infinite blood core

Chapter 122 This is - a person? !
This is the third time that the needle gold has faced the blue dog jackal.

The young knight was surprised that the blue dog jackal could commit suicide alone.

Zhen Jin narrowed his eyes, staring at the enemy in front of him with all his attention, and the thoughts in his mind flashed like electricity.

"The blue dog jackal has always been hiding behind the back, relying on the forest to cover himself. I didn't expect that there would be such a brave moment."

"No, this kind of monster has always been very ruthless! At the beginning, when the blue dog jackal attacked the rescue team led by Zidi, he also attacked himself in the same way."

"It seems that summoning other monsters is only when the blue dog jackal thinks it is necessary. Just like Zidi once said, the blue dog jackal that hunted them down used the fire poison bee colony."

"Wait, why when I saw these two blue dog jackals before, they had an army of monsters?"

Doubts rose up, and were immediately pressed into the bottom of my heart by needle gold.

Because at this moment, the blue dog jackal has already pounced on it!

Needle Jin rolled immediately, avoiding the pounce of the blue dog jackal.

But when the blue dog jackal crossed the needle in mid-air, its tail swept fiercely and hit the back of the needle.

Zhenjin suffered a heavy blow, as if someone had struck him on the back with a hammer.

"What is attacking me?" Needle Jin rolled continuously, relieved his strength, and immediately knelt on the ground halfway.

"I clearly got out of the way." Zhen Jin was a little stunned. The wooden wall was small and there was not much space. This time, he almost rolled down and reached the edge of the wooden wall.

Needle Jin's eyes gradually focused on the fluffy tail behind the blue dog jackal.

"Can this thing be used as a weapon?" Zhen Jin understood.

The intelligence of the blue dog jackal is similar to that of a human being, so high that it also has a high degree of physical development.

The fox tail is actually not the conventional weapon of the blue dog jackal, but it should be regarded as a weakness.But it was deliberately trained by the blue dog jackal and became a weapon.

Perhaps the tail of the blue dog jackal is useless against those who are forced to kill white rhinos.But when dealing with a human like Zhu Jin, especially when the latter has no vindictive help, the strength and hardness of the blue dog jackal's tail is also superior to that of a human.

Zhenjin snorted coldly, secretly urging his core.

The next moment, the red light only surged inside his body, turning his bones and muscles into those of a monkey-tailed brown bear.

The blue dog jackal's eyes narrowed, and he felt that the young man in front of him seemed to have changed, but upon closer inspection, there was no change.

The blue dog jackal attacked again.

It's speed is so fast, it's like a blue lightning bolt, and almost in the blink of an eye, it pounces in front of Zhen Jin.

Zhen Jin erected his thin sword Yindian, firmly blocking the blue dog jackal in front of him.

The blue dog jackal swooped unfavorably, but was blocked by a slender blade. Just as a touch of astonishment was born in its heart, the next moment Zhenjin's fist swept over.

boom.

The fist hit the blue dog jackal's ear, and the huge force knocked the blue dog jackal flying.

The blue dog jackal rolled three times on the plank, and immediately stood up again.On all fours, its head swayed constantly, and then it got rid of the feeling of dizziness.

"Wow!" The blue dog jackal growled at Zhenjin, showing a very humanized look of shock.

This is - a person? !
Zhenjin seems to be a human cub that has not yet grown up, how can it have such a powerful power?
Hearing the roar of the blue dog jackal, the surrounding flying squirrels gathered and rushed towards the needle gold from all directions.

Zhen Jin took a deep breath, and the two lungs in his chest were transformed into the lungs of a manta monkey. Because a large amount of air was absorbed in an instant, Zhen Jin's chest swelled.

"Go away—!" Zhen Jin opened his mouth sharply, and the roar shook the surroundings, causing ripples in the translucent air.

The flying squirrels that rushed towards him were simply seeking their own death. Most of them fell to the ground. The stronger ones screamed and rolled on the ground.

Zhen Jin waved his rapier silver and electricity, and the sword light flickered, making up for Momonga, who was still screaming miserably.

Watching Zhenjin reaping the lives of flying squirrels, the blue dog jackal rushed to Zhenjin again.

Zhen Jin hurriedly half raised his rapier, waiting for him.

But this time, the blue dog jackal didn't jump and pounce, and was always stepping on the plank, in a state of always focusing.

