The beam of light from the torch in my hand struck the ground, revealing that the interior of this tree cavity appeared to have been artificially maintained; the floor was paved with bluestone slabs, each about a square meter.

However, the ground was uneven, dotted with parasitic fungi. Most of these mushrooms were grayish-brown, ordinary tree fungi, known to be non-toxic. Some were as tall as my waist, sprouting from the cracks between the flagstones, with a few slabs already being forced upward and overturned, rendering the floor rugged and irregular.

It was the first time I had ever seen mushrooms of this scale, but given the extreme humidity and lack of natural predators in this subterranean world, I could easily accept them growing even larger.

We swept our flashlights across the surroundings, up and down, finding that while the floor was clearly man-made, there were few other signs of artificial modification. The ceiling of the entire cavity was a semi-circular wooden structure, yet it was far from smooth; it looked as if it had been roughly hacked by an axe, incredibly coarse.

The tree cavity was vast; the walls on either side stretched away into unseen darkness, while the path ahead was thick with giant fungi, obscuring any view of the distance.

*We edged forward cautiously, scrutinizing the environment as we went.

He clearly knew these fungi were harmless, yet he deliberately gave them a wide berth.

I trailed behind * as we slowly proceeded deeper into the tree cavity.

As we walked, I spoke to *, saying, “I don’t think this is a naturally formed hollow. Look at the walls overhead—you can see signs of carving. This was clearly excavated by someone later on.”

We advanced, exploring as we went, and after only a few steps, * suddenly halted.

Before he could speak, I had already noticed it: not far ahead, there was an especially dense cluster of fungi, most reaching waist-height, and several stalks already towered over both * and me.

That wasn't the strange part; what was odd was that within that cluster, there seemed to be movement—a slight trembling in a few of the stalks.

*Glanced back at me, signaling me to follow, then pulled back the bolt on his rifle and advanced toward the fungal mass.

When we were still five or six meters from the cluster, the stalks on the very edge suddenly shifted violently, and then a black beetle, roughly the size of a washbasin, slowly crawled out from within.

I recognized it as a stag beetle, a detritivore, favoring dark places and most active at dusk and night.

These insects are common in Asia, their massive mandibles being their most prominent feature. Though capable of aggression, they pose little threat to humans.

Even so, that was usually true for smaller stag beetles; a specimen this large left its threat level uncertain.

*And I stopped, observing the stag beetle, which resembled a miniature tank.

However, the creature merely lifted its mandibles slightly, tentatively probing the air with its short, clumsy antennae, then turned back and burrowed back into the mushroom thicket.

Watching the movement deep within the fungi, I knew there was likely more than one of these colossal insects.

So, we continued forward, pushing past the waist-high giant mushrooms, heading deeper in.

This time, I took the lead, hoping to catch one of the giants to examine how this species differed from those elsewhere.

But when we reached the very core of the mushroom grove, I was instantly stunned by the scene before me.

In the center of the fungal cluster was a clearing, about twenty to thirty square meters in area. No mushrooms grew there; instead, various objects were piled up.

The moment I saw these things, I nearly suffocated.

Most of what lay strewn on the ground were those Green-Spike Monsters, though these were all dead.

Bizarrely shaped Green-Spike corpses lay scattered everywhere, frozen in every conceivable posture, reminiscent of a mass grave.

Yet, this scene was clearly not as horrifying as an actual burial site. Although there was a faint, lingering scent of blood, there was none of the overwhelming stench of decay. Instead, the dominant odor was that of rotting wood. Furthermore, more than a dozen giant stag beetles were actively feeding on the bodies of the Green-Spike Monsters.

Most of the bodies were fragmented. Although we couldn't determine the cause of death, based on the wounds and the locations of limb separation, the physique of these Green-Spike Monsters appeared to be composed of wood!

This meant that while these creatures resembled humans in shape, the areas that should have been muscle were entirely replaced by timber.

No wonder these things could sprout so many spikes; their entire bodies seemed like the stems of a rosebush. If so, those green spikes might just be integral parts of their anatomy, perhaps even a form of organ.

Recalling the few corpses covered in green moss I had seen earlier at the research station, where I had initially hypothesized these Green-Spike Monsters were humans infected by the moss, I now realized that was incorrect.

That suggested the female statue we saw outside earlier, the one with spikes growing from its abdomen, might represent the true origin of the Green-Spike Monsters.

But what kind of being could generate creatures whose very structure was like wood? It was utterly baffling.

Contemplating this, the more I looked at the corpses beneath my feet, the more unsettling it became. From the incident at Black Bamboo Gully to this sinkhole in Lop Nur, everything I thought I knew had been overturned.

Although I was long aware that many undiscovered species exist in the world, seeing so many novel, bizarre, and inexplicable things made me truly appreciate that the universe is boundless.

*Squatted beside me, using his dagger to scrape a sample of tissue from a Green-Spike Monster. After studying it for a moment, he told me, "It looks like wood, but seems slightly softer. Take a look."

"Oh?" I crouched down too, taking the tissue sample he offered, and examined it closely.

My previous hypothesis was correct: the muscle tissue of these creatures was layered in two strata. The innermost layer was an off-white material, akin to wood, functioning like human muscle. Overlaying this was a layer of hard, green integument, analogous to human skin, but lacking the subcutaneous fat layer between the skin and muscle.

I poked the muscle-like substance and found it possessed a degree of pliability, yet it was significantly harder than human muscle—a clear explanation for why their bodies were like fortifications of bronze and iron.

Combined with the absence of blood and bone, this explained why gunfire had no discernible effect on them.

I speculated that these Green-Spike Monsters likely lacked brains and hearts, since we had previously encountered one with numerous bullet holes riddling its head that still remained functional.

But how could a creature with such tenacious vitality die?

Soon, we found the answer, as * noticed that parts of the dead Green-Spike Monsters had withered.

Shining his flashlight on one carcass, he pointed out, "Look here. This one has a large hole in its right side. Judging by the skin color, it looks like it was poisoned."

I nodded and leaned in. Indeed, the right side of the corpse's chest featured a large, perfectly round hole with smooth edges, penetrating the entire chest cavity. The surrounding muscle tissue had turned black, the normally dark-green skin had changed to the brownish-black hue of decaying wood, and even the spikes on its body had shriveled.

For some reason, such a precisely formed wound made me deeply uncomfortable.

The missing parts of these Green-Spike Monsters were nowhere to be found. This couldn't be coincidence; there must be a massive predator living here whose diet consisted of them.

It clearly couldn't be the stag beetles here; those things had small appetites. Although they treated this area as a nest, they were merely attracted by the decomposing Green-Spikes, not capable of preying on them.

At that moment, * pointed toward a spot in the center of the pile of bodies and said, "Look there. The creature that attacked your grandfather's team might be the same one preying on these Green-Spikes."

I followed where his flashlight beam landed and saw numerous patches of human blood pooled in the center of the corpses, not yet fully dried, indicating the attack had been recent. The faint metallic scent we had noticed earlier had come from this spot.

I dreaded seeing dismembered human remains, and since we now knew there was a giant, venomous predator here, it was unwise to linger. If that thing returned, things would become far from pleasant.

Although we desperately wanted to uncover the nature of the entity inhabiting this place, first, there was no need to risk our lives; second, since Grandpa and his team hadn't come here, our priority should be to hurry and track them down.

So, I tapped * on the shoulder and said, "Let's go. I’ve collected a specimen; we can study it back at the base. I don't think we should stay here long."