Max Level Return—I'll Protect That Fragile One

Seeing this, Zheng Lie and Zheng Qin truly believed they had submersion equipment.

”Let’s go, head to the Central Cave entrance.”

Xu Xingguang and Song Chi had never been to the Central Cave, and were quite interested in the rumored Divine Concealment Island prison. The road to the Central Cave was very narrow, the mountain path rugged and uneven, and the cement road could only accommodate a small car going solo.

For easier travel, they drove mountain motorcycles.

Soon, the motorcycle team reached a highland, and Cheng Yue parked at the side and turned back to Xu Xingguang and the others, saying, ”We’ve arrived at the Central Cave.”

Zheng Lie pointed to an opening on the hillside to the left and said, ”That is the entrance to the Central Cave.”

The Central Cave, as the name suggests, is a large cave hidden within the mountains. Its entrance is at the mountain’s peak, a seafloor fissure runs through the Central Cave, filling it with seawater, unfathomably deep.

It was said the discoverers of the Central Cave were a group of youths from Siwei Town, who while gathering medicinal herbs on the mountain, encountered a rainstorm in the evening and saw a cave where they sought shelter, nearly freezing to death inside.

Upon returning, the children recounted this incident to the adults.

Close to the equator, Divine Concealment Island is perpetually hot. Learning of a possible subterranean iceberg hidden on the island, the mayor was overjoyed and promptly led a group of strong men up the mountain to investigate.

They arrived at the Central Cave by noon the next day, failing to find the iceberg mentioned by the youths, yet encountering a hurricane. The mayor was furious, suspecting the youths were deceiving them, only agreeing to stay one more day upon their persistent insistence to observe the situation at night.

Unexpectedly, come nightfall, the hurricane within the Central Cave seemed paused suddenly. Followed by a bone-chilling coldness that surged from the seabed.

In just half an hour, the temperature within the Central Cave plummeted below freezing.

That was the first time the residents of Siwei Town witnessed ’ice.’

Realizing the cave’s peculiar nature, the mayor hurried to the Huo Family Helm Mansion to report this anomaly to the Huo Family Leader.

Upon hearing the news, the Huo Family Leader personally entered the Central Cave to explore, finding the inside as bizarre as the mayor had described, thus cordoning off the area, prohibiting anyone from approaching easily.

Later on, this harsh environment of the Central Cave became the place where the Huo Family imprisoned their wrongdoers.

Xu Xingguang and the group stood beside the motorcycles, five to six meters from the cave entrance, yet could hear the howling tempest sweeping inside.

Song Chi frowned and commented, ”This is very abnormal.”

Everyone knew the conditions inside the Central Cave were abnormal.

Over the past one to two hundred years, the Central Cave consistently maintained these bizarre phenomena of daytime hurricanes and nighttime frost, making the islanders accustomed to it.

Xu Xingguang pulled out a box of peppermint candies from her pocket, poured out a handful, and passed several pieces to Huo Wen’an and Song Chi.

Tossing the candies in her mouth, she said, ”I’ll take a look.”

The entrance of the Central Cave was about one meter high and eighty centimeters wide, requiring adults to stoop to pass through. Xu Xingguang stepped one foot on the stone threshold at the entrance, peering inside, first noticing a stone pillar about five meters in diameter.

The stone pillar connected the deep seawater to the cave top, the cave entrance being the highest point, with prison cells carved out on top of the pillar. An iron chain bridge built along the mountain’s caves was the only access in and out of the Central Cave.

Huo Wenbei was confined in a cell up on the stone pillar.

The Central Cave’s harsh environment was dimly lit, with deep and pitch-black seawater below and a solid stone wall above. Being imprisoned here as punishment would drive anyone to madness even if they did not perish.

Huo Wei had been confined in the Central Cave for years and continued his antics after release, a testament to his resilience.

Xu Xingguang returned to Huo Wen’an and the others, and Huo Wen’an asked her, ”What do you think?”

Xu Xingguang crunched the peppermint candy with her teeth and said, ”Let’s go down and look, just the three of us.”

Upon hearing this, Huo Wen’an turned and instructed Zheng Lie and Zheng Qin, ”You two stay outside and await further instructions. The Madam and I, along with Song Chi, will explore the seabed first, withdrawing promptly if issues arise.”

”Don’t worry.”

Zheng Lie and Zheng Qin wanted to follow, yet always obeyed Huo Wen’an’s lead, not daring to speak out. ”Pilot, be careful!”

”Alright. Let’s go.”

Song Chi followed Xu Xingguang and Huo Wen’an into the Central Cave, bending down on the iron chain bridge, carrying their tool kits for convenience.

Guard Team members Da Li and Eric stood on a platform of the iron bridge, operating detectors to study the seabed.

Seeing them enter, the two promptly stood upright, saluting Huo Wen’an. ”Lord Captain, Madam.”

Upon hearing movement, Huo Wenbei, confined in a cell, struggled to open his eyes, glimpsing Huo Wen’an and Xu Xingguang standing on the iron bridge through the raging whirlwind.

Noticing Huo Wen’an standing with the former skeleton-like thin body now mostly recovered, he realized Huo Wen’an indeed was healed.

He smirked self-deprecatingly and hoarsely questioned them, ”What are you here for?”

Impatient to kill him?

To eliminate future troubles?

Nevertheless, Huo Wen’an completely ignored him.

Leading Xu Xingguang and the others, he clung to the iron bridge’s railing, walking past Huo Wenbei’s cell door downwards, not bothering to spare him a glance.

Huo Wenbei felt humiliated.

He wanted to curse, but opening his mouth just filled it with the hurricane.

The bottom of the iron bridge hovered above the seawater, featuring a large platform. Song Chi opened the toolkit, eyeing the firearms and weapons, and asked Xu Xingguang with concern, ”Boss, where did we get submersion equipment?”

Huo Wen’an glanced at Xu Xingguang, revealing a mysterious smile.

”Song Chi, I’ll show you a trick.” With a flick of Xu Xingguang’s fingers, a black steel monster appeared on the platform ahead.

Song Chi’s pupils quivered, tense as if facing a formidable enemy.

Staring at the steel battle monster he had only seen in sci-fi films, Song Chi couldn’t hide his shock and said, ”Did you steal this from Zhang Zhiyi too?”

”Yes, Zhang Zhiyi said it’s from the Divine Martial Realm.” Xu Xingguang lied effortlessly, her expression at ease, ”She and Grandpa rode this transport when banished to the Mortal World.”

Listening to Xu Xingguang’s wild fabrications, Huo Wen’an couldn’t help covering his lips, suppressing a laugh.

Song Chi was skeptical, gazing complexly at the giant monster, remaining silent for a moment before asking, ”Can I touch it?” Few boys can resist Iron Man, and Song Chi was no exception.

As soon as Song Chi asked, the black steel monster suddenly bent towards him, politely extending his right hand, saying courteously, ”Hello, my human friend.”

Song Chi: ”...”

Cautiously shaking hands with Eagle Sparrow, he felt as if he held a giant’s hand.