"Mr. He, Miss Jiang, please take another look at the surrounding area," Zhou Ran said to the two people behind him as he ran.
He Ziming was taken aback. How dare Zhou Ran give us orders? What was going on?
Jiang Yuxi didn't say anything, silently directing the Ice Sting Bone Butterfly to investigate.
"Lin, where are we going?" He Ziming asked.
"Just follow me! There's definitely treasure here!" Zhou Ran said confidently, because he had been here before—it was the place he had arrived at when escaping from that terrifying divine beast palace last time!
"But…" He Ziming clearly didn't trust Zhou Ran. His captain hadn't spoken yet, and Zhou Ran was just a rookie—how could he know where the treasure was?
At that moment, Han Chengyong spoke up: 'Ziming, listen to Lin first. He's so confident; he must have discovered something!'
'Understood!' He Ziming saw that the captain had agreed, so he didn't say much and immediately commanded the lion-headed magic eagle to fly into the sky for reconnaissance.
Su Heng slowly caught up, riding on the lion's back with a pale face. He had just sacrificed his most beloved high-grade exotic beast, feeling as though a piece of his heart had been torn away, causing him immense pain.
He glared maliciously at Zhou Ran's back, clenching his fists tightly.
Zhou Ran also sensed a killing intent and turned to look at Su Heng, his brows furrowed. This guy was truly annoying.
"We're here!"
"Captain Han, what do you think of this cave ahead?" Zhou Ran suddenly turned to ask Han Chengyong.
"The aura emanating from inside is impressive, and there's a faint golden glow. There must be a powerful treasure inside! Lin brother, you're amazing!" Han Chengyong laughed.
Having narrowly escaped death earlier, obtaining a few powerful treasures now wouldn't be a bad deal.
'But just in case, should we send a beast in first to check it out?' Zhou Ran suggested.
Han Chengyong hesitated. What had happened earlier was too terrifying. If something else emerged, they'd be doomed. As the saying goes, once bitten by a snake, one fears even a rope for three years.
'You're so skilled, you go,' Su Heng said with a hint of malice.
'Hmph, if I have to go, I'll go. Just wait and see,' Zhou Ran said. In truth, he wasn't afraid at all. If this place was indeed a fragment of that dimension, the cave before them had already been visited before. It was merely a test of the group's resolve.
Han Chengyong and the others wanted to say something, but seeing Zhou Ran's confidence, they remained silent.
'I hope this stupid dog dies as soon as he goes in, to pay tribute to my deceased dragon horse beast!' Su Heng glared at Zhou Ran, cursing him in his heart.
Soon, Zhou Ran jumped onto the back of the Liu Ying Huan Yue Dog and ran into the cave.
'Are you going too, Lin? Aren't we only sending the beast in?' Han Chengyong was a bit uneasy and called out.
'It's fine. My beast is a bit slow, so I'll accompany him personally.' Zhou Ran said indifferently. The Liu Ying Huan Yue Dog heard this and couldn't help but roar a few times.
Everyone shook their heads helplessly.
Only Su Heng was secretly delighted, 'Great, let them all accompany my dragon horse beast to the grave...'
As soon as Zhou Ran entered the cave, he sensed a familiar aura. It was indeed exactly the same as when he had come here last time.
The Liu Ying Huan Yue Dog followed closely behind. The cave was incredibly vast, so much so that even a beast as large as ten metres could enter with ease.
"Hehe, last time I collected a lot of precious beast ingredients here. I wonder if there are any left now?" Zhou Ran was very excited. He came in first to get as many as possible, so he wouldn't have to fight for them later. Although they allowed him to take one first, the more the better, and it was first come, first served!
Relying on the impression in his mind, Zhou Ran walked to a crevice.
'It's grown back so quickly?' Zhou Ran looked at the purple flowers in the crevice in surprise.
This was the Purple Thunder Flower, worth 2,000 yuan per flower, which could enhance the attack power of thunder-type exotic beasts. Last time, Zhou Ran had found it only to have it devoured by that greedy World-Destroying Thunder Tiger in one gulp, leaving him speechless.
"Little Tiger, I didn't summon you this time, so you can't compete with me, ha ha!" Zhou Ran reached out and immediately plucked the Purple Thunder Flower, placing it into his Star Ring. There were a full seven flowers.
Zhou Ran continued to collect them, his smile growing brighter and brighter.
...
"Han Ge, Lin Xiong has been inside for so long. Is he okay?" Jiang Yuxi said worriedly.
"Yeah, why isn't there any sound?" Li Feng also felt uneasy.
Could another accident have occurred?
Han Chengyong was horrified. After all, if the beast died, it could be replaced, but if a person died, it would be the end. Moreover, the other party was a young man with a 'powerful background'; he absolutely couldn't be harmed!
"Follow me inside immediately. Remember not to get separated!" Han Chengyong commanded the team to stick together. After all, the cave was too large, and getting lost would only make things worse.
Su Heng followed slowly behind. He actually wanted to go in, but under pressure, he reluctantly followed along.
"Su brother, I will definitely find a way to compensate you for the Dragon Horse Beast. Please forgive me." Han Chengyong clasped his hands together, looking somewhat ashamed as he spoke to Su Heng.
"Compensate? Forget it. This is a rare beast with no price tag." Su Heng responded bluntly, his mood at an all-time low. The Dragon Horse Beast had cost him an astronomical sum of money, and he had only obtained it because his father had some influence in the inner city. Now it was gone, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became, wanting to strangle Zhou Ran on the spot.
"Achoo!" Zhou Ran suddenly sneezed, shivering involuntarily.
They had gathered enough, so it was time to call them in. He quickly ran towards the cave entrance.
"Found it! Lin Xiong is here!" The lion-headed magic eagle detected Zhou Ran's scent, and He Ziming hurriedly shouted.
Zhou Ran, panting heavily, looked at everyone and said, "How did you get in? I thought I was supposed to scout first."
"Reconnaissance? Forget it. You went in and we lost contact with you. We don't want anything to happen to you," Li Feng said helplessly.
However, seeing Zhou Ran looking lively and energetic, it was clear that the cave wasn't dangerous.
Su Heng was disappointed to see Zhou Ran jump out from the side and glared at him angrily.
"Did you find anything, Lin?" Han Chengyong asked at this point.
'This cave is very large. I only gave it a quick look, but it should be safe.' Zhou Ran smiled.
'Good. Everyone, keep your eyes open and search carefully. Don't miss any valuable treasures!' Han Chengyong sighed and smiled.
The treasure hunting team members took out various instruments from their backpacks and began to scan the area, looking very professional.
Zhou Ran couldn't help but stare in surprise. Was this what a professional treasure hunting team looked like?
This setup felt like they were about to excavate an ancient tomb. If he hadn't already taken the most crucial ingredients first, he might have had to hand them over.