Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 224 Lv5 Energy, Conch Shell Appears!
Like a whirlwind, it plunges into the water and slaughters madly.

The enormous figure was not at all bulky for its size; instead, it moved through the water like a whirlwind, wielding two three-meter-long crab-claw iron whips with great force.

Each swing stirs up swirling water droplets and a blood-red storm.

There's no need to strike any weak points. If an ordinary crabman is grazed by the iron whip, his shell will crack and he'll be covered in blood. If it hits his head directly, his brains will splatter and he'll die on the spot.

Wow.

The river water was constantly being stirred.

The blue water was quickly covered by a strong smell of blood, and patches of red burst out from underwater, spreading downstream with the current.

The scene resembled the "mowing down" action in a Dynasty Warriors game. Even when a few crab-men slipped through the net and swung their claws at him, Cheng Ye didn't care at all.

These ordinary attacks couldn't even break through the obsidian armor, let alone the golden shell and silver dragonfish totem below. At most, they could only arouse the totem's faint silver light to offset the impact, not even enough to make him take a step back.

One hundred, three hundred, five hundred!
The crab net that had blocked the water's surface was finally torn open with a huge gap, and countless crab-men corpses drifted away with the current, while the blue figures underwater visibly decreased in number.

Cheng Ye surfaced, panting heavily, his mouth and nose filled with the pungent smell of blood.

The smell mostly came from the crab man, but a small portion actually came from himself.

Maintaining the five-meter giant form is not without cost. In addition to the cost of use that must be paid after the end of the symbiotic relationship, the muscles and tendons inside the body are also under tremendous strain. During the fierce battle, many blood vessels have ruptured due to overload.

"It would be great if we had a skill that could drain the enemy's life force."

Cheng Ye thought to himself.

He could clearly feel his strength rapidly dwindling, and he was only able to stay alive thanks to the constant supply of life force from the wild grass totem on his chest.

However, after careful calculation, the giant form had already lasted for ten minutes, which far exceeded his initial expectations.

This performance under such intense fighting has far exceeded Cheng Ye's initial expectations.

He turned to look at the dock and saw that Rococo had also gone into the water at some point and was carefully killing the crabmen who had escaped the net near the inlet.

However, compared to his wildness, Rokuk restrained his aura and only targeted those who were alone.

They were cautious but inefficient; in the same ten minutes, they only managed to kill fewer than fifty.

"readily!"

Cheng Ye couldn't help but let out a low shout. Compared to the symbiotic relationship with the Flaming Eagle, the violent power brought by the Shrinking Earth Giant Lice was more able to vent the pent-up emotions in his heart.

The gloomy sky, the underwater threat, and the worries about the future all vanished in this battle, leaving only a sense of exhilarating ease.

"Watch out, tentacles are coming!"

Just as Cheng Ye was stunned, Rokuk suddenly rushed out from under the water and let out a strange cry at him.

"tentacle?"

Cheng Ye's eyes narrowed, and he immediately dived back underwater, gripping the iron whip tightly with both hands.

Sure enough, the Demon Eye Sponge beneath the surface finally made a move. Hundreds of thick tentacles thrashed about like venomous snakes, heading straight for him. They were so dense that they almost blocked out all opportunities for escape.

If it were before, Cheng Ye would have already used his acceleration energy to rush back to the dock to avoid it.

but now.

"Well done!" Far from being afraid, his fighting spirit only intensified.

Boo!
A sharp, high-pitched eagle cry suddenly rang in his ears.

Suddenly everything went black, but the scene of the spirit space appeared clearly in my mind.

The giant hyacinth louse occupied most of the space, its body glowing with a pale green light, while the small half of the space where the flame was located was now burning with a blazing red flame like lava!
The two forces did not conflict with each other, nor did they merge into brown. Instead, they intertwined like two streams, forming a red and green energy rope that flowed into his body along the stream of consciousness.

At the center of the forehead, the totem of the giant lizard shifted slightly downwards, and a golden flame mark quietly appeared, landing in the very center of the forehead.

Instantly, an even more peculiar power surged through his entire body, faint fiery red patterns appeared on his golden carapace, and even the crab claw iron whip in his hand was tinged with a layer of scorching heat.

"Come die!"

Cheng Ye suddenly pushed off the water, and the acceleration energy exploded behind him, creating a splash several meters high.

Facing the thickest tentacle, which was nearly three meters in diameter, he neither dodged nor avoided it, but instead used his momentum to crash straight into it.

