Gao Wu: Oh no! Young Master Zhen is a cultivator!

The eastern mine tunnel is narrower than the previous two tunnels, and the overhead rock walls are very low, requiring you to duck slightly to pass.

At the end of the mine tunnel was a shallow pit eroded by groundwater. A supply box stood in the center of the pit, with two centipedes, each over two meters long, coiled around it.

The carapace is dark brown, and the raised spikes on the carapace gleam coldly under fluorescent light.

"They're actually two Tier 3 Rockthorn Centipedes!"

Zhao Meng stopped and turned to look at Lin Ran: "This is troublesome. Two Tier 3 opponents, can you handle them alone?"

For Lin Ran, dealing with two third-tier rock thorn centipedes on his own wasn't difficult, but it would be a bit too conspicuous.

We'll get the gene awakening serum in a few days, so there's no need to reveal too much at the last minute.

After a slight hesitation, he slowly said, "You and Qin Wuyai hold one of them back for now. I'll help you after I've dealt with the other one."

"No problem." Zhao Meng nodded.

Qin Wuyai didn't say anything and launched an attack directly.

His figure left a trail of afterimages as he thrust his rapier straight at the head of the centipede on the left.

The centipede raised half of its body, its mouthparts open as if to spray venom.

Qin Wuyai was faster than the poison gas; the tip of his sword pierced its lower jaw first, forcibly closing its open mouth.

bass!

Zhao Meng followed up by cutting in from the side, his dagger striking the centipede's lateral carapace and leaving a shallow mark.

The centipede on the right tried to rush to the left, but Lin Ran intercepted it.

The centipede raised its head and spewed out venomous gas.

Lin Ran dodged to the side, his feet never stopping, and in two steps he closed in, slashing at the carapace on the neck with his blade.

when!

With a crisp crack, several fine lines appeared on the carapace.

The centipede flicked its tail and swept across.

Lin Ran leaped into the air and thrust his blade into a crack in the carapace, the tip piercing through the shell and embedding itself in the soft flesh.

Pfft!

The centipede rolled around frantically, its legs scraping against the ground with a screeching sound.

Lin Ran landed and delivered two more blows, finishing off the centipede.

On the other side, Zhao Meng and Qin Wuyai were still fighting the centipede.

Qin Wuyai managed to disrupt the centipede's attack rhythm, while Zhao Meng waited for an opportunity to find a weakness.

Unfortunately, the two men lacked the strength to do more, and only managed to leave a few shallow marks on the centipede's carapace.

Lin Ran rushed over with his knife and slashed at the centipede's neck carapace.

when!

The centipede, attacked, immediately raised its head, attempting to retaliate.

Lin Ran's second slash had already pierced the gap in the carapace, instantly severely injuring it.

Soon, the second centipede turned into specks of light with the combined efforts of the three.

At that moment, a rustling sound came from the mine tunnel.

The sounds of fighting clearly attracted the nearby Clawed Rats.

The three turned around and saw seven or eight sharp-clawed rats emerging from the side passage.

Just as Zhao Meng and Qin Wuyai were about to go forward, Lin Ran had already taken the initiative.

With a sweeping motion of his longsword, he killed three enemies in one strike, and quickly dispatched the remaining few as well.

"Grab your stuff and head back quickly." Lin Ran pried open the supply box.

The three men returned to the settlement with medicine and weapons.

Once the medical supplies were distributed, the seriously injured received immediate treatment.

This batch of weapons was of higher quality than the previous two batches, and everyone received a weapon that suited their needs. Lin Ran also switched to a longsword with a sharper blade.

A notification sounded: "The final boss is about to appear. All personnel, please prepare."

A moment later, a hissing sound came from deep within the mine.

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

The entire mine shaft was shaking, and loose rocks were falling from the ceiling.

A raptor as large as an adult buffalo emerged from the darkness, its tattered fur gleaming blood-red in the fluorescent light, and its claws on its forelimbs were half a meter long.

Behind him followed dozens of second-tier claw rats and an endless line of first-tier claw rats.

"It's a Tier 3 Clawed Rat King!"

The oppressive aura emanating from the Tier 3 Rat King caused everyone present to freeze in shock.

Liu Ming roared, "Frontline, hold the line! Ranged units, concentrate your fire! Take down the leader first!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all sorts of colorful attacks rained down on the Rat King.

boom!

After a round of attacks, many of the surrounding Tier 2 Claw Rats were smashed to death, but the Rat King was completely unaffected.

"Squeak!"

