Half an hour later, the four-member team expanded to an eight-member team, and they all re-entered the subway tunnel.
Chen Jian chose not to deploy the drone for reconnaissance again, partly to conserve the already limited battery power, and partly to see the true capability limits of these so-called "Holy Blood Warriors."
And indeed, they did not disappoint him.
Although it was their first time entering the tunnel, they demonstrated considerable professional competence in the processes of pathfinding, reconnaissance, combat, and retreat.
Occasionally, a giant mantis would leap out in the tunnel, but without exception, they were instantly dispatched by Shield Guard Li Shi and Ranger Zeng Yi who led from the front.
The entire process was filled with the violent aesthetic of cold weapon combat from classic eras, with blood splattering everywhere.
Chen Jian suspected that in terms of sheer strength and speed, the individual qualities of these Holy Blood Warriors might even surpass those of these small monsters.
Moreover, with weapons and tools enhancing their abilities, slashing through enemies like chopping vegetables and fruits was not hard to comprehend.
Compared to their combat skills, the "functionality" of this team surprised Chen Jian even more.
He initially thought that Xu Lie, known as the Scout, was just handling some ordinary reconnaissance tasks.
But he never expected that Xu Lie not only had the ability to see in low-light conditions, but his sense of smell far exceeded that of ordinary people.
He could actually guide the team along the path using the scent residuals from the mother entity without any unnecessary pauses at corners...
Damn, is this a humanoid hound or what?
It had to be said; at least in this regard, his four-member team was far inferior to these Holy Blood Warriors...
Following Xu Lie's guidance, the smell of blood that Chen Jian detected grew stronger.
He raised his hand to signal caution, and the other team members almost simultaneously raised their guns, advancing in combat mode.
Their actions startled Xu Lie, who quickly explained:
"No need to be too tense. In theory, the closer we get to the nest, the safer we are."
"These monsters have strict hierarchical systems. Subordinate monsters are unlikely to approach the nest of higher-level monsters, unless the higher-level one is completely dead and decomposed."
"So, if you all can sense the nest ahead, it means we've already traversed the most dangerous part."
Even with these assurances, Chen Jian only nodded and did not lower his gun.
He could clearly feel the environmental changes—the temperature was higher, the blood scent was stronger, and it was, of course, quieter.
To be exact, it was a kind of deathly stillness.
As if even microbial proliferation had stopped in this dead silence.
"We're almost there."
Xu Lie said lightly:
"I wonder what good stuff we'll find this time."
"What good stuff?"
Chen Jian asked with curiosity.
"There is, of course!"
Xu Lie said boastfully, pulling out his pistol:
"And this radio set, I found it in a nest."
"Last time near Jiang City, we took out a Level 5 Monster, and this pistol was found in its nest."
"Functioning pistols are hard to come by, even for the Mechanical God Sect, they..."
As he spoke, Chen Jian had already drawn his QSW06 silenced pistol from his thigh, and Xu Lie, seeing it, swallowed his words back.
"...Forget it, perhaps you guys don't lack those things."
"But whatever the case, these monsters tend to drag their prey back to their nests, so their nests are often places where the most resources are concentrated in an area."
"Even if you don't need weapons and ammunition, it's worth searching—they might find something else."
Once Xu Lie finished speaking, Chen Jian did not respond.
In truth, how could he not be in need of weapons and ammunition?
The constant battles had depleted the team's ammo reserves completely, even the 5.8mm rifle rounds, he had only about forty left.
This was why he was eager to collaborate with the Holy Blood Team.
After all, using their limited ammunition to gain leverage over the Holy Blood Team seemed far more reliable than facing the monsters head-on...
However, he couldn't reveal his intentions to Xu Lie.
If the other party realized his team's "strong on the outside but weak on the inside" state, the cooperation between the two teams would undoubtedly collapse instantly.
That was an indisputable fact.
Therefore, what Chen Jian desired most at that moment was to find the supplies he needed in the so-called "graveyard."
Bullets, guns, or weapons, anything that could enhance the team's combat effectiveness was welcome.
With this thought in mind, he followed closely behind Xu Lie, entering the graveyard.
His vision instantly widened; countless bones piled up on the ground, and the lower layers had already weathered into dust of a grayish-white color.
Raising his head, the daylight shone straight down, the bright spot resembling the mouth of a well.
The height from here to the surface reached at least 50 meters, and as Chen Jian scanned the surroundings, a strange sense of familiarity surged within him.
"...Look familiar?"
Chen Jian turned to the other team members and asked.
"Very familiar, except the top has caved in..."
Shen Yue took a cold breath, hesitantly saying:
"Isn't this damn well site 1102? From the positioning, it seems about right..."
"No need for 'about right,' this is 1102."
Lei Jie pointed to the right side of the cavern wall, saying:
"There are still remnants of the structure there, but the height doesn't match."
"Currently, the structure height is less than 3 meters, but according to what we saw back then, the structure height should be 12 meters or about three floors."
"In other words, the ground beneath our feet has been buried nearly 10 meters deep."
"To delve deeper inside, we'd need to dig out these 10 meters of... ashes thoroughly."
"Obviously, we can't do that now."
"What a pity. Facilities like 1102 would certainly have a sealed storage room, and if lucky, the contents inside might still be usable."
"Even if the items are not usable, finding the records from that time could help deduce what happened in this world..."
After Lei Jie's words fell, Chen Jian furrowed his brows.
Indeed, though "world truth" seemed somewhat of a luxury for them right now, who would refuse a chance to glimpse it if given the opportunity?
Unfortunately, such exploration would have to be left for another time.
Not far away, the Holy Blood Team had already started scavenging.
Their movements were swift. The scattered skeletons, along with what they deemed trash, were practically thrown into the air, landing heavily on the ground.
This scene involuntarily reminded Chen Jian of the sorting station during shipment processing, making him want to chuckle.
But in the next second, as his gaze swept past an object floating in the air, his expression changed instantly.
Damn, they're not even keeping that?!