Thousands upon thousands of plump white worms writhed across the walls, devouring the humus, grass, and tree roots in the soil.

They even devoured other insects.

Behind them were several Worm Shepherds wielding long poles. They tapped intermittently at the walls and ground, creating a series of dull thuds to herd the worms in a single direction and prevent them from burrowing back into the earth.

The Worm Tribe resided on the fringes of the Iron Country, but they were well-known throughout its entire expanse.

The worms they raised were large and fat, delicious and juicy, sold to all corners of the Iron Country.

All of this was thanks to the masterful techniques of these shepherds.

Now, however, the shepherds of the tribe had all stopped their work. They held their breath, long poles resting, and pressed their ears to the walls, listening intently for sounds from their outpost.

There, the tribe’s warriors had caught two big fish—enough for a feast.

A satisfied smile spread across the faces of several Worm Shepherds as they listened to the faint, distant conversation that reached their ears.

’Those outsiders are about to be impaled and become today’s feast!’

BOOM! A tremendous roar suddenly echoed, followed by a series of deafening blasts that reverberated through the walls and tunnels like muffled thunder!

The Worm Shepherds who had their ears pressed to the wall felt as if roaring magma had been poured into their heads. A wave of dizziness washed over them, their vision blurring. Many of their fragile eardrums ruptured, and blood began to flow ceaselessly.

Having grown accustomed to the faint sounds of the Iron Country’s underground world, the sudden, violent noise nearly made them pass out.

’What in the world happened!?’

By now, the Worm Tribe’s outpost had become a river of blood.

Shen Feng and Firefly, their faces impassive, had pulled their triggers before the iron spears could even touch them.

Bullets tore through the soft, pale bodies of the Worm Shepherds, ripping their limbs asunder and unleashing a storm of blood.

The net woven from grass and tree roots was sliced open with ease. The two outsiders were like silent reapers, their iron pipes spewing flames of death.

In a matter of seconds, every Worm Shepherd present had collapsed into pools of their own blood, capable of nothing but miserable groans.

Shen Feng strode over to the leader of the Worm Shepherds. He looked down at the man’s face, froth and blood bubbling from his mouth, and spoke.

"You thought I was the one locked in a cage, becoming your prey?"

Blood continuously spilled from the corners of the Worm Shepherd leader’s mouth. He was unable to answer; his eyes held nothing but terror.

Shen Feng didn’t need an answer. The speaker on his chest activated instantly. His voice was low and deep as he faced the long, dark tunnels of the Iron Country—a labyrinthine nation lost in darkness—and roared like thunder:

"You are the ones who are trapped in here with me! I will hunt you, I will slaughter you, I will conquer you!"

"If any dare to challenge me, I will demand blood for blood and a tooth for a tooth! I will hunt them to the very ends of the Iron Country!"

"Be terrified! Tremble! For I have arrived!"

The leader of the Worm Shepherds finally understood what a terrifying existence he had provoked. It was his last thought.

Shen Feng and Firefly listened. In the distant darkness, they could hear the rustle of hurried footsteps retreating, punctuated by panicked whispers, like the sound of frightened beasts.

Evidently, Shen Feng’s massacre and declaration had been effective. The hunters who had been stirring restlessly in the darkness now understood the price of crossing him.

The cowards had fled, but those who remained were the strongest of the hunters...

"Honored outsider, please forgive our transgression. We offer you a feast of our plumpest worms and beg for your mercy."

Several Worm Shepherds emerged from the darkness, trembling, holding a flat pan fashioned from sheets of iron.

The pan held cooked worms, seasoned with ground roots and cockroach powder, with a dash of rat oil to enhance the flavor.

For a tribe that lived by herding, they had been foolish not to restrain their greed.

Shen Feng glanced at the contents of the pan without the slightest interest and said:

"Which tribe is adjacent to you? Do you have a map of the Iron Country?"

The Worm Shepherds hesitated for a few seconds. Then, one of them immediately scurried back into the darkness and returned with a cube woven from iron wire, which he presented to Shen Feng with both hands.

"Honored outsider, this is the map drawn by our tribe’s shepherds. Their grazing routes extend about fifty tribes out, so that is as far as the map goes. However, it already covers a third of the Iron Country’s total volume!"

The Worm Shepherd seemed to have a faint hint of pride as he said this.

Shen Feng peered through his night-vision goggles. Inside the cube were countless bent and spiraling iron wires, all interconnected, forming an extremely complex, three-dimensional labyrinth.

At a glance, it resembled a termite’s nest.

"No, you don’t look at this map, you feel it," Firefly said. She took one of Shen Feng’s fingers and placed it on a wire in the top-left corner.

Shen Feng’s finger immediately touched a small notch, and the Worm Shepherd hurriedly said:

"We are here."

Shen Feng now understood. Each iron wire represented a tunnel. He traced his finger down the wire and occasionally felt some notches. These notches represented a station platform or a tribe’s territory.

The spiraling wires within the cubic frame were bent to match the shape of each tunnel.

For a place like the Iron Country, this was the only proper way to make a map.

Judging from these intricate tunnels, the Iron Country had long ceased to resemble the old subway system. It was more like a mutated, malformed monster that had sprouted countless tentacles.

’Who on earth dug all these tunnels?’

’How did they solve the problem of water seeping into these underground spaces?’

’Especially in a coastal place like the Old Demon City?’

"The tribe closest to us, the Worm Tribe, is the Moss Tribe. They specialize in drying moss to make food and clothing. Beyond them is the Collector tribe—they gather anything from the ancient times. And then... then there is the powerful Rat Speaker Tribe!"

At the mention of the Rat Speakers, a flicker of terror crossed the Worm Shepherd’s face. He was clearly terrified of them.

"The Rat Speakers can communicate with the Blood Rats and command them to attack. It is said they control all the Blood Rat death-nests in the area and are the true rulers of this region. Every so often, we have to deliver two baskets of worms to them in exchange for their protection."

Shen Feng nodded. ’Humans really are a species with an intense will to survive.’

’They can adapt to almost any environment, then construct systems and rules to create their own comfort.’

"So, the Rat Speaker Tribe rules this region, do they?" Shen Feng mused, running a hand over the map. "Then I’ll conquer them first... Now, let me think. Rats are most afraid of snakes, aren’t they?"

As he spoke, a HISSING sound emanated from his chest, as if ten thousand vipers were coiled within, flicking their tongues, ready to strike.