Inside the cave, a flash of silver light, like a bolt of lightning, illuminated half the cave wall—revealing a massive Silver Moon Wolf.

This towering, beautiful, and even sacred creature had once been the stuff of legend in this world.

It carefully removed its thorn armor and placed it neatly behind it. The Silver Moon Wolf’s massive paws touched the ground without making a sound, its pair of silver eyes fixed intently on the swarm of cave hydra flying tentacles across from it.

In the blink of an eye, the Silver Moon Wolf vanished from where it stood; the next moment, it appeared amidst the swarm of cave hydra flying tentacles.

With a violent swish of its tail, countless flying worms were smashed to pieces by the immense force.

These mutant beasts have always had poor defense; once their exoskeletons are shed, their flesh becomes even more fragile, giving off a delicate, almost fragile aura—as if a single touch could kill them—making it hard to fathom how they managed to occupy an entire level of the mine…

Su Rui, however, did not underestimate these tiny flying insects.

His combat instincts warned him that these little creatures were no easy opponents.

Sure enough, after the initial surprise attack, the cave flying worms immediately adjusted their formation and regrouped.

They had no leader, yet they moved as if programmed, each finding its designated position… Eventually, the swarm coalesced into a massive Cave Fly, roughly the same size as the Silver Moon Wolf.

The cacophony of flapping wings that had filled the cave vanished, leaving only the whooshing sound of the wind… the wind generated by the giant Cave Fly’s flight.

The Silver Moon Wolf twisted his waist and landed lightly, exhaling a puff of warm air through his nostrils. Now, at last, things were back to normal.

Only when the cavernous flying tentacle was magnified thousands of times could one see that it actually possessed a pair of sharp mandibles, gleaming with a cold light like fangs, opening and closing restlessly from side to side.

In the next instant, it dove down!

A gentle breeze immediately swirled beneath the Silver Moon Wolf’s feet; his wind-elemental ability carried him up to a safe height, evading the first attack… but that wasn’t enough. Immediately, his counterattack followed: countless metal needles appeared at his side, raining down on the giant cave fly.

The smaller flying cave hydra were no match for the sharpness of the metal needles… but just as the needles flew toward them, the giant flying cave hydra suddenly dispersed, transforming into a swarm filling the sky, causing the Silver Moon Wolf’s attack to vanish into thin air.

Sure enough, this was a type of mutant beast he had never faced before—it had quite a few tricks up its sleeve.

The Silver Moon Wolf’s eyes gleamed with growing interest. Fire and metal elements were useless—so… what about water?

The two colossal beasts soared through the air, with a winding underground river stretching out below them… Suddenly, the river began to stir.

It wasn’t merely flowing; it seemed to be sucked into a tornado, forming a massive water dragon whose head surged toward the cave-dwelling flying worms.

The cave-dwelling flying tentacles looked somewhat bewildered. Although they had shed their outer shells, they were still water-elemental mutant beasts—why would they fear water? Moreover, this was their own river water…

The massive flying tentacles didn’t even try to dodge; they simply let the water pour over their heads, focusing solely on attacking the Silver Moon Wolf from both sides, like two beasts tearing at each other.

The Silver Moon Wolf dodged the attacks with agile footwork. A blue light suddenly flashed from its silver eyes, and the surging water dragon—starting from the end connected to the river—began to freeze inch by inch… all the way to the giant water leech.

From a distance, the water leech and the river’s surface looked as if they were connected by an ice dragon!

The giant water creatures were stunned. They had never seen anyone use this technique before—who in their right mind would use water-based abilities against a water-based mutant beast?

Besides, not every water-type ability user can master the power to turn water into ice…

The Silver Moon Wolf landed lightly and looked up with interest. These insects, with their bellies full of water, would surely burst open with just a light freeze, right?

Sure enough, the giant flying insects began struggling frantically. Realizing they couldn’t break free, they once again dispersed into a swarm of insects, only regrouping after moving far away from the ice dragon.

