Chapter 236 - Swallowed Alive
[TL: There is some lovely imagery in this chapter, you have been warned~]
Another player called Yuan HongJun, who was tall and lanky, had awakened an ability called [Water Source]. When compared with Wang DeCheng's [Forage] skill, the range of Yuan HongJun's skill to search for water sources was far wider. No matter how large or small the source of water was, within several kilometers, he could vaguely sense its location after activating his ability.
When used in concert with Wang DeCheng's [Forage] skill, to the team it was practically two solid methods of ensuring their survival. With these two abilities, the team members no longer needed to worry about the problem of food and water.
However, currently Yuan HongJun's ability seemed to be rather useless because the [Trembling World] had such lengthy thunderstorms and endless rain. There were lakes and pools of water of all sizes everywhere. It was currently very easy to obtain a source of water in these circumstances, so there was no need in particular to use his ability.
The third level 5 player was the team member surnamed Blue. Ever since that meeting everyone started calling him 'Treadmill'. Everyone had already chosen to overlook what his real name was.
Treadmill had awakened an ability called [Interference]. Once it was activated zombies would overlook his existence. This allowed him to be able to move freely among the group of zombies for three minutes after activating the ability. Of course, the amount of time it was effective against a variant zombie would be brief. It could possibly only be for around ten seconds. Against an advanced zombie, it would not have any effect at all due to the difference in rank.
This ability also had an additional effect: if zombies were killed while the ability affected them, then he could absorb more black mist compared to what other people would gain.
It was another cold morning where the ground had frozen over. After eating breakfast, Liu Gan had called all six of the captured level 5 players together, and asked them about the advanced zombie. That is, the situation of the Kingler zombie. He wished to lay his eyes on this Kingler advanced zombie, it would be a speechless observation from afar.
"The monster appeared around the fifth day after we had established our camp on the coast. If it stood up to stretch out then its height would reach in excess of five or six meters, and the length of its body would reach around ten meters. In the beginning it was only crouching there silently like a boulder; once it was disturbed it opened up and revealed its fierce appearance." Treadmill vividly gave an account of what happened.
"Even though it resembles a crab, not only could it walk sideways, it could also move forwards and backwards. Furthermore, it could rush forward swiftly, and even level 6 players would be unable to escape from its pursuit."
"The carapace on its whole body is incomparably hard and unbreakable, and its pair of pincers are practically invincible. Regardless of what it clipped, it wouldn't be left intact. Even a very thick iron pillar would be sliced in a flash."
"Aside from its pincers, the legs are also extremely sharp. If you were swept by them then you would be seriously injured, if not outright dead. We tried using a thick iron chain to create a trap, and even created various other kinds of traps, but they were all incapable of trapping it. We even tried digging a pit, dousing it in gasoline and throwing in grenades. However, it was to no avail." Treadmill concluded his account of the advanced zombie.
"That thing is simply too strong, Elder Liu, you shouldn't go and provoke it. We reckon that a level 10 or higher player could try to hunt it. It is precisely because it appeared that we had no choice but to abandon the coastal camp and flee in a panic to the prison, where a battle broke out with you." Another player added a few words.
When the six naturalized level 5 players from the coastal camp talked about the Kingler, their faces would reveal an extremely fearful expression. This was because they had previously witnessed with their own eyes their own former boss, a level 6 player, attempt to hunt down the Kingler. Unfortunately he was bisected at the waist by its pincers, and while he was screaming out in agony he was thrown into its mouth and swallowed alive by the Kingler.
There were also dozens of other team members that met all kinds of cruel deaths under the attacks of the Kingler. For example, several team member's bodies were pierced by Kingler's sharp legs. The legs punctured straight through the players' bodies, and they were skewered by its legs as it walked, which formed a human shish kebab on its legs. It was too late for others to escape from where its legs landed, as its pincers smashed them into meat paste. There were also others who died in all manner of tragic deaths under the ruins of a building which collapsed when the Kingler stomped on it. These scenes left them with an immense psychological trauma.
In their eyes, this advanced zombie was simply an unsurmountable existence. If you were within a certain distance of it and didn't flee quickly enough, or had no other people around as cannon fodder to attract its' attention, then your life would be in mortal danger.
If it weren't for the Kingler, then they wouldn't have abandoned their coastal camp so easily. No matter if they were looking for food, or killing sea monsters to level up, it was a good location. Not considering the lack of defensive capabilities, the coast camp was more attractive to them than even the prison camp.
"Does it have any significant weak points? Such as during its attacks, would it reveal its soft abdomen, or anything like that?" Liu Gan asked the six people.
"There are none. Its whole body, including its abdomen, is completely covered by the hard carapace." The six people shook their heads together.
"Have you guys tried throwing a grenade into its mouth? Exploding its insides into mush?" Liu Gan continued his questions.
"When it swallowed one of our team members alive, they pulled out a grenade out and detonated it inside its mouth. The grenade did manage to blow a hole in its mouth, but it didn't cause much damage to it. It merely received a fright, and quickly fled back into the ocean. According to a team member, when they saw it the next day, the hole in its mouth that the grenade caused the previous day had already been fully healed." Treadmill replied to Liu Gan on behalf of the other team members as he was normally more talkative, and understood more of the everyday matters as well.
"We have already tried practically every tactic imaginable, and in addition to losing dozens of members, there hasn't been any considerable damage whatsoever caused to it. This thing is too formidable!" Another player added in a few words.
"Indeed! Even if it sustained a few small injuries, it would just flee. No one could stop it with its speed and stature. In a few moments it would escape back into the ocean, and the ocean probably has some kind of special nourishment for it. The injuries it sustained would quickly completely recover. It is basically an unrivalled existence." Another team member also followed suit with some extra words.
"You all lead me to go have a look at it." Even though Liu Gan heard their words, and it sounded frightening, he still decided to go and make a trip.
Killing variant zombies could help Liu Gan level up, but in order for him to level it would take a little over ten variant zombies for him to rise to level 7. Afterwards, it would take close to a hundred or more variant zombies for him to reach level 8. Although Liu Gan could kill variant zombies without much difficulty with his current strength, trying to find that many variant zombies was not such an easy matter.
According to Liu Gan's previous experience, he felt that if he could kill an advanced zombie, then he could directly advance from his current level of 6 to level 8 or even maybe level 9. After he killed another advanced zombie then it was possible that he could even immediately be promoted to level 10.
A variant zombie must be killed at level 4 in order to promote to level 5. According to Liu Gan's speculation, if a player wanted to be promoted from level 9 to level 10, he reckoned that they would have to kill an advanced zombie, or an advanced monster.