Chapter 192: Fierce Battle! The Path of the Giant Worm!
Five days later, various Emerald Star dungeon teams advanced in unison, approaching the Central Dome from multiple different directions, with only dozens to a hundred meters left.
One could say they were just a wall away.
Tomorrow, no, later tonight, they were expected to complete the encirclement and begin the Defeat of the Dragon BOSS!
At this moment, the brave and daring Executive Officer was leading the charge, taking his 25-person team to conquer the most difficult path.
This path was deeply buried beneath the research institute, consisting of the old drainage and sewage systems.
This was a forbidden zone that Emerald Life Science absolutely dared not step into, extremely perilous.
Over four centuries, countless remains of plants and animals entered this wide trench, continuously incubating and fermenting within it. The team members walked through waist-deep organic soup, with some areas so deep it went over their heads. The water below was pitch black and very viscous.
Even more tormenting was the putrid smell in the air; even with the air filter at maximum, it was incredibly hard to bear.
If anyone couldn't stand it and vomited, he would be miserable, having to vomit inside his power armor helmet, which was an absolute nightmare.
Taking off the helmet, the corrosive air would gradually burn his trachea.
And the monsters here, each one pushed the limits of human mental endurance more than the last.
Carnivorous barnacles and giant water leeches covered the walls. Previously, team members had tragically died to 'giant mouths' beneath the filthy swamp, only to later discover they were a type of large, wait-and-see bivalve creature, with shells full of sharp teeth.
These creatures were far more primitive than the Whip Wielders, but this was not good news for the players.
They were so primitive they had no heartbeat; when completely still, they were undetectable by any sensor.
Because the environment was too harsh, many people considered giving up.
In comparison, other dungeon routes were simply paradise!
But seeing the Executive Officer also fighting by their side, they still chose to silently persevere.
Of course, the boss coming to boost morale was only one reason; another reason was the extremely high reward.
zero element in the ecosystem exhibits a 'bioaccumulation' effect, continuously increasing its content by consuming flesh and blood.
The various scavenger creatures in the underground sewers, nourished by the animal remains rolling down from above, were plump and strong. Not only was their total biomass very large, but their zero element content was also extremely high.
After confirming this, Lu Yuan felt like he had discovered a treasure trove and immediately issued related tasks.
Those participating in the underground route dungeon assault would receive 1.2 times experience and 3 times salary!
"Boss, that lump up ahead—"
Male God, who was with Lu Yuan, pointed to a large, black, wriggling mass ahead.
"Hmm, it's a giant water leech."
These troublesome mollusks could grow up to nearly 4 meters long. Although they lacked sturdy biological armor, their flesh was extremely tough.
Kinetic weapons hitting them were like pebbles thrown into a mud pit, with very poor effect.
What was even more deadly was their tendency to gather in groups.
"Go, same tactics as before."
"Alright!"
Several heavily armored team members stepped forward, provocatively banging their heavy shields.
Hearing the commotion, a dozen or so giant water leeches twisted their corpulent bodies and wriggled over at the speed of a hundred-meter sprinter, making one's scalp tingle.
Pfft!
Accompanied by a nauseating sound, the leeches spat out their internal organs, which were covered in sharp spines, could bite, and also secreted strong acid.
Pink stomach sacs slammed heavily onto the ceramic-gold shields, sharp teeth gnawing furiously, emitting an ear-splitting metallic scraping sound, and yellow-green stomach acid poured down all over them.
Fortunately, the metal-ceramic and titanium alloy were highly corrosion-resistant.
"Hold on, brothers! Here it comes!"
Realizing they couldn't easily subdue their prey, the leech's body suddenly sprang, using its internal organs as traction, and leaped over, its more than one-ton body directly pressing onto the player.
"Hold on!"
The heavy armor squad held their shields firmly, maintaining their standing posture, and the power armor's joint motors whined.
"Fireteam, go! Be careful not to friendly fire!"
Seeing that the leech had used both of its skills, Lu Yuan decisively gave the order.
Shotgun and melee teams rushed forward, surrounding the prey and unleashing a barrage of attacks. The heavy armor squad also drew plasma daggers from their waists,
Stabbing fiercely at the leech's belly.
"Die!"
Hiss hiss hiss~~
Immediately, the sewer was filled with the smell of burning collagen.
