Chapter 119: Personnel Losses
The underground karst cave was pitch-black. Above their heads lay billions of tons of rock, and the intermittent sound of dripping water made one feel an inexplicable oppression.
For ordinary people, not to mention walking in such an environment, prolonged exposure alone would severely affect their mental state.
However, for Zhou Ming and the Poison Sting Squad, the underground karst cave caused them no trouble at all.
In the pitch-black environment, with the assistance of night-vision devices and Serpent Pupils, the complex surroundings could be seen with perfect clarity.
Their powerful psychological resilience directly ignored the oppressive atmosphere brought by the cave.
At this moment, Zhou Ming was hiding behind a rock. Using the secret breathing method of the Mad Python Martial Way, he began to suppress his own aura.
For many powerhouses who had experienced life-and-death battles, there was no need for external clues. They could rely solely on instinct to sense whether danger was hidden nearby.
Zhou Ming did not know how strong the pursuers behind him were, so he could only treat them as powerful enemies, avoiding any unexpected situation beyond his estimations.
Time slowly passed amid the sound of dripping water. Relying on the Ironthread Snake hidden in the darkness, Zhou Ming had already sensed that the targets were approaching.
Five hunters, plus two Phantasmal Beasts.
“Burrowing Rat, and another Phantasmal Beast?”
The Burrowing Rat responsible for scouting was the first to be spotted by Zhou Ming, but the other Phantasmal Beast, the Swiftshadow Serpent, was not immediately discovered.
However, with the help of the Radar Sensory Domain, Zhou Ming still detected the Swiftshadow Serpent hidden in a corner.
“Burrowing Rat, Swiftshadow Serpent. I wonder what the other three people’s Phantasmal Beasts are.”
Although he did not know the information of the other three people’s Phantasmal Beasts, the two in front of him were already troublesome enough.
Information about the Burrowing Rat and the Swiftshadow Serpent surfaced in Zhou Ming’s mind, and he had no intention of launching a sneak attack on these two Phantasmal Beasts.
The Thunder Type-2 Revolver needed close range to unleash its terrifying power. From too far away, not only would its power drop, but he could not even guarantee accuracy.
As for the Blood Hunter Type-1 Handgun, although its effective range was long, it was difficult to pose a real threat to Phantasmal Beasts.
As for waiting for the enemy’s Phantasmal Beasts to approach, Zhou Ming was unwilling to take that risk.
After all, the Burrowing Rat and the Swiftshadow Serpent had extremely strong perception abilities. There was a chance he would be discovered before even making a move, and once entangled, it would be very difficult to escape.
When the Burrowing Rat and the Swiftshadow Serpent were about twenty to thirty meters away from Zhou Ming, Poison Sting and the others following behind the Phantasmal Beasts entered Zhou Ming’s field of vision.
Zhou Ming did not continue waiting, to prevent the enemy’s Phantasmal Beasts from getting too close and causing him to lose the initiative.
Without the slightest hesitation, he drew both guns, aimed, and pulled the trigger.
During this process, the Burrowing Rat still keenly detected the sound of Zhou Ming drawing his gun.
“Chi—”
The Burrowing Rat had just let out a warning cry.
“Boom—”
A furious roar like thunder erupted within the cave. The terrifying power of the Thunder Type-2 Revolver brought an instantaneous shock to the Poison Sting Squad.
When Zhou Ming used the Thunder Type-2 Revolver, he never intended to kill the enemy’s Phantasmal Beast with a single shot, but rather to use the weapon’s power to intimidate the opponent.
Even if it was only for a fleeting moment.
And Zhou Ming took advantage of that split second to immediately pull the trigger of the Blood Hunter Type-1 Handgun in his left hand.
Spiritual Power, the Radar Sensory Domain, and his gunfighter’s shooting sense worked in perfect coordination, giving Zhou Ming near-perfect accuracy.
Three bullets were fired.
Two shots to the chest, one shot to the head. Even the gods would shake their heads.
The sneak attack succeeded. Zhou Ming immediately concealed his body, and the Poison Sting Squad’s counterattack arrived instantly.
