Chapter 45: The Survival Methods of Magical Beasts (Part Two)

Earth Piercing Strike, followed by the terrifying Assassination! The flat stone scorpion, having suffered a series of devastating blows, was now gripped by an overwhelming sense of crisis. Gone was its playful attitude; instead, it channeled all the magic within its body and unleashed its two most powerful abilities at once!

For three hundred and sixty million years, these two moves had been the scorpion's means of predation, leaving untold numbers of creatures slain by this very combination. As its massive pincers danced, there seemed to be the wailing of countless vengeful spirits, an ancient, primordial aura of the Triassic era hanging thick in the air. For prey with weak wills, the mere oppressive presence that accompanied these attacks was enough to paralyze them with terror—leaving them rooted to the spot and awaiting death.

But Catherine’s willpower was now formidable. She simply ignored the scorpion’s psychic assault, mustered all her senses, and remained entirely unaffected by the flurry of pincer afterimages. With uncanny precision, she struck a single, decisive blow to the joint connecting the scorpion’s left pincer and forelimb, severing the massive claw in one stroke!

Even as she lopped off the limb, she twisted her body in midair as much as she could. Her small, triangular “wings” beat furiously as she spun, and her right leg snapped upward like a raptor’s tail. In the nick of time, her toes caught the scorpion’s right pincer, kicking it upward just as the deadly claws snapped shut with a crisp, echoing clack—biting only empty air.

Still, Catherine did not escape unscathed. As she landed, her clothes were completely shredded, leaving only half a pant leg and her shoes; the rest fluttered away in tatters, exposing her fair skin to the air. Yet her body, in this moment, was stripped of all beauty. Her desperate twist in the air couldn’t quite avert the danger; the lower jaw blade of the massive pincer still traced a line across her body, from the left thigh, slanting upward over her abdomen and chest, all the way to her right shoulder, carving a long, narrow wound. It was plain to see that, had this wound been any deeper, she would have been disemboweled on the spot.

Her chest bore the worst of it—her right breast had a large chunk sliced away, and rage blazed in Catherine’s heart. Her eyes took on a blood-red hue, her breaths came faster and heavier, and white vapor issued from her mouth. Ignoring the agony wracking her body, she lunged at the scorpion like a mad tigress!

The flat stone scorpion, now deprived of a limb—and more importantly, one of its vital weapons—was losing blood rapidly and grievously wounded. But its own observations told it that its adversary’s chest was a gory ruin, her inner thigh gushing blood—her injuries no less dire than its own. The scorpion’s simple mind could not comprehend the situation. It swung its remaining pincer, trading blows with her for several rounds. The fierce movement caused even more green blood to spurt from its wounds, soon pooling into a dark green lake around them. Growing weaker by the second, the scorpion summoned its last reserves of strength, swept its right pincer horizontally to force Catherine back, then rolled its massive body onto its back. Its pale belly was exposed to the air, and its remaining seven limbs, along with its severed tail, were splayed open as it lay utterly motionless.

What on earth was this move?

Even in her half-mad state, Catherine was baffled by this bizarre display. Fearing the scorpion might be preparing some ultimate attack, she dared not approach rashly. She reversed her grip on her dagger, assumed a defensive stance, and entered a tense standoff with the creature.

Seconds passed, and she could discern no trick or hidden threat from the giant scorpion. Deciding there was little point in waiting, Catherine was just about to approach and stab it to make sure, when Ling Mo’s voice sounded: “That’s enough. The fight’s over.”

The blood-red haze in Catherine’s eyes quickly faded. She pointed at the scorpion’s ludicrous posture and asked in confusion, “It’s over? Then what is it doing?”

“It...” Ling Mo looked off into the distance, his gaze unfocused. “It’s given up. That pose means it’s surrendering—do as you please.”

“Surrendered?!” Catherine’s voice sharpened with disbelief. “A creature this fearsome, surrendering before the fight’s even to the death?”

“Arthropodic beasts often do this. If they can’t win, they’ll flop down, expose their softest belly, and surrender,” Ling Mo explained, patting the scorpion’s shell. “Of course, it only does this if it deems its opponent—like you, who’s much smaller—incapable of eating the whole thing. It offers up part of its body, willingly. Most arthropods can regenerate limbs, so it’s not that big a deal for them...”

“What?!” Catherine was dumbfounded, her expression conflicted. “Didn’t you say this thing hasn’t changed for three hundred and sixty million years—that it’s a perfect species? And this is what a perfect species looks like?”

“For a bug, being able to surrender—doesn’t that make it perfect?”

Catherine was speechless. So that’s what ‘perfect species’ meant? She felt as if a mouthful of sarcasm was stuck in her throat, unable to be spat out, leaving her on the verge of bursting with frustration. Fortunately, the viewers in the chat were already venting for her:

“Being able to wimp out is perfect? Damn, I’m at a loss for words!”

