area51novel Page 25
Page 25
But the number of animals was simply too great.
Spiny eels emerge from the ground or from the shadows like ghosts, their sharp bony spikes constantly attempting to pierce the joints of gravity-defying bodies.
A few heavy 3D machines and some energy guns alone cannot sustain this for long.
"Ahhh... Help me, help me, please help me!"
One team member's legs were entangled by several spiky eels, instantly restricting his movement. He was immediately attacked and bitten by several snake-dogs. The armor emitted a screeching scraping and deforming sound, and the driver let out a painful groan over the communication channel.
Another severely damaged gravity vehicle lay in the rubble, half of its body corroded and melted by acid, and the driver's fate was unknown.
As for the team members who are not part of gravity, the situation is even worse; they are either injured or disabled.
"Roar!!"
With a deafening roar, the two flower-calyx beasts that Ran Bing had warned of finally completed their energy accumulation.
The bloated body of the flower-calyx beast suddenly contracted and expanded, its two huge mouths filled with sharp teeth opening to spew out two streams of viscous, dark green acidic liquid that emitted a pungent stench.
The acid sprayed towards Mark and his teammates who were providing cover nearby, just like a high-pressure water jet. Wherever it passed, the metal debris on the ground instantly emitted white smoke and quickly melted and dented.
"Get away from..."
Mark roared and unleashed his full Gravity Force, performing a clumsy yet extreme side roll. He narrowly avoided the main jet stream, but the splashed acid still splattered onto his shoulder armor and left arm, instantly sending up a cloud of corrosive white smoke. Fortunately, he was not seriously injured.
Another team member was unable to dodge the gravity object and was hit head-on in the chest by the acid; he was not so lucky.
The sturdy armor was corroded and penetrated at a visible rate, and the cockpit alarm sounded shrilly.
"Damn it, save them!"
Mark gritted his teeth. He was about to rush over when more snake dogs and spiky eels fearlessly pounced on him and entangled him tightly.
Above this fierce battle, several hundred meters in the air, Chen Yuan tried his best to keep a calm mind and hovered there silently.
The plasma stream beneath his feet was steadily ejected, maintaining a perfect hovering posture. The powerful anti-gravity field made him feel as if he were standing on an invisible platform.
Chen Yuan snapped his fingers, removing the visor from his helmet to reveal a young face with a cynical expression.
The wind at high altitude ruffled his slightly sweaty hair.
"The elite hunters of the Lighthouse don't seem to be all that great."
Chen Yuan pursed his lips, his eyes showing no tension or sympathy, only indifference.
Yes, it's about being ordinary, the most authentic state.
He has no saintly heart, nor is he a savior.
I don't have much emotional connection or interaction with these people.
Out of affection for anime, although he had some goodwill towards these people, he wouldn't make Chen Yuan their bodyguard or nanny, as long as he could ensure that the main people didn't die.
What? Are we supposed to flatter them and serve them?
To be their nanny or bodyguard?
Most importantly, after all those things that happened before, Chen Yuan was no longer the hot-blooded young man who could risk everything.
The blood flowing in his veins was getting colder and colder.
Chen Yuan extended his right hand, which was covered by the nano-alloy mecha, palm facing upwards. With a slight thought, he communicated with the future technology assistance system and opened the online store.
"Longxin, exchange for some snacks. Hmm... I want that one, oh... the one I had yesterday, the Creamy Caramel Supreme Popcorn, give me a pound."
"Command confirmed. Host consumes 1 survival point. Resource transfer preparation... Transfer complete."
Almost without delay, a huge paper bag, bulging with exaggerated cartoon popcorn patterns and emitting an enticing aroma of caramel, appeared out of thin air in Chen Yuan's outstretched palm.
The bag even looked like it was still warm from being fresh out of the oven.
Chen Yuan weighed it in his hand with satisfaction, then skillfully tore open the seal. A richer, sweeter aroma wafted out. Mmm, it smells so good.
He stretched out his fingers, picked up a few golden, crispy popcorn kernels coated in caramel, and exclaimed, "Wow... Golden Legend!"
Then he leisurely tossed it into his mouth and began to chew it with a crunching sound.
Their gazes were drawn to the battlefield below, as if they were watching an immersive panoramic movie.
"The cream flavor is just right."
As he chewed, Chen Yuan mumbled his comments, his gaze following Mark's gravity machine.
"That windmill move was pretty good, but the accuracy was a bit off, wasting energy."
When they saw the pilot of the gravity vehicle, who had been hit head-on by the calyx beast's acid, struggling to climb out of the cockpit, only to be pounced on and torn apart by the swarming snake dogs, they were immediately met with a fierce reaction.
Chen Yuan merely raised an eyebrow slightly, then calmly stuffed a handful of popcorn into his mouth, his tone as indifferent as if he were discussing the weather: "Oh dear, another one's gone cold. The rescue was too slow."
Below, Mark once again swung his chainsaw sword, cleaving a large snake-dog that lunged at him in half at the waist, its foul-smelling blood splattering onto his mask.
