Chapter 424: Chapter 415: Here to Protect You

In the icy river, Chis trembled amidst the violent shaking.

Each of the Puki transformed into suicidal water mines that exploded in succession, sending shock waves to the depths of the riverbed.

Even though Chis had curled its core deep into the mud at the bottom, it could still feel the relentless pressure.

Its “heart” was too fragile, relying on a meat shield of other insects to protect it tightly, struggling to move downstream in the murky water, trying to evade the endless bombardment.

The cost was heavy.

One split body after another had its internal organs shattered by the shock waves, and the incomplete carcasses began to float upwards, only to be torn into finer pieces by subsequent explosions, eventually turning into floating purple stains on the river surface.

There were too many… These mushrooms were far more numerous than it remembered!

Even if Chis’s army were still around, they couldn’t compete with the current Puki.

The thought of the disparity in power between both sides, and yet the mushrooms ambushed it stealthily, filled Chis with a sense of fear—it must really want to devour it!

Of course, Lin Jun wanted to eat it!

And she knew how difficult it was to eat it.

On the river surface, Scout Puki constantly locked onto Chis’s main body while multiple reconnaissance Puki scouted upstream and downstream, trying to locate Chis’s split bodies.

However, despite flying far away, they found no trace of the split bodies.

This made Lin Jun suspect that Chis might have hidden its split bodies outside the river channel, making it difficult to search.

This embarrassing situation primarily stemmed from inadequate preparation.

If she had known Chis’s location, understood the [Split Body] ability, Lin Jun would have found Chis’s escape route first, then attacked simultaneously, leaving Chis with nowhere to escape.

Unfortunately, amidst the unexpected encounter, locking onto the position of the “heart” was the result of Chis’s unexpected attack, caught off guard.

The continuous entry of self-destructive Puki into the water kept pressuring Chis, preventing it from fully escaping, yet intentionally not forcing it to the point of certain death, was meant to stall for time to find the split bodies.

However, the fast consumption of Puki without doubt also imposed a time limit on Lin Jun’s search.

After all, this wasn’t near the Fungal Mat, Puki couldn’t replenish in real-time.

When Puki consumed more than half, Lin Jun finally gave up the search.

“Slaughter it!”

The ordered Little Pig immediately changed tactics. More Puki jumped into the river like dumplings, the vibrations from the explosions making even those stood on the ice feel a tingle under their feet. The already fragile ice layer began to crack widely, the colliding ice blocks emitting piercing friction sounds.

Then, the explosion sounds stopped.

Little Pig, always commanding from the center, personally attacked for the first time. She led her squadron of Vampire Puki into the icy river, blood lines encased the Puki densely, ultimately transforming into sharp blood spikes, rapidly piercing towards the river bottom.

Passing through floating mycelium debris and insect remnants, relying on Lin Jun’s real-time positioning visuals transmitted through the Fungal Network, Little Pig quickly approached the already cornered Heart of Chis.

“Mushroom!”

Nonetheless, Chis seemed to go all out, the last insects protecting it charged towards Little Pig.

The unexpected telepathic communication surprised Louisa slightly but did not interfere with her actions in the slightest.

Enveloping the Vampire Puki, the blood line suddenly loosened, along with the Puki spinning rapidly, transformed into countless threads fine like hair yet infinitely sharp blood blades expanding all around.

Instantly, the entire river section seemed as if cut by invisible blades, filled with dense cut marks.

This was the unique move under Little Pig’s control—the Blood Blade Storm.

Indeed, Lin Jun has tried, threw out the blood line about finger width, and in a crack can smear it all over someone’s face…

After the skill, instant clearing, even the Heart of Chis was no exception.

Of course, using this in water also had high costs, these elite Vampire Puki without pre-installed [Underwater Adaptation], lost the blood line wrap, each drowning one by one, briefly kicking their short legs helplessly, then ceased activity.

Such cost was wagered on whether Chis could react to the sudden strike.

Regrettably, in Lin Jun’s panel, after Chis’s telepathic communication, activated its skill, turning into split bodies.

Seeing the wet Chis’s split body brought up by Little Pig, Lin Jun was not too disappointed.

After all, she wasn’t well prepared, and on this trip, the gains already exceeded expectations greatly.

Besides the existing skills of Chis’s army, the aquatic Chis also carried many skills of underwater creatures, salvaging the wreckage could allow disassembly waves.

Also acquired a split body, which means she could have two split bodies later.

And the Tou Chi Beast also had a special skill [Giant Object], felt like something special Puki could be forged.

Apart from Chis, those tribal warriors who fell into water were also part of the harvest.

Chis killed them but hadn’t had time to digest them, each wrapped in the river’s bottom flesh tumors, many destructed by explosions, now the river surface was truly scattered with corpses.

Fortunately, the nearby tribespeople had all fled, Lin Jun quietly sent these unlucky ones to where they need to go from a chosen direction.

Yet all of this wasn’t the biggest achievement of this trip, the biggest achievement was…

…

“You… What are you here for?” Beyond three layers of fences, a half-demon somewhat tremblingly asked the sudden arrival of the Fungal Network team at their tribe.

After eliminating Chis’s troops, Norris left a small group responsible for cutting up and transporting the bodies of Tou Chi Beast and Evil Eye back.

Then, hurriedly brought the majority of his forces to the Broken Blade tribe.

“As part of the Northern Territory, we are here to protect you from the threat of Chis! It’s cold outside, may we come in?” The Lizardman translator beside Norris said loudly.

Mainly because Norris’s Demon Language was still being learned, he wasn’t proficient, commands were delivered directly through the Fungal Network, externally a cool Lizardman setup was temporarily adopted.

The chief of the Broken Blade Tribe approached the fence, observing those Lizardmen outside who weren’t even wearing animal skin clothing yet seemed unfazed: “Cold huh…”

Just then, a voice he recognized resounded from among the Lizardman & Puki forces outside.

“Chief, they… are indeed here to eliminate Chis, I was saved by them! All those Chis’s chasers from the water have been slaughtered by them!” Broga, being supported affectionately by Norris, said loudly, adding extra emphasis to the latter part.

Gulp—

“Open… Open the door!”

Hearing the chief’s command to open the door, many warriors in the tribe instinctively took a breath of relief.

Norris, however, only let a part of the Lizardmen with Puki inside, he had to rush to the next tribe.

Among several tribes, naturally, some chiefs overly accustomed to throwing their weight around, failing to see the situation, rejected Norris.

Yet after Norris brought the Yellow-covered Book and had a deep heart-to-heart covert communication with them, the chief ultimately understood the greater good, warmly welcomed the Fungal Network troops, even voluntarily entrusted Norris’s forces with their tribe’s defense as a sign of trust!

Suddenly, the relationships between several tribes and the Fungal Network transitioned from occasional neighbors to intimate military allies.

…

And at the end of Gong River, in a corner unknown.

A dozen underwater insects guarding the emerged Heart of Chis, slipped silently into the sea like a lost dog.

“Once again… All… Lost…”

—————–

Here let me say a few words, I know some readers feel Chis ran away again, dragging on.

First, according to story development, Chis wasn’t meant to die here.

Secondly, Chis, originally this world’s BOSS, has been feeding mushrooms all along, really too miserable, let it play a resurrection round.

Thirdly, Chis is not the type of villain who comes to bother the protagonist every once in a while, it is hostile to everyone, meaning in a long time to come, it will be entangled in chaotic struggles, not opposing the protagonist.

Finally, it is also an indispensable power in saving the world. (Emphasize this)

Another Chapter around two o’clock.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep