34: Outsmarting the crystal, fierce battle in the mud

After the rain, the swamp air was thick with an even stronger scent of damp earth.

Sunlight pierced through the sparse clouds, spilling onto the rain-filled puddles and reflecting a dazzling glare.

Gu Pingsheng led Wen Wan and Tang Xiaoxiao as they trudged toward the glowing area, their steps uneven in the soft ground.

The further in they went, the softer the mud beneath their feet became.

With every step, it took a great deal of effort to pull their feet out of the mire, creating a soft "pop" sound.

"Huff... huff..."

Tang Xiaoxiao panted heavily, the sweat on her forehead mixing with the rainwater from earlier, streaming down her cheeks.

"This damn place... it's practically uninhabitable..."

She complained, but her grip on the machete in her hand tightened.

Because she could feel that the atmosphere around them had changed.

The jungle, which had previously been filled with the chirping of insects and birds, had now become deathly silent.

Only from the center of the glowing swamp in the distance did the occasional muffled sound of bursting bubbles emerge.

"We're here."

Wen Wan suddenly stopped and lowered her voice.

She pointed to a massive pool of water about a hundred meters ahead.

That was the source of the blue light.

There was no vegetation growing around the pool, only a stretch of bare, black mud.

And in the center of the pool, resting on a huge black rock, was a colossal creature.

It was a crocodile.

But it was several times larger than an ordinary crocodile, with a body length of at least ten meters.

Its entire body was covered in thick, blackish-green scales, each the size of a washbasin, shimmering with a metallic luster in the sunlight.

Most terrifying of all, it had two heads.

Two bloody maws were slightly agape, revealing interlocking fangs, with green saliva still dripping down.

The saliva landed on the rock, instantly causing a wisp of white smoke to rise with a "hissing" corrosive sound.

【Two-Headed Poison Crocodile (Tier 3 Elite)】

【Description: The overlord of the swamp, thick-skinned and fleshy, with highly toxic saliva.】

Gu Pingsheng narrowed his eyes and activated his tactical visor.

Red data streams danced across his field of vision.

"Its defense is extremely high; ordinary bullets probably can't pierce its scales."

"Plus, those two heads provide complementary fields of vision, making it difficult to ambush."

If they fought it head-on, while they could kill it, it would certainly waste a lot of ammunition.

And if they happened to get sprayed by its venom, it would be troublesome.

"Captain, what should we do?"

Tang Xiaoxiao watched the giant beast and gulped.

Although she was a tank, facing this kind of poisonous thing still made her feel a bit apprehensive.

Gu Pingsheng didn't speak.

He took a blue glass bottle out of his backpack.

The bottle contained a transparent liquid that refracted a mesmerizing luster in the sunlight.

【Potent Anesthetic (Blue · Critical Strike Product)】

【Description: Just one drop can make an elephant sleep for three days and three nights.】

This was an ordinary anesthetic he had scavenged from the biochemical laboratory earlier, a product of a critical strike from the Hand of God.

"Outsmart it."

Gu Pingsheng shook the bottle in his hand, a cold smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Tang Xiaoxiao."

"Here!"

"You're fast, go lure it."

Gu Pingsheng pointed at the crocodile.

"You don't need to fight it head-on, just make it open its mouth."

"Huh?"

Tang Xiaoxiao paused, pointing at her own nose.

"Me? Be the bait?"

"What? Are you afraid?"

Gu Pingsheng raised an eyebrow at her.

"Who... who said I'm afraid!"

Tang Xiaoxiao puffed out her chest; although she felt a bit timid inside, she absolutely wouldn't back down verbally.

"I'll go! Isn't it just a lizard with two heads!"

"Very good."

Gu Pingsheng handed the anesthetic to her.

"Remember, don't get entangled in the fight. Lure it into opening its mouth, then throw this inside."

"As long as you throw it in, leave the rest to me."

"Understood!"

Tang Xiaoxiao took the bottle and took a deep breath.

She stretched her limbs, and her previously somewhat stiff muscles instantly tensed up.

【A-Rank Talent: Flesh Overclocking】

"Hum—"

A faint red glow appeared on her skin, the heat generated by her accelerated blood flow.

Her entire body was like a fully drawn bow, ready to strike.

"Then I'm going!"

Before the words left her lips, she had already rushed out.

Her speed was extremely fast, leaving a blurred afterimage on the muddy ground.