The distance between the two sides shortened sharply, and Zhen Jin slashed with his rapier.

The blue dog jackal suddenly got shorter, dodged the rapier, almost pressed its belly against the board, and ran behind Zhen Jin.

The wolf's roar exploded behind him, and Zhen Jin hurriedly turned around, and at the same time cut the rapier in his hand.

But it missed.

The blue dog jackal just roared, forcing Zhen Jin to turn around and swing his sword.

After Zhen Jin swung his sword, the strength was old, and the flaw occurred in an instant.

There seemed to be a flash of green light in the eyes of the blue dog jackal, and it really flew over.

"This beast actually gives me a feeling of being proficient in martial arts!" Zhen Jin was shocked. His flaw was created by the blue dog and jackal, and he caught it, and he had no time to dodge.

At the critical moment, Zhen Jin raised his empty left arm and used it as a shield in front of him to protect his fragile neck and prevent his throat from being bitten by the blue dog jackal.

The blue dog jackal threw himself in the air, and when he saw that Zhen Jin gave up his left arm, he opened his mouth a little more excitedly.

Then, it bit down hard according to Zhu Jin's left arm.

Its mouth is full of sharp teeth, and its terrifying bite force can crush even an iron helmet.

However, Zhenjin's left arm was not directly bitten by it.

Instead, the blue dog jackal had several broken teeth!

It turned out that at the critical moment, Zhen Jin covered his left arm with a tough silver scorpion shell.

The severe pain of the broken tooth made the blue dog jackal tremble fiercely, and then the silver beast was stimulated to be more fierce, and it used blood-filled mouth teeth to bite the left arm of the needle gold. , the whole body slammed the needle gold down with the help of the inertia of flying.

The needle gold and the blue dog jackal were originally fighting at the top of the wooden wall, but now the two are fighting hand-to-hand, with one biting the other's left arm and not letting go, so they fell from the sky.

"Ah, Lord Zhenjin!" Bai Ya exclaimed, and hurriedly jumped down the stand.

On the ground, he saw that the needle gold just got up.

"Damn it, it got hit by my sword and ran away!" Needle Jin coughed violently, watching the blood on the ground form a line, the figure of the blue dog jackal disappeared between the tents in the distance.

Of course, the feeling of falling to the ground is not good. The blue dog jackal wants to bully Zhenjin with the physical quality of the silver beast.

But the bear bones and bear meat of Needle Gold were not decorations. Instead, during the fall, they seized the opportunity and stabbed the sword from the belly of the blue dog jackal to the vicinity of the spine, and then the tip of the sword protruded from the wolf skin, forming a penetrating wound.

"Good sword!"

"It's a pity that it didn't penetrate the spine of the blue dog jackal."

"It must be found, the injured beast is even more dangerous!"

"Bai Ya, stay behind and collect the remaining flying squirrels." Zhen Jin loudly ordered Bai Ya, "I'll go after the blue dog jackal. There is no enemy here, so you can go to the main gate to support Zong Ge. ."

At this point, the side attack of the blue dog jackal on the camp has basically been resolved.

Momonga was too restrained by Zhenjin's roar, and did not exert one-tenth of his strength.

The blue dog jackal, who escaped to the camp, became the only remaining trouble.

"I understand, my lord." Bai Ya watched Zhen Jin go away quickly with admiration.

At this moment, there was a loud bang, and the gate of the camp actually... collapsed!
"What's going on?!" The other people in the camp were all shocked.

"What is Zong Ge doing!" Zhen Jin also stopped because of this change.

He cast a glance at the camp gate, and probed with ultrasound at the same time.

At the original site of the camp gate, there is a dark deep hole.

A yellow-white monster indented into the deep hole, and Zhen Jin barely saw a little of it.

This is a silver monster, it seems to be very good at attacking underground!

"The blue dog jackal actually has a hole card!"

"I didn't detect it, it seems to have been sneaking underground all the time."

Because of the command of the blue dog jackal, the Warcraft Legion adopted various tactics, and the needle gold guarded against the split troops and raids, but they did not expect that there were still beasts underground.

Ultrasonic detection has limitations.

Although it is possible to detect the situation underground, it is best to stick to the ground.

When the needle gold was detected, it was always on the high wooden wall.

