Lao Mo roared and transformed into flowing sand, spikes WHIZZING through his form.
Hu Ling’s legs fiercely pushed off the ground, and he broke into a sprint. Surprisingly, his speed was no less than that of the spikes.
Dora’s hands moved swiftly. She switched her energy gun to its highest rate of fire and immediately opened up, creating a dense protective screen of firepower that blasted every incoming spike to pieces.
Qing Ruyan first threw Chen Gu out, then she began to run with all her might. Even though a "Psychological Spy" wasn’t skilled in direct combat, the burst of speed from a Second Energy Level expert was enough for her to evade the spikes.
The professionals each displayed their unique skills and were largely unharmed, but the mercenaries were in dire straits.
One mercenary crossed his arms, and large metal plates CLATTERED out from beneath his Mecha’s elbows, forming a shield. He had just taken cover when a volley of spikes shot towards him, easily piercing the shield and pinning him to the ground. He was riddled like a porcupine.
The Mecha’s propulsion systems were also no match for the spikes. Another mercenary who turned to flee was a fraction too slow and ended up riddled like a porcupine.
The gunners on the war vehicles scrambled inside. A continuous THUDDING sound followed—the spikes hammering against the armor.
Fortunately, the war vehicles’ armor held against the spikes, and the drivers quickly swerved to escape.
A few minutes later, the survivors regrouped in a clearing, looking dishevelled. They looked back to see the area they had just vacated completely covered in countless red Thorn spikes. Among them lay the bodies of several dozen comrades!
"Damn it!" Leder cursed, glaring fiercely at Lao Mo.
Lao Mo’s face had darkened. Although the spikes had passed through his sand-form body without causing physical damage, their venom had left some residue within him.
Moreover, Lao Mo felt deeply wronged. There truly hadn’t been much danger within the forest itself. The Thorns Forest wouldn’t have fired indiscriminately when they entered, as that would have damaged its main body.
The Thorns Forest seemed to possess a degree of intelligence and was quite cunning: it hadn’t attacked when the convoy first arrived, a time when everyone was on high alert. Instead, it chose to strike precisely when they had exited the forest, the moment their vigilance was at its lowest.
Lao Mo didn’t want to take the blame for this, nor did he feel he deserved it.
"Let’s check the war vehicles and treat the wounded," someone said.
After being thrown by Qing Ruyan, Chen Gu could have used his strength to land smoothly. However, to conceal his abilities, he deliberately took a dramatic tumble. His face was now bruised and swollen. Worst of all, he had landed right on a hidden, tender injury on his face. The pain was so intense that tears welled in his eyes. But Liu Shichan was standing right beside him. To maintain his "tough guy" image, he desperately held the tears back.
As a result, Chen Gu’s eyes were now tear-filled, like those of a weary old bull.
His resentment towards Qing Ruyan deepened.
Liu Shichan stood shoulder to shoulder with Chen Gu. This made the Liu Family’s veteran bodyguards, tasked with protecting their young lady, tremble with fear. The President is not far off, watching! That’s the President’s young favorite; not just anyone can take a bite, good heavens!
"Were the holes on the elephant fish creature caused by the forest’s spikes?" Qing Ruyan asked. She pulled a spike from the side of a war vehicle; it had penetrated a good seven to eight centimeters into the armor.
The war vehicle’s armor was incredibly tough, certainly more resilient than the bodies of steam-powered mechanical species. If these spikes could hit the elephant fish creature, they would undoubtedly pierce its shell.
Realization dawned on everyone. So that was it.
"But..." Hu Ling, with his experience, raised another question. "The internal components of the elephant fish creature were all hollowed out. Could the Thorns Forest have done that too?"
"It’s possible," said the mercenary captain, who had narrowly escaped. "I remember plants on my home planet that hunt animals for nutrients."
He looked towards the densely packed spike-covered area and declared firmly, "I have to rescue my men! I can’t let them be devoured by a forest!"
But how to rescue them?
Everyone looked at the Thorns Forest. It was still swaying in the wind, its branches bristling with numerous sharp spikes. The previous volley had consumed, at most, ten to twenty percent of its arsenal.
The mercenary captain ordered, "Bring the war vehicles over! We’ll use them for cover..."
Leder cut him off bluntly. "No! The spikes will damage the war vehicles. By the time you drag the bodies back, the vehicles will probably be wrecked."
The mercenary captain roared, "So I’m just supposed to stand by and watch my brothers become fertilizer?"
Leder was unmoved. "The boss will pay compensation that will satisfy your brothers. Their families will be able to live comfortably with that money. But if you disobey orders, there will be no money. What’s your choice?" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel·fıre·net
The mercenary captain was gasping with rage. Another mercenary held him back. "Cap, this is our lot in life. The boss is willing to pay extra; that’s a pretty good outcome already."
The mercenary captain turned away, frustrated, but didn’t press the issue.
After a brief rest, the team set off again. They were about to reach Location Number One. Liu Shichan asked, "Mr. Leder, are you certain the remains of the super life are at Location Number One?"
Leder shook his head. "I can only be sure that there’s a massive metal carcass near Location Number One. I can’t guarantee anything else."
Liu Shichan seemed preoccupied, silently lowering her head.
Chen Gu guessed the Liu Family’s involvement was likely for the remains of the super life.
What would they want with the remains? Ordinary people, unlike professionals, had little use for the remains of a super life.
En route, Chen Gu found an opportunity to approach Liu Shichan. "Does your family need the remains?" he asked.
Liu Shichan glanced at him but didn’t deny it. Chen Gu pressed, "What do you need that for?"
Instead of answering, Liu Shichan said, "You’ve seen the dangers of this world of the extraordinary now. Do you regret your decision?"
"This time... if we all make it back alive, find a way to leave that old woman. I’ll arrange the rest for you."
Chen Gu persisted, "Even if the Liu Family needs the remains, they wouldn’t need to send you, would they?"
Liu Shichan said no more and turned away.
Qing Ruyan drifted over like a phantom, a chill in her voice as she watched Liu Shichan’s retreating back and sneered, "Old woman? Hmph..."
Chen Gu glared at her. "Are you really going to pick on a young girl?"
Qing Ruyan bristled. "What’s that supposed to mean? If she’s a young girl, then I’m an old woman?"
"That’s not what I meant..." Chen Gu stammered, unable to explain. Qing Ruyan tossed her hair, huffed, and stalked off.
At the head of the column, Dora’s long ears twitched and then suddenly stopped moving.
She leaped onto the roof of a vehicle and tapped it. "Higher."
After ascending several dozen meters, Dora peered into the distance, then jumped down excitedly. "I see the metal carcass!"