Chapter 105: Struck it Rich!

Although the mountain was not particularly large, the world’s mutations had caused all kinds of flora and fauna to grow wildly, turning the place into something resembling a primeval forest. Life thrived abundantly here, and at the foot of the mountain, the wilderness continuously expanded outward, forming layered defenses. This allowed Liang Jing to navigate the terrain with ease, while the pursuing army found themselves trapped in a difficult situation. Many heavy weapons, including tank-mounted machine guns, were effectively neutralized—these were measures Liang Jing had planned for before arriving, preparing for escape. He had already braced himself for the worst, and this mountain might well become his final resting place.

Carried on the back of the zombie servant known as “Huang Ge,” Liang Jing constantly scanned his surroundings, searching for a concealed spot to hide temporarily, avoid the pursuers, and tend to his wounds. Though he had underestimated the enemy’s weaponry this time, it wasn’t entirely his fault. After all, he had once been a mere laborer, and his knowledge of firearms like machine guns was limited to superficial information gleaned online; he had no idea of their true destructive power. Fortunately, he had prepared for the worst before setting out—whether it be this mountain and its forests, the beast-guardian scroll, or healing potions derived from the essence of life, everything had been readied in advance. Though in grave danger, his life was at least not in immediate peril.

Despite the risk, the gains were substantial. The life essences obtained from the awakened beings alone delighted Liang Jing immensely, not to mention the various items and other spoils discovered. Now, he was intent on carefully processing these treasures to avoid waste.

Suddenly, Liang Jing’s eyes brightened. Beyond two-meter-high mutated ferns, he noticed what appeared to be a cave hidden within. It was so well concealed that one would easily overlook it without careful attention. Only because Liang Jing had been vigilantly searching for a hidden place with his keen senses did he spot it—most ordinary people would never notice. Feeling a bit anxious, he ordered the zombie servant to carry him forward and enter the cave.

Whoosh!

As they pushed aside the mutated ferns and approached the cave’s entrance, Liang Jing caught a flicker of a shadow. Instantly, the body of “Huang Ge” trembled violently beneath him, pulling Liang Jing swiftly into the cave. The sudden contrast from bright light to darkness blinded him momentarily, and he heard Huang Ge’s fierce roar—clearly, they had encountered an enemy.

This was bad! An enemy!

Liang Jing immediately regretted his carelessness. In his haste, he hadn’t even bothered to check the cave for dangers.

Almost as soon as they were pulled inside, before his eyes could adjust to the darkness, Liang Jing clenched his right fist and struck downward with all his might at the creature attacking Huang Ge’s waist.

Boom!

The force of his punch crashed like a tidal wave against the enemy, producing a heavy thud and a harsh hissing sound, as though the creature was in immense pain and fury. It instantly released Huang Ge and retreated to put distance between itself and them.

“Mutated King Kukri Snake: White common rarity, Level 13, evolved from a King Kukri Snake. Its scale armor is formidable, agile and swift, temperament fierce and aggressive, adept at constriction, and highly offensive.”

Adjusting quickly to the dim light, Liang Jing took in the enormous serpent before him. Its head bore a black marking shaped like the character for “king.” The edges of its head and back scales were black, with a central yellow pattern resembling rapeseed flowers. Its front body was adorned with over thirty yellow diagonal stripes that gradually faded towards the rear. The belly was yellow with black spots. The tail was slender but the entire creature measured over ten meters long, with a diameter of about twenty centimeters—an immense beast rivaling the world’s largest snakes, which could reach fifteen meters. Its massive frame and the ferocity of its earlier attack left Liang Jing secretly astonished.

So it was a mutation of the King Kukri Snake!

No wonder it had grown so enormous; its sheer size alone would terrify anyone encountering it for the first time. Liang Jing was familiar with this species, which many people kept as pets. It was a typical non-venomous snake, second only to pythons in size growth, often exceeding 2.5 meters in length. Its temperament was fierce enough to compete with venomous cobras for prey, and it was known to cannibalize or prey on other snakes.

Hissss!

The mutated King Kukri Snake let out a painful hiss, its black-tipped tongue flicking angrily in fear and rage. Its front body coiled into an S-shape like a spring, seemingly gathering strength for an attack. Then, abruptly ceasing its hiss, it lunged at Liang Jing with lightning speed. Its jaws gaped wide, revealing a pink interior and rows of sharp, interlocking teeth.

