After the deployment was in place, Shanshan found a severely weathered, tall rock pillar in a nearby grotto.
After cutting it from the base, she bound it with golden silk threads and dragged it to the target location, then began to swing the sickle hook with great force.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~...
The sound of the wind whistling continued.
After a moment, the rock pillar lowered as it swung, beginning to flatten and crush the surrounding sand, revealing a giant grinding disc driven by insect power.
"Shan is going to start hunting again, meow. It's always so impressive to watch."
Dilu, standing on the wooden planks inside the hull and looking down, exclaimed in admiration.
"Ah, if only all monsters could be hunted like this," Li Fan agreed.
The surrounding sand rapidly subsided as it was continuously pushed outwards, and a regular circular pit soon formed.
Hiss~ Hiss~
A cloud of pink mist was expelled from beneath Shanshan.
The rock pillar was raised and swung again, the wind picking up and scattering the pink mist in all directions, which quickly blended into the air.
A strong, fragrant aroma wafted over.
The giant ape on the toilet sniffed, put down the book it was holding upside down, and immediately let out a low growl.
"This smell is wrong... I almost forgot about this. The smell is too strong for a giant ape. I need to take shelter in a ball."
Li Fan immediately retracted the giant ape into the ball to avoid the overwhelming scent.
Poof! Poof! Poof!...
Almost impossibly viscous insect silk clumps were sprayed onto the inner wall of the conical pit.
Hiss~ Hiss~
More pink mist was released. This time, Shanshan did not scatter it outwards by swinging the pillar, but let it accumulate inside the pit, scattering and adhering to the surface of the viscous insect silk clumps.
The insect silk clumps quickly shimmered with a crystalline pink glow.
Bang~
With a muffled thud, the rock pillar was smashed into the sand at the bottom center. After stabilizing, Shanshan quickly climbed to the top of the rock pillar and quietly observed.
Before long, a black-shelled beetle, about half a meter long, emerged from the smooth sandy surface of the pit.
For creatures that could burrow underground, the slope of the pit was clearly not enough to trap them.
However, upon actively touching the viscous insect silk clumps, the beetle was immediately stuck in place, unable to escape the sticky threads no matter how its legs moved.
Shanshan, at the top of the rock pillar, showed no reaction, seemingly indifferent to the captured insects.
Soon, more black-shelled beetles emerged from the pit, scrambling to crawl towards the viscous insect silk clumps.
Clack, clack...
The sound of chitin colliding began to play out in a dense rhythm, growing stronger.
Buzz~ Buzz~....
Large groups of giant bees, their wings buzzing, arrived.
Li Fan, watching from the Flame Fire, did not have trypophobia, but seeing the number of moving insects in the pit increase, he averted his gaze.
In contrast, Dilu, who had loved catching various insects around Kala Village since she was young, watched with great interest.
Half an hour passed. Shanshan, perhaps feeling that the captured insects were enough for a meal, jumped down from the rock pillar, pulled it out of the sand, and once again dispersed the pink mist by swinging it.
Then, the tips of its two sickle hooks transformed into a fork and knife. One pierced the insect's shell and pinned it to the sand, while the other cut the meat and placed it into its mouthparts.
After observing for more than ten minutes, Dilu noticed something strange and asked curiously, "Shan is tying up some black-shelled beetles, meow. Is it for reserve food?"
"No, it's to use them to help excavate ancient ruins." Li Fan explained.
"These black-shelled beetles can help, meow?" Dilu was somewhat surprised.
"You'll know its purpose after Shan finishes eating."
After half an hour of feasting in the pit, a full Shanshan began to retract the insect silk from its sickle hooks.
The dozens of black-shelled beetles bound at the ends were quickly gathered around Shanshan.
As they attempted to escape and struggle, a dense cloud of pink mist was released, and the beetles immediately became less agitated.
Soon, they all burrowed into the sand. Shanshan continuously pushed the insects outwards (This chapter is not finished!)
0180 Mantis Captain
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, letting the black-shelled beetles move away from itself.
Buzz~ Buzz~
A few minutes later, a worm deeply embedded in the sand emitted a faint tremor.
Shanshan transferred that particular worm to its right sickle hook, bound it, and then yanked it upwards with great force.
Creak! Thump... Thump... Boom!
A rumbling sound came from the bottom of the pit, and a massive sandstorm swept up, scattering into the air.
A white stone pillar, emerging from the dust, spun several times in the high altitude before crashing heavily onto the sand.
"So that's how it is, meow!"
Observing the several loops of insect silk wrapped around the middle of the stone pillar and the black-shelled beetles crawling on its surface, Dilu suddenly understood.
