NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 468 Exploring the Cave
"Not bad."
Inside the Awakeners School, Wang Tao looked at the students and saw that none was missing, immediately nodding his head with satisfaction.
Whether speaking of strength or potential, at the very least they had courage and brains.
"Principal Wang, when will we set out?"
A balding, plump middle-aged man stood beside Wang Tao and asked with a bow.
His name was Pan Jian, the director of instruction at the Awakeners School. He was responsible for the day-to-day affairs of the school and had been handpicked by Wang Tao. His job before the apocalypse was similar, and now with Level 3 strength, he was well-suited for the position. After Gu Yun stopped handling school affairs, Pan Jian basically took over those miscellaneous tasks.
As for the other positions, Wang Tao did not yet have suitable candidates; he planned to have Gu Yun recommend a few after returning.
Pan Jian felt very grateful to Wang Tao. After all, everyone knew that the Awakeners School was likely the focal point for the base's future development. Whether as a student or as a staff member, one could certainly look forward to a promising future. He had confirmed that he had no potential for Awakening, and his combat ability was not particularly strong among those at Level 3. If it were not for Wang Tao bringing him here, perhaps he would have never advanced any further in life...
However, Pan Jian also had some fear of Wang Tao, mainly because he hadn't interacted much with him before. Now standing beside Wang Tao, he realized that Wang Tao, even while seated, was taller than him when he stood, and with that robust body... The sense of oppression was too strong, and even though Wang Tao did not emit any Awakener's aura, it still made one instinctively feel fear.
"Let's go now."
Wang Tao stood up, and his towering figure imparted a simultaneously terrifying and reassuring presence.
Pan Jian had heard that the principal was very strong in combat. He thought to himself that he might witness it this time...
"Roger that!"
The students and teachers had already prepared, and upon receiving the order, they quickly assembled in the school's plaza, then, in an orderly fashion, headed out the door.
They were all wearing thick cotton clothing, wrapping themselves up tightly. Rather than worrying about whether it would affect their combat ability, staying warm was more important. These students were not the main force for exploring the cave; their current focus was on team coordination and training.
Outside the school, many tracked armored personnel carriers were parked, with the conveyance this time provided by the Sixth Legion.
Cheng Yiyi was waiting outside for Wang Tao.
Upon meeting again, Cheng Yiyi was also taken aback by Wang Tao's figure.
"You're really burly!"
Cheng Yiyi was over 1.7 meters tall, which was not short for a woman, but she seemed petite and delicate standing in front of Wang Tao. Now, Wang Tao's physique was almost as large as hers when she wore powered armor.
Although Cheng Yiyi was very beautiful, she did not care about these aspects; she liked this muscular look, which gave her a sense of security. Unfortunately, due to physiological limits, she could not develop a body like Wang Tao's; instead, she seemed to get slimmer the more she trained...
"Haha," Wang Tao shrugged, then added, "You ride in my car."
Cheng Yiyi had already been to the cave once, so Wang Tao needed a guide.
"Sure!"
As Cheng Yiyi got in the vehicle, the convoy, led by Wang Tao, rumbled towards the city gate.
In the car, Cheng Yiyi gave Wang Tao a brief introduction to the situation in the cave. In short, they had not encountered any major dangers so far, and the exploration of the cave was progressing slowly but steadily.
The slow pace of exploration was, of course, due to the low visibility. The darkness below, combined with attacks from some well-camouflaged mutated plants, naturally slowed their pace a great deal.
As for what treasures were inside the rift, what had been discovered so far included plant fruits, scarce metals, Crystal Cores, and the like.
Hearing about plant fruits, Wang Tao's eyes lit up.
Being referred to as treasures, they certainly weren't ordinary fruits; perhaps they were like Snake Fruits, carrying distinctive names. If that was the case, he would have to explore this cave thoroughly.
After leaving the base, the convoy traveled for three hours before finally sighting the rift.
"Is that the cave..."
The students had never seen a cave, and the sight of a chasm appearing like an abyss on the endless snowy field gave them the creeps.
Do we really have to go down?
Can we actually return alive...
This rift was the closest one to the base; the Six Major Legions had already established a temporary base on its edge, with many soldiers stationed there.
After seeing the Sixth Legion's convoy, they promptly confirmed its identity and allowed passage.
"Let's go straight down. It's warmer below than above, and there's no snow down there. If we stay on the surface, we might run into a blizzard, which is quite uncomfortable," Cheng Yiyi explained.
"Okay."
This temporary base was clearly positioned with care; the entry point into the rift wasn't steep, and they had also constructed some earthen roads, so it was possible to drive the vehicles directly down.
Boom, boom, boom...
The convoy slowly entered the rift, and the deeper they went, the denser the fog became, swallowing the convoy like the mouth of an abyss.
Inside the Crystal Energy Car, Ding Yuqin and the others were somewhat nervous. It was pitch black outside, nothing could be seen, and only some dim streetlights were guiding the way.
Wang Tao turned to look at Jiang Shixue, whose pupils emitted a faint red glow.
"I can see, but it's not very clear in the distance..."
Jiang Shixue explained to Wang Tao in a soft voice.
Not only was there an absence of light within, but this black fog obscured the view. Even with Jiang Shixue's Night Vision Ability, she could only see the surroundings. When she looked into the distance, it was as though there were layers upon layers of black veils, making it unclear.