Although Su Li had said he would go fight the Flame Dragon Lizard right away, he honestly chose the safer approach.
He didn't lead his sanity-draining Slime army straight into the dragon lizard's lair.
First, he settled the newly formed Corruption army deep inside the Corrupted Cave and told them to wait there.
Then, he went alone to scout the area around the Dragon Lizard Nest.
He stayed there for a full day.
After patiently watching, Su Li discovered that the Flame Dragon Lizard was a real glutton.
Aside from when it was asleep, it went out to hunt every two or three hours, and each time it stayed away for at least an hour.
"It eats a lot and poops a lot. No wonder nothing grows around its lair."
Su Li watched the enormous beast, its body crimson and its scales as thick as armor, and quietly considered his options.
"That hour-long window is the perfect time to set up a trap."
The next day...
Just as Su Li had expected, the Flame Dragon Lizard swaggered out of its lair again to look for breakfast.
Once he was sure it had gone far enough, Su Li immediately gave the order to assemble. "The whole army, move out!"
The Self-Destructing Army came marching in from its hiding place in the distance.
But Su Li didn't send them all rushing in at once. Instead, he made careful tactical arrangements.
"Four Small Finger Bugs, burrow underground! Dig a pit right by the lair entrance and bury yourselves in it! Each of you, take ten Corrosion Slimes!"
"Six Medium Finger Bugs, hide along the path it has to take on its way back. You'll be the first tripwire."
"As for Pipi Finger..."
Su Li glanced at the veteran who had been with him from the beginning.
It wasn't high-level and couldn't self-destruct, but it was agile and obedient.
Out of a little selfishness, Su Li decided to keep it away from the front lines for now and put it on support duty.
"Pipi Axe, you're the main tank this time! Hold the line!"
As for Su Li himself, he was responsible for the most important task—throwing shit!
What a perfect battle plan!
Once everything was in place, all that remained was the long wait.
At last, a familiar rumbling rose from the ground.
The Flame Dragon Lizard came back, carrying an unlucky Wild Boar in its jaws and walking with a swagger that said it feared no one.
Su Li guessed the dragon lizard was at least Lv. 18. His experiments had shown that the system couldn't display information on monsters more than ten levels above him.
Su Li kept his eyes fixed on the red figure.
Closer.
Closer still.
The instant the dragon lizard stepped into the designated ambush zone—
"Now! Attack!!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The peaceful ground erupted in an instant.
Five Finger Bugs burst from the ground like demons from hell, covered in dirt and reeking of Corruption as they launched themselves at the dragon lizard.
Their targets were clear: the lizard's four limbs and its neck!
Another Finger Bug burst out from beneath the dragon lizard's soft belly, its dozen fingers gripping the relatively fragile scales.
"Roar?!" The Flame Dragon Lizard was startled by the sudden ambush, and the Wild Boar fell straight from its jaws.
Then came boundless fury.
It was the mighty Dragon Lizard, lord of this region so long as it didn't pick a fight with those few others. Usually, it was the one bullying everyone else. And now a pack of lowly bugs had dared to ambush it?
"ROAR—!!"
It twisted violently, whipping its thick neck and flinging away one of the Finger Bugs trying to lock onto its throat.
A crimson glow rapidly gathered deep in its throat, and the temperature around it soared.
"Not good! It's using Flame Breath!" Su Li thought urgently.
Finger Bugs were naturally weak to fire. Now that they had become Corruption creatures, the elemental disadvantage made them even more vulnerable.
If that blast hit, those Finger Bugs would turn into roasted chicken feet in an instant.
"Pipi Axe! Pipi Finger! Now!!"
Pipi Axe didn't hesitate when it got the order. It gestured to Pipi Finger, then leaped into the middle of its broad palm.
Pipi Finger understood at once. Its thick fingers tensed, then swung hard toward the dragon lizard, just like someone throwing a shot put!
Protocol Four—Throwing Iron Rider!!
