Su Li had already decided which 30 creatures he would turn into Corrupted Enslavement.
"Quality matters more than quantity. If we're going to take on that Flame Dragon Lizard with its built-in flame purification, we need monsters that are disgusting by nature—preferably with some special abilities, too."
Su Li counted on his bone fingers.
"First, they have to be susceptible to Crimson Corruption. Otherwise, I can't turn them into Corrupted Enslavement."
"Second, they should ideally be good at both dealing damage and controlling the battlefield."
"That narrows it down to the obvious best candidates."
His top choice was the Pipi Fingers. They were a bit of a sanity-blaster to look at, but there was no denying they were born to control the battlefield.
The way they could pin someone down with a dozen fingers at once... If several more joined in and piled on, one after another...
And if he got lucky and enslaved the Big Finger Bug wearing a ring, he'd score a free magic turret, too.
His second choice was the Abyssal Corroding Slimes. They were pure biological weapons.
They were already the product of foreign rules invading this world. Add Crimson Corruption to the mix, and you had pollution on top of pollution.
Even if the Flame Dragon Lizard was a native overlord, it would have to bow down and surrender when faced with an "outsider from beyond the heavens."
And if that still wasn't enough damage, they could all self-destruct at once, unleashing a massive burst of Crimson Corruption. Su Li couldn't even imagine how spectacular that would be.
"Then it's settled!" Su Li sprang into action.
He had a clear target, but carrying out the plan wouldn't be easy. The Fingercreepers especially liked gathering to play mahjong, and if too many of them showed up, even the Elden King would get kneaded into a ball of mush.
"I have to be careful and take them on in small groups."
"Pipi Axe, Pipi Finger, follow me! We're heading to the Corrupted Cave first!"
Inside the Corrupted Cave.
Su Li once again became a tireless laborer. He took out all the Cracked Pots he'd gotten from the Ghoul Tyrant and poured the liquid from the Corruption Pool into them.
Glug, glug...
Glug, glug...
[Obtained: Inferior Corrupted Pot x50]
Looking at the neat row of 50 biological weapons in his inventory, Su Li nodded in satisfaction.
"Plenty of ammo. Let's go!"
With his two trusty minions, Su Li made his way back to the place where he'd found the Fingercreeper horde.
To avoid getting ambushed by those creatures who loved attacking from underground, he climbed a dead tree with a clear view and perched on a branch.
"Pipi Axe, go crouch in that thicket. Don't move without my order!"
Pipi Axe obediently squeezed into the bushes, doing his best to look like a rotten log covered in mushrooms.
"Pipi Finger, it's your time to shine. Go introduce yourself! See if you can lure a few fools over."
Pipi Finger followed orders and swaggered into the Fingercreepers' territory.
Its appearance immediately stirred up the otherwise peaceful horde.
The Fingercreepers, who had been buried in the soil with only their fingertips showing, dug themselves out. A dozen hands of varying sizes gathered around Pipi Finger, pointing and chattering at him.
"Chirp?"
At last, the largest Fingercreeper crawled over. It was as big as a car, and a signet ring sat on its middle finger.
It circled Pipi Finger twice, apparently put off by the strong smell coming from its fellow creature and unsure if he really belonged to their group.
But after a simple check of their intelligence, they decided Pipi Finger was one of them—just a bit on the rancid side..
It reached out one finger and gently patted the back of Pipi Finger's hand.
Watching from the tree, Su Li imagined the conversation:
"Hey, brother, you caught Crimson Corruption? My condolences. Since you're not dead yet, why don't you come back with us for now?"
A small Finger Bug beside it came over and rubbed against Pipi Finger.
Su Li kept translating:
"My dear Second Uncle! Boo-hoo-hoo! Where have you been? I thought the skeletons had boiled you into soup!"
Pipi Finger couldn't understand a word, but followed Su Li's instructions anyway. He stiffly waved a finger, acting out, "It's fine, everyone! Follow me—I'll take you somewhere with plenty to eat and drink!"
Then he turned and crawled toward the spot where Su Li had set his ambush.
The Big Finger Bug hesitated, but in the end, it waved its hand and led a large group of minions after him.
Watching the vast army of hands below, the red flames in Su Li's eye sockets danced with excitement.
"Brilliant, Pipi Finger! You're an absolute master actor! Nice work!"
Once the Fingercreeper horde was fully in range, Su Li didn't hesitate. His hands flew as he pulled Inferior Corrupted Pots out of his inventory and began the bombardment.
"Blow them to hell!"
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" Twenty Inferior Corrupted Pots rained down.
"Smash! Smash! Smash!" The pots shattered one after another.
Dark-red Crimson Corruption instantly spread across the entire area, turning it into a Death Swamp.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp—!!"
The Fingercreepers immediately fell into chaos. The agony of the Crimson Corruption sent them rolling wildly on the ground, trying to rub the Rotten Liquid off themselves. All they did was smear even more of it over their bodies.
The Big Finger Bug reacted fastest. Realizing it had been tricked, it reared up in fury. A dazzling light gathered on its purple signet ring.
"Thinking of fighting back? Too late!"
Su Li shouted, "Pipi Axe, charge!!"
"Roar—!!"
Pipi Axe, who had been itching to get into the fight, burst out of the bushes. The Soul Fire around his neck burned fiercely, and the Double-Edged Battle Axe in his hands swept forward with a raging force as he barreled into the chaotic Fingercreeper horde like a heavy tank.
At the same time, Su Li leaped down from the tree.
He adjusted his posture in midair and landed with a heavy stomp of his right foot.
"War Stomp!!"
"Boom!!!"
The ground shook violently. Dozens of sharp Bone Spikes thrust up from the earth, skewering the Fingercreepers rolling on the ground one by one!
[Corruption buildup is full! Passive triggered: Crimson Corruption!]
More than twenty Fingercreepers were instantly weakened by damage over time, their bodies giving off the telltale red smoke.
"Now it's hunting season!" Su Li raised the Corrupted Iron Sword and charged into the enemy ranks like a red whirlwind.
With Crimson Corruption coursing through them, they were now lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
"Squish! Squish!" Su Li took them down one by one.
[Killed Small Finger Bug ×15, gained experience +150]
[Killed Medium Finger Bug ×6, gained experience +180, spirit +3]
In just a few minutes, the battlefield had been mostly cleared.
Only the Big Finger Bug, whose vitality had proven remarkably tough, remained.
It stared at the corpses of its descendants scattered across the ground and flew into a rage.
The purple signet ring shone brightly. A pink gravitational wave hurtled toward Su Li.
Then its enormous body suddenly sprang into the air, spun rapidly once, and spread its dozen thick fingers wide, bringing them down over Su Li!
The Soul Fire in Su Li's eye sockets contracted. "No! It's a binding skill followed by a throwing technique!!"
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