Chapter 77: The Slap of Justice Descends (3)

Asano Mirai was rendered speechless by Qiao Zhe’s retort, but she still refused to back down. “What gives you the right to say that Anemos will eat humans?”

“Just keep watching and you’ll see.” Qiao Zhe’s gaze shifted toward the battlefield.

“When ancient creatures are revived, the first thing they feel is hunger.”

“Like humans, when they’re hungry, they need to eat, and ancient creatures hunt as well.”

“Now, tell me, Mirai Asano, what’s the most abundant life form on Earth?”

The final question made Asano Mirai fall silent. Of course, humans are the most numerous creatures on the planet.

But having studied this for so many years, she found it difficult to accept: “No, maybe Anemos can communicate with humans and become friends, choose not to harm us.”

“Friends?” Qiao Zhe tilted his head at the female scientist, marveling at her innocence. “Edible friends, right?”

“Forget it, I don’t have the patience for this.”

Asano Mirai clenched her fists in frustration, feeling as though Qiao Zhe was accusing her of being unreasonable.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield—

Anemos was engulfed in roaring flames, the entire beast collapsed to the ground.

But at that moment, a blast of cold air erupted, extinguishing all the fire.

The earth trembled with thunderous force.

A gigantic creature, lobster-like in form, expanded from a microscopic entity into reality!

The ancient beast, Crabaga!

Now standing upright, it shuffled closer to Anemos.

“Attack!”

Daotian from the Cool Dragon Squad issued the command; Ye Hui and Shu Li pressed the attack keys!

All three fighter jets launched their assault, releasing continuous barrages of laser beams.

The three worked in perfect coordination, at times attacking almost point-blank before quickly pulling back from the monster.

Yet no matter how fierce their assault, Crabaga simply ignored them.

The dense lasers striking its body were all deflected by its armored shell, and it didn’t even pause.

“Attack ineffective! The enemy’s defenses are formidable!”

Daotian’s report echoed through the squad’s comm channel, prompting Ti Cheng to say, “Maintain high-altitude circling for now.”

Though the Cool Dragon Squad consisted of three women, they obeyed Ti Cheng’s orders without hesitation, not rushing to claim credit.

The three jets circled high in the sky, converging with the Lightning Squad.

“Our weapons are barely scratching it,” Qiao Zhe observed the problem at a glance.

Once confronted with a heavily defended enemy, XIG’s fighters struggled to make an impact.

‘I need to have Meng modify them, ideally to fire small energy projectiles.’

Qiao Zhe silently made a mental note. He didn’t expect XIG’s jets to shoot beams, but at least they should be able to launch attacks with the power of energy projectiles.

Otherwise, in future battles, XIG’s role would diminish further.

In the forest, Crabaga and Anemos drew closer.

Once Anemos pressed itself against Crabaga’s underbelly, the two immediately began to fuse, transforming into a symbiotic monster!

Crabaga was on top, with two long antennae atop its head and unchanged lobster claws, while its lower body was Anemos, bearing a massive flower-bud head.

After their symbiosis, the two monsters immediately entered a predatory state!

Anemos’ flower-like mouth organ began to release yellow smoke in waves!

This was a pheromone to summon food!

Any creature that entered the mist would become dazed and drawn toward the monster.

The thick clouds of smoke billowed closer. Qiao Zhe said to Asano Mirai beside him, “Let’s leave—this monster is luring creatures!”

“How could this happen…” Asano Mirai looked up at the scene, disbelief filling her eyes.

As the yellow mist approached, Qiao Zhe looked at her, “Given how things have developed, there’s only one thing to do.”

“What?” Asano Mirai asked, bewildered.

As she waited for his answer, Qiao Zhe suddenly bent down.

Before she could react, her feet left the ground.

Just like carrying a pig on his shoulder, Qiao Zhe hoisted Asano Mirai and hurried away from the smoke. “Obviously, we need to run!”

“Ah—what are you doing!” Asano Mirai cried out, instinctively kicking her legs, but was unable to break free. “Let me go! I know more about it than anyone—I’m sure I can help!”

“Shut up! Save your strength!” Qiao Zhe snapped, running as he spoke. “See that yellow smoke? That’s a pheromone designed to lure creatures!”

“If you go near it, you’ll lose consciousness and get eaten by this monster!”

With Qiao Zhe’s speed, they quickly escaped the range of the smoke.

But this couldn’t last—Anemos kept releasing it and the area would continue to expand.

As soon as Qiao Zhe set Asano Mirai down, she was still unwilling to accept it. “I can understand it! I can definitely persuade—”

Smack—

A crisp slap rang out!

Asano Mirai froze, hand pressed to her face, bewildered.

“Are you calm now?” Qiao Zhe’s gaze was sharp and stern.

“You still refuse to accept reality! How long will you keep running from it?”

The harsh question echoed in her ears, and combined with the awakening sting of the slap, Asano Mirai hung her head, face covered.

“I-I’m sorry, I just couldn’t accept it right away, I’m sorry…”

Tears began to stream down her face, and Asano Mirai couldn’t help but remember her childhood.

She had been abandoned by her parents when she was young, and later, after studying ancient creatures, she believed they too had been forsaken by Mother Earth. For years, she empathized deeply.

With her expression full of grievance, Asano Mirai saw Qiao Zhe approach, thinking he was about to comfort her—only to see him raise his hand again.

Asano Mirai: “???”

Wait, is he going to hit me again?!

She instinctively retreated, but couldn’t match Qiao Zhe’s speed. His hand chopped down on her neck.

Her eyes rolled back, consciousness fading, and she collapsed to the ground.

Qiao Zhe caught her, dragged her to a large tree and laid her down. On his wrist, the sapphire ring appeared.

Ding—

A silver-white light burst forth!

Clouds in the sky formed a swirling vortex, and a white pillar of light crashed down!

A mysterious audio effect seemed to echo.

Having witnessed this once before, Ti Cheng quickly issued orders. “It’s jojo! Lightning Squad, Cool Dragon Squad, fall back!”

As the light faded, the tall, silver giant stood firmly upon the earth.

Jojo looked at the symbiotic monster across from him, recalling information about his adversary.

Once the two ancient creatures fused, this monster’s movements became extremely agile.

Sensing the threat from Jojo, the symbiotic monster launched an immediate attack!

Compared to other monsters, its movements were swift, pincers swinging as it rushed toward Jojo.

But to Jojo, its speed was like a child brandishing a sword before a master.

He raised both palms to his chest, gathering energy. Eight spinning beams of light appeared, splitting in two and flying toward the symbiotic monster!

(End of chapter)