CHAPTER 649: CHAPTER 646: THE MARVELOUS CAVE ECOSYSTEM

After gathering almost all the necessary identity information,

Ronald waved at Nade in front of him and then stood up:

"Alright, we’ve rested enough, let’s go."

Nade simply nodded:

"Okay, let’s go..."

With the help of their lighting tools, the two walked steadily forward.

However, the original trials were not for Ronald to relive his life.

Not long after their conversation ended, they had only walked a few hundred meters forward. From the direction of the tunnel they came from, some strange noises faintly reached their ears.

"Huh?"

"What’s that noise..."

Nade looked puzzled.

Meanwhile, Ronald had promptly lain down on the ground, pressing his ear tightly to the cold soil.

Soon, Ronald’s expression began to appear uncomfortable.

He quickly got up and dragged Nade deeper into the tunnel before he began to explain:

"This noise doesn’t sound like a natural disaster or construction equipment; it’s more like the noise that communal animals make when they are active. It’s just that because of the echoes in the tunnel, their sounds are coming out a bit strange."

"Old Yang, you really have the experience..." Nade almost subconsciously praised Ronald’s abilities. But soon, she realized the peculiarity of their situation, "Wait a minute! We are now underground in the polar circle. How could there be such communal underground organisms here!"

"Even in cave ecosystems, there is no such situation known!"

Nade’s judgment was unequivocal.

With her knowledge in mind, she was clearly puzzled by the current situation.

Facing the young girl’s dissatisfaction and complaints, Ronald’s expression also fell immediately:

"If possible, I would also like to know what’s going on."

"But for now, it’s safer if we head to the campsite ahead and hide there."

The campsite Ronald referred to was a temporary engineering setup commonly seen in excavation and exploration, usually used to cope with wild animals or sudden natural disasters.

Since the two of them were there to support the exploration of the ruins,

a similar engineering base must have been set up by the pioneers somewhere ahead.

So, no matter what the creatures behind them in the tunnel were,

as long as they could successfully hide inside and use the environmental advantage and the help of other explorers at the base, solving the immediate crisis should not be an issue.

Nade clearly understood Ronald’s thinking.

So, the young lady simply nodded and followed Ronald into the depths of the tunnel without saying a word, and the two ran ahead.

Being long engaged in such work,

handling a long run wasn’t a problem for them.

However, as they continued to move forward, Ronald’s expression gradually grew darker.

The reason was simple—

The noise behind them was steadily getting closer.

With habits fostered from numerous battles in different worlds, Ronald didn’t need to calculate anything; he quickly came to a conclusion based on instinct.

In less than five minutes,

the thing behind them would catch up!

"..."

What happened next was just as Ronald had anticipated.

It was even worse!

In just three minutes, the noisy thing in the cave had approached to a distance where Ronald could see it just by turning around.

That was a group of strange reptilian creatures with ice-blue skin and scaly exteriors.

The sounds that Ronald and Yani had heard earlier originated from a spherical organ on the creatures’ necks. As the creatures moved, this spherical organ clanked, transmitting sounds down the tunnel, ultimately creating such unique disturbances.

In the dimly lit cave environment,

their eyes shone brightly like hyenas, revealing their danger everywhere.

It was only to be expected.

Ronald was dumbfounded as he looked at these creatures.

What kind of animal was this?

Within the Earth’s ecosystem he was familiar with, he couldn’t find any similar or even close species. Ronald had been in this field for so many years and had never heard of creatures like this near the polar regions!

Could it be that the environment in this trial...

was not purely Earth?

A speculation arose in Ronald’s mind, so he turned and asked Yani, who was also trying to escape,

"Yani, do you know what class or order this creature belongs to?"

Yani’s expression was one of utter despair,

"Even if we went to Harvard University’s library, which has the top-rated biology program in the world, you definitely wouldn’t find any creature resembling this one! Hey, Ronald, our company hasn’t collaborated with any monster movie crews, has it?"

"..."

The girl’s reaction only confirmed the current situation.

A wry smile appeared on Ronald’s face as he joked in bitter amusement,

"If any movie crew could create creatures like this, they’d definitely deserve a Nobel Prize next year."

"..."

Their footsteps unconsciously quickened.

Running, Ronald once again glanced back at the group of creatures.

From their claws, teeth, and way of moving, he felt that these creatures were not scavengers or herbivores, but rather carnivorous or omnivorous!

In other words—

If they were caught by these creatures in this trial...

Ronald, utterly defenseless at the moment, was definitely in trouble!

Snap—

Snap—

Snap—

Suddenly, a rhythmic gunfire erupted from ahead.

In the tunnel environment, the deafening sound of gunfire was exaggerated, echoing like firecrackers right next to Ronald’s ears. Combined with the high air pressure of the underground surroundings, it was incredibly uncomfortable.

However, the gunfire also brought some good.

Accompanied by the precise, rhythmic single shots, several of the pursuing creatures were shot dead behind Ronald and Yani. These fierce-looking creatures then fell, their bodies rolling and turning into bloody corpses.

Then, a scene all too common in nature ensued.

Seeing members of their own kind killed, the unidentified creatures immediately ceased their chase without hesitation and began to feed on the corpses like a swarm of foraging roaches.

Seizing this opportunity,

Ronald and Yani finally managed to distance themselves from the group of creatures.

And not far ahead in the cave, Ronald finally saw the person who had opened fire in support.

It was a robust middle-aged man.

Dressed in full combat gear, what stood out was the assault rifle he held in his hands.

Ronald immediately recognized the man’s identity.

This was likely a security consultant from some consulting firm hired by the organization, or in other words—a mercenary.