Chapter 165: Chapter 165: Young Girl Ganmu (Request for Full Subscription)
Just as Zuo Mingliang was observing his surroundings, Liu Yu grabbed his arm and pulled hard!
Zuo Mingliang looked in the direction Liu Yu pointed. Indeed, a woman was standing there.
And this woman looked, how should one put it, like a feral girl. She wore an ultra-short beast-hide skirt. Her upper body was clad in half-armor crafted from the carapaces of some Exotic Species. Her hair, a stark yellow-green, was vastly different from that of a normal human. The specifics of her appearance were unclear, as more than half her face was hidden beneath her hair.
At this moment, the woman was kneeling before a wall, murmuring something under her breath.
"Is she human?"
"Anyway, she’s not a Specter Species. She has a normal body temperature and is built much like a human. Beyond that, I’m not too clear on the specifics."
Zuo Mingliang nodded, though he was very skeptical about this person’s identity. But it was incredibly rare to encounter someone in a place like this, so he wanted to try and communicate.
"Hello, Miss. We are a hunting team from Hongtu Armaments. I’d like to ask, do you live here permanently?"
The girl did not reply to Zuo Mingliang. She carefully stroked the wall, her expression devout.
Zuo Mingliang shifted his gaze to see what exactly was painted on the wall.
A woman carrying many spheres? And a robot?
Zuo Mingliang felt he had seen the two figures in the mural somewhere before, but he just couldn’t recall at that moment.
The girl slowly rose, turned her head to look at Zuo Mingliang and the wary team, and finally spoke.
"I live here. And I have been living here for more than 10 years."
Zuo Mingliang was taken aback. Ten years? Is she serious? Ganmu only appeared about ten years ago. Even if she were incredibly strong, she couldn’t have survived under Ganmu’s nose for ten years. Moreover, C13 Ganmu was spotted by humans in the North Ring area two years ago. It only moved to the Southern Ring this year; it’s impossible for someone to have lived in such a place for ten years.
"Miss, I’m not joking with you. We genuinely have something to ask you. I want to ask..."
Zuo Mingliang stopped mid-sentence, a sudden realization dawning on him as he remembered the two figures from the mural.
That robot... it was Noah! The woman laden with spheres... that was the Stone Mother! These two were both Eighth Order calamities that had nearly driven humanity to extinction. They were defeated by the Dawn Church and the original Alliance Legion at the Wall of Desperation. A woman offering devout prayers to Noah and the Stone Mother?
"Did you understand my mural? Hehe, quite the impressive human! Lady Stone Mother bestowed a soul upon me, and Lord Noah granted me wisdom. Thus, I changed. I became the King of Rotten Valley. And I am the source of rot, the seed of deadly poison, the Lord of all Gluttons—Ganmu. Wisdom and a soul allowed me to transcend bestial thinking, to ponder, to comprehend art and civilization. I began to appreciate flowers and detest decay. I started to pursue beauty, and I began to become more and more like humans. As I consumed more and more humans, I discovered that I truly could become more like them. Human females are truly perfect, with their fair skin, beautiful faces, and bodies that drive men wild. Ah! I adore humans so much! So please, all of you, die and become nourishment for my evolving body!"
As Ganmu uttered these final words, she was already sprinting along the cliff face, and then instantly spat out a sphere of deadly poison.
What followed was the scene of heavy casualties for the Hongtu Armaments team.
Li Tanya stared at Ganmu in astonishment. Such an Exotic Species, possessing such complete intelligence, thought processes, and even lifestyle habits—could she still be considered an Exotic Species? Not only that, but the Ganmu before them had even learned human language. In the past, such a thing was simply inconceivable. If such beings were allowed to develop, could they evolve into a new species? This was truly a question worth pondering.
Zhou Qingyu released the barrier, panting slightly. Ganmu’s attack was overwhelmingly powerful. Moreover, a Fifth Tier Lord possessing human-like intellect posed a level of danger and combat capability that simply couldn’t be compared to an ordinary Fifth Tier Lord. The difference was akin to the previous Wu En! A human’s will and intellect could push the traits of an Exotic Species to their absolute limit.
