HLM – Chapter 784 The Starry Sky Beneath the Earth

The five little troublemakers who had been restless all along were also dumbfounded by the scene before them. Their glowing green eyes were fixed on the distant “galaxy,” unmoving. They nestled close to Wang Bo, seemingly entranced by the magical atmosphere.

Wang Bo swore to himself that he had to bring Eva here one day—this was a paradise for lovers in the throes of passion.

When he came back to his senses, only one thought echoed in his heart: He must protect this cave! He must protect these glowworms! This would become a milestone for Sunset Town’s tourism!

For a brief moment, a selfish thought flashed through him—such breathtaking beauty shouldn’t be shared with others. It should belong only to him, his own secret realm, untouched by the outside world.

That idea lingered for quite a while before fading. Fortunately, he had a strong will. Soon, he accepted reality—he would protect this cave, yes, but he should also develop it properly so more people could witness nature’s incredible craftsmanship.

Uncle Bing pulled out his phone but, after struggling with the urge to take a photo, reluctantly put it back in his pocket. With a bitter smile, he said, “If only we could take a picture… that would be amazing. Boss, when we open this to the public, we must check everyone carefully. No cameras or phones allowed inside—under no circumstances!”

Wang Bo nodded solemnly. “I understand. Let’s keep moving.”

The deeper they went, the closer the “galaxy” seemed.

A faint sound of running water began to echo—it turned out this cave wasn’t completely silent. A lake within it had water flowing in and out through unseen channels.

That made the scene even more beautiful. Countless points of starlight reflected on the rippling surface, and with the clear splashing sound of water—like pearls dropping onto a jade plate—the sight and sound together created a dreamlike symphony.

From here, it became clear how miraculous the formation of this space really was.

Glowworms required high humidity to prevent drying, a stable environment for their silk threads to hang, and total darkness to emit their faint glow. The cave provided all of that—an absolutely perfect natural habitat.

On his way here, Wang Bo had already learned about this type of cave, but seeing it with his own eyes now gave him a much deeper understanding.

The lights on the cave walls came from the larvae of the glowworm fungus gnats. The adults laid eggs on the damp rock surface; after about three weeks, they hatched into pale-blue, glowing larvae.

These larvae were remarkable creatures. They spun twenty to thirty silk threads that dangled from the ceiling, forming sticky webs. Then, using the light from their tails, they lured in phototactic insects, which flew straight into the trap and became food.

It was the larvae that emitted light and spun silk. The strands Wang Bo saw hanging from the walls and ceiling, like strings of crystal beads, were secretions from the glowworm larvae—semi-transparent and sticky like droplets of dew. These threads could even conduct light, making them truly extraordinary.

According to what Wang Bo knew, New Zealand’s glowworm fungus gnat had a one-year life cycle. The larvae glowed brighter as they aged.

After six to nine months, they matured into adults. Strangely, the adults had wings but no mouths—they couldn’t eat or fly properly. All they did was mate frantically until they were completely exhausted.

Two or three days after mating, the adults would use the last of their strength to crash into the larval silk webs—sacrificing themselves as food for their offspring.

By the blue glow, Wang Bo could actually see some of these winged insects colliding with the webs…

For humans, those webs were a breathtaking “river of stars.” But for the tiny insects, they were deadly fishing lines—the larvae’s glowing traps.

Uncle Bing was about to inflate the rubber raft when Wang Bo stopped him. “Forget it. That’s enough for today. We’ll come back another time—then we’ll go down into the water.”

Uncle Bing nodded in understanding. He knew what Wang Bo was thinking. They had seen enough beauty for one day; their hearts had been deeply shaken. Better to stop now, to leave a little longing in their minds.

It was like a poor man savoring a roasted chicken—start with just a wing to satisfy the craving, and save the legs and breast for later, to enjoy slowly.

They retraced their steps back to the surface.

When they pushed aside the bushes, warm sunlight fell upon them. Wang Bo turned back to look at the dark, mysterious cave and suddenly felt as though he had just awoken from another world.

The people waiting outside immediately surrounded them. Porter sighed in relief. “Thank goodness you’re all right! What took you so long down there?”

“So long?” Wang Bo was startled.

“An hour and a half,” Porter replied matter-of-factly. “What do you think?”

Wang Bo and Uncle Bing were both shocked. “That long? My god—we thought it was only half an hour!”

“So? What’s down there?” someone asked eagerly.

Wang Bo took a deep breath and looked at the crowd. “I must thank all of you. You’ve helped me and Sunset Town tremendously. Yes—it’s a glowworm cave! The greatest discovery in Sunset Town’s history!”

“Woohoo!” The crowd erupted in cheers.

“Is it dangerous?”

“Come on, let’s go have a look! I’ve never seen a glowworm cave before!”

“Count me in! Where’s my camera? I heard glowworm caves are gorgeous!”

The engineering crew became excited, and the scene grew noisy. Wang Bo had to steel himself, spreading his arms to block the cave entrance. “I don’t object to you going down—but not now! Until we have a proper exploration plan in place, no one, including myself, is allowed to enter!”

“Why not?” someone protested.

Wang Bo’s expression turned cold. “Because I’m the mayor of Sunset Town—the master of this land!”

Porter stepped forward with his boss-like authority and barked, “You’re here to work, not sightsee! Suspend the current construction. Everyone shift to the northwest sector. Aragon, take your team and get moving!”

Aragon, the chief engineer, had already seen the cave himself and had no objections. He waved his men away, and they left.

Once they were gone, Porter frowned. “Wang, aren’t you overreacting? It’s just a glowworm cave.”

Wang Bo, breathing heavily, replied, “Yes, it’s a glowworm cave—but it’s too beautiful! And you know as well as I do, Porter—this cave has never been touched by humans since it formed. It’s a closed environment that’s possibly existed for tens of thousands of years. Its ecosystem is extremely fragile. If we rush in without caution, we could destroy it forever!”

Uncle Bing declared firmly, “Not allowed! We’ll install surveillance here right away. I’ll personally oversee it!”

He had seen the cave and knew exactly what it meant for Sunset Town.

To exaggerate only a little— even if they halted all construction on the lakeside track, the glowworm cave alone would attract enough tourists to convince Holden Motors to invest in them.