radicalducati Chapter 113 The First Battle of the Acid-Exploding Spider
Chapter 113 The First Battle of the Acid-Exploding Spider
Chapter 113 The First Battle of the Acid-Exploding Spider
As soon as Zhao Yanzhi finished speaking, a dull thud came from outside the window, causing the entire faculty and staff dormitory building to tremble.
"It must be hitting the wall." Zhao Yanzhi's face was grim, his fingernails unconsciously digging into the hard cover of his notebook. "I've seen that chain; although it's thick, it can't withstand that monster's torment. Once it breaks free, those dozens of unprotected survivors downstairs will be a ready-made buffet."
Jiang Ming didn't reply, but simply stuffed the remaining half of the compressed biscuit into his mouth and swallowed it without even chewing it properly.
"Not enough meat?" He stood up and walked to the window.
"Not nearly enough." Zhao Yanzhi smiled wryly. "The meat rations for the few bulls we hunted yesterday have already been distributed. That ogre's stomach is a bottomless pit. I just had someone throw two dead wolves over there, and it chewed them up and swallowed them whole, skin and bones, without even burping. Now it's staring at the students on night watch, drooling."
Jiang Ming pulled back a corner of the curtain and looked down through the gap.
On the open ground downstairs, the Black Rock Ogre was irritably tugging at the iron chain around its neck.
Its cloudy, yellowish eyes emitted a green light in the darkness that seemed to emanate from hunger.
Whenever patrolling students pass by, it will pounce on them suddenly until it is suffocated by the iron chain and has to stop, making a strange whooshing sound like a bellows coming from its throat.
That wasn't the sound of a pet; it was the prelude to a wild beast choosing to devour its prey.
"Raising this thing is definitely a hassle," Jiang Ming said, drawing the curtains down, his tone as casual as if he were discussing a gas-guzzling old car. "Since it's hungry, it needs to be fed. But my rule is, if you want to eat, you have to do the work yourself."
Zhao Yanzhi was taken aback: "Work? It's the middle of the night, you want it to move bricks?"
Before Jiang Ming could speak, a shrill and urgent whistle suddenly shattered the tranquility of the night sky.
That was their highest-level alert—only to be sounded when a large-scale enemy attack was confirmed.
Immediately afterwards, a chaotic commotion erupted in the lobby downstairs, with screams and the sound of tables and chairs being overturned.
"Enemy attack! It's those green-skinned dwarfs!"
"So many! They're everywhere outside the wall!"
Zhao Yanzhi suddenly looked at Jiang Ming: "Goblins? Could it be the camp we wiped out during the day—"
"That's a scout camp. If the small ones are attacked, the big ones will naturally come." Jiang Ming's face showed no surprise. Instead, he appeared unusually calm because something he had expected had happened. "Besides, the several cartloads of supplies we brought back had a very strong smell. To these natives with their keen sense of smell, it was like throwing a bar of soap into a cesspool."
He strode down the stairs, his heavy combat boots thumping on the steps, each step feeling like a tap on everyone's heartbeat.
Upon arriving at the lobby on the first floor, the place was in complete disarray.
Dozens of survivors were shouting loudly, holding wooden sticks and homemade spears.
Wang Yang and Li Bin, along with several daring boys, were blocking the doorway, peering through the crack in the door. Their faces were equally grim.
"Brother Jiang!" Wang Yang turned around and saw Jiang Ming, his voice trembling, "Outside—outside is full of green lights! There are at least two or three hundred of them!"
Jiang Ming pushed through the crowd, walked to the window that was boarded up, and looked out through the pre-reserved firing port.
At this moment, countless points of eerie green phosphorescence lit up the originally dark woods surrounding the school.
Those were goblin torches, burning some kind of grease and phosphorus powder.
By the light of the two crimson moons and the will-o'-the-wisps, one could clearly see that the open space outside the wall was densely packed with dark green figures.
They wielded rusty machetes, spiked clubs, and even rudimentary slings.
Among these ragtag soldiers were several men who were noticeably larger.
[High Goblin Overlord (Lv.10)]
[Danger Level: High]
[Characteristics: Brute Force, Command, Heavy Armor.]
Besides these warlords, Jiang Ming also saw two gaunt figures riding on the backs of dire wolves, holding staffs adorned with bone ornaments.
Goblin Spellcaster (Lv.9)
"This isn't revenge, it's an entire clan relocating here to prey on those who have died out." Li Bin swallowed hard, his palms sweating as he gripped the dagger. "Brother Jiang, can we hold out? That wall is just for show; they could build a human ladder and climb over it."
"Who said we were supposed to defend?"
