Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The four rockets successfully impacted the giant spider's abdomen, erupting into countless electric arcs and a blinding radiance.
"Go! My rockets won't do much damage to an A-rank mutant beast, but the built-in current should be enough to paralyze it for a moment!"
After shouting to Luo Lin, Ye Yunzhi dispersed the quadruple rocket launcher and spun around to flee. Seeing this, Luo Lin mirrored her movements instantly.
But something unexpected happened.
A mass of white matter shot out from the smoke at high speed, heading straight for Luo Lin's back.
"What is this?"
Sensing the crisis behind her, Luo Lin instinctively turned and swung her blade.
Fortunately, the edge struck the white mass. Unfortunately, the object did not sever upon contact. Instead, it adhered firmly to the blade.
The powerful momentum caused Luo Lin to stumble, and her blade became wedged into the ground.
Watching this, Ye Yunzhi's eyes flashed with consternation. She skidded to a halt and looked back at her teammate.
"Luo Lin! Are you okay?!"
Hearing the cry, Luo Lin shook her head and tried to yank her weapon from the earth.
However, even with a sharp pull, it wouldn't budge. She looked down to see the cause. A clump of white spider silk was stuck to the blade, and the silk had already anchored itself firmly to the ground, pinning her weapon in place.
Within the smoke, the giant spider raised its forelimbs and slashed the air. The thick haze from the explosions was instantly torn open. The man in black robes still stood atop the spider's back, looking down at the two girls with mockery.
"Keke... kekeke... MUDA MUDA!"
A piercing laughter escaped the man's throat, though his speech was strangely staggered and glitchy.
Hearing the laughter, their expressions shifted slightly. Ye Yunzhi remanifested a sniper rifle, while Luo Lin exerted a sudden burst of strength, forcibly ripping her weapon free.
However, the blade was now covered in clumps of dirt and severed grass. Rather than a sword, it looked more like a lump of debris; she hadn't yet dealt with the silk wrapped around it.
"How? Why didn't the paralysis have any effect?"
Ye Yunzhi couldn't believe it. The giant spider before them, radiating an oppressive pressure, seemed entirely unscathed.
Logically, the total current she just released should have paralyzed even an A-rank mutant beast for five or six seconds, let alone this A-rank creature.
Yet, this giant spider didn't seem affected for even a single second.
The man in black robes seemed to perceive Ye Yunzhi's thoughts and stated the reason:
"Under... under my breeding... it has already... developed double resistance to lightning and fire! With your strength, don't even dream of using electricity to restrict its movements!"
Though he stammered at first, the man's voice gradually smoothed out and became much more fluid.
"So that's how it is." Realizing the situation, Ye Yunzhi could only cursed their bad luck under her breath.
But her gaze soon snapped to the man on the spider's back.
"If it's immune to lightning and fire, then what about you? If I can't do anything to it, surely I can deal with you!"
Before her voice even faded, Ye Yunzhi raised her hand. A blue-violet light converged, instantly forming a sniper rifle.
Immediately, a blue tracer round screamed from the barrel, heading straight for the man at a speed nearly imperceptible to the naked eye.
Shh.
The bullet passed clean through the man's skull—so smoothly that Ye Yunzhi felt something was wrong.
She quickly realized her intuition was correct.
The man who had been shot through showed no signs of injury. It was as if the bullet had veered off its trajectory and merely grazed past his head.
"Hehe, muda da yo." (It's useless.)
The man smiled again. "The 'me' currently on the spider's back is a holographic projection! It's impossible for you to hurt me!"
"Tch."
Ye Yunzhi felt a wave of irritation.
So the reason he was stuttering earlier was that the strong current had caused the holographic projector to malfunction. She had mistakenly thought the stray electricity from her attack had slightly paralyzed him.
"Alright, enough small talk. Come, little one, finish them off!"
Having finished his explanation, the man pointed at Ye Yunzhi and the others, coldly issuing the command.
The moment the words were spoken, the previously quiet giant spider acted as if it had been injected with stimulants. It charged frantically toward the two girls.
"Yunzhi! Run! I should be able to hold this thing back for a few seconds!"
Luo Lin gripped her weapon with both hands as a faint blue glow began to radiate from her body.
"No! Why are you using Overclocking already?! You'll die if you keep this up!"
Seeing this, Ye Yunzhi cried out in desperation, her face filled with disbelief.
Luo Lin didn't listen. She knew that if things continued like this, not even Yunzhi would be able to escape, let alone herself.
"Go!"
With a roar, Luo Lin kicked off the ground and lunged toward the giant spider.
"Hoho! Instead of running away, you're coming right to me? Then come as close as you want."
The man in black robes spread his arms, mocking them with a playful tone.
"But unfortunately, it's use—"
BOOM!
Before the man could finish, a fierce flare of fire erupted from the edge of the forest. With a deafening crash, the fire smashed directly into the space between Luo Lin and the giant spider.
Before the man or the girls could process what was happening, a synthesized mechanical voice rang out from within the thick smoke.
"Excuse me, but what exactly is this place?"