Chapter 80 Killing the New Spider Monster

"Damn it, coming again!"

Shen Lie cursed inwardly at the cunning of the monsters, which actually knew how to coordinate their attacks. This was the third time they had used this combat tactic, and every time it left him in a disheveled mess. Fortunately, the black spear had a certain restraining effect on the viscous slime, otherwise he would have been in a completely passive position.

Three consecutive identical attacks gradually allowed Shen Lie to figure out the traits of these three spider monsters. With a flick of the black spear in his hand, he batted away the green slime, and then let out a loud shout, activating the Wild Charge skill!

Using this skill was not for fighting the monsters, but for accelerating his escape from his current position. After all, there were not just these three green spiders here, but more than ten ordinary spiders lurking around with covetous eyes! Once he was entangled by these spiders, the outcome would be ominous.

A flash of golden light emanated from his body, and Shen Lie once again evaded the attack of the three green spider monsters. After dodging, he immediately adopted a defensive stance, watching for an opportunity to kill the dozen or so ordinary spider monsters.

"Ah, help!"

Xia Ke, who had been hiding in the corner, suddenly let out a shrill scream. Shen Lie's heart sank instantly; this time, the three green spider monsters had not all attacked him. Instead, one of them had targeted Xia Ke!

The bodies of two green spider monsters paused briefly where Shen Lie had escaped, then turned their heads to continue glaring menacingly at Shen Lie. Meanwhile, the third one used its front claws to snatch Xia Ke high up into the air, circling back and forth in the sky as if showing off its victory.

Although Shen Lie could completely abandon Xia Ke and escape on his own right now—given his current abilities, these monsters could not stop him if he wanted to leave—Xia Ke had saved his life after all. He could not bring himself to be that callous. Perhaps as he was tempered by the apocalypse in the future, he might gradually change, but at least for now, he was still a man of flesh and blood.

Though the stellar energy in his mud-pill palace was limited, Shen Lie still activated the black spear. A streak of black light cut through the air, shooting directly toward the green spider in the sky!

A trace of shock suddenly flickered across Shen Lie's face. The moment he launched his attack, he discovered that not only did the green spider not dodge, but it also let out a strange screech and used Xia Ke's body as a shield right in front of it!

"What the heck, this guy actually knows how to use a human shield?"

Although it felt unbelievable, the current moment left no room for Shen Lie to hesitate. A cold smile appeared in his heart; a beast was still a beast. No matter how high its intelligence was, it couldn't surpass human wit, and besides, did it really think his black spear could only fly in a straight line?

With a thought, the black spear, which had just arrived right in front of Xia Ke, suddenly veered, drawing an arc in the air. It bypassed the terrified and despairing Xia Ke and pierced straight into the head of the green spider!

The black spear was extremely sharp by nature, and after being stimulated by stellar energy, it became even more indestructible. Up to this point, Shen Lie had never seen anything that the activated black spear could not pierce. This monster was obviously no exception. The black spear pierced clean through its skull from top to bottom, drawing out a trail of dark brown blood.

The head was the weak spot of the spider monster, and this single blow completely snuffed out the life of the green spider. Its massive body went limp and plummeted from the sky.

Fortunately, this type of creature could only fly at low altitudes, and Shen Lie was close by. With a quick dodge, he caught the already-fainting Xia Ke in his arms. Though the catch wasn't entirely solid, it provided enough of a buffer to prevent the woman from being smashed into a pulp.

While keeping a vigilant eye on the remaining two green spiders, Shen Lie used the black spear to rip open the carcass of the monster at his feet, and with a touch of joy, extracted a crystal stone from within. However, the color of this crystal was actually green, which surprised him quite a bit. He quickly put the crystal away, though; now was not the time to worry about that.

With the black spear succeeding in a single strike, Shen Lie's mind settled down. He now possessed the ability to deal with flying monsters. Although having the black spear leave his body to attack consumed a massive amount of stellar energy, it was still far better than having no means at all.

