The entire supermarket formed a perfect square, surrounded by a considerable expanse of open ground. This space was originally designed to accommodate parked electric scooters and automobiles, and also to allow a larger volume of customers to enter the supermarket with ease. Before the Great Nirvana period, the population density in the immediate vicinity alone exceeded one million, not to mention the influx of patrons from other areas.
However, this open space surrounding the supermarket was now infested with countless monstrous beasts.
“How do we infiltrate the Ironclad Dragon's lair and retrieve the dragon egg?”
“Should I just dive straight in from the first or second-floor windows?” Luo Feng hovered in mid-air, scanning the dense mass of beasts below with his binoculars. “With this many monsters, surely some will spot me if I charge in! That would be the end of it!”
“I should go down first. Staying suspended like this drains mental energy.” Luo Feng first flew to a spot directly above the center of the supermarket. The entire Carrefour supermarket occupied a vast footprint, meaning the rooftop area was equally immense. The rooftop was deserted—not a single beast was present.
This wasn't entirely surprising, as there was a strict hierarchy among the monsters.
Lord, Beast General, Beast Soldier!
This supermarket, serving as the core of the beast nest, housed only the highest-ranking members of the horde: Beast Generals or Lords! These high-status creatures disliked being exposed to the elements. Therefore, most Beast Generals resided on the third, fourth, and fifth floors.
As for the Ironclad Dragon, it exclusively occupied the first and second floors.
The two initial-level Lords, the 'Fire Scale Three-Tined Pigs,' were housed in an adjacent commercial building about a hundred meters away from the supermarket.
Only the countless ordinary monsters were left exposed to the wind and rain in the surrounding open area. Both Lords and Beast Generals naturally forbade common monsters from entering this core zone, which explained the complete absence of any beasts on the rooftop.
Swish!
Plummeting in a straight line from high above, Luo Feng landed silently in the center of the rooftop. The monsters encircling the supermarket were still far enough away to not notice him.
“Now, how exactly do I get into the first or second floor?” Luo Feng crouched on the rooftop. “The third, fourth, and fifth floors are likely crawling with elite monsters!”
“And the open ground surrounding the supermarket is teeming with countless monsters.”
“How do I get in?”
Scheme after scheme was rejected in Luo Feng’s mind. Clearly, the Ironclad Dragon's lair was nigh impregnable, extremely difficult to breach.
“Rumble-rumble~~”
The battle between the two War Gods and three Beast Lords raging in the distance sounded like the heavens were cracking apart, punctuated by roars, the crashing sounds of collapsing structures, and the continuous howling of countless monsters.
Meanwhile, on the supermarket rooftop, Luo Feng crouched in intense contemplation.
“I’ve got it!” Luo Feng’s eyes lit up. “The supermarket has five stories above ground, and including the underground garage, that makes six!”
“A supermarket like this would definitely have elevators—likely two: one guest elevator for public use, and one freight elevator for internal operations. The elevator shaft, therefore, presents a direct passage! If I can find that shaft, I can descend straight down to the first or second floor!”
Of course, the elevator shaft might have been destroyed by the monsters.
But since elevator shafts are narrow and the monsters wouldn't want to destroy the structural integrity of the supermarket—which was now their home—the shaft, being narrow and typically located near the building's perimeter, still had a high probability of existing. Moreover, the supermarket might possess two shaft systems: one for passenger transport and one for freight.
“The elevator shaft!” Luo Feng immediately began searching the areas near the edges of the rooftop.
The search method was simple: extending his mental energy to penetrate the rooftop floor slab and probe the structure below. This technique was only viable for Mental Energy Masters! Luo Feng practically flattened himself onto the roof, terrified of being discovered by the massive congregation of beasts on the ground level below.
“Found it!” Luo Feng revealed a hint of elation. “Yes… extending, extending downwards.”
“Fourth floor, third floor…”
Luo Feng used his mental energy to trace the structure of this elevator shaft. The entire shaft showed no damage. The monsters had evidently maintained the building's primary support framework quite well, as this was their home, after all!
“Tsssk!”
Two black flying knives materialized, gently etching a circle onto the rooftop surface! These were Grade 9 flying knives, far harder than diamond, yet they sliced through the surface as easily as cutting tofu. Controlled by Luo Feng’s mental energy, the circular slab of material was lifted and settled noiselessly beside him on the rooftop.
