Chapter 1957: Sneak attack |
"Hey, we are on a mission, can you stop watching this stuff? It's very noisy."
A Cave Huo person said to the companion next to him.
The person next to him was using a terminal to watch a program; inside, there was energetic singing, hot dancing, flashing blades, and clashing swords. It seemed to be a battle dance talent show that was quite popular recently.
The speaker had always looked down upon such things.
Could mimicking a few moves really embody the essence of combat? These were all flashy displays; they'd probably faint at the sight of blood.
But he also knew these programs were necessary. The cosmic races were concentrated in the seven survivor fortresses, with vast populations. Most of these lives were ordinary people with not-so-great talents. Perhaps because they lived in the universe, they could use some energy to nourish their bodies and learn some combat methods and techniques, barely allowing them to say they knew a few moves.
But everyone knew clearly that those were not warriors.
A true warrior needed to reach what was commonly referred to as Level Nine. Only then would the Furelai index be used to measure strength.
For example, he himself, although his Furelai of over four thousand was not high, he was still young and had room for development in the future.
"Also higher than yours."
The speaker retorted, leaving his companion somewhat speechless.
"Eh? What happened?"
Suddenly, the companion shook his arm and said with some surprise: "Signal interrupted? It couldn't be some black screen manipulation, could it? This is too obvious! I voted!"
His voice was somewhat loud, attracting the captain responsible for this escort mission, who was in the same vehicle. The captain came over and asked unhappily: "What's all the fuss about? Shouting over nothing?"
"Oh, Captain, it's nothing. I was watching a program, and it suddenly cut off. I suspect black screen manipulation."
The captain had already walked to his side, leaned over to look, and said with a puzzled expression: "There's no signal. Is your terminal malfunctioning?"
"Is that so?" This person checked and found there was indeed no signal.
"Ah? Mine doesn't have one either?"
The companion who spoke first just subconsciously checked his own terminal and, surprisingly, found the same problem.
The captain quickly checked his own, and like the others, there was no signal.
"Where is this? Is there some special terrain or substance blocking the signal?"
Although the technology of the universe's races was advanced, terminals could still lose connection to the main system in certain areas, such as near mutated plants with unique properties or radioactive substances.
"Man-made forest by the lake... doesn't seem particularly special."
Someone looked outside and said doubtfully, "Could someone be intentionally jamming the signal?"
Hearing this, the captain's body jerked violently. He then ran towards the front, where there was an intercom that could communicate between the several vehicles. Fortunately, they were old-style mechanical vehicles that still retained such antiquated things.
He grabbed it, pressed the button, and roared: "All units, close in on me! All units, close in on me! Pay attention to the surroundings! Possible enemy attack!"
At this moment, it was better to believe it possible. The captain's vehicle was in the very center; having everyone close in on him was an instinct.
But as soon as he finished speaking, he saw the mechanical vehicle in front of them shudder violently, the body tilting to one side, then crashing to the ground. With the line of sight no longer blocked, the captain saw that the very front vehicle had also fallen, dropping into a deep pit.
Now he was very, very sure they were under attack.
"You, stay behind and contact our clan to request support. The rest, disembark with me!"
Before his words fully faded, their vehicle shook violently, as before, and began to tip over to one side.
All the warriors in the vehicle were thrown into disarray. Even though they were all skilled, inside an enclosed space, they weren't much different from ordinary people.
After all, they couldn't use their abilities, or they would end up harming each other.
The captain could imagine the vehicles behind were probably in the same situation.
The enemy must have used very advanced traps!
"Break through the hatch, seize advantageous terrain, and defend!"
The captain wiped blood from his face, not knowing if it was his own or someone else's. There was no time to care about that now. Once the vehicle stopped rolling, they had to get out as fast as possible. Otherwise, if they got trapped inside, the danger would be too great.
Just earlier, the Cave Huo person himself had said these old-style mechanical vehicles were very safe. Why were they safe? Precisely because their 'skin' was thick. So the warriors chose to break out through windows, doors, and other relatively weak points or places that could normally be opened.
Everything happened too fast, and the squad leader also believed his command had no issues.
But when they charged out, they were greeted by lethal spears.
They flew out of the darkness, carrying immense force, tearing through the air with a sound. Many warriors who had just rushed out were caught off guard and were directly pierced through. Even if some managed to block one, spears came one after another, forcing them either to retreat back inside or to withstand the onslaught.
"Don't be afraid, charge out! If we don't break out, we're finished!" The captain pushed a warrior above him who wanted to shrink back out, then leaped out himself. Relying on his own strong capabilities, he held a weapon in one hand and directly grabbed an incoming spear with the other, while deflecting another with his weapon.
Feeling the immense force transmitted through the spear, the captain roared, both to bolster his own spirit and to let his clansmen around know he was still there and had broken out.
But his voice was too loud, making him a target immediately. At least over fifteen spears came whistling from various angles. The captain dodged left and right, swinging his weapon continuously. After evading fourteen, he failed to dodge the last one. It pierced through his right shoulder, the inertia carrying him flying far back. He finally managed to stop himself by firmly planting his weapon into the ground, but then a sharp pain erupted in his chest. A sharp conical sword had pierced through his body, puncturing his heart.
The captain turned his head with difficulty and saw a cold, metal-glinting mask, and below it, eyes that were cold and utterly devoid of emotion.
"It's... the Star-Eye... Bronze..."
Unfortunately, vitality was rapidly draining from his body, already preventing him from uttering a complete sentence.
At this moment, from beside the overturned mechanical vehicles and from the dense forests on both sides, many figures emerged. They moved silently, wearing masks and battle armor. With flicks of their wrists, various skills flew out, crashing into the midst of the Cave Huo people who were already reeling from successive blows and struggling to free themselves.