He suddenly unleashed his full power.

hum!
Seeing Cheng Ye rushing towards it, the eyeball of that tentacle suddenly flashed, and a pale purple light burst forth instantly. All the surrounding tentacles closed together, weaving a semi-transparent energy barrier that blocked Cheng Ye from the outside.

Can it be stopped?

boom!
Cheng Ye swung the iron whip with both hands and slammed it hard against the barrier. The huge recoil made his hands go numb and the crab claw iron whip almost slipped from his grasp, but the purple barrier remained completely still.

No defense broken?
No.

The next second, a fiery red pattern flashed across the tip of the iron whip, and sparks like lava fell onto the barrier.

Even though it was underwater, a distinct "sizzling" sound rang out, and the barrier was instantly scorched with a large hole!
Through the opening, Cheng Ye could clearly see the undisguised fear in those enormous eyeballs.

Is it the raging fire provided by the flames, and the power of the earth fire?

With a thought flashing through his mind, Cheng Ye moved without pausing, like a fish swimming through the hole. His huge body leaned back slightly, his arms swung in a wide arc, and the two iron whips, accompanied by the whistling sound of wind, smashed straight towards his eyeballs!

Snapped.
A crisp shattering sound rang out, like a hammer striking glass, both satisfying and jarring.

The enormous eyeball was smashed to pieces on the spot, and dark green fluid splattered all over Cheng Ye. The tentacle also shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At the same time, a tingling, electric-like sensation came from my fingertips, as if I had absorbed some kind of energy from my eyeballs.

However, given the urgent situation, Cheng Ye didn't have time to check the panel and could only suppress his doubts for the time being.

"It's not over yet!"

He twisted his body, using the momentum to lash the remaining force of the iron whip at the eyeball of another tentacle beside him.

With another "snap," the eyeball shattered, and the tentacles withered.

But just as he was running out of his old strength and before he could generate new strength, the tentacles around him suddenly moved!

A sharp pain suddenly shot through me!
He looked down and was shocked to find that the obsidian armor had cracked open, and even the golden shell on the surface of his body had developed a crack.

But the next second, the tentacle's eyeball also exploded with a "bang," shattered by the recoil force of the carapace.

"The Magic Eye Sponge also possesses this kind of destructive ability?"

Cheng Ye reacted instantly. Although he didn't have much practical experience, his combat intelligence was not limited at all.

"Is he trying to trade blows with me using his tentacles?"

In just a moment, he assessed the current situation.

He exhaled sharply, and his body began to shrink abruptly.
Five meters, three meters, one meter.
The ability to change size was pushed to its limit, and the violent power quickly faded away, replaced by an incredible agility.

Cheng Ye held his breath and unleashed his full acceleration energy, instantly boosting his speed to over forty yards, far exceeding his giant form, and flashed to the side like a black shadow.

Without the guidance of the aura, the attacking tentacles lost their target and stood blankly in the water, trying to find their way around.

The crab-men underwater also gathered around, trying to use their breath to guide the tentacles to their location.

just.

"Give me the knife! The purple one!" Cheng Ye suddenly burst out of the water and shouted towards the shore.

"Catch!" Rokuk had already rushed back to the shore. Seeing Cheng Ye shrink into his smaller form, he immediately understood, grabbed the purple knife, and threw it into the water with all his might.

Cheng Ye leaped forward and caught the purple knife steadily.

Although the blade was much wider than his current size, its extremely light weight was just right for his speed.

He activated his acceleration energy, his figure leaving a trail of afterimages on the water's surface as he darted back and forth like a speedboat.

Snap, snap, snap!

The purple blade's sharpness was maximized by the speed; with each slash, an eyeball of a tentacle was split open, gushing out dark green fluid, and the tentacle immediately shriveled up.

In less than ten seconds, half of the hundreds of tentacles that attacked were cut off, and countless eyeball fragments floated on the water.

Even without opening the panel, Cheng Ye could guess that the information feed was probably already overwhelmed.

Just by killing so many tentacles, the progress of the characteristics of the several cotton-like patterns will probably increase dramatically.

Unfortunately, human strength has its limits. Just as dozens of tentacles were severed, even more tentacles surged in from underwater, densely packed like a writhing forest.

Cheng Ye stopped fighting head-on, lightly touched the water with his toes, and his body shot out like a cannonball, flying seven or eight meters high before landing steadily on the dock.

Using the agility of his miniature form, he adjusted his balance in mid-air, and lightly stepped on the ground as he approached, completely dissipating the impact.

But as soon as I stood up, a strong feeling of exhaustion washed over me.

Switching between giant and miniature forms repeatedly accelerated the depletion of energy. The wild grass totem in his chest had reached its limit, and life energy was gushing out like it was free. In just these few minutes of battle, he had probably lost a lot of his lifespan.