Just like Ganmu now; she had completely shed her previously bloated form. After spitting out the first toxic sphere, her figure vanished entirely.
Zhou Qingyu scanned her surroundings, but lacking an observation-type Sequence, her observational skills weren’t much better than Liu Yu’s.
The team was in chaos. The foul stench continuously seeped through their gas masks, invading their mouths and noses. A stench several times more foul than before brought tears to everyone’s eyes and made them feel nauseous. Zhou Qingyu was no exception. She pressed one hand to her throat to keep from vomiting, while her other arm shielded Li Tanya.
"Tanya, let’s give up! Given the situation, we’re probably going to fail! Let them cover our retreat. If we move now, we can still make it."
Li Tanya was reluctant, but she also understood that if an Exotic Species possessed human-like intelligence, the danger would be magnified severalfold.
"Let’s go! Right now!"
"Retreat!"
But the team had barely taken two steps when a massive boulder crashed down from the clifftop.
BOOM! It instantly crushed two team members. While the rock didn’t block the path, the team’s formation would be stretched if they tried to pass it.
"Humans, where do you think you are looking?"
As an Exotic Species, Ganmu still retained some of her kind’s traits, such as focusing on the strongest opponent during battle. In this case, that was Zhou Qingyu, who was protecting Li Tanya.
"Your greatest strength as humans is your use of tools; you even create various powerful pieces of equipment. I can’t make equipment, but I’ve already learned how to simply use tools."
Ganmu once again dislodged a section of rock from the clifftop, sending it tumbling down the wall. Simultaneously, she spat another torrent of poison. As the rock fell, the poison surged towards them. In such a confined space, deploying an Ice Barrier for defense was impossible.
Zhou Qingyu had no choice but to clap her hands together and unleash offensive Dark Energy Spells to counter Ganmu’s barrage.
"Flame Blade."
BOOM!
"How impressive. Your human method of using Dark Energy is indeed more potent than ours, the Exotic Species. However, your Dark Energy Levels and physiques are far less substantial than ours! So, die, beautiful humans!"
Just as Ganmu prepared to unleash another spray of poison, two suits of energy maneuver armor soared into the air, instantly knocking Ganmu aside.
"Damn human equipment! It’s outrageous that even weak creatures like you can confront me directly in battle!"
Zuo Mingliang, piloting the Mecha, had a grim expression. If Ganmu were still the lumbering monster she once was, the Mecha would be an incredibly effective weapon. Such a Ganmu would be cumbersome. But the current, humanoid Ganmu was far too agile—much more so than the Mecha. Consequently, many of the Mecha’s advantages were nullified.
"Liu Yu, I’ll create an opportunity for you! When the time comes, don’t hold back."
"Yes!"
Although Liu Yu was a new recruit, she possessed the greatest raw talent among them and the most potential. She had an observation-type Sequence and the skills of a sniper, making her the best choice to deliver the finishing blow.
"You ugly freak! Disgusting creature! Come at me!"
Ganmu glanced at Zuo Mingliang’s Mecha. A flicker of anger showed in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.
"Heh, provocation? Perhaps that would have worked before. But from the knowledge Lord Noah imparted to me, I’ve learned a few very useful sayings. ’Stay calm in the face of adversity,’ and ’To capture the bandits, first capture their leader.’ The first saying means one should maintain composure in battle to avoid making erroneous judgments. The second probably means that when fighting humans, as long as we kill the strongest one, the rest will scatter in disarray! Humans, am I correct?"
Understanding Zuo Mingliang’s taunt, Ganmu actually bypassed his Mecha and lunged towards Zhou Qingyu again. Although a spark of anger smoldered within her, she had now learned to control her rage!
"Die, humans!"
Watching Ganmu charge, the remaining team members unleashed a volley, firing their Dark Energy Bullets at her with all their might. The barrage actually inflicted some damage on Ganmu. This was because Ganmu had now completely abandoned her original, massive, bloated body. Although she still possessed a formidable physique, far surpassing that of a human of the same tier, she could no longer shrug off ordinary Dark Energy Bullets with near immunity as she had before.
The continuous fire riddled Ganmu’s body with numerous wounds, finally repelling her assault.
