The other members of the team also stared at the ferocious spirit-armored beetle with extreme caution. Seeing so many humans suddenly appear, the creature became even more restless and agitated. Its wings trembled incessantly, and more and more larvae emerged from beneath its shell. These larvae were thickly wrapped around its body, seemingly preparing for a second attack.
Sure enough, as they were speaking, the ferocious spirit-armored beetle charged towards David. This time, its speed was much faster than before, as if it was desperate to protect the mother and kill David.
“David, be careful!” Sally shouted nervously. Arnold and Duke immediately rushed forward to intercept the beetle. Sally didn’t hesitate either and conjured a bolt of lightning from the sky, striking the beetle’s head. Before the ferocious spirit-armored beetle could reach David, it was stopped by the team members.
After consuming the gene fruit, the team’s stamina and energy significantly improved, and their combat power returned to normal. Arnold’s wolf claws were particularly fierce, leading the charge and delivering a powerful blow to the beetle’s shell.
Duke pinched the air with both hands, and two shadows shot out, entwining the ferocious spirit-armored beetle’s limbs. In a blink of an eye, they immobilized the creature in place.
“Boom!” Sally’s lightning struck the beetle’s head, and a cloud of white smoke mixed with dazzling sparks erupted. The ferocious spirit-armored beetle howled in pain and immediately retreated its head back into the shell. 𝘦𝘯.𝘰𝘳𝘨
Seeing the attack taking effect, the team members continued to launch a new round of offensive, trying to finish it off completely. Sally’s lightning strikes combined with Arnold’s claw attacks quickly pushed the team’s momentum forward.
Duke used shadow techniques to firmly restrain the beetle’s movements, keeping it in place to receive blows. Soon, the beetle’s shell was marked with several scars from the attacks. But then, the beetle’s head suddenly emerged from the shell again, but this time, it looked different. The previously raised eyes seemed to have a layer of metal over them, exuding a thick sense of solidity. Its head was now tightly covered by this metallic layer, with no skin exposed like before.
What shocked everyone even more was that the ferocious spirit-armored beetle’s shell began to shed slowly. A thick layer of exoskeleton quickly fell off, and the scars previously caused by Arnold and Sally disappeared. Instead, the shell now revealed strange patterns.
Upon seeing this, Fatso immediately took a step back, and his expression turned serious. Arnold continued to charge towards the beetle, attempting to inflict another severe injury. However, just as he approached the ferocious spirit-armored beetle, the strange patterns on its shell suddenly flashed! A fierce burst of white light erupted from its shell, overwhelming like a bomb explosion, ruthlessly destroying everything nearby.
Arnold couldn’t dodge in time and was blasted into the air in an instant. Duke, on the other hand, coughed up blood, and his shadow technique immediately failed, leaving him paralyzed on the ground.
Witnessing this, David immediately opened a space portal and caught Arnold, who was falling from the sky, setting him safely on the ground. Charles rushed to support Duke and pulled him back. In an instant, the situation on the battlefield turned particularly unfavorable for the Ember Squad.
The ferocious spirit-armored beetle shook its newly formed wings with the strange patterns, turning around to face the group. Its eyes were filled with anger and disdain.
“This guy evolved again?” Charles furrowed his brows and looked at the ferocious spirit-armored beetle. Not only did its physical form change, but its strength also dramatically increased, which could only be explained by a second evolution.
David also had a serious expression; he hadn’t expected this creature to be so formidable, enduring multiple attacks and still possessing such power. Its aura was particularly chilling.
At this moment, Fatso spoke with a serious face, “Yes, when the mother of the ferocious spirit-armored beetle feels threatened or injured, it triggers the evolutionary genes within it, leading to a second evolution. After the second evolution, its strength increases significantly. Without exaggeration, the current ferocious spirit-armored beetle is on par with a Level 9 esper.”
“Strength comparable to a Level 9 esper?” Hearing this from Fatso, everyone involuntarily gasped in shock. They could never have imagined that this seemingly giant bug would be so terrifying, almost on par with a Level 9 esper. It was like an overlord in this apocalyptic world.
David’s expression grew even more serious. He was currently at Level 8, and the rest of the team members were below him. This meant that even with their combined strength, it might not be enough to kill the ferocious spirit-armored beetle. He looked towards Fatso.
“Why do you know so much about the ferocious spirit-armored beetle?” David had been suspicious of Fatso from the beginning. Now, he couldn’t resist his curiosity and felt that Fatso might hold the key to defeating the creature.
Hearing David’s question, the other members of the team also looked at Fatso, making him nervous.
“Don’t look at me like that. It’s as if I have some sinister plot,” Fatso scratched his head and said.
“If you don’t tell us, I can kill you first, then deal with the ferocious spirit-armored beetle,” David said without hesitation, raising his spatial blade threateningly.
“Hey, calm down, bro. Let’s talk things out. Remember, a gentleman uses his mouth, not his fists. We have a good relationship, right?” Fatso spoke in a somewhat playful manner, trying to charm his way out of the situation.
David glanced at him and made a motion as if he was going to strike Fatso’s round head. Fatso quickly grinned and said, “Alright, alright, I’ll talk.”
Fatso glanced at the ferocious spirit-armored beetle, which was staring at the mother’s nest, and sighed. “When I first came to D Town, I encountered this creature. At that time, there was a group of reckless people who intruded into this forest, seemingly planning an ambush. However, they ended up angering the ferocious spirit-armored beetle, and it killed them all.”
“What is your real identity?” David continued coldly. He believed that Fatso was not just a scavenger who came to D Town; his scavenger identity was probably fabricated.
Fatso looked up at David and a strange glint flashed in his eyes. “My identity is indeed a scavenger, but I am the Dawn Scavenger.”