Kelvier looked around and spotted an outcropping of rock, sending a mental command to Number Two.

  Upon receiving the instruction, Number Two kicked fiercely against the cave wall and darted toward the large fish.

  The fish hastily dodged, and seizing the moment, Number Two abruptly turned and charged towards Kelvier. If the fish continued its pursuit, it would undoubtedly meet the fearsome mandibles of Kelvier!

  Step by step, the large fish seemed wary of the toad and did not initiate a conflict with Kelvier. Thus, Kelvier and Number Two safely reached the narrowest part of the passage.

  Relieved to see the fish finally retreat, Kelvier momentarily relaxed and surveyed the entrance before him.

  Suddenly, a thought struck him. Many predators drive their prey into a corner—wolves, for example, herd their targets towards cliffs or valleys. Perhaps the fish didn’t fear anything specific but had intended to corner Kelvier here, in what it perceived as a dead end!

  If that was the case, then Kelvier's situation had become perilous once again—it might be the lair of some beast, and entering might lead to his instant demise!

  But what choice did Kelvier have? Staying put meant certain death once the Zerg found him in three days; venturing forth might offer a slim chance of survival.

  Kelvier's greatest hope was not that some beast would fend off the Zerg but that there was another way out on the opposite side!

  He swam slowly along the cave wall, hearing faint sounds of water. Glimpsing through the rippling waves, he saw a spring about two meters in diameter plummeting from the cave ceiling about two hundred meters away.

  Kelvier marveled at the sight. In this cave world where water was almost measured by the thickness of a hair, a spring half a meter wide was truly enormous.

  Kelvier was now in a large pool, clearly a series of caves within caves, though these were submerged.

  He began to explore, finding the water warmer the deeper he ventured, indicating a hot spring nearby. Initially, he could still see a few small fish, but they soon disappeared.

  Now, he only saw small creatures with peculiar appearances. Some resembled sesame seeds, others looked like fluff, and many were beyond Kelvier’s descriptive powers. He simply referred to all of them as "small creatures."

  The cave system was extensive, with passageways leading to other pools. As he followed the water flow, the temperature gradually decreased, suggesting he was moving away from the hot spring. Swimming against the current, the temperature rose, and Kelvier soon deduced the approximate center of the hot spring.

  His immediate concern, however, was finding an exit!

  Kelvier had learned from cartoons in his childhood that if water was flowing, there must be both an inlet and an outlet.

  The complex terrain in the pool made the water currents chaotic; many areas were calm on the surface but turbulent below, and small whirlpools were everywhere, making it difficult to discern the flow direction.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  After much wandering, Kelvier finally identified a water flow and began swimming against the current. As he progressed, he realized the water was scaldingly hot—he understood then that neither the toad nor the large fish ventured here not because of some monstrous intimidation but simply because they could not survive in such conditions!

  This part of the water was rich in various minerals, which Kelvier saw as a source of energy. He could sustain himself here by absorbing these nutrients.

  Kelvier's current cave had a spring about the size of a mineral water bottle, but it had a strong flow.

  The vent was peculiar, naturally forming a chimney-like structure. Kelvier recalled hearing something about it on television—the minerals in the water likely caused these crystalline formations. Under normal circumstances, he might have studied it, but now he was in no mood for such distractions.

  He tried descending through the chimney, but the current was too strong and the water too hot, pushing Kelvier to his limits. He had to give up.

  Fortunately, there were more than one thermal vent, and Kelvier comforted himself with the thought that he would eventually find a way out.

  However, after half an hour, his spirits began to sink.

  In that time, he had found four thermal vents, each as scalding and turbulent as the last.

  Was this the end of the line for him?

  Kelvier felt a pang of reluctance. He pondered the ongoing war between humans and the Zerg. It was likely that humans had won, forcing the Zerg to retreat underground. The soldier Zerg he encountered today must have been a scout, sent to gather information—a role similar to what Number Two had performed in the past.

  This insect was probably searching for a suitable nest to develop, suggesting that the Zerg might have been defeated and forced to hide below ground.

  "Don't send out a signal before you die!" Kelvier silently prayed. The disappearance of a single soldier Zerg wouldn't draw much attention, but if it sent a message about encountering an alien species just before dying...

  Lost in his thoughts, a message from Number Two suddenly popped into his mind: "Found it!"

  Kelvier was thrilled. He had sent Number Two out without much hope, doubting whether the drone even understood the complex command.

  The surprise was delightful.

  But an even greater surprise followed.

  The temperature at this new spring was much lower, and the flow much slower.

  Kelvier had just speculated that the other hot springs might share a common source, given their high temperatures.

  This new vent, significantly cooler than the previous four, might indeed lead somewhere else!

  Kelvier felt like doing somersaults in celebration.

  He rushed into the spring, only to be dismayed.

  The vent was too narrow! Long and slim, it resembled the cross-section of a knife blade—about as wide as half a deck of cards but twenty centimeters long. Kelvier even wondered if it was merely a crevice between two giant rocks.

  His current size made it impossible to pass through. If he wanted to proceed, he would need to widen the passage, but the walls were solid rock, and the work required was daunting. Even if he only dug ten meters, he feared the Zerg swarm would arrive before he could finish even a third of the task.

  Kelvier sighed.

  As he prepared to search for another exit with Number Two, he froze.

  Right in front of him was a monster!

  ※※※

  Just as Kelvier wavered between fleeing or staying, a thought entered his mind: "Miraculous! You, can live, here!"

  Startled, Kelvier realized that the monster was communicating with him, probably asking in amazement, "It's miraculous that you can live here?"

  He suddenly recalled an article published long ago in the renowned biological journal Cell. Although he had forgotten most of the content over time, one key point had stayed with him until today. The article discussed a major turning point in human evolution about 100,000 to 200,000 years ago when human communication faced two potential paths: telepathic or verbal. It provided numerous examples, including elephants and dolphins, and suggested that telepathic communication could potentially facilitate cross-species interactions.

  While Kelvier had forgotten much of the article, the possibility that humans might use telepathy and that it could bridge species had stuck with him. Now, understanding the monster's thoughts undoubtedly confirmed this idea. Kelvier was internally astonished and couldn't help but admire the article's author.

  His thoughts had drifted far, but as the monster approached slowly, tension built within him. Suddenly, he made a decision and projected a thought:

  "Friend!"