Chapter 37: The Forest Monster

A massive roar echoed as a terrifyingly colossal creature emerged, its form resembling a prehistoric dinosaur from ancient Earth—specifically a fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex. Yet it bore an additional layer of glossy black scales that shimmered with an eerie greenish phosphorescence. Each scale stood tall and erect when it roared, evoking profound dread in those who beheld it.

While Hua Shaojie and his companions stood stunned, the great beast lashed out with its tail, sweeping it across their vine-and-earth barrier and carving a vast chasm. Hua Shaojie shook off his daze, thrusting both hands forward to channel his superpowers to their limit. The display screen and four flight monitors vanished instantly, swallowed back into his ring.

Lu Zhengyang curled his fingers and snapped them repeatedly. A dozen rice-grain-sized sparks streaked forth and struck the monster’s body without mercy. Everyone had witnessed this technique before, marveling at the astonishing energy packed into those tiny sparks. Yet they vanished against the phosphorescent scales, though wisps of green smoke curled upward as if singed.

The creature stared at the smoke rising from its own hide and erupted in fury. These intruders had not only trespassed into its domain but had left it smoking—a transgression it had never endured in its hundreds of years. The intruders would not escape. “Grrrr!” The roar rose again, so fierce that the Black Wind Red Tiger Beast quaked and shrank to the size of a kitten, burrowing directly into Gu Zhenzhen’s embrace.

Hua Shaojie’s heart leaped. He stomped his left foot hard, and five meters ahead the ground cracked and split in a widening chasm aimed at the beast. Moments later, the fissure separated them like a sheer cliff three hundred meters long and eighty meters wide—depth unknown even to its creator, yet profound enough to serve its purpose.

Just as they dared to breathe, the monster bellowed and spat a blast of air at its own feet. In the next instant it lifted into the air, tail whipping like a fish through water as it charged toward them. The creature was beyond monstrous. Hua Shaojie’s four companions stood aghast.

Ding Pengfei channeled green light from his palms, slapping it forward in rapid bursts. Dozens of meters of ancient trees shot up along the cliff edge. Of course, the trees could never truly halt the monster, but they bought time. The four retreated while Ding Pengfei kept coaxing fresh growth from the ground.

“Boom… boom…” The monster smashed into the trees as though they were mere blades of grass. The four exchanged glances and nodded in silent accord. Hua Shaojie and Gu Zhenzhen activated the superimposed energy shields. Gu Zhenzhen’s four-sided instrument wrapped them in an outer layer of light, while Hua Shaojie’s transformed into a colossal flying sword that hacked and slashed at the beast’s hide. Though it could not pierce the scales, the sword obstructed its advance. Hua Shaojie’s superpowers carved the earth beneath the monster into pits and hollows. Ding Pengfei wove entangling vines around its legs, slowing its speed to less than seven-tenths of its former pace. Lu Zhengyang fell back, charging power into his right middle finger. The small spark there swelled from rice-grain to fist-sized, its hue shifting from red through orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet until it burned an abyssal black. Sweat beaded on his face and brow, only to dry instantly, leaving his pores to weep in a strangely vivid pattern.

“Move aside!” Lu Zhengyang roared. The others scattered to either side, clearing the path for his black fireball to face the monster squarely. “Go!”

The fireball launched skyward in a graceful parabola, not swift but deadly. When it neared the beast, it halted as though sensing a predator, then wheeled and fled. The creature’s terror was unmistakable. Lu Zhengyang would not let it escape. The black sphere suddenly accelerated, slamming into the monster’s tail with a whoosh. Instead of scattering, it clung like dog skin paste, burning fiercely.

“Grrrr—!” The beast’s cry rang out, heart-shaking and soul-tearing, its retreat speed multiplied.

“Chase!” Lu Zhengyang’s eyes gleamed. He spun and shouted the word. The four released the flight functions from their rings and pursued.

In the northwest corner of the valley, Tang Yi and Hua Ruoxue sat in a luxuriously appointed off-road vehicle. Yet this car was no ordinary machine: gun ports lined both flanks, and three massive-caliber cannon barrels protruded from the front. As it wound through the forest, trees or boulders in its path triggered the forward cannons to fire; the bullets dissolved on impact into harmless puffs of smoke. Small monsters or threats drew instant fire from the side ports, leaving every inch spotless. The vehicle operated fully automated, no human hands required.

After clearing the road once more, Tang Yi, who had been laughing and chatting with Hua Ruoxue, patted the car’s body and declared, “007, you did well. Next time I’ll have to upgrade you as a reward.” The vehicle answered with a synthesized buzz: “I want to upgrade twice!” “Hah, you’re getting ideas, huh? Did that kid Jet tutor you? Well, after we return I’ll have to give you a thorough tuning.” Tang Yi scolded with a grin. Hua Ruoxue laughed lightly.

“Ruoxue, Hua Shaojie and the others have made a great haul. We’ll share in their bounty when we get back,” Tang Yi said suddenly.

“What great haul?” Hua Ruoxue blinked her luminous eyes.

“You’ll see soon enough. That’s when the real surprises begin! Hehe.”

Puff… puff… Boom! The phosphorescent-scaled Tyrannosaurus rex collapsed to the ground, utterly still. As its final breath left it, the black flames consuming its body died away. The monster had been burned to a crisp, yet its bulk remained unchanged—only the outer layer of scales reduced to gray ash.

Hua Shaojie and the others arrived within a dozen breaths. At the sight of the fallen beast, the four stood frozen, stunned and silent.