He gasped for breath, and through his blood-blurred vision, he saw his teammates fighting desperately. He roared, "Everyone, gather together, concentrate fire, and retreat!"
Mark's roar exploded in the communication channel, like a shot of adrenaline.
"Gather together, concentrate fire! Everyone take turns providing cover, retreat!!"
Go go go! Let's go!
The hunters were instantly jolted out of their chaotic, individualistic state and then displayed the qualities expected of a hunter squad.
"I won't play with you anymore."
The heavy-firepower platform controlled by Mo Cheng unleashed its final roar, and the dense barrage temporarily suppressed the most aggressive swarm of snake dogs.
Jeff and his team used the wreckage of the transport vehicle and the terrain to precisely target the spiky eels and ground roarers that were trying to flank them.
Ran Bing skillfully maneuvered along the flanks, rolling, dodging, and turning to use her precise gravity machine gun to clear a retreat path for Mark and the wounded.
"Let's get out of here, let's get out of here." Erica was the first to climb onto the armored vehicle, and then she closed the door behind her.
Jeff outside the car door: Huh? ??? (Oh no, I haven't gotten in the car yet! I haven't gotten in the car yet!)
"Um, sorry, just doing it on a whim."
Erica gave an innocent smile.
"Hurry, get in the car."
Mark's gravity body roared to life, its massive mechanical arm grabbing the man severely injured by the acid.
The team members, who had barely managed to climb out of the cockpit, shoved him into a transport vehicle that was still barely movable and whose cargo bed was piled high with dusty supply boxes.
“Quick, quick, quick…”
Other team members also jumped onto the transport vehicle or clung to the speeding gravity object, and then used the momentum to climb onto the transport vehicle.
Chapter 32 Boss Bai Appears
Everyone got into the car, the engine groaned under the strain, and the tires kicked up clouds of dust.
The transport truck shot out like an arrow, with Mark's gravity body protecting the rear of the convoy. His chainsaw sword and shoulder cannon fired wildly, tearing apart and blasting away the attacking Devouring Beasts.
As they fought and retreated, the hunters were dancing on the edge of death, with every explosion and roar just around the corner.
Although the beast tide had temporarily been left behind, their scarlet eyes and deep roars remained like a leech, clinging tightly to what lay behind them.
Chen Yuan considered whether or not to make a move, but when he thought about what would happen next, he held back.
Just as Mark and the others thought they had temporarily escaped the pursuit and their tense nerves relaxed slightly, an unexpected change occurred.
"Boom--!!"
At that moment, the earth began to tremble violently without warning.
The tremor did not come from pursuers behind, but from the right front of the convoy.
The tremor was far more intense than any heavy artillery bombardment, and the transport vehicle was violently rocked like a small boat in a raging storm, almost out of control.
The broken viaduct groaned, and loose stones fell as if it were about to collapse.
"What the hell is that?" Mo Cheng exclaimed in surprise over the communication channel.
Mark's heart sank, and an unprecedented sense of fear, stemming from his very survival instinct, surged through him. He abruptly turned his head toward the epicenter.
A kilometer ahead, a "hill" made of massive ruins of old-world architecture... came to life.
To be precise, that wasn't a hill.
Instead, it was an unimaginably enormous creature that had previously lain dormant in the ruins like a sleeping giant rock, and was now slowly raising its mountain-like head.
Its form defies description; it resembles a creation composed of countless twisted bones, rock-like shells, and flesh flowing with dark red energy.
Is a single head comparable to a small building?
The enormous, abyss-like maw opened slightly, revealing jagged, gleaming teeth. The mere breath it generated stirred up a sandstorm that filled the sky, a truly terrifying sight.
A massive tail, covered in jagged bone spikes and thick armor, as thick as a mobile fortress, slowly rose from the ruins. With a casual sweep, it cut a metal tower tens of meters high in half, as easily as breaking a piece of rotten wood.
From a distance, the broken tower collapsed with a roar, kicking up plumes of dust.
Everyone felt an invisible and suffocating sense of oppression sweep over them.
"Turn around, turn around quickly."
"No, it's too late."
"Rush over!"
"But……"
"No buts, let's charge!"
"Fine, then so be it!"
The pack of Devouring Beasts that had been relentlessly pursuing them suddenly stopped as if a pause button had been pressed the moment this aura appeared; all their roars and pursuit came to an abrupt halt.
These Devouring Beasts lay prostrate on the ground in terror, trembling and emitting low moans, as if they were paying homage to their supreme ruler.
Looking at the hunters, they felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave, not daring to breathe.
The transport vehicle screeched to a halt, and the team members inside, their faces ashen, stared in horror at the terrifying giant shadow that obscured half of the ruined building.
This is a giant-toothed, double-jawed beast, whose strength is very close to that of a monarch, which is why it has such an imposing presence.
Mark's gravity body froze on the spot. Even the seasoned captain of the hunters felt a profound sense of insignificance and powerlessness when faced with such a behemoth.