The intelligence of the green spiders was indeed much higher than that of ordinary spiders. Seeing the miserable death of their companion, the remaining two monsters began to emit bursts of cries, casting fearful glances at the black spear in Shen Lie's hand. Then, to Shen Lie's astonishment, the two monsters leaped into the air simultaneously, flapping their wings and fleeing in a flash!

"They ran?"

Shen Lie looked at the two distant green shadows in the sky and let out a light sigh of relief. This was for the best; if he were to keep both monsters here, who knew how much more stellar energy it would consume? Until he found other sacrificial items, he had to save his stellar energy.

Without the three green spiders, the remaining dozen or so spider monsters posed no deterrent whatsoever. These ordinary spider monsters lacked the intelligence of the green spiders and still fiercely surrounded him, looking for an opportunity to launch an attack.

"Just in time to test the current power of the Hammer of World Destruction!"

With a thought, Shen Lie put away the black spear, replacing it with the exquisite small hand hammer, and with a wave of his hand, activated the Hammer of World Destruction skill!

The size of the giant hammer's phantom had not changed much, but the light it emitted was somewhat brighter. The only difference was that this time, the arcs of lightning were not just lingering on the surface of the hammer's phantom, but had formed a zone of flashing lightning and thunder around it. Both the intensity and the striking range had increased severalfold!

With a single strike of this hammer, well over half of the spider monsters were wiped out. The survivors finally learned what terror meant, and squeaking wildly, they began to flee into the distance. However, Shen Lie had no intention of letting them go. With every wave of his hand, an arc of lightning would eject, and every arc of lightning would annihilate a spider monster. After a few consecutive strikes, the fleeing spider monsters were completely wiped out without a single survivor.

From initially being chased all over the streets by a single monster, to now dispatching them effortlessly, Shen Lie clearly felt his strength increasing rapidly.

He looked at his hand with satisfaction. This lightning arc attack was also extremely useful. Although it wasn't as sharp as the black spear, it was very suitable as a routine long-range ability. Moreover, the power of thunder and lightning could be considered one of his innate abilities, driven by bloodline power rather than stellar energy, which required sacrifices to replenish.

After a brief moment of self-admiration, Shen Lie set about waking Xia Ke up. Unable to think of any other method, he simply took out a bottle of water and poured it directly onto Xia Ke's face.

Xia Ke had only fainted from shock. Stung by the cold water, she immediately opened her eyes and mumbled hazily, "What is this place? Is this the underworld?"

Shen Lie couldn't help rolling his eyes. "If you want to go to the underworld, go by yourself, just don't drag me along!"

"Ah! I'm not dead? I'm still alive? I'm still alive, I'm still alive, sob, sob..."

Xia Ke had thought she was surely dead. Under those circumstances, she couldn't even imagine how she could have survived. Now, confirming that she was indeed not dead, an overwhelming wave of joy made her mind a bit unable to cope. She threw her arms around Shen Lie and burst into loud sobs.

Being embraced by a soft female body left Shen Lie somewhat at a loss. It wasn't as if he and his ex-girlfriend had never had physical contact, but that seemed like a long time ago—so long that he had almost forgotten it.

Xia Ke was a remarkably pretty woman, with top-tier looks and temperament. Four months ago, she would have been an absolute goddess, a high-class beauty far beyond what Shen Lie would dare to dream of. Yet now, she was burying herself in his shoulder, crying uncontrollably, holding onto his arms so tightly that he couldn't pry them loose no matter how hard he tried. One had to admit that fate was truly full of uncertainties.

"You need a bath!" Although she was pretty, her body was covered in grime, paired with ragged clothes that hadn't been washed in who knows how long. A strange odor drifted straight into his nose, completely ruining the romantic atmosphere.

A single sentence made the woman stop crying. She then secretly shot Shen Lie a fierce glare, pulled away from his shoulder with a blushing face, and cursed him endlessly in her heart for being completely dense and failing to appreciate romance even when a feast was laid right before him.

"Boom, boom boom!"

"Rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat-tat!"

A burst of intense gunfire echoed from the distance. Shen Lie was startled, and Xia Ke no longer dared to indulge in petty thoughts. The two of them leaped up from the ground simultaneously, gazing with suspicion and apprehension toward the source of the gunfire and explosions.