Bullets filled with rage continuously slammed into the rock where Zhou Ming had been hiding.
“Bastard, come out here!”
The Poison Sting Squad had not expected Zhou Ming to dare take the initiative and launch a sneak attack. Before they could even react, one of their members was already severely injured and had lost combat capability.
This was mainly thanks to the protective suits they were wearing, which were sufficient to withstand ordinary handgun fire. Otherwise, the target of Zhou Ming’s ambush would have died on the spot. Even so, the kinetic energy of the bullets still caused significant damage.
Zhou Ming had already anticipated the enemy’s retaliation. After successfully landing the ambush, he immediately retreated in the direction Yang Yi had fled.
“Violent Bear, stop firing. That man has probably already escaped. Save your bullets.”
Poison Sting’s expression was gloomy as he stopped the squad’s only heavy firepower, then instructed another team member nearby.
“Thin Tiger, go check it out. Don’t act rashly.”
“Boss, I got it.”
After receiving Poison Sting’s order, Thin Tiger simply replied and then summoned his own Phantasmal Beast.
A Ghost Claw Cat.
Its entire body was pitch-black, about one and a half meters long. Among low-tier Ferocious Beasts, it was famous for its powerful agility and its cat claws capable of cutting through steel and carrying deadly toxins.
In the darkness, it was a natural-born killer.
Holding a Storm-series Rifle, Thin Tiger cautiously advanced toward the spot where Zhou Ming had previously been hiding, riding his Phantasmal Beast while probing forward.
“Rat, how do you feel?”
Seeing that Thin Tiger had not encountered another ambush, Poison Sting finally shifted his attention to Rat.
At this moment, the squad member Blind Snake was desperately treating him.
“Boss, I won’t die for now, but I can’t move temporarily. You guys go chase the target first.”
“But be careful of his Thunder Type-2 Revolver. That person should be a Gunfighter. Take advantage of the fact that he can’t easily use the Thunder Type-2 Revolver again in a short time.”
Rat spoke with some difficulty, his voice extremely weak.
Although the bullets had not penetrated his helmet or protective suit, they had caused a concussion and fractured sternum. Rat had already lost his combat ability.
At most, he could rely on his own Phantasmal Beast to barely protect himself.
At the same time, he immediately relayed the intelligence he had obtained to his boss.
“I understand. Hide well. We’ll come back to pick you up after we return.”
Poison Sting was also well aware of the Thunder Type-2 Revolver’s usage limitations. Most Gunfighters found it difficult to use it twice in rapid succession, and he did not want to miss this opportunity.
After giving Rat some emergency treatment, Poison Sting immediately led the others in pursuit of Zhou Ming.
Zhou Ming, who had chosen to retreat at the first moment, also detected the enemy’s movements through the Radar Sensory Domain.
As for the fact that Rat had not died, he could clearly see it as well through the white dot displayed in the Radar Sensory Domain.
Seeing that the opponent stayed behind and did not move together with the others, Zhou Ming guessed that although the man had survived, he must have suffered serious injuries.
Upon discovering this, Zhou Ming immediately used the Spiritual Thread to command the Ironthread Snake hidden in the darkness to deliver a final, fatal blow to the injured Rat.
Within the cracks of the underground cave, the slender Ironthread Snake began to move toward Rat, and Rat’s Phantasmal Beast, the Burrowing Rat, immediately sensed something.
Rat did not pay much attention to his Phantasmal Beast’s reaction. After all, there were many ordinary mutated animals in the cave, and snakes were the most common of all.
He merely instructed his Phantasmal Beast to deal with it casually. His mind was muddled, and he did not want to bother with it any further.
However, what he did not expect was that within the rock crevice beneath him, an Ironthread Snake was already hiding.
In his dazed state, Rat’s unprotected neck was suddenly pierced by the Ironthread Snake’s venomous fangs.
In a severely injured state, with a lethal paralytic toxin injected into his body, Rat died on the spot without any resistance.
While clearing the Ironthread Snake, the Burrowing Rat suddenly suffered a backlash from the Spiritual Seed in its mind.
Amid a burst of wailing, it died.