Rǎn Xiǎofēi loosed an arrow with a swift motion, striking the right eye of a crocodile lizard, causing it to writhe and roll in pain. The second arrow shot straight into the mouth of another beast.
Writhing in agony, the mutated creature leaped into the air, flailing its limbs wildly while emitting a series of pitiful shrieks.
Léi Dàlì, seizing the opportunity, was not one to hesitate. He swung his fire axe with precision, and before the creature could land, a sharp diagonal strike cleaved its jaw in two.
The third crocodile lizard, undeterred, charged directly at Rǎn Xiǎofēi. Yet, this creature had learned from its predecessors, choosing not to open its eyes or mouth, instead pouncing with its eight sharp claws ready to ensnare its prey.
Rǎn Xiǎofēi's third arrow struck the creature's head, but it ricocheted off harmlessly, as a fierce gust of wind rushed toward him. Reacting instantly, he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the creature's front claws. However, the lizard's hind claws lashed out, tearing a large portion of his right cheek away.
Rǎn Xiǎofēi, fair-faced and conscious of his appearance, was struck with unbearable anguish at the sudden disfigurement. Filled with agony, he instinctively gripped the crocodile lizard's tail with all his strength.
After dodging, the lizard turned its attention toward Jiǎ Xiǎokāng, who stood ready with a shotgun. He fired straight at the creature's mouth, but it refused to open, causing the pellets to harmlessly bounce off its upper jaw without causing any harm.
"I'm done for!" Rǎn Xiǎofēi cried out in despair, his left arm still gripping the lizard's tail as his right hand swiftly drew a dagger, plunging it forcefully toward the creature's cloaca.
The crocodile lizard, struck with such force, instinctively opened its mouth to wail, while its ten rear claws slashed backward, tearing off Rǎn Xiǎofēi's entire right arm in the process.
"You die first!" Jiǎ Xiǎokāng roared, thrusting the barrel of his gun straight into the creature's mouth and firing.
The beast, writhing in pain, snapped its jaws around the gun barrel, flinging Jiǎ Xiǎokāng into the air. Yet, he held onto the gun with a death grip, working the pump to chamber another round. With a swift motion, he fired again, the sound of the blast like an explosion, and the lizard's head was obliterated.
"Dàlì! Save Xiǎofēi! We need to retreat!" Liú Fúshuǐ bellowed, throwing grenades one after another, the distance so short that even his own men were caught in the blast.
He had no choice. It was a matter of mutual destruction or death. What else was there to choose? Only a fool would wait to die without fighting back.
These mutated creatures were unbelievably resilient. Even after being blasted by grenades at close range, tumbling and howling in pain, they managed to rise once more.
But beasts, even when genetically modified, remained beasts. They feared fire, they feared loud noises. After several explosions, the creatures retreated, terrified by the chaos.
Léi Dàlì scooped up Rǎn Xiǎofēi, and with the cover of Liú Fúshuǐ and Jiǎ Xiǎokāng, they sprinted toward the Tongtian Cave.
Once inside, Léi Dàlì pressed on toward the cave's steep slope, while Liú Fúshuǐ and the others held their ground at the passage.
A rough count revealed only eleven combatants remained. The entire battle, from start to finish, had lasted no more than three minutes!
"Explosives! Who has explosives?" Liú Fúshuǐ asked loudly.
The only solution now was to collapse the passage, perhaps offering a chance of survival. No one responded, but someone handed him a grenade.
Liú Fúshuǐ's heart tightened with dread—without explosives, they were all doomed!
"Uncle Liú! Get up here! Hurry!" Fēng Suī'ér shouted urgently from the sky platform.
"No! We must hold the entrance!" Liú Fúshuǐ responded resolutely.
"Get up here! I have a way to deal with them!" Fēng Suī'ér cried out anxiously.
Liú Fúshuǐ remained half-convinced, but the others, weary of the fight, immediately began to retreat toward the sky platform at her insistence.
At that moment, a loud, horn-like howl echoed from outside the cave, rhythmic and full of menace.
The previously hesitant crocodile lizard pack surged forward, eager to enter, clearly driven by a force they feared even more.
Fēng Suī'ér took aim at the entrance and fired a 40mm grenade. It temporarily stalled the oncoming creatures, but it was not enough to scare them away.
No more hesitation! She turned swiftly, calling out into the depths of the cave, "Yāo Yāo, help! Yāo Yāo, help!..."
The passage from the entrance to the sky platform was nearly two hundred meters long, with a steep incline. The people had no hope of outrunning the crocodile lizards, and the tragic fates of Jiě Dōngháo and the others played out once again.
No more than thirty meters in, the last person in line was knocked down, followed by a series of agonizing screams.