Seeking death!

Although the mutated King Kukri Snake’s attack was lightning-fast, Liang Jing had no intention of engaging it directly. Instantly, he unleashed the “Lure of Light” against the charging serpent. This ability was a mental attack, not merely capable of seducing monsters to one’s side but more so inducing temporary brain paralysis in the enemy. It was the perfect counter for this gigantic snake.

Hiss!

A cry of pain echoed as the mutated serpent abruptly ceased motion and collapsed with a heavy thud, struggling no more. Soon, it “awakened” and astonishingly, was successfully charmed by Liang Jing, now becoming his underling.

“Good. Let it guard the cave entrance outside, keep watch—better than having Huang Ge be too conspicuous.”

Liang Jing commanded the newly acquired subordinate to patrol the area and hold the cave’s mouth, then found a spot to sit and gather his thoughts.

Three pieces of equipment, three skill books!

These were dropped from the awakened beings Liang Jing had slain previously. Unfortunately, some had been wasted—the two or three awakened warriors who had been severed by the turtle during his escape had not yet died, causing valuable loot to be lost. After all, human awakened beings were at least green-rank spirit monsters guaranteed to drop items. Among many ordinary humans, only a few became awakened. Thinking this, Liang Jing felt almost criminal—against humanity, no less!

Shaking his head, he quickly dismissed such thoughts. If they wanted to kill, they should be prepared to be killed themselves.

“Spiritual Power Scroll: Upon activation, temporarily increases spiritual attribute by 10 points for 15 seconds.”

This seemed to have dropped from the Wak Maiti who wielded the dog-leg blade. A pity, but it might prove useful later.

“[Ocean Blue Robe] Quality: Blue, Attributes: Resistance +8, Toughness: 10, Weight: 3KG, Spiritual +3, Equipment Requirements: None.”

Dropped by the awakened fire-wielding mage, this was a mage-class equipment—not very useful for Liang Jing but kept for now. Incidentally, the last three awakened warriors who fought together well were severely injured yet survived, which had benefited Liang Jing.

“[Gravity Field Ring] Quality: Blue, Attributes: Strength +1, Grants Skill: Gravity Field, Equipment Requirements: Strength 3, Spiritual 3.”

Gravity Field: Upon activation, creates a triple-gravity domain within a ten-meter radius affecting enemies.

A fine item!

It was a jewelry piece, and in any game, jewelry was exceedingly rare—especially a blue-quality item with a skill attached. Generally, only golden-grade equipment could have rings; blue-quality gear typically only added a single attribute, and only higher-tier equipment granted skills. Such items were said either to be of high quality or possessed upgrade potential.

This one likely dropped from the burly man. The system’s loot always correlated somewhat with the deceased character’s abilities, and Liang Jing had noticed this pattern over many drops.

Now, he eagerly anticipated the items dropped by Jing Hui and Dai Wu—the rest were skill books, and Liang Jing’s mental sea was now vast enough to learn many skills.

“[Brute Force Amplification]: Instantly unleashes the body’s potential, causing the arms to swell powerfully, doubling strength for one minute. Cooldown: five minutes. Learning Requirement: Strength 2.”

A decent skill. Though white-rank, the limited duration and cooldown reduced its practicality somewhat. Still, after use, even without equipment, Liang Jing’s own strength could exceed 30. He learned it immediately with a clap of his hands.

“[Shadow Veil]: Upon use, the user becomes hidden and vanishes in shadows or darkness. Cooldown: 30 seconds.”

Excellent! This had to be from Dai Wu, who possessed invisibility powers. While somewhat different from this blue-rank skill, there was a definite connection. Again, Liang Jing learned it instantly.

Finally, the last item was from Jing Hui, and Liang Jing was full of anticipation. Jing Hui had once attacked Wang Meng and others, and Liang Jing had learned he used offensive skills—ice arrows!

This time, for defense, Jing Hui used an ice armor ability that encased himself in ice. It was the first time Liang Jing had seen two awakened abilities of such contrasting nature. He wondered what the dropped item would be…

Damn! Could it be? Fortune smiled upon him!

Liang Jing was stunned.