Chapter Forty-Three: A Comfortable Life Underground

"Plus?" Fang Tang thought of the Sand-Earth Demon Eye.

The last time he encountered the Demon Eye, the entire cave floor was riddled with holes, so dense that it was hard to find a place to stand. Honestly, if the pickaxe had any uses left, he wouldn’t mind playing a few rounds with the Sand-Earth Demon Eye. But now, only the last chance remained; it meant that after killing the Demon Eye, he’d have to stay in this cave for twelve hours before he could move again.

And with the residence upgraded, he wasn’t sure whether a cave full of pits would affect the stability of his new home.

“There are two elemental stones in there!” Fang Tang’s eyes lit up as he walked toward the cave where the Sand-Earth Demon Eye lurked. Two elemental stones—there was no need to hesitate.

Cave No. 90.

Fang Tang entered and saw four spheres floating in the air—two large, two small. The large ones were the Demon Eyes, the small ones were the elemental stones: one Bluewater Stone, one Lightning Stone.

He had barely steadied himself when the sound of air being cleaved reached his ears—two earth arrows shot toward him. He dodged them, somewhat awkwardly, then quickly raised his rifle and aimed at the Demon Eye.

Bang! Bang!

One shot hit its mark; a Sand-Earth Demon Eye fell into a pit. The other Demon Eye, as if provoked, unleashed a furious barrage of earth arrows at Fang Tang.

Pressed for time, Fang Tang struggled to cope and couldn’t fire back.

Thud!

A hail of earth arrows struck his wrist, not piercing it, but forming a thick shell of mud that weighed heavily and couldn’t be broken.

This slowed Fang Tang considerably.

Fortunately, he could still fire normally.

Seizing a brief opening, he aimed at the Demon Eye.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three shots, all missed.

The Sand-Earth Demon Eye burrowed into a pit, disappearing from sight.

"Right front, center against the wall," the Eye whispered a prompt.

Fang Tang instantly swung his rifle toward the indicated spot. Seeing the sand shift in one of the pits, he wasted no time and fired a burst.

Bang bang bang…

The cave echoed with gunfire like firecrackers.

A Demon Eye had just risen when it was struck by a hail of bullets, falling into the pit.

"Phew!" Fang Tang let out a breath, lowered his AKM, and shook the mud encasing his left arm—it still wouldn’t come off.

"When will this wear off?" Fang Tang tapped it; the mud rang out with a clear, metallic sound.

"The Sand-Earth Demon Eye’s ability forms a mud shell around the enemy when struck. If the enemy is completely encased, they’ll suffocate and die. The shell falls off automatically after six hours."

"What a cunning move!"

The earth arrows had strong attack power, yet their focus was on control, not pure offense.

What kind of strategy was this?

Relentless assault, but in the end, letting your foe die of oxygen deprivation?

He had to admit, the cave world was a marvel.

Ignoring his heavy left arm, he first stowed away three elemental stones, then two red pearls.

A small windfall.

Now the pickaxe’s uses were exhausted, and he’d have to stay in this cave for twelve hours.

Luckily, his residence had been upgraded long ago; Fang Tang hurried to retrieve it.

No longer a backpack, his home had transformed into a long wooden box—twenty centimeters long, ten wide, five thick. Elastic bands at both ends allowed it to be strapped together.

Fang Tang tried it out—it could be fastened around his waist or slung diagonally across his back, neither way hampered his movement.

He set the wooden box on the ground, pressed the red button atop it, and it slowly opened.

Boom!

A three-meter-tall wooden house sprang forth, landing heavily on the floor.

Simple, with a pointed roof, two windows, and a door.

Inside, about forty square meters—one bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and living room.

The bedroom had a wardrobe and a bed, with a soft mattress thoughtfully placed atop it.

"A vacation cabin!" Fang Tang’s eyes sparkled as he explored his new home, delighted, searching every corner.

Familiarizing himself with the layout, he settled onto the sofa in the living room and closed his eyes for a rest.

Suddenly, his cheek felt damp. He opened his eyes to find Yue Yue perched on his shoulder, its pink tongue licking his face.

"Yue Yue, you’re a wolf, not a dog!"

Fang Tang rubbed the little one’s face, amused.

"Woof?"

Yue Yue tilted its head, confused, gazing at Fang Tang.

"..."

Forget it. Whatever it grows up to be, it’s still his child—who else would spoil it if not him?

He rubbed his flattened stomach, remembering it was lunchtime.

He’d only had a bit of bread and ham in the morning, and after digging more than ten caves, that small meal was long gone. Hunger struck only once he stopped moving.

The wooden house had power sockets—that surprised Fang Tang most.

That meant the rice cooker would finally be useful.

He crafted another rice cooker, took out the inner pot, and set it atop the grill.

A grill that could use both electricity and fire, bringing Fang Tang immense convenience.

An hour later, a sumptuous lunch was laid out: roast meat, egg fried rice, cola, fried chicken, ham…

Perfect!

Before Yue Yue sat a huge slab of meat, roasted just for it by Fang Tang.

The little creature had only just hatched and was still a cub—more food would help it grow faster.

...

Cave No. 90.

Suddenly, a hole opened in the north wall of the wooden house.

Three figures emerged—two men and one woman.

If the Eye could see, it would howl with excitement—big waves...

The trio had barely entered Cave 90 when the wooden house caught their attention.

"Why is there a house in this cave?" the older man at the front frowned, warily eyeing the building.

The young man behind him pointed at the holes in the ground. "The floor is full of pits. Probably the same burrowing-eye creature we encountered before. Since there are cave creatures here, maybe the house is also part of the cave’s architecture."

The woman stepped forward, shaking her head slowly. "No, this house belongs to someone."

"How do you know?"

"Impossible!" the two men spoke at once.

The woman pointed to a distant hole in the wall. "Except for the hole we made, there’s only one other hole in the entire cave. It’s an entrance, not an exit. So I’m certain this wooden house was built by someone else."

The man nodded silently, saying nothing.

"Who could it be? A house this size must have required a lot of wood," the young man mused, his eyes shining with a strange light.

The woman spoke gravely. "I don’t know, but it’s clear whoever built it has plenty of resources."

"We..." The man looked at the woman, tracing his finger across his neck in a clear gesture.

She shook her head. "Let’s see how things stand. If it’s just one person and their strength is lacking, we can proceed. If they’re strong, maybe we can recruit them to our team."

"Yes, that’s best—avoid a firefight." The man agreed with her suggestion, then turned to the young man. "Chen Yang, go scout for intel—see who’s inside."

Chen Yang’s face fell. He glanced at the woman, sighed, and nodded dejectedly.

He walked off, muttering, "Every time it’s me, you two just hang back and whisper to each other. I never get any of the benefits, humph!"