And even if it is close to the ground to probe, I am afraid that the trace of this mysterious underground beast will not be found in a short time.Because it drills really deep.

The gate of the camp collapsed suddenly, and even a part of the surrounding wooden wall collapsed.

Although the hole under the door is deep, it is not wide.

The monkey-tailed brown bear, the powerful white rhino, and the crocodile-headed hammer-tailed boa all rushed into the camp one after another.

There are also reserves in the camp.

"You guys are finally here, the big guys are getting impatient!" The little giant waved his giant stick and recoiled in a vicious voice, "warmly welcoming" the army of beasts in front of him.

These silver beasts are all injured, but the little giant is in peak condition.

The blood of the giant made his physique and strength far beyond ordinary, and the wooden stick swept away, repelling two or three monkey-tailed brown bears one after another.

A powerful white rhino rushed over.

"This road doesn't work!" The big man resisted with the front, but his belly was pierced by the horn of the rhino.

Then the crocodile-headed hammer-tailed boa with the slowest speed also swam over, wrapped around the big man, and squeezed him fiercely.

The big man was entangled with the alligator hammer-tailed anaconda and quickly fell to the downwind.

Suddenly, a huge long arrow shot out, hitting the torso of the crocodile-headed hammer-tailed boa.

The arrow is very long, more than one meter in length. The arrow is made of iron. The arrow is so powerful that it needs to be on the crossbow on the waist of the needle.

Although the crocodile-headed hammer-tailed anaconda had rough skin and thick flesh, it was almost pierced by the arrow.

Suffering heavy damage, the alligator hammer-tailed boa still trapped the big man.The big man's skin was red, and he was already having difficulty breathing.

"Don't shoot my son!" shouted the boatman from the central cabin.

"You think I'm Mu Ban?" Hei Scroll was shooting the arrow, and a crossbow was placed in front of him.

That's right, it's a crossbow!
The crossbow was naturally made by Mu Ban, not only one, but three.

The bed crossbow is a large-scale warfare tool, and Mu Ban was ordered to build it specifically to deal with large-scale monsters.

It is a pity that the space on the wooden wall is not ample, and only the pedals are spliced ​​out of wooden boards, and the crossbow cannot be placed.

Therefore, in the end, the crossbow can only be erected in the camp.

The camp gate collapsed, and the demon beasts rushed in, just the target of the three crossbows!

bang bang bang...

The giant arrows flew, some directly pierced the monkey-tailed brown bear, some wiped out a bloodstain from the head to the end of the strong white rhinoceros, and some shot into the air.

The shooting difficulty of the crossbow is also very high, and the winding is troublesome, requiring the cooperation of many people.

There were wounded beside the three crossbows.

Kuroyaki showed strong shooting skills, he is the main shooter.

Under his launch, the giant arrows hit the crocodile-headed hammer-tailed anaconda three in a row.

The crocodile-headed hammer-tailed anaconda became seriously injured, bleeding all over the floor, and his strength gradually disappeared, and was finally freed by the big man.The big man hammered its head frantically with a wooden stick again, and the alligator hammer-tailed anaconda lay on the ground and gradually stopped moving.

The reserve team performed well, and they were about to block the large monster that rushed in.

"Run!" At this moment, Zhen Jin rushed over and yelled at Heijuan and the others.

Heiju was stunned for a moment, then ran quickly and left the crossbow without hesitation.

The next moment, the ground broke open, and a huge loach-like monster attacked from the ground.

It seemed to have no eyes, was beige, had no leather armor, was greasy, and looked like a magnified earthworm.

And in its open mouth, there are circles of jagged teeth, closely distributed.

The monster swallowed the crossbow in one gulp, and the serrations continued to cut in its mouth.

After a few breaths, the crossbow was spit out and sawed into countless pieces of wood chips.

Heijuan and the others were terrified. If this person were swallowed, they would not be able to carry the armor all over their body.

The underground giant worm chewed up a crossbow and quickly drilled into the ground.

In desperation, Zhen Jin could only throw himself in the air.

He just used ultrasonic detection, and before he discovered the blue dog jackal, he was the first to discover the mysterious monster underground.

Underground giant insects do not have the ground, but they are constantly burrowing and swimming in the shallow layers close to the surface.

Therefore, Zhenjin warned in advance, which allowed Heijuan and others to save a life.

