Chapter 35: A Massive Harvest

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: A Massive Harvest

"Argh!"

On the lake’s shore, Li Qiang clutched his pierced calf, rolling on the ground and screaming in agony.

After charging out of the valley, the Two-Winged Thousand Steel Python initially paused, seemingly trying to determine which direction to pursue. Hearing Li Qiang’s agonized screams, it was immediately drawn toward him.

The colossal snake slithered as swiftly as the wind. Its dozen-meter-long body crushed the ground beneath it, producing a muffled, rumbling sound.

Li Qiang looked up and saw the giant python charging at him with its gaping, bloody jaws wide open. Terrified out of his mind, he desperately tried to stand up and run. However, with his calf pierced by an arrow, he only managed to rise halfway before collapsing back to the dirt.

"No! Don’t! Help!" His screams were abruptly cut short.

The giant python clamped its jaws around his upper body, lifting him entirely off the ground. With a sudden gulp, it swallowed him whole.

After consuming Li Qiang, the Two-Winged Thousand Steel Python’s slitted pupils swept toward another direction. Zhao Gang was running for his life into the dense forest and had already covered quite a distance. The giant python flicked its tongue, twisted its body, and slithered after Zhao Gang.

"Let’s go!" Seeing this, Gu Zheng shouted in a low voice.

The four of them immediately began to row. The wooden boat glided swiftly across the water’s surface, approaching the valley. The lake was calm, and the boat moved silently. Their eyes were locked on the large chunks of Hematite radiating a dark red glow at the valley’s entrance.

SCREECH! Right then, a sharp eagle’s cry suddenly echoed from the sky.

The sound was so piercing and shrill that it made their eardrums ache. Gu Zheng snapped his head up, his pupils contracting abruptly.

A massive black eagle was dive-bombing from the clouds. With a wingspan of over a dozen meters, the beast was as dark as ink. When its wings spread, it looked like a dark storm cloud, casting a massive shadow over the area. It plummeted straight toward the Two-Winged Thousand Steel Python on the ground. Its talons were fully extended, accompanied by a fierce whistling of wind.

Sensing the threat from above, the Two-Winged Thousand Steel Python abruptly halted its pursuit of Zhao Gang. Its massive body quickly coiled into a tight formation as it reared its head, emitting threatening hisses at the sky.

The black eagle didn’t yield an inch. Tucking its wings, it transformed into a black arrow and crashed directly into the giant python.

BOOM! The two behemoths collided with a deafening thud. Dust billowed, gravel flew in all directions, and the entire ground trembled.

Gu Zheng and his companions’ expressions instantly changed, and they hurriedly stopped rowing.

"What do we do?" the Yu City Middle School student holding the Elf Bow asked in a hushed tone, his eyes fixed on the two struggling beasts in the distance.

Liu Qing frowned. "Although the Two-Winged Thousand Steel Python has wings, it can only glide for short distances. It can’t fly. As long as we’re on the lake, it can’t do anything to us." He paused for a moment. "But if that black eagle sets its sights on us, being on a boat won’t save us."

The group fell silent. For that black eagle to dare engage in a fierce battle with the Two-Winged Thousand Steel Python, it had to be at least a Tier Three Genetic Beast. Out on the water, they would have nowhere to hide.

"Let’s go!" Gu Zheng took a deep breath and made his decision. They weren’t afraid of the Two-Winged Thousand Steel Python, but they were terrified of that giant eagle. Their lives were more important than money.

The men quickly rowed the boat, steering it away from the valley. The wooden vessel carved a wake across the water’s surface as it moved farther and farther away.

As he rowed, the young man holding the Elf Bow glanced back over his shoulder. In the distance, Zhao Gang was running frantically into the woods and had already covered some ground.

"Trying to escape?" He let out a cold snort. Nocking an arrow with one hand, he drew the bowstring. Silver light flowed along the bow as the arrow tore through the air, streaking straight toward Zhao Gang.