This time, however, the giant flying insects had shrunk in size. Presumably, many of the insects had perished in the frost.

Numerous crystal cores clattered to the ground, mingling with the shattered ice to create a glittering expanse.

The two colossal beasts—one large, one smaller—engaged in battle once more.

Two smaller ice dragons rose from the river’s surface.

Though the giant flying insect had shrunk in size, its movements were far more agile. Moreover, having been prepared for this, the damage inflicted on it this time was not as severe as before.

With a thunderous crash as they collided, the Silver Moon Wolf landed once more. It was slightly out of breath, its fur disheveled, and a new wound had appeared on its back.

As for the giant flying centipede, its body had shrunk by half; its remaining wing hung limply, and it struggled to fly.

Enough. He had now grasped the cave hydra’s combat tactics. Su Rui thought to himself, just as he was about to shift back into human form, when the cave hydra ahead suddenly moved.

One flying cave hydra suddenly split into two… No, the newly formed creature wasn’t a flying one but a large… ordinary cave hydra?

Cave hydras, of course, cannot fly. The massive creature dropped straight down, crawling toward the Silver Moon Wolf at breakneck speed. Three meters away, it exploded violently!

It wasn’t a psychic self-detonation—it simply burst open its belly… Transparent fluid flowed out, and to his surprise, it was viscous. A single drop stuck to the Silver Moon Wolf’s paw, and he found himself unable to move!

Above, the giant flying hydra had arrived as expected, its massive mandibles aimed squarely at the Silver Moon Wolf’s back—

“Quite the repertoire of tricks.”

A mutter suddenly echoed through the chaotic mine shaft. The massive Silver Moon Wolf began to shrink inch by inch; caught off guard, the giant flying hydra flew past, grazing its back.

Su Rui dodged the giant insect overhead with a backflip, spreading his hands wide—each finger holding a strand of red silk. He glanced at the insect’s position and flung the strands forward.

Whoosh—

The red silk unfurled in the air like a fishing net, descending from above—it was the Blood-Binding Net!

The giant flying centipede immediately lost its balance, swaying left and right in an attempt to escape, but Su Rui had already calculated the trajectory perfectly—no matter which direction it went, a net awaited it!

The giant insect looked around pitifully, like a panicked little butterfly caught in a spider’s web, its body spreading out widely.

Su Rui gave a mischievous grin, spread his arms wide, and sent two more massive nets flying out.

His feet were still stuck in that strange slime, preventing him from moving, so his entire body was like a stationary cannon, firing projectiles at the giant flying centipede in the air.

One by one, the Blood-Binding Webs descended, each trapping a massive swarm of insects that struggled desperately before dying.

The giant flying centipede’s form grew weaker by the moment, until finally it could no longer hold itself together and abruptly disintegrated.

The cave flying tentacles, now back to their individual forms, fluttered about the cave like moths, colliding aimlessly with everything in sight. Su Rui used his wind-based ability to sweep them up and force them into the final Blood-Bound Web.

Once the last cave flying tentacle had perished, the slime beneath his feet lost its vitality.

He cheerfully grabbed the thorn armor from the corner of the wall, threw it on, paying no mind to the wound on his back, and began climbing up the rope ladder.

Job done—time to go up and claim the credit!

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Cen An was waiting impatiently on the upper level. Although he knew they were well-prepared and, given Su Rui’s skills, nothing could possibly go wrong, he couldn’t help but worry.

He kept track of the time in his mind; the two Antidote Pill-like Shedding Pods would only last twenty minutes… It wasn’t until the nineteenth minute that he saw the rock blocking the cave entrance shift slightly, as if something below were pushing against it.

He quickly moved the rock aside and, sure enough, saw Su Rui emerge.

“How did it go?”

Su Rui beamed, “Of course I killed them all.”

Cen An: “I’m asking if you’re okay. Are you hurt?”

Su Rui brushed it off completely. “Just a minor scratch. I’m fine.”