With a hiss, the Rat King sent its Clawed Rats charging forward, crashing into the front line of defense.

boom!

Almost instantly, cracks appeared in the front line of defense.

Zheng Hong was hit by three second-tier clawed rats at the same time, and he slid back half a meter, his shoes carving two deep grooves in the rocky ground.

Qin Wuyai's speed was limited by the dense swarm of rats. He was struck on the shoulder by the tail of a second-tier clawed rat and staggered backward.

Zhao Meng was locked in combat with two second-tier clawed rats. His dagger was stuck in the back of one of their necks, and before he could pull it out, the other rat's claws swept towards his waist.

He dodged to the side, the sharp claws grazing his side, leaving four bloody marks.

Of the entire team, only Lin Ran remained calm and maintained a steady pace of killing.

Taking advantage of the weakened front line of defense, the Rat King suddenly launched a charge.

Its massive body shoved aside Zheng Hong and Zhao Meng, heading straight for the Element Group in the back row.

"Well done!"

Sun Jinghuan gripped the straight sword with both hands, flames erupting from the blade, and slashed at the Rat King head-on.

when!

The Rat King slammed its paw onto the Flaming Blade, causing the flames to explode and charring its paw black, but its momentum remained undiminished.

Bang!

Sun Jinghuan was thrown backward by the shockwave and crashed into the rock wall, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

At this moment, Lin Haozhe cut in from the side.

He gripped the alloy battle sword with both hands and slashed it down on the Rat King's hind leg.

bass!

The blade cut half an inch into the muscle before getting stuck. The Rat King, in pain, kicked him away.

Lin Haozhe did two somersaults in the air, landing with one hand on the ground, his metal arm carving a trail of sparks across the earth.

Seeing this, Liu Ming shouted, "Ranged units retreat! Frontline, hold your ground!"

Zhao Meng got up from the ground and was about to rush forward again when he suddenly felt a sinking sensation in his waist. The bleeding from the wound was more severe than he had expected.

He knelt on one knee, gritting his teeth as he tried to stand up, but his legs wouldn't give way.

A second-tier clawed rat seized the opportunity and pierced his chest with its claw.

He glanced down, a helpless smile on his face, and then vanished into a pile of light dust.

Zheng Hong let out a roar, his muscles bulged, and he charged head-on at the Rat King.

Bang!

Under the immense force of the impact, even the Rat King couldn't help but take a half step back.

Qin Wuyai cut in from the side, his slender sword piercing the Rat King's eye socket.

bass!

The Rat King turned its head, and the slender sword grazed the top of its head.

At the same time, it suddenly lunged forward, knocking Qin Wuyai away.

Bang!

Qin Wuyai was sent flying several meters backward, crashing onto the rock wall. He was unable to get up and was quickly overwhelmed by the swarm of rats.

Seeing this, Lin Ran shook his head, quickly cleared away the second-tier claw rats beside him, and rushed towards the Rat King.

Zheng Hong ran into the Rat King again, but failed to budge him. Instead, he was swatted away by the Rat King's claw.

Chu Xining swung her longsword upwards, and the cold air condensed into ice spikes at the tip of the sword, leaving only a few white marks on the Rat King's chest.

Bai Ruolin's wind blade struck its foreleg, slicing off a small piece of flesh, but had no effect on it.

Just as the Rat King's claws were about to strike Chu Xining, Lin Ran cut in from the side and stabbed the Rat King's hind leg with a single blow.

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

The Rat King let out a sharp, piercing roar and turned to swing its claws at Lin Ran.

when!

Lin Ran drew his sword to parry, feigning defeat and being forced back several steps.

After all, the Rat King is not an ordinary third-tier mutated creature, so some pretense must be maintained.

"Quick! Take advantage of its injury and make your move!" Lin Ran shouted, charging forward again.

Bai Ruolin was the first to react, and she unleashed a series of wind blades at the Rat King's hind legs.

Chu Xining's longsword, coated in frost, plunged into the wound slashed by the wind blade. The icy air seeped in, freezing and tearing the wound apart.

Zheng Hong withstood the Rat King's sharp claws head-on, his arms torn with more than a dozen bloody gashes, but he did not retreat an inch.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

A barrage of elemental attacks rained down, and the Rat King teetered on the brink of collapse.

Just then, Lin Ran sensed danger and dodged to the side.

A flaming blade grazed his arm from behind and struck the Rat King.

Lin Ran turned to look at Sun Jinghuan, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.

"Sorry, my hand slipped." Sun Jinghuan put on an innocent expression.