Chapter 262: Confronting the Level 4 Wild BOSS! |
After pondering for a long time, Fang Ying let out a quiet sigh.
“Alright. You'll have priority to pick up the Level 5 item.”
In truth, Nature H6 had come to Bedrock Abyss not only to study the ecosystem of this Elemental Plane but also to obtain resources.
As a World-class Organization, Titan Throne naturally couldn't operate at a loss forever.
Like the Apocalypse Sect, it had its own Trade Department and needed to generate revenue.
The Mobile City Lords dispatched by Titan Throne were responsible not only for scientific research but also for earning income.
They even had performance evaluations.
Fang Ying revised the agreement between the two parties.
The Tomorrow Alliance's priority pick-up right was changed to: “Regardless of what the Level 5 item is, it must be taken.”
Simply put, the Tomorrow Alliance was gambling on the upper limit, while Nature H6 was opting for stability.
“Alright, we'll do as you suggested,” Li Ye nodded.
He didn't think his luck would be that terrible.
Surely it wouldn't drop something like a Level 5 toilet, a Level 5 washing machine, or a Level 5 bicycle.
Given the scale of the Tomorrow Alliance, even obtaining an ordinary Level 5 individual weapon would be considered a loss—unless it was a weapon with overwhelming destructive power.
After reaching an agreement on loot distribution, Li Ye summoned his companions and Lin Wu to discuss with Fang Ying how to hunt the Level 4 Wild BOSS.
“Judging from the claw, it should be a giant crab,” Fang Yong said.
“Dr. Fang Ying, can Nature H6 track its movements?” Li Ye asked.
“Of course.” Fang Ying nodded. “Otherwise, I wouldn't have suggested hunting it.”
Nature H6 possessed a Level 4 Biological Detection Device capable of tracking the movements of creatures within the Stone Sea.
Fang Ying immediately led everyone to the device.
Through the display, everyone finally saw the appearance of the Level 4 Wild BOSS.
It really was a giant crab.
One that measured two to three kilometers across.
Yang Zheng couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
“We're actually going to fight something this enormous?”
Fang Ying then made another astonishing statement.
“We're going to fish this big fellow out of the sea and onto land.”
“Fish it? How?” Fang Yong asked instinctively.
Fang Ying then presented another Level 4 item.
Level 4 Biological Bait.
It possessed an incredibly strong attraction toward Mutant Creatures across the wasteland. Nearly every Mutant Creature that saw it would lose all reason and frantically try to devour it.
“With something this large, the Level 4 Biological Bait will have to be made into a sphere several hundred meters in diameter,” Fang Ying added.
“If we're fishing it, can we even build a fishing rod that large?” Li Ye asked in confusion. “And would the fishing rod even be able to withstand the strain?”
The answer was yes.
Nature H6 was fully equipped at Level 4, complete with a Level 4 Power Engine and Level 4 wheels and treads.
Fang Ying planned to use the Level 4 Mobile City itself as the support for the fishing rod, while the rod would consist of a telescopic Level 4 superalloy pillar.
He casually mentioned that Nature H6 had used this “fishing method” countless times before.
Everyone inhaled sharply.
It had to be said—the minds of researchers truly worked differently.
“Once we've reeled the Wild BOSS onto land, we'll need overwhelming firepower to finish it off,” Fang Ying reminded them.
“Leave that part to us,” Li Ye replied.
The two sides immediately split up.
Nature H6 was responsible for preparing the fishing rod and bait, while the Tomorrow Alliance focused on assembling its firepower.
Li Ye quickly reviewed every Level 4 combat asset currently available to the Tomorrow Alliance.
Swiftblade Amphibious Individual Combat Mechs.
Acid Maw Individual Chemical Warfare Mechs.
Shadow Weaver Support Tank.
The newly upgraded Level 4 Torrent Heavy Tank.
Armored War Bears.
Special Forces equipped with Silence Reaper Sniper Rifles.
Since their enemy was a Level 4 Wild BOSS, their previous Level 3 equipment would play only a limited role.
Then Li Ye remembered another Level 4 weapon.
The remaining Level 4 shells, Earthcore Rose, that he had previously saved.
Using a newly produced batch of Level 4 steel from the Level 4 Steel Mill, Li Ye manufactured six Swiftblade Amphibious Combat Mechs, four Armored War Bears, and one Shadow Weaver Tank.
He wanted to build more, but they simply didn't have enough Level 4 steel.
In fact, as soon as they had arrived at Bedrock Abyss, Li Ye had already ordered people to begin searching the supermassive cavern for mineral veins.
Just as the Epic Intelligence had stated, mineral resources were abundant here.
