SWNOVELXO Chapter 419: Dark Deep Cave
One hour after departing from Shelter 102, Luca and his companions arrived at a location 6 kilometers away from the Dark Deep Cave.
Here, they saw numerous monster corpses scattered around. These bodies no longer contained any chaotic energy.
"It seems like these monsters have been dead for less than 24 hours. We can now be sure that Congressman Devitt is inside the Dark Deep Cave," Nova said confidently after getting out of the vehicle and observing the scene.
"Then we must be ready to fight Devitt at any moment," Donlow said coldly, adjusting his weapon.
"Not necessarily. He won't fight us out here. He'll definitely make the most of the chaotic energy inside the Dark Deep Cave," Nova retorted with a scoff.
There was still considerable animosity between Nova and Donlow.
"Well, let's prepare for battle just in case. The final 6 kilometers are bound to be dangerous. I believe Devitt will have set traps around the Dark Deep Cave," Luca said, making the final decision.
Neither Nova nor Donlow disagreed.
The three of them began preparing their gear.
Luca's only equipment was a Starseeker, but it had undergone significant changes. In the weapons locker at Shelter 102, he had found a secondary weapon compatible with the Starseeker. By combining the two, the weapon's power was now far beyond its previous capabilities.
As before, Nova carried her custom-made handgun, along with a few drones. These drones were developed by Zenith Technology Company, specifically for combat with monsters.
Donlow only carried a long knife he had brought from the Imperial Capital.
The three of them finished their preparations in less than fifteen minutes.
Under Luca's leadership, they began walking towards the Dark Deep Cave.
Along the way, all three remained vigilant, carefully observing their surroundings.
"You don't need to be so tense. I don't sense any significant chaotic energy. That means you won't encounter too many dangers before reaching the Dark Deep Cave," Sophia's voice echoed in Luca's mind.
Luca finally relaxed.
Although his Perception ability was at its maximum level, under immense pressure, he still couldn't manage to multitask effectively. Therefore, he still needed Sophia's help to keep an eye on their surroundings.
Half an hour later, the three of them finally reached the entrance of the Dark Deep Cave.
The entrance to the Dark Deep Cave looked like an ordinary cave. However, the interior was pitch black, and no amount of light could illuminate even the smallest area.
Nova walked to the front and took a lantern emitting a faint yellow glow from her pocket.
"Ordinary light sources won't work inside the Dark Deep Cave. Only specialized enhancements can help us," she explained before stepping into the cave.
Luca glanced at Donlow, silently signaling for him to follow Nova, while he would bring up the rear to protect them.
Donlow, expressionless, followed behind, and Luca took one last look at the situation outside the cave before stepping in as well.
The moment all three of them entered the Dark Deep Cave, strange sounds suddenly echoed from around the entrance. It seemed like something was moving underground.
"It seems that the monsters inside the Dark Deep Cave have already been drained of their chaotic energy by Congressman Devitt," Nova remarked as she walked ahead.
Inside the cave, they encountered more and more monster corpses. Just like the ones outside the cave, these bodies no longer contained any chaotic energy.
"Devitt's power may have become even stronger than before. We need to be extra cautious," Luca warned, staying close behind.
"That's true. As soon as we find any trace of Devitt, we must launch a fierce attack immediately! We cannot afford to give him any chance to recover!" Nova said fiercely.
Among the three, she harbored the most resentment toward Congressman Devitt.
Luca simply viewed Devitt as his greatest enemy, someone he just wanted to eliminate. There was no real sense of personal hatred.
Donlow had never met Devitt, so she had no particular feelings toward him.
After walking for about fifteen minutes inside the Dark Deep Cave, all three of them suddenly sensed a powerful monster up ahead.
Nova, who was at the front, quickly drew her custom-made handgun and, without hesitation, fired ahead.
Luca disagreed with Nova's approach. He felt the situation hadn't been fully understood yet. What if the monster ahead was also an enemy of Congressman Devitt? Luca certainly didn't mind collaborating with other monsters.
