Chapter 132: The Might of the Bloodthirsty Mosquito

After releasing the blood-sucking mosquitoes, Lu Sheng began to assess his gains.

First, he checked the Hunt Ranking shop to see if any avatars he needed were available. To his surprise, he actually found one. There were many types of avatars available, such as elemental avatars like water or fire, as well as wood and earth avatars. However, these were all auxiliary types designed for combat support, not the specific kind Lu Sheng required. Ultimately, the scarecrow avatar was the most suitable for him. It was available in the shop for 100,000 points—quite expensive, but he had points to spare. He purchased ten, and with the two he already possessed, he now had a total of 12 scarecrow avatars. This was sufficient for the time being, so he didn't redeem any more; he had simply bought these ten as a precaution. Currently, multitasking with two minds was his limit; otherwise, he would have summoned even more to act on his behalf.

Lu Sheng ignored everything else and focused his real body on cultivating with the Law Stone. As he began to absorb the power of the laws within the stone, he could clearly feel the three law pillars inside the Space-Time Ant growing slowly. The absorption was balanced, with no single law taking in more power than the others. However, Lu Sheng sensed that the Power Law pillar would likely be the first to manifest a second pillar, as it was significantly weaker compared to the Time and Space Law pillars.

Meanwhile, the two million blood-sucking mosquitoes he had released began their work. As Lu Sheng had sensed, the wilderness was currently teeming with countless monsters. While the ones near their camp had been largely wiped out, many more were drawn to the scent of the many living humans within. The night watch team felt the danger most acutely. The nights were now more perilous than they had ever experienced, with waves of monsters frequently charging toward the camp. It was their responsibility to kill these threats outside the perimeter.

Zhuo Lei was in charge of the night watch, as there was a high possibility of sixth-tier monsters appearing. Many had shown up during the day, though Lu Sheng had dealt with them all, sparing the others from any real crisis. Standing on a high platform, Zhuo Lei watched the ten sixth-tier monsters stationed below. They were dozing, but they would instantly wake if any other sixth-tier threat approached. Lu Sheng had left them there to guard the camp so that his own sleep would not be disturbed, assuming that more sixth-tier monsters would descend throughout the night. Since it was dark, they weren't going out to patrol—doing so would leave the camp vulnerable—so everything was left for tomorrow. Zhuo Lei looked down at the ten beasts with envious eyes, wondering when he, too, would have so many sixth-tier monsters as his subordinates. He shook his head; some people simply could not be compared.

The blood-sucking mosquitoes spread out in a circle, sweeping through the periphery. The darkness did not hinder them. Any monsters attempting to trouble Lu Sheng’s camp were drained into mummies before they even caught sight of it. The mosquitoes flew in a massive, dark cloud, consuming weaker monsters, though they wisely avoided sixth-tier threats. They were like locusts, but their food was not vegetation—it was life itself. Their path was marked by the collapse of countless monsters.

A small group of over a thousand monsters was moving through the night, searching for a suitable lair. Before they could find one, a buzzing sound filled the air, and a dark cloud descended upon them. In less than five seconds, the cloud moved on, leaving behind only a thousand desiccated husks. These remains were like dried-out corpses, fresh yet drained of all moisture.

The swarm moved rapidly through the wilderness, pausing briefly whenever they encountered monsters, leaving only dried husks behind. It wasn't always smooth sailing, however; some mosquitoes encountered formidable foes and were wiped out entirely. For instance, when they encountered fire frogs—their natural nemesis—the mosquitoes foolishly rushed in to drain them, only for the frogs to unleash torrents of fire, roasting them all for a feast. The mosquitoes lacked strategy, relying purely on numbers, which proved fatal against such counters.

An hour after the mosquitoes were released, a guard at the camp gate asked suspiciously, "Have you noticed that all of a sudden, no monsters are attacking us anymore?"

The other guard realized it, too. "You're right. What's going on? Are there no monsters left?"

"Maybe it's the calm before the storm," the first speculated. "Perhaps a large number of them are gathering out there."

"Don't be a harbinger of doom," the other replied irritably. "If that’s the case, don't blame me for slapping you." The tension between them grew, and they lapsed into silence.

By this time, Lu Sheng had finished researching the effects of the Law Stone. A single non-attribute Law Stone could increase his three laws by ten centimeters each; fifteen stones would grant an increase of one and a half meters. Absorbing one stone took an hour. He didn't know how tall the pillars needed to be to complete the first layer and evolve into the second. He noted that his red-quality life card could absorb 60% of the energy from the stones, far more efficient than Xiong Dabiao and the others, who could only absorb 30%. He was curious about what color the Space-Time Ant’s quality would become if it ranked up, but he wouldn't know if that was possible until tomorrow. He wasn't sure if 45,000 blue-quality mosquitoes would be enough to trigger a breakthrough.

Lu Sheng decided to finish absorbing his current stones first. Curious about the progress of his mosquitoes, he opened the Hunt Ranking. He stared blankly at his point total: thirty million points in just one hour. The growth was terrifying. He had expected a significant harvest, but seeing the number left him shocked. *Truly, when you stand at the center of the storm, even a pig can fly,* he thought with a smile.

Since it was just the beginning of the night, Lu Sheng summoned Li Kuang. "Li Kuang, I know you all want to improve your strength to help me. I am entrusting these one thousand fourth-tier spiritual fruits to you. Distribute them among your team. Do not give any to Lei Yan’s squad; send him to me instead."

Li Kuang was burning with excitement at the sight of the fruits, but he kept his composure. He felt a pang of concern regarding Lei Yan, knowing the man was competing with him, but he had no choice but to obey. After summoning Lei Yan, Lu Sheng presented him with another thousand spiritual fruits.

"Lei Yan, this is in exchange for your loyalty. I hope to see it continue. Use these to cultivate your subordinates and yourself."

Lei Yan stood trembling, then knelt and shouted, "Thank you for your generosity, my lord!" His eyes were filled with triumph. He had gambled and won.

"Rise," Lu Sheng said calmly. "Cultivate well. The world is unstable; we likely have only a month of peace left before we don't know what will become of it."

Lei Yan rose and flattered him, "I believe that no matter how many otherworldly monsters arrive, they will all perish at your hands, my lord. Those mindless beasts are no match for you."

Lu Sheng smiled faintly and dismissed him. Once outside, Lei Yan couldn't help but grin, though he kept it suppressed, fearing he might cause dissatisfaction if he disturbed his master.