Fortunately, he has a large enough reserve of vitality, and he can integrate an even stronger physique in the future, so he can withstand this loss.

"Prosecutor Cheng, are you alright?"

Rokuk rushed over and his expression changed instantly when he saw Cheng Ye leaning against the brick wall.

Cheng Ye's obsidian armor had also changed; the color of his waist, legs, and back had faded to a light black in many places, indicating that the protective capabilities of these parts had been severely compromised.

Moreover, as the obsidian armor was removed, his skin turned an unnatural crimson red, as if it had been scorched by fire, and white smoke billowed from his body.

"N-nothing!" Cheng Ye gasped for breath, his throat dry and sore, an indescribable emptiness spreading through his body. "Get me some nutrient solution, the more the better!"

"well!"

Rokuk nodded quickly, rushed to the dock, and came down carrying the black bag of nutrient solution boxes.

Cheng Ye reached out and grabbed four bags, tore open the seals with his teeth, and tilted his head back to pour them into his mouth.

The spicy liquid slid down my throat, instantly bringing a touch of warmth.

The giant hyacinth louse in the spirit space flickered slightly, clearly also absorbing this energy.

Under Rokuk's dumbfounded gaze, he quickly gulped down a whole box of more than forty bags of nutrient solution.

"Want more?" Rokuk swallowed hard. Although he had never seen anyone drink so much nutrient syrup, he thought it was reasonable considering the energy consumption of the giant form.

If Cheng Ye collapses due to insufficient energy, then he'll be the only one left and it'll be all over.

"Yes, move them all over!" Cheng Ye wiped his mouth, his voice still somewhat weak.

"Wait here, I'll go get it for you right away." Rococo staggered away.

After watching him leave, Cheng Ye looked down at his body and felt a chill run down his spine.

The skin had turned blood red, and faint blood vessels could be seen spreading under the skin. It was unknown how many blood vessels and muscles had been torn apart during the transformation.

"I never knew that switching between gigantic and miniaturized forms could cause such severe physical damage."

Cheng Ye frowned. The tearing sensation on his skin continued, but he didn't feel much pain.

It's likely not just the adrenaline that's at play, but also the added endurance and vitality brought by physical strength.

Staring at his blood-red arm, Cheng Ye secretly pondered, never expecting that the transformation between giant and miniature forms would come with such a hidden cost.

To avoid injury, one must deliberately control the frequency of form switching and the output of power.

Once you push yourself to the limit, you'll end up like you are now, practically useless.

"I wonder if all the properties of the essence of living water have been achieved?"

If this trait is maxed out, you can exchange it for an essence that can quickly heal the lacerations and replenish the energy you just consumed, making it much more efficient than drinking nutrient syrup.

Recalling the strange tingling sensation he felt after his eyeball was shattered, Cheng Ye used his mind to summon the control panel.

As soon as the pale blue light screen unfolded, a dense array of prompts instantly filled the field of vision.

There were hundreds of notifications, all of them about "increased feature accumulation values".

After a quick scan, the properties of the cotton chamber and the circulating cotton pattern rose to 200%, reaching the limit and unable to accumulate any further.

Surprisingly, the command rune level has reached 70%, and it's only 30% away from being able to exchange for intelligence.

The co-elemental cotton pattern is also at 90%, just one step away from the maximum value.

Even the previously slow-progressing natural cotton, earth-based, and water-based cotton patterns have all broken through the 30% mark.

"Even the rules and regulations are full?"

Cheng Ye's eyes lit up instantly.

When he shattered the eyeball of the Magic Eye Sponge, he guessed that these two traits would increase rapidly, and he didn't expect them to actually reach the maximum level!
In addition, the progress of the active water essence has indeed exceeded 100%, reaching 104%.

Although the ordinary crabmen provide few stat bonuses, the previous attack had killed at least a thousand of them. Add to that the giant crabs and several fusion beings with their heads whipped off, and little by little, they actually managed to accumulate enough.

"It's extremely difficult to trigger this trait without enough infected individuals; it's practically impossible unless you can directly eliminate the source of infection without containment."

Cheng Ye sighed inwardly, then faced with a dilemma. "It's a pity the charging speed is only 60kW, and I still need to exchange for two keys to enter the cotton chamber. If I exchange for the living water essence now, the remaining charging points won't be enough to exchange for the information on the cotton patterns."

He shook his head, feeling regretful but also knowing that he had done his best to get to this point.

