Master of Monster Synthesis-Chapter 241 - 162: The Strong Cockroach (Two in One)_2

The spaceship traveled at an astounding speed. Qin Shou exchanged a brief glance with the woman, and then the ship shot through a halo of light, making her figure vanish from sight.

Beside him, Leng Wanbai looked puzzled.

"Mr. Su, did you notice? Right before she disappeared, it seemed like her face turned red?"

Su Liang thought carefully. "Now that you mention it, it does seem to be the case."

"Maybe she overexerted her energy and her body couldn’t handle it; after all, pulling off two consecutive ultimate moves can take a toll. It’s completely understandable."

"Exactly, that must be it. Still, it was pretty careless of her."

Qin Shou quickly nodded and discreetly pulled out a tissue to wipe the palm of his right hand.

He silently prayed in his heart, hoping he’d never cross paths with her again—or else he might just lose a hand.

...

After that minor episode, the journey continued without further incidents.

On the ninth day after leaving Earth, the passengers excitedly stared at the virtual screen displaying a fiery red planet.

As the spaceship approached Mars, the colors of the planet began to shift, no longer the deep red from before.

"How strange. Isn’t Mars supposed to be red? Why does it now look yellowish-brown?"

"Not just that—look over there, it’s coffee-colored, and over there it’s cream-colored... There’s even a section with a hint of green."

Wang Sheng explained, "You just don’t get it, do you? The color of Mars you’re seeing depends on the mineral composition of the surrounding area. Different minerals affect the color visible to the naked eye."

Everyone suddenly understood and gave Wang Sheng a thumbs-up.

"Brother Wang, you’re so knowledgeable!"

"Haha, it’s nothing special. Look over there—that area with some golden coloring—word is that’s the Cosmic Meteorite Gold Mine..."

Meanwhile, Qin Shou ignored Wang Sheng’s showboating and turned to Su Liang.

"Mr. Su, can you now reveal the specifics of our assessment tasks?"

Su Liang gathered everyone around and pointed at the virtual image of Mars. "We’ll soon pass through Mars’ thin atmosphere. Your mission is to capture a Cockroach Beast King alive once you’ve left the spaceship."

"Then, within seven days, make it to the nearby Mars Base. If you do, your performance will be rated as excellent."

"A Cockroach Beast King?"

The group was stunned. There are cockroaches on Mars?

Su Liang explained, "During the Old Era, the Kid Star People modified the genes of Earth’s cockroaches and set them loose on Mars. Their aim was to create an army of cockroach monsters to invade Earth."

"But before their cockroach monsters could fully mature, the Kid Star People were driven off Earth and didn’t have the chance to retrieve the cockroach monsters on Mars."

"Over the years, the cockroach monsters thrived and multiplied on Mars. However, the most powerful amongst them—Nightmare-level monsters—have already been eradicated by humans. The remaining cockroach monsters on Mars are all below the Nightmare Level."

Everyone felt slightly relieved to hear there were no Nightmare-level monsters left.

But then they reconsidered. Even cockroach monsters below Nightmare Level could still be deadly.

The thought unsettled them, and they couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Su Liang continued, "The assessment comprises two tasks: first, capturing a Cockroach Beast King alive; and second, reaching the Mars Base within the allotted time."

"I’ll send you the Mars Base map and the cockroach monster data. The assessment officially begins in ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?"

"We’re starting immediately? Better check the data quickly..."

"Look here: reaching the Mars Base within seven days is considered excellent. Within ten days is passing. But if you arrive after ten days, it’s a total fail."

"And look at these cockroach monsters—they integrate human genes! Their muscles are absolutely terrifying..."

...

Meanwhile, Qin Shou accessed the cockroach monster detailed data.

The cockroach monsters measured over three meters tall and bore a humanoid shape.

On their heads were two cockroach antennae, their bodies covered in disgusting, glossy black-brown muscles dripping with some kind of luminous slime.

These were just the ordinary cockroach monsters. There were also more powerful, larger variants with greater strength.

Moments later, Qin Shou closed the data, a pensive look on his face. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Among monsters of the same rank, the cockroach monsters excelled in strength, speed, and defensive power—they reigned at the very top.

But there was no information in the data regarding any weaknesses of the cockroach monsters.

It was apparently a deliberate omission by the Beast Cultivation Main City.

After all, this was an assessment. They couldn’t possibly spoon-feed everything to the students.

...

