Even underwater, Jiang Fan could clearly see the scene above the water.
His observation sent a chill down everyone's spines.
The dense, countless billions of death flies had breached the rock walls and were swarming within the cavern.
Even through the protective light barrier, a vast, oppressive dark cloud was visible.
A few death flies had already spotted the oasis and were attacking it with frenzied desperation.
Jiang Fan had initially thought the blue light barrier around the oasis was merely decorative, but it turned out to be real.
A large swarm of death flies crashed against the barrier, instantly incinerating.
It seemed the blue barrier possessed a special defensive effect specifically against these death flies.
However, more and more death flies were discovering the oasis, coalescing into a massive black mass that lunged towards it.
The blue protective shield was beginning to buckle under the assault, bulging outwards significantly from the impact of the black mass.
Astonishingly, the death flies formed a giant shape made of dark energy and began pounding on the blue protective shield with its fists.
Each blow sent powerful shockwaves, striking fear into the hearts of those submerged below.
The viewers in the livestream chat were utterly bewildered.
"No way, what is that? Susanoo?"
"A colossal titan?"
"Dark Ultraman."
"So these creatures have a hive mind, like bees."
The netizens' guess turned out to be correct. The death flies indeed operated as a collective, akin to bees.
The difference was, they had no queen. Instead, vast numbers of death flies would gather to form structures that mimicked a heart and brain.
In other words, a large congregation of death flies possessed intelligence.
Jiang Fan and his companions had encountered only a small number of death flies previously, allowing them to successfully employ tactics and pit them against dinosaurs.
This time, even Zhuge Liang himself would have been helpless.
"Faster, turn it!"
Jiang Fan gritted his teeth, twisting the plug with all his might. The muscles in his arms coiled like ancient tree roots, bulging like coiled dragons.
Yao was also straining with all his effort, his teeth clenched so hard his gums bled.
"Roar!"
"Hiss!"
Panda and the green seahorse were panting, foam gathering at their mouths from exhaustion.
"I'll help too!"
Zhou Niannian swam down from above.
She didn't have much strength, but at this moment, every additional person meant more power.
Sometimes, all it takes to break a camel's back is an extra straw.
Miraculously, the plug that had been immovable began to creak and turn after Zhou Niannian joined the effort.
"The European Emperor lives up to their name! Push!"
Jiang Fan roared, veins bulging on his forehead.
By the water's edge, Dai Xiaomei had gathered all their belongings and secured them to herself with ropes.
Then, closing her eyes, she plunged into the water.
"Here I come!"
The moment Dai Xiaomei hit the water, there was a thunderous explosion as the blue protective shield failed.
Under the relentless assault of the death flies, the shield finally gave way.
The death flies surged into the oasis, transforming the once peaceful, chirping haven into a living hell.
Countless small animals were engulfed by the dark mass, only to have their skeletons regurgitated.
Even birds flying tens of meters above were not spared; the death flies formed a tornado, snatching them from the sky.
The lush grasslands and verdant forests, after being swept by the death flies, became barren wastelands.
All plant sap was drained, leaving behind withered, yellowed grass.
The viewers in the livestream chat were petrified, their hair standing on end.
"My god, this is a horror movie come to life."
"I used to think zombies and vampires were scary, but compared to this, zombies are nothing."
"I feel sick just watching this."
"Oh my god, my screen just went black. Are they going to break through?"
"Damn, the observers are being attacked and crashing!"
These death flies attacked indiscriminately, sparing no signs of movement.
They even assaulted the flying observers, seemingly regardless of whether they were edible.
Countless bright lights flashed, and the observers' forms changed. Tiny holes appeared all over their bodies, and they began firing death rays.
Their armor crackled with intense red electricity, obliterating any death flies that collided with them.
Jiang Fan and the others were stunned. These were mere cameras? They had underestimated their opponents.
These were truly killing machines, capable of firing lasers!
"I remember you took down a few observers before, didn't you?"
Zhou Niannian asked Jiang Fan in a low voice.
Jiang Fan rubbed his head, recalling that he had indeed disabled a few observers by shutting off their cameras.
Now, it seemed there was a directive prohibiting observers from attacking the streamers.
Otherwise, with death rays and electric armor, ten Jiang Fans wouldn't have been enough to handle them.
The livestream audience was awestruck, with countless viewers being woken up in the dead of night and flooding into the broadcast.
"It was a zombie apocalypse horror film a moment ago, and now it's a sci-fi movie."
"My god, are these observers really just cameras? They're more powerful than spaceships."
"I told you long ago this was alien technology, now do you believe me?"
"Remembering the divine power of Jiang Shen taking down observers with his bare hands."
"As expected of Jiang Shen, go!"
Jiang Fan and the others watched with trepidation. These observers were already formidable weapons on the scale of small spacecraft.
The situation had devolved into Jiang Fan and his team desperately trying to unscrew an escape route underwater, while the observers battled the death flies in the sky.
Despite this, under the onslaught of billions of death flies, half of the observers had already crashed.
The remaining observers could no longer hold on and began descending towards the water's surface.
Jiang Fan: "..."
These observers were so unreliable; they were leading the enemies into the water!
The death flies were also in a killing frenzy. Although the observers were metallic and offered no sustenance, they relentlessly pursued them.
The clear riverbed offered no concealment, and the death flies immediately spotted Jiang Fan and the others lurking beneath the water.
The death flies soared high into the sky, forming a massive black arrow.
The sheer momentum suggested that if they charged down, they could even overturn the river!
"Ahhh, move!"
Jiang Fan roared, his arm muscles bulging.
"Move, move!"
Zhou Niannian's lips were bitten through, and her hands were bleeding.
"Roar!"
"Hiss!"
The animals were also giving their all; the panda was exerting every ounce of its strength.
The plug was now mostly unscrewed, revealing patches of rust on its threads.
Only a small portion remained to be removed...
"Roar!"
Jiang Fan let out a final, earth-shattering roar, channeling the last vestiges of his strength from his very bones.
Just as the black mass in the sky descended like a bolt of lightning, a creaking sound echoed.
The rusty plug was finally completely removed!