However, when his gaze shifted and landed on the icon in the encyclopedia, Cheng Ye's tense body suddenly stiffened, and he was so shocked that he sat up straight.

"This, how is this possible?" Staring at the charging bar, Cheng Ye was completely stunned.

Before going into the water, it only had 32% charge, and less than half an hour has passed, so it has only charged to 7% at most.

Can.
100%?

He quickly used his mind to tap the energy icon, and lines of energy records popped up:

[Energy leakage detected; energy is being recovered through the host]

Current energy grade: Lv5 (low-level source energy)

[Recycling complete, energy level increased by 3.5%]

[Energy leakage detected]

【when】

[Recycling complete, energy value increased by 1.7%]

[Detection.]

Low-level energy source?

What is this?
It's actually two levels higher than electrical energy, reaching Level 5?
As Cheng Ye watched the numbers jump around in the record, his initial astonishment slowly turned into ecstasy.

I even felt that my body was no longer in pain, and all that remained was a surge of excitement and exhilaration from the bottom of my heart.

The eyeballs at the tips of the tentacles can actually increase the energy level?
Could it be those runes behind the eyeballs? After the runes break, they can release energy that can be absorbed by the collector.

It's truly a case of "the mountains and rivers seem to block the way, but then a village appears amidst the willows and flowers!"
It came to me without any effort!

The eyes of the Magic Eye Sponge can provide energy, which can then be exchanged for special abilities.

And if the essence of living water can heal injuries, then wouldn't that mean...?
The encyclopedia page popped up, redirecting to the Darkwater Cave Crab section. With his eyes fixed on the Living Water Essence, Cheng Ye silently recited the words "exchange."

Normally, exchanging items only requires 25% of the energy value, but this time, after thinking it over, he directly increased the energy value to the maximum!
We'll put in 100% of the energy to improve the quality of the active water essence.

[Feature redemption successful!]

[Due to the additional energy, the quality of the hydrating essence has been improved to some extent.]

[The collector has been detected to be outside the collector's usability range. The corresponding item will be obtained after entering the range.]

"Out of range?"

Cheng Ye slapped his forehead, quickly got up, and walked unsteadily toward the truck.

I had only taken two steps when I saw Rokuk running back with a box of nutrient solution. I thought he couldn't wait to replenish his energy.

"It's alright, just help me over there." Cheng Ye waved his hand.

“Okay!” Rokuk immediately put down the box, carefully supported his arm, helped him to sit down in the truck, and then opened the box of nutrient solution and placed it in front of him. “If it’s not enough, I’ll go get more.”

It must be said that Rocco's sense of responsibility as a third-level prosecutor was indeed commendable.

In his eyes, Cheng Ye could see a complete dependence, as if he regarded him as his only pillar of support.

If he were to die now, or if something were to happen to him, Rocco would probably be even more devastated.

"Go and rest for a while. The battle just now was too loud and probably frightened the residents of the camp. I'll go and calm them down."

"Okay, please."

"No trouble at all! What's the trouble?" Rokuk quickly waved his hand, then added with concern, "You rest well, you'll be going into the water later."

"Don't worry, it won't affect anything."

Cheng Ye shook his head, and Rokuk breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, got out of the truck, and gently closed the door.

The carriage fell silent instantly. Cheng Ye stretched out his palm, and the pendant appeared in his hand, shimmering slightly.

The four compartments are already full: Starfish, Winged Creature, Cauldron, and Essence of Living Water.

Cheng Ye took a cup and silently recited the command to move the essence of living water into the cup.

The next second, a pale silver-blue liquid slowly flowed out from the void, quickly filling the bottom of the cup, about fifty milliliters in total.

The essence of the living water in the cup shimmered with a delicate halo, and a refreshing fragrance quietly wafted through the air.

The aroma is quite unique, unlike the fragrance of herbs or the sweetness of fruit. At first, it smells like the bubbles rising from an iced cola, with a refreshing sweetness. Upon closer tasting, it has a touch of the smoothness of orange soda. Taking another deep breath, you can also smell a faint milky aroma. The layers of flavor are surprisingly rich.

"This is a concentrated version of all my favorite flavors?" Cheng Ye was taken aback. After only taking two breaths of the aroma, his throat tightened uncontrollably, and his tongue felt intensely dry.

My limbs and bones felt an urgent thirst, like parched land, as if this essence was a nourishing rain for the soul, capable of washing away all fatigue and depletion.

At the same time, the giant lice in the spirit space suddenly became restless.

