Chapter 496 (1/2)
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The forest, which stretches for hundreds of miles on the Zambezi mountains, looks dead and silent from the outside. Whether it is the towering trees withered by the perennial wind and snow, or the few traces of biological activities in the forest, it seems that this is a dead forest, or is dying. But in fact, it's young and vibrant.
Life lurks in the snow, deep in the forest.
In just a few decades, in order to adapt to the environment, various Chinese fir and ferns have evolved to make their roots grow deeper and longer, so as to absorb the water under the surface. Compared with the harsh surface environment, the underground world is relatively warm, and the thin but not dry ground water provides the living space for these mutant plants.
As for living things, they have their own unique way of life.
Times are changing and the world is changing. Only by changing themselves, evolving themselves and optimizing their genes can organisms survive in this cruel environment. Living creatures have their own way of life. In this vast forest, there are thousands of species living in the same way.
Among them, the laziest way to survive is the ice meteorite scale scorpion. The scorpions, which live deep in the forest, are usually nearly three meters long, and their bodies are covered with thick ice shells like exoskeletons. The armor makes the scorpions thick, and ordinary rifles can only leave rows of bullet marks on them. Ice scale scorpions also have two claws, but these two claws do not match each other.
The left claw is as big as a car body, but the right one is very small. Therefore, when ice scale scorpions attack their prey, they usually use their powerful left claw. Of course, as scorpions, they also have a deadly sting. It's just different from the way ordinary scorpions stab their venom into their prey and inject their venom. The sting of ice scale scorpion is actually a high-pressure water gun, which is pressurized by a special organ in the tail. The ice scale scorpion can eject cold body fluid from the small hole of the sting, which is enough to freeze the conventional creatures instantly.
The distance of the body fluid ejected by the adult ice scale scorpion's claw is as far as 10 meters, and the water pressure is very high, so that the body fluid ejected is like a water arrow, which can easily penetrate rocks, and of course, it can cut open the bodies of the prey whose bodies are not strong.
It's just that this kind of ice scale scorpion, which makes other creatures scared, often hibernates in its own nest. Less than a month in a year is the time when they prey and breed. If not, I'm afraid that the ice scale scorpion has already become the overlord of the forest. And that's why they're really lazy in the forest.
The nests of ice scale scorpion are mostly located in natural caves tens of meters below the surface of the earth, which are isolated from the cold air on the ground and become a natural hotbed for ice scale scorpion to hibernate. When they hibernate, they contract their claws and tail spines to disguise themselves as ice rocks. In fact, their blue gray armor makes scorpions look like rocks.
If a creature without long eyes passes by the scorpion carelessly, the ice scale scorpion doesn't mind catching the delicious food that he bumps into. After a big meal, these lazy guys will continue to sleep until the mating time comes.
There are only four or five hundred ice scale scorpions hiding in underground caves, but for this huge mutant, it is already a large group. As the king of this group, ice tyrants are usually in a state of shallow sleep. It is not only the king of the scorpion group, but also the most powerful guard, so as to protect its own group during hibernation or breeding period.
Ice tyrant is the strongest one among all scorpions. Its strength is not only reflected in its huge body which is ten meters long and wide, but also in its ice armor which is much more complex and heavy than ordinary scorpions. The thick armor of the ice and snow tyrant is the best of the whole family. And unlike the scales of other scorpions, the ice tyrant has sharp ice spines in many parts, which makes it look very difficult to provoke.
In fact, the same is true. In addition to the common attack means of the ice scale scorpion, the ice tyrant also has the ability of ice elements, which is also its capital to defend its ethnic group.
Underground caves are warm and humid, which is the favorite environment for ice tyrants. It's camouflaged as a huge rock, and during hibernation, its breathing and heartbeat drop to three to five times an hour. This greatly reduces the speed of blood circulation in the body, but also saves physical and energy consumption. But in such a state, some senses of the ice tyrant are still keen.
For example, its flat abdomen is close to the ground, and its body is covered by thick ice armor, with several special muscle groups. They are very sensitive to concussion. Once a creature approaches the nest of scorpions, the ice tyrant will know and respond immediately.
At this moment, it suddenly felt an unusual vibration in deep sleep. The vibration was small enough to arouse its alarm. So the tyrant of ice and snow woke up from his deep sleep and first lit up two dark blue lights in the black space between the nail and stomach. As cracks appear in the camouflaged rock, the appearance of the rock begins to deform.Open a giant claw from the front, which is much larger than other ice scale scorpions. The left claw is like the body of a forklift. It shakes the cave slightly when it hits the ground. Then the right claws and tail spines spread out, followed by three pairs of bristly legs extending from the flat abdomen. The feet are flat, bent and stretched, holding up the ice tyrant's 10 meter long and wide body.
After the giant rock turned into a big bug, the ice tyrant flew towards the source of the shock. It seems clumsy, but there is no sound between the movements, and it is extremely flexible. Even if there are as many ice scale scorpions hibernating in the cave, the ice tyrant can always pass them without disturbing them. Through the natural caves that serve as nests, the ice tyrant enters a complex underground tunnel.
This is the outside of the nest, and it's also a maze. The natural caves crisscross, which makes the terrain complex enough to confuse the creatures who come here for the first time. It is also the natural defense line of the ice scale scorpion nest. Naturally, the ice tyrant is very familiar with the terrain here. As soon as he enters the labyrinth, he goes to the source of the vibration without stopping.
There was a dangerous smell in the air, and another acid smell came quietly. This makes the ice tyrant very angry, because the smell is the blood of the ice scale scorpion. In other words, something is hunting its people near the nest. Under the fury of the ice tyrant speed, complex terrain in its eyes like walking on the ground.
The taste of scorpion blood began to become rich. The closer it was, the more agitated the ice tyrant was. Finally, the body of an ice scale scorpion appears in his eyes. This adult scorpion, its body turned over, from the head to the tail stab part was almost cut all the way by something, causing internal organs and blood flow to the ground. The tyrant of ice and snow let out a hiss of anger. As he went on, he saw the bodies of several people one after another.