Whether the body was hard or tough, super-high-temperature weapons treated them all the same.
As long as the temperature was high enough, molecular structures would be destroyed, and defenses would be breached. This was a physical limit that carbon-based life forms could not overcome. The entire Emerald Star, one could say, was the exclusive domain of plasma melee weapons and "Dragon Breath" shotguns.
Individual laser weapons were also quite effective, capable of quickly cutting through monster bodies.
Previously, Cang Yuan had obtained some laser rifles and laser pistols from the corpses of pirates who attacked the colonial ship. Currently, preliminary reverse engineering had been completed, and enhanced versions of power armor laser cannons, with increased size and power, had been produced and sparingly equipped to high-level players on Emerald Star.
After a full 5 minutes of hacking and intense shooting, the leech swarm was finally cleared, and everyone was covered in slime and charred minced meat.
"It's truly a living hell—"
The tragic scene made the Executive Officer secretly click his tongue.
Hard work, hard work...
For this dirty and tiring work, three times the salary was too little...
Just as everyone was about to catch their breath, the ground beneath the water suddenly shook violently again. The next second, a giant worm, far larger than the leeches, suddenly burst through the water, rising more than ten meters into the air!
In its four-lobed mouth, as sharp as a guillotine, it held a player who had met a bloody end.
Crack!
With just one bite, it severed both the person and their armor, swallowing them in two clean gulps.
"It's a 'Lurker'! Shoot!"
All ranged firepower was brought to bear.
The Lurker's body structure was similar to Earth's Bobbit worm. Its hundreds of pairs of legs were good at digging, and it usually dug holes to hide underground, relying on its strong body muscles and unusually sharp mouthparts to hunt. Its speed was extremely fast, making it difficult to react.
The giant worm was quickly riddled with holes, and plasma splattered everywhere, but it was too large and had too much health. After feeling pain, it retreated into its hole, only injured.
This was the second time Lu Yuan had been at a disadvantage against this type of monster; the previous one also ate and ran like this, but this time, this time he absolutely wouldn't let it go!
Looking down on me, the terrifying upright ape, are you?
"Blast it out!"
The fire team launched five smart missiles in a row. These missiles were pushed out of the power armor backpack by compressed air, but their tails didn't "spew fire"; instead, they plopped into the sewage.
They were custom-made for the "Lurker," having been modified into small torpedoes.
The torpedoes followed and drilled into the giant worm's hiding hole.
Soon after, muffled thuds and tremors came from deep underground. These tremors did not cease with the explosions, indicating that the "Lurker" was charging upwards.
The predators on Emerald Star all had tempers; now it was enraged!
The giant worm once again burst out of the ground, its head held high, preparing to launch a downward smash attack.
"Quickly hide in the formation!"
The well-prepared heavy armor team, seeing this, quickly raised their shields to form a tortoise-shell formation, protecting the others.
Clang!
The shield dome blocked the heavy blow of the sharp mouthparts. After that, the players seized the opportunity, poked their gun barrels through the shield gaps,
And returned fire!
The "Lurker" was completely enraged. It wildly thrashed its body, smashing down with its mouthparts and even its head, at an increasing frequency. Under this torrential assault, some players in the heavy armor squad experienced power armor malfunctions and knelt in the knee-deep sewage.
"This won't do, watch me!"
At the critical moment, a hero appeared!
Male God snatched a shield from one of them and deliberately let the giant worm bite him.
He was lifted entirely, agilely kicking the shield into the giant worm's throat, jamming the two smaller palatal teeth in its mouth. Then, he reached out to brace himself against the less sharp parts at the base of the other two large teeth.
Immediately after, Male God pushed his flight pack to maximum power, a long jet of flame erupting from his back, causing the giant worm's head to sway up, down, left, and right.
This enormous monster was actually hard-controlled by him alone!
Lu Yuan's heart swelled with joy.
This kid usually didn't seem too bright, but at critical moments, he could come up with ingenious ideas!
"People below, hurry! I can't hold on much longer!"
"Good opportunity! Follow me!"
Lu Yuan, wielding his plasma great axe, was the first to charge forward.
The other melee players, seeing this, instantly understood what the Executive Officer wanted to do and followed him.
Several people surrounded the worm's body, which was over 3 meters in diameter, and with all their might, swung their weapons down with maximum force.
