A single-player post-apocalyptic game, but with an all-female teammate mod.

Faced with a sand scorpion charging towards him, he didn't chop it down as usual. Instead, he held his battle axe horizontally in front of his chest and, using the momentum of his charge, crashed into it like a cannonball.

"boom!"

The sand scorpion's thick carapace was as fragile as an eggshell in the face of the immense force of the alloy battle axe.

Aono completely ignored its defenses and used pure power to shatter its internal organs.

Before the sand scorpion could even scream, it turned into a lump of flesh and was stomped into the sand by Qingye.

Then Aono swung his axe and swept it horizontally.

The axe blade sliced ​​through the air, making a whooshing sound.

A sand scorpion tried to clamp its giant claws onto the axe handle, but Qingye flicked his wrist and slapped the axe head down.

The terrifying force shattered the pair of massive, steel-like claws, and then smashed the entire scorpion head into its chest cavity.

"Pfft!"

With one swing of the axe, sand and shards of armor flew everywhere.

In front of Qingye, these highly defensive sand scorpions were still as easy to deal with as tofu.

Soon, he fought his way to the Sand Scorpion King.

"hiss--!"

The Sandstorm Scorpion King let out a sharp screech, slamming its two pincers against the ground, creating two massive sandstorms that swept towards Qingye.

"That's it?"

Aono sneered, looking at the Scorpion King charging menacingly, but instead of retreating, he charged head-on at it.

His lightning elemental shield flickered violently in the sandstorm, but he didn't care.

Just before the collision, he slightly shifted his body to the side, avoiding the giant claw that could crush alloy, and then swung his axe backhand, striking a gap in the scorpion king's carapace.

"Crack!"

Even the defense of elite monsters is no match for Aono's absolute power.

"It is indeed a bit harder than a sand snake."

Aono felt the recoil from his hand, grinned, and a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes.

"However, a sandbag is a sandbag; no matter how hard it is, it will break!"

He let out a low roar, raised his battle axe once more, and with unstoppable momentum, smashed it fiercely into the crack.

97. Toxins & Nighttime Fatigue

"Snap—!"

With a sickening cracking sound, the Sand Scorpion King's massive claws, strong enough to cut through alloy, were cleaved open from the base by Aono's axe.

A terrifying force surged down the axe blade, pulverizing the scorpion king's hard carapace and internal organs. Its massive body convulsed twice, its six scarlet eyes rapidly dimmed, and finally it collapsed onto the scorching sand, kicking up a cloud of red dust.

[Experience +3500]

Gold Coins +4999

【Dust Bags of Desert Sand x12】

【Red Scorpion Tail Sting x15】

[Sand-corrupted Beast Bones +88]

【Rough Sand Scales +120】

"Not bad, a lot of material about higher-level positions has been released."

Aono flicked the poisoned blood off the axe blade, and as he looked at the generous amount of blood that had fallen, a smile just appeared on his lips, but then his brow furrowed.

Without their leader, the sand scorpion swarm descended into mindless frenzy, but their thick scales remained a problem.

However, once Aono joined the reaping, the battle instantly turned one-sided.

He was like a human meat grinder, each swing of his axe inevitably taking away a piece of carapace and foul-smelling juice.

Shadow's lightning-fast naginata precisely targets the gaps between joints, while Ika's missiles deliver precise shots from high altitude. Although Ice Beauty and Deep Snow's output is limited, the frost's slowing effect greatly restricts Sand Scorpion's movement at this moment.

About ten minutes later, the last sand scorpion was reduced to experience by Qingye's battle axe.

"Phew... These are all tough guys. Sand snakes have long health bars, and sand scorpions have high defense. It's really a bit of a struggle."

Aono put away his axe and stood up, looking around.

The sand was covered with fallen items, and the gold coins reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight. At a glance, this harvest was equivalent to killing dozens of sand snakes before.

"Is everyone alright?" Aono habitually checked the status of the personnel.

The women all nodded, except for Tifa and Mai Shiranui, who were standing at the back of the group, whose expressions were somewhat strange.

Tifa frowned slightly, her left hand instinctively covering her arm.

Although Mai Shiranui still stood tall and straight, an unnatural bluish-black tinge was spreading across her skin at the slit of her signature red evening gown.

"Hmm?" Aono's eyes narrowed, and he instantly appeared in front of the two. "Injured?"

"It's just a scratch."

Tifa said softly, lowering her arm to reveal a wound on it caused by a scorpion's claw.

The area around the wound had turned a strange bluish-purple and was even wriggling slightly, clearly indicating that toxins were eroding it.

Mai Shiranui sighed helplessly, lifted her skirt, and revealed the same poison marks on her calves.

"The monster's tail spikes were poisonous, and we didn't manage to avoid them completely during the fight."

Although the wounds were not deep and the bleeding had stopped, the chilling scorpion venom was constantly draining their life force.

If it were an ordinary person, they would probably be dead by now.

Even though their physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people, they still felt dizzy and their internal energy became stagnant.

Everyone present was unfamiliar with poison and could only suppress it by relying on their own special energy.

