Round, yet not an Eye Insect, its body was about the size of a hot-air balloon.
Lin Jun easily guessed what it was—the Evil Eye he had encountered last time!
He glanced at his own forces. It was called a six-hundred Pujis army, but in truth nearly a hundred of them were Cattle-Horse Pujis.
After all, the goal wasn’t just to kill enemies, but to transport corpses back for decomposition.
Now there were fewer than five hundred Pujis left. Could they defeat a LV50 monster…?
Lin Jun honestly thought they could.
The Eye Insect had been so fragile. Since this Evil Eye also looked like an eyeball, it probably didn’t have much HP either, right?
And this time, his Pujis lineup was diverse.
There were Exploding Rollers, Flying Bombers, Artillery Pujis, and even a variant that spat digestive mucus.
Even if the Evil Eye’s ray attack could instantly wipe out a row of Pujis, there should still be enough time for the rest to deal damage.The Pujis didn’t have to wait long. Though the Evil Eye floated as it moved, its speed wasn’t slow at all. Soon it entered the cavern.
The moment it came within [Mana Perception] range, Lin Jun pulled up its panel.
[Level: LV50]
Sure enough, it was the same one as last time.
[HP: 1480]
So large, yet with so little HP. Truly a glass-cannon monster.
As soon as it entered the cavern, the Pujis spread out and charged.
From experience, the Evil Eye’s range far exceeded that of the Pujis. This time, it was their turn to launch a full assault.
Leading the charge were Bat Pujis and Rolling Exploders.
The Evil Eye halted at a distance. Facing the surging army, its huge pupil suddenly dilated to the extreme.
[ Petrification Ray LV8 ]
The nearest Bat Pujis and Rolling Exploders were struck at once. Gray-white stone blotches instantly spread across their bodies.
Although the petrification wasn’t as rapid as the scouting Pujis’ death from before, even partial stiffening during a high-speed charge was fatal.
In an instant, out-of-control Pujis either crashed violently against jagged rock walls, shattering into pieces, or tore themselves apart as they tumbled and skidded. The suicide unit was annihilated in a single strike!
Ironically, the Artillery Pujis who hadn’t closed the distance yet were completely unaffected.
It seemed that such wide-range attacks weakened both the petrification’s power and range.
Still, Lin Jun didn’t dare let the Pujis get any closer.
If the enemy had such mid-range area attacks, numbers would be meaningless. It was better to sacrifice accuracy and attempt ultra-long-range bombardment.
Lin Jun ordered the Pujis to fire from their current positions.
At nearly five hundred meters, even with [Precision] buff and such a massive target, the hit rate was pitiful.
Uncertain of the exact reach of the Evil Eye’s wide attack, Lin Jun could only order continuous bombardment. Any chip damage was better than none.
But…
A few lucky shells finally crossed the distance and seemed about to strike the massive eyeball—only to be stopped at the last instant by an invisible shield of mana. They merely stirred faint ripples before vanishing.
The Evil Eye was unharmed.
Lin Jun had no choice but to re-examine its skills.
[Skills: Petrification Ray LV8, Mana Shield LV8, Cold Resistance LV8, Mana Perception LV7…]
Mana Shield?
The enormous eye drifted closer, now within three hundred meters. More and more shells were landing true.
But aside from raising fruitless ripples, none inflicted damage!
Artillery Pujis were useless. Lin Jun considered trying digestive mucus instead—but that required much closer range. At that moment, the Evil Eye released another [Petrification Ray]…
Under the pallid light, Pujis turned to stone en masse. Even Chiss’ dozen or so Insects were caught as well. Clearly, this attack couldn’t distinguish between friend and foe, much like Lin Jun’s [Infrasound Attack].
Before long, the cavern was filled with hundreds of silent, stony figures.
The ambush force Lin Jun had sent…
Wasn’t completely wiped out yet!
Three Bat Pujis survived.
Some had hidden behind rocks, some behind other Pujis.
The [Petrification Ray] clearly couldn’t penetrate obstacles.
As the Evil Eye stopped its attack, thinking itself victorious, three shadows burst out like arrows from the dark!
[ Afterburner Jet ]
One lost control mid-flight and smashed into the ground, self-destructing.
But two others pressed on.
In a panic, the Evil Eye managed to glare once, petrifying one in midair—but the last Bat Puji struck home.
It tried to lash out with its drifting tendrils, but the Puji detonated early.
The Mana Shield rippled violently, but unlike when deflecting artillery shells, it barely held.
Like a firecracker exploding right beside its eye, the blast nearly knocked the Evil Eye from the air. The glow in its pupil dimmed noticeably.
Though it lost less than a sixth of its HP, the Evil Eye dared not advance further. Its huge body twisted in panic and retreated down the dark tunnel at even greater speed, vanishing beyond Lin Jun’s perception.
…
…
…
A draw, then!
Chiss’ “transport team” was annihilated, and Lin Jun’s ambush unit was gone too.
Still, much was learned.
Lin Jun now understood the Evil Eye’s attack pattern. As for its [Mana Shield], it seemed highly effective against magic-based attacks, but noticeably weaker against physical strikes.
With that knowledge, he could plan targeted strategies next time…
But that wasn’t the real issue.
This was the first enemy capable of wiping out vast numbers of cannon-fodder Pujis.
Even Fifteen could only shred within ten meters. This Evil Eye’s area attack radius was nearly three hundred meters. The result was simple: Lin Jun’s Puji swarm tactics… were invalid!
After some thought, Lin Jun decided to strengthen the Pujis’ basic attributes and specialize them.
First, to counter the Evil Eye, he needed Pujis sturdy enough to block its gaze.
He thought of Fatty Pujis—their bulk made them suitable as cover for others.
But just being large and tough wasn’t enough. Strength had to be raised too, or else they’d be too slow.
To resist petrification, Lin Jun considered adding [Rock-Eating] or [Chitinous Shell].
The former would form a thick rocky armor. Surely a Petrification Ray couldn’t petrify rock armor, right?
As for [Chitinous Shell], Lin Jun wasn’t sure if it could resist petrification, but the shell would be far lighter than rock, saving plenty of stats.
He also equipped them with the rarely used [Magic Resistance LV6]. Petrification should count as a magic attack, after all.
Finally, there was the human-derived skill [Heavy Armor Mastery LV5], which boosted defense and reduced the hindrance of heavy armor. Essential for any tank.
On that foundation, Lin Jun planned to create variants—some with artillery, some with spore emission, and even some with self-destruction.