"Whoosh—!!" Pipi Axe shot through the air like a cannonball, soaring straight toward the sky.
Midair, relying on the physical prowess of a Lv. 10 Berserker, he adjusted his posture and raised the heavy Double-Edged Battle Axe with both hands. Using the force of his fall, he brought it down hard on the dragon lizard's neck as it charged up its attack!
"CLANG!!!!" The deafening clash of metal rang out.
The axe didn't pierce the dragon lizard's incredibly tough neck scales. The force of the rebound nearly knocked the axe right out of Pipi Axe's hands.
But the impact made the dragon lizard's head jerk downward, and its throat muscles spasmed.
The Flame Breath that was about to burst out was swallowed back down.
"Cough, cough!!"
The Flame Dragon Lizard coughed in pain, as though it had choked on its food.
Then two trails of black smoke came from its nostrils. It looked thoroughly uncomfortable.
"Nicely done!!" Su Li's eyes lit up.
"Now! Time for you to eat shit!!!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Su Li hurled dozens of ready-made Inferior Corruption Pots at the dragon lizard, sending them crashing down like raindrops.
"Smash! Smash! Smash!" The Corruption Pots shattered one after another.
Dark red Crimson Corruption liquid instantly coated half of the dragon lizard's body, sizzling as it ate away at the scales.
The Flame Dragon Lizard jolted in surprise. Its scales turned an even brighter red as it tried to evaporate the revolting liquid with its body heat.
"Looks like this little lizard knows fire can counter Crimson Corruption."
Su Li sneered and charged out of hiding, Corrupted Iron Sword in hand.
"But in the end, you're still just a little fire-breathing lizard!"
"ROAR!!"
The Flame Dragon Lizard roared at Su Li as he charged, finally figuring out who had been behind the attack.
"Heh, the little lizard's pretty smart." Su Li rushed up close and stamped down hard.
"War Stomp!!"
"Rumble!" Dozens of sharp Bone Spikes shot up from the ground, trying to pierce the dragon lizard's feet.
To Su Li's surprise, the spikes clanged against the scales on its feet. Most bounced right off, and only a few managed to dig in slightly.
"That hard?!" Su Li refused to believe it. His Corrupted Iron Sword darted out like a striking snake, stabbing toward the dragon lizard's waist.
"Clang!" The sword tip threw off a spray of sparks as it scraped the scales, leaving only a white mark.
"Tch, it's way too hard! That defense is ridiculous!"
Just then, the Flame Dragon Lizard began to struggle violently.
It roared and broke free of the two Pipi Fingers. Then it turned toward a Finger Bug and unleashed Flame Breath.
The Finger Bug was instantly set ablaze and writhed in agony.
The dragon lizard's thick, powerful tail swept out like a steel whip.
"Smack!!" Pipi Axe, who had been trying to get close, was sent flying.
The Finger Bug writhed violently on the ground as the flames devoured its life.
Watching this, Su Li's gaze suddenly turned fierce.
"If it's already on fire, we might as well make use of it!"
He gave the Finger Bug, which was about to burn to death, one last order. "You! Get in there and blow it up!!"
In the final moments of its life, the Finger Bug obeyed its master's command. It stopped struggling, summoned the last of its strength, and sprang toward the dragon lizard like a fireball.
"BOOM!!"
A violent explosion, mixed with flames and Corruption miasma, erupted beside the dragon lizard.
The Medium Finger Bug's explosion had successfully injured the Flame Dragon Lizard! And it looked like its Rot Value was already starting to build up!
But the blast enraged the dragon lizard completely. It roared, flung away the remaining Finger Bugs, and charged forward.
"This won't work. This thing's hide is way too hard."
Su Li looked at the dragon lizard's still-unbowed head, and an idea came to him.
"So its outer shell is tough? Then we'll break through from the inside!"
"Where's the Slime Self-Destruct Squad?! All of you, attack! Aim for the head!!!"
Before you continue