Chapter 47: Battle Against the Tyrant Crab

Then, she noticed that the low-level Corpse Beasts did not follow them. Instead, they moved to the side and began gnawing on the corpses of the Water Rat Beasts that Su Li and Ding Longyun had killed.

It was unclear if this was because they were too afraid of the Tyrant Crab to approach, or if they were drawn by the flesh and blood of the Water Rat Beasts.

Since Water Rat Beasts were Level 2 monsters, feeding on their flesh would clearly provide a significant advantage for the evolution of these low-level Corpse Beasts, giving them hope of advancing into Advanced Corpse Beasts.

On the roof, aside from the piled corpses of Corpse Beasts and Marine Iguana Monitors, there was only the Tyrant Crab. Su Li walked out, his muscles trembling. He had activated the “Muscle Augmentation Type II” state. The muscles he commanded swelled slightly beneath his skin. Veins bulged on the back of his right hand gripping the iron rod. All his focus was centered on the enemy before him.

The Tyrant Crab was an Elite monster among Level 3 Spiritual Source Beasts and was absolutely terrifying—far more dangerous than the common Level 3 Marine Iguana Monitor.

The Tyrant Crab, which they had sent tumbling backward with their combined ram, pushed off the ground with its chelae and flipped over. It emitted a strange, screeching “squeak, squeak,” which was its expression of anger. It began to move. Although it crawled sideways, it did so with surprising speed, rushing toward Ding Longyun, who was closer.

The distance between them instantly closed to less than four meters. The Tyrant Crab raised its chelae high, suddenly swinging them forward, attempting to pinch Ding Longyun.

“Its entire body is a hard shell. Only the abdomen is soft. We need to find a way to attack its abdomen,” Su Li, who knew the Tyrant Crab’s weakness through the “Peering Rune,” quickly warned Ding Longyun. He began circling, moving around to the crab’s rear to attack and harass it.

“Got it!” Ding Longyun shouted. He didn’t retreat. He held the steel shovel with both hands and struck the oncoming chela. Although the Tyrant Crab was entirely covered in a hard shell, with only its abdomen as a weakness, Ding Longyun hadn’t intended to attack its abdomen.

He wanted to get close to the Tyrant Crab and strike its head. He believed that his “Soul Devour” ability was unique. It could penetrate the enemy’s exterior and destroy its interior. He doubted the Tyrant Crab’s outer shell, no matter how hard, could resist his “Soul Devour.”

A hard shell could, at best, defend against physical, blunt force attacks, but “Soul Devour” was different from all physical attacks. It was a very special, mysterious energy with a penetrative nature.

The steel shovel accurately struck the clamping chela, producing a metallic clang. Su Li, who had circled to the crab’s rear, also struck. He brought the iron rod down. From his current angle, he couldn’t hit the crab’s abdomen, so his target was the row of thin legs on the side of the crab’s body.

The Tyrant Crab had two chelae in front, making it too difficult to approach its lower abdomen head-on. Su Li decided to first smash its thin legs.

Sensing Su Li’s attack and intention from the rear, the Tyrant Crab immediately twisted its body toward Su Li. Its chelae shot out with lightning speed, attempting to pinch Su Li.

“Smash the legs!” Su Li immediately retreated and dodged, reminding Ding Longyun to use this chance to smash the crab’s thin legs.

With him and Ding Longyun attacking from front and back, the Tyrant Crab was caught between two enemies and couldn’t defend completely.

However, Ding Longyun had his own plan. He did not follow Su Li’s advice to smash the crab’s thin legs with the steel shovel. Instead, he seized the opportunity, took a step forward, closing in on the crab. He shifted the steel shovel to his left hand and extended his right hand, slapping the hard carapace of the Tyrant Crab’s head.

He activated “Soul Devour,” intending to use it to finish off the Tyrant Crab while it was distracted by turning to attack Su Li.

Closing in on the Tyrant Crab like this was very risky, as the crab still had its other chela raised in the air. But Ding Longyun had calculated that even if the other chela swung back to attack him, the steel shovel in his left hand would instantly be raised to block, ensuring his right hand could land the “Soul Devour” strike on the crab’s head.

But he never expected the Tyrant Crab to refrain from using the chela to attack him. Instead, it moved its eight thin legs, pushing off the ground. Its body, which was larger than a ten-person round table, slammed into Ding Longyun.

The Tyrant Crab was entirely covered in a hard shell, like heavy armor. Combined with its immense strength, the resulting impact was devastating.

Ding Longyun was caught off guard and let out a shriek. Blood spurted from his mouth as his body was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, tumbling twice before crashing to the ground with a thud. His chest was slightly sunken; three of his ribs were broken internally.

The sudden turn of events shocked Su Li. He never imagined Ding Longyun would risk closing in on the Tyrant Crab like that, and he was too slow to dodge the crab’s sudden charging attack.

“Brother Ding!” Su Li cried out in alarm. He saw the Tyrant Crab charge immediately after knocking Ding Longyun away. It extended its chelae. If those pincers clamped down, they would cut Ding Longyun in half, and nothing could save him then.

Su Li roared, pushed off with his feet, and charged forward with all his strength, trying to stop the Tyrant Crab. He was still a moment too late. The Tyrant Crab extended its chelae, aiming to pinch the fallen Ding Longyun.

Ding Longyun had just been thrown, his internal energies were churning, three ribs in his chest were broken, and his head was woozy. He didn’t even register the Tyrant Crab charging toward him.

Just as the Tyrant Crab’s chelae were about to clamp down on him, Ding Longyun’s body slid across the floor, narrowly avoiding the pincers. It was Xu Xuehui. She had rushed over, grabbed one of the fallen Ding Longyun’s legs, and dragged him away, saving him from the Tyrant Crab’s deadly pinch.

Su Li, who had assumed Ding Longyun was dead, sighed in relief when he saw this. The Tyrant Crab turned, intending to attack Xu Xuehui. Su Li had already caught up. He let out a fierce shout and slammed the iron rod down toward the four thin legs on the crab’s flank.

His guess was correct. The Tyrant Crab seemed to know these thin legs couldn’t take a hit. It quickly shifted and turned its body, swinging a chela toward Su Li.

Su Li slightly retreated, raising the iron rod to block the clamping chela. He suddenly saw the crab’s eight thin legs push off the ground. Knowing what was coming, he instantly dodged to the side, swinging the iron rod at the same moment.

Sure enough, the Tyrant Crab used its favorite move again, propelling its body with its eight thin legs, attempting to ram Su Li and severely wound him. Fortunately, Su Li had witnessed Ding Longyun’s fate and avoided the charge in time. The Tyrant Crab narrowly missed him, but the iron rod Su Li swung did not miss. It struck the crab’s side, hitting two thin legs.

Although the Tyrant Crab’s eight legs were protected by a hard shell, they were thin. Struck by Su Li’s iron rod with thousand-jin force, the two thin legs immediately snapped. A white substance flowed from the broken point.

(End of Chapter)