Ten minutes later, Su Liang distributed white battle armor to the group.

"This specialized armor was designed with Mars’ unique environmental features in mind. It won’t hinder you from activating your personal battle armor."

"In dire situations, you can also trigger the emergency alert function embedded in this special armor. It will release a protective gas to repel cockroach monsters."

"However, doing so will result in immediate assessment failure. Whether to use it is up to your judgment."

Hearing this, everyone grew solemn.

As Qin Shou received his armor, he immediately activated it. The lightweight white armor enveloped his body.

He retrieved the Gekkou Insect Instrument, and a wine-red armored layer covered the white armor. Aside from making him appear more "muscular," it didn’t hinder him at all.

By now, the spaceship had reached an altitude of 10,000 meters over Mars.

As the hatch opened, fierce winds and sand rushed inside. Su Liang used Star Power to disperse the mess, his face full of disdain.

The spaceship’s gravity adjustment was turned off. Qin Shou found his body feeling inexplicably lighter.

Mars’ gravity was about one-third that of Earth—roughly 38%—so the change was entirely normal.

With reduced gravity, his speed would naturally increase.

However, when he took his first step, reality didn’t mirror his expectations.

"Crack..."

Unaccustomed to the sudden shift in gravity, Qin Shou unintentionally performed a split right in front of everyone.

Qin Shou: "..."

Fortunately, no one laughed at him; they were all suffering the same fate.

"Mr. Su, didn’t you say this special armor was tailored for Mars?"

Qin Shou shot Su Liang a resentful look.

Su Liang turned his head away. "The armor only ensures your internal body isn’t affected and provides sufficient oxygen. As for accommodating Mars’ gravity, that’s something you need to adapt to on your own."

He waved them off. "The assessment starts now. Get moving—I’m closing the hatch."

"But Mr. Su, there’s a sandstorm down there..."

"Bad luck for you, then. Your starting point just happens to be here."

Qin Shou: "..."

Activating his flight device, Qin Shou was the first to leap out of the hatch, diving headfirst into the swirling yellow sand.

Leng Wanbai and the others activated their battle armor and followed closely behind.

"Boom..."

Amidst the raging sandstorm, Qin Shou’s back emitted Seven-Colored Energy, propelling him at speeds several times faster than on Earth.

Though even at this increased speed, he struggled to navigate the hurricane-like sandstorm, which rivaled the force of a Category 12 typhoon.

Behind him, Leng Wanbai and the others unleashed their Star Power, barely managing to keep him in sight.

Before closing the hatch, Su Liang observed their predicament and shook his head.

"Fine, I’ll help you out just this once."

"Buzz!!"

Immediately, an immense surge of energy blasted downward from the ship’s hull, detonating at the sandstorm’s center.

"Boom!!"

With a deafening explosion, the sandstorm was obliterated. Simultaneously, the energy shockwave hurled everyone several kilometers away.

In mid-air, the combat suits quickly reoriented their wearers.

"Damn, is this an assessment or a death sentence?!" Qin Shou cursed loudly.

Glancing around, he realized the energy shockwave had scattered everyone thousands of meters apart. Some people were entirely out of sight.

"Big Black Face definitely did that on purpose!"

Qin Shou stared at the rapidly departing spaceship and shook his head helplessly.

Not only did he have a dark face, but a dark heart too.

"Zzzzzzzz..."

Soon, a dense mass of black clouds approached from the distance, standing out amid the yellow-brown sky.

Through the Jiadou visor, Qin Shou locked onto the black mist. Zooming in, he saw it comprised thousands of humanoid cockroaches, rushing toward him at breakneck speed.

Qin Shou’s face darkened. Why come for him of all people? Did he look like easy prey?

"Screeech!"

In an instant, the Red Gold Great Sword appeared in his hand, and the Space Gate roared open, emitting brilliant rays of various colors.

Mechanical Dragonflies, Mechanical Yellow Jackets, and Mechanical Purple Scorpions descended onto the sword’s blade.

"Buzz!!"

The sword gathered immense energy, radiating dazzling Seven-Colored Light.

The Hundred Insects Sword transformed into a gun-like shape, releasing a terrifying Seven-Colored Energy Beam towards the horde of cockroach monsters.

"Boom..."

In the blink of an eye, the beam erupted amidst the swarm of cockroach monsters, shattering them to pieces as Qin Shou swept the gun and obliterated the swarm with a single volley.