Zombie Queen transmigration into a book

Chapter 183: It’s worth fighting these crabs!

Grace gave a slight wave in the air, signaling her subordinates to attack. The other dungeon raiders followed behind her at the signal—various superpowers churned in the air, their colors lighting up the dim shore.

The crabs surged forward, snapping their pincers at their opponents.

Grace swung her bat at the crab closest to her; the force of the strike shattered its hard shell into fine cracks, fluids seeping out.

Cracks and thuds echoed through the clearing as crabs hit the ground.

The sheer number of crabs was overwhelming, forcing each person to face off against three giant ones at a time.

"This meat should last us for a whole week!" a man shouted over the noise to the person next to him.

He was already drooling at the thought of sinking his teeth into its juiciest meat.

At the thought, his attacks grew fiercer—he couldn’t wait to hand it over to his girlfriend to cook for him.

"Dumbass! Pay attention to the opponent in front of you!" the man shouted as he blocked a sneak attack aimed at the other man’s chest.

Having almost died due to his carelessness, he refocused on the carbs in front of him, shaking away all distracting thoughts of food.

In another area, five people joined forces to deal with the crabs surrounding them while carefully avoiding damaging the flesh too much—they planned to eat it later.

Grace dashed forward, swinging her bat at any crab blocking her path and killing it instantly with one strike.

She took in the dense number coming from the sea and wondered if they would be able to kill them all.

Her brows furrowed deeply as she stared into the rippling ocean water, the crabs causing ripples as they crept out of the water.

"Are we going to fight it out or evacuate everyone deeper into the island?!" Leo yelled, the deafening noise of the battle almost drowning out his words.

"Let’s keep fighting. If an hour passes and there’s no sign of the crabs retreating, we’ll move deeper into the island!" Grace responded, swinging her bat against the crab’s pincer on her left.

Leo dodged the swinging claws around him and plunged his blade, coated with greenish poison, into its beady eyes.

As soon as the poison came into contact with the crab’s body, the crab’s body instantly melted away, hissing as greyish smoke escaped from the crab’s hard shell.

The crabs nearby were driven off by the stench and quickly crawled away. However, instead of daring to attack Leo, they turned on the other humans.

Grace pinched her nose against the sulfurous stench in the air. Her eyes watered as she moved further away from Leo.

"Darling, don’t leave me! I’ll use a milder poison next time!" Leo called after her, knowing that Grace dislikes fighting alongside him.

In his haste to kill the crab quickly, he had forgotten that she was nearby and used his corrosive poison, which was deeply irritating to the nose.

Grace’s pace quickened at his shout, eyes tearing up from the irritating smell.

The battle with the crabs intensified, and several people were injured as the crabs slashed them with their claws, blood seeping through their clothes.

No one cared about preserving the crab in good condition; their thoughts had changed over time, replaced by exhaustion and deep frustration with the endless number of crabs.

Those with auxiliary powers, such as wood and water, gained an advantage from the trees on the island and the abundant water source. Previously, they had thought their powers were merely for growing crops, but that perception had gradually shifted.

Some of them helped entangle the crabs’ legs with vines, giving others the chance to land blows, while those with water powers shaped the water into blades that sliced through the crabs.

"When will this fight end... I don’t think I can hold on anymore," someone complained, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps as she slid beneath a crab and drove her dagger into its vulnerable flesh.

Her hand trembled, numb and aching from the constant swinging of her daggers. She wasn’t the only one feeling the strain—their attack speed was gradually declining, and their powers’ strength was weakening as minutes passed.

Scattered across the sandy shore were the corpses of crabs and fluids mixed with blood, a gruesome sight unsuitable for children and non-combatants.

Grace was about to give the order to evacuate, but paused when she noticed the crabs retreating into the water—they needed to hold on for a few minutes, and it would be over.

Time passed, and the crowd noticed a slight shift in the air. The crabs began turning toward the sea; they didn’t attack but moved in unison, as if controlled by something.

"Ah! Finally, it’s over!" someone cried out in relief, his left arm dangling loosely from his shoulder, and a long tear in his skin was visible in the moonlight.

His cries seemed to snap the crowd out of its tense state, like arrows shot from bows. They slumped weakly to the ground, sighs of relief and gasps of pain mingling with the sea’s crashing waves.

"Find some people back at the camp to clean up the scene. We don’t know what beasts might be drawn by the blood and the crabs’ remains," Grace instructed, signaling her subordinates to gather around her.

The ten muttered a yes and turned to leave when Grace stopped them and added, "Tell them to take out the good crab meat into the spaceship to preserve its freshness, and be careful while picking... some crabs might not have fully died."

"Yes, madam!" They responded in unison and disappeared into the crowd of crab carcasses and people sitting on the ground to rest.

Grace stretched her shoulders and turned to leave when she heard footsteps behind her. Without turning to look, she already knew who it was.

"I need a good soak and a cup of wine," Grace demanded, her voice naturally clear with exhaustion she had hidden from her subordinates.

"Alright, I’ll massage your back. Let me carry you to a hot spring so you can soak comfortably.’’ Leo responded with a smile, showing no impatience with her demands; instead, he couldn’t wait to pamper her more.

He swept her off her feet, then held her firmly in his arms and strode toward the cover of the woods. The full moon shone upon their figures, casting a shadow of their embrace across the ground.

Grace rested her head against his shoulder, her mind at peace for the moment, but she knew it wouldn’t last. She still had to oversee the aftermath of the fight and plan contingencies in case the crabs attacked in waves again.

The shore became lively again, and figures could be seen picking up the carcasses of crabs from the ground, placing them into two piles, then setting them on fire.

The air instantly filled with a mouthwatering smell of fresh fish, making some people’s mouths water and their stomachs rumble.

Those who couldn’t suppress their hunger began picking out good crab meat to cook for themselves, and before anyone could notice, the situation had turned into a wild eating party

Smiles, laughter, and idle chatter filled the shores, their lips glistening with oil as they bit into the crab meat.

"Delicious! It’s worth fighting these crabs!"

"Do you think other types of sea creatures will come onto land like these crabs? This fight is scary enough." The man shivered slightly, but his fear didn’t stop him from tearing into the crab meat in his hands.

"Don’t jinx us! Eat and stop talking." Someone snapped, playfully slapping the back of the man who had spoken earlier.

"It would have been better if there had been alcohol. I heard there’s a wine tree on the other side of the sea. I’m really tempted to join the expedition for raw materials because of it," a woman whispered to her companion, her face filled with longing.

She stared out into the sea as if trying to see the famous wine tree.

"Hmm." She only received a dismissive hum in response. The other woman was more engrossed in her meal.

In truth, she had already made up her mind to join the group being sent out to search for raw materials and minerals; she was merely using wine as an excuse.