Chapter 10

As the battle continued, Du Yuqi, who had initially been on the defensive, tense and hurried, gradually became more at ease. On the contrary, the longer the battle dragged on, the more the light yellow liquid oozing from the strange insect spread over its armor, even scorching the surrounding ground and causing large patches of grass to wither.

Suddenly, Du Yuqi slashed horizontally, provoking the insect to lunge and bite. In reality, this slash was merely a show of force; he easily retracted it halfway through. However, the insect had already been deceived, and in the process of shaking its head, it exposed a clear weakness.

Immediately, Du Yuqi let out a fierce cry, holding the knife with both hands and slashing down with a swift motion. With a "snap," the blade struck the insect's most damaged armor.

This blow drove the blade of the mountain cleaver several inches deep, and the yellow, viscous liquid splattered everywhere. The insect immediately let out a deep, painful roar, which left Du Yuqi dizzy and almost nauseous, causing him to stagger backward. If the insect had taken the opportunity to pounce, it might have turned the tide.

However, what Du Yuqi did not expect was that after the insect's painful roar, it actually slapped the ground with its tail, turned, and shot away, then quickly slithered off. It took Du Yuqi a couple of seconds to realize what had happened: the insect was scared and trying to escape!

With this thought, Du Yuqi was suddenly energized. This was the perfect time to finish off the wounded enemy, and he immediately set off in pursuit.

At this moment, Du Yuqi did not notice that his small, frail body, which was not suited for such intense combat, had already been pushed to its limits. He had almost exhausted his strength in the earlier escape, let alone after the intense battle. Yet, energy continued to surge from deep within his body, allowing him to keep up despite his heavy breathing.

The situation had now reversed, with Du Yuqi chasing the insect. Along the way, the insect left a clear trail of light yellow body fluid, which burned the grass and produced a faint smoke, making it almost impossible to lose the trail.

Seeing this, Du Yuqi was not in a hurry. The insect was bleeding as it fled; how much blood could it lose?

If he pressed too hard, he might fall for a counterattack and lose the advantage. He had always made the most rational decisions in critical moments, and with ample time to analyze the situation, he was even less likely to make a mistake—except for his pursuit of his senior.

Soon, Du Yuqi noticed the insect stopping ahead. It seemed to have realized it couldn't shake him off. He even saw the large mound of fresh earth, as if everything had returned to how it was half an hour ago.

The only difference was that the prey had become the hunter.

The insect began to raise its head and emit fierce calls in Du Yuqi's direction. However, to Du Yuqi, this behavior now seemed like a show of false strength.

Du Yuqi then started circling the insect again, determined not to give it a chance to rest and recover...

The subsequent battle need not be described in detail. Du Yuqi's use of the knife had become increasingly proficient, while the insect's strength had declined significantly. The outcome of the battle was inevitable; it was only a matter of time before the insect was slain.

Five minutes later, Du Yuqi let out a fierce cry, gripping the knife with both hands and thrusting it downward. The yellow liquid splattered, pinning the insect to the ground!

The insect let out a shrill, mournful cry, wrapping its body tightly around the blade. The armor scraped against the blade with a "creaking" sound, and it finally collapsed, dead.

At this moment, Du Yuqi was panting heavily. After a long while, he slowly pulled the mountain cleaver from the insect's body. His hands were trembling from the exertion, and the blade was now emitting wisps of smoke, with numerous dents on its surface, as if it had been rusted for a long time. This was the result of the insect's highly corrosive body fluid, causing permanent damage to the cleaver.

Du Yuqi then examined his own body. His clothes and pants were dotted with small holes, likely caused by the splattered body fluid during the battle. He was grateful he hadn't been wearing shorts and a tank top to clean the chemistry lab; otherwise, the splattered insect blood would have caused him considerable pain.

Knowing that these insects had a strong will to survive—like earthworms that could live even when cut in half—Du Yuqi delivered several more fierce blows to the insect's body to ensure it was dead.

Finally, Du Yuqi let out a sigh of relief, sitting down on the ground. He felt incredibly sore all over, and his palms, which had formed large blisters, were throbbing with pain.

Despite being exhausted and thirsty, Du Yuqi felt a great sense of excitement. He had survived, and not just in a dire situation, but he had also defeated this terrifying giant insect, which greatly boosted his confidence. It proved that he had the ability to handle dangerous situations.

After resting for a while, Du Yuqi decided to leave. Before he went, he examined the insect's corpse. He had initially planned to cut off some of its meat to cook and eat, but the thought of the highly corrosive body fluid made him hesitate. He then remembered something and began to pry off a few intact pieces of the insect's armor.

The insect's armor had left a deep impression on Du Yuqi. It was impervious to cuts and electric shocks and appeared to be very light. In fact, if the insect hadn't been injured, with its eyes ruptured and armor cracked, it would have been impossible for Du Yuqi to wear it down with his various tactics.

With the armor in hand, Du Yuqi began searching for vines or similar materials to bind it to his body, protecting vital areas like his heart and throat. This didn't take much time but could save his life in a critical moment.

While wandering nearby, Du Yuqi passed the large mound of fresh earth where the insect had been hiding and recovering, waiting for prey. When it sensed it might not be able to defeat Du Yuqi, it instinctively fled to this place, which it had subconsciously considered its nest.