dognovel Chapter 722 Dwarf Mine
Chapter 722 Dwarf Mine
As the leader of the expedition team, Cord's body had not yet fully adapted to the dizziness brought about by the portal, and the surrounding environment had been completely overturned in an instant.
The solid walls that originally enveloped the teleportation device disappeared, replaced by a dense, intertwined forest, and the damp air, carrying the scent of unfamiliar plants, filled my nostrils.
Turning around, the portal, shimmering with a pale blue light, remained suspended in place. Energy ripples flowed slowly along the edge of the portal frame, and figures clad in steam-powered armor stepped out one after another. The metal joints made a dull "click" sound as they moved, which mingled with the chirping of insects in the forest to create a peculiar sound.
He raised his hand and placed it on the weapon at his waist, his eyes quickly scanning each soldier who walked out of the teleportation portal to make sure no one was left behind or if there was any teleportation anomaly.
"Everyone check your equipment!"
Kod's voice was steady and powerful, piercing through the tranquility of the forest.
He took the lead, gripping the rifle with both hands and pulling back the bolt to check the barrel. The magazine latch was secure, the steam power unit behind him was running smoothly, and the pressure gauge needle remained within the safe range.
The surrounding soldiers responded immediately. Some bent down to check the anti-slip treads on the soles of their boots, some adjusted the flexibility of their armor joints, and some loaded ammunition into the magazine one round at a time. The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed through the woods.
Kod's gaze swept across the group, ensuring that every piece of equipment was in optimal condition. In this unknown Netherworld region, any equipment malfunction could mean death.
A team member walked to the center of the group, squatted down, and opened a small metal cage about the size of a palm.
The cage door was gently lifted, and a small brown mouse crawled out from his palm. Its tiny body quickly curled up on the ground before unfolding, its nose twitching as it probed the surroundings.
These creatures, known as prospecting rats, emerged from the portal on their own. They possess not only a far more acute sense of smell than ordinary rats, but also a naturally occurring, subtle ability to sense the ethereal realm, enabling them to accurately detect energy fluctuations in mineral veins buried deep underground.
Near the mines of the Netherworld, there are often settlements of dwarves. These sturdy races, skilled in forging, always follow the trail of minerals to establish their homes.
The prospecting rat sniffed the ground quickly a few times, a strange glint flashing in its bright black eyes. Then, with a push of its short legs, it darted off into the depths of the forest in a fixed direction, as fast as a brown lightning bolt.
Koder immediately made arrangements:
"Squad leader, take your squad and stay near the teleportation portal."
He pointed to a squad leader behind him.
"Establish a three-layered warning circle, closely monitor the portal's movements, and immediately launch a signal flare to warn of any abnormalities. Under no circumstances should any unknown creature be allowed to approach the portal."
"Understood!" The sergeant accepted the order, stood up and waved his hand. The ten soldiers behind him immediately followed him toward the teleportation portal.
Without saying another word, Codd led the remaining team members in pursuit of the fleeing prospecting rats.
The forest path was narrow and difficult to traverse, so the soldiers moved with extra caution, keeping their rifles cocked at all times, the muzzles slightly raised, aiming at the tree branches overhead and the bushes on either side.
Korde walked at the front of the group, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, not escaping the slightest sound.
He knew very well that the creatures of the Netherworld were far more dangerous than they had imagined. Those creatures that relied on the energy of the Netherworld for survival often possessed extremely strong aggression and stealth, and could be ambushed if they were not careful.
"team leader."
The scout at the front of the column suddenly stopped and spoke in a low voice.
Codd immediately raised his hand to signal the whole team to stop. Looking in the direction the scout indicated, he saw that the woods ahead suddenly opened up, and a dirt road appeared in front of them.
The road was not wide, barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The surface was very smooth, with no trace of weeds growing on it.
The surrounding vegetation was unusually lush, with vines almost reaching the edge of the road. Clearly, this road was not naturally formed, and there must have been signs of recent human intervention.
