Chapter 110: Advanced Buildings |
Footsteps echoed chaotically from the stairwell behind.
A family of three cautiously made their way up to the rooftop. Seeing Qin Ziwen and the others already there, the three quickened their pace, retreating to the opposite side of the rooftop and maintaining their distance.
The little girl, held tightly in her father's arms, extended a tender finger, pointing at the moving "mountain" down the hill. Her voice was filled with both fear and curiosity, "Daddy, that frog is so big!"
"It... it's coming towards us," the girl's mother stammered, her voice trembling, "Honey..."
As the pillar of the family, the man swallowed hard, forcing himself to stay calm as he comforted them, "Don't be afraid. We're high up here. It can't jump this high."
Listening to their conversation, Qin Ziwen's heart suddenly stirred.
If this giant toad was indeed the mysterious monster from the mountain cave, and now it had come down the mountain, did that mean there was no guardian beast left in the cave?
For the Stone Burrow Ancient Giant Toad to grow this large was absolutely extremely rare.
Either it was related to its living environment, causing it to mutate.
The illustrated guide said that the Stone Burrow Ancient Giant Toad only reaches adulthood at thirty years old. After adulthood, its size gradually increases with age.
This one being so huge, was it because it had lived for many years?
The opportunity must not be missed!
Thinking this, Qin Ziwen felt it was necessary to take advantage of its absence to explore the cave.
He proposed the idea, and it received unanimous approval from everyone.
However, before that, they still needed to figure out the purpose of this Stone Burrow Ancient Giant Toad's arrival. It had a clear goal, heading straight for the residential complex.
They just didn't know if what attracted it was the residents of the complex, or the mayflies dancing in the sky.
"Thud!"
Accompanied by dull, thunderous booms, the giant toad's massive body drew closer and closer.
The entire residential complex fell silent, plunged into a deathly stillness.
Residents either huddled behind their windows at home or watched from afar at the edges of the rooftop.
Earlier, some had dared to peek through the fence,
but as it gradually approached, the 2.2-meter iron fence suddenly seemed as laughable as a child's toy, not even reaching the height of its jumps.
"THUD——!!!"
It continued leaping forward along a perfectly straight line.
Its enormous figure, like a meteorite, cleared the fence and crashed into the interior of the residential complex.
Floor tiles instantly shattered and fractured over a large area.
The crowd that had been in its path had long since scattered, taking refuge inside the stairwell.
The giant toad crouched in the shallow crater it had created, raising its hideous head to gaze quietly at the countless Forest Giant Mayflies swirling and dancing in the air.
Its cold, pale-yellow horizontal pupils swept indifferently across the sky above.
Overhead, two Forest Giant Mayflies, mating while flying at low altitude, passed directly over its head.
In that instant, the giant toad opened its maw, and a blurry streak, almost impossible for the naked eye to track, shot through the air!
The two mayflies, still entangled in the sky, vanished on the spot.
The giant toad closed its mouth, the grayish-brown vocal sacs on both sides of its head swelling high.
"Grooo——Ribbit!!!"
A deep, resonant croak, mixed with a damp, sticky aura and the grating sensation of rocks, exploded like a subwoofer. The windows of some nearby residents shook violently from the vibration.
Above their heads, the mayflies still swarming over the complex paused in their movements.
Then, in unison, they flew away.
Wherever the giant toad went, the mayflies scattered to avoid it.
Driven by its presence, the mayflies dancing in the sky were gradually herded towards the airspace above the river.
Without the slightest hesitation, the giant toad left the residential complex and leaped to the riverbank.
It settled quietly on the damp mud by the river, lying in wait for the mayflies still flying overhead.
As it departed, the intense sense of oppression dissipated along with it.
Qian Muzhen commented, "It seems it wasn't after us. It was after these mayflies."
Qin Ziwu muttered to himself, "If we could hunt it, it would probably drop several cards, right?"
"Don't think about dropping cards. Let's go first."
Qin Ziwen wasn't sure how long it would stay there, but taking advantage of its absence to first go to the cave and retrieve the card was the urgent matter.
If there was still time, they could also check out its lair.
On the way downstairs, Qin Ziwu was still talking, "Big brother, doesn't this look like a boss siege battle in a game? It just jumped right into the complex."
"I think you've played too many games. You can respawn in games. If you die here, I have nowhere to fish you out."
After preparing, Qin Ziwen, Qin Ziwu, Li Tieshan, and Du Yu, the four of them, headed straight up the mountain. Doctor Qian, being too old, stayed home.
The mountain path along the way was basically flattened.
Originally, some of the steep slopes were difficult to traverse, but after the giant toad passed through once, the soil was compacted, making the path much easier than before.
Not long after Qin Ziwen and the others set out, a team followed them out.
"Is it up ahead?"
"Yes, Brother Tao. I saw that bird fly out. They're definitely following that bird."
"Brother Tao, should we follow them?"
Standing at the entrance of the residential complex, looking at the bird disappearing into the distant sky, Huang Tao pondered for a long time. Finally, gritting his teeth, he said, "Follow!"
"That giant toad came down from the mountain. They must be going to the toad's lair. Let's go too!"
But after following for a while, Huang Tao and his group got lost in the forest and had to turn back the way they came.
Observing the forest from afar and actually walking deep inside it were two completely different things.
Moreover, there were many steep slopes and mountain streams along the way. A distance the giant toad could cover in a single leap required a huge detour for humans.
If you weren't familiar with the route, it was easy to lose track in the forest.
Three hours later, Qin Ziwen finally reached the mouth of the mountain cave. He took out his phone, zoomed in the camera, and aimed it at the depths of the cave to take a picture.
There was only a faint blue light.
"Hey, silly eagle, is there danger inside?" Qin Ziwen asked the Crowned Eagle again.
Hearing its master's call, the Crowned Eagle took a few waddling steps with its splayed feet, walking two circles around the cave entrance. Then it turned its head and let out two loud squawks at Qin Ziwen.
"Seems not," Qin Ziwen nodded.
"Brother, how did you understand that?!" Qin Ziwu was greatly astonished.
"Because if there was danger, its feathers would puff up. It wouldn't be this leisurely."
"So that's how it is. Big brother, let me go this time," Qin Ziwu said eagerly.
Du Yu volunteered, "Sir, it would be better for me to go."
"What's the hurry? This time isn't just about getting the card. If it really is its lair inside, we'll leave one person outside to keep watch, and the rest will go in." Qin Ziwen took out the flashlight, first shining it on the ceiling of the cave.
"Squeak squeak squeak~"
Some bats couldn't stand the strong light shining directly on them and chattered incessantly in complaint.
Moving the flashlight away, he said, "Did you notice? The number of bats on the cave ceiling has decreased. There aren't as many as before."
Qin Ziwu was surprised, "Did that giant toad eat them all?"
"Possibly," Qin Ziwen looked at Du Yu. "Du Yu, you take the flashlight and go ahead. If there's no danger, flash the light twice. We'll follow behind you."
Du Yu, holding the flashlight, walked about fifty meters ahead. Qin Ziwen and Qin Ziwu followed behind, while Li Tieshan stayed outside on lookout.
Fortunately, the entire journey was uneventful. This was also Qin Ziwen's first time reaching the altar deep inside the cave.
This altar was indeed different from the ones he had seen before. Not only was the area larger, but it also looked more refined.
Climbing onto the altar, he retrieved the card.
[Advanced Building Card] Level 1 Lava Fortress.
......