Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 634 Submerged Ruins (2)

The little mouse hiding on Han Zu's head trembled with fear, burying its head in its fur, too scared to look any further. The fused creatures that had previously been hiding behind Han Zu were even more terrified, fleeing in all directions away from the source of the sound. Some of the slower creatures had already begun to show signs of slight burns, clearly unable to withstand the high temperature of the seawater.

Han Zu's gaze was fixed on the darkness ahead, his energy perception unleashed at full power, attempting to pinpoint the unknown creature's location. He could sense that the creature was exceptionally large, its internal energy raging like a volcano, each breath causing violent fluctuations in the surrounding seawater. He knew a fierce battle was imminent, and he knew nothing about this unknown opponent. However, Han Zu's initial tension quickly dissipated, replaced by an excitement that suggested an impending battle. This feeling unconsciously gave Han Zu a chilling expression, like a bloodthirsty butcher smelling the stench of blood and raw flesh.

The seawater temperature continued to rise, but now it was no longer just affected by the source of the sound. Han Zu's excitement made him almost abandon control of the flames. The flames on his body spread rapidly downwards from his neck, and the scorching flames quickly evaporated the seawater around Han Zu, creating a spherical area several meters in diameter in the seawater. The intense and eerie light of the black and red flames illuminated an area of ​​dozens of meters in front of him, clearly reflecting the scene in the darkness.

Just then, a massive shadow appeared within the firelight's reach. This shadow was far larger than Han Zu had imagined, standing over ten meters tall and occupying the entire width of the corridor. Due to the murky seawater and the firelight's dimness, he couldn't make out the creature's exact appearance, only that it had a pair of enormous wings that, when spread, created violent whirlpools in the water. Its head was hidden in darkness, only a pair of eyes flashing red, like two lanterns, radiating a chilling killing intent.

Why do things in the water have wings?

Han Zu was filled with doubt, believing that wings wouldn't be of much use in the water. But beyond his doubts, he could sense an ancient and malevolent aura emanating from the creature, as if it had existed for thousands of years. Its pair of glowing red eyes were fixed on Han Zu, clearly regarding him as prey.

The little mouse hiding on Han Zu's head let out a sharp scream in fright, its body curling into a ball. The fused creatures that were fleeing lost their strength upon seeing this huge shadow, collapsing into the water and awaiting their death.

The enormous creature slowly took a step forward, its heavy footsteps causing the entire corridor to tremble violently. Gravel continued to fall from the darkness above, crashing into the sea with dull thuds. It opened its mouth and let out a deafening roar, its voice filled with violent energy, causing ripples to spread across the surrounding water.

"Your breath stinks! Don't you brush your teeth?"

Han Zu had heard similar, even more ear-piercing roars many times before, so he felt nothing. However, the foul stench that accompanied the sound waves made him frown in displeasure. Taking this unintentional act as a provocation, Han Zu instantly unleashed his energy. Black flames accompanied by red lightning erupted from his body, forming a massive wall of fire around him, continuously evaporating the surrounding scorching seawater. Furthermore, because Han Zu no longer restrained his power, this eerie and terrifying flame indiscriminately melted and evaporated the surrounding walls, emanating an unbridled, terrifying aura of wanting to destroy everything.

The enormous creature seemed enraged by the energy erupting from Han Zu. It roared again, flapped its wings violently, and charged towards Han Zu like an arrow released from a bow. Its speed was astonishing; it encountered no resistance in the water and instantly reached Han Zu. Its massive claws, accompanied by a whistling sound as they tore through the air, lashed out at Han Zu's head.

Han Zu neither dodged nor flinched, but spread his arms wide, letting the creature's claws land on his chest. With a loud "boom," Han Zu's legs plowed two deep trenches into the hard ground, and the surrounding seawater surged violently due to the impact.

"What a powerful force!"

Without the slightest hesitation, taking advantage of the creature's momentary lapse in attack, Han Zu raised his right arm, his fist wreathed in flames, and slammed it hard into the creature's back.

With a muffled thud, Han Zu's fist slammed heavily into the creature's back. However, to Han Zu's surprise, the creature's skin was exceptionally tough; the flames couldn't burn through it, leaving only a faint scorch mark on its back. The creature let out a painful roar, its body twisting violently as it tried to quell the pain in its back. Han Zu continued to strike the creature's back relentlessly, each punch imbued with immense power, causing the creature to howl in agony.

The little mouse perched on Han Zu's head clung tightly to his hair, afraid of being thrown off. It watched Han Zu fight the enormous creature, its eyes filled with shock, clearly not expecting the human who had placed himself on its head to be so powerful.

Unable to shake off Han Zu's attack, the enormous creature suddenly opened its mouth and spewed out a burst of scorching flames. These flames, far exceeding the temperature of the surrounding seawater, were dark red and carried a strong sulfurous odor, sweeping towards Han Zu. He could sense the powerful corrosive energy contained within the flames.

He immediately stopped attacking, braced his legs against the ground, and with a sudden burst of strength, his body retreated like lightning, avoiding the scorching flames. The flames landed on the corridor walls, and with a sizzling sound, the unknown material with its dark blue sheen was corroded by the flames, creating huge holes, demonstrating just how corrosive the flames were.

Han Zu landed in the distant sea, his gaze fixed intently on the enormous creature. He knew this creature was not to be trifled with.

"Looks like we need to get serious."

