Chapter 111: The Wilderness Bandit Intelligence Network

In an instant, Lu Sheng summoned the Flame Bear-Wolf and the Flame Werewolf Chieftain. The Flame Werewolf Chieftain unleashed a massive fireball, hurtling it toward the Earth-Controlling Beetle. Seeing this, the beetle attempted to flee.

That was when Lu Sheng’s secondary plan came into play. The Flame Bear-Wolf slammed its clenched fists into the ground with overwhelming force, intended to throw the Earth-Controlling Beetle into a panic. The earth split apart under the immense impact, a fissure racing directly toward the creature. The ground shook violently, shattering the pillar of earth the beetle was using for support, causing its body to sway and plummet toward the soil. If the creature managed to sink into the earth, the entire effort would be for naught.

At that moment, Lu Sheng whipped out a utility card.

[Ground Hardening!]

He hadn't specifically purchased this; it had dropped from one of the many blind fools he had killed. He had previously thought it useless, but it seemed every utility card had its purpose in the right situation. Lu Sheng certainly didn't expect this single hardening effect to finish off the beetle, but he only needed to stall for time. If he were given just a moment, he was confident he could kill it.

He tossed the card. The ground within a five-hundred-meter radius instantly turned pitch black and hardened like iron; even if the beetle fell to the ground, it would have no way to burrow and escape.

The massive fireball was already closing in. The Earth-Controlling Beetle strained with all its might, attempting to manipulate the surrounding soil to shield itself from the attack. Alas, the ground had been hardened into solid clay; the beetle’s power was insufficient to control it. It was all in vain.

Just as the fireball was about to strike, a wall of earth materialized before the beetle—evidently one of its innate skills. The fireball collided with the wall, shattering it instantly into a spray of碎泥. The beetle tried to take advantage of the flying debris to slip away, but Lu Sheng wouldn't give it the chance.

Thirty fireballs had already been launched toward the beetle’s position. The exploding earth was caught within the barrage, with every clod of dirt intercepted and scorched into black mud. A disturbance rippled through a patch of soil, and the beetle broke through the black mud, struggling as it emerged. It was still emitting white smoke, and its yellowish shell had turned a scorching red; the temperature of the fireballs had nearly steamed it alive while it was trapped in the earth.

Three massive earth spikes manifested in front of the beetle, and under its control, they thrust toward Lu Sheng. Lu Sheng mounted the White-Flame Blue-Scaled Bird and dodged easily. The three spikes missed their mark, slamming into the tree where Lu Sheng had just been hiding and snapping it in two.

He ordered the Flame Werewolf to continue bombarding it with fireballs.

Human-wave tactics were always effective against opponents of the same rank. As long as there was no gap in tiers, superior numbers would always win—provided there was no gap in quality, of course. Faced with the incoming fireballs, the Earth-Controlling Beetle had no further tricks and was beaten to death on the spot, becoming a roasted beetle.

Lu Sheng smiled as he looked at the red, thoroughly cooked carcass below. Killing a target was far easier than capturing one alive. He collected the card and the source bead that the beetle dropped.

While in the air, he had spotted someone watching him. When that person realized they had been seen, they had fled quickly—clearly suspicious behavior. If the beetle hadn't been so close to being finished, Lu Sheng might have captured that person immediately. He did so now, swooping down on the White-Flame Blue-Scaled Bird and landing before the man, then summoning the Flame Werewolf Chieftain to block his path.

The man tried to run but was slammed to the ground by the Flame Werewolf Chieftain. A mere Tier 3 cultivator could never be a match for the Chieftain.

"Ouch! Ouch! Easy, take it easy!"

Lu Sheng didn't bother with pleasantries. "Tell me everything you know. If I'm satisfied, I'll let you go. If not, I'll kill you right here."

The information-brokering methods of the Wilderness Bandits were known to everyone in the wilds. Fearing that Lu Sheng would kill him if he sensed a lie, the man didn't dare to hide anything or deceive him.

He surrendered, stammering, "My lord, I only reported your location to the Wilderness Bandits. I didn't do anything else..."

Lu Sheng was speechless, watching the man look so pitiful, as if he hadn't done anything truly malicious. How could someone reveal his location and still wear that expression? Did he genuinely believe he hadn't committed a grave offense? Lu Sheng had already sentenced him to death in his mind, but he still wanted more intelligence.

"Tell me how the Wilderness Bandits obtain their information and the overall strength of their forces. Also, explain exactly how you leaked my location just now. If it doesn't match what I know, I will kill you."

The man went silent. It seemed Lu Sheng didn't know how the Wilderness Bandits gathered intelligence? Had he just done something incredibly stupid? He felt it was wrong to tell the truth, but also wrong to lie. After a moment of thought, he confessed everything; what else could he do?

After listening, Lu Sheng understood. It was no wonder the Wilderness Bandits had found him so precisely last night; the entire wilderness, it seemed, acted as their eyes and ears. This meant his location was already compromised.

*Communication bugs.* A useful monster, indeed.

Lu Sheng had the Flame Werewolf Chieftain cleanly snap the man's neck. Several cards appeared on the body, but there were no communication bugs; those required a personal bond, and the bug died when the master died, making them impossible to reuse. There were two utility cards and one storage card. Finding nothing of real value, he tossed them into his card space and prepared to leave. He had no desire to be surrounded by the Wilderness Bandits right now.

As he flew, Lu Sheng examined the spoils from the Earth-Controlling Beetle.

[Earth-Rock Guardian]
Quality: Blue
Tier: Tier 5
Function: Summons an earth wall at a specified location.

[Earth-Controlling Beetle]
Quality: Blue
Tier: Tier 5 (Early Stage)
Skills: Triple Earth Spike, Soil Control, Earth Wall
Evolution Requirements: Any Tier 3 three-color item containing earth-type energy x1

Triple Earth Spike: Summons three earth spikes toward a specified location.
Soil Control: Consumes a small amount of energy to manipulate soil.
Earth Wall: Summons an earth wall to block attacks.

After reviewing his gains, Lu Sheng pondered how to deal with the Wilderness Bandits. They had five leaders, each a Tier 6 powerhouse—virtually overlords of this region. It would be difficult to take down such a faction.

Of course, he had an advantage: mobility. He was an army of one. The Wilderness Bandits couldn't possibly stay huddled together every single day, and soon, their information on him would become inaccurate. He could use this opportunity to catch them off guard.

The only issue now was that he lacked any Tier 6 monsters. Even when his Blood-Thirsty Mosquitoes matured, he wasn't certain he could produce a large number of Tier 6 creatures.