The toad man surged first toward the cavern entrance, but he had no intention of risking his life—at the first gunshot, he ducked behind a rock.
In stark contrast, the ant man's nature was entirely different. With a low intellect but fierce animalistic instincts, each setback only deepened his murderous resolve. He charged headlong toward the cavern, utterly indifferent to the hail of bullets.
His helmet and chest armor were crafted from titanium alloy sheathed in high-strength fiber, capable of withstanding 7.62mm rifle rounds—thus 6mm bullets were mere trifles.
The only real threat to him was the 40mm grenade; even if the shrapnel failed to penetrate his armor, the blast wave alone could crush him. Unfortunately, only two grenades remained, and Sun'er dared not deploy them recklessly. As for the shock grenades, there was no shortage—but the first to be incapacitated would surely be themselves.
"Fall back! Everyone, into the cavern!" Sun'er commanded.
In an instant, the ant man leapt onto the platform, facing Sun'er directly, the distance between them no more than five meters. After a moment, hesitation seemed to overtake Sun'er, and she slowly retreated.
The ant man, wary of the deadly weapon she wielded, refrained from launching a full assault. Suddenly, Sun'er spun on her heel and sprinted toward the cavern's depths, screaming loudly.
Those inside the cave panicked, stampeding toward the far end and crowding together. The ant man no longer hesitated and dashed after them.
Suddenly, a fishing net shot up from the ground, ensnaring him fully.
Xiao Kang and Da Li, positioned on either side, pulled the ropes taut with all their might, while Ma Yong, lurking in a corner, sprang forward clutching a crossbow.
He charged a few steps and, less than a meter away from the ant man's back, aimed the crossbow to fire.
Before he could react, a gust of wind blew past him— the toad man had kicked the crossbow flying. The handle struck Yongzi's right cheek, producing a dull buzzing sound; stars danced before his eyes as his head slammed down with the weight of a thousand-pound boulder.
The crossbow was stomped underfoot by the toad man, who then lunged fiercely at Sun'er.
Quick as a flash, she raised her hand and fired—a spray of blood exploded like a bursting water balloon.
Immediately thereafter, a sickening stench accompanied by an indescribable foulness blasted into her nostrils. Sun'er gagged violently, her stomach heaving uncontrollably.
At that very moment, as she convulsed and spat, her pistol was knocked away and a sticky, massive hand clamped around her neck. Suddenly, a face covered in festering sores came face to face with hers.
All Sun'er wished for now was a swift death. Exhausted beyond endurance, she forced herself into unconsciousness.
The fetid stench emanating from the toad man was not only nauseating but carried a pungent ammonia scent that reduced everyone to tears.
Though Tigerzi was already doubled over in spasms from vomiting, seeing Sun'er captured, he surged forward with all his might. Clenching his fists, the specialized gloves he wore immediately unleashed ten small steel claws—five hooking the toad man's left shoulder, five snagging his left back—and he pulled with all his strength.
The toad man screamed in pain, instinctively releasing Sun'er, then grasped Tigerzi's shoulders with both hands.
His fingertips were adorned with steel claws; with a slight exertion, the claws sank deeply into Tigerzi's flesh. Using his legs to push off, the toad man propelled both of them toward the cavern's ceiling.
This creature's explosive leaping ability was astonishing. Tigerzi barely had time to struggle before his head slammed against the limestone wall, already fragile and now shattering into fragments—the spectacle strangely magnificent.
Stars swirled before Tigerzi's eyes, yet he did not lose consciousness. What followed was even more brutal.
The toad man executed a 180-degree backward flip, kicking off the ceiling. Head down, feet up, he plummeted toward the ground—with Tigerzi's head firmly pressed ahead, secured by the creature's outstretched arms.
If the impact landed squarely, even Tigerzi's ironclad skull wouldn't save him—the force would shatter his cervical vertebrae.
Sun'er, who had nearly collapsed to the ground, caught a fleeting glimpse of the toad man's grotesque face. Summoning some unknown reserve of strength, her body sprung up like a coiled spring, and her talon-like feet raked viciously across the toad man's visage.
Startled, the creature shook its head violently, involuntarily sliding a foot sideways by a full foot. This shift might have been minor, but the consequential tilt of its body meant its own head would strike the ground first.
Dazed, the toad man lost his bearings, while Tigerzi's downward momentum was half-absorbed by this buffer, sparing his neck—though he was still knocked unconscious.
At the tunnel's entrance, Da Li and Xiao Kang were overwhelmed by the putrid stench, vomiting uncontrollably. Seizing the moment, the ant man slashed his hooked blades across the fishing net, tearing through and slipping free.
Seeing this, Lei Dali lunged fiercely, intent on overpowering him by brute force. The ant man shrieked, plunging his left hooked blade deep into Dali's right chest while his right hooked blade snagged Dali's left shoulder, slowly pulling downward.
Dali's agonized screams only fueled the ant man's frenzy, accompanied by piercing howls.
Jia Xiaokang and Ma Yongxian, witnessing the grisly scene, felt their blood boil with rage.
"Kill!" they shouted in unison, drawing pistols as they charged.
"Ah—ya—!" came a terrible scream as Lei Dali clenched two hooked blades in his hands.
The ant man possessed a long metacarpal bone without finger bones, meaning the hooked blades were fixed directly to his palms—grasping the blade was tantamount to gripping his hand.