“Where are you hurt? Let me take a look.” Seeing him like this, Cen An felt somewhat reassured. He pulled out a roll of moss bandage and a packet of rejuvenation paste.

Su Rui unhesitatingly removed his thorn armor to show him the wound.

When Cen An saw the blood seeping from his back, the worry on his face slowly faded. “You… you’re injured on your back?”

“Yeah.” Su Rui looked puzzled. “Didn’t you see it?”

Cen An sneered, “Excuse me, but how did you manage to injure your back while wearing thorn armor?”

Uh, well…

Holy shit!

Su Rui broke out in a cold sweat. He’d remembered to put on the thorn armor before coming up, but he’d completely forgotten about this!

He cautiously gauged Cen An’s expression. “A cave centipede crawled into my clothes and bit me?”

Cen An continued to sneer.

Su Rui glanced warily at the ointment in his hand and tentatively stammered, “Ouch, my wound really hurts. Should I put some ointment on it?”

Cen An: …

Cen An thought about some sad things, struggled to compose his expression, took a deep breath, and said sternly, “Turn around.”

Su Rui quickly turned around, still stealing glances at Cen An’s expression out of the corner of his eye.

Cen An lifted his shirt to take a look. The wound wasn’t serious, and the edges were already beginning to contract—a sign that it had started to heal.

Rarely letting his guard down, he muttered to himself, “What beast-like healing ability.”

He carefully applied a layer of rejuvenation paste and used a moss bandage to wrap him up tightly.

Once finished, Su Rui shifted awkwardly and said hesitantly, “I don’t think my wound is that bad… is it?”

Cen An replied coolly, “Do you want to listen to you or to me?”

He didn’t dare say another word.

Soon, it was time for dinner.

Cen An took a piece of bamboo from his backpack, cut two bamboo tubes, and took out two portions of rice to soak.

He then chopped up the leftover ground fruits and mushrooms from that morning, along with some shredded seaweed and spices, mixed them with the rice, stuffed the mixture into the bamboo tubes, and placed them in the fire to steam.

It was obvious he was planning to make bamboo tube rice.

The aroma of the bamboo roasting was quite pleasant—a distinct, smoky scent of burning bamboo.

While waiting for the rice to cook, Cen An retrieved the Emerald Crystals he’d gathered from the silver mine earlier that day.

Emerald Crystals don’t have any special uses—they’re just for eating—but they taste great.

He flipped through his recipes and sure enough found a recipe for 【Emerald Crystal Preserves】. Apparently, this dish tastes exquisite and can significantly boost an NPC’s favorability when gifted.

Cen An unlocked the recipe, used all the Emerald Crystals, and produced three portions of preserves.

Then he handed one portion to Su Rui, who was sitting beside him.

Su Rui didn’t hesitate, popping a piece into his mouth. “Hmm? Delicious!”

It was sweet and sour, with a slight chewy texture; the fruit flesh had been completely caramelized, giving it a different flavor from fresh fruit.

Su Rui commented, “It’s a bit sour. It would be even better after a meal.”

Cen An smiled without saying a word.

Su Rui twitched his nose. “I smell the rice is done. Can we eat yet?”

After a moment’s thought, something struck him as odd. “Why didn’t you ask me to chop vegetables today?”

Cen An smiled. “Just wait and see.”

So Su Rui waited.

His nose was indeed sharp; the rice steamed in the bamboo tubes was ready in no time.

Cen An used a small stick to pull out the two bamboo tubes, stowed one in his backpack, wrapped the other in a leaf, and headed for the rope ladder.

Su Rui was confused. “Where are you going?”

Cen An replied calmly, “Up to deliver food to Senior Lin.”

Su Rui nodded.

After nodding, he suddenly realized something was off. “Wait, if he’s eating it, what am I supposed to eat?”

Huh, who knows?

Cen An indeed made it to the tenth floor and ate the bamboo tube rice with Lin She.

