Chapter 219 Do you call this a worm?
On the second day, it was getting dark, and the hunters in the camp were already making all preparations before setting off.
Julius spread out the densely marked map on the stone table, "I divided the area we explored yesterday into several pieces, and we searched them piece by piece.
If you cannot find any trace of the heavy beetle, slowly explore outward until you find the target. "
"OK."
"clear."
“Check the equipment, props and supplies one last time, and get ready to go.”
A few minutes later, three people and one cat formed a loose formation and filed away from the safety of the cliff camp.
Due to the outstanding performance of the pork chop yesterday, the hunters had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, they searched several areas one after another, but they could not find it.
In fact, this is normal. It is not uncommon to not find monsters for two or three days in a row during normal hunting. Everyone has a stable mentality and searches area by area according to the plan.
Finally, two or three hours later, they found some clues on a rock wall outside the area explored yesterday.
On the originally relatively flat rock wall, there were several large craters that looked like giant hammers had hit them. There were also drag and scratch marks on the edges, which seemed to be some kind of footprints.
Gordon stepped forward and gestured with his arms. The diameter of these pits was more than one meter. If they were really monster footprints, the legs and feet of the guy who left the footprints were really thick.
“Is it a heavy beetle?” Gordon looked back at Julius.
“I have never hunted this kind of monster myself.”
Julius was also not very sure, "But I tend to think it is it. Have you seen the footprints of the crab, right?"
"certainly."
“Although they are divided into crustacean species and beetle species, in the final analysis they are both exoskeleton creatures.”
Julius touched the edges of the pits.
“If we ignore the footprint area, isn’t this how crustacean monsters like the Shogun Crab insert their legs into the rock wall and then crawl up?”
Gordon thought about it, if he had to replace the cone-like legs of the General's sickle crab with those of a giant hammer, the footprints would probably look like this.
Pork Chop also lay on the rock wall and sniffed for a while.
“There’s a stinky smell, meow.” Pig Chop scratched the tip of his nose, “But the smell has dissipated very weakly, meow, it shouldn’t have been left in a short period of time.”
“According to information, heavy beetles secrete a foul-smelling gas.” Nadia added on the side.
"It must be right." Gordon took a few steps back and completely observed the huge footprints left on the rock wall, thereby roughly estimating the size of the target.
“What a big guy.”
"The territory of the owner of the footprints should be nearby." Julius glanced at his companions. "Be vigilant and we move forward."
The formation of the hunters became relatively compact, and they explored forward cautiously but efficiently.
More than half an hour passed, and Pork Chop, who was running at the front of the queue, suddenly perked up his ears.
"Meow?!"
“What’s the matter?” Julius asked quietly.
“There seems to be footsteps, meow.”
Several people immediately held their breath, making it easier for Zhupa to listen carefully.
Pork Chop lay down and put its ears to the ground. After a few seconds, it looked in one direction.
“It’s the sound of footsteps, slow and heavy. The terrain is too complicated. It’s difficult to judge the straight-line distance, but it shouldn’t be too far.”
Even if the target is right in front of you, you must not be impatient. If you can sneak into the vicinity of the monster without noticing it, it will be very helpful to establish an advantage in the early stage of the battle.
Having marched forward for not long, they could feel the heavy footsteps without the need for Pig Chop to lead the way.
Not heard, but felt with the feet.
The ground shook slightly with a "thump", as if what existed in front was not a monster, but a few heavy cranes pounding the foundation.
Going around a mountain peak composed of huge rocks and ancient architectural ruins, the huge dark green monster finally appeared in the sight of the hunters.
You tell me this is a beetle? .
Gordon cursed in his heart.
The monster in front of you is wrapped in a thick chitinous carapace, making it impossible to connect it with a beetle.
Compared to the beetle whose appearance is basically within the concept of "insect", the heavy beetle is more like a combination of a crab and a scorpion.
The trunk is roughly thick and diamond-shaped, with the legs distributed on both sides of the trunk. These two points are very similar to crabs.
But it only has four legs, and they are very thick, almost like four war hammers mounted on both sides of the body. No wonder it can leave such a footprint.
Wash your feet is absolutely useless to this guy!
—This was the first thought that came to Gordon's mind when he saw those two pairs of thick legs.
However, after careful observation, Gordon discovered that the number of legs of the heavy beetle is actually the same as that of other insects, which is also three pairs.
It's just that the first pair of legs is too small compared to the last two pairs of "pillars". They are attached to the face of the heavy beetle. At a glance, it is easy for people to mistake them for part of the mouthparts.
As for the "scorpion" impression, it comes from the terrifying long tail behind it. At the end of the long tail, there are sharp giant claws that are menacing.
When the claws are closed, they are as round as the full moon, which also gives the heavy beetle's claw tail the exclusive name of "full moon tail".
Gordon has already begun to think about the tragic scene after he was caught by the tail of the full moon.
ification.
Nadia rubbed her fingers together and made two soft noises.
Gordon and Julius looked at her.
Nadia raised her chin and pointed to a certain direction. The two of them looked along. About forty or fifty meters away from the heavy beetle, a thru beetle was flying slowly.
The purposeless appearance is like sleepwalking. It seems that this is the "guard" attracted by the heavy beetle.
Since the targets have all arrived, there is no need to waste time and start hunting as planned.
Using the rocks and shrubs as cover, the three of them and the cat split up. Julius and Pork Chop approached the heavy beetle, while Gordon and Nadia came not far from the beetle.
The first one to launch the offensive was Julius. He rushed out from behind the boulder where he was hiding, and almost in the blink of an eye, he crossed a distance of tens of meters and arrived in front of the heavy beetle.
The heavy beetle didn't seem to expect that such a small creature would dare to attack it. When the two swords with thunder and lightning attributes fell on its head and face, it reacted belatedly.
The hammer-like legs slammed into the ground, and white gas that looked like water vapor spurted out from the gaps in its carapace.
The heavy beetle let out a sharp scream that was somewhat inconsistent with its size.
In the distance, the slowly flying beetles seemed to have been summoned. The sharp horns of the insects turned here, and they were about to charge.
However, several crossbow shells got the first step and pierced into its soft belly. Sparks exploded and blood flew everywhere.
At the same time, Gordon also rushed out from the side, diagonally blocking the front of the beetle, and slashed down with the explosive knife, interrupting the latter's movement to speed up.
The Thor Beetle, controlled by hormones, hissed and tried to bypass Gordon to protect the Heavy Beetle.
But Gordon didn't give it a chance to escape at all. He stopped the beetle with a huge horizontal slash, then picked up his sword and forced it back.
“I can’t let you pass.”
(End of this chapter)