"Oh my God!"

"What kind of monster is this?"

"I almost died..."

Those who survived were all terrified.

There were still two bed crossbows on the spot, but Hei Scroll and the others did not dare to go any more, lest the underground giant insects would raid again.

They are not soldiers, just mercenaries and crew members, without the spirit of death and sacrifice.

The key is that the surprise attack of the underground giant insects really has no warning, making it hard to guard against.

Zhen Jin pressed his palm to the ground, opened his mouth slightly, and sent out an ultrasonic wave again.

"found it!"

The next moment, Zhen Jin was furious, and the direction of the underground giant insect was not the rest of the crossbow, but the central wooden house.

In the central wooden house, Cangbeu, Zidi and others were hiding.

"Zidi, Cang Xu, run out!" Zhen Jin roared, and immediately got up and ran towards the wooden house.

Zidi, Cang Xu, and others have been observing the outside world. They just saw the giant underground worm, and they all opened the door and ran out without any hesitation when they heard the call of Zhen Jin.

Boom!

They just ran out, more than 20 steps away from the wooden house, the underground giant worm attacked again.

The wooden house has been repaired and reinforced, but under the attack of the giant underground insects, it collapsed by a small amount in an instant.

Zhenjin and Heijuan hurriedly greeted Cang Xu, Zidi and the others.

Zhenjin continued to rush to the underground giant insect, but the latter ran away again.

So cunning!

The nature of the underground giant worm seems to be different from other silver beasts. It likes sneak attacks and does not like to attack directly.

Heijuan saw that the needles were empty again, and suggested loudly: "Sir, the camp can't hold it anymore. Let's break through!"

Zhenjin shook his head, not discouraged, but the predicament in front of him inspired his fighting spirit even more: "Heijuan, you are responsible for breaking through and protecting the lives of Zidi, Cangxu, Muban, Boatman and others. They are very important."

Needle gold ultrasonic probe, found that the underground giant insect attacked the bed crossbow again.

This time, the young knight did not miss out.

While the giant worm devoured the bed crossbow, he stabbed deeply into the giant worm's body.

The giant worm didn't even tremble, as if it wasn't the one that was stabbed, and withdrew directly to the ground with the rapier silver and electricity.

"Me, where is my sword?!" Kurojuan was dumbfounded.

On the contrary, it provoked a rebuke from Zhen Jin: "Why don't you break out with them soon!"

"Let me come!" Zong Ge came at this time, "Where is it?"

Needle Jin no longer cared about Heijuan, leaned down, put his palms on the ground, looked embarrassed, and shook his head slightly: "The power of God is rapidly decaying in my body, and I can't see clearly, wait! Straight ahead, 38 step!"

Zong Ge ran over quickly, and the underground giant worm appeared again.

This time, it wanted to attack a single wounded.

The wounded alone rolled forward smartly, avoiding the slaughter of the underground giant insect.

Zong Ge slammed down with a hammer, hitting the head of the giant underground worm.

But the half-orc's complexion changed slightly, he only felt that the place where he struck was greasy and soft, and the attack effect of the bone hammer was directly weakened by several tenths under the fat and greasy appearance of the underground giant worm.

Zong Ge's face became solemn, and he shouted to Zhu Jin: "The offensive at the front of the camp has been stabilized. We must kill this underground monster!"

Zhen Jin was still half-kneeling on the ground, and seemed to use the power of magic to investigate around: "There is also a blue dog jackal that has sneaked into the camp."

"I know." Zong Ge nodded.It was precisely because Bai Ya and others supported the front of the camp that he learned the news.Coupled with the appearance of underground magical beasts, Zong Ge could no longer sit still and came to support Zhen Jin.

Needle Jin continued to concentrate and probed with ultrasound.

Because it is in human form and there are people around, Zhenjin's ultrasound cannot use its full strength.

Detecting underground and above ground at the same time also greatly reduces the detection efficiency of ultrasonic waves.

The power of the underground monster lies in its activities underground, and there are no signs before the surprise attack.

But under the ultrasound of needle gold, its activity track is revealed.

This is not the first time that Zhenjin and Zongge have cooperated.

As early as when the bat monkeys were cleared, they cooperated once to deal with the silver bat monkeys.

Now they cooperate closely, and after just a few times, the cooperation becomes more and more tacit.

