Chapter 116: The Journey of Iron Nose

"All field army soldiers, form a wedge formation and advance in assault!"

Iron Nose had seriously underestimated the immense power of nature.

After only a week of marching eastward, the harsh cold forced them to halt and regroup.

Not a single part of the mission had been accomplished, and the troops had already begun to suffer casualties, which dealt a heavy blow to the pride within Iron Nose.

He even began to doubt whether he had the ability to lead this elite force to exceed expectations on this mission.

Fortunately, aside from the natural obstacles of wind and snow, they had not been disturbed by any monsters on their path.

This gave Iron Nose the chance and time to adapt to the environment.

After three days of focused study, Iron Nose discovered that using an inverted triangle formation could alleviate the hindrance of the wind and snow on the troops’ advance and enhance their environmental adaptability.

Indeed, adopting this formation improved the army’s movement speed. Coupled with the recent stable weather, they reached the first Block People village marked on the map within the planned timeframe.

Their luck was clearly better than Mo Fangyuan’s. This village was neither abandoned nor infested with zombies; about twenty people lived there, all of whom had survived and were successfully taken in by the field army. Once the army escorted them back to the Block Kingdom, they would become sacred and inseparable citizens capable of contributing value to the kingdom.

According to the map from this village, the field army spent another week locating a second Block People village hidden deep in the eastern forest.

This village also had roughly twenty inhabitants, similar in size to the first.

Iron Nose did not hesitate to show their fellow villagers that the entire troop was composed of combat professionals, fully armored and ready for battle.

The village chief, moved to see so many heavily armed men gathered at the village entrance, immediately opened the gates to welcome the troops with hearty provisions.

Thus, after two weeks, the field army completed the task assigned to them by His Majesty the King.

Having barely succeeded in their first mission, the field army was far from resting. As their commander, Iron Nose also wished to demonstrate his exceptional talents to the king, hoping to solicit the monarch’s help in arranging matters concerning his sister…

Although the soldiers and Iron Nose had different motivations, their direction of action was united.

“Both willing participants,” they proceeded together deeper into the unknown lands to the east.

“There should be another Block People village in that area ahead…”

The mountains were blanketed in white snow; unable to discern the details within the forest, the group had to rely on the vague map from the second village to make educated guesses.

“According to the map from that village, the settlement should be nestled in this forest, at the foot of that great mountain…”

One hand held the map, the other pointed toward the towering mountain standing out among the woods.

Iron Nose spoke to the field army captains beside him.

“We will first reach the foot of that mountain at the fastest speed, then split into two teams to explore the base. If we find nothing, we will widen the search radius and aim to locate the village within the next couple of days.”

Iron Nose, pointing at the mountain on the map, resembled a victorious general commanding a campaign, radiating vigor and authority.

“Yes, sir!”

The three squad leaders voiced no objections.

Iron Nose had already demonstrated his talent and strength to the field soldiers, proving his capability to lead them, winning their respect and trust.

“Very well, let’s proceed according to this plan!”

Iron Nose had been away from the Block Kingdom for three weeks now. As the saying goes, “A day apart feels like three autumns,” and thinking of the three weeks without Sister Lin together, he couldn’t help but feel anxious and restless.

Following Iron Nose’s orders, the field army swiftly approached the mountain, crossing rivers, circumventing ancient trees, and ascending hills, finally reaching the mountain near dusk.

“Let’s set up a rest point here!”

Along the way, besides exploring maps and gathering the villages, they had established several rest points for future arrivals.

These hidden rest stations would become vital outposts for the Block Kingdom’s future military operations in these regions.

Inside, wool carpets lined the floors; outside, stones and leaves concealed the shelters.

A rest point named the Mountain Observation Post was established inside a cave nestled against the mountain.

The troops divided into two groups to alternate night watches, guarding against monster approaches.

A silent night passed; the field army’s third week in the wilderness ended quietly amid the wind and snow.

Meanwhile, within the Block Kingdom, the exploration of caves inside the mines was just beginning.

The five Night Watch squads returned to the rendezvous point one after another, reporting only dead ends with no significant discoveries.

About half an hour passed, and all squads had returned except the First Squad, which remained unresponsive.

“Where are the others in the First Squad?”

Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached, and a figure appeared in the tunnel—many recognized him as Liu Wang, a young warrior from the First Squad.

“Your Majesty, the captain asked me to inform you that there’s an unusual situation… The captain and the others have gone ahead to investigate.”

Liu Wang hurried up to Mo Fangyuan, saluted, and relayed the message.

“Foolish! Why didn’t they come back and report directly to me?”

Faced with unclear circumstances, they had not withdrawn but instead charged forward? Mo Fangyuan was baffled by their reasoning.

Why not hold back and wait for the main force before advancing?

Mo Fangyuan spoke in anger and shock.

“I-I don’t know either!”

Liu Wang, seeing the king’s distress, quickly explained that he was merely a messenger.

Strange sounds, as if something was exploding…

Mo Fangyuan mulled over this information.

Based on Liu Wang’s description, the First Squad might have encountered something like magma.

He could only hope it was magma or something similar—if it were some other kind of creature, then all hope might be lost.

“All Night Watchers, assemble! Form a single line and follow my lead!”

“Captain… what… what is this thing?”

Upon reaching a glowing area, the First Squad didn’t see some strange luminous object but rather a vast red lake.

It was a magma lake—yes, a lake!

The cave entrance connected directly to the blood-red lake, which, at a glance, appeared as if it had hollowed out the entire earth, with no visible end in sight. In the distance, a towering stone pillar reached toward the sky.

“Oh my sun! What on earth is this existence?”

The squad captain’s eyes seemed to cross as he stood dumbfounded.

The scene before him completely shattered his worldview—there was such a bizarre place beneath the earth, representing darkness and terror.

“Could this be the magma His Majesty mentioned?”

One soldier, who often listened to Mo Fangyuan’s lectures, cautiously voiced his opinion.

“Impossible! His Majesty described the magma pool as nowhere near this large… According to the king’s description, magma only appears deep underground, and even then, it wouldn’t form such a vast river or lake!”

“But His Majesty’s description of magma sounds very similar to this liquid down here!”

The squad captain abstained from the debate, silently gazing toward the distant towering stone pillar.

Surveying his surroundings, the captain noticed numerous dark openings dotting the rocky walls around the magma lake’s edge.

What kind of existence could have forged such a stunning red lake beneath the dark earth?

Mo Fangyuan was hastily leading reinforcements to the First Squad’s location.

“Your Majesty, that’s where they are! The captain and the others went there!”

Liu Wang pointed down the tunnel toward a small red-glowing dot.