"Die!" Xiaokang and Yongzi attacked simultaneously.
In near-perfect synchrony, Jia Xiaokang executed a flying tackle, wedging beneath the ant man's groin, pressing his pistol's muzzle to the opponent's knee and pulling the trigger.
Ma Yongxian grasped the ant man's right arm tightly, pressing his pistol to the elbow crease and firing repeatedly.
These two were astute—targeting the ant man's vulnerability: his unarmored limbs, sacrificed for mobility.
In moments, the ant man's limbs were mutilated. Wailing, he flailed desperately, striving to break free.
Lei Dali lay gasping his last breaths. Under the ant man's wild thrashing, both his palms were severed, but his tenacity bought precious time for his comrades.
Ma Yongxian surged forward, locking his arms around the ant man's neck, straddling his back. Simultaneously, Jia Xiaokang flipped and seized the ant man's other leg.
"B*st*rd, die!" Yongzi and Xiaokang squeezed and twisted in tandem, with Lei Dali pulling with all his remaining strength.
Though his palms were gone, the hooked blades embedded in his chest remained lodged firmly as the ant man blindly struggled—each movement burdened by the extra ninety kilograms of steel.
Bone is rigid and flesh tough, but strength is finite. Under the trio's relentless assault, the ant man finally collapsed.
Jia Xiaokang vaulted atop him, drew a dagger, and plunged it savagely beneath the ant man's armpit. Close in age and comrades in arms, Xiaokang's hatred burned fierce and inexhaustible.
The ant man emitted an inhuman wail, violently throwing Xiaokang aside. Meanwhile, Yongzi, trapped beneath the creature, neared suffocation as cramps seized his limbs. Desperate, he bit hard into the monster's arm—right on the wound.
Semi-conscious, he tasted blood seeping into his mouth and began to suckle frantically.
The ant man's limbs were too long to reach behind his back; writhing and shaking his head wildly, he tried to dislodge Yongzi. After a struggle, his movements slowed and ceased.
Sun'er flipped gracefully to her feet, drawing a dagger to strike the toad man. Suddenly, a fierce gust swept through the cave entrance, and a monster burst forth—it was the lizard demon.
Missing one leg, it could no longer walk upright but crawled swiftly in a lizard-like manner.
Ignoring all others, it charged directly at Sun'er.
Unfazed, Sun'er waited until the beast was within three meters, then raised her concealed left hand to reveal a 9mm automatic pistol.
Aiming at the monster's head, she emptied an entire magazine.
Yet the bullets struck the lizard's skull like rubber on a tire—bouncing harmlessly aside, leaving only shallow scratches.
The lizard's bulky, muscular body pressed forward relentlessly. The sudden close-range attack left Sun'er no time to dodge; the creature tackled her to the ground.
"Sis, I really like you! How about a kiss?" the lizard chuckled creepily, baring rows of sharp teeth as it lunged for her throat.
As Sun'er screamed madly, the lizard's teeth sank into her neck. But it had no intent to kill—merely nibbling lightly, leaving two neat rows of small puncture marks.
"Bring it on!" Liu Fushui roared, struggling to rise and headbutting the lizard in fury. Though crippled in both shoulders, unable to grip anything, he resolved to take the creature down with him.
The lizard seized Liu's head, sniffed at his nose, then hurled him against the cavern wall.
"Too old! Too filthy! Give me some fresh young meat!" it sneered.
"Monster, die!"
"Slay it!"
"I'll die with you!"
The crowd, now thoroughly enraged, had no fear left—two men simultaneously charged with grenades raised.
The lizard half-stood, arms wide as if embracing children, clutching the two men tightly.
With muffled "bang bang" sounds, both men were torn apart, while the lizard laughed maniacally.
"You insignificant ants! From this day forth, you shall crawl beneath my feet! You are my slaves!" it roared wildly.
Amid the laughter, Li Zhui appeared at the cavern mouth.
"Little lizard, had enough boasting? I'm getting hungry—ready to cook you up."
The lizard said nothing but suddenly launched a furious charge. Li Zhui met it head-on, colliding violently.
Li Zhui was thrown back, slamming hard against the cave's upper entrance. Amid flying debris, the lizard howled madly as it charged straight out of the cavern.
Then erupted another soul-wrenching, blood-curdling scream, followed by a rapidly receding roar of fury: "1024! 9413! You treacherous lovers! How dare you scheme against me! Brother has crossed swords with you for life…"
No one fully grasped the unfolding events—only Li Zhui himself knew that at the very instant of collision, he exploited the lizard demon's half-second delay in reflex, plunging two spikes in a swift 0.3-second flurry that blinded both of its reptilian eyes.
As the lizard fled the cavern's mouth, it was struck again by a cleaving axe wielded by the ambushing Yao Yao.
Alas, none could detain the lizard; as a bridged entity, as long as its controller remained unscathed, the creature could be shredded to pieces and yet simply transfer to a new host.
The toad man, dazed and confused, watched the lizard's sudden retreat and paused before comprehending that his leader was fleeing—only then did he awaken to the need to flee himself.
But it was too late; Li Zhui lunged forward, hammer poised for a crushing blow to the crown of his head.
Then came an unexpected sight—the toad man abruptly dropped to his knees, raising both hands in surrender—a gesture even a child of three could understand.
The hammer halted mere half an inch above his skull.
"Ol… old… boss… I… I… surrender…" stammered the toad man, his words halting but heartfelt.