Chapter 133 Changes in the Snake Swarm

Chapter 133: Chapter 132: Changes in the Snake Swarm

Han Ning’s mind stirred as he attempted to transform into the Profound Shell Turtle. His body expanded, the bones on his back protruding and growing into a massive turtle shell.

CRACKLE...

Amidst the sound of compressing soil, a behemoth appeared. The fully formed Profound Shell Turtle was indeed a size more robust than the Molten Gold Battle Tiger. Standing over 3.5 meters tall and nearly five meters long including its tail, it looked like a small tank. The broad carapace was covered in sharp bone spikes that could move and fire freely. Near the head and tail were four hollow, cylindrical, cannon-like bones that resembled missile launchers.

Its limbs were as thick as pillars and covered in heavy scales. A thick, long tail dragged behind it, pressing flush against the ground.

[You are now in the fully formed Profound Shell Turtle state. Spiritual Power is continuously consumed.]

[Spiritual Power: 102/190 (100)

Mental Power: 2.7/5 (3.5)]

[In the Profound Shell Turtle state, the Talent ’Gravity Sensing’ is Awakened. You have acquired the additional Skills: ’Rock Gravity Cannon (Basic Level)’, ’Rotating Water Cannon (Basic Level)’, and ’Heavy Rock Shield Armor (Basic Level)’.]

The Profound Shell Turtle provided the highest boost to Spiritual Power, but the lowest to Mental Power.

ROAR...

A low roar rumbled from Han Ning’s body, deep and resonant like muffled thunder.

"Would such a massive body be too cumbersome to move?" he wondered, shifting his weight.

The surrounding water and mud seemed to be drawn by an invisible force as Earth Element Power gathered beneath him. This power formed a clever lifting force that counteracted a portion of gravity’s effect on him. Instantly, Han Ning felt exceptionally light.

He casually paddled his limbs through the underwater silt.

SPLASH.

Instead of an obstacle, the mud became an aid to his movement. Propelled by the squeezing silt, his seemingly clumsy body glided forward a great distance. The speed was so fast that the resulting water shockwave even rocked a half-sunken car wreck nearby. Although this explosive movement speed fell noticeably short of the Molten Gold Battle Tiger’s violent charges or the Thunder Marsh Mink’s extreme agility, it completely overturned his preconceived notions of a turtle’s pace.

By the time Han Ning quietly returned to the office building in the Yun Valley Business District, the sky had grown completely dark. Now that his Mental Power had strengthened, he could accurately calculate that his excursion had taken exactly one full day. Fusing with the Thunder Marsh Mink took about five or six hours, while the Profound Shell Turtle took slightly longer, around seven hours.

Passing by the resting area of Chairman Wu and the others, Han Ning paused. After a moment of thought, he walked over to where Chairman Wu and a few Vice Presidents were discussing matters.

"Mr. Han, you’re back!" Noticing his arrival, everyone immediately came over to greet him with concerned expressions. "Did your trip outside go smoothly today?"

They didn’t know what Han Ning had been doing out there, but there was no harm in showing their concern.

"It’s good that you’re all here. I have something to tell you." Han Ning kept it brief and cut straight to the chase. "In the European-style town in the north of the city, I discovered a sizable military base."

"The military?!" Chairman Wu’s expression shifted. "The European-style town... could it be that army group from the west? How many of them are left? What’s their equipment like?"

Hearing this, the people in the room instantly grew intrigued. The word "military" felt both foreign and familiar to everyone. They were also unsure of what attitude they should adopt toward them. Before the transmigration, the military could be trusted unconditionally. However, Lei Gang’s previous words left everyone somewhat uncertain about the stance of the military’s internal personnel.

"I didn’t observe closely; I just passed by," Han Ning said, proceeding to describe what he had seen in detail.

"The scale isn’t small. A preliminary estimate puts them at several hundred people at least, not including ordinary civilians.

"They have firearms, and their defensive structures look newly built, likely indicating they’ve just settled down. They’re still far from us. Just keep it in mind so you have a general idea."

As Han Ning spoke, he suddenly recalled the threatening words Sun Wuyan had spat before his death. Deep down, he actually didn’t want to deal with those people.

"The military... they’ve finally appeared. Whether this is a blessing or a curse for us is hard to say."

"Chairman Wu, shouldn’t we send someone to make contact? If we can get the military’s protection, our pressure in fighting the Black Snake Swarm would be vastly reduced," a Vice President said excitedly.

"Protection?" Vice President Zhao shook his head. "Don’t forget the things Lei Gang said."

"Before the transmigration, Bailu City had a unique geographical location, with about three regiments stationed in the suburbs. Now, Mr. Han only spotted a few hundred people—that’s only about a battalion. Where did everyone else go?" a Vice President more familiar with military affairs wondered aloud.

Chairman Wu pondered for a moment before speaking. "Making rash contact is too risky. We don’t know their attitude, much less their internal situation. If they are hostile toward external Awakened, our small group wouldn’t even be enough to serve as an appetizer. I suggest we avoid poking the hornet’s nest."

"Mr. Han, what do you think?" Chairman Wu looked at Han Ning.

Han Ning replied, "I personally lean toward wait-and-see."

Chairman Wu nodded slowly. "Mr. Han is absolutely right. Our most pressing priority right now is to develop and strengthen our personnel’s abilities. As for the military... let’s not pay them too much attention for now."

Four days later.

"These beasts have practically become demons! How are they getting smarter and smarter?" Vice President Zhao slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a shallow dent. He couldn’t help but curse, "Damn it! Chairman Wu just split up the elite squad, preparing to use the squirting cucumbers to help everyone improve together, and then this change happens. Is God messing with us?"

He had just recently led his team to repel a premeditated ambush, and the spot on his arm that had been grazed by venom still throbbed with pain.

"It’s the same for our team," said another Vice President, nicknamed Long, who had Awakened the Water Control Ability. His face was gloomy as he spoke. "This group of Black Snakes now knows how to divide the battlefield. They use ordinary Black Snakes to tangle up our main force, then concentrate their strength to attack the weak points on our flanks. If Qianqian hadn’t provided timely support... I’m afraid I would’ve gone to see Old Xie yesterday."

Over the past few days, the atmosphere within the Biyun Resort Awakened Association had grown extremely tense. It wasn’t because of the military information Han Ning had shared, but rather... the threat posed by the Black Snake Swarm had sharply escalated.

"The situation has been getting worse since the day before yesterday..." Chairman Wu furrowed his brows.

Ever since the several Vice Presidents had utilized the squirting cucumbers for large-scale hunting, their strength had significantly improved. Following this, he had proposed splitting the teams, using the powerful combat strength of the Vice Presidents to elevate the other ordinary Awakened. However, casualties had started to appear after that. He remembered clearly that roughly four days ago, the serpent swarm’s deployment had still consisted of about a few hundred ordinary Black Snakes escorting a single Elite Black Snake.