111: Exploding Mushroom

At the very moment Han Chengyu and the System finished their analysis within the Consciousness Space, the Flesh and Blood Giant Ant launched its attack!

The "Bursting Crystal Umbrella" larvae on its back and joints shuddered violently. Accompanied by soft "poof poof" sounds, a dozen miniature spore clusters—only the size of a knuckle but shimmering with a dangerous light—shot toward Lu Jianchuan's group like a hail of buckshot!

Lu Jianchuan's reaction was lightning-fast. The instant the spores were fired, he was already moving. With his left hand, he scooped up the Rabbit King from the ground to shield it in his arms, while his right hand swiftly grabbed the waist of Wang Yu beside him. Energy erupted beneath his feet as he carried them both in a rapid retreat!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of dense, small-scale explosions erupted where they had just been standing. Soil and grass clippings were blasted in all directions, and a scorching wave of air rushed toward them, but it was ultimately a step too slow.

"That was close!" Wang Yu said, his heart still racing, but then his eyes lit up. "Senior, the number of attacks from those mushrooms on its back seems limited! After that volley just now, their color has dimmed significantly!"

Lu Jianchuan immediately understood his intention: "What do you plan to do?"

"Watch me!" Wang Yu grinned, bio-energy surging through his body. In the next second, five "Wang Yus" identical to him split off, charging toward the Flesh and Blood Giant Ant from different directions like nimble hounds, laughing as they went!

The giant ant was clearly bewildered by this sudden change in numbers, but the spores on its back sensed the rapidly approaching life signals and instinctively fired again!

"Puff, puff, puff—!"

Another round of dense spore fire blanketed the Clones' path. Explosions sounded continuously, and the Clones were destroyed one by one, dissipating in the firelight. By the time the last Clone was blown apart, most of the "Bursting Crystal Umbrella" larvae on the giant ant's back had completely lost their luster, clearly unable to launch another ranged attack for a while.

"To think... it could be played like this?" Cradled in Lu Jianchuan's arms, the Rabbit King witnessed the scene of using Clones to trick the enemy into depleting its ammunition, its thoughts filled with astonishment.

Its ammunition exhausted, the giant ant let out an angry hiss. Relying on its massive body and sharp mandibles, it lunged toward the nearest target, Lu Jianchuan, attempting to tear its enemy apart in the most primitive way!

Lu Jianchuan's gaze narrowed. He didn't dodge or retreat; the moment the giant ant pounced, he stepped aside to precisely avoid its bite. His right fist, covered in silver-white biological armor, condensed a powerful force and struck the relatively fragile side of the giant ant's head like a cannonball!

"Bang!"

A dull thud followed, accompanied by the sound of cracking carapace and flesh. The giant ant's momentum came to a dead halt; its massive body swayed for a moment before crashing heavily to the ground, and after a few twitches, it stopped moving.

"That's the first one dealt with." Lu Jianchuan released Wang Yu and placed the Rabbit King back on the ground, his gaze shifting toward the swaying, ominous shadows deeper within the Cemetery. "But I feel... there are more inside."

Having dealt with the first Flesh and Blood Giant Ant, the three of them didn't dare to be careless as they continued to push deeper into the Cemetery.

The further they went, the heavier the scent of saltpeter mixed with a sickly sweet smell of decay became. The "Bursting Crystal Umbrella" larvae attached to the surrounding tombstones also increased visibly, as if the entire Cemetery were being slowly eroded by this dangerous fungus.

Wang Yu stopped, the relaxed expression on his face tightening slightly. He took a delicate small metal box from his tactical waist pouch. When he opened it, five finger-thick sealed syringes filled with a glowing blue liquid were neatly secured inside.

"What's that?" Lu Jianchuan asked, noticing his actions.

"High-concentration Bio-energy Concentrate, special issue." Wang Yu skillfully took one out, flicked the syringe, and precisely injected it into a vein in his arm. The glowing blue liquid was quickly pushed into his body. "My splitting ability consumes too much energy, especially when creating multiple Clones. This stuff can quickly replenish what I've used, allowing me to last longer and create even more."

As he explained, his hands didn't stop. He took out three more doses in succession and injected them into his body without hesitation. As the medicine took effect, a sense of brimming energy seemed to radiate from him, and even his skin began to faintly glow with a weak blue light.