“Tsk, tsk,” Luo Feng peered down. “This shaft… hmm, the elevator door on the third floor seems slightly recessed, but overall it’s almost unchanged.”
Luo Feng cracked a small smile.
The hexagonal shield floated before him, and Luo Feng stepped onto it, issuing the mental command: “Down!” The shield began a slow, silent descent, passing the fifth, fourth, and third floors… The steel cables and metal elevator doors were clearly visible, coated in thick dust—unused for far too long.
“This is the first-floor level.” Luo Feng hovered near one of the elevator door openings.
The elevator door was tightly sealed. With a thought, Luo Feng sent his two flying knives to wedge precisely between the two closed doors, gently prying them apart towards the sides.
“Chiii-chiii~~”
Perhaps due to prolonged disuse, the elevator doors emitted a sound as they opened, startling Luo Feng.
“I’m inside the supermarket. There are no monsters on the first or second floors. If the sound is faint enough… the Beast General patrols outside shouldn't hear it.” Luo Feng took a deep breath and opened the door with extreme slowness, ensuring minimal noise.
When the door was halfway open, Luo Feng used his understanding of the door’s structure, gained through his mental probing, to easily twist the metal mechanism and wedge the door firmly in place.
“Done!”
Luo Feng held his breath, refusing to let down his guard for an instant. He stepped gracefully into the opening. The shield behind him immediately settled back into position, its two clasps locking onto his back under the guidance of his mental energy.
“It smells awful.” A thick, foul stench permeated the entire first floor, making Luo Feng nauseous just from inhaling a small amount.
“Where is the Ironclad Dragon egg?” Luo Feng advanced cautiously, his mental energy augmenting his gauntlets, shield, and alloy boots, rendering him as light as a floating feather. Every step was soundless.
“Huu! Tsk, tsk!”
Luo Feng looked up. The floor slabs between the first and second stories had been almost entirely punched through; only the skeletal framework along the edges of the supermarket remained intact. Piles of mangled shelving and long-rotted food were stacked along the periphery. Sometimes, the path was blocked entirely, forcing Luo Feng to use his mental energy to gently carve an opening.
“The Ironclad Dragon probably nests in the center of the supermarket, the most open area,” Luo Feng headed directly toward the central region, and gradually, he began to make out an oval-shaped sphere.
“The dragon egg?”
Luo Feng held his breath and crept forward.
The distant roars of the monsters outside echoed, making Luo Feng even more cautious, each step as light as possible.
“It smells even worse here.” The closer Luo Feng got to the oval sphere, the stronger the stench became. “The Ironclad Dragon probably rests here all the time; this odor must be intrinsic to it.” Soon, Luo Feng reached a distance of about ten meters from the egg, where he could observe it clearly.
It was a dragon egg roughly a meter high, with a cyan shell faintly marked with intricate patterns.
“The Ironclad Dragon’s egg!” Luo Feng’s eyes gleamed; everything was within reach.
“But who knows if the Ironclad Dragon has set up any traps around the egg to prevent theft. Still, the egg is alive; my mental energy probably can’t move it.” With a flicker of thought, six flying knives zipped over and formed a circular ring beneath the egg, gently cradling the entire object. It looked like an iron hoop supporting the shell.
Out of caution, the backs of the knives were facing the eggshell.
“Dragon egg, come here.” Luo Feng swiftly unzipped his backpack, opening it halfway to its maximum capacity. The backpack was large enough to contain an item nearly the size of a person.
The Ironclad Dragon’s egg, floating in the distance, was carried over, cradled by the knives…
※※
Announcement Regarding Listing!
Tomato’s sixth novel, Swallowed Star (Tun Shi Xing Kong), will enter VIP status tonight at midnight. Once listed, Tomato can finally earn income from this work.
Honestly, during the initial phase of Swallowed Star, Tomato was incredibly excited. Why the excitement? Because in the review section, Tomato felt the fervent support of countless readers. You all even took the initiative to create an organizational name for Tomato’s fan base: the ‘Red Alliance’ (Hong Meng), a homophone for the primordial chaos.
Moreover, during the pre-sale period, thirteen Alliance Leaders emerged!
There were also a huge number of reviews and comments… Tomato is truly moved. It is precisely because of reader support that writing novels becomes more thrilling and motivating!
I won’t say much more…
Only one sentence: Brothers, support Tomato! And Tomato will strive hard to write novels!
Subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets—Tomato wants them all~~ Though, subscriptions are truly the most important thing~~