Shanshan was driving the black-shelled beetles to burrow continuously in the sand. Once they found suitable wreckage, they would wrap it with insect silk.
"Shanshan can't control the force when pulling and dragging like this. We're in some danger here... Ferri! Move the Flame Fire further away." Li Fan noticed the potential hazard.
Boom! Bang! Boom! Bang!...
White ancient ruins were continuously lifted, smashed, lifted, and smashed...
Soon, the vicinity was occupied by them. Viewed from a distance, they were indistinguishable from the ruins of ancient cities on the ground.
Having eaten its fill and prepared the necessary items, Shanshan began to draw a construction diagram on the ground.
Li Fan and Dilu came to the side to observe.
"The view from the control room is a bit small. Since there's no suitable large metal frame, let's just make it more open." Li Fan suggested, and Shanshan extended its sickle hook and modified the diagram.
Under the sun, a cold wind blew.
After feeding the ship's meat supply to the Big Mouth, Li Fan returned to his cabin, took out the hand-copied blueprint of the ruin city, and decided to improve it further.
Although this ruin city would be used long-term, as long as the blueprint was continuously refined and improved, even if the construction materials changed in the future, structural optimization would still be highly effective.
The next morning, Li Fan brought the blueprint, which he had modified until late at night, to Shanshan and continuously explained its various key points.
Shanshan's compound eyes flashed with purple light, quickly recording the areas that needed improvement.
After the exchange, Shanshan prepared to construct and assemble according to the improved plan. However, the brute force construction method was very dangerous in the surrounding area.
Therefore, Li Fan and Dilu retreated far away before letting Shanshan begin.
"Li Fan, is this ruin city also humanoid, meow?" Dilu asked tentatively, looking at the dusty construction site in the distance.
"Yes, but many structural optimizations have been made. Theoretically, it should be more robust, and limb extension will also be better." Li Fan replied.
"Then what's its name, meow?"
"Name?"
"Yes, meow. The giant ruin city last time never had a name until its death. I always felt it was very pitiful," Dilu said with regret.
"Name... then let's call it... Mantis Captain."
"What a powerful name, meow!" Dilu exclaimed in surprise.
"Is this name very good?" Li Fan asked somewhat unexpectedly. Although it wasn't a casual name and had some symbolic meaning, he didn't think it was particularly outstanding.
"Uh... honestly, I thought you would name it something like Giant Giant, meow."
"Uh... honestly, if its purpose wasn't very specific, I really wanted to call it Giant Giant."
"Purpose? Isn't Mantis Captain for defeating the Ruiner Nergigante, meow?" Dilu didn't understand.
"If Mantis Captain defeats the Ruiner Nergigante too quickly, Zan Zan won't be able to undergo special training."
"So, the purpose of Mantis Captain is..."
"A referee."
Rumble! Rumble...
A deep, resonant rumbling sound came. Amidst the sky-obscuring dust, the figure of a white giant gradually appeared.
Bang! Bang! Bang!...
Guided by Big Mouth, the humanoid ruin city, Mantis Captain, began to stride, running rapidly across the sand.
(This chapter is not finished!)
0180 Mantis Captain
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Behind it, dragged by several insect silk threads, Zan Zan, sliding on the sand, was a bit bewildered.
After running for more than an hour, a Diablos with a damaged single horn appeared in front.
Li Fan picked up his binoculars and observed for a moment, then quickly leaned out of the control room and shouted downwards, "Big Mouth! Isn't that Little Handsome! Did you find the wrong monster?"
Big Mouth spewed flying sand, and after responding that this was the correct path, its yellow dorsal fin charged straight towards Little Handsome.
Little Handsome's claws scraped the ground. Just as it was about to roar upwards, it noticed Mantis Captain dragging Zan Zan and immediately choked back its roar, digging into the sand and burrowing away.
"It seems Little Handsome has been tempered by the ecosystem and is no longer young, lacking that youthful spirit," Li Fan sighed.
After evading Little Handsome, Big Mouth's swimming direction in the sand immediately changed. Before long, in a mountain range with numerous grottoes, a Vespoid and a group of Jagras appeared at a cave entrance.
After intimidating them to retreat, Big Mouth turned its direction again.
Li Fan finally understood. The general direction the creature was leading was correct, but it had deliberately taken detours.
The purpose was to showcase its strong background and make the monsters in the area clearly recognize that it was not to be trifled with.
"Big Mouth! What you're doing now is fine, but don't get too ahead of yourself when it comes to the Ruiner Nergigante!" Li Fan warned.
Big Mouth had the area skill [Plains of Sand and Rivers], so it shouldn't make such mistakes, but Li Fan was still worried it might get too carried away.
Passing through the mountain range with numerous grottoes, a boundless desert plain appeared before them.