“Come to think of it, that actually makes a ton of sense!”

“Logically, being able to surrender is damn impressive!”

“That’s a practical skill! Survival odds shoot way up! No wonder it’s made it through three hundred and sixty million years!”

“Truly a survivor! I admit defeat!”

“Sister Kay, you’re so fierce!”

“She even made a giant scorpion surrender! Sister Kay is number one in the world!”

“A viewer, ‘White Tiger Hall Master of the Martial Arts Sect,’ tipped the streamer a Meteor Shower! Message: Sister Kay is awesome! When will you guide a devout sect follower like me?”

“‘Grand Inquisitor of the Martial Arts Sect’ tipped two Meteor Showers! Message: Sister Kay’s body is stunning! prprprprr~~~~~~~~~~~~”

“What’s so good about it? She’s covered in green scorpion juice and her own blood—you can’t even see the base color! Didn’t you notice the streamer isn’t even bothering to cover up?”

“Her right boob is a mangled mess, blood everywhere, and you still want to lick it?”

“Screw you! Don’t you know Sister Kay’s healing factor is insane? Look, her boob’s already halfway healed!”

“The ‘Official Account of the Magical Beast Research Society’ tipped a Meteor Shower! Message: Streamer, I have a question! If it’s exposing its weak spot and dropping its guard entirely, doesn’t it fear being killed outright? Don’t other beasts just finish it off when it surrenders?”

Catherine had the same question. She relayed it to Ling Mo, who explained, “Don’t get any ideas. See the earthy yellow light pulsing beneath its black shell? That’s it charging up its ultimate move, ‘Mega Shockwave.’ If you just take a few limbs, it won’t resist. But if you try to rip out its organs, it’ll trigger the shockwave, blow itself apart, and drag you to the grave with it. So, just take a few legs and eat those!”

Catherine circled the flat stone scorpion. “Which parts should I take?”

“You’ve already severed the tail. Detach the other big pincer. See those six slender legs? Take the two in the middle. Be sure to leave the joints when you cut, so regrowth is easier for the scorpion. Oh, and don’t forget the two long antennae on its head! There’s not much meat, but they’re incredibly delicious and slurpable...”

“Master, you’re drooling.”

“Haha, don’t mind me. The bigger the flat stone scorpion, the more delicious the meat. It’s unforgettable! Even though its flesh won’t give me much energy anymore, it’s still a treat for the palate!”

“I don’t mind—but the scorpion’s all mine. I’m not sharing.”

“Don’t be so heartless. You start butchering; I’ll fetch my secret dipping sauce from a nearby outpost. Scorpion legs and the sauce are a divine combo!”

“Fine. You can have the skinny legs, but not the pincers or the tail!”

“Tch, stingy.”

With that, Ling Mo’s figure vanished into the depths of the cave. Catherine could just barely sense him speeding westward. Holding her dagger upside down, she approached the supine, unmoving giant scorpion. Wary but determined, she tested by chopping off one of its slender legs. With a crisp sound, the leg came off. The scorpion’s huge body shuddered, clearly suppressing the urge to retaliate, but ultimately remained still.

Seeing this, Catherine’s courage swelled. Out of mercy, she resolved to make it quick and painless. With practiced speed, she removed both of the scorpion’s long antennae and the remaining big pincer, carefully leaving the upper joints intact. When she chopped off the big pincer, she noticed that, although the wound was identical to the left forelimb, this time scarcely any green blood spurted out. Within seconds, a thin membrane had sealed the clean cut. Just as Ling Mo had said, such losses meant little to the flat stone scorpion.

Once the pincer was off, the scorpion immediately began to struggle. It quickly flipped itself over, its two beady eyes peering out from beneath its shell, fixated on Catherine with a clear warning. The yellow glow between its shell plates brightened; evidently, losing that pincer had reached the scorpion’s baseline for “tribute.” Any more, and it would fight to the death.

Catherine stowed her dagger in her spatial pouch and spread her hands to show she meant no harm. The scorpion seemed to give a slight nod, then turned around and, with both now-empty forelimbs raised and its four remaining slender legs, awkwardly dragged itself deeper into the cave.

So the giant scorpion, when moving, didn’t lift its body with its legs but dragged its abdomen along the ground. That might be something to exploit on the next hunt. Catherine stroked her chin, a strange feeling stirring in her heart: this scorpion was clearly a monstrous creature, yet its retreating figure exuded a sort of desolate sorrow. Why did she feel like she was the cruel one here?

“Alright, stop staring,” Ling Mo interrupted her thoughts at some point, returning with a bundle wrapped in leaves. Even from several meters away, Catherine could smell the tantalizing aroma wafting from within. Before she could speak, Ling Mo eagerly pulled her toward the cave entrance. “Hurry, hurry! Scorpion legs have to be eaten fresh! Slurp~~~~”

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