Chapter 73: Section 74: I am a Gun Scorpion


    The desert at dawn was still very cold.


    With each breath Cang Xu took, a puff of white mist formed.


    The elderly Scholar walked on, stretching out his hands to grasp the front of his clothes, trying to wrap his sheepskin jacket more tightly around himself.


    This sheepskin jacket, roughly made as it was, had come from the mass slaughter of a flock of goats by the exploration team in the forest long ago. Now Cang Xu cherished it more than ever, knowing that this unassuming garment had saved his old life the night before.


    The firewood had burned out, and the bonfire had extinguished in the latter half of the night.


    Without the flame to keep them warm, all four of them fell into a torment of severe cold. Zhenjin and Zi Di, Cang Xu and Bai Ya huddled together to share warmth.


    ...


    Only then were they able to hold on.


    As soon as the sky began to grow light, Zhenjin and the others set out once more.


    Despite the dim visibility, they had to get moving quickly to warm up their bodies.


    Cang Xu’s lips were frozen purple, and walking helped generate heat in his body, but it also awakened his hunger.


    There was no food left, and only a tiny bit of water remained.


    The future seemed as dim as the sky and land before them.


    Cang Xu began to nostalgia for the lizard meat skewers they had eaten the night before.


    “How delicious it was!”


    “I should have saved some for now. Alas…”


    Zhenjin was still leading the way, carrying Bai Ya on his back.


    Bai Ya remained unconscious.


    Zi Di also had a sheepskin jacket, but it was covered by her apprentice Magic Robe. She put on her hood, still trembling from the cold. However, in the next moment, her purple crystal-like eyes suddenly lit up.


    “Look!” she suddenly pointed ahead.


    Several dark silhouettes were gradually appearing on the desert horizon.


    Those were gold mica stones silently standing.


    Cang Xu smiled: “It seems my speculation last night wasn’t wrong. The gold mica stone formations are nearby, and we have come back.”


    “You’re impressive,” Zhenjin said admiringly, though he wasn’t surprised in his heart.


    He had been to this place just last night.


    He set Bai Ya down: “You all stay here, I’ll go scout ahead.”


    Both Cang Xu and Zi Di had no objections.


    During this time, the gold mica stone formations were not safe.


    Acid Liquid Green Lizards would come to the stones, using the warmth from the mica to raise their body temperature, aiding in their mobility.


    Silver Spear Scorpions would also appear here, breaking apart the gold mica stones to alleviate their hunger.


    “Be careful, my lord,” Zi Di cautioned with evident concern.


    Zhenjin nodded: “I’ll be back shortly. If you have to move, mark your path with pink potions.”


    “I understand, my lord,” Zi Di nodded vigorously.


    Although Zhenjin wasn’t confident about leaving the three alone, there was nothing to be done; he had to venture out by himself.


    Fortunately, as a Pharmacist, Zi Di wasn’t completely powerless in the face of danger.


    “If a real emergency arises, such a short distance should allow me to rush back to support, right?” Zhenjin could only reassure himself this way.


    Under the watchful eyes of Cang Xu and Zi Di, Zhenjin jogged all the way and eventually disappeared among the gold mica stones.


    Hiss, hiss, hiss…


    As soon as Zhenjin stepped into the stone formation, he heard the sound of snake hissing coming from the depths.


    Zhenjin’s heart leaped for joy at the sound.


    He had encountered Acid Green Lizards before and knew that the noise they made was just like this.


    Sure enough!


    When he followed the sound, he discovered dozens of Acid Green Lizards hidden among the rocks.


    “Good, good!”


    Zhenjin’s eyes lit up with delight.


    These Acid Green Lizards had indeed appeared!


    Their timing could not have been better.


    At this moment, Zhenjin and the others had run out of food, and the meat of these lizards was most timely.


    Some of the Acid Green Lizards were lying down, their bellies resting on the surface of the gold mica stone. Others sat on the ground, their thick backs leaning against the rocks, and their long tails wrapped around the gold mica stone, nearly making a full circle. Still others rested their front limbs on the stone while their hind limbs were braced on the gravel. They held their heads high, mouth wide open, continuing to hiss.


    The serpentine sound that Zhenjin had heard mainly came from this type of lizard.


    There was no wind. Therefore, there was no upwind or downwind direction.


    Zhenjin approached quietly, careful not to make any sound.


    He used the large gold mica stones to conceal his figure, ensuring that he always stayed out of the lizards’ line of sight.


    Before long, a few Acid Green Lizards on the perimeter turned their heads to look in Zhenjin’s direction, a wary look on their faces.


    “I can’t go any further.” Aware of this, Zhenjin decisively stopped behind a gold mica stone.


    He was a sixteen-year-old boy with a small stature, and now hunched over, the lizards on the other side couldn’t see him at all.


    But even if they couldn’t see him, the lizards still had taste, smell, and the intuition of wild beasts.