Slash!
The superheated blade easily vaporized the carapace and muscle.
The giant worm snapped in two as if on cue! Its upper body fell into the water, struggling and twisting.
All elongated monsters have this weakness.
Easy to break!
After severing the worm's body, the melee squad ran around the giant worm's head, hacking and slashing wildly, finally making it completely stop breathing.
The players cheered and celebrated.
"Male God, MVP!"
Even Lu Yuan couldn't help but praise him.
"Well done, big reward!"
"Woohoo~~"
Male God jumped out of the worm's mouth, leaping three feet high.
"Speaking of which, this monster is really big, definitely bigger than the Whip Wielders! How long is it exactly?"
"I don't know, most of it is probably hidden in the hole, its length is definitely beyond the scanner's range anyway."
"Emerald Life Science hasn't seen its full form in over 400 years, and we've successfully hunted it twice! Ha! We brothers are really strong!"
"Executive Officer, we have enough people and enough strength, should we drag it all out to see?"
"Drag it!"
Lu Yuan immediately agreed.
His heart was also filled with the joy that came from successfully hunting a huge prey.
This was a pleasure etched deep in the genes of all male Homo sapiens!
Soon, with the collaborative efforts of everyone, the entire worm body was dragged out of the cave.
The result was quite astonishing! The giant worm was approximately 120 meters long in total, with a conservative estimated weight of 150 tons. Previously, they thought they had cut off a part of its body, but now it seemed it was actually the neck area.
This was the largest Emerald Star predator discovered so far, excluding super-creatures!
The zero element content of the scavenger creatures in the sewer was at least twice that of the Whip Wielders.
Lu Yuan calculated that this single monster alone could yield 600 kilograms of zero element, exceeding the total amount obtained from Apollo!
Including other prey, this route had yielded a total of 1 ton of zero element, more than three times the average of other routes. At the same time, after scanning various formidable creatures, Cang Yuan also gained more weapon research options.
Putting aside other things, just the 'Lurker''s sharp mouthparts could now be confirmed to be much harder than the power armor's iron-based metal ceramics, otherwise, it wouldn't have bitten through people so easily.
As long as the molecular structure can be obtained, the defense of warships and power armor is expected to be upgraded again!
Good, good, this planet is truly rich.
Lu Yuan sighed inwardly, his lips curving upwards uncontrollably.
Hard work led to extraordinary rewards.
The squad continued forward, encountering no other large-bodied creatures along the way. It seemed the Lurker controlled a considerable territory, driving away most other species, and only unintelligent animals like the giant water leeches dared to approach its habitat.
"We've arrived, Boss," 15 minutes later, Male God, acting as scout, ran back and reported another good piece of news.
Ahead, the sewer had collapsed, and the ceiling was shattered. Through the gaps between the concrete blocks, one could see the architectural space above.
"We've reached the end! Haha! It's open!"
"Oh yeah! Finally!"
"Awesome!!"
The players breathed a sigh of relief.
This hellish path was finally cleared! All the effort was worth it!
"Alright, alright, you can celebrate, but don't use the loudspeakers, use the team radio."
Lu Yuan maintained his calm, looking at the broken and collapsed architectural structure ahead.
"We continue forward."
He led his team members through the cracks and openings, ascending to the architectural space directly beneath the Great Dome.
Everyone scanned the surroundings and found very thick cables and pipes leading deeper. It seemed some large equipment was buried there, but to restore power, they needed to go to the Great Dome, repair, and activate the control console.
Lu Yuan had a strong premonition that he was very close to the 【Interstellar Relic】 indicated by the system.
But at the same time, he also understood that the BOSS above seemed to be unavoidable.
"This is the Executive Officer. We have cleared the route. What is your progress? Please report."
"Too—too strong!?"
The channel was filled with exclamations.
Ye Xing: "No, Boss—wasn't your path the hardest?"
Prairie: "Congratulations! We're almost there too, still need about half an hour."
Black Smoke: "We—apologies, Executive Officer, we still need at least 4 hours."
Lu Yuan: "It's alright, we'll take a break. Everyone keep up the good work."
"Yes!"
Late that night, all teams, totaling over 150 people, finally completed the monster clearing.
They just waited for the Executive Officer's command, then they could rush into the Great Dome and face the final BOSS of the dungeon.