Cheng Ye immediately focused his mind into it. In the pitch-black space, even though the giant lice was suppressed in a corner by the flames, it was frantically scratching at the spatial barrier with its six limbs. Its compound eyes were flashing with greedy red light, and its slender antennae were trembling. It was obviously being aroused by the aura of the living water essence.

"Is it really that effective?"

Cheng Ye was even more satisfied. He withdrew his thoughts, picked up the cup, and drank the essence of the living water in one gulp.

As soon as the liquid entered my throat, a scalding hot stream burst forth down my esophagus, as if I had swallowed a compressed blazing sun, yet strangely, I didn't feel any burning pain.

The next second, terrifying vitality surged through his body like a burst dam, causing his meridians to swell slightly, but a warm and gentle force immediately enveloped him, completely soothing the discomfort.

Cheng Ye subconsciously looked down at his blood-red skin. He saw his flesh writhing and piecing itself back together at a visible speed. The original hideous blood-red color faded rapidly like the receding tide. In just a few seconds, only a smooth piece of skin remained. All the traces of muscle tears and blood vessel ruptures had disappeared without a trace.

The previously depleted physique of Zeye and the hungry giant lice were now being frantically nourished by this living water essence.

In just over ten seconds, the dull pain in my chest completely disappeared, my previously weak limbs were filled with strength again, and even my mind became exceptionally clear. The fatigue left over from the previous battle seemed to have never existed.

But the power of that living essence did not dissipate. Instead, it seemed to have gained its own consciousness and continued to circulate within the body, helping to complete the transformation that the Shrinking Earth Giant Lice had failed to finish.

The previously broken muscle fibers reconnected, becoming thicker and stronger than before.

The blood vessels also seemed to have been reshaped, with a faint golden luster on the inner wall and faint runes flickering.

These transformations would normally require the body to sustain its vitality over a long period, but at this moment, the essence of the living water has replenished a significant portion of it all at once, with an efficiency far exceeding expectations.

Only when the surging life force within him gradually subsided did Cheng Ye lick his lips.

He hadn't felt that feeling of being fully satisfied in so long. What surprised him even more was that he could clearly feel that this 50 milliliters of essence had met nearly a third of the energy needs of the Shrinking Earth Giant Lice.

If I had two more drinks, wouldn't I be able to complete the transformation process directly and enter my strongest form?
Open the personal panel again, and the attributes have changed again.

The growth value of the Shrinking Giant Lice indeed increased by 5%, reaching 48.67%.

At the same time, the number of communal ecological products, both large and small, has also increased to some extent.

Its size has increased to 5.5 meters, and it can be shrunk to a minimum of 67 cm, which is exactly 5%.

"As expected, this benign source of infection can grow along with my strength."

Cheng Ye instantly understood, and his previous doubts about "reducing lifespan by forty years" were also resolved.

No wonder there is such a price to pay; as the strength of the infected source increases with the host, its demand for energy and vitality will only increase.

Once the nutrients and energy that humans take in cannot keep up with its consumption, it will turn around and drain the host's basic vitality, causing the body to gradually weaken.

The weaker the body, the harder it is to bear this kind of consumption, eventually falling into a vicious cycle of weakness → increased consumption → even weaker body.

Based on a normal lifespan of 75 years, subtracting 40 years means that after age 35, the body can no longer withstand the pressure of the giant lice.

Moreover, a portion of the initial life force is used to modify the body, allowing it to adapt to the power brought by the source of infection.

Under multiple pressures, "shortening one's lifespan by forty years" is the most euphemistic way to put it; in essence, it's more like sacrificing one's life for short-term, powerful combat capabilities.

Once he confirmed that he had recovered, he didn't linger and quickly got out of the car and headed into the town.

The people in the red zone were still arguing with Garcia, but when they saw him walking over with a calm expression, they immediately shut up.

The residents of the Blue Zone, who had been reassured by Wang Kang, were still uneasy, but when they saw him return, they all smiled.

"What's wrong?" Cheng Ye gave him a look.

Wang Kang immediately understood and said loudly, "Prosecutor Cheng, someone just saw the river water churning from the watchtower, but they didn't see what it was."

"Oh, it was just a few infected individuals; we've already dealt with them."

Cheng Ye said calmly, his gaze sweeping across the entire scene, "There are quite a few things in this river. Prosecutor Luo and I are competing for it, so the commotion is bound to be a bit loud."

It was more than just big; the sound of it being smashed was like a cannon going off, booming and rumbling.

However, with the cover of mental pollution, everyone would subconsciously avoid dangerous things and would not be able to see the crab man or his giant form.

This is the best cover-up; there's absolutely no need to worry about being discovered by the residents.

