The Yuanrang Monster Hunter
4. Female Centipede (1)

The centipede was unable to return to its original position. Every time he tried to return, that long and powerful Miaocai spear hit the ground. Roll to the right of the ground. Turning to the left was also ground-bound. There was already nothing a giant centipede could do other than wait for death. The spear had already pierced too deep to even penetrate.

“I'll finish,” said Yuanrang.

Yuanrang drew the sword. The sword floated in the air freely with its metal restraint. Then it stopped exactly two feet high from the open centipede wound. Yuanrang concentrated on controlling the metal and pierced the wide-open part with great speed and pressure.

“Crying, disgusting centipede!” yell Yuanrang.

            “You're smart too,” says Mengde.

            “Ya clear. Maybe you are smarter than me in combat tactics,” said Yuanrang, “But I learned how you think and how you deal with a moment in battle. I also need to grow. I can't if I always have to rely on you. What if I had to face a strange condition when you weren't with me? As you have said, Mengde: victory or defeat in battle is not only determined by combat abilities and weapons.”

            Mengde laughed, “You're this chatty too, yeah, cousin. I mean the way you end this giant centipede.”

            “Ya is indeed the weak part, right?” replied Yuanrang, “After all, I do not want to be exposed to liquid, sap, spit, sweat, blood or anything disgusting.”

            “That's what I mean. Your last sentence is I mean.”

            “Have it, you two. Don't fuss,” said Miaocai who leaned back and let out a long sigh, “Finally done too.”

            They leaned back and rested on the rock for fifteen minutes. Let the giant centipede stop breathing. Yuanrang's movements earlier were not just piercing. But after stabbing, Yuanrang also split to damage the lower jaw of the centipede. Until his mouth split. After there were no signs of movement on the giant centipede, the three of them just checked.

            “Your eyes can too. You detected the weak point,” asked Mengde, “Bottom of the body near the mouth right?”

            “True. I think there is an empty gap so that germs can take advantage of it,” Yuanrang said,

            Mengde pulled out a sword and touched the part that Yuanrang had been after, “Now I understand. Because this is where the weirdness happens,”

            “What weird do you mean?” ask Yuanrang.

            “You know that when you chased us earlier, this centipede fired strange liquids? Once we get out of the forest, these centipedes don't fire any more fluid,” Mengde said.

            “Organ producing liquid is already broken, yes?” Miaocai.

            Mengde patted Miaocai on the shoulder, “Breaked since this centipede is chasing us. Thanks to your ice trap that tore it.”

            They started working again. Miaocai was busy picking up dozens of weapons and arrows that had already pierced the centipede body parts. Yuanrang and Mengde then walked to the back of the centipede. Then look at the reproductive organs. After tearing carefully, Mengde understood that this was bad news.

            “Which we kill male centipedes,” said Mengde, “The babies of centipedes could not have been born if only male centipedes.”

            “Means there are still female centipedes,” Yuanrang response, “As a good husband, these male centipedes protect their wives and children. Until it is willing to become a defensive wall from the attacks of the villagers. We kick it now?”

            Mengde shook her head, “We'll help Miaocai clear all the weapons. As much as possible. Then we take a break.”

            Two hours later, the three warriors entered the forest again after everything was finished. This part made Yuanrang complain. Yuanrang is a fighter. Not a seeker. So he enjoyed the fight more than the quest he was now. After all, this forest was also vast. According to Yuanrang, just now when he managed to find the cave alone was lucky. It's boring. But how else. They went into the forest again. Like earlier.

            “Where do we start?” ask Miaocai.

            “We start from the cave only,” said Mengde.

            “Do we have to log in?”

            “Entahlah. If we go in, I don't want to risk it. If it doesn't come in, I'm worried if we can't find a female centipede.”

            Indeed Mengde's confusion has a point. Their target is to finish the mission by tomorrow at the latest. They do not underestimate the lipids. But they underestimated the condition of the forests they did not control and did not recognize. The most appropriate and quick choice to immediately find centipedes must be in the cave. Whether at the end of any forest, female centipedes will most likely return to the cave to care for her young.

            “Mengde, what is the approximate number of female centipede eggs in one egg laying?” Miaocai.

            “Uncertain. In the span of ten to fifty eggs,” replied Mengde.

            “You've studied centipedes?”

            “Yes. Some body parts of giant centipedes have little in common with ordinary centipedes. What I still don't understand is how a giant centipede can shoot liquid. Because ordinary centipedes will not be able to.”

            “You sure this is a regular giant centipede?”

            “Can be yes and no. If so, because we don't really recognize the monsters from the north. If not, maybe it could be that the giant centipede we are dealing with is actually an ordinary centipede. But due to the influence of magic or unnatural influences.”

            The three warriors were now in front of the mouth of the cave. There are no baby centipedes here. Everyone has entered. This is where the dilemma arises in the hearts of these three warriors. Having to fight in the enemy cage was the strategy Mengde had avoided the most.

