Tomb raider: You're going to extract my alien bloodline?

Chapter 67 Fierce Battle with the Snake Mother

The chilling pressure drew ever closer, and even the air seemed to thicken and become heavy. From the darkness deep within the forest came a rustling, grinding sound, like some enormous creature crawling on the ground.

Finally, as the sound grew closer, it came into view.

Qin Yuan's breath hitched.

It was a creature that could hardly be defined as a snake anymore. Its size was outrageous, and its thick body required two or three people to encircle it. Its dark blue scales, larger than an adult's palm, were covered with twisted, seemingly naturally formed dark gold patterns that gleamed with a metallic sheen in the light.

What is most striking is its head, which is larger than a water vat and completely unlike the head of an ordinary snake. Its snout protrudes forward, and the outline of a mouth and nose can be vaguely seen. On the top of its head, there is no longer a simple fleshy crown, but several sharp, bone-spur-like black protrusions, which at first glance resemble the prototype of the legendary dragon horns.

His enormous vertical pupils were now filled only with the fury of his territory being invaded.

The good news is that its lower body remains that of a snake, coiled and serpentine, and no claws or similar appendages are visible yet. But its size alone, along with its head bearing dragon-like features, is enough to demonstrate its extraordinary nature.

"Roar!"

A roar, a mixture of snake hissing and deep beastly bellows, was so loud it made people's eardrums ache.

Qin Jiu's brows furrowed tightly, his hands gripping Qin Yuan's clothes tightly, and for the first time, a look of strain appeared in his eyes. A few light white hairs even began to grow on his hands and face.

He had unleashed his full power to intimidate the creature, but it seemed to have little effect on it. The little guy looked up at Qin Yuan, his voice tinged with frustration: "Dad, no, I can't control it."

Qin Yuan's heart skipped a beat. With the long-term modification of the Prayer Pearl, Qin Jiu's suppression ability had been overwhelmingly effective against these evil creatures. How could it have failed this time? This snake mother was indeed extraordinary. She had probably transcended the realm of evil and was now closer to some kind of monster that had been catalyzed and was approaching the level of a legendary creature.

"Fine," he thought, his gaze turning cold. The final boss in the system's side quest to clean up the biological lab was probably this. Once he dealt with it, the side quest should be complete.

The snake mother seemed to be completely enraged by these tiny creatures covered in the blood of their offspring. Her huge head suddenly retracted, and then, like a cannonball, she opened her enormous mouth, which was big enough to swallow an adult whole, and lunged at them with astonishing speed!

Qin Yuan and Zhang Qiling moved almost simultaneously. Qin Yuan pushed off to the left with his feet, and at the same time, his tail curled up, lifting Qin Jiu and Xiao Jiu, who was paralyzed with fear on the ground, and carrying them away from their original positions. Zhang Qiling also smoothly slid to the right and back to dodge.

"boom!"

The snake's head slammed heavily into the spot where they had just been standing, sending debris flying and shaking the ground.

Qin Yuan tossed Qin Jiu and the terrified Xiao Jiu behind a protruding rock some distance away, and said very quickly, "Hide there and don't come out!" Then he rushed towards the battlefield without looking back.

Zhang Qiling had already drawn his sword and approached the snake's body, trying to find a weakness. The black gold ancient sword struck the snake mother's deep blue scales, creating a trail of sparks and leaving only a shallow white mark. The scales were far harder than he had imagined!

The mother snake winced in pain. Although the attack hadn't broken her defenses, the provocation from the little insect had fueled her rage. Her thick tail lashed out, creating a howling gust of wind. Zhang Qiling leaped, lightly touching the snake's body with his toes, and once again created distance.

At this moment, Qin Yuan had also rushed forward, his black claws slicing through the air as he reached for the other side of the snake's body. Another ear-piercing scraping sound followed, but the scales remained resilient, leaving only a few deep scratches without drawing blood.

No, conventional attacks won't break through the defense!

Qin Yuan's eyes hardened. Considering the thing's size and defense, the corrosiveness of the blood he usually controlled would probably have limited effect. He would have to increase the amount.

Without further hesitation, he steeled his heart, and his thick, bony tail suddenly rose up, its sharp, spear-like tip slicing a deep, long gash in each of his palms!

Dark red, viscous blood gushed out instantly, dripping down his black claws. The blood dripped onto the damp moss and rocks below, immediately emitting a terrifying sizzling sound and releasing acrid white smoke, corroding pits of varying depths.

Even Zhang Qiling, who was standing not far away, subconsciously took a half step to the side when she smelled the odor, silently putting some distance between herself and Qin Yuan, afraid that the stuff would get on her.

"Hey bro! Draw its attention!" Qin Yuan roared, enduring the pain in his palm, and pounced again.

Zhang Qiling understood, and his men no longer aimed to break through the defenses. Instead, they wielded the Black Gold Ancient Blade, transforming it into a sharp blade of light, specifically targeting the Snake Mother's relatively vulnerable eyes, nostrils, and the bone spurs protruding from her head. They made a quick contact and then left, successfully drawing most of the Snake Mother's anger and attention.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Qin Yuan approached from the side and fiercely inserted his blood-stained claws into the slightly loosened areas where he had previously scratched with his claws!

"Sizzle—" This time, it was no longer a harsh friction sound.

The alien's blood could easily corrode and penetrate even aerospace-grade alloys. The Serpent Mother's tough scales melted away at a visible speed the moment they came into contact with the blood, leaving only flesh. Qin Yuan's claws pierced through a layer of tough leather, sinking deep into the Serpent Mother's body!

"roar--!!!!"

The snake mother let out a deafening roar of pain, her massive body twisting violently as she frantically tried to shake Qin Yuan off! Her wounds were corroded by blood, emitting plumes of white smoke with a burnt smell, along with a mixture of red and yellow blood and tissue fluid!

Qin Yuan held on tightly, even trying to aggravate the wound.

In excruciating pain, the snake mother abruptly turned her head, abandoning her entanglement with Zhang Qiling. Her blood-red maw, carrying a foul stench, snapped at Qin Yuan, who was still clinging to her, with a speed far exceeding her previous attack!

Qin Yuan reacted extremely quickly, letting go and trying to retreat to dodge.

However, the attacking bite was a feint! The moment Qin Yuan retreated, the snake's head snapped at an uncanny angle, its true target being Zhang Qiling, who was preparing to attack its neck from the other side! This change of attack was incredibly fast and the angle was extremely tricky.

"Watch out, buddy!" Qin Yuan warned, releasing his hands and simultaneously using his waist to twist his body in mid-air, delivering a powerful whip kick that whistled through the air to the side of the snake's head, attempting to disrupt its attack trajectory.

The snake's head was kicked slightly to the side, but its momentum did not diminish. Zhang Qiling was already on alert, and he quickly retreated, holding his black gold ancient sword horizontally in front of him to block.

"Bang!"

The edge of the snake mother's snout still grazed Zhang Qiling's horizontally blocking blade. The enormous impact traveled through the blade, and Zhang Qiling let out a muffled groan as his body flew backward uncontrollably, crashing into a thick tree trunk behind him with a thud.

Because of his kick in mid-air, Qin Yuan had exhausted his old strength and had not yet generated new strength. Before he could adjust, the Snake Mother's incredibly thick tail, carrying the force of thunder, lashed down hard on his back.