This time, the four of them had made astonishing gains. The bodies of sea spiders piled up on the ground around them grew in number. Gong Xiao had killed five more sea spiders, gaining five spirit sources, and needed seven more to break through. Ding Longyun had killed four sea spiders, now holding 13/50 spirit sources. Although Su Li hadn’t actively competed, he had still killed the most among the four in this short time—seven, bringing him to 12/50 spirit sources. Among them, Gong Xiao was the closest to a breakthrough. Just as she killed another sea spider and claimed another spirit source, a dark figure suddenly rose from the edge of the rooftop ahead.
The figure leaped up, swift as a hawk swooping on its prey, hurtling toward Gong Xiao like lightning. Caught off guard, Gong Xiao’s pretty face paled. By the time she realized the danger, the dark figure was already upon her. Just as it was about to strike her, Su Li, from the other side, let out a low shout and charged sideways into it. With a loud *bang*, he collided with the dark figure, sending it flying sideways past Gong Xiao. It tumbled and rolled a dozen meters before finally stopping. Su Li landed in front of Gong Xiao, his muscles swelling slightly, straining against his clothes as if a suit of muscle armor had suddenly formed over his body. Moments ago, he had controlled his muscles into a defensive state, kicked off the ground, and launched himself like a cannonball, knocking the sudden dark figure away and saving Gong Xiao. Gong Xiao, still shaken, realized Su Li had saved her again. A strange, indescribable feeling stirred in her heart. She had always aimed to surpass Su Li, unwilling to lag behind, yet every time danger struck, it was Su Li who rescued her.
The bulging muscles on Su Li’s surface slowly receded, returning to normal. A vertical slit-like pattern emerged on his forehead as the “Peeking Rune” activated. “Name: Mantis Giant Shrimp, Level: Level 3 Elite Beast. Mantis Fist attacks are fast and powerful, striking like bullets. Weakness: Poor stamina, unable to fight for long. Killing a Mantis Giant Shrimp has a chance to grant the special ability ‘Mantis Fist.’” “It’s a Level 3 Elite Beast, on par with that Tyrant Crab.” Su Li’s thoughts raced, piquing his interest. He took several quick steps, closing in on the Mantis Giant Shrimp he had just knocked away.
The Mantis Giant Shrimp was two meters long, with a dark red body, a shrimp-like head, and a mantis-like lower half. After being knocked belly-up by Su Li, it twisted midair, landed upright, and let out a faint hissing sound, clearly enraged. Its limbs sprang, launching it into the air toward Su Li. Before they closed the distance, the pair of shrimp claws tucked against its chest shot out rapidly, leaving faint afterimages. In an instant, it unleashed countless strikes, all aimed at Su Li’s vital points. Su Li was slightly startled. This creature’s Mantis Fist was formidable. Though he could enter a defensive muscle state, he didn’t dare take the risk. He immediately sidestepped, retreating a few steps.
Gong Xiao, wielding her baseball bat, charged in from the side. By now, aside from the scattered sea spider corpses, the surviving sea spiders had retreated, scared off by the Mantis Giant Shrimp’s appearance. Ding Longyun also circled around. They were all interested in this Mantis Giant Shrimp. Gong Xiao extended her left hand, activating “Entangling Vine.” A green vine shot out, aiming to bind the shrimp’s pair of claws—she had identified them as its most dangerous weapons. Ding Longyun, now behind it, raised his axe to strike from the rear. With his current strength, if his axe landed, it could even split the Mantis Giant Shrimp’s shell, as its defense wasn’t particularly high.
As Su Li dodged, the shrimp’s claws struck the ground, sending stone chips flying. Each blow left small craters in the concrete rooftop, creating dense cracks like tiny spiderwebs. “This thing,” Su Li thought, inwardly shocked. The Mantis Giant Shrimp’s Mantis Fist was terrifyingly powerful. It was only a Level 3 Elite Beast, yet it could dent concrete—something he couldn’t do even with his 1,700 jin of strength without a tool. The shrimp’s attacks on Su Li all missed. In the next instant, its claws tightened as Gong Xiao’s “Entangling Vine” bound them. It hissed, reared up, and strained to break free. Seizing the opportunity, Su Li gripped his cleaver with both hands. The muscles in his arms swelled, veins bulging on the back of his hands. He twisted his body, lunged forward, and as the shrimp reared up, exposing its belly, he swung the cleaver downward. Even if the shrimp’s belly lacked hard shell protection, it couldn’t withstand Su Li’s full-powered strike. Green fluid sprayed from the shrimp’s belly as Su Li’s cleaver sliced it open completely. The Mantis Giant Shrimp let out a hissing sound, its reared body toppling backward. Gong Xiao didn’t stop despite Su Li’s success. Instead, she released the “Entangling Vine,” gripped her baseball bat with both hands, leaped, and brought it down with force. With a *thud*, the bat struck the shrimp’s head as it fell backward, instantly splattering it into a pulp. Su Li paused, watching as the shrimp’s body went still with Gong Xiao’s final blow. A spirit source flew out and merged into her forehead. He thought to himself that this woman was quick to snatch the kill—his earlier strike to the belly had been fatal, and even with its resilience, the shrimp would have died in seconds. But Gong Xiao’s follow-up blow had finished it off instantly, granting her the spirit source. Still, he knew she hadn’t meant to steal the kill. It was a fighter’s instinct—when a powerful monster wasn’t fully dead, it might launch a desperate counterattack, still dangerous. In such moments, everyone habitually struck again to ensure the kill. If he had been in Gong Xiao’s place, he would have done the same, not stopping just because the shrimp had taken a belly wound.
Gong Xiao’s face lit up with excitement. The Mantis Giant Shrimp had given her two spirit sources, leaving her just four short of a breakthrough—she was now incredibly close to leveling up.