Aono checked the time.

The sun was still high in the sky, and it was only just past noon. If they traveled at full speed, they could probably return to the Ark in a little over an hour.

"The harvest has exceeded expectations, and the longer this poison is left untreated, the more likely things will go wrong."

He decisively ordered, "We must return to the Ark immediately."

The women naturally had no objections.

After quickly collecting the materials on the ground, the team immediately changed direction and sped towards the Ark.

On the way back, Aono looked at Tifa and Mai Shiranui walking beside him, their faces pale, and pondered to himself.

He had just used his chakra to investigate, and the toxin not only corroded the body, but also seemed to have some kind of effect on paralyzing mental energy.

The medical room inside the ark was fully equipped, but there was no doctor, and it was unclear how effective it would be.

Hopefully, the facilities themselves can provide some support.

"Looks like I need to get a doctor or pharmacist job as soon as possible."

Aono licked his dry lips, his eyes becoming deep, and the image of Tsunade, who was idle due to hemophobia, flashed through his mind.

"Let Tsunade try it when we get back. She's the number one medical ninja in the Naruto world, and there's no poison that can stump her."

I just don't know if the pharmacology of the Naruto world is applicable to this infinite world..."

However, such uncertainty is ultimately just a stopgap measure.

"And the fact that no one is sick now does not mean that no one will get sick in the future."

Whether facing such a potent poison or the potential for serious injury or illness later, a professional medical worker is indispensable.

The group hurried along under the scorching sun.

The ark in the distance appeared and disappeared amidst the heatwave; it was the only refuge in this deathly desert.

"Hang in there, we'll be home soon."

"Qingye said in a low voice, and an invisible aura spread out, blocking the heat wave that was rushing towards them.

Tifa and Mai Shiranui exchanged a glance, a hint of warmth flashing in their eyes, and their steps became lighter.

……

The Ark's energy shield closed behind him, completely isolating him from the suffocating heat from the outside.

Inside the medical room, the cold white light shone down, making it seem like a completely different world from the outside.

Tsunade has been summoned and is familiarizing herself with the medical equipment.

It looks like it can't be resolved within the given timeframe.

Fortunately, after entering the infirmary, the healing function was activated by spending gold coins, ensuring that the toxins on Tifa and Mai Shiranui would not continue to spread.

Even if Tsunade can't solve the problem, she can just spend gold coins to let Tifa and Mai Shiranui stay in the infirmary indefinitely.

Having roughly figured out the medical equipment, Tsunade reluctantly approached Tifa and Mai Shiranui, who were lying on the bed.

When she saw the two bluish-black wounds, her pupils contracted sharply, and she quickly turned her head away, taking a deep breath.

"Tsk..."

Tsunade smacked her lips, but since she didn't see any bright red blood, she was able to suppress her instinctive repulsion and fear.

She continued walking, gathering emerald green chakra in her hands to examine Tifa.

Tsunade's gaze became focused.

She forced herself to ignore the wound and the possible bleeding, and instead focused her attention on the meridian pathways around the wound.

After the examination, she extended her right hand, and a pale blue chakra aura gathered in her palm.

That's a top-tier medical ninjutsu, the Palm Healing Technique.

"Forget about antidotes and such, and I don't need these medical instruments either. Fortunately, your instincts suppressed the toxins, and with the infirmary's own healing abilities, I can forcibly remove these toxins."

As she spoke, Tsunade held her hand above Tifa's wound, "It might hurt a little later, bear with it."

"Ah."

Tifa's expression remained unchanged, fully demonstrating the unwavering will of a fighter at this moment.

The emerald green chakra, like the most sophisticated scanner, entered Tifa's body through the wound.

In an instant, the toxin began its final, desperate struggle, attempting to flow upstream against the chakra current.

"This toxin... is quite interesting."

A glint of fighting spirit flashed in Tsunade's eyes; it was the doctor's desire to conquer difficult and complicated diseases that temporarily overshadowed her aversion to blood.

With a slight twitch of her fingertips, the nature of her chakra instantly changed.

The originally gentle healing chakra became sharp, like countless tiny scalpels, precisely peeling away and shattering the toxic cells that were eroding muscle fibers.

"Ninja Technique: Yin heals injuries and destroys them!"

Tsunade whispered, and powerful chakra surged into Tifa's body, forcibly accelerating her metabolism and expelling the pulverized toxins through her pores.

Black, poisonous blood immediately seeped from Tifa's wound, dripping onto the tray with a sizzling, corrosive sound.

The originally bluish-black skin faded back to its normal color at a visible speed.

"call……"

Tifa breathed a sigh of relief. After a brief period of pain, the deep-seated numbness instantly dissipated, replaced by a renewed vitality.

"Okay, next one."

Tsunade shook her hand, her face returning to its usual lazy expression, but Aono noticed a fine layer of cold sweat on her forehead.

It's probably because hemophobia is being forcibly suppressed...

Aono didn't want to force her, but right now there was no one else who could do the detoxification.

In the silence, Tsunade walked over to Mai Shiranui and did the same thing.