"Roar!"

The Two-Headed Poison Crocodile instantly sensed the intruder.

Both heads lifted simultaneously, and four murky yellow eyes stared fixedly at the incoming Tang Xiaoxiao.

It let out a low roar, and its massive tail slammed violently against the water.

"Splash!"

Muddy water splashed everywhere.

Its massive body was surprisingly agile, crushing toward Tang Xiaoxiao like a heavy tank.

"Come on! Big guy!"

Tang Xiaoxiao shouted, pushed off the ground, and leaped high into the air.

She did a mid-air roll, dodging one of the crocodile's bites.

Then she landed, accelerated again, and began circling the crocodile.

Her speed was too fast; although the crocodile was ferocious, it wasn't flexible enough to turn, and she had it spinning in circles.

Its two heads kept swinging left and right, trying to catch that red figure.

"Now!"

Gu Pingsheng watched from afar, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

The crocodile was enraged.

It no longer tried to turn; instead, both heads opened their mouths wide and let out a deafening roar at Tang Xiaoxiao.

Deep in its throat, green poisonous mist was gathering, ready to be spewed.

"Catch!"

Tang Xiaoxiao was quick-witted and agile.

She stopped abruptly, and the anesthetic in her hand was thrown like a grenade, accurately toward the crocodile's left head.

"Crack!"

The glass bottle shattered inside the crocodile's mouth.

The transparent liquid instantly volatilized.

"Roar... ugh..."

The crocodile's roar came to an abrupt end.

The poisonous mist that was originally prepared to be spewed was also choked back.

The effect of the Potent Anesthetic was immediate.

Its eyes began to unfocus, and its massive body swayed a few times, as if it were drunk.

"Success!"

Tang Xiaoxiao excitedly pumped her fist.

However.

Just at this moment.

An unexpected change occurred.

Although the crocodile was anesthetized, its nervous system was still making a final struggle.

That thick, powerful tail instinctively swept across in a circle before it collapsed.

"Whoosh—"

The tail, carrying the force of a thousand pounds, whipped up a large amount of mud and debris, sweeping toward Tang Xiaoxiao.

"Careful!"

Gu Pingsheng shouted.

Tang Xiaoxiao also reacted.

She wanted to dodge, but the mud under her feet was too slippery.

The series of high-speed movements just now had already churned this patch of ground into a mess.

"Ah!"

Her foot slipped, and she lost her balance, falling backward.

Just as the massive tail was about to strike her.

A black shadow suddenly rushed over.

It was Gu Pingsheng.

He activated the acceleration effect of the shadow cloak, instantly crossing the distance of several dozen meters.

At the critical moment, he grabbed Tang Xiaoxiao's wrist.

With a forceful pull.

Tang Xiaoxiao was pulled into the air, avoiding the fatal blow.

But the momentum was too great.

Both of them lost their balance.

"Plop!"

The two of them, clutching each other, fell heavily into the mud pit nearby.

Mud splattered everywhere.

They rolled several times in the mud until they hit a dead tree and stopped.

"Cough, cough... ptui, ptui..."

Tang Xiaoxiao spat out the mud in her mouth and scrambled up in a disheveled state.

She was covered in black sludge from head to toe, leaving only her eyes bright.

"Cap... Captain? Are you okay?"

She looked down at Gu Pingsheng beneath her in a panic.

Gu Pingsheng was in an even worse state than her.

Just now, to protect Tang Xiaoxiao, he had landed on his back.

Now he was completely sunken into the mud, with his face and hair covered in sludge.

That originally stylish black combat suit was now unrecognizable in color.

"I'm fine."

Gu Pingsheng wiped the mud off his face, revealing a pair of helpless eyes.

He moved his body and found himself pinned down tightly by Tang Xiaoxiao.

Although this girl looked thin, those muscles of hers carried real weight.

Plus, the position they were in now...

Tang Xiaoxiao was straddling his waist, her hands braced against his chest.

Because of the roll just now, the collar of her tank top had been torn open a bit, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin speckled with mud.

Her long legs were tightly clamping Gu Pingsheng's waist, and that resilient sensation could be clearly felt even through the thick mud.

"Aren't you getting up?"

Gu Pingsheng patted her thigh.

It felt good.

Firm and strong.

Tang Xiaoxiao finally realized.

