Chapter 288: Chapter 283: Symbiotic Sandworm
"Porcupine!" the Great Fierce Bear roared furiously, recklessly charging toward him to save him.
Meanwhile, Chen Pingchuan had taken advantage of his men’s attack to quietly reach the top of the Sandworm. Standing steadily on the creature’s head, his gaze was like a torch as he carefully observed it, trying to find a fatal weakness.
"Sleight of Hand!"
As Chen Pingchuan’s lips parted slightly, a Sandworm tooth nearly the size of his hand appeared instantly.
Damn it. Just as I thought, this thing has too many teeth. The odds of randomly drawing a tooth are higher than hitting an important organ.
Chen Pingchuan casually tossed the massive tooth aside. Then, in a voice only he could hear, he roared in his heart.
"Spirit of Coexistence!"
Below, the fierce battle between the group and the Sandworm raged on, a cacophony of battle cries and the creature’s roars.
Burning with anxiety, the Great Fierce Bear rushed toward the spot where Porcupine had been sent flying. He helped him up and checked his injuries. Blood oozed from the corner of Porcupine’s mouth. He was clearly injured badly, but he still forced himself to his feet, wanting to rejoin the fight.
Liu Yaowu manned the machine gun on his powered exoskeleton, constantly changing his angle of attack and focusing fire on the Sandworm’s eyes, hoping to slow it down.
Lilia bit her lower lip, her forehead slick with sweat, as she exerted her full telekinetic power to disrupt the Sandworm’s path and throw its attacks into chaos.
Wei Hao’s face was pale, his stamina heavily drained, but he held his ground. His hands danced as he manipulated the gravity field, trying to impede the Sandworm’s movements.
Lu Jiaojiao agilely dodged the Sandworm’s attacks, her dagger flashing with a cold light as she sought any opportunity to breach its defenses. Although her attacks had little effect, her nimble movements still took a great deal of pressure off the others.
Suddenly, a miniature, golden version of Chen Pingchuan appeared in his hand. It stood proudly in his palm like a Divine Spirit, its gaze filled with loving compassion.
Loving compassion, my ass!
Chen Pingchuan’s eyes once again scanned the Sandworm’s head. Just as his anxiety was about to reach its peak, he finally spotted a slightly indented area. He didn’t care if it was actually a weak point or not.
Taking a deep breath, Chen Pingchuan channeled all his strength, his posture proud and erect, and then he pushed off forcefully with his legs.
CRUNCH!
He plunged his entire body into the Sandworm’s head, forcing his way directly through the slightly indented spot.
The Sandworm’s body suddenly went rigid, then began to twist even more frantically. It let out a howl of pain and rage, a sound that seemed to make the very desert tremble. Its attacks became wilder and more chaotic, its massive maw snapping randomly as its tail swept about aimlessly.
Although the others didn’t know what had happened, they could guess that their boss must have inflicted some serious damage on the Sandworm.
Liu Yaowu increased the machine gun’s rate of fire. Wei Hao also pushed himself to the limit, enhancing the gravity field’s control. Lilia’s telekinesis was at its breaking point. Ignoring their pain, the Great Fierce Bear and Porcupine charged the Sandworm again. Lu Jiaojiao dodged the beast’s attacks with even greater agility, searching for new openings to strike.
Inside the Sandworm’s head, Chen Pingchuan found himself in a sticky, foul-smelling darkness. He fought back nausea and discomfort as he felt his way forward.
The small, golden Spirit of Coexistence beside him emitted a faint glow, illuminating a small area around him.
Chen Pingchuan gripped his weapon tightly. Relying on instinct, he advanced toward where he presumed the heart was. Each step took enormous effort, as the Sandworm’s internal muscle tissue constantly squeezed and writhed, threatening to crush him.
Suddenly, he felt a warm, rhythmic pulse coming from a spot up ahead. He was thrilled, guessing that this must be the Sandworm’s heart. He no longer hesitated and quickened his pace.
Contrary to what he had imagined, there was no fleshy organ. Instead, there was a pitch-black Crystal Stone.
"Spirit of Coexistence—Coexist!"
The miniature golden Chen Pingchuan transformed into a ray of golden light and merged into the black Crystal Stone.
Outside, the Sandworm’s entire body quivered violently. Its frantic struggles came to an abrupt halt. Then, its colossal body slowly tilted to one side and crashed onto the sand with a thunderous BOOM, kicking up a sky-blotting cloud of dust.
Everyone stared tensely at where the Sandworm had fallen. After a long moment passed with no movement, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Their tense bodies could no longer hold out, and they collapsed onto the sand. No one stood up, even as the scorching grains of sand burned their backsides.
However, the Sandworm that had just collapsed suddenly rose again, kicking up a furious sandstorm.
Seeing this, everyone’s eyes flew wide open. The looks of relief on their faces vanished instantly, replaced by sheer terror and disbelief.
"What’s happening? How is the Sandworm alive again!" Liu Yaowu cried out. He clumsily aimed the exoskeleton’s machine gun at the Sandworm, but his hands couldn’t help but tremble. Having just endured such a bitter fight, his stamina and energy were completely depleted.
The Great Fierce Bear and Porcupine ignored their injuries, gritting their teeth as they staggered to their feet and gripped their weapons, ready for another fight.
With dried blood still crusting the corner of his mouth, Porcupine glared fiercely at the Sandworm and cursed, "This damn thing just won’t die!"
Lilia’s face was deathly pale, and large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. Her Spiritual Power was overdrawn, sending waves of throbbing pain through her head. But the situation was critical. She forced herself to try and gather her power again, even if she could only interfere with the Sandworm for a moment.
Wei Hao panted heavily, his hands on his knees as he bent over, gazing at the risen Sandworm in despair. He knew he couldn’t give up, though. Gritting his teeth, he used the last of his strength to maintain the gravity field, hoping to at least hinder the creature’s movements.
As for Lu Jiaojiao, she had given up all resistance, sitting dumbfounded on the sand.
As the dust settled, Chen Pingchuan’s figure was revealed, standing prominently atop the Sandworm’s head. This time, however, the Sandworm did not attack them as it had before.
"Boss, did you beat it into submission?"
"A god! Boss, you’re my god!" Porcupine shouted, looking at the man he worshipped. Though he was at the limit of his physical strength, his face was filled with the joy of having survived.
"Don’t celebrate just yet," Chen Pingchuan said, wiping the slime from his face. His gaze was grave as he looked into the distance.
Beneath the sand dunes, three gigantic moving mounds were rapidly moving toward them.
"Damn it, three more are coming! Get on, quick! We need to get out of here!"