Chapter 117 - 110: Advanced Building
The chaotic sound of footsteps echoed from the stairwell behind them.
A family of three cautiously made their way onto the rooftop. Seeing Qin Ziwen and the others already there, the family quickened their pace and retreated to the other side of the roof, keeping their distance.
A little girl, held tightly in her father’s arms, pointed a small finger at the moving "mountain" below. Her voice was a mixture of fear and curiosity. "Daddy, that frog is so big!"
"It’s... it’s coming this way," the girl’s mother said, her voice trembling. "Honey..."
As the pillar of the family, the man swallowed hard, forcing himself to remain calm as he reassured them, "Don’t be afraid. We’re high up. It can’t jump this high."
Hearing their conversation, a thought suddenly struck Qin Ziwen.
’If this Giant Toad is the mysterious monster from the cave, now that it’s come down the mountain, does that mean the cave no longer has a Guardian Beast?’
’A Stone Cave Ancient Giant Toad growing this large is extremely rare.’
’It’s either related to its living environment, which caused it to mutate... or it’s an individual that underwent an extremely rare mutation.’
’The guide said that a Stone Cave Ancient Giant Toad only reaches adulthood at thirty. After that, its body gradually increases in size with age.’
’Is this one so huge because it’s lived for many, many years?’
’This is an opportunity I can’t miss!’
At this thought, Qin Ziwen decided it was necessary to go exploring while the toad was away from its "home."
He voiced his idea and received unanimous agreement from the others.
Before that, however, they needed to figure out the Stone Cave Ancient Giant Toad’s intentions. It had a clear goal, heading straight for the Gated Community.
The only question was whether it was attracted by the residents or by the mayflies dancing in the sky.
THUD!
THUD!
Accompanied by the heavy thuds, the Giant Toad’s massive body drew ever closer.
The entire Gated Community fell deathly silent.
Residents either cowered behind their windows or watched from a distance at the edges of their rooftops.
Before, some had dared to peek through the fence.
But as it got closer, the 2.2-meter iron fence seemed laughably small, not even as high as one of its jumps.
THUUUUD—!!!
It continued to leap forward in a straight line.
Its massive form, like a meteorite, soared over the fence and slammed into the Gated Community.
Paving stones instantly shattered over a large area.
The people in its path had long since scattered, hiding in the stairwells.
The Giant Toad crouched in the shallow crater it had created, raising its hideous head to stare silently at the countless Forest Giant Mayflies circling in the air.
Its cold, pale-yellow, horizontal pupils swept impassively over the sky above.
Above, two mating Forest Giant Mayflies flew low, passing over its head.
In an instant, the Giant Toad opened its cavernous mouth, and a blur, almost too fast for the naked eye to see, shot out!
The two mayflies, still entwined in the sky, vanished without a trace.
The Giant Toad closed its mouth, the grayish-brown vocal sacs on the sides of its head swelling up.
"GRU—OAK!!!"
A deep croak, a mixture of damp air and the sound of grinding rocks, boomed out like a subwoofer, causing the windows of some nearby residents to rattle violently.
Above, the mayflies still swarming over the Gated Community paused.
Then, they all flew away in unison.
Wherever the Giant Toad went, the mayflies scattered.
Under its pursuit, the dancing mayflies were gradually herded over the river.
Without a moment’s pause, the Giant Toad left the Gated Community and leaped to the riverside.
It lay quietly on the damp earth by the river, watching the mayflies still flying overhead.
As it left, the intense, oppressive feeling dissipated with it.
Qian Muzhen remarked, "Looks like it wasn’t after us. It was after these mayflies."
Qin Ziwu muttered to himself, "If we could kill it, I bet it would drop a bunch of Cards."
"Forget about dropping Cards. Let’s go, now."
Qin Ziwen wasn’t sure how long it would stay there, but the priority was to take advantage of its absence and get the Card from the cave.
If there was time, they could also check out its nest.
On their way downstairs, Qin Ziwu was still talking. "Big Bro, doesn’t this look like a boss raid from a game? It jumped right into the Gated Community."
"I think you’ve played too many games. You can resurrect in games. If you die here, I can’t bring you back."
After getting ready, the four of them—Qin Ziwen, Qin Ziwu, Li Tieshan, and Du Yu—headed straight for the mountain. Dr. Qian was too old, so he stayed behind.
The mountain path had been mostly flattened along the way.
Some of the steeper slopes had been difficult to traverse, but after the Giant Toad had passed through, the earth was compacted, making the path much easier to walk.
Not long after Qin Ziwen’s group left, another team followed them out.
"Are they up ahead?"
"Yeah, Brother Tao. I saw that bird fly off. They must be following it."
"Brother Tao, should we follow them?"
Standing at the entrance to the Gated Community, Huang Tao stared at the bird about to disappear into the distant sky. He pondered for a long time before finally gritting his teeth. "Follow them!"
"That giant frog came down from the mountain. They must be heading to its nest. We’re going too!"
But after following for a little while, Huang Tao and his group got lost in the forest and had to turn back.
Watching the forest from a distance and actually walking through it were two completely different things.
Besides, there were many steep slopes and ravines. What was a single leap for the Giant Toad required a long detour for humans.
It was easy to lose someone in the forest if you didn’t know the way.
Three hours later, Qin Ziwen finally reached the mouth of the cave. He took out his phone, maxed out the camera zoom, and pointed it into the depths.
Only a faint blue light was visible.
"Silly bird, is it dangerous in there?" Qin Ziwen asked his Beaked Eagle.
Hearing its master’s call, the Beaked Eagle waddled around the cave entrance twice, its feet splayed out, then turned back and squawked at Qin Ziwen.
"Looks like it’s clear," Qin Ziwen nodded.
"Bro, how did you understand that?!" Qin Ziwu was completely stunned.
"Because if there was danger, its feathers would be ruffled. It wouldn’t be this relaxed."
"I see. Big Bro, let me go this time." Qin Ziwu was eager to try.
Du Yu volunteered, "Sir, allow me to go."
"What’s the rush? We’re not just grabbing the Card this time. If this really is its nest, we’ll leave one person outside as a lookout, and the rest of us will go in." Qin Ziwen took out a flashlight and shined it at the cave ceiling.
SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK~
Some bats, unable to stand the direct light, screeched incessantly, as if cursing.
He moved the flashlight away. "Did you guys notice? There are fewer bats on the ceiling than before."
Ziwu was surprised. "Did the giant frog eat them all?"
"Possibly." Qin Ziwen looked at Du Yu. "Du Yu, you take the flashlight and go first. If it’s safe, flash the light twice. The two of us will follow you."
Du Yu walked about fifty meters ahead with the flashlight, while Qin Ziwen and Ziwu followed behind. Li Tieshan remained outside on lookout.
Fortunately, the path was clear. This was the first time Qin Ziwen had reached the altar deep inside the cave.
This altar was indeed different from the others he had seen. It was not only larger but also looked more exquisite.
He climbed onto the altar and took the Card.
[Advanced Building Card] Level 1 Lava Fortress.
...
...