Chapter 13 of 100

Chapter 13

15 min read3,805 words

As the burrowers with spines approached, the crystal fungi seemed to sense the danger and began to gather around the larger crystal fungi in groups. At the same time, some of them charged toward the burrowers.

About three hundred crystal fungi swam over, and Lin immediately ordered the burrowers to retreat, allowing only a few dozen to face the incoming enemies.

Since the spines would automatically fire when the enemy approached, Lin couldn't let them all attack at once; otherwise, they would waste all their spines in one go.

The burrowers equipped with spines approached the swimming crystal fungi. As soon as the spines detected the enemies within range, they simultaneously fired a volley. Many crystal fungi didn't even have time to react before they sank.

However, it was impossible to kill them all at once. Among the three hundred, several dozen crystal fungi survived. They didn't continue to charge but instead trembled nervously in place.

Lin knew they were calling for reinforcements.

Sure enough, soon all the guards around the large crystal fungi charged over. With thousands of them, it was impossible for Lin to kill them all, nor did Lin intend to try.

First, Lin ordered the dozen or so burrowers that had already fired their spines to charge forward, while the other two hundred plus tried to see if they could bypass them before being killed.

The large crystal fungi were now completely defenseless.

However, Lin made a mistake. During the process of trying to bypass them, one of the burrowers' spines fired, hitting a crystal fungus. This action instantly triggered a chain reaction, and all the crystal fungi charged at the group attempting to sneak attack.

Retreat!

Lin immediately ordered them to scatter, but it was too late. The crystal fungi swam faster than the burrowers, and most of the burrowers' spines fired as the crystal fungi approached, quickly depleting all their spines.

In the end, only 23 burrowers, which were farther away, still had their spines.

Was it a mistake?

Lin had only one eye and couldn't see everything. Miscalculating the distance was inevitable, as Lin hadn't figured out how far they needed to be to prevent the spines from firing.

Lin needed better sensory capabilities.

But Lin had to end this battle first!

At the initial battlefield, the original seven thousand burrowers were now down to just over three thousand, and all the conical cells were gone.

Even if Lin lost, it wouldn't mean extinction, but it would mean starting over. This war was about the future of Lin's colony!

The remaining 23 burrowers didn't stop; they continued to charge toward the large crystal fungi that were continuously releasing sticky substances. This time, Lin could feel the impending victory...

Approach, then fire!

The spines quickly pierced the body of a large crystal fungus, which immediately twisted in pain. Clearly, it was far from dead. After the burrower fired all five of its spines, the massive body of the crystal fungus finally lost its life and sank.

It seemed that the spines were less effective due to the large size of the crystal fungi.

On the other side, the crystal fungi were almost about to kill the burrowers that had already fired their spines. However, as soon as the large crystal fungi were attacked, they immediately rushed back.

But Lin was faster. These burrowers charged at the next large crystal fungus, and the five spines were fired instantly, bringing down another crystal fungus.

The next four were the same. Because the large crystal fungi moved slowly, Lin easily killed them before they could return.

Lin ordered the burrowers that still had spines to scatter and escape. Lin didn't want to lose all the spines. Now, it was time to return to the battlefield.

The situation on the battlefield was not optimistic. Although the large crystal fungi were dead, the sticky substances they secreted were still floating in the water, making it almost impossible to avoid their effects.

Therefore, the only way to end the battle was to use the acid injectors.

Lin had kept the acid injectors out of the battle from the beginning, fearing that the enemy might develop resistance to the dissolving liquid. Using the acid injectors for the final blow was the best strategy.

However, Lin had miscalculated. Lin believed that using the acid injectors against the large crystal fungi would be more effective than using the spines.

But it didn't matter.

There were now 2,977 burrowers on the battlefield, most of which were affected by the sticky substances, while the number of crystal fungi was over seven thousand.

If the battle continued, Lin would definitely lose. The crystal fungi could easily kill the burrowers affected by the sticky substances.

But Lin had a special gift prepared for them.

Lin began to command some special cells into the battlefield. These cells, which Lin had been preparing since discovering the sticky substances, were about five times the size of Lin's basic cells. They were transformed from storage cells, but the large amount of liquid inside them was not fat but dissolving liquid.

All of Lin's cells were resistant to the dissolving liquid, though they weren't initially. Lin had made them repeatedly come into contact with and even consume the dissolving liquid from the acid injectors, gradually building up resistance.

Lin named these storage cells that had ingested a large amount of dissolving liquid 'Blast Balls.'

Yes, their only job was to... explode!

Hundreds of Blast Balls slowly drifted into the battlefield. The crystal fungi fighting the burrowers noticed these unexpected visitors and immediately surrounded them, attacking with their spines.

When attacked, the Blast Balls would open their mouths, instantly sucking in a large amount of water, expanding their bodies to the limit...

Then, they would transform into art!

What is art?

This was not the first time such a strange term appeared in Lin's thoughts, so Lin just found it odd and ignored it.

In any case, when the Blast Balls expanded to their limit, they would explode, releasing the dissolving liquid inside, instantly killing dozens of surrounding crystal fungi.

If the acid injectors were used directly, their nozzles might be clogged by the sticky substances, but the Blast Balls were unaffected by the sticky substances. Moreover, the water they released would disperse the surrounding sticky substances.

The crystal fungi were instantly killed in large numbers by the Blast Balls. Lin always waited for them to gather before detonating, ensuring the maximum victory with minimal sacrifice. The Blast Balls also had other attack methods; when facing a few crystal fungi, they could directly swallow them and use the dissolving liquid inside to dissolve them.

These Blast Balls, originally storage cells, had very strong swallowing capabilities.

After being hit by the Blast Balls, the crystal fungi began to retreat in disarray. Even before the acid injectors appeared, the number of crystal fungi was reduced to just over a thousand.

Although the number of Blast Balls was also reduced, it didn't matter.

Next, Lin still had over a thousand acid injectors, which could easily destroy the remaining crystal fungi. The rest of the battle was no longer in doubt.

What puzzled Lin was that all the crystal fungi fought until the end, never attempting to flee.

Previously, all the cells Lin had killed, regardless of type, would flee when the situation turned against them. But the crystal fungi were different; they never fled, which made Lin very curious.

Why did they continue to fight until the end?

Despite the curiosity, Lin still killed them all, leaving countless cell remains that clouded the water.

This battle almost cost Lin 70% of its colony, but Lin didn't regret it. Lin's storage cells and basic cells had already reached the battlefield, acting as cleaners to recycle all the resources.

Even without considering the newly occupied food cracks, the remains of these crystal fungi alone would allow Lin to grow a colony twice as large as before.

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