Getting the worse of it
The dark tunnels of the Insect Nest were filled with a damp, sticky, and putrid stench.
The soil underfoot was slippery and sticky, mixed with insect slime. The rock walls on both sides of the passage were pitted and mottled, covered with fine scratches left by Insect Swarm, clearly showing the traces of their long-term presence.
Lu Heng strode forward, with the Bone Demon silently following behind.
The interior of the nest was far simpler and more spacious than expected. There were no complex branching tunnels, only a wide, open core cavity. The ground was littered with broken empty insect eggshells and dried insect body fragments, a complete mess, but there was nothing that could be considered a spoil of war.
He meticulously scanned every corner of the nest, his gaze sweeping over every shadow inch by inch.
In the end, they gained nothing.
Lu Heng frowned.
"The Insect Mother is dead, are we out of supplies?"
Just as Lu Heng was about to leave in disappointment, he discovered a pale blue leaf in a damp, shady corner of the rock face.
The plant is short, entirely bluish-green, with its rhizomes growing close to the damp mud, and its leaves covered with a very thin layer of matte white frost.
Lu Heng bent down, pinched the rootstock with his fingertips, and gently pulled it out along the wet mud, the complete root system and soil coming out together.
The Wristband simultaneously displays the identification information:
[Green Bone Grass]
Grade: Bronze Tier
Category: Medicinal Plants
Efficacy: Specifically treats bone fractures, bone injuries, and bone bruises; can be applied externally or taken internally.
He carefully stored the Wristband Storage Slot.
In the post-apocalyptic world, resources are never too abundant. Common healing herbs can only repair superficial wounds, while herbs that specifically repair bones are already scarce. Having more specialized herbs means having more confidence to survive in dire situations.
It then turned and walked out of its underground nest.
Back on the ground, most of the forest scenery had already been cleared away.
The Wolf Pack, Tusked Boar, and Dark-Spotted Leopard each performed their duties, clearing away all the remaining insects that had fled outside the den. Scattered insect corpses lay on the ground, the restless chirping of insects completely subsided, and the long-standing oppressive clamor of the forest finally faded away.
The shallow insect infestation in the entire area has been completely eradicated.
Lu Heng raised his hand and put the massive body of the complete Insect Mother from the ground into his Wristband.
Take it back and cultivate the Blood-Devouring Vine to awaken its long-dormant bloodthirsty ferocity.
After resolving this potential hazard, he did not stop to rest.
There is definitely more than just this one remaining branch Insect Mother in the Frost Forest. To completely eradicate the insect infestation from the entire forest area, the search must continue.
Lu Heng, leading the Bone Demon, turned around and headed towards the boundary between the forest and the surrounding grassland.
That area has a mixed landscape and overgrown vegetation, making it more concealed and highly likely to harbor new Insect Nest.
As we walked through the forest, the Insect Swarm ceased their swarming activity. After about ten minutes, the familiar stench of decay returned to the air, fainter than at the nest, yet sharper and more biting.
Lu Heng immediately focused his mind and released his senses.
Deep underground, a completely different wave of life quietly lurks.
It wasn't the bloated, sluggish feeling of an ordinary Insect Mother, but rather an extremely refined and ferocious aura with explosive power.
He strode towards the center of the area, raised his hand and blasted away the topsoil, revealing the entrance to the second Insect Nest.
As soon as the cave entrance opened, a bluish-green afterimage suddenly darted out from the dark lair.
The speed was extraordinary.
Its body resembles a giant praying mantis, with thin, hard, bluish-black armor plates all over its body. Its torso is slender and compact, without any excess fat. A pair of sickle-shaped forelimbs gleam with a cold, sharp light, their blades as sharp as quenched blades. The moment the four limbs push off the ground, they bring out a sharp sound as they cut through the wind.
The Wristband simultaneously displays the identification information:
[Green Scythe Mantis]
Grade: Bronze Tier
Category: Mutant Insect
Characteristics: The Insect Mother mutates and hatches in a desperate situation where resources are scarce. It abandons its heavy armor and reproductive ability, and focuses all its resources on speed and cutting power. It is inherently desperate and brave, and fights without regard for losses. Its close combat and assault capabilities far exceed those of ordinary Insect Armor Warrior.
A hint of interest flashed in Lu Heng's eyes.
