Chapter 35 Brother, I'm Kidding <TOC> Chapter 37 No Big Deal
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Translator: SumTLMan
The following night.
Zhou Yi was reading —National Geographic China—, savoring things that were once commonplace but now only available in magazine pages.
A knock came at the door.
He opened it to find A Feng standing there.
“Chairman, I’ve raised the Insect King into an Armored Insect!”
The young man, covered in mud, was grinning and gesticulating with excitement.
Zhou Yi was taken aback.
That quickly?
He followed A Feng to an outdoor container room filled with the stench of rot, where hay and branches lay scattered around a massive, jet-black insect sprawled inside. Gong Zheng was already waiting there.
A Feng pointed at the creature: “Chairman, this is the Armored Insect.”
Zhou Yi scrutinized the creature in front of him.
Unlike the soft, elongated Grub Grain Worm, the Armored Insect had shortened, becoming more oval-shaped, sturdier, almost resembling an oversized silkworm.
Its body was covered by a layer of black chitin arranged in rings, providing a carapace-like protection all over its form.
The Armored Insect chewed slowly on dried mushrooms and leaves, appearing calm, without any dissatisfaction in its current life.
A Feng picked up a curled black flake from the ground: “Chairman, this is its shell.”
Zhou Yi took it and examined it closely.
Its hardness was somewhere between plastic and metal, with decent flexibility, allowing for significant bending.
A Feng then demonstrated on the spot, hammering and cutting at the shell without causing any damage.
“Chairman, I’m not lying, this stuff is hard and flexible.”
Gong Zheng added: “The insect shell is a versatile natural material that can be reshaped at high temperatures. Alchemists use it to create specialized containers, or as outer casings and protective layers for advanced devices. It’s also an excellent material for shields and armor.”
Zhou Yi praised A Feng, encouraging him to cultivate more Armored Insects to expand the company’s stockpile of insect shell material.
“Chairman, with all the surplus mushrooms, we can raise plenty of Armored Insects. Although they shed their shells slowly, if we raise enough, we’ll gather plenty of shells. I’ll make sure they multiply!”
A Feng was filled with confidence.
Though Zhou Yi wasn’t sure how to use the material just yet, it was always good to stockpile quality resources.
Better to store them for now.
…
Another day passed.
With Night Claw as his adjutant, Zhou Yi assembled a force of 30 Black Warriors, 77 regular Warrior Crabs, 108 in total, and they marched across the oasis, arriving at the Death Dunes.
On the dunes, disguised humans and creatures controlled by Stinging Antlions still wandered under the sun.
Zhou Yi used his previous tactic for dealing with the Stinging Antlions, sending Warrior Crab squads to launch poisoned throwing knives.
These desert monsters had armored bodies, but their antennae, embedded in flesh, provided an entry point for the Jumping Snake venom. As they erupted in a frenzy, the venom spread more quickly within them.
Using this straightforward method, the Warrior Crab army pushed forward, killing 43 Stinging Antlions, creating a breach in the Death Dunes.
Upon entering the deeper dunes, the situation changed.
The outer dunes had been divided among the Stinging Antlions, with their lures visible everywhere. However, the inner region was strangely quiet.
Zhou Yi immediately ordered the army to halt.
Unfortunately, Red Falcon wasn’t available to survey the unusual dunes from above.
Should they continue forward or retreat for safety?
Zhou Yi examined the surroundings.
Some dunes showed traces of vitrification, with scorched, blackened patches.
Zhou Yi asked Night Claw: “Have meteorites fallen in the Death Dunes?”
“Master, what’s a meteorite?”
The Claw Boar looked puzzled.
Zhou Yi gave a brief explanation of meteors and their mechanics.
“Oh, so that’s called a meteorite. Those metal lumps that fall from the sky and catch fire, yes, but very, very rarely.”
Night Claw continued: “They don’t often fall here; most meteorites land in the Dead Sea.”
