Zhang Shi was startled. He realized that these cocoons and veins might be part of some kind of breeding or incubation system, and that the huge zombie beast was likely the core of this system, or the "mother beast".

We need to find a way to destroy it, otherwise, new zombie beasts will keep spawning here, and the shelter will never have peace again.

Zhang Shi pondered to himself, while simultaneously sending an appraisal to the mother beast, only to be surprised to find that it was actually a rare-level monster.

Just as Zhang Shi was preparing to formulate an action plan, the enormous female beast seemed to sense their presence. It suddenly raised its head, its crimson eyes flashing with ferocity in the dim cave. It let out a deafening roar, and then its body trembled, countless tiny cracks spreading across its carapace, as if something was about to burst out.

Zhang Shi immediately realized that this was the best time to attack. If they waited until the monster fully transformed, its strength would definitely increase significantly. He quickly issued the attack order to his soldiers, and at the same time, he drew his sword, Lao Duan, and with a flash, used the high mobility of the Shadow Step to instantly approach the mother beast.

Old Duan flashed through the air, striking its leg precisely. Although its carapace was hard, Zhang Shi's full-force attack still left a deep crack. The mother beast, in pain, roared even more furiously and began frantically swinging its arms, trying to retaliate.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the soldiers filed in and launched a full-scale attack on the zombie beasts using ranged weapons. For a time, sparks flew throughout the cave, and the battle was extremely fierce.

However, the zombie mother beast was far stronger than ordinary zombie beasts. Although its carapace was covered with cracks, it was still indestructible. Although Zhang Shi and the soldiers' attacks were effective, they could only add more wounds to it, but could not defeat it completely in a short time.

Over time, Zhang Shi was surprised to find that fine granulation tissue was growing on the wounds of the female beast, and the open cuts were healing rapidly. This sight reminded him of his experience in Huo Family Village, and the black tiger's self-healing ability seemed to be similar to that of the female beast.

The mother beast suddenly turned around, her tail lashing out at a piece of ore, shattering it. The flying debris struck the soldiers, disrupting their formation.

Meanwhile, the mother beast used this time to gather her strength, then roared to the sky. Two large gashes opened under her armpits, from which two giant snakes covered with scales emerged, flicking their tongues and baring their fangs at Zhang Shi in front of her.

These two giant snakes were like the two arms of a mother beast, moving swiftly and with immense strength. Zhang Shi tried to cut them off with his old sword, but they reacted quickly, dodged, and swung a huge rock in the back, smashing it in front of Zhang Shi and creating a small crater in the ground.

Zhang Shi looked serious as he pondered how to defeat the mother beast.

Its size was enormous, and Lao Duan's blade was too short to inflict deep wounds on it. Moreover, it did not have any obvious weaknesses like a zombie. After a prolonged struggle, Zhang Shi exhausted a lot of his strength, but the opponent's powerful self-healing ability allowed its wounds to heal on their own.

While she was pondering this, the mother beast completed another transformation. Her carapace shattered completely, and countless milky-white worms grew from her flesh, covering her body like a giant beast covered in white fur, looking both disgusting and terrifying.

These milky-white worms not only covered the mother beast's body, but also began to gather at her wounds, accelerating the healing process and greatly reducing the effectiveness of Zhang Shi and his soldiers' attack.

Zhang Shi was anxious. He knew that if they couldn't find a way to subdue the mother beast soon, they would all be in danger.

Looking at the mother beast's enormous size, Zhang Shi gritted his teeth and decided to make a clean cut and blow up the entire mine.

He first covered the soldiers' retreat, ordering them to leave the cave and notifying his companions in the shelter to bring more explosives just in case. Then, using his agile movements, he circled around the mother beast and planted explosives around the mine's main hall. When the time was right, Zhang Shi left a Molotov cocktail, then activated his Shadow Step, appeared beside Pipi, put it into the White Tiger Space, and ran away.

Seeing Zhang Shi trying to escape, the mother beast thrust the giant snake into the cave in pursuit. However, the Molotov cocktail had already ignited the explosives, and the violent explosion shattered the snake's carapace. Immediately afterward, more explosives were detonated in a chain reaction, causing the entire mine to tremble violently. The already hollow mountain could not withstand such a powerful explosion and collapsed after a short time.

Zhang Shigang ran out of the cave and witnessed the collapse of the mountaintop. The low hill that had once stretched between the dense forest and the plain was completely destroyed. The rubble and soil swirled up in dust, which was quickly washed away by the torrential rain. Countless streams of water poured into the mountain, and it was believed that it would soon be filled with rainwater, forming a natural reservoir.

Zhang Shi quickly climbed to the top of the mountain to check if the strange mother beast was dead, but found that the mine was almost completely sealed off by rocks and mud, and he could not see the innermost part of the mine.

Zhang Shi frowned. He felt uneasy until he witnessed the mother beast's death with his own eyes.

As if in response to his thoughts, a violent shaking came from the rubble, and a giant snake emerged from it. Although its body was covered in blood and gore, its ferocity remained undiminished. It still flicked its tongue and stared fiercely at Zhang Shi and the others.

Then, the shaking beneath the pile of rubble intensified, and the mother beast struggled to crawl out from the bottom of the mountain, standing below and looking at Zhang Shi with her scarlet eyes filled with hatred.

Zhang Shi sneered and directed his soldiers to fire down from their high vantage point, occasionally throwing out homemade explosives. Although these had little effect on the mother beast, they were extremely effective in hindering its movement, confining it to the bottom of the mine and making it unable to move an inch.

Just then, a rumbling sound came from afar, and along with the sound, a familiar figure appeared in Zhang Shi's sight.

That was Ge Dalong, riding a warhorse with a giant cannon pulling behind him, galloping towards them.

"Zhang Shi! I'm here!"

Ge Dalong's voice pierced through the smoke and fire, carrying an undeniable firmness.

Zhang Shi was overjoyed and looked at the new things in his life. He knew that the cannon that Ge Dalong brought might be the key to ending this fierce battle.

Ge Dalong brought the cannon to a steady stop at the edge of the mountaintop, and together with several craftsmen, aimed the cannon at the struggling mother beast below.

He frowned upon seeing the strangely-looking female beast, then took a deep breath, adjusted his aim, and his eyes flashed with a resolute light.

"Fire!"

At Ge Dalong's command, the cannons roared, and a shell whistled out, carrying devastating force as it struck the mother beast. The shell, as large as a washbasin, exploded on the mother beast, and the massive shockwave ripped up surrounding rocks and dirt, creating a chaotic cloud of dust.

The mother beast was jolted back by the sudden attack, letting out a deafening roar, its eyes gleaming with an even more frenzied light. However, this was not the end. Ge Dalong quickly adjusted the cannon's muzzle and fired several shells in quick succession, each one hitting the mother beast precisely.

Under the continuous bombardment, the mother beast's body began to show obvious damage, and the milky-white worms that had covered it were scattered in all directions. The mother beast's roars grew weaker and weaker, and its movements became sluggish.

Finally, the mother beast collapsed, her body completely lifeless, and the disgusting worms also lost their vitality and fell to the ground.