"The shots are effective! Her defenses aren’t as strong as the legends claim! Keep firing! Suppressing fire!" a Third Tier team member commanded, continuously using his rifle to restrict Ganmu’s movements. He unpinned five grenades from his bulletproof armor and hurled the armor itself at Ganmu.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The successive energy explosions completely forced Ganmu back. Zuo Mingliang, piloting his Mecha, finally reached her, grabbing her from behind. At full power, the energy maneuver armor—the pinnacle of human individual weaponry—demonstrated its effectiveness. The external armor plates interlocked, layer by layer, completely immobilizing Ganmu’s body and hoisting her high.
"Liu Yu!"
"I know!"
Liu Yu’s expression was resolute. She was a serious person. From the first day she stepped beyond the Wall, she had been prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, or to bid farewell to her comrades. To abandon, or even kill, a teammate at the opportune moment—Liu Yu believed this was something an outstanding Transcendent had to be able to do. She had just never imagined that the first person she would have to target would be her captain, the one who had guided her, helped her, and treated her like a younger sister.
"SE-Energy Infusion Sniper Cannon, target locked! Preparing to fire!"
THUD!
A blinding beam of light instantly pierced Zuo Mingliang’s Mecha and tore straight through Ganmu’s body. The power of the Energy Infusion Sniper Cannon was so immense that even Ganmu in her complete form couldn’t have withstood it; this was the might of human high-tech equipment. And Hongtu Armaments, as humanity’s strongest weapons manufacturer, produced weapons that were also the most powerful among conventional human armaments.
A gaping hole was torn in the chest of Zuo Mingliang’s Mecha, its arms still locked in a death grip on Ganmu. Ganmu, too, had a massive hole in her abdomen. The sniper cannon’s effect was superb—a clean shot, straight through.
A wave of relief washed over everyone. Surely, injuries like that must have killed her!
But at that precise moment, Zhou Qingyu scrambled to her feet and leaped into the air. Ice coalesced in her hands, rapidly forming two enormous ice spikes that plunged straight towards Ganmu, as if to obliterate her into dust.
Apart from Zhou Qingyu, none of the others had experience fighting Lord-grade Exotic Species. Only Zhou Qingyu knew how terrifyingly tenacious the life force of a Lord was! Even the infamous Wu En had only been killed in the Disc World by the Core of the Devouring World. Ganmu, a Lord in her prime, possessed a life force on an entirely different scale than ordinary Exotic Species.
Just as the ice spikes were about to impale Ganmu, she suddenly tore herself free from the Mecha’s grip. With a single hand-strike, she cleaved Zuo Mingliang, Mecha and all, in two.
Watching the ice spikes descend upon her, Ganmu clutched her wound and let out a maniacal laugh.
"Gyehehe! So you saw through my feigned death."
The gaping hole in Ganmu’s abdomen suddenly began to writhe, and numerous sharp teeth sprouted from the wound’s edges.
"Your human weapons are indeed potent. Even I was nearly killed. Unfortunately for you, you won’t get a second chance."
Ganmu kicked the ice spikes away and lunged straight at Zhou Qingyu. Her sharp claws seized Zhou Qingyu’s arm, while the massive maw on her abdomen clamped down on Zhou Qingyu’s thigh.
"AHH!"
Ganmu’s bite force was incredible. In one motion, she shattered Zhou Qingyu’s thigh bone and tore off a large chunk of flesh. As Zhou Qingyu screamed in agony, she shoved a massive fireball directly into the mouth on Ganmu’s belly.
BOOM!
Flesh and blood splattered. This was true combat pushed to its limits—a contest not only of skill and power, but also of sheer will. There were no feints or deconstructions, just a brutal, head-on clash, a fight to the death. If it were an Exotic Species in its beast form, its consciousness would be more animalistic. But Ganmu was now in humanoid form. Her thought processes were more human-like! She was well aware that such an exchange would leave her severely wounded, but it was a price she could afford.
"Foolish creature! Do you truly believe you can compete with my vitality?"
