I became a god by treasure hunting after arriving 500 years early

Chapter 548: Chapter 403: Great Internal Conflict of the Insect Race

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And so, as time passed, the scouting fortress was quickly established, with a large number of scientific instruments piling up inside, along with installed equipment such as wires, lightbulbs, and generators.

The human stockpiles of oil, coal, cement, and other resources had almost dropped to alert levels; after all these years, they had been depleted without replenishment.

But now there was no choice; all the remaining stockpiles were used to build this scouting fortress.

This made Mr. Lao Mao explode with temper, incessantly asking every few days, “When can we start mining?” “If we don’t mine soon, most of the projects will have to stop,” “Do you know that Sky City is undergoing major expansion?”

Lu Yuan was also under great pressure: “We have to wait for the investigation report to come out, a few more months won’t make a difference… How about this, let Holy King caress you a little.”

“Deal!”

Wait a minute, that’s my wife you’re talking about, Lu Yuan couldn’t help but widen his pupils, puzzled.

…

This grand investigation lasted over five months, capturing over ten thousand insects of more than three hundred different species!

And the final result of the investigation was indeed shocking to everyone.

“The first conclusion, the three hundred plus species of native insects that were captured, whether strong or weak, are indeed trapped within the Crack. As soon as they leave the Crack, they would be forcefully weakened by the ‘irregular’ mountain.”

“Of course, insects powerful enough could still force their way out, but they all hide underground, barely coming out…”

“With this in mind, the engineering team in the rear can indeed start mining. Civilians could also travel in small batches, as long as they don’t come close to here.”

This was indeed good news.

The main base in the rear was over six thousand kilometers away; the safety was sufficient.

“Additionally, there are some interesting conclusions.” Lu Yuan was explaining on stage, with the investigation teams’ 3D geographical models displaying on the big screen.

“Our investigation teams used drones to delve 6,000 meters beneath the Crack.”

“The terrain inside this large Crack is extremely complex, with many caves, honeycomb-like nests, and some underground fungal regions… Pay attention, it’s these fungal regions I particularly want to talk about.”

The photo showed a variety of colorful mushrooms, competing in splendor, just like flowers.

The smallest were only the size of bean sprouts, and the largest were like the palms of hands.

“Those fungi are cultivated by the Insect Race with great effort.”

“Our drones collected some fungal specimens, but they are difficult to grow outside of their native geographic environment.”

“At a depth of five kilometers, sunlight is basically unable to penetrate, and most Insects use geothermal energy and fungi as energy sources.”

The screen showed photo after photo.

The magical and bizarre underground forest, the crimson magma, the scent of sulfur, and… an insect swarm reproducing crazily.

This bizarre scene was completely different from the lush tropical rainforest above ground; it could be described as eerie and frantic.

“Our scientists have dissected over ten thousand insects, reaching a conclusion… There are at least twelve different insect groups in this Crack. That is to say, the number of Mother Worms might be twelve, or even more.”

This news, not just the frontline officers were moved.

Even the government officials listening remotely in the rear were stunned, pondering over the implications.

Dozens of Anomaly insects, what does this mean?

Lu Yuan’s expression was slightly serious: “In summary, this Crack that we are currently observing is very likely a breeding ground left over by an Ancient Civilization for cultivating and rearing the Insect Race!”

“There are multiple insect queen groups here to cultivate, perhaps to determine the ultimate victor, or purely for the cultivation of fungi, that is, mushrooms.”

“Most of the Insect Race are very weak, comparable to a warrior of the Extraordinary Spark Level 2-3, and for our current soldiers, even with cold weapons, one could take on ten.”

“But there are also some that are very powerful, perhaps even stronger than our Worm King and Leviathan. These ancient beings, left from several Epochs before, could easily destroy us humans.”

He let out a soft sigh: “Fortunately, these insects do not have a high interest in the outside world. In the past five months, only a very small number of insects have crawled out of the Crack.”

At this moment, a few government officials in a remote meeting frowned and said, “So, Mr. Lu, since the enemy is stronger than expected and we can’t delve deeper to find the Mother Worms, what’s the point of staying here? We could completely leave this place and look for the next Ancient Civilization relic.”

“As for the evolution of our Insect Soldiers… Secretly hunting hundreds of thousands of insects to feed them should be enough, right?”

Lu Yuan sighed, “For the mushrooms…”

“As I just said, the Insect Race has cultivated a Mushroom Forest. An Ancient Civilization wouldn’t go through such great lengths for nothing.”

“In this Crack, Inferior Grade and Ordinary Level mushrooms can’t be said to be everywhere, but they are more numerous than imagined…”

“They have many functions, such as eating a small mushroom, which acts as a natural stimulant, making one energetic for days without side effects. It’s several times more powerful than adrenaline.”

A picture on the screen showed a green mushroom that looked somewhat eerie.

“There are also quite a few mushrooms containing pure, harmless Mind components, which when eaten regularly, can enhance resistance, strengthen the body’s strength, eyesight, detoxification abilities, etc., comparable to the painstakingly developed Insect Race Enhancement Potions!”

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