Li Fan checked the map and realized they had entered an unmapped area.
"Big Mouth's intelligence work is excellent. It even tracked us here."
As they ventured deeper, the monsters they saw became increasingly scarce.
Before long, a large fan-shaped scorched mark on the sand caught Li Fan's attention.
"Not only are there traces of high-temperature burning, but also many craters from explosions. These are the traces left by the Ruiner Nergigante," Li Fan judged after observing for a moment.
As the scorched marks on the sand increased, along with incomplete monster carcasses, Li Fan was certain that the Ruiner Nergigante was not far away.
Before long, Big Mouth slowed down, turned, and began to swim back.
A blurred crimson figure appeared on the distant horizon.
"Its back has a flame-like red shell, its head has one long and one short horn, and it has a tail blade that can disperse explosive dust. It's her," Li Fan confirmed its identity while observing, then leaped from Mantis Captain's control room and went to Zan Zan behind.
"Zan Zan, your enemy has arrived."
Roar...
A tail blade duel is the destiny of a Zinogre.
Zan Zan roared, and excitement flashed in its eyes.
"Theoretically, you will suffer, but with me and Shanshan here, we will ensure your safety to the greatest extent possible. All you need to do is continuously temper yourself and bravely attempt to attack."
Seeing Li Fan speak so earnestly, the agitated Zan Zan quickly calmed down.
"It might be the most powerful Zinogre in the world. What you need to do is surpass it. Do you have confidence... uh, just respond quietly."
Roar...
Zan Zan responded almost without thinking.
"Good! Then let's go!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!...
Sensing the violent tremors on the sand's surface, the Ruiner Nergigante, which was chewing on explosive minerals, turned its body to observe.
"Uh! It's completely fearless, meow!" Dilu exclaimed.
All the monsters they encountered on their journey had quickly avoided Mantis Captain, as if it were a mythical beast.
However, the source of deterrence was not draconic energy, but the direct oppressive feeling brought by its immense size.
But this deterrence seemed to have no effect on the Ruiner Nergigante.
"It knows no fear. Very good." Li Fan actually appreciated this trait.
The composed Ruiner Nergigante became agitated upon seeing a Zinogre following behind Mantis Captain.
That gaze, as if seeing prey, was now displayed without reservation.
Mantis Captain stopped abruptly, and Zan Zan darted out from its knee.
Roar!
Roar!
The two dragons lowered their bodies and circled each other in a stare-down.
Dilu tugged at Li Fan's belt with her cat paw.
Understanding the meaning, Li Fan was stunned for a moment, then translated, "Three slashes, and I'll kill you."
"Ah! Quickly help Zan Zan, meow!" Dilu was so shocked by the Ruiner Nergigante's brutal declaration that her fur stood on end.
"No need to rush. Zan Zan hasn't shown weakness either. It said you're a senior, so it'll let you have the first strike..."
"Oh~ then I can rest assured, meow... Ah! Letting you have the first strike makes it even more dangerous!" Dilu covered her head with her cat paws, now even more nervous.
"But at least it didn't lose in terms of momentum." Li Fan felt that since he had decided to let Zan Zan undergo special training, many specific details should be left to it to control.
Clang....
The two dragons retreated a distance, simultaneously putting their tail blades into their mouths to forge and grind them, emitting a piercing metallic scraping sound.
Bang!! Bang!...
Several small explosions appeared in the Ruiner Nergigante's mouth.
On the tail blade, which contained a radiant glow, tiny black fragments fluttered in the wind.
Zan Zan's White Emperor Sacred Sword forging speed was slightly slower. By the time its tail blade sprang back behind it, the Ruiner Nergigante had completed its forging, but it did not attack first.
Puff!
Zan Zan thrust its tail blade diagonally into the sand and stood upright, tilting its head.
The Ruiner Nergigante was not polite either. It stomped its feet forcefully, leaped into the air, twisted its body, and swung its tail blade.
Clang! Creak! Boom....
The tail blade, radiating red light, struck Zan Zan's back. One side of its flame-like shell was shattered and swept away, then exploded due to the friction of the strike.
Under the impact of the explosion, Zan Zan's back bent sharply, but it also used this momentum to twist its body in place and swing its tail blade horizontally with white light.
Clang!
The Ruiner Nergigante, which had landed, used its mouth, opened to its maximum, to bite down hard on the tail blade. Then it began to bite with all its might.
Screech...
Zan Zan's claws dug into the sand, sinking deeply, trying to pull its tail blade back. However, with its claws already sunk deep into the sand, the Ruiner Nergigante was immovable.
"The gap is indeed very large." Li Fan sighed helplessly.
0180 Mantis Captain