Chapter 161: Chapter 161: Precise and Elegant! (Seeking Full Subscription)
As Lu Luo and his two companions prepared to make their mark in the Silent Swamp, the team from Grand Tactical Arms was also ready to depart.
"Liu Yu, have you found those three from last night?"
"No, Captain. They had already left by morning."
"They left, huh? That’s good. After all, this place is too deep in."
Zuo Mingliang nodded slightly, not even noticing his subordinate Liu Yu’s expression had turned somewhat strange.
"It’s not that, Captain. They didn’t go back."
"They didn’t go back? Still wandering around the Thousand Lakes District? That shouldn’t be the case. Although their leader’s strength isn’t bad, the Thousand Lakes District really isn’t suitable for mercenaries, nor for Scavengers. Moreover, their food and water shouldn’t allow them to stay here any longer."
"Captain, have you considered they might have gone even deeper?"
"You mean they went to the Silent Swamp?"
To Zuo Mingliang’s astonishment, Liu Yu nodded.
As the team’s scout, she had seen Lu Luo and his two companions heading towards the swamp earlier that morning. Her first reaction was that these three were courting death. However, after carefully considering what Zuo Mingliang and Dr. Li had said the previous night, she abandoned that somewhat superficial thought. Perhaps those three were actually very strong, strong enough to explore Zone C04 without needing supplies? This was a ridiculous thought, but once it had sprung up, it lingered persistently.
"Forget it, let’s move out. Just focus on your own jobs. Our mission is to hunt Ganmu. As for other matters, they aren’t very important right now. Liu Yu, as a scout, your responsibility is heavy, so you can’t afford any distractions in the coming days."
"Ah, yes, Captain!"
The Grand Tactical Arms team began to advance slowly. Due to their substantial baggage and equipment, their advance was slow.
It was around 4 p.m. before they managed to cross the Thousand Lakes District and reach the Silent Swamp.
Soon after arriving at the Silent Swamp, the Grand Tactical Arms team encountered a problem. A supply vehicle had gotten stuck in the marsh, and it took several team members using their powered armor to forcibly drag the vehicle free.
"Boss, the powered armor is still mobile, and the combat vehicles with their tracks can manage. But this swampy terrain is impassable for the transport trucks."
The Grand Tactical Arms personnel were from the East Ring. It was also their first time in the Southern Ring, so they hadn’t anticipated this situation. The five guides they’d hired in the Southern Ring hadn’t anticipated this problem either. Five guides was a considerable number; Grand Tactical Arms had certainly made thorough preparations. However, these guides lacked experience in leading such large teams or in transporting supply vehicles. So, they were at a loss as to how to handle the current situation.
"Boss, what do we do now?"
Zuo Mingliang looked at the heavily laden supply carts, finding himself in a dilemma.
Just then, Li Tanya arrived at the edge of the marsh with a chubby young man beside her. This chubby young man didn’t look very old, but ever since arriving at the marsh, he’d been tiptoeing about. The look of disgust on his face made it clear he was quite pampered.
"Tanya, this place is disgusting! Exotic Species truly are monsters to live in such a filthy environment. I don’t want to stay here a second longer."
"Lin Zhiming, this operation is necessary to complete the company’s mission. If you don’t want your father to reprimand you, you’d best cooperate fully. Furthermore, let me reiterate: call me Dr. Li, or Li Tanya. ’Tanya’ is inappropriate. Heh, we’re not that close."
The young man called Young Master Lin Zhiming looked aggrieved.
"Do you think I *want* to be here? If my family hadn’t forced me, who would come to this godforsaken place? You heartless woman! Our family even funds your research lab, and this is how you treat me? I’ll sleep with you eventually!"
No one else dared to interrupt their conversation; the difference in their status was too great. Li Tanya could directly challenge Lin Zhiming, but the others couldn’t. Nor could they intervene when Lin Zhiming sexually harassed Li Tanya.
After their conversation concluded, Zuo Mingliang quietly approached Li Tanya.
"Dr. Li, you’ve seen our current situation; the supply vehicles can’t make it through. Young Master Lin Zhiming brought a lot of useless things. So, we now have only two options.
"First, let Young Master Lin Zhiming wait here. We’ll arrange some security personnel for him.
