In the command center of the [Gonggong Mechanical Corps], Commander Qiao Dingfang was giving his generals a vicious tongue-lashing.

"Shameful! Our vaunted main force sequence, an army group with heavy equipment, was outpaced by a small detachment led by that greenhorn, Nan Minghuo!"

"Now, to preserve the dignity of our main force sequence, the Central Operations Room had to intervene. They assigned an additional mission to the [Chu Xiang Mixed Brigade], all so we could be the first to breach the bug nest!"

"You all hold ranks higher than Nan Minghuo, have more seniority than Nan Minghuo, and possess richer experience than Nan Minghuo, yet what's the result? Hesitating, dragging your feet—it's a disgrace!"

"Get out, all of you!"

"I've already laid out the next phase of the combat plan. Take it with you. And whoever doesn't fight bravely, I'll strip them of their command!"

The subordinates fled with their tails between their legs. When they received the operational plan, they discovered... It's not as aggressive as expected; in fact, it's even more cautious and careful...

Qiao Dingfang had learned about the newly named [Hallucinatory Phantasm Worms] from the Central Operations Room. He was furious that Nan Minghuo had gotten ahead of him and had vented his anger on his subordinates. However, he was determined to fight this battle as it should be fought, not allowing emotions to cloud his judgment.

Who knows if there are hidden bug nests nearby? Therefore, I must proceed with utmost caution, advancing slowly and thoroughly scouting all suspicious locations.

「...」

Chen Gu was truly famished!

It had been a long time since he last ate that piece of bug meat. All his electronic devices, including his timer, had run out of power.

Therefore, he had no idea how much time had passed, though it felt like at least three days.

Since the rotation period of this planet was unknown, he couldn't judge time by the cycle of day and night.

But with nothing on this planet, Chen Gu couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear. Have I survived a state of extreme uncontrolled conditions, only to become the first Professional in history to die of starvation?

That would be absurdly ironic.

Suddenly, the starving Chen Gu saw a snake slither through a crack in the rock before him.

A snake! A fat snake! Snake meat is delicious!

Chen Gu sat down. That's it, I'm so hungry I'm hallucinating. How could there be snakes on this kind of planet?

Yet, he saw another snake slither by, producing a scraping sound of metal against rock.

"Hm?" Chen Gu rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath to suppress the intense hunger.

Then he truly saw an Energy Gathering Mechanical Snake passing through the crack in the rock, followed by a fourth, a fifth, a sixth...

Not good! Chen Gu thought in alarm and quickly hid.

He had no sooner concealed himself than a dense swarm of Energy Gathering Mechanical Snakes climbed up the rock wall. With a RUSTLE, they poured into the narrow, elongated crevice.

Strange, Chen Gu thought. He had always believed there was no indigenous life on this planet. Could it be that I just hadn't discovered it before?

The survival of mechanical species on such a harsh planet wasn't entirely surprising. But now Chen Gu wondered: Could these Energy Gathering Mechanical Species... be eaten?

They would shatter all my teeth!

But Great Actor Chen was so hungry he was nearing madness. Coupled with the lingering influence of Isabella Wu's 'peculiar dietary habits,' an idea sparked in Chen Gu's mind: I should at least try—maybe they're edible! That's got to be better than starving to death!

So, after the thousands of Energy Gathering Mechanical Snakes had passed, Chen Gu waited a short while. Then, he followed them toward the narrow crevice.

The crevice was too narrow for Chen Gu to squeeze through.

My 'fat snake' might have managed, though.

He searched for a while and finally found a wider spot, then quietly crawled in. The crevice hadn't seemed like much from the surface, but it grew more spacious the deeper he went. Soon, Chen Gu achieved a major milestone in personal—if not human—history: he transitioned from crawling to walking upright!

The light inside was dim, and the air stiflingly hot, but these were not issues for a Professional.

Tracking the thousands of Energy Gathering Mechanical Snakes was easy. As Chen Gu followed their trail, he wondered: Why are these Energy Gathering Mechanical Species so rarely seen on the surface? Do they all live underground?

That didn't make sense. There were no terrifying disasters on the surface; the living conditions seemed similar to those underground.

For some reason, just thinking about those Energy Gathering Mechanical Snakes made Chen Gu's salivary glands work overtime.

Lost in thought, he quickened his pace. Suddenly, he spotted an Energy Gathering Mechanical Snake, as thick as an arm and three to four meters long, lazily coiled on a stalagmite.

Chen Gu really wanted to go over and catch it to see if there were any edible parts.

He forcefully suppressed the urge and hid to the side, observing covertly. The mechanical snake's behavior was strange; it seemed to be in great pain, its body writhing and rubbing against the stalagmite.

Something occurred to Chen Gu. Molting?

No way, do Energy Gathering Mechanical Species need to molt?

After a moment, however, with a series of soft POPS, a string of metallic snake eggs emerged from behind the mechanical snake!

It dawned on Chen Gu.

This Energy Gathering Mechanical Snake was a large one within its group. It laid more than twenty eggs in one go, then callously abandoned them and slithered away, seemingly much lighter.

Chen Gu stared at the eggs, his eyes practically bulging. The moment the large snake departed, he rushed over and snatched them up.

"CRACK!" He bit down hard.

It wasn't Chen Gu's teeth that shattered, but the snake egg. The taste was indescribable. These eggs were peculiar: their shells had a metallic sheen but weren't actually metal. The Energy Gathering Mechanical Species here might be somewhat different from those on Empire River Star, he mused.

Chen Gu devoured all the eggs in one go, his hunger finally abating. His mind felt sharper as a result.

I should follow them and see, he decided. This planet isn't as ordinary as it appears.

The deeper he went, the more egg-laying snakes there were.

Chen Gu didn't miss a single clutch of eggs, but eventually, he could eat no more. Thousands of snakes, each laying dozens of eggs...

This experience did confirm one thing for Chen Gu: he could digest these snake eggs. Otherwise, he would have surely been stuffed to death by now.

After the snakes finished laying their eggs, they returned the way they came, disappearing with a collective WHOOSH back through the crevice.

Chen Gu had intended to continue tracking the Energy Gathering Mechanical Snakes. However, just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a deep, heavy breathing sound emanating from deeper within the cave!

What's that? Chen Gu tensed, activating Mind Belief.

Yet, he felt no sense of danger.

Chen Gu hesitated for a moment but decided to follow the sound, moving stealthily. The cave system was extensive. After navigating another relatively narrow passage, a vast abyss suddenly yawned before him.

A faint, dark red glow emanated from below. As Chen Gu reached this spot, another heavy breath rose from the depths of the abyss.

And with this breath, the dark red light suddenly brightened.

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