The two green worms had no idea disaster was upon them. They continued to flaunt their affection without restraint, mocking all the single creatures around them.
Anger surged in Lu Qing. He locked onto the fattest of the pair and lashed out with his Scythe, striking the green worm squarely in the head.
'Fierce Strike' provided a strength bonus. Combined with the enhancement his Sickle Legs had received after his advancement, the blow cleanly severed the green worm's head.
His other Scythe clamped onto the worm's body. Using the spring of the leafy branch, he changed direction and took to the air once more.
"No, my dear Feifei!"
Reduced to a severed head, Feifei had no idea what was going on. "Wh—what happened?"
"That damn Mantis stole your body! Sob... my precious Feifei... gulp."
"Wh—why are you drooling at me?"
Lu Qing glanced back to see the surviving green worm clutching its companion's head, already gnawing away...
...Under Dazhuang's watchful eyes, Lu Qing dropped the green worm's body onto a branch.
Snapping out of his daze, the large Mantis cried out in shock, "Ah, you actually caught a green worm?"
"Are they hard to catch?"
"Of course they are! Green worms have terrifying teeth. Once they bite down, you can't break free. When Xiaoheiyi was starving, he tried to hunt one. They bit his leg, swarmed him, and killed him instead."
Xiaoheiyi had been another of their companions.
Green worms were quite large and had tough skin. Ordinary Mantises were only First Tier First Grade; neither their strength nor their Sickle Legs were capable of killing a worm in a single strike.
Furthermore, they gathered in large numbers. Once entangled, a Mantis would be swarmed, making it nearly impossible to escape.
With his surging strength, Lu Qing had no such worries. He gave a casual grunt of acknowledgment and prepared to dig into his meal.
"Want a bite?"
Dazhuang dragged his bulging belly forward a few steps. 'I can't. I just can't fit another bite.'
Lu Qing didn't push the issue. He turned back to enjoy his experience pack.
'Flesh Value +0.1'
'Flesh Value +0.1'
Watching his Experience Value steadily tick upward was an incredibly satisfying feeling.
Right as he was fully engrossed in his feast, Dazhuang suddenly shouted a warning.
"Bird! Run!"
At that exact moment, a dark shadow plummeted from the sky.
The very word "bird" sent an instant shiver down Lu Qing's spine.
With no time to think, he abandoned the half-eaten green worm. His wings beat frantically as he bolted in Dazhuang's direction.
There was a hollow in a tree over there; as long as he made it inside, he would be safe.
The swooping bird's razor-sharp talons grazed the very edge of his wings.
It swiftly banked in midair and dove straight for Lu Qing once more.
Channeling every ounce of strength into his legs, Lu Qing dove into the hollow the exact moment the bird pounced, narrowly escaping.
A split second later, a massive beak slammed into the opening of the hollow.
Glancing back, Lu Qing saw that the beak was less than a centimeter away from his body.
It was far too close!
Lu Qing hurriedly squeezed deeper into the darkness of the hollow.
A set of talons reached inside. After grasping nothing but empty air, a chilling voice rang out.
"Little pests, you dodge pretty fast! Consider yourselves lucky this time!"
Birds... could communicate too?
This world was truly dangerous and bizarre!
Peering through the opening, he watched as the brown bird snatched up the green worm's corpse and tossed it into its mouth.
Watching his experience pack get devoured by the bird, Lu Qing flew into a towering rage... which lasted for about one second.
He lacked the strength. There was nothing he could do!
The System allowed him to view basic information, so he immediately pulled up the bird's status.
'Species: Iron-Beaked Bird
Strength: Low Tier Fifth Grade'
The species advantage was glaringly obvious. Its strength was several times greater than his own; there was simply no way to fight it.
After finishing its meal, the Iron-Beaked Bird cast one last glance toward the hollow before flapping its wings and soaring into the sky.
Dazhuang trembled in fear. "Is it gone?"
He tentatively started to crawl outward.
Lu Qing quickly blocked him. "Don't rush out. Wait a minute."