"Second, we abandon these supplies and proceed with only weapons, equipment, and individual rations. We can post a notice from Grand Tactical Arms. Even if Scavengers come by, they’ll likely think twice."
Li Tanya nodded slightly. The current situation was just as Zuo Mingliang had described: they had to abandon some things.
"Lin Zhiming, you can’t bring your things now. And those two women you brought will just be a hindrance. You have two choices: either stay here with your women or follow us deeper into the swamp," she declared.
Lin Zhiming seethed, feeling Li Tanya showed him no respect at all. He was Lin Zhiming, the Fifth Young Master of the Lin Family, whose family owned Grand Tactical Arms. How could this woman treat him this way? Who did she think she was?
"Why should I listen to—"
"If you won’t listen, then get lost! You’re useless. If your elder brother hadn’t asked me to help you out, who the hell would bring along such a worthless piece of trash?"
Li Tanya’s expression hardened. Lin Zhiming’s complexion, already a sickly, darkish red, grew even worse.
"I understand. I’ll go with you," he conceded.
"And those two women you brought? They’re also useless. In the swamp, they’ll just waste food. Are you planning to bring them along to feed the Exotic Species?"
"No, definitely not! I’ll keep them in line," Lin Zhiming stammered.
Li Tanya’s imposing aura completely overwhelmed Lin Zhiming. The Lin family’s Fifth Young Master could only submit meekly.
Having decided on their course of action, the entire squad, now traveling light after abandoning their excess supplies, ventured deeper into the swamp.
Perhaps it was fate’s way of toying with people. Not long after entering the swamp, the Grand Tactical Arms team once again encountered Lu Luo and his two companions.
Lu Luo, his clothes now stained black and red, held a gun. Gu Fangyi had his face smeared with camouflage paint. And Qi Xinzhu, who, due to the filth, had braided her hair into dreadlocks, giving her a rather unique style.
This time, the trio was showcasing the art of combined combat to Grand Tactical Arms.
Lu Luo’s group was relatively lucky. After searching for just a few hours, they found their first Ghost Crab nest. After some luring, Lu Luo successfully drew the Ghost Crab out of its lair.
"Gu Fang, aim for its eyes! Xinzhu, ready the ropes!" Lu Luo commanded.
"Got it!"
"Got it!"
Lu Luo, leading the charge, rushed forward with a wooden club in hand. The club was the trunk of a swamp tree. Imbued with Qi He, it could be swung a few times before breaking. Though not a conventional weapon, it should be enough to break the Ghost Crab’s leg.
BANG!
As Lu Luo charged, Gu Fangyi shot out one of the Ghost Crab’s eyes. Although a Ghost Crab’s eyeball was valuable, combat safety was paramount; they couldn’t hesitate to destroy it for its worth.
Blinded in one eye, the Ghost Crab writhed in pain. Having lost half its vision, it began to thrash wildly. At that moment, Qi Xinzhu pulled with all her might. Several steel wires, shimmering with Holy Radiance, snared one of the Ghost Crab’s legs, briefly immobilizing it.
Lu Luo seized this momentary opening.
BANG!
The wooden club swept across and shattered on impact. But Lu Luo’s actual attack was, of course, not so simple.
Engaging Steam Second Gear, his Deliberate Bombardment Fist slammed into the Ghost Crab’s abdomen.
BOOM!
The shockwave blasted through its body, splattering crab roe and tomalley everywhere. Lu Luo felt a momentary urge to taste it, as Ghost Crabs were edible Exotic Species.
Yet, despite such an injury, the Ghost Crab was still full of vigor, its movements barely slowed. It swept its pincers continuously like a tank, but thankfully, Lu Luo dodged each attack.
He kicked at one of the Ghost Crab’s joints, trying to break it, but he had underestimated the defenses of this crustacean Exotic Species. His full-powered kick, enhanced by Second Gear, still didn’t break the crab’s leg!
"Third Tier really is Third Tier! And Ghost Crabs aren’t just any Third Tier creatures; they’re so tough," Lu Luo remarked. If only I had a sword right now, he thought.
"Qi Xinzhu, lend me your sword for a second."
"Okay!"
"Gu Fang!"
"Target locked."
