The three methods each had their pros and cons, and for a time, it was difficult to reach a decision.
After much discussion, they finally settled on the third approach: sealing up all the demon caves.
They simply did not have the energy or confidence to explore and deal with the crisis on this front.
When they had chosen the Overlapping Water Dead Zone, it had essentially been a calculated risk—a gamble for great rewards with some safeguards in place.
But the demon caves had increasingly felt like a growing danger. If they could be kept from causing trouble, that would better serve everyone's interests.
As for the risk that the sealing process might provoke whatever dangers lay inside, that was a necessary gamble—one they would have to take.
After careful deliberation, they decided on a comprehensive approach. In essence, the defensive strongholds at the five-hundred-meter marks inside the caves would serve as the spearhead, with the formations in the passages behind as the core, supplemented by defensive works at the cave mouths. Finally, the mouths would be sealed with heavy metal machinery and special materials!
Over the past few days, the caves had been largely explored, and the remaining few could be finished in a very short time. Formation deployment was also about two-thirds complete. For the remaining ones, as long as there was enough manpower and materials, these small formations were a simple task for the Su Clan.
The slow progress earlier had been due to a lack of personnel. With more hands, efficiency would increase manyfold.
At least twenty thousand people would concentrate on sealing the cave mouths. With sufficient materials, the previously explored openings could be sealed in about half an hour, requiring no more than 20 people per cave. Within just one hour, about half the caves would be sealed. The remaining ones, including those not yet explored, might take a bit longer, but two hours would be enough.That was the result of collective strength and ample logistical support.
Both the Su Clan and the Star-Eye Clan placed great importance on logistics—especially the latter, which had plundered all of the Huaitang Clan's resources…
Just as they were busily plugging the holes, the mutated lifeforms surrounding the Overlapping Water Dead Zone finally completed their temporary power distribution and began their assault on this location, which held over two hundred thousand portions of nutrient-rich "food."
Whether by coincidence or design, the lifeforms from all three directions moved almost simultaneously.
…………………………
Deep within the demon caves, there was now some light.
"You know I dislike light now," the man's voice said, much calmer than during their previous exchange.
The woman, illuminated faintly by the firelight, showed no expression. Even if she had any, it was hidden in the shadows.
"You will have to adapt. Even if you fight here in the future, circumstances will not always be as you expect. I have observed that man. He may not be as strong as you or me now, but he is improving quickly. Having come to the cosmic races through proper channels, he must be among Earth's most exceptional."
"We must kill him this time. Otherwise, there will never be another chance."
There was something unusual in the woman's tone.
"Are you afraid?" the man said with a hint of mockery.
"Yes, I am afraid."
To everyone's surprise, the woman admitted it. "I am not afraid of dying. I am afraid of failing to kill Ye Zhongming—just like back on Earth, when Ye Zhongming and Cloud Peak were far inferior to us."
"And there is also the matter of our fortune. It has given us our current strength, but it exists outside the established system. We cannot measure how powerful we truly are. Are we stronger than top-tier experts? Here, you would certainly surpass them. But the reality is, we may not be able to lure them in."
The two fell silent again.
They believed that each of them alone could kill Ye Zhongming. But the problem was that Ye Zhongming was never alone. He had too many comrades around him, including several top-tier experts. They were not certain they could handle them.
"The mutated lifeforms outside are attacking," the woman said suddenly, mentioning something the man—who for some reason could not leave this place—did not quite grasp.
"I will keep a close watch on the situation above. If they cannot hold out—or can barely hold out—we will launch a full-scale assault and overwhelm them with numbers. If they manage to get through this attack without much trouble… then we will wait for a relatively quiet moment to emerge from the caves, deliberately fail, and lure them in."
"As for whether Ye Zhongming will come in… that will depend on our luck. I believe… Ah Bai's soul in heaven will watch over us."
……………………
"Get ready!"
Ye Zhongming stood behind the First Squad, his voice involuntarily rising.
The ground trembled more violently as the beast tide approached. The air was thick with the mingled stench of countless mutated lifeforms packed together.
In today's battle, the First Battalion, First Regiment, would defend the front line on the path leading from the Long River Alluvial Plain to the Overlapping Water Dead Zone.
They would face the first wave—and the strongest wave—of the beast tide.
At Ye Zhongming's command, the First Squad entered full combat readiness. They took medicines to boost their fighting strength. The Changxu Water Race members accompanying them stood behind the squad, and behind He and the others were the ranged support teams.
The entire small clan alliance watched this front.
Along the path, seven defensive lines had been established. The First Squad was the first line.
"Shields!"
In a swift motion, the defense warriors of the First Squad raised their shields.
The not-too-tall forest on the Long River Alluvial Plain side collapsed with a thunderous crash, and a massive figure appeared in everyone's sight.
It had been on all fours, but now it rose upright, revealing its colossal body—as tall as a twenty-story building. On its body grew at least twenty pairs of arms, each gripping a thick log.
The logs were over ten meters long.
"Multi-Armed Wild Man Demon!"
The appearance of this lifeform, which would stand out anywhere, brought a tremendous visual shock to the entire camp.
It was a super-Level Nine lifeform—an existence on par with a top-tier expert, and a powerful one at that.
As it revealed its ferocious form, from behind it surged countless powerful Fanged Heavy-Hide Beasts. Roaring, they raised their four sharp tusks and charged toward the myriad races' positions.
Simultaneously, from the sky, a vast swarm of red-and-white shadows swept over the Multi-Armed Wild Man Demon's head. The Yu Kang—a numerous flying lifeform with ranged abilities—had also arrived above the Overlapping Water Dead Zone.
Right from the start, the mutated lifeforms were adopting a fight-to-the-death stance.
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