Chapter Forty-Three: It Must Not Be Allowed to Escape!

"Xiaoling, A-Liang, three-person combat formation!"

"Xiaoling, left; A-Liang, right—drive it into the corner."

"Adjust to burst-fire mode, increase effective shots, conserve ammunition."

Ratatat—

Ratatat—

Bang—

As the vice-captain of the demon-hunting squad, Zhuang Yong'an's command was precise. After surveying the environment and assessing their available manpower, he immediately issued the most rational battle plan.

On Zhou Shu’s side, the danger had momentarily subsided. The Predator, witnessing the combat unit of human civilization for the first time, did not miss a single detail. Thus, as Zhuang Yong'an’s group moved, Zhou Shu’s vision filled with various data and guiding lines, laying bare the trio’s tactics, as well as their individual and combined combat capabilities.

Compared to Zhou Shu—a regular high schooler who had only just acquired a combat support system—these three battle-hardened professionals, each with attributes above 0.9, demonstrated far superior combat efficiency.

Just three people, each taking a position, firing as they herded, managed to drive the mutant into a corner.

Their proficiency with firearms was leagues beyond Zhou Shu’s mere ‘Beginner’ level; by his estimation, they had to be at least ‘Expert’.

Though they lacked his slow-motion superpower, their marksmanship and physical prowess alone were enough to keep the mutant running in circles.

Of course, the mutant was so agile that all they could do was chase it—actually injuring it was another matter. The damage so far was limited.

Still, Zhou Shu noticed the trio was pushing their limits. If they had even one more teammate of similar caliber, that mutant would have died here today.

Sure enough, as fate would have it—

“It’s no good! Its jumping and agility are better than we thought. Don’t let it get up the wall!” Sun Congliang shouted.

By then, Zhou Shu had scrambled to his feet. Hearing the shout, he seized the assault rifle slung over his shoulder and opened fire on the mutant.

Ratatatat—

A few rounds fired, but his aim was wild and the muzzle wandered.

Despite the shots going awry, both the team and the mutant were startled.

Damn, they got so caught up in the fight they’d forgotten there was another person.

But the trio’s surprise quickly turned to relief. Zhou Shu’s firearms skills were lacking, but at least he could shoot, knew where to aim, and wouldn’t hit his teammates—he was a firepower asset, however limited.

Zhuang Yong'an barked, “Zhou Shu, just shoot above it! Do not let it climb the wall!”

“Got it!” Zhou Shu replied obediently, though his abilities were meager. Compared to the others’ precise suppressing fire—which occasionally drew blood—his cover fire was like the gaps in a jail cell’s bars in a melodrama.

And more importantly… their ammunition was running low.

Despite the intensity, only a brief moment had passed; reinforcements were still en route.

Zhou Shu’s side was weak on defense, and now, as their ammo dwindled, everyone grew increasingly conservative with each shot.

From the start of their coordinated attack, they had managed to restrict the mutant’s movement and inflict some bleeding wounds, but the creature’s resilience and agility kept it from taking any serious hits.

As their gunfire grew more cautious, the mutant seized its chance and, undaunted by Zhou Shu’s feeble marksmanship, scrambled up the wall!

With a swipe of its claws, it scaled the surface and burst through their sparse net of suppressing fire.

“Roar—”

“Not good!”

“We can’t let it get outside!”

“Don’t let it escape!”

Hearing the shouts of Zhuang, Qiu, and the rest, Zhou Shu realized the gravity of the situation—or rather, that the threat posed by monsters was just as he’d feared.

Monsters might be formidable, but not unkillable. Like he’d thought before—if you bomb it enough, it’ll die.

But if a monster slipped into a crowd, the consequences would be dire.

Not only could you no longer bomb indiscriminately, but tracking it down again would be a nightmare.

And a monster that escaped and went into hiding would surely strike again—a truly nauseating prospect.

Overt dangers are not so frightening; they’re visible and can be dealt with. The real terror is the lurking threat, hiding in the shadows.