"Alright, status maxed out!" Wang Yu took a deep breath, a sharp glint in his eyes. In the next moment, far more bio-energy than before surged, separated, and took shape in front of him—fifteen "Wang Yus" split off and stood neatly before him!

"Brothers, scout ahead! Stay safe and report back immediately if you find anything!" the original Wang Yu commanded.

"Understood!" the fifteen Clones responded in unison. Then, like well-trained scouts, they silently dispersed, vanishing at high speed into the intricate paths and shadows of the tombstone forest deep within the Cemetery.

"We'll follow behind, maintain our distance, and be ready to support at any time," Lu Jianchuan said to the original Wang Yu and the Rabbit King. The three of them remained vigilant, following behind the army of Clones as they moved deeper into the core area of the Cemetery, which was shrouded in spores and unknown dangers.

As Wang Yu's Clones continuously triggered explosions ahead, clearing the obstacles for the team, the three were able to advance rapidly toward the deepest part of the Cemetery. The spore clusters around them grew larger and larger, their colors becoming increasingly vibrant and ominous.

Just as they passed through a dense section of the tombstone forest, the area ahead suddenly opened up into a clearing. In the center of the clearing, a massive figure stood tall.

It was also an ant, but its presence far surpassed any they had seen before. Its body was even more massive, nearly the size of a pony. Most striking was its surface—it wasn't exposed flesh, but was covered in a layer of thick, rough, dull bone-white bio-mineralized armor. This armor was like naturally formed bone plates, covering its head, thorax, abdomen, and even its limbs. The joints were connected by dark, tough membranous tissue. Growing atop the armor were several exceptionally large "Bursting Crystal Umbrellas" that looked like they were carved from rubies; they were no longer just parasites but seemed to have fused with the bone armor into biological weapons.

Unlike the flesh ants that were frenzied by pain, this Bone-Armored Giant Ant appeared exceptionally calm. Its compound eyes, hidden beneath the thick bone helmet, watched the intruders coldly. Its massive mandibles opened and closed, producing a heart-palpitating "clack" sound.

It didn't charge immediately, only lowering its body slightly. Its bone armor glinted coldly under the sparse moonlight, and a sense of pressure far stronger than any previous enemy washed over them.

Without any warning, the Bone-Armored Giant Ant struck first! Its massive mandibles snapped open, and a stream of translucent, viscous liquid smelling of pungent sour rot shot toward Lu Jianchuan like a high-pressure water gun!

"Watch out! It's Formic Acid!" The Rabbit King's mental warning arrived almost simultaneously with the attack.

Lu Jianchuan reacted instantly, sidestepping the attack. The Formic Acid grazed his breastplate and splashed onto a nearby granite tombstone, immediately letting out a "hissing" sound and emitting white smoke as the rock surface was rapidly corroded into pits.

At the same time, the large ruby-like spores on the giant ant's back flashed, and several fist-sized spore bombs whistled through the air, covering a massive area!

"I've got this!" Wang Yu shouted, instantly splitting off several more Clones to intercept the spore bombs.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The fire and shockwaves of the explosions swallowed the Clones, but they also created an opening for Lu Jianchuan to close in. He kicked off the ground, his silver-white figure darting out like a bolt of electricity. His right fist, condensed with power, slammed hard into the side of the giant ant's head!

"Clang!"

A dull, heavy sound, like striking a massive bell, echoed out! Lu Jianchuan felt a huge recoil force through his fist. Surprisingly, only a shallow white mark was left on the bone armor—it was completely undamaged!

"So hard!" Lu Jianchuan was startled; this defensive power far exceeded his estimates.

"Left side, dodge!" The Rabbit King's mental warning came again urgently. Lu Jianchuan retreated backward to the left without hesitation. Almost simultaneously, the giant ant's thick, bone-armored hind leg swept through the spot where he had just been standing like a warhammer, bringing a foul wind with it.

The giant ant's attacks were relentless: Formic Acid sprays, spore bombardments, combined with the tearing of its indestructible mandibles and the heavy strikes of its limbs. Coupled with its impenetrable bone armor, it formed a perfect integration of offense and defense.

Lu Jianchuan's attacks in his First Form struggled to break through its defense; he could only rely on his speed and the Rabbit King's precise predictions to continuously maneuver. Meanwhile, Wang Yu's Clones kept up a stream of harassment and sacrificial interceptions to share the pressure for Lu Jianchuan.