Cang’er slowly released her mental energy, confirming that the surroundings were safe, and then took out a piece of Mo Gold they had harvested today.
The dark purple metal felt slightly cold in her hand. She quickly infused it with her mental energy, and within moments, the Mo Gold transformed into a shovel. Jilin, standing nearby, was stunned: So this is how you design mechs.
Unaware that her reputation had been affected, Cang’er happily started crafting a second shovel. She didn’t stop until she had completed three shovels.
She picked the largest one, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Jilin sitting beside her.
“What are you going to do?” asked Jilin gently, his eyes showing a trace of apprehension.
“Using a dagger to dig is inconvenient. Do you like shovels?” Cang’er asked.
“They’re… okay?”
“That’s perfect! This shovel is for you. Can I see your mech?” Cang’er blinked innocently. Her porcelain skin and delicate features glowed softly under the moonlight.
Yes, she had turned pale! After a year of care, she had undergone a revolutionary transformation, freeing herself from the little yellow figure. Her dry hair ends had been neatly trimmed, leaving her black hair shiny and soft, draping over her slender shoulders.
“I… I can,” Jilin replied, blushing as he raised his silver mech.
Then Cang’er, acting like a mischievous man, circled the mech, touching and examining it. Jilin’s ears turned red as if they might bleed, enduring this unhuman torment. Fifteen minutes later, she finally sat back in front of the tent, satisfied.
“Phew…” Avery Jilin quietly exhaled, glancing away awkwardly, not daring to look back at Cang’er.
At last, dawn approached. The group packed up and continued their journey.
Mo Gold was only a mid-level metal. They still needed two other mid-level metals and one high-level metal to complete their exam. At the southern end of Mo Sha Star was a region of Windstone Forest mineral veins. They planned to check there for stone crystals.
Under the blazing sun, they only drank from their water bottles when their lips cracked. Along the way, they encountered a wave of Nether Purple Scorpions, which Jilin and Fu An’an quickly dealt with.
By the end of the day, they had found nothing. Tonight, Qi Ming and Fu An’an would keep watch while Mia, as the healer, was excused from the task. She lay in the tent, sighing, longing to take a bath. She really, really wanted one.
“Shh! Something’s coming!” Cang’er’s eyes snapped open, mental energy radiating outward. She suddenly sat up, grabbed Mia, and whispered urgently, “Jilin, a black snake is approaching. Everyone, get out quickly!”
Outside the tent, Qi Ming and Fu An’an, hearing Cang’er’s warning, deployed their mechs.
Then Qi Ming shouted, “It’s too late! Prepare for battle!”
Jilin protected Mia and Cang’er as they dashed from the tent, only to see Fu An’an already engaged in combat with a large black snake.
Qi Ming’s black mech blended with the night, and he quickly moved forward, stabbing the black snake with his Bowie knife at the “seventh inch.” Sparks flew as metal clashed against scales. The blade penetrated only two inches before the snake’s tail slammed and deflected the strike.
The pain enraged the snake. Its massive black tail lashed forcefully at Qi Ming, who hadn’t withdrawn in time. Qi Ming’s body was whipped through the air, hitting a giant rock ten meters away, blood spurting from his mouth.
“Six-Star Soaring Snake! Its weak point is the eyes!” Cang’er shouted when she saw her teammate injured.
As a mech engineer, she had memorized countless metals and auxiliary materials. Over the past year, she had nearly ransacked the library, studying all of Ji Feng’s private collections.
The large black snake matched the description of a Soaring Snake in the books: five zhang in length, entirely black, with a cyan-green line along its back and a bright six-pointed star marking on its head. This Six-Star Soaring Snake was at least a hundred years old. Its internal core and cyan-green scales were excellent materials for crafting mid-level mechs.
Hearing Cang’er’s warning, Jilin immediately spun his long spear, stabbing at the snake’s right eye. The snake recoiled in pain, raising its head high and partially standing upright, letting out a deafening roar.
Seeing its upper body thickening and the cyan-green markings intensifying, Fu An’an leapt onto Jilin’s spear tip, using it to vault into the air and smash her whip into the snake’s other eye.
Taking advantage of the moment, Qi Ming emerged from the darkness and stabbed the snake at the seventh inch again. The massive serpent struggled violently but was entangled by Fu An’an’s whip. With a sharp pull and Jilin’s spear piercing the snake’s seventh inch, the attack succeeded.
Mia saw Qi Ming lying on the sand, pale and breathing heavily, his jaw smeared with dried blood. She rushed over, kneeling beside him. Green mist slowly gathered in her palms and entered Qi Ming’s body bit by bit.
A few minutes later, Qi Ming’s complexion returned to normal. Mia withdrew her hands, catching her breath, and offered him a nutrient solution. When he hesitated, she firmly said, “You must replenish your nutrition now.”
“Thank you,” Qi Ming said, reluctantly taking the solution.
“You’re welcome, comrade.” Seeing him obediently drink it, Mia stood and went to check if Fu An’an and Jilin were injured.
Cang’er, seeing the snake dead, quickly drew her dagger and extracted its internal core from the sixstar mark on its head. Once the body stiffened, the core would be useless.
Fu An’an and Jilin helped Cang’er scrape off the cyan-green scales from the snake.
There must be a water source near the snake’s lair. Once Qi Ming had rested, they set out to find water, as everyone’s bottles were nearly empty.