That was the danger of these mutants.

Zhou Shu grew anxious. If the monster escaped, not only would a blatant threat go underground, but he’d lose his source energy. Without it, he couldn’t grow stronger quickly.

Most importantly, he’d end up looking like a complete fool.

He’d made a bold declaration earlier—if he missed, he’d be an idiot. Even if only to avoid fulfilling that prophecy, he had to kill this thing!

Even if it meant revealing his powered exoskeleton armor!

He’d have to come clean eventually anyway.

So, as the mutant clambered up the wall and the others hesitated, Zhou Shu dashed after it.

“Don’t you dare run!”

But to the three-person squad, Zhou Shu’s reckless behavior was dangerous. Whether out of eagerness for merit or something more, breaking formation and disregarding teammates was forbidden.

Not that Zhou Shu was under their command.

“Zhou Shu, don’t rush in!”

“After it!”

Four chased one, but the mutant was the fastest.

Once out in the open, their guns posed little threat to it. Desperate to survive, the creature ran even faster.

At first, Zhou Shu managed to lead the pursuit for a few steps, but the squad quickly overtook him—his 0.8-level stats were no match for their 0.9 and above.

The three charged ahead; there was no time to worry about Zhou Shu now—they had to keep the mutant from escaping.

As the distance widened, Zhou Shu poured all his focus into the chase—even trying to bargain with the Predator system.

“System, didn’t you want to make me a super soldier? Now the source energy is about to get away—how am I supposed to become a super soldier without it?”

“According to headquarters regulations, the system—”

“Fine, headquarters regulations. What, new recruits don’t get source energy from headquarters? Without source energy, how do I become a super soldier?”

“Well, the system rules—”

“You’re supposed to be a support system, right? You have to support me, you get it?”

“How about this: give me the same auxiliary lines you showed when observing them. I’ll use your assistance to kill the beast, get the source energy, then enter the virtual battlefield for training, add points, and become a super soldier. This is a complete logic chain, right?”

“Yes… complete.”

“Then what are you waiting for? You were quick enough to materialize the exoskeleton, burning through five points of source energy in a flash—so obedient! Now that it’s time to collect source energy, why drag your feet?”

“Affirmative. Activating shooting assistance system—”

“Humidity: 16%, wind speed: 3, distance: 136… changing, movement prediction calculating…”

“Remaining rounds: 2, firearm recoil calculation…”

“Generating shooting guide lines…”

“Correcting weapon posture…”

“Correcting breathing rhythm…”

Once the Predator relented, it wasted no further time. Data flashed before Zhou Shu’s eyes. He stopped running, braced his rifle on a rack, recovered his stamina, and waited for the perfect moment.

When the Predator signaled him to fire, he took a deep breath and peered at the mutant through the scope.

In—out—

As he exhaled slowly, he realized the world was slowing down.

“So… ‘Slow-Motion Vision’ is online?!”

“Hell yes!”

……

The mutant darted and dodged among the racks as the trio closed in. If it leapt past them into the rear workshop, they’d lose it for good.

If they lost the target…

“Damn it! We cannot let it escape—”

Bang! Bang!

Two shots rang out from behind. They saw black blood burst from both of the mutant’s popliteal hollows—it tumbled from the racks.

Instead of getting up to flee, it crawled forward, dragging itself with its hands.

Even so, it was no match for the approaching trio.

They wasted no time—moving in and finishing it off.

After eliminating the mutant, they examined its wounds, especially the blood still pulsing from the bullet holes behind its knees.

Sun Congliang frowned. “Both popliteal arteries were hit—its legs were crippled instantly. Has our sharpshooter arrived?”

“To hit both popliteal arteries on a moving mutant in these conditions, that’s not just any marksman. Do we have anyone that skilled?” Qiu Ling asked Zhuang Yong'an.

Zhuang Yong'an said nothing, only glanced back in the direction they’d come.

“Not necessarily reinforcements,” he murmured.

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