Chapter 140: Brains and Combat Power
Translator: Letty Editor: DarkGem
"We were indeed just talking about the strategies we should take to approach this problem," the clones answered altogether.
"All right, all right, keep going." Chang double-checked that nobody was sliding down from his arms and maintained his pace.
"To be honest, gigantism itself can elevate one's combat power exponentially." The clones swiftly resumed their discussion.
"Indeed, gigantism helps species to get rid of natural enemies, and I think that's why a lot of the species choose to evolve this way. Although elephants are clumsy, lions won't waste their energy to bother with them. If we move it to humans, it just reminds me of boxing; you get more benefit when you are in a heavier weight class. The same applies to what we are facing now."
"Though, the bad part about gigantism is that the species will consume a lot, and it takes a lot more energy to predate. They need to supply their energy loss every day," Qing said. "It makes me think of the Willow."
"True, I can only imagine how much energy intake it'll need for its initial expansion." Shui Qing looked at Qing.
"Exactly. But don't forget that it is a plant, it's a lot easier for it to extract and absorb nutrients from a various sources in nature. Not to mention that exploitation ability of possessing human brains," Shui said. "Even if it is the Willow, it'll need to gnaw everything that it encounters to maintain its size and expand further. But right now we should talk about the centipede, else it might get us killed. The Willow will figure out a way to solve its problem on its own."
"Okay. I think this guy isn't intelligent at all. It has been running after Chang for some time now, and it must have exhausted itself tremendously. I don't think it'll make up the energy gap even it eats Chang," Qing asserted, nodding. "And insects in nature are less intelligent to began with, so..."
"Do you guys want to try this out?" Qing looked back and forth from one brother to the other, asking for their opinion.
"I think it'll work pretty well, I see 70% chance of success," Shui agreed.
"I disagree, the 30% risk that we’re taking doesn't counterbalance the gain," Shui Qing opposed.
"My vote goes with Shui. Trust me, it's worth the risk," Qing concluded. "Two to one, you need to comply, Shui Qing. Chang, put us down."
"All right." Chang hadn’t participated in the conversation at all, just listened. He put down the clones without asking more, knowing that Qing would have a better plan than what he was doing now. "I'll be right beside you guys, and interfere only if things will start going astray."
"Thanks." The clones nodded in sync, quietly waiting for the centipede.
The rustling sound was approaching, becoming louder and louder. When the clones thought that the centipede was close enough, they held their hands together. Their eyes gazed at the blood-red fog
At that moment, Chang felt something strange.
Nothing seemed to have changed; there wasn't thunder or lighting, there wasn't fire or storm. The place was absolutely silent, but Chang sensed something peculiar.
There were pins and needles on his scalp, the same sensation he’d had when he witnessed Qing Shui subduing Zhuo.
Although, the sensation was less intense this time.
The clones stood as still as three little statues under the oppressive atmosphere. They waited, watching as the fog rippled and the centipede revealed its new-gained fangs.
"Holy, that's scary."
Upon seeing the centipede's head up close, Chang stepped back instinctively. This mammoth could easily stress anyone out because of its size. And the fact that Chang didn't have anything good equipped left him with zero chance to fight back at such a close distance.
When the centipede entered Chang's vision, it came at the speed of the chase. However, when it tried to come closer, it seemed to be affected by a strange aura. It hesitated, then moved its head sideways back and forth while slowly proceeding further.
"Are you sure this is how you are going to do it?" Chang's anxiety increased with the decrease in the distance between the centipede and the clones. "I can't save you if it keeps coming!"
No one answered him to sooth his worries.
In the silence, they heard the dozens of footsteps from the centipede. Beads of sweat dripped down from their chins, and their faces flushed.
The centipede didn't seem to have any intention to stop. Chang wanted to interrupt the clones, but he was also worried that he might waste their efforts. He kept himself in a range that he could grab them as soon as he reached out with his arms.