Zhao Gang had been keeping an eye on their direction. Seeing the arrow flying toward him, his face contorted in shock. With a flip of his wrist, a half-human-tall shield appeared out of thin air in his hand, and he planted it in front of himself.

CLANG! The arrow struck the shield, sending a shower of sparks flying before ricocheting away.

Not daring to linger, Zhao Gang stowed the shield and ran desperately deeper into the forest, quickly disappearing into the dense foliage.

"Damn it!" the young man cursed angrily, gripping his bow so tightly it creaked.

The others also furrowed their brows. Two had escaped, and another was still in the water.

"Wait, look!" Liu Qing’s ears suddenly twitched, and he snapped his head toward the valley. Having the best hearing among them, he had caught a faint noise coming from that direction.

Following his gaze, the group froze in disbelief. At the valley’s entrance, a completely drenched figure was climbing out of the water and sprinting toward the chunks of Red Iron Ore.

It was Ji Zhixing!

"When did he..." The young man holding the Elf Bow’s eyes went wide.

Ignoring the wooden boat that had already sailed quite a distance away, Ji Zhixing sprinted all the way to the edge of the valley. Five or six chunks of Hematite were scattered across the ground. The largest one was over two meters in diameter, entirely fiery red, with a faint luster shimmering across its surface.

"Hematite!" Ji Zhixing’s heart hammered in his chest.

Sweeping his gaze over them, he didn’t hesitate for a second. He dashed straight to the largest chunk of Hematite and pressed his hand against it. With a mere thought, the power of his Gene Furnace surged outward.

This time wasn’t as simple as absorbing a genetic beast. It took several breaths before the Red Iron Ore, measuring over two meters in diameter, finally dissolved into a streak of light and was stored inside his Gene Furnace.

"This chunk of Hematite must weigh over ten thousand pounds..." Ji Zhixing’s heart raced. Fortunately, the interior of his Furnace Space was massive. Even a heavy object weighing tens of thousands of pounds could easily fit inside. Once stored, it wouldn’t hinder his movements at all. However, the piece of Hematite he chose was over two meters wide, occupying more than half of his Furnace Space.

"I can only take this one." He cast a regretful glance at the remaining ores, then gritted his teeth. Not daring to linger, he turned and ran. In just a few strides, he reached the lake’s edge and took a leaping dive.

SPLASH! Water sprayed as his figure vanished into the lake once more.

"Damn it!" On the wooden boat, the group was enraged upon witnessing this.

Liu Qing slammed a fist against the gunwale, his face livid. "How dare he!"

"We took all the risks and got nothing, yet a guy who has only merged with a Tier One gene..." The young man holding the Elf Bow gnashed his teeth, his bow trembling in his grasp.

They had gone to so much trouble and risked being attacked by the Two-Winged Thousand Steel Python, only to have the largest piece of Hematite snatched right out from under them by Ji Zhixing.

Gu Zheng’s expression was incredibly dark. He stared at the spot on the water where Ji Zhixing had disappeared, saying absolutely nothing.

"Brother Gu, what should we do?" Liu Qing asked.

Gu Zheng remained silent for a few seconds before turning his gaze to the distance. The Two-Winged Thousand Steel Python and the black eagle were still locked in combat, and it didn’t look like their battle would end anytime soon. The valley area was temporarily safe, but they no longer dared to approach it.

"Let’s get out of here first," he ordered in a deep voice, shifting his eyes to the young man holding the Elf Bow. "Keep a close watch. If that Ji Zhixing surfaces, shoot him immediately."

"Understood." The young man nodded, nocking an arrow and fixing a death stare on the lake’s surface. He refused to believe Ji Zhixing could stay underwater forever.

The others helped keep an eye out while they rowed.

"The harvest this time is huge. Once I get back to the base city and sell this chunk of Hematite, I should be able to buy at least a dozen bottles of Gigantification Potion," Ji Zhixing thought.

Underwater, he caressed the Frog Pendant on his chest. With a strong kick of his legs, he propelled himself a great distance forward, just like a frog.