BANG! The Ghost Crab’s other eye burst. This time, it completely lost its ability to resist.
Qi Xinzhu, holding the Ghost Crab’s leg, summoned Holy Light and struck its body heavily to prevent it from escaping.
Lu Luo took Qi Xinzhu’s Alloy Sword. Too light, was his first thought, but it should be sturdy enough!
He could now execute his basic swordsmanship moves with ease and precision. A thrusting attack was undeniably the most effective against the carapaces of shelled Exotic Species.
He empowered the blade and thrust.
CLANG!
The Sword Qi instantly pierced the crab leg. With an opening created, Lu Luo followed with a kick, then another, finally snapping the leg off. Repeating the process, Lu Luo severed the four legs on the Ghost Crab’s left side, finally immobilizing it on the ground.
Raising his sword, Lu Luo’s aura suddenly transformed.
Sword Heart Style: Spiral Sword!
SPLAT! The longsword pierced its brain. Lu Luo twisted the blade, and the Ghost Crab’s tenacious life finally ended.
It was a clean and efficient battle. The trio’s coordination was so perfectly harmonious it left the Grand Tactical Arms team in awe!
"Captain, those three... they killed a Ghost Crab!" a team member gulped and said to Zuo Mingliang, who was beside him.
"I’m not blind."
His team could also kill a Ghost Crab easily, but that was under different conditions. Their weapons and equipment were far superior; they could kill a Ghost Crab with sheer firepower. But Lu Luo’s team? Lu Luo himself had started with no weapon, using a wooden club, then his fists and feet, and finally Qi Xinzhu’s sword. Qi Xinzhu had only played a supporting role, while Gu Fangyi provided precision shots, limiting its vision. The trio’s equipment was utterly rudimentary, yet they killed the Ghost Crab with such ease! By the Holy Light! If there were words to describe it, they would be ’precise’ and ’elegant’!
"Boss, should we go over and say hello?"
"Forget it. Our mission is to hunt Ganmu. They’re killing Ghost Crabs here, probably for Rainbow Blood Mosquito sacs. If we approach now, our intentions would be unclear, and we might provoke their hostility or have them tail us. That’s not a good idea for a team like ours. It’s getting late. Let’s keep our distance and rest here for the night!"
"Yes, sir!"
Lu Luo and the Grand Tactical Arms team seemed fated to meet, having encountered each other several times now.
While Zuo Mingliang was watching Lu Luo, Lu Luo was also observing them. During the battle, he had even refrained from using his jet device, not wanting a large corporation like Grand Tactical Arms to notice his specialized gear.
Zuo Mingliang nodded in a friendly manner, and Lu Luo responded in kind.
Lu Luo set aside some crab claws, legs, and meat, then dragged the Ghost Crab’s carcass behind a copse of swamp trees. By devouring it there, he could avoid being seen by the Grand Tactical Arms members.
A Third Tier Exotic Species could provide Lu Luo with 500 energy. Though the battle had been tense and thrilling, the reward was undoubtedly substantial.
Meanwhile, Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi used this time to collect the blood sacs.
Returning to the makeshift campfire they had built, Lu Luo began to strip meat from the crab shells. Qi Xinzhu was grilling crab legs. They had run out of salt, but thankfully, plain grilled crab meat didn’t taste too bad.
"How many blood sacs in total?"
"Twenty-three. We lost quite a few because we’re short on manpower and tools."
"No worries. Being short-handed isn’t new for us. The Silent Swamp has plenty of Ghost Crabs; we can just hunt them slowly. Now that we have crab meat, our biggest problem isn’t food anymore, but the lack of a water source!"
At this, Qi Xinzhu spoke up.
"I can solve the water problem. The drinking water we usually get from the Church is purified using Holy Radiance. Of course, the Council’s water purification plants can also purify water, but either way, you need a source that’s already reasonably clean."
"Reasonably clean? What kind of quality are we talking about? Weren’t there many ponds back in the Thousand Lakes District?"
Lu Luo really didn’t know much about water sources.
"The water in the Thousand Lakes District is terrible. It’s full of Exotic Species droppings and teeming with Dark Energy microorganisms. Water like that needs multiple filtrations before it can be purified for drinking. We don’t have the proper filtration equipment now, and we lost the simple filter we bought earlier."
