(Third update of the day delivered in the daytime)
It was a creature hiding behind a large green plant, closely resembling a Tiger Worm in appearance, but its whole body was a mix of green and brown, affording it stronger camouflage abilities.
At 60 meters away, regardless of the terrain or the surrounding environment, it was extremely well-hidden—if it weren't for Mu Fan's exceptional vision, he might truly have failed to notice it.
In the midst of contemplation, Mu Fan leaped aside and the spot where he had been standing once again turned into a bubbling green area of corrosion.
He sprang onto the trunk, then Mu Fan moved through the trees as though he was in his element, the fluidity of his motion almost made one suspect this place was his homeland.
About two seconds later, another torrent of green liquid came his way, but Mu Fan's frequent changes in direction left the attack far behind him.
Hmph!
As the distance closed to within 15 meters, among the branches, Mu Fan could already see through the foliage the terrifying mouthparts of the creature. Compared to a standard Tiger Worm, this Zeg's mouthparts swelled like a water sac, and its mandibles were somewhat more delicate.
Squeak!
With a sharp cry, the Zeg clearly realized something was wrong and this time directly sprayed corrosive poison widely in front of it.
Mu Fan's figure rose once more—he leapt fiercely onto the tree canopy, then hopped to the opposite one.
A small parabola, perfectly clearing the top of the Zeg's head.
After another 2-second window, the Zeg got up attempting to flee.
But...
Too late!
Mu Fan jumped down from the tree, doubling his descent speed, and his feet heavily stamped on the strange Zeg Beetle Shell.
The forelimbs with backward-facing joints rose, aiming straight at Mu Fan's back, but Mu Fan flipped and leapt away to dodge.
Without the laser long spear, it was indeed difficult to break through this shell.
However, judging from the feedback on the force he felt just now, Mu Fan sensed this Zeg's defense wasn't as strong as the previous Tiger Worms he'd encountered—the armor was slightly thinner.
...
"Captain, the Exoskeleton Armor's energy is almost depleted!"
"Captain, I have only three magazines left."
"Damn it, my exoskeleton has run out of power."
In the low-lying battlefield, the Expeditionary Army's 15-person firepower began to wane; their energy and ammunition were nearing exhaustion.
For the expeditionary soldiers who had frequently clashed with the Zeg, once they were stripped of the strength, speed, and firepower amplification of the Exoskeleton Armor, the Zeg would dominate them in a one-sided slaughter!
The team captain, looking at two supporters who were desperately firing on one side, gritted his teeth, "Stop the nonsense, draw your knives! Wipe out all these damn Zeg!"
Several soldiers who had emptied their ammunition detached the firearms on their exoskeleton arms and drew out a tactical knife about 10 centimeters wide and roughly 1.3 meters long. Driven by the exoskeleton, they sliced towards the Zeg that were pouncing on them.
Finally, they entered into hand-to-hand combat.
But with the onset of direct confrontation, the Expeditionary Army's squad suffered two casualties within a dozen seconds.
One soldier's chest cavity was pierced and torn by the bone jaws of a Tiger Worm, while another soldier was tackled to the ground by three Guards, torn limb from limb amidst screams.
"Damn it!" The captain's eyes instantly turned red.
If that's the case, then let's die in battle here, you damned Zeg!
"Chimpanzee, our Mecha is coming to support us!"
Luo Jianjin, seeing that the exoskeleton's battery energy had dropped by two-thirds, finally showed a glimmer of joy on his face as he shouted toward the person beside him, "Hold on for ten seconds, our Mecha is coming!"
The power that burst forth when giving hope in despair was enormous.
The Zeg, who had started to form a tidal wave-like offensive, were momentarily halted at this moment. The expeditionary soldiers on the other side really unleashed all their power within these ten seconds, indiscriminately unleashing their remaining ammunition.
If the Mecha couldn't make it...
Then let's die in battle here.
After ten seconds, the encircling Zeg were forcefully pushed back five meters!
But this time the Expeditionary Army was truly out of bullets and supplies.
The remaining 13 people saw a burly man and White Hair still firing on the flank.
Seeing the Zeg halt for a brief moment without incoming fire, they surged forward in a rush.
Let's die in battle...
The expeditionary soldiers, resolved to die, prepared to meet the charge.
Boom boom boom!
"Get out of the way!"
Several precise Spiral Missiles exploded amidst the group of Zeg monsters, instantly blasting off limbs.
Five Mechas suddenly descended from the sky and appeared behind this group of Zeg monsters, their ferocious firepower and huge size finally overwhelming the surging creatures.
