NOVEL NEXT "Without me having to explain it, you've all seen the situation in Seoul."
In Seoul's Dobong-gu, several drilling machines had just retracted their drill heads, revealing a large hole with a diameter of three meters. The cave extended several tens of meters deep, connecting to a dark corridor.
After the South Korean government learned about the existence of a monster underground, they made great efforts to hunt it down. Compared to the ghouls and Byakhee roaming the surface and sky of Seoul, the Burrower Beneath, which could potentially cause a major crisis in Seoul, was obviously more dangerous.
Under the South Korean government's strenuous efforts, it didn't take long to detect a complex network of underground passages beneath Seoul. These passages exhibited obvious signs of being non-natural, clearly dug out by some creature. However, the subterranean passages in Seoul were too complex for the South Korean government to fully understand, so they could only dig a road on the surface to connect to these passages, allowing the military to enter and eliminate the monster.
Outside the cave entrance, an elite force had assembled, fully armed, while the commander was delivering a final speech.
"In this underground area, there lurks a terrifying monster capable of causing earthquakes. This is a monster capable of destroying Seoul, and the safety of all Seoul citizens is in your hands. I know this mission may be dangerous, but for the Republic of Korea, for the people who believe in us, and for the millions of people in this land, we must enter with the determination to sacrifice ourselves if necessary. I will also join you in this mission!"
"Tell me, are you afraid of sacrifice?!"
"No!"
"Tell me, do you have confidence?!"
"Yes!"
"Tell me, what are we?!"
"The descendants of the sun!!"
The soldiers stood tall, shouting hoarsely.
Regardless of how South Korea as a country was, irrespective of how its people were, and regardless of how the class structure and exploitation were entrenched in the country, as a regular army, as soldiers who had undergone rigorous training, the South Korean army was no worse than any other army. They also had the spirit to sacrifice for their citizens.
Unconsciously, tears blurred the commander's eyes as he looked at the young and resolute faces before him. He didn't know how many of these children would come back alive, or if any of them would come back alive. Even he himself was prepared to make a sacrifice.
He wiped away the tears fiercely, trying to calm himself down. With a stern voice, he said, "We don't have much time. Everyone, recheck your equipment!"
"While checking, let me brief you about our enemy this time. This information was sent by the Americans. Although the Americans have abandoned us, the issues in South Korea will be resolved by us, the descendants of the sun. Don't expect the Americans to send troops to help us!"
"Listen carefully. Our enemy this time is the Burrower Beneath, a creature that lives underground. This monster is adept at digging, and it is said that the leader of this monster race is an evil god!"
"Mature burrowers have the ability to trigger major earthquakes. Why they can trigger earthquakes is currently beyond scientific explanation. We can only consider it as the work of supernatural powers. The good news is that these creatures have a huge weakness: they are extremely afraid of water. As long as they are submerged in water, they will be killed. Therefore, this time, each team must bring a large amount of water!"
"We don't know more specific information and need you to explore personally. If everyone remembers, then let's go. Every second we delay, Seoul faces an additional danger of destruction!"
After glancing at all the soldiers, the commander tied a rope around his waist and entered the underground cavern first.
The other soldiers followed the commander without fear, also entering the cave.
The cave was pitch black, with no light at all. However, the soldiers carried lighting devices, illuminating the entire cave as if it were daylight, albeit with less intense light.
The commander glanced at the size of the cave. It was almost twenty meters wide and tall, crisscrossing underground to form a huge underground maze. From the size and scope of the cave, one could sense the terror of the Burrower Beneath.
Taking a deep breath, the commander suppressed the faint fear rising in his heart. Everyone put on gas masks, and the commander directly ordered, "Let's move out!"
"Click-click-click..."
Various moving sounds rang out. Fortunately, the cave was huge enough for the soldiers to form a formation. Otherwise, only a few people could enter the cave.
The South Korean soldiers marched forward in a neat formation, with the commander leading the way at the front, facing the most dangerous direction. Due to the urgency of the situation, the troops didn't have time to explore carefully, so they could only move forward at a jogging pace, trying to find the hidden burrower.
The underground passage was complex, with many forks. If it weren't for the army carrying professional instruments to measure the altitude and the routes they had taken, they would likely have easily gotten lost in the cave.
"Be careful, something’s happening!"
The commander suddenly raised his hand, signaling the troops to stop. He listened carefully and heard a faint growl coming from the complex intersection long, the troops saw dozens of ghouls rushing towards them from a tunnel.
"As expected, Lee Uijin has prepared defensive forces underground."
"Everyone, prepare to attack!"
With the commander's order, all the soldiers took their positions and angles. Teams carrying heavy weapons set up machine guns, aiming at the tunnel ahead. Some soldiers dispersed around, wary of possible ambushes from other directions.
When the ghouls appeared in front of them, there was no need for the commander to give orders. Various tracer rounds flew out, and the machine guns, capable of firing thousands of rounds per minute, poured out fierce firepower. Ammunition handlers stood by, ready to reload at any time.
"Ratatatatata—"
Under the continuous barrage, these dozens of ghouls were instantly reduced to a pile of bones.
On the ground, due to the complex terrain and the ability to conduct mobile warfare, these agile and resilient ghouls could cause massive casualties and trouble for the military. However, in such a confined cave, ghouls of this level were no different from targets when facing modern weapons.
Seeing that these ghouls were almost instantly eliminated, the commander smiled. "Lee Uijin isn’t that smart after all. He used so many ghouls to block us here. Isn't he telling us that this path is the right way to the burrower?"
"Let's continue, don't delay any longer!"
The South Korean troops put away their firearms, ignoring the scattered shell casings, and continued their heavy advance.