Chapter 172: Even Stronger Monsters
When even the Four Great Kings found themselves in a tough situation, the other students were even worse off. Danger was everywhere around them, and they found themselves in a situation where they could only be beaten up.
It only took a few minutes for the relaxed chatter in the communication channel to turn into shocked screams.
“What’s going on?! Why are the monsters so strong?!”
“Are they really just normal monsters?!”
“Their attack speed and use of the environment are of a much higher level compared to the monsters we’ve seen before! They’re practically elite monsters!”
“No, my strengthened exoskeleton is stuck! I can’t move my right arm and right leg!”
“I stepped into a swamp! Ms. Li, save me!”
“Why are the images blurry? I lost sight of a lot of monsters! Where did the Long-legged Spiders go?!”
When new recruits fought, they often relied on the data from long-distance monitors.
In the beginning, the monsters did not know what the Long-legged Spiders were, and they did not attack the strange-looking machines. Hence, they could monitor the area from above at a close distance, and the humans could locate most of the monsters around the lake. Then, through the data link, the freshmen could “see everything and hear everything”, which greatly increased their hunting efficiency and safety.
But the monsters were not stupid. Gradually, they realized that the strange machines belonged to the same group of humans who invaded their nests. Quite a number of them jumped on the Long-legged Spiders and bit down on their long limbs and the monitoring probes on their backs.
The Long-legged Spiders sacrificed firepower and defensive abilities to maximize their mobility and scouting efficiency. Hence, there was no way they could resist the monsters tearing into them.
Soon, three Long-legged Spiders were reduced to scraps. Sparks flew out of them, and the ruined machines sank into the swamp.
The remaining Long-legged Spiders were forced out of the areas with the largest quantities of monsters.
Even the reconnaissance drones levitating in the air were attacked by the Hundred-eyed Toads, which jumped up and fired acid at them. They had to fly higher up.
And once they had to take high-angle shots from twenty-thirty meters above ground, it was difficult to count how many small monsters there were lurking in the bushes that were more than one meter tall. The freshmen lost their “ears” and “eyes”, so it was only natural that they descended into panic.
Many people retreated as they fought and left the lake in an incredibly pathetic fashion. When they retreated to the places where the monsters were not gathered in such large groups, their backs were drenched with sweat, and they gasped for breath. They felt that the half an hour they spent fighting in the wild was even more tiring than a tournament or three hours in a virtual battlefield.
Some of the unlucky kids were even injured quite badly. Their bodies were full of poisonous needles from the Ghost-arrow Pigs, and they were covered in the acid from the Hundred-eyed Toads. Even if they had the strengthened exoskeletons or the biochemical fighting suits, they still felt sharp pain burning their skin.
“Now, you should have noticed why you have to start in a Yellow Region even though you’re one-star superhumans and why you have to fight against normal monsters to slowly gather fighting experience, right?”
Li Yingzi widened her eyes, and spirit flames gushed out of her like a volcano eruption. A semi-transparent griffin made of pure energy rose into the air and let out a shocking roar.
Killing intent that was equivalent to that of a high-grade Hell Beast descended over the area like a mountain, and all the monsters in the battlefield shuddered. For a time being, they gave up on attacking the humans and fled back into the swamp or crawled underground.
The freshmen gained a valuable moment to catch their breath. They quickly retreated to the perimeter of the battlefield and gathered together. When they saw each other’s wounds and shock, they smiled bitterly.
The monsters in the city and the monsters in the wild were two completely different things, even though they belonged to the same grade.
Li Yingzi let the griffin circle above her head. It was made of pure energy created from spirit flames. She placed her hands behind her back and said faintly, “The monsters you see when they invade the city while the fog descends are unintentionally sent into Dragon City because the dimensions of the two worlds overlap with each other.
“If being perfectly accurate about it, they do not invade Dragon City because of any conscious effort. They just coincidentally fall into it through space-time rifts.
“They do not make any preparations to fight, and they don’t always have all their offensive abilities.
“And we have made skyscrapers with reinforced concrete. We have also strengthened the roads, and there are piercing lights all over the place. The monsters cannot even imagine this, let alone adapt to it right away.
“Besides, there are millions of people in Dragon City, and three-quarters of them are soldiers or members of pseudo-military organizations. Everyone has some fighting strength, so the monsters are lone armies in a foreign land at that point. They only think about fleeing and not winning the fight.
“As for us, when we’re in the city, we can read the movements of the dimensional vortex and predict what will happen half a day or a day in advance. We know when the fog will descend on us, and we can fortify the areas and regions that need to be fortified. We can even build barricades on the roads and mobilize soldiers. The windows are stuffed full of guns, and we form a 3D net made of firearms that cover every inch of the area.
“When the monsters arrive before you, they are already struck by a few rounds of bullets, grenades, and rocket launchers. But even if they avoid them, the light, impact, and deafening sounds scare them witless. They do not have any fighting power left in them by that point.
“The most important thing, though, is that you have the advantage in the city. You’re surrounded by comrades, and you have powerful elites guarding you. Even if you’re injured, you can get the best treatment within a short period of time. So, you have an absolute psychological advantage.
“Don’t look down on psychological advantages. If you don’t have to worry about attacks from the rear and can be fearless in the face of death, you can attack more smoothly, and the speed at which you create your spirit energy magnetic fields will be higher. It will also be more stable, and your success rate will also be increase.