Han Zu adjusted his stance, pushed off with his feet, and charged forward with a roar that echoed as flames sliced ​​through the seawater, his fist slamming fiercely towards the enormous creature. The creature seemed to sense the threat posed by Han Zu and spewed out another burst of scorching flames, attempting to block Han Zu's attack. However, this time Han Zu was prepared. Flames swirling around him surged forth, forming a barrier of fire and lightning that blocked the scorching heat.

The two different flames collided, producing a piercing sound and sending sparks flying. Taking advantage of the moment, Han Zu accelerated, breaking through the flames and reaching the creature. With devastating force, he slammed his fist down on the creature's neck. The creature reacted swiftly, raising its head and using its hard carapace to block Han Zu's attack.

With a loud "clang," Han Zu's fist struck the creature's head shell, but was bounced back. Han Zu felt a tingling numbness in his arm and involuntarily took a few steps back. He was surprised to find that the creature's head shell was even harder than its back; his full-force blow had only left a shallow mark on it.

Just then, the creature suddenly launched a counterattack. It flapped its enormous wings, sending a powerful gust of air sweeping towards Han Zu. Struck by the gust, Han Zu was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the corridor wall. The wall trembled violently, large cracks appeared, and rubble rained down.

Han Zu crawled out of the ruins of the wall, his lips curling into a more ferocious smile. This was the first time he had encountered an opponent of this caliber since entering this area. His eyes sharpened, and the energy within him became even more violent and turbulent.

Seeing that Han Zu hadn't been killed in one blow, the enormous creature roared again and charged at him. Han Zu circled the creature, searching for its weakness. He noticed that the creature's abdomen seemed softer than other parts; its carapace there was thinner and lacked thick scales, perhaps a potential opening.

He took a deep breath, accelerated suddenly, and circled behind the creature. Finding an opening in the monster's attack, he straightened his fingers, forming a knife with his hand, and stabbed fiercely into the creature's abdomen. The creature sensed Han Zu's intention and tried to twist its body to dodge, but it was too late. With a "splatter," Han Zu's palm successfully pierced the creature's abdomen, and dark red blood gushed from the wound, emitting a strong stench.

The creature let out a piercing roar, its body convulsing violently. It abruptly turned and lunged at Han Zu with its massive claws. Han Zu seized the opportunity to pull his arm away and swiftly retreated, avoiding the creature's attack. Dark red blood continued to gush from the creature's abdomen, and its movements grew increasingly sluggish, clearly indicating that it had suffered a fatal injury.

Han Zu gave it no chance to catch its breath. He charged forward again, relentlessly attacking the creature's abdominal wound. Each strike landed precisely in the same spot, widening the wound. The creature's roars grew weaker and weaker until it finally collapsed into the seawater. After twitching a few times, it lay still.

Han Zu extinguished the flames on his body and absorbed the blood from the creature's arm. He walked to the creature's corpse and examined it closely. The creature's appearance was very peculiar, resembling both a bird and a reptile. Its wings were covered with a thick layer of scales, and although its abdominal carapace was thin, it was still much harder than ordinary metal. Han Zu suddenly had an idea. He tore open the creature's corpse, found its stomach, and after tearing it open, he indeed found many undigested remains. There were the unconventional biological skeletons he had seen before, as well as the skeletons of the creatures that built the bone walls. But what caught Han Zu's attention was that he found half a human leg. Although it was impossible to identify precisely due to corrosion and digestion, based on its shape and the shape of the internal bones, he could roughly determine that at least half of the remains came from a humanoid creature.

The digestive juices in the creature's stomach reacted with the nearby seawater, producing a hissing, corrosive sound, indicating that the creature's digestion speed was not slow. However, half a human leg (suspected) remained in its stomach, suggesting that it had not been eating this thing for long. Based on this, at least two things can be concluded: First, there are probably other living humanoid creatures nearby, possibly even humans. Second, the area further ahead is completely submerged by seawater, making it impossible for anyone or similar intelligent beings to choose to stay in such an environment for an extended period. This also means that there must be an exit from this submerged area nearby (relatively speaking).

"Glug glug..."

Just as Han Zu was pondering, he heard some bubbling sounds behind him. He turned around and saw that the little guys who had created the bone wall had returned. They had all gathered behind Han Zu, their little eyes fixed on the remains of the creature that Han Zu had just killed. However, they kept glancing at Han Zu, as if they were wary of something.

Han Zu quickly understood the little creatures' thoughts. They likely possessed a strong sense of the food chain; in their eyes, the remains of that creature were valuable food, and its bones were necessary materials for building their bone walls. However, since he had killed the creature, these little creatures probably considered him a higher being in the food chain. Therefore, until he had "finished eating," even if they wanted to, they wouldn't dare to overstep their bounds under his nose. If he hadn't shown them friendliness earlier, they might not have even dared to gather around him.

Han Zu was quite friendly to these completely harmless little creatures. He tore off a large piece of meat and gently placed it in front of them, also removing several of the creature's giant bones and placing them beside them. Seeing Han Zu's actions, the little creatures slowly approached the meat and began to eat, then started carrying away the bones to continue building their bone wall. Han Zu became somewhat interested in these creatures and continued to observe them for a while.

Although these little creatures were weak, their numbers were vast. In a short time, the swarming creatures had dismantled the creature's remains to a great extent. A wall of bones was gradually built not far from where Han Zu had come from, and soon the little creatures returned to their former tranquility. Seeing that their ecosystem had returned to normal, Han Zu ceased his observation and continued forward along the corridor.