Every attack of the underground giant worm was judged by Zhen Jin in advance, and then Zong Ge quickly killed it and continued to attack.

Although the attack of the giant bone hammer was weakened by the skin of the giant worm, it could not hold back the increase in the number of attacks.

As a result, Zhen Jin's judgment was more accurate, and Zong Ge's attack became more and more successful.

After repelling the underground giant insect three times, the underground monster turned its head and ran away. It plunged into the depths of the ground, left the camp, and disappeared on the edge of needle gold exploration.

The flames spread in the camp.

"It's on fire, it's on fire!" Someone noticed and exclaimed loudly.

"It's the blue dog jackal. It's holding a torch and is igniting everywhere." Zhen Jin got up.He had already discovered the trace of the blue dog jackal, but he ignored it.

Underground worms must be dealt with.

The blue dog jackal set fires everywhere and did not attack and kill other people. From Zhen Jin's point of view, it was also a good thing.

This means that if you sacrifice the camp, you will gain precious time.

As long as people are alive, camps can still be built.

"I'll solve it, you go to the front." Zhen Jin said.

"Don't be arrogant. You are defenseless now." Zong Ge glanced at Zhen Jin, frowning slightly.

Aww-!
At this moment, the sound of wolf howling came from the direction of the main entrance.

"The monsters are attacking again!"

"The second blue dog jackal also appeared!!"

There was an exclamation from the front door.

Obviously, the underground giant worm escaped, and the blue dog jackal knew about it. It pressed the last trump card and started the final offensive.

Zong Ge's brows furrowed even tighter.

The battle has come to an end so far.

The three crossbows in the camp were destroyed by the giant insects. The little giant was covered in blood and was seriously injured. He could no longer walk.The camp's reserve team is finished.

Almost all the combat power was concentrated at the main gate. Up to now, the battle is also exhausted, and the overall combat power has fallen to the bottom.

Zong Ge must prevent these people from escaping.

Mercenaries and crew members are not regular troops, and even regular troops will run away.

The impact of the blue dog jackal's arson appeared, not only the camp was burned down, but also the people's hearts were burned into panic.

Morale is very low.

If there is no strong man to suppress the scene, I am afraid that these people will desert.

When a deserter appears, there will be a second and a third immediately, and it is very likely that a rout will be formed in an instant.

Of course, at this level, the loss of the Warcraft Legion was even more severe.

It's just that the overall strength of the Warcraft Legion is stronger, and they still have the strength to form the last wave of charges.

"I have to rush back, but here..." Zong Ge hesitated in his heart.

Zhen Jin gave him a cold snort: "Lack of weapons is not an excuse to avoid fighting. It's my prey, and yours is still there."

Zong Ge's heart trembled, the young knight in front of him was no longer as clean as usual, his face was disheveled, and his blond hair was stained with sawdust.

However, the young man's blue eyes reflected the surrounding firelight, and his strength and will to kill were undoubtedly revealed in his eyes.

This is the soldier's decision!
Zong Ge looked at these eyes, and for a moment, time seemed to freeze.

"This kid is really a man!" Zong Ge praised in his heart.

It's a face-to-face look between men!
There is no need for pity or care between men, that is what the weak need.Between men, perhaps all they need is trust.

"Let's go." Zong Ge smiled slightly, and his deeply wrinkled brows suddenly stretched.

He brushed shoulders with Zhen Jin: "If the situation is not good, I will lead people to retreat. Fighting with these beasts... It's not worth it! You are a good opponent, don't die, I plan to have a fight with you. "

Zhen Jin glanced at Zong Ge and snorted coldly.

The two turned their backs to each other, and gradually stepped forward and ran.

One ran to the main gate, and the other went straight to the blue dog jackal who set fire to it.

"Come on, I'm here!" Soon, Zhen Jin appeared in front of the blue dog Jackal, and the young knight took the initiative to provoke.

The blue dog jackal put down the torch in his mouth, and the camp was already on fire.

It didn't see the rapier that wounded it, but it was still vigilant and tried to attack the needle.

Zhenjin retreated steadily, and introduced the blue dog jackal into the central wooden house.

The central hut was also set on fire, and it was roaring into flames.

One man and one wolf were almost confronted in a sea of ​​fire.

Burning walls and billowing smoke obscured everyone else's view.