“Just now, I saw a few of you trying to create spirit energy magnetic fields through the reconnaissance drones and Long-legged Spiders. You wanted to release powerful attacks, but you panicked, and your movements were out of form. You couldn’t guide your spirit energy accurately into your main meridians, which is why you failed.
“Some of your attacks even changed in grotesque ways and lost all strength, even if you were familiar with them in university and prided yourselves in their usage. This is a sign that your minds have been affected.”
The freshmen lowered their heads in shame.
Creating spirit energy magnetic fields and executing killing moves was the specialty of martial artists practicing the Overkill Style and Beast Soul Style.
Quite a number of the outstanding freshmen had already mastered the ways to create around eight spirit energy magnetic fields during the short two months of their university life. Some of them had even mastered the ways to execute more than ten killing moves. They could create exciting and cool fights in the cultivation rooms or the arena.
They were full of themselves and felt smug. They thought that they were martial arts geniuses. The brats believed that they were improving by leaps and bounds and were just slightly weaker in terms of attack speed and power when compared to their upperclassmen and lecturers.
It was only right now that they understood that there was a vast difference between attacking in the arena and truly fighting in the depths of the fog.
It was a completely different concept to fight in the wild, because they were in an incredibly horrible environment. After all, they were trying to attack while waist-deep in a swamp. Poisonous needles from the Ghost-arrow Arrows were stuck in their bodies, acid from the Hundred-eyed Toads covered their chests, and all sorts of pests crawled all over their bodies.
When they fought in the city, no matter how familiar they were with the moves, they were still amateurs.
It was only if they could remain calm and focused even when faced with venomous Purple Leeches in their pants and create perfect spirit energy magnetic fields before executing their most powerful moves with ease would they have the glory of a veteran superhuman!
“Humans’ fighting strength decreases in the wild, while the monsters living there are fighting in their home base. They are familiar with the plants, and they know which quagmire contains the most terrifying Purple Leech and which seemingly tranquil lake contains a large amount of Water Monkeys.
“They have gained their organs and fighting styles through evolution after living in their environment for millions of years. They eliminated what they did not need and strengthened what they needed. Their fighting power, thus, is naturally much higher,” Li Yingzi explained.
“The Wolf Crocodiles’ short legs and the Hundred-eyed Toads sticky liquid-covered legs are not suited for fighting in Dragon City’s reinforced concrete and strengthened roads. But they’re perfectly suited for the environment in front of you. As you can see, it’s a place that is partially a lake and partially a swamp.
“Your strengthened exoskeletons are fighting models made for fighting in the city. Most of their characteristics and advantages were carefully designed for the purpose of urban warfare. The brand new version made for fighting in the wild is still in the process of being designed and upgraded.
“This toy might have high firepower and seem to increase your speed, jumping height, and arm strength, but it’s heavy and has a high failure rate. There’s a limit to the angle at which its joints can turn, and it has all sorts of fatal weaknesses, such as being entangled by weeds. That’s why it’s not an equipment that we require you to have on yourself. I personally don’t suggest you use the strengthened exoskeletons currently available in the market.”
The freshmen were enlightened.
Their lecturers had told them the same thing while they were choosing their equipment before leaving for battle.
But at that time, the freshmen were deeply attracted by the fierce appearance of the strengthened exoskeletons, their great firepower, and the ridiculous increase in power. They did not listen to their lecturers.
That was why most of them chose to get the strengthened exoskeletons.
They even mocked the students who went into the battlefield with only light equipment. They were not going through the national college examination anymore, so there was no maximum number of weapons they could bring to the battle. As long as they could carry something, they could bring any of the mass-produced firearms, ammunition, or machines that could increase their abilities. So if they did not take them, they were idiots.
It was only now that they understood. They were the real idiots, and there were still a lot of things they could learn.
The elites from the martial arts course and monster controller course sucked in deep breaths. They got rid of their scorn for their enemies, their arrogance, and their dejection as they remembered the battle just now and reflected on their oversights and mistakes.
The two lecturers looked at each other and nodded.
But as most of the freshmen had retreated to reflect on their battle, they noticed to their shock that someone’s kill count was still increasing, and soon, she reached the top of the ranking board for their battlefield!
“It’s Wu Wu!
“She’s actually not affected by the environment at all?! Her attacks are so fierce!”
“In just a short twenty minutes, she killed more than fifty monsters! She’s practically a killing machine at this point!”
“Is she in the martial arts course or the monster controller course? Her skills are even better than those of the martial arts course’s Four Great Kings!”
The students cried out in surprise in the communication channel.
…Yeah, the last sentence was basically unnecessary. During the tournament between freshmen, Wu Wu had already shown just how terrifying she was before the Four Great Kings.
From that moment on, her unique living experience spread through the martial arts course, and everyone learned that she had grown up in the wild. Now, she was basically back at home, which would probably make her even stronger.
None of the students were envious or jealous of Wu Wu, and none of them even considered trying to win against her. They could only marvel at her while thinking that she was indeed a specially recruited student. She was a monster-level elite, which put her in a completely different world compared to normal-level elites like they were.
But just as everyone was shocked by Wu Wu’s powerful offense, in half a minute, a name no one expected to see suddenly shot up to the first place in the kill count ranking board.
“Meng Chao?”
“That’s impossible!”
“What witchcraft did he use this time? How did he instantly kill more than thirty monsters?!”