The Death Dunes were not a meteorite impact zone.
This meant that these marks were man-made.
Zhou Yi’s gaze sharpened.
Using his Alertness ability, he tracked the energy flow in the vicinity.
With high visibility in daylight and minimal interference, Zhou Yi carefully surveyed the area, noting some unusual tracks after ruling out others.
Underneath some vitrified spots, faint traces of dissipating white energy were visible.
Zhou Yi ordered the Warrior Crabs to dig through the sand, uncovering severely damaged remains. Night Claw identified them by smell as Stinging Antlion corpses. However, the valuable carapace, leg spines, and antennae had been removed, bearing signs of cuts.
Someone else had been hunting here.
Following these remains, Zhou Yi tracked down six more sites of monster carcasses and discovered some oil paper buried in the sand, suggesting it had been used to wrap something.
Soon, he heard a loud explosion.
He located the source of the noise behind a dune.
There, a massive Stinging Antlion stood.
Its body bristled with spiny tendrils, and it had two long, pale yellow wings sprouting from its back. Its size and aura surpassed any previous Stinging Antlion.
The giant Stinging Antlion’s pincer-like jaws were open, seemingly intimidating an enemy, but it couldn’t or wouldn’t move, as though pinned to the dune.
About fifteen meters in front of it stood a petite girl with a white sun hat and gray short-sleeved shirt.
The girl wore narrow-rimmed round glasses, with lenses reflecting a faint red light.
Her hair was tied at the back, her bangs parted to each side. Squinting with her right eye, she gripped an open black umbrella with both hands, aiming at the monster.
She bent her knees slightly, pulling the umbrella handle back.
Bang!
Geometric patterns of light appeared on the umbrella, releasing a powerful white light that blasted the Stinging Antlion’s massive head to pieces.
The towering monster staggered and slowly collapsed.
The girl, still holding her umbrella, walked over to the decapitated creature, studying the corpse.
Then she slowly turned her head, looking toward Zhou Yi’s position on the dune, folding her umbrella and waving with a smile.
Zhou Yi openly approached.
As he got closer, he noticed her arms were entirely crafted from metal prosthetics.
Yet her handling of the umbrella and finger movements appeared nimble and fluid.
Noticing his gaze, she confidently extended her left hand without the umbrella, flexing five sleek silver fingers: “Pretty agile, right? It’s also very sturdy. This is the 2nd-generation ‘Veteran Steel Arms.’ It’s compatible with most mainstream weapons on the market, whether for close-combat or long-range. You can rely on it to maintain stability and precision.”
“Interested in getting one, sir?”
“We’re currently running a promotion. For only 699 Light Seeds, you get one arm along with a bottle of maintenance oil, plus a full year of free upkeep and repairs.”
Zhou Yi hesitated.
What was this?
Sales pitching here?
“Or, consider this model,” she continued: “the ‘Nimble Hand,’ still in the testing phase. Though it lacks the Veteran Steel Arms’ strength, it’s more than adequate for daily tasks, whether gripping or using tools.”
With her left hand, she took the umbrella handle, extending her right hand.
This right hand wore a black glove covering the forearm, fastened with two straps, its wood and metal structure appearing slender and refined compared to her other arm.
“The ‘Nimble Hand’ offers excellent value. It’s yours for just 399 Light Seeds. Interested?”
Zhou Yi raised his hands: “I don’t have such a need.”
“Well, you never know what tomorrow brings, right? Even as a collectible, they’re nice to look at, aren’t they?”
She eagerly promoted her prosthetic arms.
Zhou Yi’s face twitched: “Who are you?”
“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself.”
With a professional smile, she said: “My name is Qian Su, a weapons supplier. Additionally, I’m a citizen of the Heavenly Kingdom and an honorary knight of the Dead Sea Knights.”
Chapter 35 Brother, I'm Kidding <TOC> Chapter 37 No Big Deal