Chapter 132: Paying Tribute to One's Predecessors

Boss Croc weighs over six hundred kilograms and measures more than five meters in length. With its cryokinetic abilities, it would be a hegemon-level existence if it ever appeared in the outside world.

As for Second Croc and Little Sister Croc, the two little ones are practically a disgrace to the family. To this day, they have shown no signs of awakening.

After communicating for a while, Lu Chen opened his mouth and spat out a suitcase. Inside were spirit stones, a gift for the others. Upon seeing them, Black Dot and the others immediately gathered around, eyes wide, waiting for their share. Lu Chen was fair, giving each of them two stones, impartial and balanced. Once they received the spirit stones, they quickly swallowed them for fear of their companions snatching them away.

"Hiss..." The next moment, Little Sister Croc suddenly let out a low growl. Then, her body vanished.

Lu Chen was startled and hurriedly sniffed the air for scent particles. Invisibility, or camouflage? He carefully scanned the surroundings but couldn't sense any presence. Had she really disappeared?

"Hiss, hiss..." Boss Croc, Black Dot, and the others also called out in panic, eyes wide as they searched everywhere.

Suddenly, Lu Chen heard a cry from Little Sister Croc over a hundred meters away. He lunged forward, sprinting rapidly. Boss Croc, Second Croc, and Black Dot followed closely behind. Crossing the riverbank bushes, they spotted Little Sister Croc. The little girl looked quite miserable; her thick scales seemed to have been slashed by countless steel blades, leaving bloody marks, and her spirit appeared withered.

"Roar..." Boss Croc turned his head to scan the surroundings, letting out an angry growl. As for Black Dot and Second Croc, their beast eyes burned with fury. They assumed an invisible enemy had snatched Little Sister Croc away. Unlike the cold, distant relationships of other saltwater crocodiles, under Lu Chen’s guidance, they had always been very close.

Lu Chen didn't join in the frantic roaring; instead, he asked Little Sister Croc what had happened. "Hiss, hiss..." she replied in a weak voice. After listening, Lu Chen understood the gist of it.

After swallowing the two spirit stones, the girl had successfully awakened an ability—a rather mysterious one: spatial teleportation! It was just that, due to her inexperience with its first use and insufficient physical durability, she had been injured during the high-speed transit. Little Sister Croc had given Lu Chen a huge surprise, making him suddenly feel that his own three mutated abilities were not so impressive anymore.

Realizing there were no natural predators, Boss Croc and the others relaxed, excitedly crowding around Little Sister Croc to ask questions. Lu Chen noticed a flash of disappointment in Second Croc's eyes. Among the siblings, he was now the only one who hadn't evolved.

Among the four saltwater crocodiles, Lu Chen was the standout from birth, possessing a human soul and the system. Boss Croc was no slouch in size or intelligence; he was sensitive to color, had an artistic flair, and was the first of the remaining three to awaken an ability. As for Little Sister Croc, her "husbandry" skills were maxed out, having raised both Gold Dot and Black Dot into hegemons.

Second Croc, however, had always been an inconspicuous existence. Before the Great Transformation, he silently hunted alongside his siblings. Even now, he remained ordinary, never showing anything special. Lu Chen felt somewhat helpless about this. Mutation and evolution relied more on one's innate talent—something bestowed by parents—and he didn't know how to help even if he wanted to. He could only reach out with his forepaw and pat the other’s head in comfort. In Lu Chen’s heart, Second Croc was an indispensable part of the family. "Hiss..." the other replied in response.

After filling her belly and resting for half a day, Little Sister Croc was back to her lively self. Accompanied by Lu Chen, she began her second test. Having experienced the first accident, she wasn't overly panicked. Her body flickered, and she vanished from the spot. Moments later, a cry came from over a hundred meters away.

Damn it, that’s unscientific! Even though Lu Chen was mentally prepared this time, he still found it mind-boggling. He had hoped to glean some experience, but he had watched from start to finish only to realize he understood nothing. It defied science and showed no signs; it felt as if energy simply erupted within her, and then she was a hundred meters away. Of course, Lu Chen knew that applying the laws of spatial energy couldn't be as simple as he imagined. This was a soul-bound ability awakened through bloodlines; Little Sister Croc could use it, but she likely didn't understand the principles, and thus couldn't teach it to the others.

Lu Chen sprinted to the location to check on her. This time, she was much better; there were only seven or eight scratches on her body, and her spirit was fine. Clearly, with a bit more practice, she would master spatial shifting without issue. A hundred meters seemed short and of little use, but this was just the beginning. He believed that as her strength grew, the distance would increase. By then, it would become a rare life-saving tool.

Seeing that Little Sister Croc was fine, Lu Chen turned his attention back to merging his "Earth Swamp" and "Compressed Energy Bomb." Although he had practiced smoothly in the fog space, he felt he could do better and invent more tricks. After all, his future opponents wouldn't be ordinary animals.

Soon, the riverbank echoed with continuous explosions. A few days later, Lu Chen pressed his two forepaws to the ground, quickly injecting energy laws into it. In the blink of an eye, a crude mud-sculpted crocodile appeared twenty meters away. A flash of pride crossed his eyes as he let out a soft, low growl: "Roar (Explode)!"

Boom! The mud crocodile exploded into fragments, leaving a deep pit over ten meters deep and hundreds of square meters wide.

Lu Chen’s latest combo ability, which he had practiced arduously for a week, finally showed results. The inspiration came from his favorite anime in his past life, *Naruto*, where a duo of artists included Deidara, a master of explosions. That guy took the art of explosion to an extreme level, creating an indescribable aesthetic. Lu Chen himself liked to draw and felt he was full of artistic cells. In his youth, he had even cosplayed as the character. It was a pity Deidara died young, which was truly a shame.

So, Lu Chen wondered, could he perform "Art is an Explosion" when fighting enemies? And pay tribute to his predecessor in the process! The more he thought about it, the more brilliant the idea seemed. Once he could fly, he could release mud explosions from above—the range and effect would be greatly enhanced. It would be no different from humans dropping bombs from helicopters. Of course, if he could eventually cosplay "C4 Karura," that would be even better. As for "C0: Self-Destruction," he decided to skip that—he wasn't that crazy.

Finding his target, he buried his head back into his work.