    So, they sensed something was off.


    Zhenjin steadied his breath and didn’t rashly peer out to observe.


    He hesitated for a moment before stripping off all his clothes, once again becoming naked.


    Compared to yesterday, his condition had improved a lot. The wound on his left shoulder blade had scabbed over, and the other scars had faded noticeably. Perhaps it was because he had had a good meal the night before, which nourished his body and made his self-healing ability come into full play again.


    Zhenjin stimulated the Heart Core and turned into a complete Silver Spear Scorpion again.


    At that moment, the Acid Green Lizards sensed the fleeting red light behind the gold mica stone and were alarmed.


    Countless eyes were fixed tightly on that piece of gold mica stone.


    The hissing noise became a cacophony.


    The next moment, the lizards saw a dark golden Silver Spear Scorpion crawling out from behind the gold mica stone.


    Its scorpion shell was thick and hard, its claws were as large as two shields, and it appeared very majestic. Its tail was long, elegant yet cold.


    The lizards immediately felt a strong threat, growing more restless!


    That’s because just a few days ago, the lizard colony had suffered a massacre by a troop of scorpions.


    What was more crucial was that the Life Breath radiating from Zhenjin at this moment, typical of the Silver Level, was intensely strong, making these lizards, which were at most of the Black Iron Level, feel the gap between their life levels.


    Seeing Zhenjin slowly approach, the lizards began to panic, and their hissing reached its peak. They wanted to intimidate Zhenjin, their attempt to bluster was quite evident.


    However, Zhenjin’s feeling at this moment was quite extraordinary.


    He found that his field of vision had lowered a lot, the height of a human’s field of vision was much greater than that of a Silver Spear Scorpion. However, his field of view had become much wider.


    “Human eyes are positioned on the front of the head, but a Silver Spear Scorpion not only has primary eyes in the front but also two pairs of auxiliary eyes on the sides of its body.”


    Zhenjin was doing his best to adapt to the life form of the Silver Spear Scorpion.


    Everything was so new!


    Although this was his second mutation, the first time was during the night. Moreover, at that time, he was tormented by hunger, focusing mainly on feeding.


    Now, he had filled his stomach and was beginning to fully enjoy the unique life experience of a Silver Spear Scorpion.


    Because of the ample light, Zhenjin found he could see farther, and the colors of objects in his eyes were more vivid than what human eyes could perceive.


    This meant that the visual capability of a Silver Spear Scorpion was better than that of Zhenjin.


    Clang clang.


    Zhenjin raised his claws, letting the massive pincers open and close a couple of times, and upon striking each other, a dull metallic clang resonated.


    This minor action, in the eyes of the lizards, was undoubtedly a show of menace and intimidation.


    The group of lizards became even more restless and agitated, with most having jumped onto the gold mica stone, looming from above at Zhenjin and hissing fiercely. Simultaneously, the crowns on their heads opened up like umbrellas, displaying their robust and massive physiques with all their might. The hissing reached its peak, as if thousands of venomous snakes had gathered here, ready to annihilate anything that dared offend them.


    Zhenjin, using several pairs of Scorpion Eyes, stared at these lizards and then looked at his own pair of giant pincers.


    Humans have two hands and ten fingers and had never grown something like massive pincers.


    Zhenjin looked at his pair of giant pincers, feeling their thickness and firmness.


    “With these two shields, I can completely withstand the acid liquid sprayed at me. No need to dodge left and right like before, a slight inattention would have resulted in serious injury.”


    Zhenjin had once witnessed the battle between the Silver Spear Scorpion and these acid lizard creatures.


    He knew that even the acid sprayed by the silver-level lizard leader couldn’t corrode the scorpion leader’s shell.


    This gave him a strong sense of security and was also quite interesting.


    “If I catch hold of a lizard’s neck or tail with these, could it snap them right off?”


    Thinking of this, Zhenjin couldn’t wait to try it out.


    “Come on, I’m not afraid of your acid now.”


    “Charge!”


    After shouting in his head, Zhenjin rushed toward the group of lizards.


    The lizards were shocked.


    After all, they hadn’t yet produced a leader; without a silver-level leader to hold the line, they were like a group of hyenas encountering a lion.


    The lion charged, and the hyenas weren’t without the strength to fight back, but among them, none could withstand the lion head-on.


    The two lizards at the front, seeing Zhenjin charging at them, even leapt down from the gold mica stone and fled straight backward.


    But just at this moment, Zhenjin “pfft” fell onto the gravel. His whole scorpion body lay flat on the ground, his underside scrapping heavily against the gravel due to his momentous charge, sliding forward a short distance.


    Acid Lizard: ???


    That instant, the hissing noises halted.


    The two fleeing lizards also stopped on the sand and looked back at Zhenjin, their eyes revealing astonishment.


    What did they see?


    A scorpion leader stumbled on its own?!


    Zhenjin felt a burning sensation on his face, and if he were still in his usual human form, he probably would have blushed.


