Chapter 113: The Underground Cavern

“My dear compatriots, rest assured, I have a rough understanding of the trouble you are facing. Trust me, before long, we will resolve this matter completely...”

After comforting Shi Bufang, who was in a state of panic, Mo Fangyuan saw him off.

Mines, monster sounds, fear.

Mo Fangyuan already knew that the miners had encountered a cave. Given the unique fear that the block people have towards monsters, it was clear that creatures were spawning inside that cave.

The *Book of Miners* describes these subterranean caves as natural treasure troves where block people explore to obtain ores and knowledge; yet they are also hellish realms where every expedition risks deadly encounters with monsters, becoming increasingly dangerous the deeper one goes.

According to the book, within these caves one can find not only minerals but also strange knowledge.

As the book states, every mine is inevitably inhabited by monsters, and the deeper the cave, the stronger the beasts become.

“This is both an opportunity and a challenge! And the bravest of block people fear challenges the least!”

Mo Fangyuan did not know what dangers the unknown mine held, but he understood that if the Block Kingdom could seize this cave, they could directly access deeper underground layers through its tunnels, rapidly advancing to the strata where redstone appears.

Opportunity and risk coexist.

For the sake of redstone, for the development of the Block Kingdom, and for the current safety situation,

Mo Fangyuan would never let this cave slip away.

“Xiao Jie, go inform the person in charge here to temporarily halt all mineral extraction and seal off the lowest level to cooperate with the approaching warriors.”

After the snowstorm meeting, Lao Duan recommended Jie Weirong to Mo Fangyuan.

That short, chubby boy from a year ago had grown considerably over the past year, understanding many things and firmly believing that only block supremacism could save the block people.

Mo Fangyuan was surprised to discover that the tiny Block Kingdom had such talent. After a brief acquaintance, he confirmed that this boy had more aptitude for oratory than architecture.

With the intention of nurturing someone who could one day solve the kingdom’s problems, Mo Fangyuan accepted him.

While teaching him architecture, he also imparted some public speaking skills.

Then, to Mo Fangyuan’s amazement, he realized that the boy possessed an even stronger political talent than oratory.

Thick-skinned, eager to learn, always pestering with questions; ruthless toward enemies, sparing none who stood in his way...

Most importantly, the boy had his own principles, determination, ideals, and goals, all of which aligned perfectly with Mo Fangyuan’s own beliefs.

“Understood, teacher!”

Jie Weirong knew exactly what he needed to do and obeyed the orders.

The first step was to evacuate all unrelated civilians.

The second step was to send in the main force.

When lions and elephants fight rabbits, both sides use their full strength.

Mo Fangyuan had no intention of playing the villain from those novels who sends a few pawns at a time to feed the protagonist experience, only to be sacrificed later.

He planned to deploy every ounce of combat power available in the kingdom.

Not many—aside from defensive troops guarding the walls and field army units exploring outside, the total number of professional fighters in the kingdom was 34, barely enough.

“Night Watchers, assemble!”

At Mo Fangyuan’s command, the Night Watch warriors immediately gathered.

“Form the first defensive formation!”

“Squad One, move up! Squad Two, follow me!”

“Squads Three and Four, stay alert!”

Ari had taken leave, suffering from a day-long bleeding effect after falling into a similar predicament as Zhang Lingyun before.

Thus, the brilliant king personally took control of the “micromanagement.”

The method to reach the deepest parts of the mine remained the same as before: one by one, they jumped down, knowing that water below would prevent fatal falls.

Mining operations were temporarily suspended, leaving the entire mine silent and deserted.

Fortunately, torches were placed everywhere, illuminating the tunnels brightly, so there was no eerie haunted atmosphere.

“All units, obey orders! Form a triangular formation and advance with me!”

In his micromanagement state, Mo Fangyuan could clearly observe every move of the Night Watchers, correcting mistakes and arranging strategies.

“Too bad it’s not a god’s-eye view; then I could try some of the excellent maneuvers from *Hearts of Iron*...”

“Step! Step! Step!”

The path ahead was blocked.

Seeing the destination close, Mo Fangyuan instructed the warriors to tread lightly.

“Roar! Roar! Roar!”

Sure enough, as they approached the blocked stone wall, the sounds of footsteps and snarls echoed.

“Your Majesty, that’s the sound of zombies!”

“I know.”

Carefully analyzing the audio cues, Mo Fangyuan judged that an unknown cave a few stones away housed numerous zombies and spiders.

“The cave is close to the tunnel, contains relatively manageable monsters, and should have ample space...”

After three seconds of on-site analysis, Mo Fangyuan made his decision.

“Damn it! Bring out my TNT!”

Art lovers never forget to bring their artistic tools.

With the kingdom’s productivity rising, TNT reserves had naturally increased.

When poor, rely on tactical maneuvers; when powerful, blow things up—Lu Xun.

“Fix stone pillars and wooden planks on both sides of the tunnel to prevent collapse...”

The block world was strange: even though everything was cubed, and some blocks could even float, cave-ins still existed. One had to be cautious underground or risk being buried alive.

TNT explosions were powerful and could easily cause tunnel collapses; therefore, sturdy pillars were crucial to support the structure.

“This is seventy levels underground. Even breaking stone with an iron pickaxe takes over ten minutes. You can imagine how hard these stones are.”

Hardness meant high blast resistance, requiring multiple TNT charges to break through.

“Place five charges first!”

Mo Fangyuan didn’t intend to waste too much time here, as delays directly affected the miners’ work schedules.

The longer the delay, the longer the workers had to wait—something Mo Fangyuan was sure they wished to avoid.

“Reinforce the surrounding blocks; Night Watchers, prepare to ignite the TNT!”

Five red, black, and white TNT blocks were stacked beside the rumbling stone wall, awaiting Mo Fangyuan’s order.

“Fire!”

Drawing the Empire’s Blade, as tall as himself, Mo Fangyuan whispered.

“Sizzle!”

A torch was tossed onto the edge of the top TNT block, producing the unique crackling sound of burning.

The affected TNT began to swell, glowing white and flickering.

“3... 2... 1...”

“Boom!”

The first deafening explosion reverberated through the tunnel. Even hidden behind a stone wall, Mo Fangyuan felt the ground tremble.

“It’s not over yet!”

Only one charge had detonated; four more remained.

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

Countless tiny stones and dust cascaded from the tunnel ceiling.

Their vision was briefly obscured by the swirling dust.

“Boom!”

With the last TNT blast, Mo Fangyuan heard monstrous screams, indicating that the stone layers between the tunnel and the cave had been shattered and the monsters inside injured.

As the haze cleared, the creatures lurking in the darkness came into view.

“Triangular formation! Charge with me!”

Under Mo Fangyuan’s command, the Night Watchers had already arranged their battle formation, ready to lure the monsters trapped inside.

Swords and arrows awaited the creatures’ emergence to gain experience.