This is a good opportunity to hone my swordsmanship.
He raised his hand to grasp the Insect Armor Sword at his waist, and drew it from its sheath in one smooth motion, the cold blade illuminating the shadows in the forest.
Without using any special abilities, he purely probed the enemy through close-quarters sword fighting.
But the difference in skill became immediately apparent the moment they clashed.
The Green Scythe Mantis's fighting style has no rules or routines, only a desperate offensive etched into its instincts.
His movements were elusive and unpredictable, his movements incredibly swift and agile. His double scythes disregarded the logic of offense and defense, focusing solely on exchanging injury for injury and risking his life for it. Every slash was aimed directly at vital points, each move ruthless and decisive.
Lu Heng's swordsmanship is steady, accurate, and disciplined, a solid style honed through long-term combat.
However, its excessive regularity became a weakness.
He is used to leaving himself an escape route, controlling the pace, and maintaining a steady offense and defense. Faced with this kind of desperate, reckless style of play that completely disregards life and death, he was instantly at a disadvantage.
The blade had barely reached halfway when the mantis swept past him, its scythes scraping against his armor and sending sparks flying. He spun back to slash, but his opponent had already slid across the ground, his twin scythes rising from below, forcing him to retreat three steps before barely managing to parry. In the third exchange, he deliberately slowed his pace, waiting for his opponent to make the first move, but the mantis gave him no chance to gather his strength. Its twin scythes slashed down, and he parried with his sword, his hand numbing from the impact, the sword almost slipping from his grasp.
The trajectory of the blade's slashes could never keep up with the opponent's lightning-fast attack.
Blocking, dodging, and defending—I was completely suppressed throughout, unable to find any opening to counterattack.
After several exchanges, Lu Heng had already figured it out.
His battle was a "fight for survival."
This mutated mantis's fight was driven by "instinctive, life-or-death instinct."
The two are fundamentally different.
In the face of a deadly fight where rules are disregarded, well-structured techniques and routines are magnified to have flaws.
Looking at the rapidly moving blue insect shadows before him, Lu Heng remained extremely calm.
There was no resentment, no anxiety, only a clear self-awareness.
If you're bad at something, you just have to practice more.
Technique, rhythm, and ruthless rage are all things he lacks at this stage. His weaknesses in actual combat can only be made up for through repeated life-or-death battles; there are no shortcuts.
Since he couldn't gain an advantage in close combat, he stopped insisting on practicing sword techniques.
He has his own unique advantages.
Mental strength is a barrier that ordinary beasts and mutated insects can never overcome.
Lu Heng's eyes suddenly narrowed, and his mind locked onto the insect shadow.
An invisible spiritual force erupted instantly, and a condensed Mind Spike struck directly at the core of the opponent's consciousness.
The rapidly spinning Green Scythe Mantis suddenly froze.
The extreme speed came to an abrupt halt, the mind was suddenly pierced, and the body instantly lost control.
Taking advantage of its momentary stiffness, Lu Heng stepped forward, his Insect Armor Sword flashing coldly as he swiftly slashed down.
A sharp sword flash ended the battle.
As he sheathed the sword, he glanced down at his wrist.
The tingling sensation from blocking the attack still lingered in the web of my hand.
If you don't address your weaknesses in close combat, you'll suffer sooner or later.
After dealing with the Green Scythe Mantis, he bent down and stepped into the underground Insect Nest.
The nests are even smaller, with depleted spiritual energy and extremely barren environments.
At the heart of the scene, a small, thin Insect Mother lay limp on the ground, her body twitching slightly, her breath extremely weak.
It's not hard to tell.
Its life force was almost exhausted before it used its last strength to hatch the Green Scythe Mantis, its ultimate fighting force. Now it was completely out of energy and had lost even its basic ability to move.
They are barely surviving, posing no further threat.
Without any unnecessary movements, Lu Heng stepped forward and swiftly and decisively ended the weakened Insect Mother with a single sword strike.
Just as the Insect Mother's body collapsed to the ground, a treasure chest was revealed beneath it.
Unlike the previous empty nests, this mutated Insect Nest, born from dire circumstances, finally yielded corresponding spoils.
Lu Heng stared at the treasure chest
They packed up and took the Insect Mother's corpse with them as they left.