The blue dog jackal saw that the needle gold was in a dead end, and it seemed that the needle gold wanted to take advantage of the surrounding environment and die with it.

The next moment, the blue dog jackal roared and attacked directly from the front. After a few quick steps, he leaped vigorously, jumped into mid-air, and rushed towards the thin boy from a high position.

This is the blue dog jackal's best and most ferocious attack.

It directly aimed at the fragile throat of the young man, and its sharp teeth flashed with cold light!

Zhen Jin watched the blue dog jackal pounce on him, but stood there motionless.

The next moment, red light emerged, and the core made him mutate.

The blue dog jackal was about to bite Jin Jin's throat, and suddenly his eyes turned black!
The needle gold head turned into a crocodile head, and its mouth opened wider than the wolf's mouth of the blue dog jackal, biting down directly, biting the entire head and even the neck of the blue dog jackal in its mouth.

Blue Dog Jackal: ? ? ! !

If it was a person, he would definitely yell in his heart at this time: "I, I was bitten? Who is biting who?"

The neck and head of the blue dog jackal were bitten by the crocodile teeth.The eyes of the blue dog jackal, looking straight ahead, just saw something brewing in the throat of the needle gold.

hei...tui!

The next moment, a jet of green acid gushed out from the throat, shooting the blue dog jackal all over his face.

The blue dog jackal didn't have time to close its eyes, the acid corroded its eyes, and the severe pain struck, causing it to make a miserable howl, and at the same time, it scratched the body of Zhenjin frantically.

Needle Jin stood proudly on the spot, motionless.

His whole body is bear bone and bear flesh, and his body is covered with scorpion shells.

Blue Dog Jackal's own claws were bleeding, and he only scratched the leather armor of the crocodile-headed hammer-tailed boa that needle gold was wearing, leaving white marks on the scorpion shell at most.

Then, Zhu Jin stretched out his hands and transformed into the hands of the monkey-tailed brown bear.

The magic energy in the core surged wildly, and the fingers of needle gold turned red, like iron melting in a furnace.

Zhu Jin inserted his hands into the body of the blue dog jackal. The blue dog jackal is a silver beast, but it has no resistance at all under these claws.

Needle Jin felt like he was stabbing kraft paper, and with a little force, he pierced through.

His entire palm was deeply inserted into the body of the blue dog jackal.

However, more ruthless attacks are yet to come!

After Zhen Jin broke the defense with the bear hand, he mutated again, turning his fingers into the tentacles of the blade spider, which grew rapidly in the body of the blue dog jackal.

The next moment, the dazzling sharp blade came out of the blue dog jackal's body, penetrating its heart and spine.

The blades collided with each other, and there were several crisp sounds.

Blood spewed out, and the body of the blue dog jackal trembled violently. It was still scratching the needle gold with its claws, but its strength weakened sharply.

After a few breaths, Zhen Jin let go, and the blue dog Jackal fell to the ground, motionless.

Its face was eroded beyond recognition by the acid, and its eyeballs suffered the most, but they remained.

The acid of needle gold is only black iron level.

Blue Dog Jackal is dead.

It seemed to open its mouth to let out a wolf howl and to leave a last message, but Zhenjin's teeth kept biting it tightly, and at most it whimpered and made a shrill howl.

It opened its eyes wide, as if it was very unwilling, and it seemed to be very shocked.

Its eyes seem to be still staring at Zhu Jin, like a ruthless accusation against Zhu Jin, as if condensed into a human sentence - are you a human? !
Firelight and smoke covered everything.

Red light gushed out from the core, forming blood lines, covering the blue dog jackal.

The blue dog jackal disappeared and turned into a pile of toner.

The central wooden house collapsed suddenly, forming the largest bonfire, and the needle gold has disappeared.

……

ps: Corrected the typos in 115-121, and strengthened the expression in 116 about the absorption and transformation of blood nucleus into the same race, and the transformation of high- and low-level individuals to make it more clear and popular.

Thank you all for correcting my typos, it has helped me a lot.

Since the first update, the promotion of the learning plan has finally been normal.But there is still not enough time every day, and it really saves me a lot of effort to have everyone help pick typos.Bow thanks!
Today's big chapter is a small climax of the regular plot, and it can also be regarded as a small thank you.

Finally, I wish you all a happy holiday!
(End of this chapter)