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墨書 Inktalez
"Let's go with that good idea," Ross said as the others gathered around. He explained the strategy again, while Duan Shuai stood by, trying to simplify it as much as possible so that everyone could better execute their respective tasks.
At first, no one understood Ross's approach, but that didn't matter anymore. As they moved forward, a few of them took cover behind a rock to shield themselves from the enemy's line of sight, then cautiously peeked out.
The sound of the Sniper Rifle rang out first. The Buck Bug appeared to be a rather tough insect; compared to human muscle, it had just a bit more resilience, likely due to increased activity. However, being a physical creature meant that bullets would still leave marks on it, especially when fired from the Super Technology Gauss Sniper Rifle.
The bullet penetrated the Buck Bug's spine, sending part of it crashing into the dirt. It struggled for a moment before collapsing stiffly to the ground, lifeless.
The notion that Buck Bugs were peaceful creatures seemed far from the truth. With such physical attributes, even if they engaged in combat, they would likely just be prey in someone else's eyes. Yet, at that moment, another Feather darted through the air unnoticed by these insects, striking another Buck Bug and pinning it against a tree branch, which shook violently upon impact.
Overwhelmed by the force, the Buck Bug died instantly. The remaining Buck Bugs seemed startled and quickly retreated in both directions. Ross was faster than ever; he suddenly drew his bow and shot another arrow. The Buck Bug was quick, but his keen eyesight allowed him to anticipate its movements perfectly. Another Feather struck its body, pinning it to the ground. Although it missed any vital spots and did not kill it outright, its speed was astonishing.
"Alright, let me take care of this," Freyr said as he dashed forward. He had been holding back his energy and now surged ahead with impressive speed. In his hand was only a Military Dagger. With such velocity and power behind his strike, he was able to maximize its effectiveness; the damage dealt was significant enough to ensure penetration.
As he closed the distance, the Buck Bug instinctively accelerated too but soon realized it lacked sufficient power. Suddenly, Freyr's dagger pierced through its back, shattering its spine. Before its pain receptors could even register a response, it became rigid and motionless. With its spine destroyed, it lost all ability to move. However, this particular Buck Bug had wings—this was what made it truly terrifying; anywhere it charged would be rendered defenseless.
While the Buck Bug wasn't particularly slow, Freyr was just slightly faster. With one decisive strike, he ended its life. Perhaps only under surprise attacks could such creatures be taken down so swiftly; after all, Buck Bugs had proliferated significantly.
In most situations, their primary advantage lay in their speed—fast enough that other creatures struggled to survive in this ecosystem. Yet there existed primitive organisms that were their natural enemies: ancient carnivorous plants like the Pitcher Plant had begun reappearing in this transformed environment where many species suited for ancient conditions were slowly resurfacing.
Despite this resurgence of ancient life forms possibly correlating with a decrease in human presence—these plants were also masterpieces of nature—certain circumstances allowed for spontaneous evolution within nature's embrace.
It was hard to determine whether this was true evolution or regression; however, human weapons continued to evolve into more refined tools of destruction. Only a select few were qualified to wield such formidable weaponry. Meanwhile, others hurried over as Freyr delivered two swift blows with his elbow to the already incapacitated Buck Bug, which died on the spot. Its body was then stored safely within a ring for preservation.
Another Buck Bug was ruthlessly killed using the same method. Leaving even one of these creatures alive could impact the ecosystem. If it weren't for the presence of enemies to counter them, their destructive power could easily turn all environments into wastelands.
No one knows what a wasteland truly looks like—lonely and desolate, devoid of even a single decent plant. If such terrifying creatures were allowed to proliferate, the potential outcome could lead to a catastrophic event akin to a mass extinction.
Death could engulf the entire planet, transforming it into a red desert. The horror of these bugs is not understood; without enemies, they could very well be the root cause of devastation.
"We still need to take down ninety-six more Buck Bugs like this one. It's exhausting work. I didn't expect that dealing with just four would be so troublesome. We need to find a large group to hunt efficiently. How about using Hypnotic Gas? I think gas attacks would save us some effort," Xiong Tai suggested.
"In that case, we can't stay downwind," Freyr replied.
"What do you mean by that?" Xiong Tai asked.
"It means that we're currently downwind. If the gas drifts our way, we won't have masks to protect us. That would put us in danger too." As he spoke, Xiong Tai's expression shifted to one of understanding.
Returning to the current situation, it was indeed difficult to control. This mission relied heavily on luck; it felt like they were just relying on experience. As they proceeded, they remained prepared and continued onward, killing any Buck Bug they encountered along the way since every kill counted.
They were looking for an area with a higher concentration of Buck Bugs, ideally a gathering spot. However, such opportunities could only be found through searching. If only they had thought to buy some bait powder from the market that attracted bugs; now it was too late. Initially confident about the mission, they soon realized that dealing with Buck Bugs was quite troublesome. Handling one or two wasn't too difficult, but what if there were many? A hundred of these bugs would seem manageable for other teams.
In contrast, there were higher-level teams whose missions were measured in thousands. To find that many bugs, one had to enter the heart of the Zerg territory; other bugs were out searching for food and targeting those foraging insects was simply too risky.
Moreover, if they destroyed a nest of bugs, the numbers would be astonishing. The mission would be completed in one go, yielding better results while saving time and effort. The most awkward part would be not being able to bring back the corpses. However, with Buck Bugs being such impactful creatures on the ecosystem, their deaths were inconsequential. Besides, this wasn't the only place in the world where Buck Bugs existed.
(Chapter End)
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