Weakness

The dark golden queen Insect Queen crawled out of the shattered eggshell, its six legs firmly planted on the ground, its compound eyes coldly sweeping over Lu Heng.

Lu Heng's pupils suddenly contracted.

wrong.

This Insect Queen is in a completely different state than the previous one.

A scene he had seen before suddenly flashed through his mind—an insect giving birth to another Insect Queen, who would Insect Queen be immediately driven away from the nest. Unlike the Insect Queen in the nest, the driven queen would not reproduce continuously in the early stages; instead, she would act alone, hunting and foraging on her own.

There were no companions, no worker insects, and no Insect Armor Warrior.

Therefore, it hunts alone.

So, this one in front of us...

Lu Heng's gaze darkened.

This is its peak performance.

It can move, attack, and travel; unlike the Insect Queen that could only reproduce, it couldn't just stay in one place and use its mental power and close-range attacks.

The dark golden queen Insect Queen moved.

It was much faster than the previous one, and almost instantly it rushed in front of Lu Heng. Its pair of sharp pincers whistled through the air as they slashed straight down at him.

Lu Heng suddenly stepped back, and at the same time, he flipped his wrist, Kiss of Nightmare appeared in his hand.

The moment he got the gun, Lu Heng felt a sense of relief.

He raised his hand and fired.

"Bang!"

The shotgun pellets spread out in a fan shape. The Insect Queen was too fast, and most of the pellets grazed her body, leaving a trail of sparks on the rock wall. Only a few grazed her side, leaving shallow white marks on her carapace.

But the Insect Queen clearly dared not take the hit head-on. Kiss of Nightmare was something of the same level as it, and every shot carried the threat of death. It could only dodge constantly, and although its movements were fast, it was forced into a somewhat disheveled state by the gun barrel.

Lu Heng retreated while firing. The shotgun had a wide coverage area, making it almost impossible for the Insect Queen to dodge completely. Another shot was fired, and several pellets slammed into its forelegs.

"Click!"

The dark golden carapace was dented slightly by the impact. The Insect Queen cried out in pain, pulling her leg back and staggering back two steps with the force of the blow.

It stared at the gun in Lu Heng's hand, and for the first time, a clear emotion appeared in its compound eyes—fear.

Lu Heng caught his breath, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead. The Insect Queen's speed, strength, and reflexes were all superior to his; if it weren't for the Kiss of Nightmare suppressing him, he wouldn't have lasted this long.

But he missed a few shots. What really stopped the Insect Queen was the power of the gun.

The Insect Queen did not retreat. It stood still, its six legs slightly bent, assuming an offensive posture, its compound eyes fixed on Lu Heng, as if searching for an opening to strike next.

Lu Heng gritted his teeth; he simply couldn't take it anymore.

"Blood Taisui!" he roared inwardly, "You fucking better get going! If you don't, I'll reduce your later-stage Mental Energy!"

As if stimulated, the Blood Taisui surged out of Lu Heng's body and transformed into countless Mycelium rushed towards the Insect Queen.

The Mycelium wrapped around the Insect Queen's leg, trying to hold her back. The Insect Queen struggled violently, and the Mycelium was torn off.

More Mycelium surged forth from the Blood Taisui, encircling it from all directions, and this time finally entangled one of its hind legs. The Insect Queen paused, her momentum shifting slightly.

This half is enough.

Lu Heng raised his hand and fired a shot.

"Bang!"

The bullet struck the Insect Queen's abdomen squarely, denting a large section of her carapace. The queen Insect Queen let out a shrill screech, the force sending her flying backward, crashing into the rock wall, sending pebbles tumbling down.

But it quickly regained its footing, and the apprehension in its compound eyes deepened.

Lu Heng fired another shot. The Insect Queen suddenly dodged to the side, the bullet grazing its body and blasting a deep crater in the rock wall.

The two sides reached a stalemate.

With the help of the Blood Taisui's Mycelium, the battle situation improved slightly. The Mycelium couldn't entangle it for too long, but it could always affect its trajectory—making it deviate slightly, slow down, and land at a slightly off-center point when it rushed over.

Lu Heng seized these brief openings, firing Kiss of Nightmare shot after shot, the muzzle of his gun always tracking the dark golden shadow. The Insect Queen dared not take the hits head-on, and could only dodge constantly, her movements much more cautious than before.

But it was clearly agitated. It tried to shake off the Mycelium several times, but the Mycelium seemed to stick to its body, breaking off and growing back.

Lu Heng fired as he retreated, his eyes fixed on the Insect Queen's every move, searching for his next opportunity to strike.

Just when he thought he had temporarily stabilized the situation, the Insect Queen suddenly turned around and charged to the side.

Lu Heng subconsciously followed suit.

But as soon as he turned around, the Insect Queen was already in front of him.

The pair of large pincers came crashing down with a whooshing sound.

There's no escaping it.

"Bang!"

He was knocked down instantly, crashing heavily to the ground. Kiss of Nightmare flew out of his hand and slid into a pile of rubble a few meters away.

The Insect Queen gave him no chance to catch his breath, raising her pincers again, ready to deliver a final blow.

Lu Heng struggled to his feet, but as soon as he regained his footing, the attack came again.

This time he dodged it.

The Mycelium of the Blood Taisui succulent wrapped around the Insect Queen's leg from the side, causing her to Insect Queen movements.

Lu Heng seized the opportunity and was about to rush over to pick up the gun—

The Blood Taisui trembled violently, and a layer of dark red light rose on the surface of its Mycelium. It no longer tried to bind the insect, but instead condensed that power directly into an invisible shockwave, which slammed hard into the Insect Queen's head.

"Buzz--"

A muffled tremor reverberated through the air.

The Insect Queen insect seemed to have been struck head-on by something; all six of its legs buckled simultaneously, and its massive body slumped to one side, crashing heavily against the rock wall. It struggled to get up, the light in its compound eyes flickering, and it remained frozen for a full two seconds before regaining its footing.

Lu Heng was stunned.

He stared at the queen Insect Queen that was still shaking its head, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Could it be that in your current form, your Mental Energy has become a weakness?

That's really funny.

The one that only reproduces has ridiculously strong Mental Energy; it can create illusions and directly attack mental energy. But this one in front of us can run, jump, and hunt—its combat power is maxed out—yet its Mental Energy has become a weakness?

Lu Heng gritted his teeth and got up from the ground, reaching out to pick up the Kiss of Nightmare not far away.

The Insect Queen had charged at him again.

This time, however, its movements were noticeably slower.