    He had never made such a low-level mistake before. Sёar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As a knight, to trip over on his own during a charge!


    “I’m not a real Silver Spear Scorpion; this is just my second mutation.”


    “Normally, following my own instincts, I can control the body of a scorpion and manage a normal walk.”


    “But if I were to fight, I would end up in a clumsy rush, with my body parts unable to keep up with my consciousness and thoughts.”


    Humans have only two legs.


    A scorpion, not counting the claws, has as many as four pairs of legs.


    Zhenjin momentarily didn’t adapt; during his run, there was a misstep among his multiple legs, causing him to trip over himself.


    Watching the self-tripped gun scorpion, the acid lizards didn’t move.


    They seemed to think, “Does this gun scorpion seem very clumsy?”


    For a moment, the scene fell into an eerie standstill.


    Suddenly, the bulkiest of the Black Iron level lizards, a green one, let out a piercing shriek and took the lead in charging at Zhenjin.


    The surrounding lizards were also incited, rushing over to attack.


    “`


    For a moment, dust and debris flared up in every direction.


    The lizards encircled Zhenjin, launching attacks from all sides.


    They stomped, charged, collided, bit with their teeth, whipped with their tails, and slapped with their giant claws.


    Zhenjin found himself besieged, taking hits while retaliating.


    He took hits often, but struck back far less.


    His tough scorpion shell provided strong defense, bearing the brunt of various assaults.


    Zhenjin retaliated only with his scorpion tail.


    Even though the scorpion tail struck rarely, nearly every thrust took the life of a lizard.


    The lizards were mighty in number, but it was Zhenjin who actually held the upper hand.


    Initially, the lizards, seeing the Silver Spear Scorpion passively being hit, appeared clumsy and only able to spin in place, which stirred their aggression even more.


    But gradually, as they noticed fewer and fewer of their companions, the lizards began to sense that something was not right.


    A Black Iron Level Magic Beast lizard’s throat bulged with a round sac before it violently spat a jet of Acid Liquid at Zhenjin.


    Zhenjin had a very wide field of vision, and he spotted the lizard the moment it tilted its head back to spit.


    As the Acid Liquid approached, Zhenjin calmly directed his Claw to turn sideways, then raised his right claw.


    The claw acted like a large umbrella, blocking all the Acid Liquid.


    Some Acid Liquid still splattered onto him, but Zhenjin felt nothing at all!


    Originally, the Silver Spear Scorpion could even defend against the Lizard Leader’s Acid Liquid; now, this Acid Liquid spat out by Black Iron and Bronze Level lizards posed no threat to Zhenjin at all.


    Moreover, unlike the Silver Level lizard leader, the Black Iron and Bronze Level lizards would fall into a state of diminished spirit and weakened limbs for a period after spraying their Acid Liquid.


    Zhenjin then set his sights on that particular lizard which had just sprayed the Acid Liquid.


    He took the initiative to attack.


    While taking hits, he pushed forward.


    The targeted Black Iron Lizard turned tail to flee, but its speed had greatly reduced, lacking its previous vigor.


    After Zhenjin struggled to close some distance, he suddenly thrust out his scorpion tail.


    The scorpion tail was long, so its attack range was vast.


    In the next moment, the scorpion tail accurately pierced through the Black Iron Lizard’s skull, killing it instantly.


    For the Silver Spear Scorpion’s claws and legs, Zhenjin felt awkward using them, but he was quite skilled with the scorpion tail.


    “On one hand, it’s not the first time I’ve used the scorpion tail. On the other hand, it’s probably because I have practiced my family’s Combat Skill, the Hundred Needle Wind, which mainly involves thrusting motions. So, the attack method using the scorpion tail suits me very well.”


    Zhenjin silently assessed in his heart.


    Though he was quite unaccustomed to the life form of a gun scorpion and couldn’t move swiftly in a short time, his solid and profound combat experience allowed him to quickly play to his strengths and rapidly find the most suitable battle method for the current situation.


    Since even the most powerful weapon of the lizards, the Acid Liquid, was ineffective, the defeat of the lizards had been predetermined.


    After leaving behind more than a dozen lizard corpses, the surviving lizards finally recognized the reality, terrified by Zhenjin’s killing, and fled in panic.


    “Don’t run!”


    Zhenjin shouted in his heart and immediately set off in pursuit.


    This intense battle had stirred his instincts and provided him with exercise; he no longer tripped over himself. The eight legs alternated in sequence, moving fluidly, suddenly boosting Zhenjin’s speed!


    But the next moment, bang.


    Zhenjin crashed into a gold mica stone.


    He still couldn’t manage to control his direction while sprinting rapidly.


    The fierce momentum of his recent pursuit came to an abrupt halt.


    The lizards fleeing in panic witnessed this scene and were momentarily stunned.


    But immediately afterward, they continued their escape with even greater speed.


    “`