Kod frowned slightly, a sense of vigilance rising in his heart.
In this remote and untouched forest of the Underworld, the man-made road indicates the presence of intelligent beings nearby, perhaps the dwarves they seek, or perhaps a highly dangerous Underworld race.
"Stay vigilant and slow down."
He whispered instructions, slowing his pace and making sure each step landed on a solid part of the road to avoid making any unnecessary noise.
"Cuck!"
A sudden cry shattered the tranquility of the forest. A creature the size of a palm leaped into the middle of the road, its head adorned with two short horns, resembling a frog in appearance, with dark green markings on its skin.
It moved its short limbs and slowly crawled towards the other side of the road, seemingly completely unaware of the humans around it.
Just as it was about to leap into the grass, a huge flower suddenly bloomed from the grass, its petals a strange dark red, and its stamens covered with fine, sharp teeth.
The flower suddenly closed, tightly enveloping the horned frog inside. A clear chewing sound followed, and dark red blood slowly flowed down the gaps in the petals, congealing into tiny blood droplets on the ground.
Several soldiers in the group instinctively gripped their weapons tighter. Codd's gaze grew increasingly solemn. This scene made him even more certain that the danger in this area far exceeded his expectations, and any seemingly harmless creature might be hiding a deadly intent.
He didn't stop, but only glanced in the direction of the man-eating flower before continuing to lead the group forward.
The prospecting rats maintained a steady speed, seemingly unaffected by their surroundings.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the woods ahead gradually thinned out, and a cave entrance hidden behind the bushes came into view. The entrance wasn't wide, but it was large enough for an adult to bend down and enter, and the edges were relatively smooth.
The scouts at the front were the first to go forward and investigate, parting the weeds around the hole with their fingers to reveal black particles scattered on the ground.
"Captain, there's a lot of coal ash here."
The scout turned around and reported, picking up a handful of black granules in his hand, which crumbled into powder with a gentle twist.
Kede strode forward, squatted down, and examined the coal slag; the particles were uniform in size.
His mind raced, and combining the guidance of the prospecting rats with the presence of coal slag, a conclusion gradually became clear in his mind: this was very likely a mine under construction, and the miners were most likely the dwarves they were looking for.
"Leave a ten-man team here to keep a close watch on the cave entrance and report any abnormalities immediately."
Kod took a torch from his backpack, lit it, and held it high before leading the rest of the team into the mine.
The cave was much larger than expected, and tall enough for soldiers in steam-powered armor to walk upright. The sides of the passage were relatively smooth, and every so often a thick log supported the cave ceiling, clearly indicating that it had been carved by human hands.
The torchlight flickered in the darkness, illuminating the path ahead and gradually revealing the scene inside the cave.
"Captain, there are corpses ahead!"
The soldier at the front suddenly stopped, his voice tinged with wariness.
Kod quickened his pace and stepped forward, where he saw a goblin corpse lying in the middle of the passage, its body already stiff, with an arrow stuck in its head, the fletching trembling slightly.
He crouched down, carefully grasped the arrow shaft, and pulled the arrow out with a little force.
This arrow was extremely well-made, with a straight and smooth shaft, an incredibly sharp arrowhead, and a faint metallic sheen on its surface, making it comparable in quality to the arrows crafted in the workshop before their departure.
The goblin's corpse was only dressed in simple, tattered animal hides, clearly indicating that it lacked the ability to forge such fine arrows.
A hint of doubt arose in Kod's mind. Those who could use such arrows were most likely intelligent races, and considering the environment of the mine, they were probably dwarves.
But why are goblins here? Has the mine been attacked by goblins?
"Increase vigilance!"
He stood up, his voice even lower than before.
"Everyone maintain formation and pay attention to any movement around you. If anything unusual is detected, open fire immediately."
The soldiers immediately adjusted their formation, forming a defensive posture with their guns pointed in all directions of the passage, with all safety on their rifles engaged, ready to fire at any moment.