"Let's fight!" Liú Fúshuǐ spun around, firing his weapon in rapid succession, but after three shots, another three, all missed. One of the lizards had already pounced upon him.
He immediately reached for a grenade, but before he could remove the safety pin, ten sharp claws dug into his shoulders, and an overwhelming force slammed him to the ground.
Watching a massive bloodthirsty mouth descend upon his head, even Liú Fúshuǐ, renowned for his courage, felt his soul waver in fear.
Suddenly, the crocodile lizard sprang up like a spring! Struggling, it rolled down the slope toward the cave's bottom.
Fēng Suī'ér, equally stunned, couldn't believe her luck—her panicked shot had hit the lizard's eye! Was this a sign of salvation, that the heavens had sent help through her?
Kneeling, Fēng Suī'ér used her left arm as support and fired several rapid shots—yet, all of them missed! Meanwhile, the crocodile lizard pack continued to pounce, knocking down three more people.
Fuming with anger, Fēng Suī'ér hurled her rifle to the side, unstrapped two grenades, and was about to charge forward when a dark shadow swept over her head. In a few agile movements, it descended into the crowd.
The group, now seeing a masked giant constrictor snake emerge, cried out in despair.
In midair, Shé Yāo Yāo's chromium-molybdenum steel chain lashed out, wrapping around one crocodile lizard. Her right-hand steel lock then slammed into another lizard's head, crushing its skull and splattering brain matter.
A third lizard seized the moment, lunging at her from the side, mouth wide to snap at her waist. Without a glance, Yāo Yāo's snake tail lashed out, driving into the creature's mouth!
The lizard, in agony, instinctively clamped its jaws. Yāo Yāo growled fiercely as the constrictor curled, and the steel chain tightened around the lizard's waist. With a brutal pull, she yanked the tail free.
The crocodile lizard, struggling violently, howled in pain—it seemed to plead for mercy, or to call for help.
The other lizards, however, stayed back, hissing from a distance, too intimidated to approach. Meanwhile, the one entangled in the steel chain fought desperately, unintentionally aiding Yāo Yāo in her efforts.
In the struggle, the steel chain acted like a meat grinder, cutting through the lizard's body with brutal force.
Yāo Yāo gathered the steel chain, pulling the lizard toward her. With a mighty swing of the steel lock, its skull shattered once more, and the brain matter splattered in all directions.
The crocodile lizard pack, once fearless in the face of humans, now found itself akin to wolves confronted by a lion. The creatures began to retreat slowly, while Yāo Yāo, standing tall, raised her serpent-like body and emitted a menacing hiss of warning.
In a one-on-one battle, Yāo Yāo could easily defeat any single crocodile lizard, but if they charged as a group, she too would likely be torn to pieces.
Seizing this moment, Fēng Suī'ér sprinted down, signaling with her hands for everyone to hurry, while she and Jiǎo Xiǎokāng worked together to lift Liú Fúshuǐ.
Just as the lizard pack seemed ready to retreat, a massive lizard suddenly sprang from behind a rock, screeching as it plunged into the pack, seizing one of the crocodile lizards. With a swift swipe of its ten sharp claws, it ripped the creature open, disemboweling it alive!
The crocodile lizards, terrified, dropped to the ground, too frightened to move. The giant lizard then reared up on its hind legs!
This creature, towering over two meters, was distinctly different from the crocodile lizards. Its head was purely that of a lizard, while its torso resembled that of a human. Its limbs were long, with five claws on each foot.
Yāo Yāo, her eyes locking with the monstrous creature, couldn't suppress an involuntary shiver!
The giant lizard immediately launched its attack. With a few quick steps, it was within five meters of Yāo Yāo. She flicked her steel chain, sending it coiling toward the beast's waist like a silver serpent.
Yet, it neither dodged nor retreated, allowing the chain to wrap around its waist. The creature's right forelimb swung forward, its five claws grasping the chain and pulling it violently, causing Yāo Yāo's left palm to split, and the chain flew from her grasp.
Reacting swiftly, she leaped into the air, her serpent tail whipping out like lightning to strike the monster's head. The creature, however, only staggered slightly before continuing its relentless pursuit.
Yāo Yāo executed a perfect 360-degree spin in midair, her right hand drawing a nail hammer, which she aimed with all her might at the giant lizard's head. At the same time, her left hand gripped a triangular spike, ready to strike if the monster dodged or blocked.
She was wrong, and grievously so. The creature neither dodged nor blocked. Instead, it lowered its head and charged straight at her snake-like body!
Simultaneously, the nail hammer slammed into the lizard's back, but it seemed utterly unfazed. The monster's movements didn't falter in the slightest; like a shadow, it relentlessly pursued the airborne Yāo Yāo. With a swift motion, its ten claws ensnared her serpent tail.
