Kelvier is Number Two's king, but in reality, Kelvier has always been the one learning from Number Two. He learned to discern locations by listening to the wind, to communicate through thoughts, and even flying and swimming techniques. Even the anesthetic effects of his own mandibles, he wouldn’t have grasped so quickly without Number Two's demonstrations.
Aside from night vision and a sense of direction, which came gradually through unnoticed evolution, almost everything was learned from Number Two.
At this moment, Kelvier, having lost an arm, was hiding in a narrow crevice with Number Two, helplessly watching as the white lizard tried various ways to reach in and snatch them. However, the crevice was too narrow and the walls too hard for the white lizard to penetrate.
This was their fourth defeat; Kelvier had lost an arm—Kelvier always referred to his forelimbs as arms. Number Two was in worse shape, having lost an arm and two legs.
From previous experiences, Kelvier and Number Two had developed a tactic of biting once and then retreating far away to wait for the “poison to take effect.” When the white lizard finally collapsed, Kelvier and Number Two would pounce with a wicked laugh. But this time, the white lizard suddenly rolled over, biting Number Two and grabbing Kelvier in the process.
Kelvier and Number Two had underestimated the lizard, and the lizard had underestimated them too, or else Number Two wouldn't have managed to escape.
Was this lizard equipped with toxin resistance +100? Kelvier fumed in frustration: This isn't scientific!
After four disastrous defeats, Kelvier had confirmed several things: First, his poison was ineffective against this lizard. Second, the white lizard was always on guard, never truly falling asleep. Third, it regarded itself as the king of the surrounding dozens of caves, treating all life within them as its private property.
Now, when Kelvier and Number Two went hunting, Kelvier would distract the white lizard while Number Two quickly snatched one or two glass fish.
Initially, Kelvier, confident in his ability to fly, had joyously clung to the cave ceiling. However, the white lizard had surged up from the water, shooting its tongue out and sticking it to Kelvier. Had it not been for Kelvier biting into a stalactite, he would have ended up in the lizard's stomach.
At this moment, Kelvier was flying erratically around the cave, the white lizard in the water shifting positions, doggedly chasing him. Number Two quickly disappeared into the narrow crevice, and Kelvier, feeling a momentary relief, led the white lizard in the opposite direction before making a sharp turn and shooting straight into the crevice.
The white lizard, furious, made another frenzied attempt to reach into the crevice. If it hadn’t been for last time when its tongue got severely bitten by Kelvier while trying to snatch the two insects, it would undoubtedly be sweeping its tongue inside the crevice right now.
Why bother when it knew it couldn’t reach the two insects in the narrow crevice?
Kelvier unapologetically picked out the bigger glass fish, starting to ponder what to do next.
Keeping company with a tiger was never a good idea; any moment of carelessness could mean getting swallowed whole.
Having already fought the white lizard four times, all ending in dismal failure, and now the glass fish were becoming smarter and harder to catch than when they first arrived.
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If we normally had the luxury of time, we could afford to hunt slowly. But now, with the lizard lurking ominously nearby, the situation is unbearable. If not for a narrow little hole, the blissful life—or rather, the blissful bug-life—of the two insects would have been over.
Kelvier, recalling the loss of his own hand, gritted his teeth: "All the fish I've eaten these days can't even replace a single finger!"
Although, Kelvier doesn’t have fingers...
This white lizard has become crafty! Kelvier thought resignedly, forced to look for another refuge.
Suddenly, Kelvier pondered a question: Lizards are cold-blooded animals that need sunlight to warm their blood for activity. So, is there a place here where the sun shines? But after observing, Kelvier never saw the lizard sunbathing; it just lazily lay on a rock by the pool sleeping...
Could it be...
Kelvier fetched some water and flew above the lizard, a few drops falling on the stone and quickly drying.
An epiphany struck Kelvier.
Leaving behind the enraged lizard, he continued to ponder his next move.
Now the white lizard was targeting the two insects, preventing reckless wandering. Many places, once entered, could be blocked by the white lizard, turning them into trapped prey. Not all places have a narrow hole just right for two bugs to hide.
Fortunately, now every place he has walked through is mapped out in his mind, so there's no worry about getting lost or walking into any dead ends.
Soon, Kelvier found a small crack, leading to a cavern he had not yet visited. Overjoyed, he called out to Number Two, and they left the area.
Before leaving, Kelvier threw down a gauntlet: "Just you watch, I'll be back..."
Caverns, always caverns, still caverns.
One cavern leads to another, one sets up another.
Narrow, thick, gourd-shaped, pearl-chain-shaped, Kelvier was truly amazed.
The stalactites on the cave ceiling were also bizarrely shaped, of all sorts, even one seemingly wrapped by a dragon—if sold on the human market, what a fabulous price it would fetch!
Many of the caverns also had standing water, and even some entirely underwater, yet devoid of any life. It seems encountering the glass fish was quite lucky.
Thus passed about five days.
Gradually, Kelvier realized the endless caverns might just span the entire underground of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.
A few larger pools had currents flowing toward unknown destinations, with very strong flows.
While drifting with the current might lead to discovering life, the unknown brings mostly fear.
Thus, Kelvier marked these locations but temporarily set aside any adventurous thoughts.
His body's energy could sustain him for another month, and knowing the routes through the caverns, if worse came to worst, he could always return to the lizard's territory to catch some glass fish to eat.
That day, Kelvier stumbled upon a hot spring. Recalling the warm stone beneath the white lizard, combined with this hot spring, it confirmed the presence of magma underground. Kelvier grew more cautious, although he had never heard of water streams that directly lead into magma.
Kelvier and Number Two had been searching for half a month with no significant findings, except for a pool the size of a house, filled with fish as thin as matchsticks. Transformed into an insect, Kelvier's concept of time had become blurred. Often, he would stare at one spot and a whole day would pass by. He couldn't help but remark that if he were still human and had jotted down any method of inner strength cultivation, wouldn’t this ethereal state be the ultimate goal of all internal martial arts? Even the weakest of internal arts could perhaps reach a realm of annihilating emptiness.
Despite this, Kelvier grew impatient and finally decided to find a spot where a small stream flowed into an unknown cavern, and began to dig. The stream was thin, about the thickness of a human's pinky finger. Kelvier planned to gradually widen the area to see where the water led. If anything seemed amiss, he could brace his limbs against the walls to prevent being washed away.
A week, two weeks.
The cavern behind expanded into a pool, and Kelvier could already hear the water rushing into it.
Three weeks, four weeks.
During this time, Kelvier and Number Two even returned to the white lizard’s area for a hearty meal.
The breakthrough was imminent!
Excited, Kelvier bit down hard.
Splash—
The stones fell into the pool, and Kelvier finally saw the true face of this pond and was momentarily stunned.
There were creatures in the pond!
And not just a few.
At that moment, a light grey giant toad and a light brown large fish were looking up at Kelvier.
