Standing above the Death Shore, Chu Tian surveyed the desolate cityscape below, contrasting starkly with the Ghost Market he had just left. Checking the map on his communicator, he headed towards the port where he had previously encountered the octopus shark.
Arriving above the port, Chu Tian extended his mental perception, quickly covering a small area of the port in search of ferocious beasts. Suddenly, an explosion erupted from a cluster of dilapidated warehouses in the distance, followed by a cloud of dust and smoke.
Quickly, Chu Tian spotted the figure of Liu Wei, wielding his black Tang sword and swiftly running towards the outskirts of the port. Behind him were several giant crabs, each about two to three meters tall, with angry faces on their shells and weapons in their claws, resembling the shrimp soldiers and crab generals of ancient mythological stories.
Liu Wei soon noticed Chu Tian hovering in the sky. Recognizing him, Liu Wei's expression shifted from disbelief to joy.
"Chu Tian, help me! I accidentally invaded the lair of the King Kong Crab Generals," Liu Wei said, throwing a black metal ball the size of a thumb. The ball exploded amidst the crab generals, but their sturdy armor, boasting a strength of B-level, resisted the blast.
Chu Tian landed gracefully, taking out his Emperor's Overlord Spear from his system space. The appearance of the spear caused the crab generals to halt abruptly, as if slamming on brakes, tumbling into each other. The spear, forged from the body of the Emperor Whale, emitted the aura of an S-level beast and had immense toughness, especially effective against sea creatures. Chu Tian had also discovered that it could control a certain amount of seawater.
Even without the talent for water affinity, he could use the Emperor's Overlord Spear to venture deep into the sea. Seeing Chu Tian blocking both Liu Wei and the crab generals with the spear, the crabs became agitated.
Soon, the crabs parted, allowing a passage, and Chu Tian felt the ground tremble slightly. A giant King Kong Crab General, nearly ten meters tall, approached Chu Tian, stopping just over ten meters away.
Chu Tian's vision displayed all the information about this King Kong Crab General Leader:
- Race: Beast
- Level: B+
- Talents: Water Affinity, Death Clamp, Petrification Foam, Explosive Foam, Iron Body
Chu Tian immediately copied all the talents except Water Affinity and Iron Body and exchanged them with the system, gaining over two hundred talent points as his first harvest in the Death Shore.
The crab general leader, unaware of his talents being copied, grumbled something in beast language. Chu Tian's passive talent, Beast Speaker, translated it: "Friend, can you hand over the person behind you to us?"
Chu Tian replied in beast language, "Give me a reason."
"He stole our king's child. It's a desecration," the crab general leader said angrily, almost roaring.
Liu Wei, unable to understand the beast language and startled by Chu Tian's fluency, became visibly anxious.
Chu Tian shook his head and asked, "What if I don't return him?"
"We will fight to the death to keep you here, though we do not wish to be enemies with humans," the crab general leader replied, pulling out a broad nine-ring saber, albeit crudely made.
Chu Tian knew that among the beast races that coexisted peacefully with humans, the shrimp soldiers and crab generals were one of the few. Other gentle races included the Ironhide Boar tribe.
Turning to Liu Wei, Chu Tian said, "Return their prince."
"But this is my mission item," Liu Wei protested reluctantly.
Chu Tian smiled and replied, "It's fine. I'll cover the cost of abandoning the mission."
Liu Wei hesitantly handed over a spatial pet cage from his waist, which Chu Tian opened, releasing a King Kong Crab General half his size. The crab, clearly afraid of Chu Tian, scurried back to its kin.
The crab general leader, grateful to Chu Tian for releasing the king's child, bent its legs several times and retracted its saber, saying, "Thank you, my friend. I will definitely persuade our king to stay in the deep sea."
Chu Tian nonchalantly nodded, and the crab generals retreated like a receding tide.
Once they were gone, Chu Tian turned to Liu Wei and said, "Alright, how much did you lose? I'll compensate you since your task was also not easy."
Liu Wei's level advancement was slow, and his talents were not highly sought after by mercenary teams, being suitable only for his own escape.
"Forget it, it's not much," Liu Wei shook his head, then suddenly remembering something, added, "Where are you headed? Maybe we could team up?"
"I'm training to advance to A-level," Chu Tian replied honestly, considering Liu Wei a decent person.
Liu Wei nodded and suggested, "