Time stretched out, and Chang believed that every second took a year to pass The centipede was so close that its glossy shell even touched one of the clone’s hair. The green secretion around the rim of its mouth started dripping down to the ground, the acid corroding the soil.
"Are you sure you’re still good?" Chang was ten centimeters away from the centipede's head, its sickle-like fangs having been stabbed into the ground. Everything in front of him messed up with his stomach, and he couldn't resist anymore, he needed to do something.
Because if Chang didn't move now, he would lose all of the clones.
While he was just reaching out with his arms, the clones tilted their bodies.
"Guys, we need to get closer. We can't interfere with its brainwaves from this distance, its armor is too thick. It's harder than I thought it would be to control it," Qing said. "Touch it."
The clones took a step closer so they could put their hands on the centipede's jaw.
Once the clones' hands contacted the centipede, it seemed to have become dazed—the legs stopped wriggling pair by pair.
"Are we good now?" Chang came forward.
Just when he stepped forward, the centipede swung its head up and down violently. In this imminent danger, the clones were about to be squashed into meat patty.
"Watch out!" Chang made a prompt decision at the right moment. He grabbed little Qing Shuis' collars, veered, and leaped as far away as he could.
Hong!
It sounded like the centipede had just banged its head against the ground.
The centipede turned deranged, banging its head against the ground while swinging the rest of his at the trees, sweeping the moss.
"What did you do?" The centipede ejected some green mist from its mouthpiece unconsciously, and the plants around it went limp immediately.
Chang retreated further with the clones before the green mist could reach them.
"What did you do?" Chang asked the clones again. At this moment, they were all drained and exhausted.
"Don't worry about us. We can't be too far away from the centipede. Otherwise, we won’t be able to control it," one of the clones murmured, breathing heavily. "Its own consciousness is fighting against the consciousness we created in its mind, so get us closer."
"We'll probably get poisoned if we are too close to it." Chang went on one knee and asked, "How long is this going to last for?"
"A minute at most. Its consciousness is transient." Qing lifted up his heavy eyelids. "I can feel it fainting away."
"We are almost there," Shui said.
"We are done..." Shui Qing struggled to jump out of Chang's arms, but his legs wobbled and he knelt on the ground.
He stood up again with jelly legs and slowly approached the shambles.
The centipede curled up in its natural form, no longer emitting poison.
"Is it dead?" Chang had never seen a centipede curling up, so he was doubtful. "I thought they never curl up their body."
"Not dead." Qing and Shui left Chang's arms as well. "I can still feel it."
"So were you just controlling it?" Chang followed the clones to the centipede.
"Exactly, this guy is huge, but it's pretty retarded. It's a good subject for manipulation. But our abilities are limited at this age and its armor is way too thick! We couldn't dive into its mind without touching it. I miscalculated, we would’ve died if you hadn’t reacted fast enough."
"You’re welcome." Chang stroked the glossy shell with his hand, then knocked on the half-metered thick armor with a knuckle.
Dong dong dong!
The rattle was deep.
"No wonder my handgun was a piece of crap to it." Chang tried to push the bloody trunk. "I bet it'd make a good bullet-proof material, it's even thicker than a tank’s shell! Are you sure you can control it?"
"Of course." Qing closed his eyes and commanded the centipede. "Up."
Just like a robot would, the centipede uncurled after receiving the command.
"This is amazing! We can probably ride it too!" Chang jumped on its head when Qing validated that he could control the mammoth. "It smells pretty shitty, but I guess this will repel other predators. Not useless at all!"
"Indeed. Can you pull us up? We can't climb it by ourselves."
The centipede was two and a half meters in height even while just lying on the ground. The shell had no indentations at all, so it was impossible to climb up to its back.
Chang jumped down to the ground and sent the clones to the top one by one. After he made sure everybody was on board, a doubt surfaced in him. "Is it going to go mad again? Are you sure we'll be safe?"