"Didn't it leave? What are we waiting for?"
Dazhuang was far too naive. Sooner or later, it would cost him.
"The world is a dangerous place. What if the Iron-Beaked Bird hasn't gone far? Wouldn't we just be offering ourselves up as a free meal?"
"That makes sense! Qing Yi, you're so smart!"
The two Mantises huddled together in the hollow, idly chatting to pass the time.
...
The moon and stars filled the night sky.
Dazhuang had already tucked his claws in and fallen fast asleep.
Lu Qing, however, forcefully resisted his biological clock.
Iron-Beaked Birds didn't hunt at night, and the green worms would all be asleep.
Wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity to go out and hunt?
Forcing himself to stay alert, he quietly slipped out of the hollow.
...
Green worms tended to rest on large leaves.
In the darkness of the night, their bodies blended perfectly with the foliage, making them extremely difficult for predators to spot.
However, this was no obstacle for Lu Qing. With practiced ease, he landed on the exact same branch where he had caught the green worm the previous day.
Just as he suspected, the remaining worm was fast asleep. It was blowing little bubbles from its mouth, completely lost in a sweet dream.
It had no idea that, under the cover of night, a Slaughter Blade was already hovering right above its head.
A swift strike of the blade, and its head was severed from its body.
Then, he feasted.
'Flesh Value +0.1'
'Flesh Value +0.1'
The entire green worm provided him with 2.5 points of Flesh Value.
At this rate, he just needed to hunt eight more to advance!
Lu Qing moved on in search of his next victim.
...
After devouring eight worms in a row, he finally heard the System's prompt.
'Advance?'
'Yes.'
A surge of energy washed through his body, instantly banishing the sleepiness his biological clock had forced upon him.
'Species: Pink Blade Mantis
Level: Low Tier Third Grade (0.2/50)
Skills: Powerful Strike (Evolvable)
High Flight (Evolvable)'
Both of his skills had evolved!
His body had previously been around ten centimeters long, but after this advancement, it shot up to a full twenty centimeters!
His body size had doubled, and his strength had grown immensely!
Lu Qing raised his Scythes and found that they had indeed transformed into a pale pink hue. The jagged spikes along the edges gleamed brightly, looking noticeably sharper than before.
With his increased strength, his eating speed naturally soared.
He lowered his head and went right back to work!
Perhaps due to his higher level, the energy he gained from the green worms had diminished somewhat. It now took a couple of bites just to gain 0.1 Flesh Value.
However, he wasn't complaining. As long as the number went up, he was happy!
...
The Green Worm Lord rolled over in comfort.
'What a wonderful night. So comfortable!'
As a green worm, its life was simply perfect.
It woke up only to eat, and slept right after eating. Was there any bug in the world that lived better than this?
"Little ones, the sun is up! Time to get up and eat!"
It gave a loud holler, then scurried straight toward a fresh patch of tender new leaves.
It took a few bites before realizing that something was wrong.
Normally, the moment it shouted, all the little ones would swarm the tender leaves. So why was it completely silent today?
"Little ones?"
It looked around, but didn't see a single one of its kin.
What was going on?
Staring intently, it finally spotted a green worm's head rolling back and forth on a nearby leaf.
"Ah, my beloved concubine!"
It crawled over and stared at the severed head, drool spilling from its mouth.
"Who... who killed my beloved concubine?"
"Dudu! Dudu is dead too!"
"The little ones are all dead!"
The Green Worm Lord thrashed about madly. Its fury soared to the heavens, making the tree branches creak and groan.
...
Lu Qing let out a loud burp.
He had spent the entire night hard at work, wiping out two whole green worm nests. His experience had skyrocketed.
His grade had also advanced once again.
'Species: Crimson Blade Mantis
Level: Low Tier Fourth Grade (0.9/80)
Skills: Violent Strike (Evolvable)
High Flight (Evolvable)'
That's right, his pink Scythes had advanced again, turning a deep crimson red.
His body length had exploded to a full thirty centimeters.
With a body this massive, he was absolutely a behemoth among Mantises!