The bottom of the pit still contained a large amount of loose soil, which had fallen from the mining machine when it exploded.
Upon receiving the command, the little dogs quickly dug, excavating in all directions.
The mechanical soldiers inserted their built-in detectors into the rock walls, collecting data from the surroundings.
Soon, the loose soil was cleared.
Holes appeared in the rock face.
Not large caves, but fist-sized holes, densely packed together, their sheer number astonishing.
Jiang Ye recalled some birds on Earth that would dig nests in cliffs and precipices, where hundreds or thousands of such holes would appear.
But these small holes might not be nests; they could also be traces left by the earth-core worms as they moved, much like earthworms in mud.
At this depth, both stone and soil were as hard as steel.
It was truly astonishing that such soft and slippery creatures as the earth-core worms could create passages here.
During the previous construction site accident, many workers had their ribs bitten off by earth-core worms, or their skulls pierced and brains consumed. Some even had their pelvises bitten through. Jiang Ye suspected that if these little dogs and mechanical soldiers encountered the earth-core worms, they would also be damaged.
The size of the little dogs was just right to enter the holes.
With a command from the mechanical soldier captain, dozens of little dogs found a hole each and wriggled inside.
As the little dogs advanced, the structural maps of the holes continuously updated.
The mechanical soldiers outside were also busy, constructing makeshift fortifications and setting up their guns to form crossfire, covering all the holes.
Jiang Ye waited quietly.
One minute.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
The little dogs had advanced over five hundred meters when they suddenly reached a fork.
The number of forks was surprisingly large; each little dog faced at least six paths leading in different directions.
A vast underground labyrinth had just revealed a corner of itself.
The mechanical soldiers also stirred, confused by the situation.
The little dogs remained stationary. Jiang Ye assumed they were experiencing decision paralysis and sent a command: "Proceed along any path at will."
But the little dogs still did not move.
Jiang Ye curiously clicked on one of them and discovered that the scanner on the little dog was operating at full capacity—they hadn't stopped due to indecision, but because they had detected something!
What could it be? From the 3D analysis, they appeared to be very ordinary passages, with nothing unusual.
The little dogs had no real-time cameras on their heads, so Jiang Ye couldn't see their surroundings and could only wait.
Two minutes later, some data was transmitted.
Molecular and atomic structures, many unknown substances, were thickly coated on the passage walls, like some kind of wallpaper or plaster.
The little dogs continued to advance, entering different forks. All the passages were slowly shrinking in size, forcing them to slow down, excavating as they went.
Jiang Ye sent the collected data to Li Nannan.
"Scanned from where the earth-core worms passed. Don't know what it is. It might be mucus secreted by the earth-core worms, or it could be a substance they deliberately plastered onto the passage walls, like us tiling a corridor wall."
Li Nannan: "Received. I'll send it to the higher-ups. This data might be useful."
Jiang Ye continued to observe the exploration.
The mechanical soldiers remained in place, maintaining their armed stance. If not for their occasional slight movements, they would have seemed powered off. These mechanical soldiers all followed the captain's orders, and no one knew what the captain was thinking.
Perhaps the captain was being cautious, not wanting to advance rashly without knowing the enemy's situation.
Meanwhile, the second batch of little dogs was quietly deployed.
This batch consisted of a full 800 units. Jiang Ye checked the communication logs; it was a request the captain had just made to the surface via network.
The conversation was completed silently:
[There are many forks underground. Requesting more little dogs, prepared in batches of 800, 2000, 4000. Deploy them in waves, quickly.]
[Received. 800 little dogs will be deployed immediately. Communication code is xgcj800. You can connect in advance to share data.]
[Received. Connected.]
Upon landing, the little dogs did not hesitate, and all of them burrowed into the holes. The combat orders had been issued in mid-air.
For some of the higher holes, the nearby mechanical soldiers even extended their arms to help, picking up the little dogs from the ground and inserting them one by one.
"Go, little dogs, go!" Cen Yemeng's voice suddenly sounded from behind.
Jiang Ye was startled and turned around. He didn't know when she had entered, holding a plate of fruit. He had been too focused to notice.
"You're busy, I'm just bringing some fruit." Cen Yemeng sat beside him and fell silent.
Jiang Ye didn't feel like eating, but he took a slice of apple and put it in his mouth, continuing to monitor the situation.
With more little dogs entering, all the forks now had scouts. Nearly a thousand little dogs were advancing underground, with a large amount of data being transmitted back—it was quite lively.
Li Nannan's message suddenly popped up:
"It's pheromones."
"Pheromones? What do you mean?" Jiang Ye asked.
"The substances you just sent, scanned from where the earth-core worms passed, are not construction materials or weapons. Their main component is pheromones secreted by the earth-core worms. Two different types of pheromones were detected, likely belonging to male and female individuals."
"A mating advertisement?" Jiang Ye understood.
"Yes."
Jiang Ye pondered and analyzed, "The presence of pheromones indicates that these earth-core worms have a sexual life underground, or at least the intention to reproduce. Therefore, they are likely naturally occurring animals, but they could also be biological weapons. However, the effect of such weapons would necessarily be slow. If they took effect in a few days, there wouldn't be enough time for reproduction. Only weapons that take effect over months or even years would require mass reproduction."
"That's one line of thinking," Li Nannan said. "It also aligns with current speculation. The sun's decay takes many years, and these earth-core worms are currently breeding rapidly underground, becoming a vast multitude."
"They must be weapons brought by the Mier people. This is a 'one-wave' strategy," Jiang Ye cursed inwardly. "Fortunately, we discovered them in advance, so we won't be caught off guard in the end."
"We can't confirm the origin of the weapons yet," Li Nannan said. "You might not be aware, but the Mier people are on the verge of collapse."
"Collapsing?" Jiang Ye was surprised.
"We are planning the final offensive against the Mier people. The front line has already pushed close to their home planet. The front lines are now subjected to high-density firepower bombardment daily. The Galactic Empire military itself has allocated funds to support this final push. My colleagues are currently swimming in ammunition. Ordinary junior officers can launch attacks worth seven to eight hundred million daily, even if they're just firing randomly," Li Nannan messaged. "Imagine a high-pressure water gun drenching a small, dilapidated house. The overwhelming water is everywhere, and the Mier people are trapped inside, desperately trying to keep their home from flooding. But their doors and windows are about to break, and their walls and roof are leaking. It's only a matter of time before a hole appears somewhere, and their entire home will be submerged."