Wang Chen stood still, his gaze far away, lost in thought.
Mo Liuli watched him in confusion, unable to hold back her surprise. "No way... how has he been spaced out for so long? Just a moment ago, he looked like a pro. Is this how all experts behave?"
She paused, a thought suddenly entering her mind. "Wait a second..."
"What if"
"Could it be that he's pretending to space out, but he's actually observing everything around him? Maybe he's been watching me the whole time, especially"
Her face flushed crimson at the thought. She immediately clasped her chest protectively, casting a wary glance at Wang Chen.
In the wild, alone...
A lone man. A woman.
A powerful, muscular warrior, and herself, a fragile, innocent lamb.
What was this strange feeling rising inside her?
Her legs trembled, and her thoughts spiraled.
"This woman..." Wang Chen, however, paid no attention to Mo Liuli's inner turmoil. Instead, he inhaled deeply, focusing on the data coming from the scanning tower, his expression serious.
The hive stretched endlessly in front of him, filled with a chilling, deathly atmosphere. The ground was littered with bleached bones, remnants of creatures that had ventured too close.
But what truly shocked him were the creatures moving inside the hive.
In addition to the aggressive worker bees, there were black-armored worker ants, as large as calves, scurrying about. Their powerful mandibles clacked menacingly, their bodies covered in barbed spines, assisting the bees by carrying food back to the hive.
What shocked him even more was the discovery that these ants and the hive were in a symbiotic relationship.
"How are there other monsters here?" Wang Chen murmured, his brow furrowing.
As the scanning tower's range deepened into the hive, the sight became even more unsettling.
At the deepest part of the cavern, Wang Chen saw something that made his heart skip a beat.
Two massive, bloated queens—the Ant Queen and the Bee Queen—were writhing grotesquely as they laid their eggs. The sight was horrifying beyond measure.
It was a rare Double-BOSS dungeon!
Wang Chen's mind raced as the data updated:
Name: Black-armored Ant Queen
Level: LV20
Strength: 268
Constitution: 176
Agility: 8
Spirit: 112
Skills: Venomous Strike, Super Regeneration, Endless Reproduction
Description: The mother of the entire ant colony. As long as she is alive, the colony will continue to thrive and regenerate rapidly. As long as the queen remains untouched, the colony will remain an endless source of power.
The Bee Queen's stats were equally terrifying.
The hive was guarded by hundreds of worker bees and dozens of Level 15 worker ants. Even a well-trained Level 20 adventurer squad would be wiped out within moments of stepping into the hive.
"Good thing I deployed the scanning tower earlier," Wang Chen muttered under his breath, relief washing over him. "Otherwise, I would have walked straight into this disaster."
"Hey! What's going on?" Mo Liuli's voice snapped Wang Chen out of his thoughts as she tapped the armored headpiece of his suit with her staff. The sound echoed in the still air.
"It's nothing," Wang Chen replied, his voice casual. "I just found out that there's also an Ant Queen here. This is a rare Double-BOSS dungeon."
"What?!" Mo Liuli gasped, her body trembling in shock. "There's an LV20 Ant Queen here too?!"
Her eyes widened, and in that instant, panic surged within her. She grabbed Wang Chen's arm, her grip tight with fear. "What are we doing standing here? Let's get out of here now!"
"No," Wang Chen said with a gleam of determination in his eyes. "I think I can handle it."
Mo Liuli's mouth dropped open. "Are you insane?! Even if you're strong, this dungeon is way too dangerous!"
At that moment, she had no intention of fighting the dungeon's inhabitants. One Queen was already more than enough trouble; now, with two? The danger had multiplied beyond reason. She had no intention of risking her life unnecessarily.
Seeing Wang Chen remain calm and unmoved, Mo Liuli's frustration grew. "Are you even listening to me?!"
"Why would we leave? It's just one Ant Queen. Watch me take it down," Wang Chen replied with a grin.
To most people, this would be a nightmare dungeon. But for Wang Chen? It was just another challenge waiting to be conquered.
Mo Liuli stared at him in disbelief. "Take it down? Are you crazy? This is a Double-BOSS dungeon! The sheer number of their minions will overwhelm you. You can't do this alone!"
Wang Chen just chuckled. "Don't worry. I've got something up my sleeve."
Mo Liuli was speechless, her eyes full of doubt. "What are you planning? How do you think you can win this fight?"
Without answering immediately, Wang Chen began to construct his "Invader" units, his fingers moving swiftly as he crafted each one.
Mo Liuli could do nothing but sit and watch in confusion. What was he planning? What was going through his mind?
She waited, her mind a storm of worry and curiosity.