            “How?” ask Miaocai.

            Yuanrang smiled lightly, “Sports lightly. Before the female centipede appears. There are about fifty centipedes, right?”

            “Can be more, Yuanrang,” said Mengde.

            “Didn't you say it was between ten to fifty ranges?” ask Miaocai.

            “In such an way. But I mean that in one mating cycle,” said Mengde, “What we do not know, how many mating cycles the two centipedes went through? Calculated since the pair of centipedes came here.”

            It would also be troublesome to Mengde's calculations. It is true that the calculation is like that. But it is also impossible if you have to know all things in full and detail. They also forgot to ask the villagers when the first appearance of centipedes was seen. If you know, they will more easily estimate how many children centipedes. However, it is also impossible if you now have to return to the refugee area.

            “Indeed however, it is better that we stay ahead of course than we have to enter a very risky cave,” Mengde said, “If the female centipede is outside and looking for prey, then she will return to this cave. If the female centipede is inside, she will come out to look for prey. It must be the edges like that.”

            “Ah, over time, Mengde,” said Yuanrang who gazed into the cave.

            Yuanrang drew out the sword and entered the cave. He entered the cave, however the reprimand from Mengde surprised Yuanrang. Of course Mengde was worried about Yuanrang. They did not know what kind of death was threatening from the darkness of the cave. Not only were the enemy types, they also did not know the depths of the cave.

            “Don't be a moron, Yuanrang,” says Mengde.

            “Iya, yes. I-i know. I am also unlikely to commit suicide, Mengde,” Yuanrang said.

            “If you already know, come back!”

            “I'm only in twenty steps!”

            “Twenty steps is too stupid! Ten steps only, Yuanrang!”

            “Iya, yes!!”

            Yuanrang entered the cave slowly. Start with two steps. There's only darkness here. Despite the difficulty of seeing, Yuanrang sharpened his hearing. He had already practiced fighting with his eyes closed along with Yudhistira. There was no suspicious sound. Yuanrang's ears still remember the sound of the approaching baby centipedes. As there was no sound whatsoever, Yuanrang continued a few steps. He was now standing at the furthest point the sunlight entered the cave. Yuanrang's ears were also on standby.

            “How?” ask Miaocai.

            “Situation is still safe,” Yuanrang said.

            “Be careful also with the ceiling part of the cave,” said Miaocai, “Who knows someone crawled there, then dropped down and landed right on your head.”

            “Iya, safe,” reply Yuanrang.

            “Don't just be safe, safe, safe and secure, Yuanrang,” Mengde complained that made Yuanrang torch, “Use this.”

            Yuanrang used a torch to explore further. From behind, Mengde and Miaocai followed him. So far there's nothing. Although it had been equipped with a torch, the torch light was still unable to pierce through all the darkness here. Light can only take a few steps. The darkness here is too strong.

            Yuanrang's eyes caught something quite strange. He narrowed his eyes while bowing. Curious about what is in front of him. It looked like two pairs of small yellow balls and lit up in the darkness. A pair of balls is higher than another pair of balls. It had been about thirty seconds that Yuanrang continued to stare at that thing. But he doesn't want to go forward. His brain was busy thinking because he had never seen metal or cave rocks that were shaped like that. Possibly gold?

            “Why are you bowing so, cousin?” Miaocai.

            Yuanrang said, “There are four strange yellow balls. I didn't think there was metal here. After we've slaughtered all the centipedes here, we've taken control of this forest. Then we can get more kay ..”

            Yuanrang's sentence came to a halt as the two pairs of balls had disappeared for a moment and then appeared again. Still in the same place. Yuanrang felt his eyes were broken or something. But the two pairs of balls instantly disappeared and then appeared again in the same place.

            “What ... an,” said Yuanrang who began to realize there was something strange here, “Mengde!”

            Whatever Yuanrang saw, the two pairs of metals just now were like flashing. Is human? Obviously impossible. Where is there a human who is casually in a den of meat-eating giant centipedes? Unless there's a pair of crazy humans who want to kill themselves. Was there something that just passed in front of those two pairs of metals? But, Yuanrang's sharp hearing did not hear footsteps.

            “What's up?” said Mengde.

            Yuanrang whispered into Mengde's ear, “Please create the fireballs and throw them there,” Yuanrang pointed to the point where he saw the mysterious yellow ‘bola’, which was, “Do not ask much and you will see.”

            “Bby,” says Mengde.

            Mengde created a fireball in hand then threw it on demand as per Yuanrang's request. What they saw there was quite a gaping mouth. There's two guys there. A man and a woman. Yellow and fanged eyes. They wear black hooded robes. The swordsmen could see the two mysterious people had extremely pale complexions. When Mengde threw the fire there, two mysterious people immediately fled. Go into the depths of the cave further.

            “No, Yuanrang!” shout Mengde, “Don't be chased!”