Jiang Ming withdrew his gaze, a cold and hard smile curving his lips.
He turned around and looked at the faces in the hall filled with fear, finally fixing his gaze on the enormous creature outside the door that was still frantically pounding the ground, trying to break free of its chains.
Jiang Ming offered no explanation and walked straight towards the location of the cannibal.
As he walked, he took a mechanical spider out of his canvas bag and gently stroked the red sac on the spider's back with his fingers.
"Perfect timing, you've come just in time to feed the dogs when we're short of meat."
Outside the door, the Blackrock Ogre seemed to have also smelled the strong, sour stench of goblins in the air.
Those are ingredients in its recipe that, while not particularly tasty, are plentiful and filling.
It stopped ramming, its nostrils flared wildly, and a low growl of extreme longing emanated from its throat. Its yellowish eyes were fixed on the direction of the wall, and saliva dripped from its fangs onto the concrete ground, forming a small puddle.
As Jiang Ming approached it, a nauseating, fishy stench assaulted his nostrils.
The cannibal lowered its head, looking at the small creature that had once beaten it to a pulp. Instinctively, it shrank back, but hunger quickly overwhelmed its fear.
It pointed outside the wall, then pointed to its own big mouth, and made a pleading sound.
Are you hungry?
Jiang Ming's voice sounded exceptionally clear in the night breeze.
The cannibal nodded frantically, its enormous head resembling a rattle drum.
"Go eat if you're hungry."
Jiang Ming raised his hand, and the black iron horse-slaying sword drew a mournful silver line in the moonlight.
"Clang!"
Sparks flew everywhere.
The fixing pin, which was only as thick as a thumb, was severed by a single sword strike.
The chains that had been restricting the cannibal's movements were instantly released, leaving only the half-collar around its neck and the long chain dragging on the ground.
The moment it regained its freedom, the enormous creature paused for a moment.
It seemed unable to believe that happiness had come so suddenly.
"Go ahead." Jiang Ming turned to the side and pointed to the school gate that was being rammed by goblins. "The buffet has started. How much you can eat depends on your ability."
The next second, a deafening roar exploded in everyone's ears.
That wasn't a sound a human could make; it was pure, primal killing intent.
The Black Rock Ogre was like a runaway heavy tank, dragging rattling chains as it strode toward the school gate.
Its eyes were only on that group of green-skinned dwarfs that smelled of flesh; it didn't care how many there were or whether they would get hurt.
In its simple logic, anything smaller than itself that can move is food.
At the same time, Zhao Yanzhi gritted his teeth and, with the help of two others, frantically cranked the winch.
Squeak—
The newly welded, still somewhat sturdy iron gate slowly opened to both sides under the watchful eyes of hundreds of goblins.
The goblins outside the door were stunned.
They were originally preparing to build a human ladder to scale the wall or use a ramming stick to force their way in, but they never expected that these foolish humans would open the door on their own initiative.
The leading goblin overlord raised his spiked club, about to let out a charge howl, but the sound got stuck in his throat.
Because it saw that thing rushing out of the darkness.
A mountain of flesh.
A hungry, angry, drooling mountain of flesh.
"roar--!!!"
The two torrents collided in their most primal form at the school gate.
On one side is a surging green tide, and on the other side are lonely yet violent black reefs.
The Blackrock Ogre doesn't need weapons at all.
Using the momentum of its charge, it snatched the thick, long iron chain that was dragging on the ground, and swept it horizontally into the goblin vanguard as if wielding a long steel whip.
"Bang bang bang!"
A series of muffled thuds, like watermelons bursting.
The five or six goblins at the front didn't even have time to raise their shields before they were whipped away by the heavy iron chains.
Fragile bones are like dry branches in the face of absolute power, instantly shattering.
Flesh and blood mixed with a ghastly green bodily fluid exploded in the air, creating plumes of nauseating mist.
The ogre charged into the enemy ranks, and with a casual grab of its large, fan-like hand, it seized a goblin that was trying to ambush it.
The goblin screamed in terror, frantically stabbing its rusty stone dagger at the ogre's arm, but it couldn't even pierce the thick layer of black skin.
"Click."
The ogre didn't even look at it before stuffing the struggling green dwarf into its mouth.
The sickening sound of bones cracking accompanied blood oozing from the corner of its mouth. It was as if it were chewing on a bone-in steak, a hideous expression of extreme satisfaction on its face.
This scene completely shocked the goblin army behind them.
Although they are brutal and bloodthirsty, in the face of such a terrifying predator, the fear etched into their genes erupts instantly.
The originally aggressive charge was abruptly halted by this monster.
"What are you standing there for! Go steal the monster!"
