Chapter 130 Shadow of the Twin Beasts

Chapter 130: Chapter 129: Shadow of the Twin Beasts

After a brief silence.

HUM—

An invisible ripple descended.

A scene unfolded in Han Ning’s Spirit. Deep within the murky waters, a blurry Blue Shadow darted around like a phantom. Its body was not massive; the streamlined torso was covered in smooth, aquatic-blue short fur. Its limbs were of normal length, with webbed toes and exceptionally sharp claws. The most striking feature was its thick tail, nearly as long as its body. It swung nimbly in the water, erupting with astonishing propulsive force with every flick.

The scene shifted.

This Blue Shadow darted rapidly through the dense underwater jungle, effortlessly dodging the tangled aquatic plants and floating debris. Its speed was so great that it left streaks of afterimages in the water, far surpassing snow cake’s performance in the water.

Immediately after, the scene flashed.

The Blue Shadow broke through the water’s surface and landed on a patch of dry land. Landing on all fours with its body crouched low, fine blue-purple electric currents shot out from its fur. These currents wrapped around it, transforming it into a blue line that skimmed close to the ground. It leaped and bounded at high speed among the complex, jagged rocks. Its movements were light and swift, turning and twisting without any hesitation, as if completely ignoring the obstacles of the terrain.

"HISS!"

The Blue Shadow let out a short, sharp hiss, seemingly declaring its territory.

Another scene emerged.

In the murky mud at the bottom of the water, a figure covered in a heavy, deep-blue, almost black carapace moved slowly. Its appearance resembled a Giant Turtle. Its carapace was broad and heavy, covered in jagged bone spikes and trench-like patterns. Its limbs were as thick as pillars, clad in thick scales with sharp claws. A long tail plated with bone dragged behind it.

The scene shifted again.

Several ferocious giant water snakes lunged at this behemoth from different directions. The behemoth neither dodged nor evaded; it simply retracted its head and limbs slightly beneath that impenetrable carapace.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The monsters’ sharp claws and fangs slammed viciously against the blue-black carapace, producing dull, heavy thuds. Sparks flew! Only a few shallow white marks were left on the carapace’s surface; they couldn’t even break through the scales.

The behemoth was completely unscathed. It violently thrust its head out, opening its giant, tooth-filled maw to snap its jaws around a giant water snake that couldn’t retreat in time.

CRACK!

The sound of shattering bones was clearly audible.

The scene shifted once more.

The behemoth sank into deeper waters. The patterns on its carapace glowed faintly, and an invisible ripple scattered outward. The surrounding murky currents and mud seemed drawn in and compressed by a mysterious force, rapidly forming a thick armor of mud over its body. This armor hardened, merging seamlessly with its original carapace, multiplying its Defense Power. It slowly sank into the silt, leaving only a pair of cold eyes exposed, remaining utterly motionless.

The scene flashed again.

One after another, about four or five more scenes were transmitted into Han Ning’s brain.

[Mental Power -0.8, Current: 2.7/3.5]

With the information transmission complete, the vast will enveloping Han Ning’s Spirit receded like the tide. He opened his eyes, breaking free from that state of intense mental concentration.

"Blue Shadow... extreme speed, amphibious, incredibly fast in both water and on land, and commands the Power of Thunder... It’s called the Thunder Marsh Mink.

"The Giant Turtle... absolute Defense, controls water and earth, and possesses means to manipulate gravity. The Profound Shell Turtle.

"But does a turtle count as a beast?

"The will of nature provided more than two choices, but these two best suit my current needs..."

Han Ning’s eyes flickered with light as he digested the information relayed by the will of nature.

"The speed type... the Thunder Marsh Mink. It can maintain a terrifying high speed in complex waters and difficult terrain. Whether for scouting, pursuit, or restriction, it’s extremely useful.

"The defense type... the Profound Shell Turtle. Pure physical Defense combined with the ability to control earth and condense armor makes it practically a mobile fortress. At critical moments, it can tank on the front lines, creating a safe attacking environment for my plant army and snow cake.

"Moreover, they can both move in the water, perfectly adapting to the current environment.

"Most importantly, the will of nature didn’t just provide targets; it also seemed to vaguely point to the areas where they might exist..."

Han Ning raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the layers of rain and the city’s ruined buildings, looking toward the northwest and southeast directions of the city. Those were the outermost regions shown in the will of nature’s scenes, where, through the Spiritual Energy of his fused Beast Spirit, he could sense the two creatures.

This communication did not consume much Mental Power; he still had plenty of leeway.

Gills grew on his cheeks, and a water-blue liquid surrounded his body. With a swing of his body, he darted far away. Now, with the water current vines helping to block the water’s resistance and providing a boost, his movement speed in the water was no slower than those Elite Black Snakes. In fact, it was quite a bit faster.

Along the way, he detoured around various construction debris blocking his path and avoided the wandering Black Snake Monsters and Crocodile Lizards.

The further northwest he swam, the more the terrain seemed to elevate slightly. The depth of the floodwaters gradually decreased, and the number of Black Snake Monsters dwindled from many to few. After all, the west was the true stronghold of the Black Snake Monsters. Eventually, they disappeared entirely, replaced by numerous large toads with brownish skin.

Han Ning "accidentally" killed a few toads. His preliminary assessment was that the individual strength of these toads was greater than that of ordinary Black Snake Monsters, and even slightly stronger than the Vortex Shell Crabs.

Buildings that were originally mostly submerged gradually emerged above the water’s surface. Collapsed houses, broken bridges, and floating vehicle wreckage... the scenes of an urban ruin unfolded before his eyes.

When Han Ning entered a relatively high-elevation area, the sight before him made him pause slightly. The architectural style of the surviving buildings here was noticeably different. There were steeples, stone pillars carved with intricate patterns, arched windows, and the collapsed ruins of distinctively European-style villas. Although most were soaked and eroded by the water, it was still evident that this had once been a sizable European-style resort or villa district.

"Oh... this should be the Exotic Realm-style town over in the north of the city," Han Ning realized.

Some of the buildings were indeed left behind by Westerners in the past, but most were newly built later on. It used to be quite popular, often hosting internet celebrity live streams or various commercial events. The city’s cultural and tourism department had simply turned the place into a scenic area. Built against the mountains, most of its area was now submerged in floodwaters. In the highest core region, some sturdy stone buildings still stood stubbornly above the water, forming a relatively dry highland.

"Hm?"

What put Han Ning even more on high alert was that there were people on this highland! He immediately concealed his aura. Using floating debris and half-collapsed walls for cover, he approached soundlessly.

His vision pierced through the curtain of rain and the ruined walls.

Around those relatively intact European villas and a building resembling a small castle, the water’s surface had been artificially cleared to create an open area. Makeshift platforms connected by ropes and pontoons floated there, with rain awnings erected over them. Several figures wearing camouflage uniforms and holding standard-issue rifles were patrolling the platforms on high alert. Their movements were crisp, and their gazes were sharp; they were clearly trained soldiers.

Small boats shuttled back and forth between the platforms. In the windows of the buildings further away, the figures of ordinary people moving about could be vaguely seen, and in no small number.

In the air, besides the dampness of the rain, wafted a faint, almost imperceptible scent of cooking smoke. Someone was building a fire to cook.

"A military outpost... and it’s quite large." Han Ning’s heart skipped a beat.