The Queen of Scrolls never admits defeat

Springtime is a time of renewal and rapid growth for all things, and most Mirror Beasts are well-suited to this season, making it a peak period for various Mirror Beast activities.

Sure enough, almost the instant the springtime rules settled completely over the giant toe meadow—

"Shh-shh-squeak!"

From the depths of the grass, which had suddenly become unusually dense due to the change of seasons, beyond the western and southern sides of the camp, a sharp, urgent, hissing sound, like the scraping of metal, suddenly came from the depths of the grass, full of restlessness and aggression.

Immediately afterwards, the dense grass surged violently, and twenty or thirty insect-like mirror beasts, each the size of a basketball, with a deep emerald green body and a pair of huge, protruding compound eyes on their heads that shone with a ferocious crimson light, suddenly leaped out of the deep grass. Judging from their direction, they seemed to be heading right past the camp!

"It's a Red-Eyed Grasshopper!" Chen Xingye's voice was grave as he immediately recognized the mirror beast. "Be careful of their scalding liquid!"

The Red-Eyed Grasshopper is a fire-attribute one-star Mirror Beast. It lives in groups and has a violent temper.

Not only does it possess sharp, pointed mouthparts capable of biting through tree trunks as thick as a forearm, and a powerful jumping ability that allows it to leap several meters in a single bound, it can also spew out highly concentrated, hot, viscous liquid from its mouthparts, resembling tiny magma balls!

This liquid has extremely strong adhesion and corrosiveness; once hit, it is enough to instantly burn a hole through the skin of an ordinary person.

However, for the students of the Detective Class One who had been soaking in the Crimson Refining Decoction for more than two months and had undergone rigorous physical training, their skin toughness, muscle density, and resistance to high temperatures had all improved to a certain extent. Although such attacks were still painful and dangerous, the actual damage they could cause was much less.

Already possessing a violent nature, they encountered them during their migration, making a battle inevitable.

"Don't panic! Maintain formation and prepare for battle!" Wang Jingnan's shout rang out promptly.

"The joints and compound eyes are its weak points. The red flashing of the compound eyes is a sign that it's about to spit. Be careful and dodge!" Moran warned, then drew his knife and charged towards the nearest red-eyed grasshopper.

The red-eyed grasshopper's compound eyes had just lit up with a red light, and its mouthparts were slightly open when Moran's longsword struck first!

"puff!"

The blade tip did not pierce straight through, but rather touched the side and below its mouthparts at a subtle angle, and gently flicked it.

This thrust not only cleverly interrupted its spitting action, but the hot liquid mass that was about to exit even slightly burst open in its own mouth, scalding it and causing it to let out a sharp hiss.

Moran's longsword did not stop, using the recoil to draw a silver arc, and with a soft "swoosh", it pierced through its two main compound eyes and internal structure with perfect precision!
The whole process was swift and efficient; the red-eyed grasshopper didn't even have time to react a second time before it collapsed to the ground.

She then plunged into the westernmost part of the swarm, where the insects were most densely packed. Her longsword transformed into a silver lightning bolt, and with a flash, the red eye of a grasshopper was instantly pierced. With a flick of her wrist, the tip of the blade deftly sliced ​​across the relatively vulnerable neck joint of another grasshopper. Sometimes, she could even use the corpse of a grasshopper as a temporary shield to block the slime attacking from the side, while simultaneously slashing down the grasshopper that was sneaking up on her with a backhand strike.

While efficiently eliminating threats around her, she didn't neglect the situation of others on the battlefield.

"Watch out for the left!" As she spoke, a blade of energy struck first, slicing a grasshopper that was about to pounce on Xiang Yufan's face in two.

With a swift movement, she reappeared nearby, deftly deflecting a grasshopper that was spitting hot, sticky sap at Bai Wei, forcing her to retreat. This created an excellent opportunity for Zhou Ming, who was providing backup. Throughout the entire process, not a single drop of the hot sap or insect limb could touch her; she appeared to be handling the situation with complete ease.

Su Yu, standing beside him, was like a hungry wolf pouncing on a flock of sheep, her eyes fierce and sharp, her movements swift and direct to the extreme.

She hardly dodged or evaded, completely relying on offense as defense!
The dagger in her hand transformed into deadly fangs, targeting the grasshopper's most vulnerable spots: its compound eyes, the base of its mouthparts, and the joints. Each thrust inevitably resulted in the death of a grasshopper.

"Sizzle!" A stream of hot, sticky liquid brushed past her arm, instantly burning through her sleeve and leaving a red, swollen burn mark on her skin.

She merely frowned slightly, and without hesitation, taking advantage of the brief stiffness after the other creature spat out its dagger, she lunged forward. Like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, the dagger precisely pierced the grasshopper's head from bottom to top. Her movements were ruthless, a completely reckless fighting style.

Zhao Wuchen did not rush to attack. Instead, he used small movements and the provocation of his blade to attract the attention of one or two grasshoppers. He deliberately created openings to lure the grasshoppers to raise their heads and unleash their most threatening mucus spray.

Just as the grasshopper's head tilted back, its throat bulged, and it was about to spray out slime, his body, as if boneless, slid sideways at an extremely tricky angle, perfectly avoiding the straight trajectory of the slime spray. At the same time, the slightly curved long knife in his hand was silently thrust out like a venomous snake.

Lin Yue's swordsmanship was exquisite; when she wielded the blade, the light was dense and continuous, as if a silver net of light was woven around her, providing an impenetrable defense.

Most of the grasshoppers that swarmed towards her were either shredded or deflected by the dense flash of light.

But she was extremely afraid of pain, and every time a splatter of slime came or a grasshopper broke through the net of blades and got close, she would let out a series of screams.

"Ouch! It's so hot!"

"Get away! Get away from me, you ugly thing!"

"My new clothes! This slime can't be washed off!"

The blade flashed so fast it was impenetrable, and her complaints and exclamations never stopped. Although it seemed dangerous, her defense was indeed solid, and she was not actually injured.

Chen Xingye did not stay in one place to fight head-on. He constantly moved around the relatively safe areas of the battlefield. He did not draw his knife often, but every time he did, it was extremely precise and deadly.

His eyes seemed to see through the grasshopper's muscle structure and energy flow. The tip of his knife always avoided the hard shell, piercing into the weakest points such as the joint gaps and the junction of the compound eyes. Often, a light stab or flick could instantly paralyze or kill a fierce grasshopper. His efficiency was extremely high, carrying a kind of calm cruelty.

Meanwhile, Wang Jingnan, Zhou Ming, Xiang Yufan, Ding Yan, Zhu Rao, Ren Miao, and Bai Wei formed a small battle formation.

With Zhou Ming and Xiang Yufan as the vanguard, they relied on strength and bravery to engage head-on and draw fire; Wang Jingnan provided support and command from the center, and filled any gaps in their defenses; Ding Yan and Zhu Rao provided flank support; Ren Miao and Bai Wei were responsible for providing cover and throwing daggers to disrupt the grasshoppers' attacks and spits.

They cooperated well, and although their individual strength was not as great as the top few, they firmly held their ground and successfully killed seven or eight grasshoppers together. (End of Chapter)