Upon hearing that the two prosecutors were competing, the residents quickly stopped joining in, fearing that their side would lose.

The residents of the Red Team didn't care about winning or losing; they were relieved to see that all four prosecutors were alright.

When I returned to the riverbank, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon.

The crab net that had been torn apart was filled back in by new crab people, and countless green bodies wriggled underwater, causing Cheng Ye to frown.

Just how much stock did the Magic Eye Sponge actually hide? Could it be that the 300,000 people who died in Leap Wilderness Sanctuary were all transformed into infected and hidden in the cave beneath the Sponge Chamber?

Rokuk squatted on the shore, holding his obsidian armor in his hand and handing it over, his tone tinged with emotion: "Life is like this. If you can have an experience like this, then you haven't lived in vain, and you haven't come to this world for nothing."

"Will you still have the guts to go down later?" Cheng Ye asked casually as he took the armor.

"Yes! Why not?"

Rococo laughed nonchalantly, “Sanctuary is like a walled city. When I was inside, all I could think about was the desire for power. Only when I was in the wilderness did I realize how important power is.”

"I'll come as soon as I go."

Cheng Ye nodded slightly, shrunk his body, and put on the new obsidian armor.

The shrunken Obsidian Armor offers enhanced protection and its presence is more thoroughly concealed, making it resemble an inconspicuous black stone.

He calmly slipped through the gaps in the crab net and sank all the way down until he reached the bottom of the water where the Magic Eye Sponge was.

"I wonder if this charging speed can keep up with the megawatt charging of the future?"

As Cheng Ye pondered this, he swung the purple knife in his hand.

Snapped!
One of the tentacles' eyeballs exploded instantly, and the energy level on the panel, which had been at zero, jumped by 2%.

The Magic Eye Sponge was immediately alarmed and enraged. All the tentacles that were lying on the bottom of the water stood up and twisted wildly in the water, but it couldn't even find Cheng Ye's shadow.

This time, however, Cheng Ye did not surface but instead hid quietly in the gaps between the tentacles.

Just as the tentacles began to retract because they couldn't find a target, he suddenly moved, his blade flashing.

More than ten eyeballs shattered simultaneously, turning into wisps of pale purple low-level energy, which were automatically captured by the collector.

5%, 10%
Cheng Ye was momentarily dazed, having never experienced such an easy, pleasant, and simple charging experience.

The Magic Eye Sponge couldn't see him at all and couldn't defend itself from all angles, so it could only passively be harvested.

Although the released crab-men formed a "mosquito net", how could this mosquito net stop him who was only sixty centimeters tall?
Skillfully weaving among the ferocious-looking crab-men, Cheng Ye remained calm, his purple knife continuously reaping the tentacles and eyeballs.

After the panel displayed a message that the energy level was full, he did not rush to surface. Instead, he opened the panel and quickly exchanged the energy for two pieces of information.

Standardized vision, meticulous attention to detail.

He decided to seal it away for now and not rush to check it. Looking at the zeroed-out energy value, Cheng Ye continued his attack.

Dozens more tentacles broke off, and the new energy was converted into information on "Common Cotton Pattern" and "Travel Cotton Pattern".

Such extravagant use has essentially dismantled the magical sponge's abilities completely.

Even if he were to switch research institutes, Cheng Ye believed that it would take a long time before he could study the Magic Eye Sponge so thoroughly.

"Come again!"

Two or three hundred tentacles were gone, but on the surface, the change was not significant.

However, the purple light underwater had dimmed considerably, indicating that the Magic Eye Sponge had been significantly depleted.

Another round of harvesting, with the energy replenished four times in total, equivalent to 1600 degrees.

Just as Cheng Ye was about to exchange the command tokens he had just collected for intelligence, a sudden change occurred.

All the retractable tentacles suddenly retracted in unison, and the crab-men who had blocked the water's surface also scurried into the water through the previous opening, as if they had received a retreat order.

"So, they're planning to hide away?"

Cheng Ye was stunned for a moment. He saw the Magic Eye Sponge retract all the crabmen into the Sponge Chamber, and then coil its tentacles into a ball, tightly surrounding the central Sponge Chamber to form a huge purple sphere.

Boom!

A deep purple barrier descended from the sky, completely covering the sphere, several times more solid than the barrier woven from the tentacles before.

Cheng Ye attempted to activate the Flaming Eagle Co-Ecosystem, his purple blade, imbued with the power of earth fire, slashing at the barrier.

With a "sizzle," the blade was deflected by the barrier, which instead made the barrier shine even brighter.

Moreover, when faced with the attack, the Magic Eye Sponge completely stopped moving, showing no intention of retaliating at all, as if it had completely given up.

