CHAPTER 144: CHAPTER 144: THERE IS A CARVING STANDING ON THE SAND (4)

The Mechanical Bird Species spat out lightning repeatedly, causing everyone to scramble for cover.

We can’t beat this! That was the thought in everyone’s mind. Hu Ling struggled to his feet and shouted, "Old Desert, how much longer do you need?"

Old Desert didn’t respond, but there was no more flowing sand visible on the surface of the Mechanical Bird Species; it had already penetrated its body, indicating good progress.

The Mechanical Bird Species was overpowering, putting everyone in mortal danger.

It screeched again, gathering a ball of electricity. However, just as it was about to spew it out, the ball of electricity suddenly lost control and exploded with a BOOM! inside its mouth.

The Mechanical Bird Species stumbled, then moved as if it were drunk, staggering to and fro. Leder shouted, "Everyone scatter, Old Desert succeeded!"

The team retreated quickly. The Mechanical Bird Species was no longer capable of pursuit. It writhed in agony as the ring-shaped Energy Core on top of its head flashed incessantly until it finally exploded with a loud BANG!

Inside the Mechanical Bird Species, there was a CLICK, CLICK, CLICK sound, followed by a long HUMMM, and its components began to shut down one by one.

The enormous mechanical beast swayed, then finally collapsed to the ground.

Everyone let out a long sigh of relief, exhaustedly collapsing on the ground.

"That was close..."

Had it been any later, it would have been the professionals who wouldn’t have held out.

SWISH, SWISH, SWISH...

Fine sand flowed out from the Mechanical Bird Species, forming a puddle on the ground that couldn’t gather back together.

Chen Gu, carrying Qing Ruyan on his back, returned. He went over to the puddle of sand—the fineness of the sand had clearly increased by one Energy Level!

Chen Gu rubbed the sand with his finger. Hmm, it indeed felt fine and smooth.

The puddle of sand quivered, and Old Desert’s hoarse and weary voice came out, "That’s my armpit... I’m ticklish..."

Chen Gu wiped his hand in disgust.

After a short rest, Qing Ruyan was the first to recover. She checked over the Mechanical Bird Species and exclaimed, "So powerful! These native creatures must have caused considerable trouble during the colonial wars."

Boluo silently treated his injuries, his gaze frequently drifting towards Chen Gu. No matter how tough the missions were in the past, they were never like this one... Damn it, I’m getting injured way too often! And this time, even though it was supposed to be unrelated to me, I still took a hit from the lightning. The problem isn’t with this mission; it definitely has something to do with this kid! Any tactic he comes up with, I’m bound to be the unlucky one. I must stay away from this guy in the future! After this mission is over, we’ll delete each other’s contact info, never to meet again in this lifetime!

Leder felt like he was at a huge loss, gaining nothing from this battle. The mechanical innards of the Mechanical Bird Species were incredibly valuable. If we could have taken them back, they would have fetched a fortune. Such a pity... Leder was very disheartened, but as they got closer to the coordinates, he felt somewhat consoled. The plan is going smoothly so far, and as long as we complete it, the President is always generous with bonuses... He glanced at the professionals around him, a sinister smile secretly appearing on his face.

Chen Gu followed Qing Ruyan to the side of the Mechanical Bird Species. He tapped on its large frame with his hand, producing a series of THUMP, THUMP sounds, then listened intently before asking, "Why is there a sound like running water inside?"

Qing Ruyan glanced and said, "Inside is the disassembler organ of the Energy Gathering Mechanical Species. Whatever it ingests is dissolved in there. It uses a highly corrosive solution to break down various foods into elements it can utilize."

Chen Gu, somewhat curious, found a tool to pry open the metal part. "Corrosive solution... we might be able to use that. Is there a container we could put some in?"

Qing Ruyan searched herself and produced a soft water bag made from some unknown material. "Be careful. If it drips on your hand, you’ll get a bloody hole."

After Chen Gu pried it open, he carefully collected some of the solution.

The solution was pale green and had a pungent odor.

The solution actually couldn’t corrode the water bag, which made Chen Gu marvel inwardly. The Bureau of Mystic Security’s resources are indeed very abundant!

He didn’t bother with the remaining solution; upon hitting the ground, it started emitting wafts of white smoke from corrosion.

After the solution had finished flowing out, Chen Gu discovered something unexpected. "There’s still something inside..."

Qing Ruyan said, "Those are undigested food remains." In this aspect, they were similar to carbon-based life forms.

Chen Gu looked inside. He wasn’t surprised to find undigested food, but rather that among the clutter, there was something round and smooth, resembling an egg.

Old Desert rose up from the side with a RUSTLE, feeling as though he had become much "smoother" than before.

Seeing Old Desert’s pale face, Chen Gu silently nodded in agreement. Two fists are no match for four, and even a hero can be worn down by a relentless grind—the elders certainly weren’t wrong!

Old Desert also saw the round object inside and immediately became curious. "Is this creature pregnant? Is it going to lay an egg? Hey... are Energy Gathering Mechanical Species viviparous or oviparous? Can they lay eggs from their stomach? How fascinating..."

Chen Gu looked at him speechlessly. Old Desert was considered one of the more intelligent members of the Hu Ling organization.

The difference between him and Boluo was that Old Desert, upon reaching this point in his ramblings, could realize he had "made a fool of himself."

He stopped, somewhat sheepishly. "Did I get it wrong?"

Chen Gu used a tool to extract the round object. After cleaning it off, he found that it was indeed an egg. It was unclear what species it belonged to, as it hadn’t been dissolved by the highly corrosive solution.

The little thing’s parents had probably fallen victim to the Mechanical Bird Species. Chen Gu packed it into his backpack.

Leder had initially wanted to say that all gains from this expedition belonged to the President. However, he reconsidered. That combination of a Second Energy Level master and a freakish tactical planner isn’t easy to provoke. The President’s strength goes without saying, and every tactic that kid comes up with is indeed effective against enemies—but it’s even more of a trap for his teammates! If I provoke him and we encounter a strong enemy later, and he concocts some devious plan that I have to carry out... forget it, forget it. One shouldn’t be too demanding; clear water breeds no fish. Everyone has worked so hard for so long, let them take a little.

"Let’s hurry up, everyone," Leder urged. "We’re about to arrive at our destination. Let’s take advantage of the good weather and strive to complete the mission today!"

Without a vehicle again, everyone had to rely on their legs once more.

Chen Gu was growing impatient and fixed his gaze on Old Desert. Old Desert shuddered, suddenly alarmed, and hugged his arms. "What are you planning!"

Chen Gu asked, "Old Desert, have you ever heard of a sport called sandboarding?"

"We could find a board to stand on, and you could flow underneath. It would speed up everyone’s progress considerably..."

"Don’t you have a conscience?!" Old Desert was about to explode with anger. Chen Gu curled his lip. "If you don’t agree, then forget it. It was just a suggestion. Why get so worked up?"