Zhao Yanzhi roared as he stood on the second-floor platform, his alloy recurve bow already fully drawn.
"collapse!"
A homemade, sharpened wooden arrow whistled through the air and precisely pierced the eye socket of a goblin that was trying to bypass the ogre and rush in.
This arrow seems to be a signal.
The survivors on the rooftop and behind the windows finally came to their senses.
Regardless of accuracy, dozens of sharpened wooden arrows rained down on the crowded goblin horde at the entrance.
Although its destructive power is average, it is enough to create greater chaos.
"That's interesting, but it's not enough."
Jiang Ming stood in the shadows of the first-floor lobby, calmly observing the battle situation.
Although the cannibal is fierce, there is only one of them.
There were too many goblins, and those cunning sorcerers had already begun chanting in the rear.
Several dark green acid balls flew in parabolic arcs and struck the ogre's back, corroding it and emitting puffs of white smoke. The huge creature howled in pain and its movements slowed down.
Several goblin overlords wielding wooden shields seized the opportunity to rush forward and thrust their spears at the ogre's lower body.
"It's time to add some spice to this buffet."
Jiang Ming opened the canvas bag in his hand and dumped all seven [Unstable Acid Self-Destructing Spiders] onto the ground.
He crouched down and tapped rapidly with his fingers on the red sacs on the backs of each spider.
"Drip—drip—drip"
The rapid electronic sounds were barely audible on the noisy battlefield.
The seven mechanical spiders were instantly activated, their eight sharp metal legs scraping against the concrete floor with a screeching sound.
They have no eyes, only a cluster of pink nerve bundles that tremble slightly in the air, capturing the most intense biological heat sources and hostility ahead.
"Go ahead." Jiang Ming pointed to the back row where the goblins were most concentrated. "Find the ones with staffs and the big ones, and hold on tight."
Upon receiving the command, the mechanical spiders instantly transformed into seven gray afterimages, rushing towards their target at the fastest speed imaginable, following along the base of the wall, through the shadows, and even directly beneath the chaotic goblins.
At this moment, the two goblin sorcerers behind were gleefully casting their second wave of fireballs.
Suddenly, one of the sorcerers felt something cold crawl onto its dire wolf.
It lowered its head and looked in confusion at the strange iron lump, only the size of a fist, carrying a red light bulb on its back.
What is this?
Some kind of alchemical toy?
Before its meager brain could even process what was happening, the mechanical spider had already climbed up the dire wolf's leg onto its robe, its eight metal legs digging firmly into its flesh.
"drop-
""
Long vowel.
The red light suddenly became blinding.
"boom!"
A small but extremely vicious explosion erupted at the heart of the goblin formation.
There was no intense flame, only a sky full of splashing dark green acid and countless tiny metal fragments.
That was a formula specially prepared by Jiang Ming—a mixture of concentrated sulfuric acid, neurotoxins extracted from the poison sac, and rusty iron nail fragments.
Before the two sorcerers could even scream, half of their faces were melted by acid, and then they were riddled with shrapnel.
The dire wolf leaped up like a madman, flinging the carcass off its back, and then rolled on the ground in agony.
Then came the second and third sounds —
Seven spiders, seven flowers of death.
The previously well-organized goblin rear ranks instantly erupted into chaos.
The acid splashes over a very wide area; even a single drop can cause skin ulceration, and the toxins can then invade the nerves.
"Ahhhhh!"
"Wah-ra-ra-ra!" (Goblin language: There's an ambush! It's witchcraft!)
The warlords, who were still besieging the cannibal, instinctively turned around to check when they heard the screams behind them.
At that very moment, a silvery-white lightning bolt shot out from the school gate.
Jiang Ming made a move.
He was wearing a full set of [Silver Knight Armor], and his 20 points of strength attribute were fully unleashed, making him look like a heavy cannonball.
"Brutal charge!"
"Bang!"
A goblin overlord who tried to stop him was sent flying five or six meters away, shield and all. His chest armor caved in, and his broken ribs pierced his internal organs.
Jiang Ming did not stop.
He abruptly stopped at the end of his charge, using the twisting force of his waist to swing the Black Iron Horse-Slaying Sword in a semi-circle.
"Sweep through the enemy ranks!"
The black greatsword, carrying terrifying wind pressure, sliced through the waists of the three goblins.
Time seemed to stand still for a second at that moment.
Immediately afterwards, the three bodies were neatly severed in two, the upper bodies sliding off, the cuts so smooth that blood didn't even spurt out immediately.
Only after the body fell to the ground did blood gush out like a fountain, staining Jiang Ming's silver armor red.
"The boss is over there!"