"Interesting, so he's really convinced?" Cheng Ye didn't continue trying to break through the defense. He pushed off with his legs and his body floated to the surface.

Snap, snap.
A few raindrops pattered on his helmet, and he looked up at the sky.

The rain, which was forecast to arrive late at night, started to show signs of coming before four o'clock.

Dark clouds gathered, obscuring the sunlight, and the world was shrouded in gloom.

When he came ashore from the inlet, Rococo was dozing off on the dock, his head nodding.

Hearing footsteps, Rokuk jerked his head up, his eyes filled with exhaustion, but seeing that the crab-man underwater had disappeared, he immediately perked up: "Did it work?"

"Almost there, get ready. We'll be going into the water and into the cotton room soon." Cheng Ye took off his helmet and shook off the water droplets.

"it is good!"

Cheng Ye changed into a loose black combat uniform and walked towards the truck while pondering to himself.

I need to get a suit of clothing that can shrink and expand like the Obsidian Armor, otherwise it's too embarrassing to be "naked" every time I use the Shrinking Giant Lice Symbiotic System.

Once inside the carriage, he took a sip of water and then opened the intelligence he had gathered to review the information.

It's still the familiar blue sponge, just from a different perspective.

After reviewing the information from the "Rules and Regulations Eye," Cheng Ye suddenly understood.

The so-called "regular eye" and "square eye" do not refer to two separate eyeballs, but rather the front and back of the Magic Eye Sponge eyeball!

The front side represents the rules, corresponding to the access rules outside the cotton-padded area.

To enter the interior of the cotton chamber, the conditions set by the rules must be met.

The opposite side is a rectangle, corresponding to the constraint rules inside the cotton chamber.

In addition to the rules provided by the runes, the Magic Eye Sponge can also set many rules on its own within the Sponge Chamber.

For example, the intelligence showed that each cotton-patterned creature could only stay on the second floor for a maximum of half a day.

They must leave after half a day to bring back more prey for him; they cannot linger inside.

"Outside the rules, inside the rules, this setting is quite interesting."

"If we can analyze these two abilities and then build the cotton room, it's like having an extra doorman and butler."

Although the runes are still unanalyzable within the intelligence space, a promotion is not far off.

Even if the Magic Eye Sponge is contained later, he can still extract and store these runes in the information space for future use.

After reviewing the rules, Cheng Ye went to check the information on the Common Cotton Pattern and the Universal Cotton Pattern.

But as information about the Cosmic Cotton Pattern unfolded, his expression immediately turned serious, and he involuntarily focused his attention.

I don't know if it's because this characteristic is rare and difficult to collect.

Unlike the previous blue sponge, this intelligence reveals the true form of the Demon Eye Sponge beneath the White Water River!

Wow.

The scene begins with a torrential downpour, the year of which is unknown.

The entire town of Dabo was submerged by floodwaters, and the surrounding area became a vast expanse of water.

Suddenly, the view shifted to the distant river, and Cheng Ye immediately held his breath. A huge, dark blue crab, about six meters long, was slowly drifting towards Dabo Town, rising and falling with the current.

Is this the true form of the Darkwater Cave Crab?
He quickly paused the video and zoomed in for a closer look.

Compared to the crab-human hybrids we've seen before, this water cave crab, though large, appears more regular in shape, without as many twisted flesh and blood.

Its two stem-like eyeballs were tightly closed, clearly in a dormant state. It was simply carried downstream by the floodwaters. There were no disgusting creatures on its back, only circular markings similar to a ladybug's shell, gleaming with a faint, eerie light.

However, just as the cave crab drifted past the dock, more than a dozen sponge tentacles suddenly shot out from underwater, wrapping around the crab's body like ropes and firmly tethering it to the spot.

Immediately afterwards, several tentacles suddenly shattered, turning into countless living particles that densely clung to the carapace of the Netherwater Cave Crab.

"Squeak-"

The water crab suddenly opened its stem-like eyes, clearly startled awake, and fearfully raised its three-meter-long claws, trying to cut off its tentacles.

But it has just awakened from its dormancy and its strength has not yet recovered. How could it be a match for a devastating infection source?

Within minutes, the sponge particles completely covered its entire body, taking root and spreading on its carapace, forming spiraling, cottony patterns.

Amidst the reluctant "creaking" of the water cave crab, the remaining sponge tentacles dragged it, slowly sinking underwater until it finally disappeared through the huge gap that had opened in the sponge chamber.

"Co-processing."

"This is turning other infected sources directly into their henchmen. That's terrifying!"