Her face flushed red instantly; although it couldn't be seen because of the mud on her face, the shyness in her eyes couldn't be hidden.

"Ah! Sor... sorry!"

She scrambled to get up in a fluster.

As a result, her hand slipped, and she fell heavily back down.

"Oof!"

This time, their bodies were pressed even closer together.

Tang Xiaoxiao's chest pressed directly onto Gu Pingsheng's face.

That soft, warm sensation, mixed with the scent of damp earth and the girl's natural fragrance, nearly suffocated Gu Pingsheng.

"Are you trying to murder your husband?"

Gu Pingsheng said in a muffled voice.

Tang Xiaoxiao froze.

She propped herself up, looked at Gu Pingsheng's mud-covered face, and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Captain... you look... so disheveled right now..."

She laughed uncontrollably, her chest heaving with the movement.

That hearty laughter sounded exceptionally crisp in the deathly silent swamp.

Gu Pingsheng watched her.

Watching her eyes, which were curved into crescents from laughter, and her face, which was covered in mud yet still full of vitality.

He laughed too.

"You're not much better off."

He reached out and swiped his finger across Tang Xiaoxiao's nose, leaving a streak of mud.

"Like a little mud monkey."

Tang Xiaoxiao wasn't angry.

Instead, she reached out and wiped a handful of mud onto Gu Pingsheng's face as well.

"Then you're the Mud Monkey King!"

The two stared at each other in the mud pit, and the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat subtle.

The relief of surviving a disaster, mixed with the ambiguity of their physical contact, flowed between them.

Just at that moment.

"Captain! Xiaoxiao! Are you guys okay?"

Wen Wan's anxious voice came from the bank.

She had been hiding in the distance and had seen the two fall into the mud pit; she had been scared out of her wits.

Tang Xiaoxiao scrambled up from Gu Pingsheng as if she had been electrocuted.

"We're... we're fine!"

She adjusted her clothes with a guilty conscience, even though they were already too dirty to look at.

Gu Pingsheng also stood up.

He stretched his aching shoulders and glanced at the Two-Headed Poison Crocodile not far away, which had completely passed out.

"Let's go."

"Go collect the loot."

...

Beside the corpse of the Two-Headed Poison Crocodile.

Gu Pingsheng took his machete and skillfully sliced open its head.

A green crystal core the size of a fist rolled out.

【Poison Crocodile Crystal Core (Tier 3)】

【Description: A crystal core containing highly toxic energy, which can be used to craft poison-type weapons or potions.】

"Good stuff."

Gu Pingsheng put away the crystal core.

Then, he placed his hand on the crocodile's thick scales.

【Hand of God activated!】

【Obtained: Crocodile Leather Armor (purple · Excellent)】

【Description: Crafted from the hide of a Tier 3 Elite Two-Headed Poison Crocodile, it has extremely high defense and possesses anti-poison attributes.】

A piece of leather armor shimmering with purple light appeared in his hand.

The texture was tough, and the patterns were ancient and simple.

"Tang Xiaoxiao."

Gu Pingsheng threw the leather armor to her.

"This thing is yours."

"You're a tank; this thing will make you even tougher."

Tang Xiaoxiao took the leather armor, and her eyes instantly lit up.

"Wow! purple gear! Thank you, Captain!"

She stroked the leather armor affectionately, wishing she could put it on immediately.

"Don't be in such a hurry to put it on."

Gu Pingsheng gave her a look of disdain.

"Wash all this mud off yourself first."

Besides the leather armor and the crystal core.

They also dug up a large quantity of rare crystals from the bottom of the pool.

There were fully several hundred pounds of them.

These crystals emitted a faint blue light and were the key materials for manufacturing the [High-Energy Particle Shield Generator].

"A great harvest."

Gu Pingsheng looked at the crystals filling his backpack and nodded with satisfaction.

This trip, although it left them covered in mud, was absolutely worth it.

...

Back to the spaceship.

Alice was already waiting at the cabin door.

Seeing the three mud-covered figures walk in, a hint of surprise appeared on her perfect face.

"Master, what happened to you..."

"Don't ask."

Gu Pingsheng waved his hand, walking while taking off his ruined combat suit.

"Alice, prepare hot water."

"I want to take a bath."

He turned and glanced at Wen Wan and Tang Xiaoxiao, who were just as filthy.

"You go too."

"Wash up thoroughly."

"Tonight... there will be a feast."