Of course, Kelvier knew that Number Two's intelligence was virtually negligible at this point. Not to mention the intelligence of a mere child.

As he pondered this, the last stone hit the ground, startling Kelvier. He quickly focused his gaze on the cave—it was eerily quiet!

Kelvier and Number Two had just entered the cave when a white blur dashed at them from the side!

Kelvier cursed silently. With a snap, the mouth of a white lizard, bristling with tiny, sharp teeth, clamped down firmly on him!

If Kelvier had a mammalian neck, he could have twisted his head and fought back desperately. But without a neck, his most powerful oral appendage useless, all Kelvier could do was tear at the corners of the white lizard's mouth with all his might.

"Snap! Snap!" The sharp teeth had pierced through his wing cases. Kelvier struggled and clawed, managing only to tear a few gashes in the white lizard's flesh.

It might seem a long account, but all this happened in an instant!

Number Two! He had pounced on the back of the white lizard! His innate hunting instincts led him directly to the vital spot. He bit down precisely on the white lizard’s neck—a critical area!

With one bite, he severed the white lizard's neck! The creature quickly rolled over in an attempt to escape but then smashed viciously against the cave wall. In a flash, it twisted its body, scraping past the wall. Yet, in that collision, Number Two was knocked off.

Kelvier was free at last! The sharp teeth of the white lizard still embedded in his back.

The white lizard stood firm, glaring at Kelvier and Number Two. Its throat pulsated as it hissed threateningly.

"This time, it’s a fight to the death!"

Suddenly, Kelvier felt a surge of bloodthirsty courage.

He and Number Two had grown to double their size since the last encounter! They were no longer the underdogs!

The white lizard’s neck, bitten by Number Two, now oozed blood, sketching strange patterns among its scaly hide.

"Right rib!" Kelvier, who had devised countless strategies to combat toads, had finally taught Number Two to recognize the body parts of prey. Now, it finally paid off!

Number Two darted out swiftly. The white lizard moved a few steps forward, warily eyeing Number Two.

"Circle it!" Kelvier commanded.

Number Two began a rapid rotation, forcing the white lizard to keep its head turned towards him, constantly checking its back for Kelvier.

Kelvier took off too!

He flew around the white lizard in the opposite direction to Number Two. The lizard, guarding against both, twisted its neck into an awkward angle and then twisted it back.

If Kelvier and Number Two couldn't find an opportunity now, they didn’t deserve to survive in this eat-or-be-eaten world.

Kelvier waited until the white lizard faced Number Two with Kelvier directly behind it, then charged!

The white lizard awkwardly turned its head back, managing to snap viciously at Kelvier before he could strike! Kelvier, fearless, met the white lizard's bite with his own. But why bother?

Number Two bit viciously into the white lizard's right rib! The lizard's body shook slightly, then it hissed and turned to bite Number Two, but which reptile can really reach its own ribs?

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Using its hands and tail, the lizard tried to shake off Number Two, now fully ignoring Kelvier—and that became its undoing!

Kelvier hit the white lizard's back accurately, tearing it open with one bite and then severing its spine with another!

Kelvier called for Number Two to move away from the white lizard. At this point, the lower half of the white lizard's body, below the broken spine, twitched bizarrely a few times before falling still. While still hissing weakly and attempting to attack Kelvier, it dragged its unresponsive lower body in an unnaturally discordant movement.

Accustomed to using its limbs, the white lizard still tried to fight and flee by instinct, but it only ended up struggling.

Kelvier watched coldly, feeling little pity.

When Number Two ended the white lizard's life, the lizard was still weakly hissing in threat.

Kelvier had become the new king of this pond!

This time, he would not make the mistake of closing the barn door after the sheep had escaped. He looked at the glass fish in the pond, pondering how to sustain his reign.

But within an hour of becoming king, Kelvier encountered his greatest enemy in this life—Zerg!

Kelvier paused, then called for Number Two and they instantly tore the soldier Zerg apart.

There was a first time, and there would be a second.

Kelvier always had an inexplicable fear of Zerg, cursing internally, wishing they had come a few days later—just to let him enjoy a few days as king!

Kelvier roared inside, somewhat masking his fear.

If someone were to write a biography of Kelvier, it would include this scene:

On the day he became king, Kelvier abandoned his territory. The first thing he did as king was to consume his subjects almost entirely.

But then Kelvier became confused again—where should he go now?

The surface was definitely not an option. Should he return to the big pond? Now, both the toads and the big fish saw him as the biggest threat and would likely team up to tear apart Number Two and himself.

The underground had been largely explored; the chances of discovering new ponds were slim. To find new underground cavern systems, he would have to venture to new ones, but the current system seemed fully mapped and not connected to others. To reach other cavern systems, he would have to go above ground, but with Zerg already penetrating the depths, the surface was likely a sea of insects by now...

Kelvier's brow furrowed in worry, a faint hope flickering in his mind that the Zerg he had just killed might not have managed to send out a distress signal before dying. The white lizard's pond might still be safe.

Even if there was a sliver of another option, Kelvier wouldn't take the risk, but now he truly had no other choice! "Damn it, if this were the human world, I'd settle for living in the sewers and eating trash," Kelvier thought, surprisingly feeling a bit sentimental.

In the next instant, Kelvier changed colors and fled with Number Two without looking back. The cavern buzzed loudly; the Zerg had entered!

The only known exit at the moment was the entrance through which the Zerg had come! No matter how complex the underground cave system, a Zerg swarm's carpet search could explore it in just a couple of days!

Fear gripped Kelvier's heart tightly. He could fight against frogs and white lizards, but against the Zerg, Kelvier felt utterly powerless.

Kelvier could only run! Instinctively, he had already chosen the big pond: "Monster! Monster!"

Perhaps that monster knew what to do! With this self-deceiving thought, Kelvier headed for the big pond at breakneck speed.

The route was familiar, and in no time, Kelvier had reached the big pond. He flew into the cavern as quickly as possible and then swiftly plunged into the water. The frog was absent, the big fish was far away and didn't react immediately, which made Kelvier internally shout with joy, "Heaven helps me too!" He exerted all his strength to swim towards the bottom of the pond.

The ceiling of the big pond was submerged in water, and Kelvier had wanted to explore it more than once but was always cornered by the big fish and the frog. He also didn't know what the situation was on the other side of the pond—if it turned out to be a dead end, that would be terribly unjust.

The pond likely had the shape of a gourd; he and the big fish and the frog occupied the smaller end, and the monster resided at the larger end.

There must be something more powerful there, but Kelvier couldn't care less at this point—it was a choice between different ways to die!

But soon Kelvier grew anxious again!

The passageway connecting to the next chamber was too deep underwater! Kelvier's buoyancy increased as he went deeper, slowing him down, and now the big fish was catching up!

By now, Kelvier might not lose to the frog or the big fish in terms of strength, and his biting power was even greater!

But damn it, Kelvier was all brawn and no finesse right now! His fearsome ten limbs were ill-suited for swimming!

The big fish was about to catch up to Number Two. Kelvier cursed under his breath, reluctantly signaling Number Two. The two bugs clung tightly to the cave walls, baring their fierce mandibles at the big fish, which circled around in the water looking for an opening.

The cave wall was slippery, and despite his strength, Kelvier could hardly use it; he even started to feel the buoyancy pushing him towards the water's surface.

Looking at Number Two, he guessed it was the same for him. Once they floated up, the big fish could easily kill both him and Number Two without much effort.

Were they going to be dragged to death?

Inappropriately, Kelvier recalled how he and Number Two had recently dragged the white lizard to its death in a similar, unhurried manner.