However, it was already too late for him to stop Nova now.
As the gunshot rang out, a terrifying roar echoed from ahead. A massive wild boar monster suddenly charged out of the darkness. With its blood-red eyes glaring, it aimed its long tusks directly at Nova and rushed toward her with astonishing speed.
Donlow and Luca reacted swiftly. Both of them used their skills to attack the wild boar monster.
However, the wild boar monster completely ignored their attacks. It locked its focus solely on Nova.
In two heartbeats, the wild boar monster was only a few meters away from Nova.
Nova, however, had a faint smile on her face. It seemed she had anticipated such a scenario.
One hand held the dimly glowing lantern, while the other threw a metal box toward the wild boar monster.
The moment she tossed the metal box, Nova rolled to the side.
When the wild boar monster collided with the metal box, a violent explosion rang out.
A dazzling flash of light instantly illuminated a large area of the Dark Deep Cave.
The massive shockwave hit Donlow and Luca, forcing them to temporarily evade.
The flash lasted only a brief moment, and the Dark Deep Cave quickly absorbed all the light.
But in that fleeting moment, Luca had managed to get a rough view of the overall situation inside the cave.
The wild boar monster had originally been positioned at the entrance of a passage. Everywhere else was filled with sleeping monsters.
"Congressman Devitt really did leave us a trap here! But he has underestimated our intelligence. Does he really think this kind of trap will slow us down?" Luca had figured out Devitt's plan.
He had placed the wild boar monster here to confuse and disturb their judgment.
As long as they got caught up in the chaos, it would trigger the awakening of more sleeping monsters. If Luca and the others made a mistake in their response, they could easily be surrounded by a large number of monsters. Even if they managed to eliminate them, their own strength would be significantly weakened. Then, in the final confrontation, Congressman Devitt would gain the upper hand.
"Don't get entangled with these monsters! Our goal is to eliminate Congressman Devitt. I've found a path forward! Follow me!" Luca said without hesitation as he bypassed the wild boar monster. He immediately entered the passage, with Nova and Donlow following closely behind.
The moment the three of them entered the passage, the entrance was completely sealed off. Outside, the wild boar monster's furious roar echoed.
Nova, holding the dimly glowing lantern, moved to the front again.
"Let me continue leading. I'm the most dangerous and perceptive among all of us," Nova said with a smile.
Her statement was clearly not accepted by the others.
Donlow coldly questioned, "You knew this situation would happen, didn't you? Why didn't you warn us beforehand?"
Luca also turned his gaze to Nova. He was just as eager to hear her explanation.
Nova turned her head back, still smiling.
"I believed in your strength. Even without my warning, I thought you'd be able to handle any sudden situations. As it turns out, my judgment was right. You handled the monster's attack with ease."
"So, you were testing us? This kind of cooperation can't be called sincere," Luca said coldly.
"Would you prefer to cooperate with someone incompetent?" Nova's tone grew colder. "I was testing Donlow, not you. I respect your strength, but I don't respect hers."
Nova's words were laced with frustration.
Back when they left the shelter, Donlow had clearly said she would stay outside the Dark Deep Cave. But after they reached the entrance, Donlow suddenly changed her mind and insisted on following them in. This made Nova unusually angry.
If it weren't for Luca's feelings, Nova would have already taken action against Donlow.
"I actually don't respect your strength either. And what you just did has made me even more suspicious of you," Donlow naturally wouldn't back down. She coldly mocked Nova in return.
Luca, caught in the middle, found himself struggling to make a decision. Nova wasn't wrong. Initially, their plan had been to leave Donlow outside the Dark Deep Cave. However, the situation inside the cave had turned out to be a bit different than they had anticipated, so bringing Donlow along didn't seem like such a big deal.
"Enough with the arguing! Eliminating Congressman Devitt is the most important thing! I trust both of you. I believe neither of you will hold us back!" Luca's words finally quelled the dispute between the two.