Chapter 85: Slaying the Deadly Golden Centipede

Five days later.

With day after day of relentless hunting, the first embryonic form of Zhang Ran’s evolution point had advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching 96.6 percent. It would not be long before the first evolution point was fully formed.

In addition, under the strengthening effect of a great amount of evolution energy, Zhang Ran’s physical qualities had also improved markedly. His two strongest attributes—strength and constitution—had both successfully broken through the 6-point threshold.

For ordinary second-tier evolvers, their four basic attributes could reach at most 6 points. Unless they continued to break through and advance to third tier, or spent evolution points to strengthen a single attribute specifically, that would be their limit.

But that was only a restriction ordinary evolvers faced. As one who possessed the Tree of Evolution, Zhang Ran’s bodily limit had already been shattered by the mysterious power it granted, and he was no longer confined by such boundaries.

Aside from strength and constitution, Zhang Ran’s agility had also reached 5.774 points, while his spirit had reached 5.675 points, making him quite outstanding among second-tier evolvers.

At the same time, during this period, Zhang Ran also purchased a standard second-tier heavy alloy shield. He did not yet possess any defensive abilities, and against certain ranged attacks, the alloy shield could provide excellent protection.

Finally, Zhang Ran had specially bought a batch of supplies, including water, food, medicine, and various tools, storing them in his space box for emergencies.

Within the space box, no bacteria could survive, and food would not spoil as it did in the outside world. Thus, in addition to high-energy rations, Zhang Ran had also stockpiled a quantity of fresh food.

That morning, Zhang Ran once again left Black Eagle City and entered the hunting grounds seventy kilometers from the city. In this region, second-tier mutated creatures were the main prey, making it ideal for him to begin his hunts and continue evolving through battle.

After two hours of travel, Zhang Ran reached his destination and began searching.

Compared with first-tier mutated creatures, second-tier ones were far fewer in number. After a full half hour, Zhang Ran finally found a mutated beast suitable for his hunt.

Standing on a low hill, he saw some four hundred meters ahead a mutated creature about three meters long, shaped like a centipede, with a sharp mouthpart and an entirely golden body. In front of the beast, dozens of feelers writhed up and down ceaselessly, making it look both terrifying and vicious.

Before the golden centipede lay the corpse of a first-tier mutated beast. The golden centipede was tearing at the carcass, in a state of complete relaxation.

“Venomous Golden Centipede! Good. Chip, scan its attributes.”

Looking at the golden centipede, Zhang Ran halted his steps. With a thought, he invoked the chip to sense it and analyze the Venomous Golden Centipede’s attributes from the results.

“Target Name: Venomous Golden Centipede

Target Type: Mutated Beast

Hunt Level: Second Tier

Special Abilities: Poison Needle Launch, Deadly Venom, Corrosive Venom, Entanglement

Strength: 5.5

Constitution: 5.1

Agility: 4.6

Spirit: 1.4

Weakness: Head

...”

A silver light flashed before Zhang Ran’s eyes, forming a data frame that displayed the Venomous Golden Centipede’s attributes, abilities, weaknesses, and other information.

The Venomous Golden Centipede was a mutated beast evolved from centipedes of the old era. It carried deadly poison within its body and could spit out venom bolts, while its tail could fire poison needles.

It was a rather powerful mutated beast. The hunt level of an adult mutated golden centipede was generally second tier or higher, and not a few reached even fifth tier. However, the Venomous Golden Centipede before Zhang Ran was only an ordinary second-tier existence, well within his killing range.

Seeing its attributes, Zhang Ran nodded with relief. He planted the greatsword into the ground, then with a thought, the “space box” rune on the Tree of Evolution in his sea of consciousness lit up, and the AM41 automatic rifle appeared in his hands from within the space box.

Lowering his body, Zhang Ran held his breath and entered firing stance. He aimed the muzzle at the Venomous Golden Centipede’s head in the distance and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The gunshot rang out. A armor-piercing round left the chamber, slicing through the air as it shot toward the Venomous Golden Centipede.

The Venomous Golden Centipede was still absorbed in feeding, and only when the bullet was already very close to its head did it finally react.

But by then, it had no time to dodge. It could only watch helplessly as the bullet swelled larger and larger.

Crack!

With a sharp cracking sound, the carapace on the centipede’s head was pierced straight through. The bullet continued onward and plunged into its skull.

Driven by the bullet’s immense kinetic energy, the head’s tissues were instantly shredded into a pulp. The round then punched through the back of its head, leaving a pit the size of a bowl.

Thud!

The Venomous Golden Centipede’s body lost control and crashed heavily to the ground with a dull impact. Its three-meter-long frame rolled back and forth, curling into a tight mass, while the feelers on its body waved wildly.

Not only that, but from its mouthpart, green liquid gushed out in bursts, splattering everywhere.

Under the corrosion of that green venom, blades of wild grass melted at once into a pale green fluid. Even the earth was eaten away, riddled with pits filled by a thick brown liquid.

The venom and corrosive fluid emitted by the Venomous Golden Centipede were both tremendously destructive, capable of corroding even some weaker second-tier alloys. They were extremely dangerous.

For a second-tier evolver, once the Venomous Golden Centipede’s venom touched the body, then unless one possessed powerful defensive abilities or received treatment from auxiliary domain abilities such as Detoxification Arts, Advanced Healing Arts, or Blessing, amputation was basically the only outcome.

After a full thirty seconds, the Venomous Golden Centipede’s body finally ceased struggling. By then, the grass within several meters around it had vanished, the ground had been corroded into a pockmarked ruin, and even its own body was smeared with a great deal of venom. Its golden carapace had been eaten away, revealing the brown-red flesh beneath.

With the death of the Venomous Golden Centipede, a stream of evolution energy flowed out from within it and entered Zhang Ran’s body.

After absorbing the Venomous Golden Centipede’s evolution energy, the condensation of Zhang Ran’s first embryonic evolution point increased by 1.3 percent, reaching 97.9 percent.

At this moment, that embryonic evolution point had already begun to radiate a warmth that coursed through Zhang Ran’s body, while undergoing an initial compression. At its center, there were faint signs of liquefaction.

“Very good. As long as I kill two more second-tier mutated beasts, I’ll be able to successfully condense the first evolution point! Then, let’s continue!”

With a thought, Zhang Ran lifted the AM41 automatic rifle in his hand, pulled the greatsword from the ground, and continued roaming the wasteland in search of suitable mutated beasts to hunt.