455. The Cave Entrance

Five years passed in the blink of an eye, and everything remained as it had before: silent waiting, silent defense. Almost all of Angus's men had died, and Andrea had lost most of hers as well. Two years ago, she could no longer endure, so she secretly contacted Bad, and together, on a lax afternoon, Andrea slaughtered all of Angus’s men guarding the cave entrance. She then led her remaining people into the cavern. Upon seeing the peace and harmony within, Andrea deeply regretted her earlier decisions, especially when some parents wept for children who had not returned.

Fortunately, everything was stable now. The only concern was that Ye Feng had not awakened as expected. Still, his breathing had returned, which puzzled Long Xiaotian, for he had never encountered such a situation. There were some records in the inherited memory, but reality differed from what he’d expected. Yet, Ye Feng seemed close to waking, as his breathing, heartbeat, and brainwaves were not only normal but even better than most.

However, events soon exceeded everyone’s expectations—even Bad’s.

Pressed by Chi Fire, Angus was forced to find ways to break the cavern’s defenses. He produced a batch of powerful weapons using future technology, but their use soon ceased—not due to inefficacy, but because they lacked energy. As Bad had previously said, Angus’s memory only contained high-end weapons, and he looked down on anything outdated. Such advanced weapons required terrifying amounts of energy, which Earth, in its ruined state, simply could not supply. So Angus abandoned them. In the end, he discovered a method—a chemical agent called Dissolving Acid, capable of eroding the protective layer outside the cavern. Though slow, the principle of water wearing away stone was familiar to him.

By the time Bad discovered this, it was already somewhat late. Angus had opened a sizable hole directly above the cavern—not yet breakthrough, but only a matter of time.

“Bad! What do we do now? You said the defenses would last a hundred years!” Ouyang Lanlan demanded.

“I never imagined he’d use this method. Now, we have no choice but to quickly build a new defense system,” Bad replied despondently.

“You already said before that there isn’t enough time to build it,” Amy said calmly.

“We can only hope the lunatics move quickly. Thankfully, the hole Angus has made isn’t very large, so it’s not especially difficult to defend,” Bad tried to reassure them.

“Bad, are there still Chi Dragons guarding outside Earth?” Long Yunfeng asked.

There was a concealed strategic satellite outside Earth that could still observe the Chi Dragons’ movements.

“Yes, but I doubt the signals can get out,” Bad replied.

Long Yunfeng nodded, then smiled bitterly. She had been happy recently, for she had finally found her child—even if only the inner core remained. As long as they returned to Tianlong Star, everything could be resolved.

“It seems we must prepare for battle, and a grueling one at that. After all these years, though we’ve killed many Chi Dragons, the supply of oxygenators is running low. If the Chi Dragons join the fight, we’ll be in a tough spot. Now, we can only hope Ye Feng wakes soon,” Bad said.

“That’s all we can do,” Amy said, then left with her sisters to prepare for battle.

Time flew quickly. Three months later, Angus had opened a hole wide enough for ten people, and a large number of fighters began to pour in. The makeshift defenses built by the lunatics still had some effect; judging from casualties, the Chinese had the advantage.

But the good times did not last. The Chi Dragons entered the fray, shifting the balance from a one-sided slaughter to an even contest. Fortunately, the oxygenators worked, and Chi Fire lost another batch of dragons, but the supply inside the cavern was nearly exhausted.

In just a month, the cavern’s energy expenditure had surpassed that of the previous five years combined, and casualties were mounting—many, in fact. This weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts.

Just as all were worrying about defense, Ye Feng awoke—completely conscious.

Ten years had passed. Ye Feng opened his confused eyes and looked at the dazzling white ceiling, coughing lightly, which startled Andrea, who had been dazing beside him.

Since entering the cavern and learning that Ye Feng was comatose, Andrea had been deeply saddened and lacked motivation. She lived near his ward, keeping vigil whenever she had a spare moment.

“Ye Feng, you’re awake?” Andrea exclaimed in delight.

“Andrea? Why are you here?” Ye Feng asked in surprise.

“I came here two years ago,” Andrea replied quickly, pressing the communicator to inform the other women that Ye Feng was awake.

“Two years ago? Is it safe outside now? I remember swallowing the Scarlet Flame Ice Lotus and then losing consciousness. Was I unconscious for long?” Ye Feng was puzzled, unaware of how potent the medicine he had taken was.

“You’ve been comatose for ten years. Things outside are critical—the Chi Dragons are nearly breaking in,” Andrea said.

“Ten years! Impossible! Bad, what’s going on?” Ye Feng exclaimed.

“Here’s how things are…” Bad explained simply, his tone apologetic.

“What’s the situation now?” Despite his shock at the past ten years, Ye Feng was more concerned about the current battle outside.

“It’s not good. We have plenty of energy, but the hole Angus made is growing, and our defenses are about to fail,” Bad said heavily.

“Is there any other way?” Ye Feng asked.

“Unless you can contact the Dragon Clan as Long Xiaotian suggested, we won’t last much longer,” Bad said gravely.

After a brief silence, Ye Feng asked, “How much time do I have left?”

“At most, two months,” Bad replied.

“Where is Long Xiaotian?” Ye Feng continued.

“I’m here. How do you feel?” Long Xiaotian was obviously less pessimistic than Bad and appeared quite excited.

“How do I feel? What do you mean?” Ye Feng asked, puzzled.

“I mean, have you noticed any changes in your body?” Long Xiaotian pressed.

“Changes in my body?” Ye Feng echoed in confusion.

Since waking, Ye Feng had been focused on the cavern’s situation and hadn’t yet paid attention to himself. Long Xiaotian’s question caught him off guard.

“Yes, any changes inside you,” Long Xiaotian said with a smile.

Ye Feng paused, then slowly replied, “Wait a moment.”

He fell silent.

[End of chapter]