Infinite Cosmic Cafeteria Chapter 62: Stinger-Legged Whip Spider

Translator: Stellar Novels Editor: Stellar Novels

By the time Ma Lu and Mai Mai finished off the fleeing enemy, the battle on Bocchi’s side had also ended.

The hunter controlling the flying daggers couldn’t withstand the combined assault from Bocchi and Senqi and was quickly turned into a human pincushion.

Bocchi didn’t particularly enjoy fighting other hunters; she preferred hunting beasts in the desert. However, she understood Black Horn’s ruthless methods and knew what would happen if they were targeted. Still, the scent of blood from their fellow hunters nearby instinctively made her feel uneasy.

Meanwhile, Ma Lu was already enthusiastically rummaging through the corpses.

“What are you looking for?”

Ma Lu tossed a black, rhino horn-shaped badge to Bocchi. “This is yours.”

Bocchi immediately understood what Ma Lu intended. “You plan to go down and find Jin Jian?”

“Yeah, these guys were likely called by Jin Jian for help. If we wait too long and they lose contact, Jin Jian will become suspicious. Lurking outside won’t do any good, and he might call for more reinforcements. It’s better to go down directly.”

“But Jin Jian and these people should recognize each other, right? Even if we disguise ourselves, we can’t fool him.” Mai Mai pointed out.

“It doesn’t matter. This is just insurance. If we accidentally run into them, Jin Jian will likely hesitate for a moment when he sees these badges, giving us a chance to strike first,” Ma Lu explained.

Hunters’ suits generally provided good coverage, and with goggles and face masks, it was hard to recognize anyone from a distance. This was likely why hunting teams made badges—to identify their members easily.

Bocchi didn’t say anything further, removing her Double Sunflower badge and replacing it with Black Horn’s. The others followed suit.

Setta then directed his sand golem to pull open the stone slab door, revealing a small, winding path leading downwards.

“I’ll go first.” Bocchi used water from a recently picked-up water pouch to create seven small water shields, which floated in front of her chest as she led the way down.

Little Ash followed closely behind, then Setta and Senqi, with Ma Lu and Mai Mai taking up the rear.

The air below wasn’t as stale as expected; there were likely ventilation shafts connecting to the outside, or perhaps Jin Jian’s team included a wind-type psychic ability user who could refresh the air quickly.

Wary of potential attacks, the group advanced slowly.

This area appeared to be a natural cave, though unlike ordinary ones, the surrounding rock walls were fiery red, likely high in ferrous iron content, suggesting that millions of years ago, water might have existed here.

Under the combined effects of water and wind erosion, the rocks had formed into various bizarre shapes.

Some resembled fierce beasts, others like sharp blades, and some even bore human-like features, scaring Senqi into moving closer to her brother.

As they continued forward, the light gradually faded, and before long, it was nearly impossible to see the path ahead.

Fortunately, they had found flashlights on the Black Horn hunters who had come to support Jin Jian.

However, the light could also expose their position, making Bocchi realize why Ma Lu had collected the badges from the corpses.

After walking a bit further, they encountered a three-way fork in the path. Bocchi stopped, frowning slightly.

Ma Lu suggested, “Let’s see if there are any marks around here. It’s Jin Jian’s first time in this place, and if there are many branching paths, it’d be easy to get lost. He probably left some signs behind, which would also help his reinforcements find them.”

Bocchi nodded, raised her flashlight, and searched the area. Sure enough, she found an arrow marked on a rock.

“This way.” Bocchi entered the rightmost path and walked for a while until she stepped on something that made a crisp cracking sound.

Bocchi looked down and saw a bone, thinner and longer than a human bone, though its origin was unclear. As she moved the flashlight forward, she quickly spotted more bones.

“Be careful; there’s probably a beast living here.”

“What kind of place is this?” Setta asked.

“A treasure vault, but like in fairy tales, treasures of great value are always guarded by powerful protectors.”

This answer didn’t come from any of her teammates; instead, a magnetic and slightly cunning voice echoed from ahead.

“You’re here. Follow me, and once we deal with the remaining mother spider, we’ll get the treasure.”

“Vice Leader Jin Jian?” Ma Lu cautiously called out.

“Yeah, what’s up?” the voice responded casually.

The five members of the Double Sunflower hunting team quickly exchanged glances, each gripping their weapons tightly.

Bocchi shined her flashlight toward the source of the voice.

She saw a figure standing near a rock pillar not far away. The sudden beam of light caused the figure to squint instinctively.

Senqi extended her right hand and fired seven thorns in quick succession!

However, the seven thorns only embedded themselves into the rock pillar; the figure had already vanished.

Jin Jian was even more cunning than they had anticipated. Though he initially mistook them for reinforcements, he sensed something was off at the last moment and escaped quickly.

“Chase him!” Bocchi didn’t waste any words, immediately charging forward with her mechanical spear.

Jin Jian tried to call out to his men ahead, but the moment he opened his mouth, four more thorns zipped past, grazing his scalp.

Realizing the danger, he kept his head down and ran without another word.

The five members and one wolf chased after him, but Jin Jian was clearly more familiar with the cave’s terrain. Each time they were about to catch up, he managed to use the oddly shaped rocks to slip away.

After running about seventy more steps, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and spoke again.

“Did Leader Sang Lu send you to kill me? If he wants the treasure here, he could have just told me. I would have handed it over willingly.”

“Sure, then why don’t you surrender first? I’ll take you to the leader, and you can explain it to him yourself,” Ma Lu replied.

“That’s not how negotiations work,” Jin Jian shook his head. “You need to show some sincerity too.”

“What kind of sincerity are you looking for?”

“For example… how about not having your people aim at me?” Jin Jian said lazily.

The next second, Senqi shot another thorn at Jin Jian, but something intercepted it mid-air.

Then, a rustling sound came from the rock wall.

Bocchi pointed her flashlight upward and saw a creature over a meter long, with spiked legs that resembled a mix between a spider and a scorpion. It was this creature that had blocked Senqi’s thorn.

Coincidentally, the cooldown on Ma Lu’s scan ability ended, and he received a new notification.

—Ding! Congratulations on discovering the 3-star ingredient Stinger-Legged Whip Spider. The Stinger-Legged Whip Spider Bestiary has been unlocked.

“Have some fun with my little darlings,” Jin Jian laughed.

More Stinger-Legged Whip Spiders crawled toward them from the ceiling and the left and right rock walls. Meanwhile, Jin Jian’s men, hearing the commotion, rushed over and surrounded the five hunters.

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