They were saved.
A few soldiers, their spirits stretched to the limit, blacked out and collapsed to the ground.
With the arrival of the Mecha Army, there was no need for the Tiger Hunting Team to intervene. Aside from occasionally finishing off the stragglers, Luo Jianjin finally had a chance to catch his breath.
"Sound off!"
"Wolf."
"Deer."
"Tracy."
"Captain Luo, I guess I don't need to check in... alright, alright, Yin Shuai!"
After the four completed their roll call, Luo Jianjin's brow furrowed, "Hm? Where's Mu Fan!"
Yin Shuai immediately checked the electronic map, "He's 300 meters to the west, vital signs normal."
"Mu Fan, speak up!"
Mu Fan, struggling to break through the defense, also had to dodge occasional swaths of poison. Luckily, he had just kicked off two of this bizarre Zeg creature's limbs, preventing it from moving from its spot.
Those cruel compound eyes were fixed on Mu Fan, oral parts constantly adjusting direction.
So much so that when Bearded had called out to him just now, he genuinely hadn't noticed.
"Mu Fan, speak up!"
When Luo Jianjin's thunderous voice came again, Mu Fan finally came to his senses.
After a leap to dodge, Mu Fan quickly responded, "Here, Captain."
"What are you doing? Regroup!" Luo Jianjin was puzzled. Why did Mu Fan's voice sound so breathless, as if he was running?
"I've encountered a Zeg, very strange, I'm currently engaged with it!"
"Hm? What Zeg? We'll come to help you, hold on."
"A green Zeg, somewhat like the mentioned Tiger Worm, but it spits poison liquid. Very corrosive, my weapon is corroded away." Mu Fan dodged again with a leap and then delivered a fierce kick.
Wolf's eyes slowly widened, and he exchanged a glance with Luo Jianjin, then suddenly blurted out, "You mean a jet tiger insect? You're in close combat with it?!"
His tone was quick and urgent, tinged with surprise and disbelief, because Wolf, who had been on several scouting missions, knew well how slyly difficult jet tiger insects were. Their Corrosive Poison Liquid, when sprayed in large-scale warfare, caused casualties among friend and foe alike, and this poison could only be resisted with special fibers, but mecha metal was vulnerable. A higher-tier version of this creature was a Zeg named Cliff Worm, a bane to human Mechas!
"This thing is called a jet tiger insect? I've broken its legs... oh, the hind legs too, now I can't effectively breach and kill it."
"Be careful, don't let the poison splatter on you! Wait for us." After giving his orders, Luo Jianjin turned to the rest, "Let's go find Mu Fan."
The expeditionary soldiers, who had just been rescued, had no time to be thankful before they saw these individuals running toward the outer edge.
With so little knowledge about Zeg creatures, Mu Fan didn't dare to touch the strange insect directly with his palms. If his hands got corroded off, that would be the end.
Wait a minute...
Suddenly, Mu Fan remembered Solomon's Hand Armor on his right arm!
With a flick of his arm, the metal lamellae directly wrapped around his forearm.
When Mu Fan turned to face the front, two Bone Jaws ferociously slashed at him; even though it couldn't move its body, it could still attack from here.
A great opportunity!
The last spray had just passed.
Before the jet tiger insect could react, Mu Fan's right hand, encased in special metal, swiftly extended from the side like lightning, directly gripping the two Bone Jaws.
The impact of the Bone Blades was immediately neutralized, and with the protection of the metal hand armor, the Bone Jaws could only emit a screeching friction noise against the armor.
Mu Fan held the two Bone Jaws with one hand, his right arm surging with strength.
With a shout!
Mu Fan, with a single arm swing, lifted the unlucky jet tiger insect and then slammed it resoundingly onto the ground.
*************
PS: Thanks to the book friend "Zhe C???" for the reward of 20000+5000+1200 coins! (I just saw it while organizing the list... The extra update from the big show alliance is delivered during the daytime, I'm truly ashamed.)
Thanks to book friend "Classmate Zhangxi" and "Wind Solidifies Night" for the 1000 coin reward!
Thanks to book friend "Drifting with the Wind" for the 500 coin reward!
Thanks to book friends "yangxiuling," "Hillside Little Scholar," "I Am So Ye," "Mo Wei Qing," "Book Friend 140723121409169," "liumin7715," "ngceal," and "Manman's Fall" for the 100 coin reward!
Thanks to book friends "Pingping (1)" for the 20 coin reward, "Yaya Ha Saber" and "Ling Shan Shi" for the 10 coin reward!