Cheng Ye was horrified, but he also understood that this was the way the Magic Eye Sponge survived.

By "commonizing," they continuously absorb other sources of infection and infected individuals, turning them into part of themselves. They can use these henchmen to build defenses and capture prey, and also use them as human shields in times of danger.

Compared to other Destruction-level Infected Sources that rely on overwhelming individual combat power, the Magic Eye Sponge is obviously stronger in group combat, but its individual defense and attack power are relatively weaker.

"What about the common cotton pattern?"

Cheng Ye then checked the next intelligence report, and sure enough, the screen switched back to the familiar blue sponge, but this time the texture of the sponge was displayed much more clearly.

It turns out that it doesn't spread directly through the tentacles of the Magic Eye Sponge, but rather through the spread of those cult-like thugs.

For example, the cotton-like markings on the gray-yellow fish-man's body are contagious. As long as they come into close contact with other fish for a period of time, the sponge particles on their body surface will attach to them and gradually form new cotton-like markings.

The tiny particles floating around the blue sponge also act as a "medium," and any unfamiliar fish that ventures in will immediately become attached to the particles.

More importantly, this attachment is not only for capturing prey, but also a process of selecting "henchmen".

Once inside the cotton chamber, murlocs that cannot withstand the effects of the rune dance will be directly absorbed as food.

Those who can withstand the pressure and enter the second floor will be integrated into new henchmen, guarding the sponge chamber for the blue sponge and capturing new targets.

"If the Demon Eye Sponge also contained similar filtering runes, what would they be?"

Cheng Ye stroked his chin thoughtfully, but he wasn't particularly panicked.

Since so many ordinary infected crabs can become henchmen, it means that the selection criteria are not too strict. As long as you can withstand the rune impact of the first layer, you will most likely be able to safely enter the second layer.

Having figured this out, Cheng Ye simply used another 50% of his energy to unlock the information for the Command Pattern as well.

Now, aside from the three clearly environmentally related characteristics of nature, earth, and water, we have obtained the right to analyze all other cotton-like patterns.

Shifting my gaze, the information from the command pattern, as expected, returned to the Magic Eye Sponge.

As the intelligence space took shape, he glanced at the scene and immediately pressed the pause button.

"Now comes the main event!"

This time, the intelligence space is no longer the waters outside, but a dark and narrow space.

Based on his previous experience analyzing the blue sponge, Cheng Ye immediately recognized that this was the interior of the Magic Eye Sponge!
The space is circular, with a diameter of about 300 meters, which is consistent with its size as observed from the outside.

He quickly scanned his surroundings and soon discovered two floating runes in a location similar to the blue sponge. In the very center of the sponge chamber, there was a giant rune that was half the size of the other two. However, the information was not yet able to analyze the contents of the rune, so it was unclear what it represented.

Cheng Ye composed himself and pressed continue playing.

Sure enough, the Magic Eye Sponge's chamber also has two layers, and the bottom layer is directly connected to a cave.

His perspective followed the lurking cave crab as it was dragged in, watching it slowly sink into the deeper caverns and move towards the cave entrance.

Whoosh.

A sigh of disappointment rang out, and Cheng Ye narrowed his eyes sharply, wondering if he had seen things wrong.

The six-meter-long Netherwater Cave Crab had just entered the second-level area when its body began to shrink rapidly. In just a few seconds, it shrank to less than a meter long, appearing extremely miniature compared to its previous size.

"Hmm? It also has the ability to change its size?"

"No... Could it be the power of the Magic Eye Sponge?"

As Cheng Ye was pondering, the water crab in the scene made a "boom" as it passed through the second-level barrier and entered the cave.

The next second, a blinding purple light suddenly burst forth. Cheng Ye subconsciously squinted, and after his eyes adjusted to the light, the scene before him completely stunned him.

The cave was not dark and cramped as I had imagined; instead, it felt like stepping into a primeval secret realm.

Everywhere was covered with lush green vines, the ground was covered with soft moss, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees, without any sense of desolation like a wasteland.

In the center of the space, a blue lake several hundred meters wide suddenly appeared, its water crystal clear and shimmering with a faint fluorescence.

Cheng Ye's gaze unconsciously fell on the center of the lake, but after just one glance, he could no longer look away.

Because above the center of that lake, a conch shell, its entire body gleaming with a faint purple light, was suspended in mid-air.

Like the sun, the shell is covered with spiraling golden patterns, and with each breath-like shimmer, it causes subtle ripples in the surrounding air.

That's a conch shell with ten thousand rings!
(End of this chapter)