Chapter 26: Resentful Infant

[Grievous Infant]
[Attributes]
[HP: 100%]
[Mana: 50]
[Strength: 7]
[Agility: 7]
[Constitution: 7]
[Spirit: 5]
[Perception: 5]
[Innate Talent]
[Ghost Umbilicus]
[Skills]
[Born of Corpse Hatred (Passive) LV.MAX]

The digitized interface quickly displayed the data of those ghostly entities.
Along with high attributes, they also possessed innate talents and skills, making them vastly superior to minor grunts like captive ghosts.

"Brother Chu, why did you..." Guo Ming wondered why they had just climbed down only to crawl back up again.

"Night is falling, and without the suppression of the Dread Tiger, the things down below are about to break free," Chu Danqing explained. "That group of ghostly entities is known as Grievous Infants, and their strength is extraordinary."
"They can genuinely gang up and beat Dabao to death."

From his quick initial glance, there were no fewer than thirty Grievous Infants.
Once they swarmed out, it wouldn't be a question of whether Dabao could endure it, but rather whether both of them could even survive.
Therefore, a strategic retreat was the only option.

"An actual Grievous Infant?!" Guo Ming clearly recognized the origin of the Grievous Infants, his expression shifting even more drastically than Chu Danqing's. "This is bad, let's hurry."
"Where there are Grievous Infants, there must be a Grievous Mother."

Just as he finished speaking, the sky had grown dark, and a hand with ashen skin was seen gripping the well brim.
The next moment, a Grievous Infant crawled out, its umbilical cord dangling down into the depths of the well.

Dabao reacted the fastest, its sharp claws sweeping across to tear the Grievous Infant apart.
Then it quickly retreated as a dozen Grievous Infants instantly surged from the wellhead, lunging madly at Dabao.

Although Dabao's overall strength was greater than that of the Grievous Infants, it was outnumbered, and for a moment, two fists clearly struggled against four hands.
Moreover, not all the Grievous Infants focused their targets on Dabao; two of them noticed Chu Danqing and Guo Ming.
Dragging their long umbilical cords, they crawled on all fours toward the two men.

Seeing this, Chu Danqing decisively released an energy link, attempting to summon a repeating crossbowman.
The Grievous Infant did not dodge; instead, it opened a massive mouth stretching across half its face and bit down, shattering the energy chain on the spot.
However, this action also caused it to pause, shaking its head incessantly.

Without hesitation, Chu Danqing released the energy link once again. This time, the two Grievous Infants did not open their mouths to bite, but instead used their slender bodies to dodge, charging toward Chu Danqing with undiminished momentum.
Since the Grievous Infants possessed higher attributes than him, as well as innate talents and skills, his own minor tricks immediately failed.
Consequently, he directly consumed his own mana to summon the repeating crossbowman, while quickly drawing the Shadow of Frost Spring sniper rifle, pulling the trigger without taking detailed aim.

[You dealt 7 physical damage + 4 ice-attribute damage to the target, and applied a 3-second slow effect.]

This shot struck one of the Grievous Infants right in the chest, not only dealing damage but also producing a slight knockback effect. Furthermore, frost materialized, significantly reducing its movement speed.

The moment the repeating crossbowman was summoned, it did not raise its repeating crossbow to fire; instead, it stepped forward without hesitation and threw a direct punch.
It struck the other Grievous Infant that was about to pounce on Chu Danqing, knocking it away and saving Chu Danqing from the attack.
Immediately afterward, it drew the standard-grade short dao at its waist and slashed forward again, further repelling the Grievous Infant.

"Brother Chu, forty-eight Grievous Infants," Guo Ming stated, having tallied the number immediately. "Their mother has not yet reached completion, so the umbilical cords of these forty-eight infants have not been severed."
"We only need to cut their umbilical cords, and they will perish on their own."

Chu Danqing had already considered this idea, but before he could have Dabao confirm it, Guo Ming had voiced it first.

"Dabao, rip the cords!" Chu Danqing translated Guo Ming's words into a command Dabao could understand.
How could Dabao possibly know what an umbilical cord was?

On the other side, the repeating crossbowman swung into action, waving the short dao in its hand to slash at the Grievous Infant nearest to it.
The short dao sank into the umbilical cord, but failed to slice it in two, getting stuck in the cord instead.
The umbilical cord's judgment target was not the Grievous Infant itself.
In contrast, Dabao's claws were already formidable, not to mention equipped with the Tearing Claws skill.
Therefore, swiping with both left and right, it successfully severed the umbilical cords of two Grievous Infants.

Once freed from the connection of their umbilical cords, the two Grievous Infants wailed and dissolved into ashes.

Chu Danqing made no further moves, instead turning around to take Guo Ming and run.
While the repeating crossbowman was indeed a ranged summon, that did not mean it knew nothing of close combat.
If it stayed behind, it would only become a burden.

"Dabao, find a chance to run," Chu Danqing instructed before leaving.
As for the repeating crossbowman, it didn't matter much; summoned entities could always be re-summoned once killed.

Dabao heard the command, but instead of making its escape, it ignored the multitude of enemies and grew even more ferocious in battle.
Severing an umbilical cord equated to an instant kill, which was practically a golden opportunity for Dabao.

However, as the battle dragged on, Dabao's HP quickly plummeted below 50%, triggering its Fearless state.
Shortly after, as it dropped below 30%, the Berserk state stacked on top of it.
It instantly transformed into a combat machine. Yet, due to its beastly instincts and combat intuition, Dabao did not shift its attacks to the Grievous Infants themselves, but continued to target their weak spot—the umbilical cords.
This proved problematic, as it prevented the life-steal effect from triggering.

"You go first, take this thing to protect yourself," Chu Danqing shoved the Shadow of Frost Spring into Guo Ming's hands and turned back.
Dabao's HP was nearing rock bottom; if it wasn't replenished soon, it would genuinely die.

"Dabao, drink your potion!" Chu Danqing retrieved two minor healing potions from his body and tossed them toward Dabao.
In its berserk state, Dabao instinctively received Chu Danqing's command and executed it, catching a minor healing potion and drinking it by pure instinct.
Its HP rapidly recovered, and it slowly began to snap out of the berserk state.

However, Chu Danqing's actions drew the attention of the Grievous Infants, and one of them immediately pounced toward him.
Chu Danqing turned and fled, but his speed was inferior to the creature.
Glancing back, he saw the Grievous Infant leap fiercely, lunging directly at his face as he turned.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, and a frosty bullet accurately struck the umbilical cord of the lunging Grievous Infant. The targeted cord snapped instantly.
The Grievous Infant continued its momentum as it lunged, but by the time it landed on Chu Danqing's face, only a puddle of ash remained.

Following that, eight consecutive gunshots echoed, exhausting all the frosty bullets in the Shadow of Frost Spring.
Every single frosty bullet accurately hit the umbilical cord of a Grievous Infant, not only freeing up the repeating crossbowman but also resolving Dabao's predicament.

An expression of utter disbelief crossed Chu Danqing's face. Guo Ming's marksmanship was absurdly, outrageously accurate.

"Brother Chu, this thing is much easier to use than a bow and arrow," Guo Ming said, walking out with the Shadow of Frost Spring, a look of utter exhilaration on his face.