Chapter 1090: Hunter and Prey
These words were directed at Wang Mo and the others. He and two other players quickly walked to the rear of the vehicle and threw several bags to the ground. The bags burst upon landing, and dozens of fist-sized metal balls rolled out. Serrated blades protruding from their sides began spinning rapidly, propelling the metal spheres forward at high speed.
As soon as they encountered the enemy, the blades on the metal balls turned into cutting tools, swiftly reaping the xenomorphs running at the front before automatically retracting.
After repeating this three or four times, the blades on the metal balls became dull and could no longer kill in a single strike. Under Wang Mo's control, they then attached themselves to the xenomorphs' bodies one after another. Once hooked into the creatures' flesh, a dozen or so barbed fishing lines shot out from inside. These flying lines entangled the surrounding xenomorphs, and with an unimaginable toughness, they flipped over several beasts in succession, completely breaking their pursuit momentum!
But that wasn't the end. The metal balls still attached to the xenomorphs exploded. The improved micro-bombs were powerful enough to kill a single xenomorph with each blast. Amid the explosions, blossoms of destruction bloomed everywhere, xenomorph flesh and blood splattering across the open ground, creating a thick, pungent, bloody wind.
Wang Mo and his companions let out excited shouts, then threw out even more metal balls, continuing until they had effortlessly killed over half the xenomorphs before stopping. By then, the xenomorph pack, including those that had gathered from other areas, no longer had any reason to chase prey—the dead among them were more than enough for a feast.
The truck skirted around the feeding xenomorph pack. Still riding the thrill, Wang Mo turned back and said to Xu Huo and the others, "These guys look big, but you can't eat them. Their flesh and blood are all poisonous."
"Once we get to the Big River, we can catch some plump rabbits."
Small River and Big River were the names used by Xiaohe City players for the two rivers near Xiaohe City. The river closest to Xiaohe City was smaller, hence the name Small River, which was also how Xiaohe City got its name. The farther river was larger, and Sun Jing's hand-drawn map had marked food symbols near it.
"Are there fruit trees growing around there?" Xu Huo asked, his body swaying with the vehicle as he accidentally bumped into Zhou Yuanzhu beside him. He frowned slightly.
The area near the Big River was full of gravel, making the road rough and the ride bumpy. Zhou Yuanzhu's bandaged wound had torn open again, a bit of blood seeping through her clothes.
"You okay?" Xu Huo asked.
Zhou Yuanzhu glanced at Wang Mo and the others, then shook her head with a grim expression.
After repelling two more waves of xenomorphs, they finally reached the vicinity of the Big River.
This area was lush with vegetation, a vibrant green filling the view. Though they could hear the sound of flowing water, the river itself was nowhere to be seen.
Zheng Da and his group all got out of the vehicle, each picking up specially made crossbows. They handed one each to Xu Huo and Zhou Yuanzhu. "In the woods, this is the best thing for shooting rabbits—works better than any item."
"So, how about it? Interested in a little competition?"
Xu Huo weighed the thing in his hand, hesitating slightly. "Wouldn't splitting up be too dangerous?"
"The commotion we made should have lured away some of the larger xenomorphs. This area should be pretty safe now," Zheng Da said with a laugh. "The woods aren't big. Just shout if something happens."
Xu Huo and Zhou Yuanzhu looked hesitant, but Zheng Da and the others had already entered the woods first. With no other choice, they had to follow.
Watching the people ahead quickly scatter and vanish into the forest, Zhou Yuanzhu lowered her voice and said, "Something feels off to me."
Even if they were guarding against xenomorphs, there was no need for everyone to use silencing items. It was more like they were deliberately trying to shake them off.
"Do you know where they are?" Xu Huo asked, stretching his neck while glancing around. Four blurry, discolored numbers flashed briefly in the woods.
It seemed today's hunt wasn't for xenomorphs.
"I found three of them. The others have moved out of item range," Zhou Yuanzhu said.
Within a two-hundred-meter radius, only five players remained; the rest had gone far.
"Two are at your two o'clock, two at twelve o'clock, and one at ten o'clock. Distances are one hundred seventy meters, two hundred meters, two hundred twenty meters, one hundred ninety meters, and the last one is closest at one hundred fifty meters," Xu Huo reported their positions and glanced at Zhou Yuanzhu.
Their eyes met, and the next second, they charged toward the ten o'clock direction.
Breaking through the trees, the first thing they saw was a large net spread between the woods and arrows flying from the gaps in the net!
Xu Huo dodged the arrows, veered left around the net, and used his trait "Straight Line Distance" to accelerate, heading straight for the player who had set the trap.
But the player didn't seem interested in him. He tossed out a space item to block Xu Huo and went straight for Zhou Yuanzhu. After dodging two of her item attacks, he grabbed at the air with both hands, and several invisible lines hoisted Zhou Yuanzhu into the air.
Having succeeded, the player didn't approach recklessly. Instead, he used an item to disarm Zhou Yuanzhu of her weapon and then shot an arrow at her leg.
"Ding!" A moving piece of metal blocked the attack. Then the lines hanging from the tree snapped, and Zhou Yuanzhu fell. Seeing that Xu Huo was still trapped outside the item barrier and that several other players nearby were closing in, she switched from offense to defense, blocking attacks while moving toward Xu Huo.
"Sister Zhou, with so many men around here, why are you always running to that pale-faced pretty boy?" A middle-aged man descended from the air and landed directly in front of Zhou Yuanzhu, licking his lips. "That kid looks like his legs are about to give out. We big brothers are the real deal. How about we go somewhere ahead and chat?"
"Heh!" Zhou Yuanzhu sneered. "Why don't you take a piss and look at your own pancake face? The grease is practically dripping off, and you still have the nerve to call me 'sister' and 'brother'?"
Another player who had arrived later let out a whistle.
The middle-aged man laughed heartily. "I like women with a bad temper. They've got flavor!"
As he spoke, the men tightened their encirclement.
"Go! Don't worry about me!" Xu Huo, still trapped behind the barrier and unable to get through, shouted anxiously.
Zhou Yuanzhu looked at him, then at the people around her. She raised her hand, and a translucent paper ball landed on the grass. She crawled inside and called out to Xu Huo, "Come find me later!"
With that, the paper ball crashed through two players and shot toward the distant woods.
The middle-aged man and the other three pursued without hesitation, leaving the player who had blocked Xu Huo behind. "Handle the guy."
"It's always me stuck with the cleanup..." the remaining buzz-cut player grumbled as he turned to deal with Xu Huo. But to his shock, he found himself face-to-face with the man—the one who had been unable to break through the item barrier was now standing right behind him!
He instinctively retreated, but Xu Huo didn't give chase. Only when the buzz-cut player had stopped fifty meters away did the man across from him slowly raise his left hand and use his right hand to tap the back of his left hand.
The buzz-cut player looked down at his own left hand.
(Chapter End)