The only danger he knew of in this beast nest was the sheer number of monsters. A single misstep and even an iron man would be ground into scrap.
Beyond that, he knew virtually nothing else. He had no idea about the monsters’ characteristics, which ones required caution, or how to navigate the paths within.
Entering in such a state was no different than gambling—a gamble with an extremely high failure rate, where his very life was the stake.
However, he had no other choice now. At least this way, there was a sliver of hope.
So, after a moment of contemplation, Li Chonglou directly asked, "Do you have a map of the beast nest?"
His question caused even the agitated Shang Gao to pause. He instinctively asked, "You want to go in?"
Li Chonglou nodded seriously and said, "This is the only way to try."
"Holy crap, are you truly ignorant or just pretending? Do you think you can suppress the entire beast nest by yourself?" Shang Gao looked at Li Chonglou as if he were a lunatic.
Li Guang, with a furrowed brow, also said, "Brother, there's at least a slim chance of survival here. Is a mission worth risking your life? Or a competition? Don't you understand that?"
Li Chonglou’s brow twitched. "I just want to know if you have a map of the beast nest."
This time, the two finally understood Li Chonglou’s determination, but they still seemed somewhat disbelieving.
"Are you crazy? Do you really intend to do this?"
Li Chonglou sighed and stopped wasting words with them. He turned and walked towards the iron door of the safe house.
Since they didn't know, he figured he could just follow the direction from which the beast tide emerged, and he would eventually find the right place.
However, as he stood before the iron door, he found himself troubled again. The iron door was now firmly locked, with no visible opening mechanism nearby.
Shang Gao also reacted to this and sneered, speaking directly to Li Guang, "Old Guang, notify the base. We have a big shot here who wants to go to the third level to deal with the beast nest."
Li Guang, however, suddenly showed some displeasure at Shang Gao's attitude and said, "Old Gao, calm down. This is not the time for impulsive actions."
Shang Gao’s expression froze. He seemed to realize his own shift in mindset. His face changed several times, and he finally sat down silently to the side.
Li Guang then said to Li Chonglou, "Brother, don't take his words to heart. He's not thinking straight right now."
On the latter half of their journey here, the three had gradually formed a budding friendship through conversation. That’s why Li Guang didn’t want to make the atmosphere awkward. After all, they weren’t enemies, and neither of them liked Fatty Zheng.
Yes, regarding Fatty Zheng, both of them actually supported Li Chonglou. Fatty Zheng, relying on his strength, often looked down on others in the Thunder team, and they had both endured his cold sarcasm.
Hearing what Fatty Zheng said, Li Chonglou’s slight displeasure towards Shang Gao immediately vanished. He nodded in understanding.
Seeing that everyone had calmed down, Li Guang once again confirmed Li Chonglou’s intentions.
Li Chonglou no longer hid anything. He said directly, "I must leave Iron Forest within four days. I understand what you're saying, but I have other more urgent matters to attend to. I can't waste too much time here."
Li Guang frowned, "Even if the chances are one in nine?"
"Even if it's one in nine, I will do it."
Seeing Li Chonglou’s determined gaze, Li Guang finally sighed and walked up to him, patting him on the shoulder.
"Brother, I respect your choice. I'll contact the base for you. As long as they agree, you can go out now. We don't have a map of the beast nest, but the base definitely does. You can rest assured about that."
After speaking, Li Guang walked to the side and, from somewhere, produced a walkie-talkie. He then relayed the situation to the other side.
About a minute later, Li Chonglou heard a response from the walkie-talkie.
"Turn right outside. The suicide squad is assembling. You have only half an hour to prepare."
Shortly after the voice finished, Li Chonglou heard a strange noise from the iron door behind him, which then slowly opened.
"Brother, the base is also preparing a team to head to the third level. Although past experience suggests they will barely make a difference, it’s still some support. Follow them later, don't wander off."
Li Guang reminded him. Li Chonglou nodded and then headed towards the outside. Just as he was about to push open the safe house, Shang Gao's voice came from behind him.
"Brother, I admire your courage. Be careful, don't die."
This statement carried no hint of sarcasm. Li Chonglou could tell it was Shang Gao's heartfelt words, and his slight dissatisfaction with him completely vanished.
"I will," Li Chonglou replied calmly, then left the safe house without looking back. As the iron door closed again, Shang Gao suddenly sighed and said,
"Old Guang, are we getting old? Even a young person can't compare to them now."
Li Guang chuckled and said, "Save it. Even the captain wouldn't dare do what he did. Everyone has their own aspirations."
"Sigh, I have to admit this guy truly scared me. If he really makes it back alive this time, I, Shang Gao, will say this: from now on, he is my boss!"
Li Guang rolled his eyes and retorted, "Damn it, Old Guang, are you on our side? Always undermining me like this!"
...
After leaving the safe house, Li Chonglou followed the directions from the walkie-talkie and headed directly to the right. Soon, he saw a fully armed squad assembling in a wide open space.
The squad consisted of only thirteen people, and each of them looked ferocious, clearly not to be trifled with.
However, what Li Chonglou hadn't expected was that when he walked over, no one treated him with disdain or sarcasm. Instead, they were extremely enthusiastic.
"Brother, what's your name?"
As soon as Li Chonglou approached, a man greeted him with a smile.
"Li Chonglou."
"So it's Brother Li, welcome aboard!"
The man who asked the question walked up to Li Chonglou with great enthusiasm, gave him a bear hug typical between men, and then patted his shoulder, saying, "My name is Xi Wen, and I'm the temporary captain. Everyone here is a true man, unlike those cowards hiding in their rooms! I admire you for daring to sign up to go in with us! From now on, you're my brother, right everyone!"