I was just fishing, how did I become a Great Old One?

Koprulu Sector, Planet Char, Death Valley Crystal Mine.

This is a seemingly peaceful open area.

Scattered across the ground were countless clusters of blue crystal minerals, spilled from the damaged cargo hold of the Hercules, shimmering with an alluring glow of wealth under the red sunlight.

However, around this wealth lay the wreckage of two Vulture tanks belching black smoke.

Several Marines, still shaken, lay prone on rocks a few hundred meters away, too afraid to approach the mining area.

"Boss! Don't go over there!"

Tex's voice came urgently through the communication channel.

"That underground is teeming with ghostly things!"

"The moment your foot touches the ground, those spikes pop out with a 'poof poof poof' sound! They can even puncture the chassis of a tank!"

……

The underestimating young god.

"Tch, mortals are just cowards."

Nezha, riding on his Wind Fire Wheels, hovered in mid-air, his face full of disdain.

He still had half a skewer of spiny snake meat in his mouth.

"Thorns underground?"

"I, your humble servant, can fly in the sky!"

"No matter how powerful something is underground, can it really reach into the sky?"

After saying that, Nezha ignored Jiang Li's obstruction and flung his Hun Tian Ling (a magical ribbon) directly into the sky above the mining area.

"Monsters! Come out!"

"I'm here to give you acupuncture!"

……

The outbreak of the deadly bamboo forest.

Although Nezha was arrogant, he had the right to be arrogant.

As the reincarnation of Lingzhuzi and the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas, he is indeed difficult to harm with ordinary physical attacks.

but.

He underestimated the horror of the Zerg's evolution.

It also underestimated the kill radius of units like the Lurker.

Just as Nezha flew into the center of the mining area, preparing to smash the ground with the Universe Ring.

"Buzz—"

Suddenly, a very low, rumbling sound, like an earthquake, came from the ground.

That's not a lurking creature moving.

Instead... an entire platoon.

"careful!!!"

Jiang Li's Gluttony Eye instantly detected the high-energy reaction underground, a precursor to an explosive burst after extreme muscle compression.

But it was too late.

"Puff puff puff puff puff puff puff ————!!!"

The earth cracked open instantly.

Countless thick, barbed, pale white bony spines, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain... no, like an erupting array of swords, burst forth wildly from the ground.

Moreover, these spikes don't just prick once and then retract.

They are...wave-like.

Row after row, they not only covered the ground, but also, due to the enormous impact, stirred up a sky full of debris and shockwaves.

The most terrifying thing is.

These bone spurs were a staggering twenty meters long!

They acted like surface-to-air missiles, instantly sealing off the low-altitude region.

……

"oops!"

Nezha flew too low (to show off).

He only felt a blur before his eyes, and the ground below turned into a white forest of bones.

He was eager to increase the altitude.

But an extremely thick bone spur predicted his movement.

"Pfft!"

A dull thud that made your teeth ache.

Although the bone spur failed to pierce Nezha's lotus incarnation (after all, it was a divine artifact-level physical body), it pierced his calf hard.

The enormous impact directly disrupted his flight balance.

Followed by.

The second one, the third one...

More than a dozen bone spurs crisscrossed, forming a cage that trapped Nezha firmly in mid-air.

"It hurts so much, young master!"

Nezha let out a miserable scream.

A large gash was cut open on his calf. Although it wasn't bleeding (lotus root people don't bleed), golden spiritual energy was leaking out wildly.

What's even more embarrassing is...

His magic ribbon was caught on a bone spike, wrapped around it like a tattered cloth.

He was draped in a "T" shape, hanging in this thicket of bone spurs.

It's like... a string of Red Boys waiting to be grilled.

……

The chef's rescue and analysis.

"I told you so."

Jiang Li shook his head helplessly.

"Those who don't listen to the chef will suffer the consequences."

"Great Sage, save people!"

"Hehe, this kid just needs more practice."

Although Sun Wukong appeared to be gloating, he moved extremely quickly.

"long!"

The golden cudgel instantly extended a hundred meters, transforming into a pole.

Like a high jumper, Wukong held onto the stick and drew an arc in the air.