Hearing Qi Xinzhu’s explanation, Lu Luo felt a bit uncomfortable.
[Observer: You jumped into that water to kill Exotic Species for their food, and now she tells you it’s full of crap. Heh, women!]
"Just endure it for a while. If it gets too bad, I’ll go trade for some water with them."
"I guess that’s our only option."
Night fell quickly beyond the Wall. Lu Luo and his two companions savored their meal of roasted crab meat and roe. After eating their fill, Lu Luo used tree trunks to hastily construct a simple shelter.
This was the Silent Swamp, and unlike the water-dwelling creatures of the Thousand Lakes District, the nocturnal Exotic Species here could be dangerously aggressive. Therefore, Lu Luo spent that night maintaining maximum alertness instead of cultivating.
Late into the night, Lu Luo’s Observer began issuing continuous alerts.
[Observer: Several First Tier Exotic Species approaching. Prepare yourself!]
Lu Luo picked up Qi Xinzhu’s sword, rose slowly, and began the slaughter. Despite the lack of firelight or visibility, Lu Luo, guided by his Observer, maintained lethal efficiency in the darkness.
One wave, two waves, three waves.
The unending screams of Exotic Species echoed from the direction of Lu Luo’s group, making even the night watch from the Grand Tactical Arms camp feel uneasy.
"Liu Yu, what’s going on over there?"
"I’m looking now!"
The female scout, Liu Yu, put on her night-vision goggles and activated her scouting Sequence to assist. Because the Grand Tactical Arms campsite was brightly lit and well-defended, Exotic Species wouldn’t normally attack such a large, fortified group.
Since night deepened, Liu Yu had been constantly observing Lu Luo’s trio. She wanted to see how they dealt with the nocturnal Exotic Species of the Silent Swamp. Initially, I thought a trio daring enough to come here must have some special means of repelling Exotic Species, Liu Yu mused. Like a unique ointment or some special alchemical repellent. But Lu Luo’s subsequent actions completely shattered her assumptions.
Lu Luo’s method was brutally simple: kill.
From the first wave of Exotic Species at nightfall to the ninth wave deep in the night, Lu Luo killed relentlessly. Thanks to her night-vision goggles and scouting Sequence, Liu Yu saw everything clearly. Apart from dragging the Exotic Species corpses behind a small thicket, Lu Luo did nothing else. He fought tirelessly, without rest, his physical combat prowess was immense—comparable to a humanoid Mecha!
This guy... he’s unbelievable!
"What’s so unbelievable? Why is the noise over there non-stop?"
The incessant cries of Exotic Species from Lu Luo’s direction naturally piqued the curiosity of others, including Zuo Mingliang.
"Liu Yu, let me use the thermal imager."
Liu Yu, startled, quickly removed the thermal imager and handed it to Zuo Mingliang, adding a warning, "Boss, that guy... he’s a monster."
"I know." Zuo Mingliang put on the thermal imager and began to observe Lu Luo carefully.
If Lu Luo were just a Scavenger, Zuo Mingliang wouldn’t have cared. But his performance, both day and night, was too formidable. The trio didn’t resemble Scavengers or mercenaries at all; they were more like elite Hunters. Such individuals, if they continue to linger around our team, might not constitute a major crisis... but they’re definitely something to be wary of, a significant potential risk.
Just then, Li Tanya and the portly Lin Zhiming—who had been sleeping with one of his female companions—were awakened by the screeches of the Exotic Species and stumbled out, bleary-eyed.
"What’s that noise?"
"It’s those three from yesterday. Their leader is hunting Exotic Species. The numbers are... staggering. Dr. Li, I believe these three could become a liability to the team. We might need to deal with them."
Zuo Mingliang was a pragmatic man. Yesterday, he wouldn’t have deliberately targeted Lu Luo and had even traded food with him. That was because he hadn’t perceived the trio as a threat. Today, however, was different. Lu Luo had now demonstrated a considerable level of threat. Considering the mission’s safety, he now viewed Lu Luo as a threat, hence his shift in attitude.
Li Tanya took the thermal imager, observed for a moment, then said to Zuo Mingliang beside her, "They must be desperate for money. I think it’s worth going over to negotiate with him."