Whether in the Stone Sea, along the shoreline, or throughout the cavern walls, scattered Iron Ore Veins, Saltpeter Veins, Copper Ore Veins, and even mineable coal could be found everywhere.
“This really is an excellent place,” he thought.
To ensure the operation's success, Li Ye specifically ordered every combatant participating in the mission to enter Tomorrow's Level 4 City Simulation Training Pod for combat simulations.
He himself stood nearby, watching every session with complete concentration.
Only after dozens of training runs did he slowly nod.
“This will do.”
When everyone completed their training, only two to three hours had passed outside.
Once all preparations were complete, the hunting operation officially began.
After confirming the target's location with the Level 4 Biological Detection Device, Nature H6 raised its gigantic fishing rod and cast the massive bait into the Stone Sea.
Standing aboard Nature H6, Li Ye watched as the bait landed in the Stone Sea and was instantly surrounded by countless small signals on the display.
“Those are probably Level 4 Mutant Creatures like Stone Shrimp or Stonefish,” Fang Ying explained. “The attraction of this Level 4 Biological Bait is extraordinary. That big fellow should take the bait soon enough.”
Just as he predicted, a few minutes later, a massive signal appeared beside the bait.
“It's taken the bait!” Li Ye exclaimed excitedly.
Fang Ying, however, remained remarkably calm.
After all, he had already gone “fishing” like this countless times.
Although it was a monster measuring kilometers in size, the tremendous output of Nature H6's Level 4 Power Engine and treads was no joke.
Nature H6 immediately accelerated, using overwhelming traction to forcibly drag the Wild BOSS toward the shore.
The Stone Sea erupted violently.
The enraged roar of the Wild BOSS echoed from within.
Several minutes later, the Level 4 Wild BOSS was finally dragged onto land.
Standing on Tomorrow's deck, Li Ye finally saw its true appearance.
It was indeed a petrified giant crab.
A monster measuring two to three kilometers across.
Its shell stretched thousands of meters from side to side, covered by countless layers of sedimentary rock and crystallized chitin. Under the light, it reflected mottled shades of bluish gray and rust-red, resembling an enormous petrified mountain range.
The Petrified Giant Crab's triangular head was deeply tucked beneath its chest armor, leaving only a pair of compound eyes over two hundred meters in diameter exposed, an unsettling sight that made everyone's scalp tingle.
Its mouthparts appeared to have completely calcified into jagged clusters resembling stalactites. Stone-like feelers hung from its upper jaw like uneven stone pillars, their surfaces covered with fossilized barnacle patterns. Countless petrified corals had parasitized the gaps in its shell, forming forests of their own.
Everyone in the Tomorrow Alliance stood dumbfounded after seeing the Wild BOSS reveal itself.
Although they had mentally prepared themselves, witnessing it with their own eyes was still unimaginably shocking.
Unlike the astonished humans, however, the Petrified Giant Crab appeared utterly furious and confused.
It simply couldn't understand how such a tiny Mobile City had managed to “fish” it onto shore.
With a thunderous roar, the Petrified Giant Crab immediately launched its attack.
It raised a mountain-sized pincer and smashed it heavily into the shoreline.
The entire supermassive cavern shook violently.
The impact generated a devastating shockwave, overturning the rocky ground for dozens of li in every direction like ocean waves and throwing up enormous clouds of dust.
“It's starting with something this powerful?” Li Ye frowned slightly.
“Yang Zheng, open fire!”
At his command, the cannons, Electromagnetic Railguns, and missile launchers deployed aboard Peacemaker immediately activated.
A torrential barrage of artillery instantly engulfed the Petrified Giant Crab.
However, this was ultimately only Level 3 firepower.
The damage inflicted upon the Level 4 Wild BOSS was limited.
If anything, it merely enraged it further.
Roaring furiously, the Petrified Giant Crab violently shook its shell.
Countless razor-sharp stone fragments erupted from the gaps in its carapace at tremendous speed, forming a devastating barrage that blanketed most of the shoreline.
Everyone on the decks hurried back inside the buildings.
For a moment, countless rock fragments rained down upon several Mobile Cities, piercing straight through their City Armor and making them resemble giant porcupines.
While Nature H6 continued wrestling against the Petrified Giant Crab, its Molecular Disintegration Main Cannon fired.
A blue-white beam burst from the cannon's muzzle and struck the crab's shell.
At first, there was only complete silence.
It was as though time itself had frozen.
Then came unimaginable disintegration.
The countless years of mineralized shell did not melt or explode like ordinary matter.
Instead, it simply fell apart at the molecular level.
The hardened silicified chitin vanished as though erased by an invisible hand, dissolving into countless shimmering particles.