"open!"

He swept it across with a single blow.

"Snap, snap!"

The bone spurs that were trapping Nezha were instantly broken.

Wukong grabbed Nezha by the back of the neck and somersaulted back to the safe zone.

……

Injury assessment.

Back at the rocks.

Nezha was covered in dust and dirt, and the wound on his calf was still emitting a golden light.

"I'm so angry! I'm so angry!"

Nezha was in so much pain that he kept hissing and his eyes turned red.

"These rats from the gutter! How dare they ambush me!"

"I'm going to burn them! I'll turn this whole place into lava!"

"Don't rush."

Jiang Li squatted down and picked up a piece of the bone spur that Wukong had just broken.

Examine it carefully.

[Food Component: Lurker's High-Density Spikes.]

Hardness: Superalloy grade.

[Structure: Hollow, containing high-pressure neurotoxins and muscle fibers.]

Jiang Li smelled the white, sticky liquid flowing from the broken end.

"Um……"

"There's a...fresh scent of bamboo?"

"No, it tastes more like...winter bamboo shoots."

Jiang Li's eyes lit up.

He looked at the mining area that had shrunk underground and returned to calm.

"Nezha, you didn't get a beating for nothing."

"You've helped me verify something."

"What is it?" Nezha asked, looking aggrieved.

"These 'bamboo shoots'..."

Jiang Li licked his lips.

"Very crispy."

"And... there's a lot of meat."

……

[Deep Blue: The Bamboo Shoot Pulling Tactic - Formulation]

Jiang Li stood up and began to deploy tactics.

"The Lurker evolved from the Hydralisk."

"Their bodies hide underground, and they only extend their spines when they attack."

"It's like... a winter bamboo shoot."

"If you want to eat bamboo shoots, you can't pull them out by force, or they'll break easily."

"We need to... dig."

……

Step 1: Radar positioning (finding bamboo shoots).

Alice.

"Yes, boss."

"Activate geological scan mode."

"Turn that Terran radar you just upgraded to maximum power!"

"Mark the locations of all lurking enemies!"

"Scanning..."

On the large screen (the projector on Er Gou's back), dozens of red dots suddenly lit up on the originally flat map.

Each red dot represents a lurking agent buried underground.

"Found it."

Jiang Li pointed to the red dots.

There are 36 bamboo shoots in total.

……

Step 2: Loosening the soil (Wukong).

"Great Sage".

"The ground is too hard; I can't dig it up with my shovel."

"Use your golden cudgel to loosen the soil in this area."

"How do we loosen it?" Wukong asked.

"shock!"

Jiang Li made a downward pressing gesture.

"Smash it around those red dots!"

"Use vibration waves to loosen the soil around them, or even stun them!"

"Like... electrofishing."

……

Step 3: Precise Harvesting (Jiang Li).

"Ergou, you're in charge of picking up the leftovers."

"I'll take care of... cutting the root."

"As long as they are shaken out, or show their heads."

"I'll give them a...peeling surgery."

……

The operation begins.

"Let's do it!"

Wukong, carrying his golden cudgel, charged into the mining area once again.

This time, he didn't fly; instead, he stood firmly on the ground.

When the first wave of spikes was about to emerge.

Wukong shouted:

"Old man of the land! Open it up for me!"

"boom!!!"

The golden cudgel slammed heavily onto the ground.

This was no ordinary attack; it was a shockwave strike carrying immense power.

The earth trembled violently, and shockwaves spread like ripples.

The infiltrators hiding underground were instantly killed.

Their previously taut muscles (ready to launch bone spurs) were instantly disintegrated by this shockwave.

Some were so disoriented by the shock that they instinctively crawled out of the ground.

……

"Now!"

Jiang Li moved.

He was like a white lightning bolt, weaving through the aftershocks of the tremor.

The Occam's Razor in his hand transformed into the Grim Reaper's Scythe of Reaper.

Facing a lurking enemy that had just revealed half its body.

Jiang Li didn't cut its shell (it was too hard).

Instead, it precisely cut into the root where its spines connect to its body.