Kod led his team deeper into the passage, where the passage gradually widened, and the torchlight could illuminate further.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the space ahead suddenly opened up, and a huge cave appeared before them.
The cave floor was densely covered with goblin corpses, numbering in the hundreds. Some had their chests pierced by sharp weapons, while others had their heads shattered, each dying in a different manner.
Scattered among these goblin corpses were a dozen or so bodies wearing armor.
The soldiers stepped forward and turned the corpses over. Cod could see their appearance clearly: they were stocky, with thick beards, and about 1.5 meters tall. They were the dwarves they were looking for.
The dwarves' armor was tattered, their bodies were covered in wounds, and they were still clutching axes or hammers, clearly having just gone through a fierce battle.
"It looks like the fighting here is quite fierce."
Codd pondered to himself. Combining the distribution of corpses on the ground and the condition of the wounds, he could easily deduce what had happened: the goblins had raided the dwarven mine, the dwarves had put up a fierce resistance, but in the end they had failed to hold their ground.
The battle must have taken place not long ago, as the bodies did not show any obvious signs of decomposition.
"Captain, based on the degree of rigor mortis and the clotting of the wounds, their time of death should not exceed one day."
The accompanying doctor squatted down beside a dwarf corpse, examined it carefully, and then spoke.
Kod's pupils suddenly contracted, and the time since his death was less than a day ago, meaning that the goblin might still be nearby, or even had not yet left the mine.
He reacted immediately:
"Everyone, disperse immediately and guard all entrances and exits of the cave!"
The soldiers acted swiftly, taking up their assigned positions at various entrances to the cave according to their previous training. Rifles were aimed deep into the passages, fingers on triggers, ready to respond to any emergencies.
Kede stood in the center of the cave, his eyes scanning back and forth between the various passageways, his brain working rapidly as he considered all the possible scenarios.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from deep within one of the passages, the footsteps were chaotic and heavy, accompanied by heavy breathing.
Kod immediately raised his hand to signal the soldiers at the entrance of the passage to get ready, and pointed his guns in the direction from which the sound came.
Soon, a figure rushed out of the passage, wearing only a pair of tattered underwear, with a stocky build and a messy beard; he was a dwarf.
He clearly hadn't expected there to be anyone else in the cave. After rushing out of the passage, he abruptly stopped, his face filled with astonishment and confusion, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Cod and the soldiers.
Almost simultaneously, a dozen goblins rushed out of the passage.
They are short in stature, with dark green skin, holding rough machetes and wooden sticks in their hands, and their eyes gleam with a bloodthirsty light.
Upon seeing Kod and his group in the cave, the goblins froze, their charge halting abruptly. The cave fell into a deathly silence, with only the sounds of breathing and the goblins' low growls echoing in the air.
Without the slightest hesitation, a cold glint flashed in Kod's eyes:
"Long-range strikes, fire at will!"
The soldiers immediately pulled the triggers, and their repeating breech-loading rifles burst into a piercing gunfire.
This firearm features a 7-round tubular magazine design. Ammunition is loaded from the magazine opening at the bottom of the stock. After each round is fired, simply press down on the lever, and the bolt will automatically retract to extract the spent cartridge, automatically loading the next round from the magazine. When the lever returns to its original position, it locks and can be fired again.
The smooth operation allowed the soldiers to fire at a rate of 20 rounds per minute, with dense bullets raining down on the goblin horde like a storm.
The goblins had no time to react before they were hit by a hail of bullets.
The bullets pierced their bodies, leaving gruesome bloody holes from which green blood gushed out and splattered on the ground.
They let out a shrill scream, their bodies falling like kites with broken strings, twitching a few times before ceasing to move.
The intense gunfire lasted for a mere ten seconds. When the last shot rang out, not a single goblin in the cave was still standing; they had all fallen to the ground, their corpses piled up haphazardly, and blood pooled on the ground like streams.