, mixed with the unmistakable pungent smell of blood, making it feel suffocating. Pipi clung to Zhang Shi's feet, peering around warily. Its eyes flickered faintly in the darkness, a comfort to them in this terrifying environment.

After going deep into the ruins, they used the red light to see huge insect nests, in which were wriggling densely packed worms. They were curled up or rolling around, their bodies emitting a faint fluorescence, gathering into that terrifying swarm of insects.

At the center of the hive, a larger figure seemed to be slowly moving. Beneath it lay a blood-red cocoon, its massive body almost filling the entire cocoon. Every movement was accompanied by a low roar. Zhang Shi recognized it immediately as the same female beast from the mine. This ruin had become a hatchery for the worms.

Faced with this thrilling scene, Zhang Shi did not retreat. He knew very well that this was the purpose of their trip, and he could not tolerate such a huge hidden danger around his shelter.

Zhang Shi quickly exchanged glances with the others and formulated a plan of action. One group would distract the worms and create chaos with insecticide bombs; the other group, led by him, would quietly approach the center of the nest and find a way to eliminate the mother worm.

The operation began with several deafening explosions. The power of the insecticide bombs instantly threw the insect swarm into chaos, and the worms fled in all directions, causing chaos in the cave. Zhang Shi and his companions took this opportunity to quickly penetrate the insect swarm and directly approach the core of the insect nest.

Startled by the loud noise, the female beast slowly moved, crawling out of the insect nest and towards the source of the chaos. It was clearly in a relatively weak state, and its speed was much slower than the one in the mine. Zhang Shi noticed its condition and thought to himself that there was a chance.

Taking advantage of the insect swarm's dispersion, Zhang Shi launched an attack on the female beast. With a single Shadow Step, he appeared above her. Enchanted by icy armor and various auras, his attributes were greatly enhanced. With a single strike, he shattered her carapace. The destructive force of the triple blow ripped apart her flesh, causing her to wail repeatedly.

With just one strike, Zhang Shi discovered the quality of this female beast. Blood from its wounds splattered onto the ground like a waterfall. It did not show any self-healing ability and was much weaker than the one in the mine.

Zhang Shi smiled. Since it had lost its self-healing ability, it would be much easier to deal with. He felt that he had easily controlled the monster.