The bamboo tubes were sealed with wooden stoppers, but there was no need to pull them out now; he just carefully split them open.

Once the top half of the bamboo was removed, the cylindrical mound of steamed rice lay inside, radiating a warm, inviting aroma.

Cen An had also added two spoonfuls of lard; the grains glistened with oil, mingling with the savory flavors of mushrooms and moss—like tiny aromatic bombs exploding on the taste buds.

Lin She took a bite and nodded. The kid’s cooking skills were indeed impressive.

Cen An, however, was still a bit unsatisfied. “It would’ve been better with some cured pork, cut into small pieces and mixed in… Next time I get the chance, I’ll treat you to cured pork bamboo tube rice.”

Lin She finished his meal at a leisurely pace, washed his hands, and then asked, “What about that dumb dog?”

Cen An, wanting to save face for Su Rui in front of others, interjected, “Su Rui is actually pretty smart.”

“Oh.” Lin She continued, “Then what about that smart dumb dog?”

Cen An: …

He knew these two had clashed before, but their relationship was actually quite good now—after all, Su Rui was even willing to share half an apple with him (though that friendship had been forged by stealing someone else’s cassava). It was just that neither of them held back when it came to verbal sparring.

Cen An didn’t answer that question. Instead, he asked casually, “Senior Lin, did you come here for a specific reason?”

Lin She replied nonchalantly, “I’m looking for someone… You’re just a kid—why are you asking about this?”

Cen An tilted his head to look at him. “I’m asking if I can help you. You’ve helped me so much; I need to repay you.”

Lin She snorted derisively. “You help me?”

He waved his hand dismissively, his tone impatient. “Fine. If you want to sleep here, find your own spot. Feel free to use the animal hides on the ground, but don’t disturb me. And,” he glanced over at her, “no snoring.”

Cen An’s mouth twitched. He wanted to retort, “Who snores?”, but then thought to ask, “How did you figure out I wanted to sleep here…?”

On second thought, they say experience comes with age. Senior Lin might have a bad temper, but who knows how many years he’s lived? It’s only natural he’d be good at reading people.

Cen An did indeed want to sleep here. On one hand, he was currently channeling Su Rui and didn’t want to see that guy. On the other hand, they’d slept in each other’s arms last night to keep warm, and Cen An was afraid that if they slept together again tonight, he might end up pressing down on the other’s wound.

He took a few animal hides, spread a thick layer of dry grass over them, and curled up inside to sleep comfortably.

Just before falling asleep, he caught the scent of herbs on the animal hides—different from his own. Half-asleep, he thought he might ask Senior Lin tomorrow what formula he used to tan the hides; it smelled better than his own…

Only after Cen An had fallen asleep did Lin She, who had been keeping his eyes closed, open them. He turned his head, and a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes. Sure enough, he was a completely unsuspecting fool.

In the middle of the night, Cen An was sleeping soundly when he suddenly felt the blankets grow hot and cozy, as if he were being held close by a warm stove. He wanted to open his eyes to look, but he’d been utterly exhausted these past few days, and the familiar scent in the blankets didn’t arouse his suspicion. After struggling for a moment, he drifted back to sleep.

Lin She, however, lying on the stone bed, heard the sounds coming from the other side. A faint smile touched his lips, and this time, he truly fell asleep.

Early the next morning, Cen An opened his eyes as usual and immediately sensed the familiar scent in the blankets.

Lifting his head, he met Su Rui’s sleeping face. His lips twitched. Had this guy climbed over ten flights of stairs in the middle of the night just to catch up with him?

I wonder if his injuries have even healed yet, and he’s already putting himself through this…

“Enough with the staring. If you want to look, go back and look. I’m hungry. Aren’t you going to get up and make breakfast?” A voice tinged with a subtle smile came from behind him.

Cen An turned around to find Lin. She had indeed woken up as well. He felt inexplicably awkward. “I wasn’t…”

“Hmph. You say you’ll make breakfast, but have you paid for it?”