Yāo Yāo immediately coiled her tail defensively, driving the triangular spike into the giant lizard's side. Yet, it seemed to remain oblivious, suddenly spinning in place with a violent 360-degree turn. The creature then swung its arms, smashing her body into the rock with tremendous force!
At that instant, tears, mucus, and all manner of bodily fluids she'd rather not mention involuntarily surged forth!
She struggled to rise, but her body felt shattered, unable to summon any strength. What she didn't know was that the monster had only exerted six-tenths of its power—had it used its full strength, she would have been dead already.
Suddenly, the world before her blurred as her mask was ripped off, and an eerie, grotesque head leaned in close.
"Hello, sister, you're so beautiful!" The creature spoke in human language, but the voice didn't come from its lizard mouth. Instead, it seemed to emanate from its chest, cold and unsettling.
Yao Yao was wracked with regret—how could she have been so blind? The creature she had dared to deceive was no mere beast, but a true demon in disguise—possessing a cunning intelligence that rivaled her own. And she had foolishly tried to trick it.
The lizard demon, meanwhile, was exclaiming in delight. With a perverse gleam in its eyes, it reached out, placing a clawed hand on each of Yao Yao's breasts. "Oh my, how large, how soft... how utterly irresistible!" it shrieked with twisted glee.
Furious and desperate, Yao Yao summoned all the strength left in her and released a sudden burst from within. With a sharp splat, a jet of blood sprayed across the demon's face.
The moment the lizard tasted her blood, it became even more frenzied. It extended its tongue, licking greedily. "So sweet... so sweet! More, sister, give me more!" it cried, lunging toward her lips to feed directly.
Yao Yao let out a scream, shutting her eyes tightly as she instinctively reached to claw at its face. But her arms were seized and pinned down against the earth. Her body, already drained of strength, could not mount even the slightest resistance.
The suddenness of the ambush stunned Xun'er into speechlessness. But when she saw Yao Yao being violated, fury surged through her like wildfire.
She grabbed her rifle, leapt down the slope—and just then, a blur streaked beneath her. It was Huzi.
There was no time to put on gloves. Empty-handed, he lunged at the lizard demon. At the last moment, inspiration struck. He snatched up a jagged stone and, with a roar, smashed it toward the demon's skull.
The demon didn't even bother to dodge. It let the stone strike it, then lazily swiped at Huzi's forehead with a claw.
Had that blow landed true, all three Huzi would've died on the spot. Xun'er immediately opened fire, unleashing controlled bursts while screaming with all her might.
The 6mm rounds could pierce armor, but not the thick, sinewy hide of the beast. They couldn't kill it—but they could enrage it. And her screaming only added to its growing agitation.
With a furious roar, the lizard demon launched itself toward Xun'er in a blur.
Xun'er's finger settled on the grenade launcher's trigger. She held her breath. Ten... nine... eight... seven—bang! The grenade shot forth, slicing just past the demon's left rib.
Only seven meters away—how could she miss? But miss she did. Barely.
Desperate, she flung the rifle aside and reached for the loyalty grenades. Deep down, though, she knew she was too late. In a haze, she imagined the demon slapping the grenades away and tearing her apart.
She closed her eyes, awaiting the end.
The lizard's jaws stretched wide, ready to devour her whole—when suddenly, from the creek below, a figure burst forth. In one fluid motion, he rammed a small oxygen tank into its mouth.
The demon, thinking it a bomb, froze in terror. In the next heartbeat, Li Zhui launched a double kick, sending the beast tumbling down the slope.
Xun'er heard a muffled grunt, followed by a familiar voice: "Xun'er! The tank—shoot it!"
Reflexes took over. Without thinking, she drew her pistol from her thigh holster. Her eyes snapped open as her finger pulled the trigger. Like a gunslinger possessed, every shot found its mark on the rolling demon. But there was no sign of the oxygen tank.
In the blink of an eye, the beast vanished into a tunnel below the slope. Her limbs gave out. She collapsed onto the ground, sliding into the creek's trough.
Li Zhui, hearing the cries from below, had pushed past his limits. Driven by sheer will, his latent strength erupted. His reinforced heart surged past 600 beats per minute.
The torrent of blood washed away his fatigue and toxins, reactivating exhausted cells. He sprang to his feet, grabbing the oxygen tank that had been supplying him moments before, and dashed out.
Upon surveying the battlefield, he did not charge in recklessly. Instead, he resorted to old tactics. As the lizard demon focused on Huzi and Xun'er, he silently slid down the creek bed and concealed himself just two meters ahead of Xun'er.
As he had predicted, the demon fell into his trap—and his strike struck true.