Chapter 13: Ambush
Su Xiao stood on the pile of rubble, sensing. Although these giant crocodiles were unconscious, they must have some kind of perception-blocking ability. He found it somewhat difficult to detect their positions.
Crocodiles were originally hunters in the swamp, their stealth abilities long ingrained in their bloodline.
After sensing for a while on the rock pile, Su Xiao no longer detected any signs of life.
"It seems..."
Su Xiao suddenly felt the rubble beneath his feet shift, as if some massive creature was about to burst out from within.
Crash.
Rubble shot high into the air as a ten-meter-long, two-meter-tall giant crocodile emerged from the debris. It was the largest one Su Xiao had seen earlier.
Su Xiao was launched into the air by the crocodile, his body flying midair. At this moment, he was quite surprised—how had this crocodile evaded his perception?
Thinking about it now was pointless. There were countless incredible abilities; what mattered was how to face the enemy.
But compared to how to fight, Su Xiao should first consider how to escape the crocodile's jaws.
He was midair with no foothold, and the alpha crocodile had already leaped, its scissor-like jaws opening to a 90-degree angle, its jagged teeth like sharp daggers.
Su Xiao judged midair that he absolutely could not be bitten; otherwise, he was dead.
A stench of rot hit his nostrils as the alpha crocodile's massive maw snapped toward him. Su Xiao was in imminent danger.
A grappling hook shot out from the crimson bracer, embedding deep into the rock wall beside him. Su Xiao retracted the Realm Severing Thread, yanking his body aside.
Just then, the giant crocodile's jaws clamped shut.
Bang!
Like two wooden boards slapping together, the crocodile bit down on empty air. Su Xiao broke out in a cold sweat.
If that bite had landed, never mind how many bones would break—the crocodile's follow-up attacks after catching its prey were even more terrifying.
A pair of beastly eyes locked onto Su Xiao. Brownish-yellow irises, black vertical pupils—cold and ruthless.
This giant crocodile was severely burned, a large piece of its thick back armor blasted off, revealing bright red muscle tissue.
Su Xiao gripped the Realm Severing Thread with his left hand, crouching diagonally on the rock wall, staring unblinkingly at the crocodile.
From the crocodile's attack to now, less than five seconds had passed, and Su Xiao had already walked through the gates of hell. A second slower reaction and he would have died.
Bubuteni only snapped back to reality then, baring its teeth and charging silently at the crocodile without even a threatening growl.
A true dog that bites its enemy doesn't bark; those that yap are just bluffing.
"Go back, wait outside the valley."
Although Bubuteni ran fast and had decent stats, its attached skills meant it wasn't strong in combat.
Bubuteni turned without hesitation and ran out of the valley, hiding behind a pile of rocks. Its position ensured Su Xiao remained within the coverage of the 'Snow Goddess Aura.'
Su Xiao was now seven meters above the ground, and the giant crocodile was eyeing him menacingly.
He had two choices: kill this crocodile or flee.
Killing this alpha crocodile was no small feat. This creature was definitely a field boss, with at least three skills by conservative estimate.
As for fleeing... Su Xiao dismissed that thought as soon as it arose.
He planned to set up a world coordinate inside the crocodile's nest. Then, when the crocodile suddenly returned, it would coincidentally catch the Kalara Star people besieging the contractors...
Imagining that outcome, Su Xiao began sizing up the crocodile.
This beast was thick-skinned and tough; he needed to prepare for a prolonged battle.
Scanning the surroundings, this narrow passage was only three meters wide, making sword swings somewhat cramped.
He decided to leave first. This crocodile would surely chase him relentlessly.
Su Xiao kicked off the rock wall, leaping far away. Upon landing, he sprinted toward the exit of the passage.
Thump, thump...
Impact sounds came from behind. Su Xiao didn't need to look back to guess what it was—the crocodile's long tail swinging left and right, slapping against the rock walls as it ran.
The passage wasn't long. Su Xiao burst out in just over ten seconds, running straight into a basin.
Reaching the center of the basin, Su Xiao quickly surveyed the area. Surrounding him was a ring of low hills, with a flat expanse in the middle.
He stood on the flat ground. He had chosen to fight the crocodile here as a precaution.
There were plenty of mutated creatures in the wasteland. If the sounds of battle attracted other mutant beasts, things would go south.
Su Xiao arrived at the open ground, and the crocodile followed shortly after. Its vertical pupils held no hatred—only coldness and killing intent.
Kill Su Xiao, eat him—that was the crocodile's thought, the common flaw of cold-blooded creatures: no emotion.
Su Xiao held the Dragon-Slaying Flash, Azure Steel Shadow already activated. He stood facing the crocodile.
"Roar!"
The crocodile's massive maw opened wide, letting out a dinosaur-like roar.
Su Xiao sidestepped, slowly circling the crocodile. Its flat, elongated body made it hard to turn in place.
Su Xiao's pace quickened, and the crocodile grew dizzy from his circling. Finally, after five laps, the crocodile grew impatient. The muscles on its thick, powerful short legs bulged as it kicked off the ground and charged at Su Xiao with a whoosh.
A massive shadow rushed toward him. The crocodile was usually slow, but its pouncing speed was astonishing.
The moment the crocodile lunged, Su Xiao crouched low, twisting his body to the side.
A stench of blood hit his nostrils as the crocodile bit down on empty air, brushing past him.
Passive defense was never Su Xiao's style. The moment the crocodile passed him, he gripped the Dragon-Slashing Flash with both hands, raised the blade above his head, and slashed down.
The timing was impeccable. Although the strike didn't hit the crocodile's torso, it landed squarely on its tail.
This was Su Xiao's full-power slash. With the Dragon-Slashing Flash's sharpness and his high-level Blade Mastery, he severed the crocodile's tail in one blow.
The crocodile let out a roar as its pointed tail was cut off by a third, leaving it stubby.
The crocodile's eyes turned bloodshot as it charged recklessly at Su Xiao.
Su Xiao kicked the severed tail on the ground, sending it flying toward the crocodile. Unexpectedly, the crocodile bit down on its own tail.
Bang.
Blood and flesh splattered. The severed tail was bitten clean in two, the jagged break looking more like it had been crushed than bitten. What terrifying bite force.
Taking advantage of the crocodile biting its tail, Su Xiao charged forward with his blade. A silver streak flashed through the air as the long sword struck the crocodile's back armor.
Pfft.
Blood sprayed far and wide. Su Xiao's blade sank deep into the crocodile's flesh. Even if the crocodile was a boss-level creature, it couldn't block Su Xiao's slash.
With the blade embedded, the crocodile thrashed wildly, letting out hissing screams.
Su Xiao, having landed a hit, wasn't about to let go easily. He flipped over and mounted the crocodile's back, slashing repeatedly, beating the beast while it was down.
Pfft, pfft, pfft...
Blood gushed out in large amounts, splattering all over Su Xiao.
In just a few seconds, Su Xiao delivered over a dozen slashes, each one cutting to the bone.
The crocodile, now ridden by Su Xiao, was momentarily stunned. It couldn't attack its own back, not even with its tail.
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