[Knife Skill: Butcher's Skill in Carving an Ox - Modified - Butcher's Skill in Carving a Bamboo Shoot.]

"brush!"

A cold light flashed.

The large cluster of terrifying bone spikes on the back of the lurker, along with a large piece of muscle beneath it, was completely severed.

The lurker, now unarmed, transformed into a gigantic, bald, fleshy worm, writhing in agony on the ground.

"Got one!"

Jiang Li kicked the crippled Lurker to Er Gou.

"Ergou! Tie him up!"

"This one has a lot of meat, let's save it for braised pork!"

"Okay!"

Er Gou excitedly pounced on it and used the high-strength alloy rope (mining grade) that Tex had given him to tie the insect up tightly.

……

A bumper harvest.

Their teamwork is becoming increasingly seamless.

Wukong was in charge of "smashing the moles" to shake out the lurking creatures.

Jiang Li was in charge of "cutting vegetables," separating the bones from the main body.

Nezha set fires in the distance, forcing back the lurking men who were trying to escape.

In just ten minutes.

This once-dreaded minefield, which struck fear into the hearts of the Tyrannical Marines, has been transformed into a bustling, bountiful farm.

The ground was piled high with bundles of cut spines (which looked like huge bundles of white asparagus).

There were also dozens of naked pigs (stabbed lurkers) tied up like rice dumplings.

……

Loot and new recipes.

The battle is over.

Tex and his men walked over, dumbfounded.

He looked at the insects covering the ground, then at the large piles of blue crystal ore.

"My God..."

Tex muttered to himself.

"Are these people... here to fight, or to buy goods?"

"Boss Jiang, what are you going to do with these thorns?"

Tex kicked a bundle of spines on the ground.

"This thing is so hard it can be used as a spear, can you eat it?"

"Of course you can eat it."

Jiang Li picked up a spine that he had just cut off.

He peeled away the hard, calcified outer layer of bone.

It revealed the inside... tender, white, and translucent marrow.

A rich, refreshing fragrance wafted through the air.

"This is called... [Insect Dragon Marrow]."

"That is, the legendary...bamboo shoot tips."

Jiang Li explained.

"In order to launch bone spurs instantly, this part of the tissue is a combination of high-pressure muscle and cartilage."

"The texture is...extremely crisp."

"And because it absorbs minerals underground for a long time."

"It has a natural... salty and umami flavor."

……

Jiang Li looked at Tex and gave him his signature smile.

"The menu for tonight is ready."

Main dish: Braised pork and bamboo shoots in oil.

Side dish: [Crystal Mineral Grilled Skinless Pork Belly] (the Infiltrator's own meat)

"Want some?"

"think!"

Tex and his men spoke in unison.

"Then let's get to work!"

Jiang Li pointed to the crystal mine on the ground.

"Move all this ore back to the Treant!"

"And these bamboo shoots, handle them carefully, don't break them!"

"Yes, sir!"

……

An unexpected discovery.

While everyone was cleaning up the battlefield and moving supplies.

Alice suddenly sounded an alarm.

"Boss."

"At the deepest part of the underground mineral vein."

"It seems that the Great Sage's blow just now created a... hidden cavity."

"Empty?"

Jiang Li walked over.

In the center of the mining area, a large hole with a diameter of two meters was seen.

Around the cave entrance, there are remaining traces of structures that are not belonging to the Zerg.

That's... metal.

And it's... a golden metal with psionic runes.

"This is……"

Jiang Li touched the metal fragment.

I sensed an ancient and powerful aura.

"Fragments of Xel'Naga artifacts?"

"Or perhaps... relics of the gods?"

Just then.

The Dark Templar Mohanda, who had been hiding, suddenly revealed himself.

He stared at the hole, the green light in his eyes flickering violently.

"This is... the land of prophecy."

"The fragment of the doomsday prophecy that Zeratul has been searching for..."

"I didn't expect this..."

"It was hidden... underneath these bamboo shoots."

……

Jiang Li stared at the bottomless cave entrance.

Then he looked at the tender "bamboo shoots" in his hand.

Laughed.

"It seems so."

"Finish this meal."

"We have... a new dungeon to run."