CHAPTER 653: CHAPTER 650 THE CHANGE OF THE UNDERGROUND ENVIRONMENT

The condition of the temporary base was a bit better than imagined.

But it was definitely not a situation to be optimistic about.

Having confirmed that Layez, who was in charge of equipment maintenance, had stopped breathing, the remaining five people did not hesitate to follow Airen’s lead, lowering their voices and slipping out of the base.

After coming out.

The first thing they saw was still the open space between the perimeter wall and the base buildings.

Then their gaze fell on the wall, where Ronald and the others could clearly see several of the joints twisted horribly. Even as they emerged, a creature with blue skin was squeezing in right there!

"Damn..."

Because this time they were the ones who had spotted the animal first.

Airen didn’t choose to shoot in frustration, but rather signaled Yan to use the quieter Crossbow Arrow to kill it.

Yan moved skillfully, and her aim was good.

Holding her breath, she fired a sharp arrow that pierced the animal’s head in an instant. Then, looking at Ronald beside her, Yan’s expression crumbled:

"Ronald, if the teacher knew I had killed an animal that has never been studied biologically, she would go nuts!"

Ronald’s face showed a wry smile:

"It’s an emergency evasion, this can be considered an emergency evasion."

"And it’s not like we have any other choice."

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the moment Yan made her move.

Mr. Mercenary Airen swiftly returned to camp, dragging out the body of Layez and a chest.

After that, the guy’s actions were brutally practical, with no sentimentality.

He started by removing the wheels from the chest, then wedged it roughly into the gap in the wall. Then Airen picked up the corpses of the creatures from inside the camp and flung them outside the perimeter wall. Finally, it was the turn of Layez’s body, which he had dragged all the way here.

This comrade’s remains were treated with no respect at all, as Airen placed them in a corner to the northeast of the camp.

——That place was the direction toward a dead end of the underground caves.

If a large number of creatures came here afterward, the smell of blood leading them to the bodies would inevitably delay them to some extent.

"I swear—next time I’m on a mission, I must bring a blast wall."

"These so-called new technologies can’t even stop wild beasts, they’re completely unreliable."

At that moment, having set things up, Airen stood up again, cursing and complaining about the equipment at the camp.

Ai Wei, being a doctor, was very dissatisfied with his actions.

So she immediately spoke up:

"If it weren’t for the special circumstances, I would never allow you to use a comrade’s body as bait!"

"You know it’s a special situation too, right?" Hearing Ai Wei’s words, Airen laughed indifferently and then continued, "Alright, now let’s talk about my plan."

"First, Ronald and the others have already seen the situation at the entrance to the cave. It’s blocked by a large number of these creatures, so there’s no way we can go back the way we came. So—we continue deeper underground, to meet up with Anger and Drat from the ruins."

"You don’t have any objections, do you?"

As soon as Airen finished speaking, Grady, who had also wanted to stay and explore during the meeting, immediately raised his hand in agreement:

"In such a situation, of course, we must trust the professionals."

"Continuing deeper into the underground ruins now, having Airen with us can ensure our safety."

"..."

The others in the team exchanged looks.

It was all very well to say this, but Layez’s body hadn’t been gone for long.

However, probably due to the impact of the unknown creatures and the death of a teammate, those who had previously had other ideas ultimately remained silent. In this tense situation, Grady’s explicit agreement with Airen’s plan eventually led everyone to acquiesce under the subdued atmosphere.

After all, the fact remained—there were a large number of dangerous creatures in the direction of the exit.

"..."

Seeing command of the team returning to his own hands.

Airen’s face wore a satisfied smile, and he was about to start assigning tasks:

"Great, everyone’s opinions have been unified."

"Now, first we..."

Clap clap clap—

Airen had just begun to speak when those wearing headphones once again heard the sound, amplified by the pickup feature.

This time, it was different.

In the direction of the tunnel leading outside, there were still animals approaching.

But the number was definitely much larger!

So many sounds of running wild animals entering their ears, and getting closer, meant that looking back to prepare for anything...

—was definitely courting death!

As a mercenary, Airen understood this clearly.

His face showed a look of obvious disgust; although he was very annoyed, he still quickly waved his hand:

"Let’s go, we need to retreat immediately."

"Otherwise, it will be too late."

Faced with the danger threatening everyone’s lives, the five-person team displayed a very high degree of tacit cooperation. Led by Airen, they dismantled a side wall of the base to create a gap, and then hastened through it deeper into the tunnel.

Gradually, the environment around them changed as they moved forward.

What surprised Ronald was that the temperature didn’t increase with depth; on the contrary, it began to get even colder!

Until a quarter of an hour later—

Frost even appeared on the ground ahead!

Ronald could tell at a glance that this was naturally formed; the moisture underground had been frozen solid on the soil’s surface.

In that moment, Ronald remembered the mission report—this was the polar circle.

Perhaps the environment ahead...

would be utterly different from any of his previous underground explorations.

Ronald’s conjecture was soon confirmed.

As the team went deeper, the traces of freezing on the ground became more apparent, and even the soil underwent corresponding transformations. The low temperatures had completely turned the area into permafrost, and large blocks of ice began to cover the surrounding ground.

The team’s lighting equipment shone on these ice blocks.

The reflected light was almost dizzying!

Fortunately, the team was equipped with professional gear, and since Airen and the others had entered this area before, they were prepared.

After donning goggles to prevent issues, the team continued to move deeper underground.

During the advancement, Yan and Ronald, who had come together, stuck close to each other for mutual support. Airen and Grady, sharing the same goal, led the way at the front.

Only Ai Wei, the doctor, had an ambiguous attitude.

Aside from arguing with Airen, now and then she would chat with Ronald, often asking scientific questions to close the gap.

...

Half an hour passed.

The underground environment finally underwent a drastic and massive change.

In their field of vision, no soil could be seen anywhere around them. Whether to the side, above their heads, or under their feet, looking in any direction, everywhere were hard, ancient blocks of ice.

The conditions here were quite similar to ice caves Ronald had seen during glacier explorations.

The team could only continue in this environment by navigating the natural cracks between the ice blocks.

Ai Wei, the doctor, looked contemplative.

Having entered this kind of terrain not long before, she took the initiative to speak to Ronald and Yan:

"Don’t worry too much, we’re almost there."