Chapter 14: One Step to the Stomach
A crocodile’s tail has a reverse bone structure, allowing it to swing left and right but not up and down.
Such an opportunity was not something Su Xiao would miss. His right hand held the blade, slashing relentlessly, while his left hand even pulled out the Shattered Elf, pressing it against the giant crocodile’s back armor and firing wildly. Each shot left a bloody hole, an exhilarating sensation.
Just as Su Xiao was attacking with full force, he suddenly felt his vision go dark. A tremendous force surged from beneath him, the impact of the opposing forces numbing his entire body. In a daze, he felt as if he were riding clouds and mist.
Su Xiao flew through the air, gliding over a dozen meters before landing in a flat-sand-falling-goose style, skidding several meters across the ground before stopping.
Lifting his head, Su Xiao saw double. His entire skeleton felt like it might collapse at any moment, with aches and numbness spreading through every part of his body.
The giant crocodile had somehow flung him off, nearly killing him with that move.
‘Combat Tip Number Seventy-Eight: Never ride a crocodile, especially a massive one.’
Filing that lesson away, Su Xiao climbed to his feet, pulled out a potion that quickly restored 18% of his health, and drank it. The sharp pain in his body subsided somewhat.
If Su Xiao was in a bad state, the giant crocodile wasn’t faring much better. Its back was crisscrossed with over a dozen wounds, flesh and skin turned outward, and the scales on its torso were stained red.
After being suddenly thrown off, Su Xiao was suffering from a concussion. He had landed headfirst, and blood was already trickling down his cheek.
Drip, drop.
Bright red blood fell onto the scorched earth. A mountain breeze blew past, and neither Su Xiao nor the giant crocodile moved. Both were adjusting their states.
The double vision gradually faded, and Su Xiao could clearly feel a large bump swelling on his head, growing larger by the moment.
Touching the bump on his head, Su Xiao gritted his teeth in pain, his vision going dark.
This giant crocodile was stronger than he had imagined. He absolutely could not let his guard down, or he would die here today.
Pulling out the [Havana Eye (Green)], Su Xiao inspected the giant crocodile’s data.
[Comparing intelligence attributes… Comparison complete. Our intelligence is 2.33 times that of the enemy. Obtained 100% of the enemy’s data.]
Data as follows:
Name: Mutant Giant Crocodile (Leader-Class Creature)
Health: 65%
Mana: 0/120
Strength: 37
Agility: 26
Endurance: 39
Intelligence: 12
Charm: 3
Skill 1: Ancient Creature (Passive): Increases health by 3000 points.
Skill 2: Hunting (Passive): When the Mutant Giant Crocodile enters a hunting state, there is a 90% chance to block perception effects below 40 intelligence.
Skill 3: Tail Whip (Active): The Mutant Giant Crocodile swings its tail to strike, dealing Strength × 5 damage (due to tail damage, this skill’s power is reduced by 40%).
Skill 4: Death Roll (Active): After biting a prey, the Mutant Giant Crocodile spins its body wildly, dealing Strength × 2 damage per second, with a 30% chance to trigger a bite judgment. If the bite judgment passes, the Mutant Giant Crocodile will sever the prey.
…
Su Xiao slowly approached the giant crocodile. This creature’s overall capabilities rivaled those of a War Beast, though their sizes differed, making the crocodile even more troublesome.
If given the choice, Su Xiao would definitely opt to fight a War Beast rather than this giant crocodile.
Being an Arbiter wasn’t easy. Over two hundred Contractors were dealing with the War Beast, but Su Xiao had to face this giant crocodile alone.
He had no complaints about this. High risk meant high reward, and that was fair.
The benefits Contractors gained from killing the War Beast were certainly substantial, but they had to be split among over two hundred people. Even the leaders couldn’t take too much.
However, if Su Xiao killed this Mutant Giant Crocodile, all the rewards would be his alone. The two scenarios were incomparable.
Su Xiao and the giant crocodile faced off for about a minute. He spat out a few mouthfuls of blood, and the stifling sensation in his chest faded.
The giant crocodile had also recovered somewhat. Both parties unconsciously moved closer to each other.
Only one side would leave this basin alive today.
Ten meters, five meters. When the distance was close enough, Su Xiao suddenly sprang into action.
He took two steps to reach the front of the giant crocodile, and a blood-filled maw reeking of stench lunged at him.
At that moment, Su Xiao executed a sharp stop, halting right in front of the giant crocodile. That gaping maw was right before his eyes.
With a flick of his hand, a thumb-sized white “bubble gum” appeared in his left hand.
Su Xiao casually tossed it. The giant crocodile’s wide-open mouth required no aiming; it went straight down its throat.
After doing this, Su Xiao dodged the crocodile’s bite and quickly retreated. The giant crocodile’s mouth remained wide open, as if somewhat puzzled why Su Xiao wasn’t continuing the fight.
“Intelligence is truly a fatal flaw. Detonate!”
Thump!
A dull sound came from inside the giant crocodile’s chest and abdomen. Its belly suddenly swelled, and blood sprayed from its mouth and nose.
The giant crocodile stood there dumbly, a stream of dark blood pouring from its mouth, with fragments of internal organs visible within.
With a thud, the giant crocodile collapsed to the ground. Its upper and lower jaws, originally aligned, were now twisted sideways, looking somewhat comical.
Su Xiao didn’t rashly approach. He hadn’t received a kill notification, and he wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake.
Pulling out the Shattered Elf, Su Xiao fired several shots at the giant crocodile’s head.
Though his marksmanship wasn’t great, at a distance of five meters and against a stationary target, missing would be inexcusable.
Several bursts of blood erupted from the crocodile’s head. It lay motionless on the ground, its vertical pupils beginning to dilate.
After six shots, the giant crocodile still wasn’t dead.
Su Xiao still didn’t approach. He pulled out his last Alchemy Bomb and tossed it over.
Just as the Alchemy Bomb was flying through the air, the crocodile’s dilating pupils suddenly focused. Its twisted upper and lower jaws realigned. This giant crocodile was playing dead.
Boom.
The explosion echoed across the basin. Several mutated beasts that had been drawn by the scent of blood fled into the distance. They were terrified of explosions, a fear instilled by nuclear bombs.
A large sheet of flames engulfed the giant crocodile, and the shockwave from the explosion spread outward.
Su Xiao shielded his face with his left hand, his eyes fixed on the flames before him.
Whoosh.
A sound of wind breaking came, and a charred, massive body charged out of the flames—the Mutant Giant Crocodile.
Now, the crocodile’s lower jaw had been blown off, one eye was blinded, and bones were exposed in many places on its body.
Even so, this giant crocodile was still alive. Its 39-point endurance attribute was no joke.
The giant crocodile lunged at Su Xiao. Facing this deathbed counterattack, Su Xiao immediately tried to retreat.
Just as he was about to jump back, a sharp pain shot through his calf. His previous injury had flared up.
By the time the pain subsided, it was too late for Su Xiao to retreat. The giant crocodile had already pounced in front of him, snapping at his head.
This was the crocodile’s habitual move, but it seemed to have forgotten something. Its lower jaw had been blown off, and it had permanently lost the ability to bite.
Su Xiao gave a cold smile. The close call had genuinely startled him.
His left hand, wrapped in a crimson metal bracer, shot out and grabbed the crocodile’s upper jaw. Dragon-Slaying Flash followed immediately.
Pfft. The blade entered through the throat, one step to the stomach!
The giant crocodile’s body convulsed. Even after taking this blow, it still wasn’t dead. Those 3000 health points were clearly not just for show.
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