Chapter 156 - 155: New Underground Space

Chapter 156: Chapter 155: New Underground Space

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Leaping off the wall, Gu Su had just landed when he keenly sensed a subtle change inside the Graveyard Demon.

The entrance to a tunnel was not far behind his tent. A new path leading underground had appeared out of nowhere, completely different from the previous one that led to the Dark Erosion Cave.

Gu Su understood instantly. The Dark Erosion Cave had long since formed its own complete, operational system. The Corpse Witch’s research, the cultivation in the Mushroom Cave, the raising of venomous insects and roosters—every part was tightly interconnected, like a precision Undead instrument.

There was simply no way to add anything else to it.

The appearance of this new tunnel was clearly the Graveyard Demon’s way of intentionally separating the two paths so they wouldn’t interfere with each other.

Forcing the newly acquired materials and structures into the Dark Erosion Cave would be like throwing sand into a running machine’s gears. It would only destroy the fragile balance, and the loss would outweigh the gain.

Rather than trying to force everything into the existing space, it was better to forge a new path and re-plan the layout in a brand-new underground area.

Besides, as the surface territory continued to expand, the underground space would also spread outward and deepen layer by layer, like the annual rings of a tree. This newly opened passage was a bit of foreshadowing, laid in advance for some future transformation.

It was completely different from the ostentatious appearance of the first tunnel.

That one had been a fissure like a shark’s gaping maw, with interlocking fangs and a foul wind gusting out, as if it would swallow a person into the belly of some Giant Beast.

This time, however, the entrance was plain to the point of being rudimentary. It was cleverly attached to the inner side of the wall, next to the staircase that originally led to the second floor, with a new set of stone steps quietly extending downward.

White mycelium intertwined and wrapped around the edges of the steps, forming a rough, non-slip texture. Stepping on it had a slight springiness, as if treading on the spine of some creature, giving it a uniquely eerie feel.

Gu Su steadied himself against the cold stone wall and descended step by step into the earth.

The moment he stepped into the underground chamber, the concentration of Yin Qi spiked sharply. The sensation was like diving from the light mist of early winter straight into a frigid, deep-winter pool. The air he breathed was thick with a mixture of dampness and decay.

His pupils dilated slightly in the darkness. A faint, ghostly green light filtered down from vines on the ceiling, barely outlining the newly excavated space. The cramped scene before him almost took his breath away.

The place was several times more crowded than the Dark Erosion Cave had been when it was first created.

This new basement wasn’t an independent hall, but rather a corridor carved out right against the outer wall of the Dark Erosion Cave. Looking from the entrance, the entire structure formed a neat, rectangular ring.

The inner wall was the silent, massive stone of the Dark Erosion Cave, while the outer wall was a newly formed space pieced together from concrete, Metal, vines, and other biological materials. The narrow space between them was only three or four meters wide, yet it was stuffed to the brim with all sorts of junk, without a single spare gap to be found.

The corridor to the left was completely occupied by construction debris devoured from the bunker and underground fortress. The wreckage was piled up in a primitive, chaotic heap.

Twisted rebar jutted out from chunks of concrete like broken ribs.

The edges of shattered alloy plates were as sharp as blades, glinting coldly under the ghostly green light.

There were also large quantities of unidentifiable mechanical parts, stacked layer upon layer into a hill that gave off a metallic stench.

A few small strands of Corroding Mycelium poked out from the cracks in the debris, slowly decomposing these foreign objects.

The corridor to the right, meanwhile, was densely packed with Gu Su’s Undead vehicles. Five SUVs were parked nose to tail, their bodies almost completely flush against the stone wall, leaving only a pitifully narrow gap, barely wide enough for a person to squeeze through sideways.

Three Undead vans stood side-by-side, the iron bars sealing their windows casting mottled shadows in the glow of Soul Fire, creating a particularly oppressive atmosphere.

Although the five Spiritual Pick-up Trucks were slightly more agile, they were also squeezed into a corner, their cargo beds empty and ready to be loaded with supplies at any moment.

The hoods of all the vehicles were slightly ajar. A faint black Yin Qi, like liquid silk, was visibly precipitating from the air of the chamber and slowly seeping into their frames.

This was beyond the means of the Five Ghosts Spirit Communication Ceremony. The vehicles and their bound Undead were separated at this moment, nurturing each other, waiting for each other, causing a moist, spectral glow to appear at the seams where Metal and bone joined.

Due to the size of the vehicles and their chaotic arrangement, there were many sections Gu Su could hardly pass through even by turning sideways and sucking in his stomach. A moment’s carelessness would result in getting scraped by the sharp metal edges of a car body. Even turning around was difficult.

However, Gu Su didn’t try to force his way through. He had come down with two purposes in mind.

First, he wanted to see what useful things could be salvaged from the underground bunker and fortress. But looking at the chaotic pile of construction debris before him, most of which was already being partially decomposed by mycelium, he already had a good idea. ’There probably wasn’t anything too valuable in that underground fortress.’

His second purpose was to check the condition of his Undead vehicles.

Gu Su knew that the current cramped state of the chamber wasn’t the Graveyard Demon’s deliberate choice. Rather, its current scale was still too small, and it simply didn’t have enough space to properly organize the vehicles. It was a matter of necessity.

’Once the Graveyard Demon has had more time to grow,’ he thought, ’it will surely open up dedicated vehicle bays, complete with various tools for repair, reinforcement, and maintenance. That’ll solve this crowding issue for good.’

But these were all just plans for the future. For now, the underground chamber contained nothing but piles of trash and crammed-together vehicles. There wasn’t even a decent place to stand.

Most awkward of all were the two enormous heavy-duty trucks. They were too bulky to have even squeezed inside yet, so there was no place to perform maintenance on them even if he wanted to.

"The Graveyard Demon still needs time to grow."

Gu Su muttered this with a hint of resignation, then turned to head back up the stairs, not planning to linger.

But just as he was passing the pile of construction debris devoured from the bunker and fortress, he suddenly stopped. His gaze locked onto a corner of the pile, a flicker of doubt in his eyes. A faint aura, completely different from the rest of the wreckage, seemed to be emanating from that area.

Gu Su took a closer look and realized he really had spotted something different.

"Tooth Bone, Bone Ash, get down here!"

Gu Su shouted up the stairs. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable command that broke the silence of the chamber.

Afterward, he stood quietly beside the construction debris, his eyes fixed on the spot that had made him stop.

Among the construction debris, Gu Su saw rare electronic components.

The last time Gu Su had seen Bone Ash sorting through trash, he’d noticed a crushed laptop that contained similar parts.

And these components had been devoured from the underground fortress.