Free Web NovelChapter 189: Chapter 135: Tiger Spine Zerg Elite Squad, Unknown Danger
As expected, Shen Jie, who was single-handedly facing three Late Stage Tiger Spine Zergs, finished his battle even faster than they finished theirs.
He was already cutting up the Tiger Spine Zerg Giant Mandibles to harvest materials.
Qin Hu let out a slight smile. The familiar Energy that had been accumulating in his body finally reached its peak, triggering a minor Awakening from Tier Two Early Stage to Middle Stage.
Upon Upgrading from Lv. 23 to Lv. 24, the safe upper limit of Qin Hu’s Genetic Fusion Level would also break through.
At that point, as a Tier Two Middle Stage Genetic Warrior, he would no longer take so long to deal with Late Stage Tiger Spine Zergs.
Meanwhile, on the other battlefield...
Dealing with the three Late Stage Tiger Spine Zergs had taken Shen Jie a full four minutes, pushing him to the brink of his limits. After killing them, he immediately exited his Winged Tiger Frenzy State to avoid descending into a reasonless madness.
The high-intensity battle had consumed his Energy at four to five times the normal rate. Though he had eaten his fill before setting out, his stomach was now growling with hunger.
Shen Jie sat on a Tiger Spine Zerg’s corpse with his back to Qin Hu and the others, licking the Zerg Race blood from the corner of his mouth.
In fact, driven by a ravenous hunger that burned through his entire body, he had already started eating while he was still fighting.
When his Awakening first began, even a small taste would cause adverse reactions. Now, however, Shen Jie felt an instinctual urge to devour the Zerg Race’s flesh and blood to replenish his own Energy.
According to a theory Lin Feng once shared with him, his Devouring Assimilation Superpower, obtained during his Tier Two Awakening, had not only changed his appearance but also the structure of his internal organs.
After devouring so much Zerg flesh, Shen Jie’s digestive system had undergone a specialized, adaptive evolution.
It could now digest and absorb nutrients from the flesh and blood of the Zerg Race.
He could now even smell which parts of a Zerg’s body had the best texture and were the most nutritious. He was even starting to enjoy the taste.
So, while Qin Hu and his men were still locked in a desperate struggle, Shen Jie had begun treating the slaughter on the battlefield like a cooking preparation, taking the Tiger Spine Zergs’ lives while also preserving the best part of the meat: the jaw.
That’s right. The ligament-like muscles connecting the upper and lower Giant Mandibles were the most delectable part of a Tiger Spine Zerg.
Back when Lin Feng had taken the Giant Mandibles and left the corpse behind, Shen Jie had felt an instinctual desire to devour the exposed adductor muscles.
Now, after cutting away the Giant Mandibles, Shen Jie kept his back to the others, silently devouring the Tiger Zerg’s adductor muscle while staying vigilant of the dim surroundings.
Meanwhile, Qin Hu’s elite squad, having survived the ordeal, was taking a headcount of the survivors. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Two had tragically been killed in action, and one was severely wounded.
They were down to just eight members, and only the three Genetic Warriors were still fit to fight.
If they encountered another Tier Two Swarm, their only option would be to flee in disarray.
Qin Hu squatted on a Tiger Spine Zerg corpse and ordered his men to replace the teeth on their Chainsaw Swords and consume the nutrient packs provided by the Research Institute. In addition to basic necessities like sugar, protein, and inorganic salts, the packs also contained a high dose of stimulants.
For Awakeners, substances that could stimulate ordinary people were no longer effective. So, researchers at the biotech center had extracted a kind of myostimulant from the Zergs’ bodies. It could make fatigued, aching muscles recover instantly...
...but the price was steep. After the effects wore off, the user had to undergo deep cellular repair. Otherwise, the muscle cells, having been over-expanded and contracted, would begin to dissolve on a massive scale.
This would, in turn, cause a major drop in their Physique Attribute.
However, in their current situation, it was uncertain if they would even make it out alive. Restoring their combat strength was the priority.
While the others rested, Qin Hu called one of the Genetic Warriors to go with him to recover the bodies of their fallen comrades, as well as their lost Tiger-toothed Chainsaw Swords and the materials in their packs.
These weapons and equipment were specially provided by the Research Institute and were incredibly valuable. freeweɓnovel.cøm
Men could die, but swords couldn’t be lost.
Their trades with Lin Feng were just to acquire more necessary materials.
Taking only a single Chainsaw Sword, Qin Hu returned to the body of the squad member who had been cut in half. He gently closed the man’s eyes, which had remained open in death.
The bloodshot, swollen eyeballs were a symptom of the massive spike in blood pressure caused by the abdominal compression he suffered before death.
Unfortunately, they were already short-staffed and had to haul back the heavy corpses of the new Tier Two Zerg Race. They couldn’t carry the bodies of their fallen comrades back to the defensive line.
They could only give them a hasty burial on the spot.
Just as Qin Hu was using his hands as a shovel to dig a shallow grave...
Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice call out from the depths of the darkness.
"Brother Qin? Captain Qin..."
The voice was extremely faint, but as a Tier Two Awakener, Qin Hu heard it clearly.
’But after a moment, I realized... How can it sound so much like my former subordinates? Like my old comrades who died at the first defensive line...’
’They fell with the defensive line, buried in the Swarm, their bodies torn to pieces. How could they possibly be here?!’
’Could they have hidden in the main fortress, luckily evaded the Zerg Race’s search, and then, after the underground Wormhole was breached, snuck into the Underground Zerg Nest to eke out a meager existence?’
At this thought, Qin Hu quickly got to his feet and headed in the direction of the voice.
But just then, a blood-curdling scream erupted from nearby!
"AHHHH!!!"
"Help... help me..."
The scream cut short Qin Hu’s search. He didn’t need to guess; he knew instantly that the one screaming was the very same Genetic Warrior he had just called over.
’With the explosive power of a Tier Two Early Stage warrior, he could hold his own even against a Tier Two Middle Stage Tiger Spine Zerg. How could he have met with disaster?!’