In the blink of an eye, Su Rui had woken up too, and he was already bickering with Lin She again.

“Oh.” Lin She said indifferently, “You’ve paid, haven’t you? Did you even get to eat dinner last night?”

He was sharp enough to figure out what had happened between the two of them just by looking at Cen An’s expression last night, and seeing the bandages on Su Rui today, he was almost certain.

Su Rui snorted coldly at him, then tugged at Cen An, pouting, “I’m hungry.”

It wasn’t just that Cen An hadn’t fed him last night—before leaving, he’d even forced a serving of candied fruit on him. That stuff was sour and sweet, and the more he ate, the hungrier he got.

Cen An thought to himself, You deserve to be hungry!

However, considering his wounds, he relented. “Fine, get up and fetch some water.”

It was early morning, and he didn’t have much of an appetite anyway, so Cen An boiled a pot of hot water in that big iron cauldron and made three bowls of dumpling soup.

The dumpling soup contained two eggs from some unknown bird—not from Su Rui’s spatial pocket, but from Lin She’s.

After visiting a few times, Cen An realized that Lin She’s life skills weren’t much better than Su Rui’s. He had plenty of stuff, but it was all just tossed about haphazardly.

Who knew how many supplies were hidden in that haystack? He just reached in and pulled out two bird eggs—and even a dried fish…

Early in the morning, after downing a bowl of fragrant egg drop soup, all three of them felt warmed through.

Seeing that Lin She was coughing again, Cen An picked some fresh flowers and made him a Hundred-Flower Cough-Relief Pill before saying, “Senior Lin, we’re heading to the mine.”

The two descended the rope ladder. Su Rui said cheerfully, “The toxic mist on the twenty-third level hadn’t cleared completely yesterday, so I couldn’t take you there. Go check it out today—you’re sure to love it!”

Cen An didn’t quite understand at first, but as soon as he climbed down the rope ladder, he instantly grasped what Su Rui meant: Crystal cores! Crystal cores everywhere! A floor of crystal cores! The ground is paved with crystal cores!

You have to understand—a single Level 3 mutant beast yields three crystal cores! Yesterday, every single Rock Cavern Hydra in the entire mine shaft was wiped out. Just imagine how many crystal cores there must be!

Even the Rock Cavern Hydras—each one has a crystal core!

Cen An released the Green Shade Rat from his sleeve and urged, “What are we waiting for? Hurry up and pick them up!”

With that, he ran over and started scooping them up himself.

Su Rui watched his back, smiling as if he were seeing the first little flower to bloom in the mountains after winter, and asked, “Do you want me to help you pick them up?”

“No need!” Cen An’s voice carried from afar, “I’ll pick them up myself! You go play with the Green Shade Mouse for a while!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Rui looked down and met the Green Shade Mouse’s gaze.

The Green Shade Mouse timidly crept closer, waving its front paws in a pleading gesture, then bit its tail and spun in a circle, doing its best to follow the instruction to “play for a while.”

Su Rui looked up at the sky, flicked the poor little mouse away with a finger, then turned back to watch Cen An’s cheerful retreating figure—that was far more entertaining.

Cen An was having the time of his life picking up crystal cores. He’d had so many bountiful harvests on his Harvest Farm, but this was the first time he’d ever had a crystal core harvest!

This really felt different, didn’t it!

He happily raked up a large pile of crystal cores, paying no mind to the dust and debris—after all, they’d be clean once stored in the system.

【Congratulations on obtaining 14 crystal cores】

【Congratulations on obtaining 21 crystal cores】

【Congratulations on obtaining 17 crystal cores】

……

Even these system notifications were the most delightful he’d ever heard!

After clearing out the entire cave—leaving no corner or crevice in the stone walls untouched—the system finally displayed the final tally:

【Congratulations! You have obtained a total of 1,507 crystal cores】

One thousand five hundred and seven crystal cores!

A massive harvest!