The ancient corals and sedimentary rock layers covering the shell silently crumbled under the molecular oscillation, collapsing like sandcastles.
“Now it's your people's turn!” Fang Ying shouted.
Li Ye replied calmly,
“My troops have already begun!”
Several black streaks shot across the skies of the supermassive cavern.
They were the six newly constructed Swiftblade Amphibious Individual Combat Mechs from Tomorrow.
They darted agilely among the stalactites overhead before diving toward the Petrified Giant Crab at incredible speed, their wings shrieking through the air.
The pilots squeezed their triggers.
The small air-to-ground missiles mounted beneath the fuselage launched simultaneously, while the fixed 12.7mm machine guns on the nose opened fire relentlessly, blasting multiple breaches into the crab's body.
The Petrified Giant Crab roared in rage.
An eerie blue phosphorescence lit up within both of its eyes.
The instant its gaze locked onto a target, one Swiftblade Mech that had been pouring out firepower was instantly petrified.
It crashed from the sky.
Li Ye's expression changed.
He hadn't expected this Level 4 Wild BOSS to possess a Petrifying Gaze ability.
Fortunately, the Petrifying Gaze seemed to have a limited range.
The remaining Swiftblade Mechs flying farther away were unaffected.
The surviving five Swiftblade Mechs immediately flew onto the Petrified Giant Crab's back—the perfect blind spot in its vision.
As the transformation program activated, brilliant blue plasma burst from their vector thrusters.
Their forms shifted in a dazzling display.
The wings folded inward and reconfigured into shoulder armor.
Their leg dampeners deployed.
Accompanied by the hiss of hydraulic systems, the mechs transformed into their ground-combat forms.
The instant they landed atop the Petrified Giant Crab's shell, they launched an assault.
The 40mm grenade launchers mounted on their right arms fired continuously.
With a metallic clang, the high-frequency combat blades on their left wrists extended and stabbed viciously into the gaps between the crab's shell plates.
At the same time, four TK-21 Armored War Bears joined the battlefield.
Their quadrupedal hydraulic joints erupted with astonishing propulsion.
Their woodland camouflage blurred into streaks as they charged forward at incredible speed.
The Armored War Bears climbed onto the Petrified Giant Crab by scaling its massive legs before roaring as they unleashed their Powered Impact Claws.
The instant the claws collided with the shell, dazzling sparks exploded outward.
The shell was forcibly torn open, leaving behind a long crack.
The Petrified Giant Crab roared in pain.
Its left eye shifted toward the Armored War Bears.
The eerie blue glow reappeared.
The Armored War Bears reacted immediately.
Their hydraulic systems instantly shifted their centers of gravity, allowing them to roll sideways into gaps within the shell and narrowly avoid the Petrifying Gaze.
One Armored War Bear's left shoulder armor was struck.
Its outer metal layer instantly crystallized before crumbling into fragments.
Moments later, they launched another fierce assault.
The rotating chainsaws beneath their jaws emitted piercing shrieks as their serrated blades spun at thousands of revolutions per minute, carving relentlessly into the Petrified Giant Crab's shell.
Sparks sprayed like torrential rain.
The cracks widened further, exposing the flesh and blood vessels hidden beneath.
“Excellent! That's it! Drill into its body and cause as much destruction as possible from the inside!” Li Ye shouted excitedly.
Fang Yong's voice immediately came through the walkie-talkie.
“Alliance Leader, let Iron Whale join the battle as well!”
Li Ye was momentarily stunned.
“Fang Yong, with a Level 4 Wild BOSS of this size, Iron Whale would probably be nothing more than its toy.”
“...Is that so?”
“For this battle, stay safely in the rear.”
“Understood.”
The Shadow Weaver Tank also began to demonstrate its power.
As the support tank activated, rolling black mist rapidly spread across the battlefield, severely obstructing the Petrified Giant Crab's vision.
Li Ye's expression changed slightly.
The Shadow Weaver's capabilities far exceeded his expectations.
In almost an instant, enormous quantities of black mist had spread across the battlefield.
To call it black mist wasn't entirely accurate.
It was actually composed of countless black particles.
Whether in deployment speed or coverage, it was exceptional.
Most importantly...
The black mist could not be dispersed.
The only way to eliminate it was to destroy the Shadow Weaver Tank generating it.
The Petrified Giant Crab froze in confusion.
Everything unfolding before it had clearly surpassed its understanding.
Then, without warning, both of its enormous compound eyes exploded.
The distant Special Forces had successfully sniped them using their Silence Reaper Sniper Rifles.
Having lost its vision, the Petrified Giant Crab became even more frenzied.
It began thrashing wildly, repeatedly smashing the ground with its giant pincers, causing the entire supermassive cavern to tremble.