Chapter 257 - 157: Node Creature, the Tiger Spine Zerg About to Evolve
Chapter 257: Chapter 157: Node Creature, the Tiger Spine Zerg About to Evolve
Ling Yi nodded.
"That’s what I find so strange. The northern urban district is only about ten kilometers away. There’s no logical reason to station a Node Mother here... unless it belongs to Number 76, and was sent here on purpose."
"These Red-Armored Beetles transporting the Tier Two Zerg Eggs have the aura of the Hai City Zerg Race. That means most of the Tier Two Zerg Eggs here were once Tier One Peak Black Spine Zergs from Hai City. Number 76 sent them here to be incubated and transformed into Tier Two Tiger Spine Zergs."
"And Hai City is over a hundred kilometers away, with two cities in between. A Node Mother would definitely be needed to help Mother Empress 76 manage the operation here."
"Preventing our invasion is just one part of it. The primary goal was likely to maintain order for production and prevent allied Mother Empresses from lining their own pockets by stealing the Tier Two Zerg Eggs."
Lin Feng nodded.
"That theory makes sense. Plus, the Node Mother’s Spiritual Attribute Power has entered the Third Stage, and it can continuously adapt and grow stronger..."
"I just don’t know if, when we finally kill it, we’ll be able to..."
But before he could finish, Lin Feng’s expression changed. He instantly activated his Bullet Time Attribute and his Flying Tiger Armor’s Absolute Domain. He whipped around, bringing the Tiger-toothed Chainsaw Sword in his right hand up to block in front of him!
The entire fluid, seamless sequence of actions took place in less than a tenth of a second.
A heavy pressure slammed against his Tiger-toothed Chainsaw Sword. As Lin Feng stared into the darkness behind him...
...the intense sense of crisis that had surged from his instincts finally manifested before his very eyes!
A terrifying, twenty-meter-long Giant Mandible had already pierced through the orange, translucent Energy Shield generated by his Absolute Domain, and it was crashing down right on his head!
If he hadn’t blocked with his Tiger-toothed Chainsaw Sword, Lin Feng’s Flying Tiger Armor would have taken a devastating hit, and his body would have suffered severe blunt-force trauma.
And yet, even so...
Even with the Energy Shield slowing the blow, the terrifying Giant Mandible still carried immense impact force. It slammed into the Chainsaw Sword, the shock tearing open the flesh between Lin Feng’s thumb and forefinger. Cracks spread across his palm’s Armor, and blood began to seep from the fissures...
This force reached a horrifying fifty to sixty tons!
Lin Feng knew that without the resistance from the Absolute Defense’s Energy Shield, the actual impact force would have been close to a hundred tons!
Wielding the sword with one hand, he could only struggle to resist.
But his opponent clearly had no intention of giving up. It wanted to wait until the Shield disappeared to finish him off.
But more critically than the fading Energy Shield, his Bullet Time was about to run out. Lin Feng acted decisively. He let go of the Electromagnetic Cannon with his other hand, slinging it onto his back. Then he used his now-free left hand to grip the sword as well, bracing with both hands against the mounting pressure.
Finally, timing it perfectly, he deactivated the Energy Shield, engaged the Flying Tiger Armor’s Flight Mode, and twisted his body to shed the force from the Giant Mandible as he shot backward.
As he retreated, he snatched Ling Yi securely by her slender waist.
He fell back a hundred meters before stopping in mid-air.
By the time Ling Yi snapped out of it, she was staring in shock at the giant Tiger Spine Zerg that had ambushed them from the darkness. The nearby Tier Two Corps squad, which had been fighting, immediately ceased their actions and cautiously scattered.
Reacting only a beat slower than Lin Feng was Shen Jie, who had been transporting Zerg Eggs nearby.
Having reverted to his Black Knight form, his instincts were just as sharp. The moment the enemy attacked, his Black Knight form reacted as if its hackles were raised, automatically shifting into the complete Winged Tiger Frenzy state.
Fortunately, the enemy’s Thunderous Strike hadn’t locked onto him; it was aimed solely at Lin Feng!
Now, bathed in the fluorescent glow of the flesh towers, the giant Tiger Spine Zerg’s true form was revealed...
It was even larger than the previous lv28 Tiger Spine Zerg, but the most striking difference was its markings. This giant’s body was covered in yellow patterns that had completely obscured its original black stripes.
Ling Yi, recovering from her shock, immediately shouted a warning to the others:
"That’s a Tier Two Peak Tiger Spine Zerg! Its entire body is made of the same material as a Tier Two Giant Mandible!"
"It’s arguably the strongest of the Zerg Race below the High Tiers!"
"It’s invincible in close combat! Run! Put some distance between you and it!"
Lin Feng’s eyes narrowed. He could see the Node Mother behind the lv29 Tiger Spine Zerg, continuously releasing Spiritual Energy to envelop the Zerg’s entire body in a layer of Energy.
It was this invisible film of energy that had concealed the creature’s aura, making it seem to disappear from Lin Feng and Ling Yi’s Sensing, leaving no trace.
Seeing its ambush had failed, the lv29 giant Tiger Spine Zerg, under the Node Mother’s control, quickly retreated into the dark depths of the Hive.
Lin Feng immediately shouted:
"Everyone, get over here! Form a perimeter around the incubating Nest! Do not go into the darkness alone!"
Facing a lv29 Tiger Spine Zerg with all sorts of buffs...
A vicious battle was unavoidable.
But one thing puzzled Lin Feng. ’Why haven’t we encountered a single Tier Two Peak Tiger Spine Zerg before now?’
The Tier Two Corps squad formed two rows around Lin Feng. From behind him, Ling Yi spoke, her voice trembling slightly:
"They... they already have several thousand Tiger Spine Zergs..."
Just then, the Identification of the lv29 Tiger Spine Zerg finally loaded in Lin Feng’s vision, displaying its Attributes:
[Tiger Spine Zerg lv29/29, State: About to Evolve]
[Life Value: 990, Physique: 990, Spirit: 90]
[Note: ...]