Ganmu expelled a vast cloud of toxic gas, which began to permeate the valley. The poisonous fumes seeped into the humans’ bodies through their pores and completely obscured the vision of those on the ground.
Zhou Qingyu clashed repeatedly with Ganmu in mid-air. Soon, more than a dozen wounds adorned her body, but she also found a perfect opportunity.
BOOM! BOOM!
Two more fireballs exploded, this time point-blank in Ganmu’s face. Ganmu howled in pain and crashed to the ground.
Zhou Qingyu landed, clutching her thigh and chest, barely able to remain standing.
Liu Yu advanced in her Mecha. The Ganmu before her seemed to have perished. However, to be safe, she pressed the barrel of her weapon against Ganmu’s forehead, ready to deliver a finishing shot.
But just then, Ganmu suddenly seized the gun barrel, crushed the sniper cannon in her jaws, and her body began to swell, growing larger and larger!
"What?!"
"Too slow!"
With one claw, she severed the Mecha’s head, then kicked the battered machine aside. Fortunately, Liu Yu had curled up, narrowly dodging the fatal blow.
The blood-drenched, giant, grotesque creature finally revealed itself to them.
Ganmu, King of Rot.
"ROAR!"
An overwhelming aura, like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, struck terror into their hearts.
Li Tanya was stunned. Under normal circumstances, their team’s composition should have been more than capable of killing a Fifth Tier Lord. But this time, the intelligence, combat power, and agility Ganmu displayed had far exceeded their imaginations. Now, Zhou Qingyu was incapacitated, both Mechas were destroyed, and Ganmu was still alive. This battle was lost.
"Qingyu, take me with you!"
Li Tanya turned, only to find that Zhou Qingyu had already departed with Lin Zhiming. Zhou Qingyu glanced at Li Tanya with indifference and said faintly, "If there’s no danger, I’ll stay with you. But if things go wrong, my duty is to protect the Lin Family. Those are my orders from above. I’m sorry, Tanya."
Zhou Qingyu’s coldness struck Li Tanya like a heavy hammer, leaving her breathless.
Beside her, Lin Zhiming wore an expression of anxious frenzy. "Hurry! If we don’t leave now, it’ll be too late! Forget about this woman! Just get me out of here, and I’ll give you anything you want!"
And just like that, the two of them abandoned Li Tanya. Cascading giant rocks completely blocked the path.
The remaining members faced Ganmu alone!
「...」
Dragging her injured leg and battered body, Zhou Qingyu rushed towards the valley exit with Lin Zhiming, who was leering at her.
Suddenly, Zhou Qingyu stopped.
Lin Zhiming, who had been ogling the woman, paused in surprise before snapping, "What are you doing? Hurry up and go!"
Zhou Qingyu was disgusted by Lin Zhiming, but she had no choice; she had to protect the Lin Family from harm. She ignored Lin Zhiming, her gaze fixed coldly ahead.
A tall, thin figure gradually emerged. His originally red cartoon soldier uniform was now stained black with blood.
The figure stared at Lin Zhiming and began to smile.
"Life is always full of ups and downs, isn’t it? Fate has once again arranged for us to meet. That... I’ve forgotten, what was your name again? Oh well, side characters don’t deserve names. I’ll just stick to calling you Fatty. Fatty, you’re going to die!"
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(PS: The full-subscription bonus side story has been decided—Qiao Xing and Han Shiyu.
It’s 90% written; just needs a bit of polishing. The editor will arrange for its upload in a few days, so please be patient.
Qiao Xing’s story will be more plot-focused and reveal some critical information.
Han Shiyu’s will be more of a slice-of-life, focusing on a young girl’s growth.
I’ve seen the readers’ comments. Actually, I had considered a side story for Song Hana before.
I won’t whitewash a villain, but that villain will definitely have her own story.
I hope every character in the book, even the villains, has their own past and experiences. Just like the deceased Chu Qi, a flawed individual of flesh and blood, with both strengths and weaknesses—that’s what I’ve always aimed for.
Honestly, if Song Hana’s side story were written, I think it would be quite exciting, but the readers vetoed it.
Sigh, this is too exhausting, too exhausting! I need to sleep. If I don’t sleep, I’ll die from overwork!)