Zheng Tian only said "a bit unlucky", but in fact, it was conservative. It should have been "quite lucky" to not encounter a Level Four Ruined Beast.
"Everyone check your equipment. Especially examine the night vision goggles, infrared sensors, and ultrasonic reflection projectors to ensure these new devices are functioning properly. Then prepare to enter the cave. Since we must navigate through the cave network, each entry and exit takes too long, so Chen Hanyu must go in with us. Chen Hanyu has no self-defense capability, so we need to perfect these details."
Ren Zhong waved his hand, announcing the official start of today’s hunting expedition.
The reactions among his team varied a lot.
Wen Lei and Ou Youning showed a mix of ignorant excitement and thrill on their faces.
Chen Hanyu showed no change in expression.
Bai Feng was the same.
A fleeting doubt crossed Zheng Tian’s face.
But in the end, everyone still followed Ren Zhong deeper into the cave.
A few steps in, the light suddenly dimmed.
The simulated image on each person’s helmet visor was formed by the combination of the night vision goggles, infrared sensors, and ultrasonic reflection projectors, resembling true vision with merely a color difference.
The others felt a bit uncomfortable and needed to adjust; to Ren Zhong, it felt like returning home.
This experience was about seven to eight parts similar to his visual experiences in Virtual Reality.
"Wen Lei, Bai Feng, you two are responsible for Chen Hanyu’s safety. Ou Youning, stay right behind me; prepare the bombs as I instruct you. Zheng Tian, position yourself in the middle, always keeping an eye on the rear, there’s no need to worry too much about the front."
While giving orders, Ren Zhong activated the high-performance geomagnetic sensor and vibration detector specially installed in his exoskeleton.
The group moved several hundred meters further when Ren Zhong gave a low command through the communicator, "Everyone retreat fifteen meters back!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the other five turned around and retreated without hesitation.
Ren Zhong unsheathed a Second Level Shock Dagger, holding it in his right hand, and with a flick of his left wrist, a small round shield the size of a scooter wheel hub slid down from the arm armor, gripped firmly in his hand.
A soft buzzing sound was heard.
The propulsion engine behind Ren Zhong’s armor violently spewed out a gust of wind, and in an instant, he appeared at Ou Youning’s previous position, Shock Dagger at the ready.
The Shock Dagger flickered with cold light as it stabbed forward.
Almost simultaneously, a large clump of soil and dust fell from the cave wall, revealing a metallic worm with a diameter of one foot, extending uncertainly in length.
This Second Level metallic worm had a round head and a segmented, coil-like body, reminiscent of an exhaust vent pipe.
It originally intended to coil towards Ren Zhong, but he accurately predicted its move and viciously stabbed it in the head.
The Shock Dagger emitted a chainsaw-like screech as it sliced forward.
Sparks erupted from the worm’s head as a massive gash was forcibly carved.
The dagger cut further down, swiftly tearing a foot-long wound.
The metallic worm, in pain, retracted, appearing to escape.
Ren Zhong, however, struck with his left hand, shield in hand, punching it into the worm’s head.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of steel cables spread from the edges of the shield, spearing into its body.
The steel cables intertwined and extended inside the worm’s body from the head, reaching nearly four meters deep.
With a slight tremor, barbs extended from each ring of the cables.
It was tightly ensnared.
Ren Zhong firmly planted his feet, quickly amplified the armor’s power output, and attempted to pull back.
When the armor’s power output exceeded 189 kW, the metallic worm, similar to a yellow eel, was pulled down from the cave ceiling by Ren Zhong.
Ten seconds later, the eight-meter-long metallic worm’s body, resembling a giant python, was entirely dragged out.
Ren Zhong discarded the shield with his left hand and broke away.
Holding the knife in his right hand, he sprinted backward again, his knife slicing along the worm’s body like a fish filleting razor.
Chen Hanyu extracted a crystal chip from the middle section of the metallic worm’s body, placing it into a storage box.
The corpse was left as it was.
Everyone considered it a lucky start, with no risks encountered.
At noon, the group leaped out from a pit on the inner side of the third spiral of an abandoned mining shaft.
Chen Hanyu was the first to jump, rolling on the ground and standing back up.
Wen Lei and Bai Feng followed suit.
Then came Ou Youning and Zheng Tian.
Ou Youning, particularly startled, tripped over a stone at the edge of the cave entrance while jumping and stumbled backward, crashing towards the two-meter-high floor below.
If he had crashed, even if he didn’t die on the spot, a neck injury was inevitable.
Fortunately, Wen Lei turned and caught him in a princess carry, sparing him from disaster.
Zheng Tian leapt down lightly and landed steadily.
Ren Zhong was the last to exit.
His armor was pitted with corrosion damage, and the Shock Dagger and steel cable round shield, each worth 300 points, were long gone.
"Brother Ren, did that thing chase us out?"
Zheng Tian quickly asked.
Ren Zhong shook his head, "No. Let’s go, we should head back first."
En route, everyone took an inventory of their harvest.
Just in the morning, they had obtained a total of 27 Second Level crystal chips and 9 Third Level chips, which was a tremendous score.
But it wasn’t all good news.
It proved true that "if you often walk by the river, your shoes will get wet."
Ten minutes earlier, the group abruptly encountered a Level Four Ruined Beast deep in the pit, known as the Crystalized Pangolin.
This creature wasn’t large, merely a man’s height, but it possessed outstanding offensive and defensive capabilities, feasting on common ants, Second Level Ruined Beast copper ants, metallic worms, and other creatures.
Besides its virtually impenetrable scales, it also had a long tongue reaching up to five meters, coated with highly corrosive slime at the tip.
The group swiftly decided to flee.
Ren Zhong covered the rear while the others advanced first.
The team fought while retreating, nearly escaping the cave into daylight when the Crystalized Pangolin finally gave up on its prey and rushed back.
Ren Zhong was fine, but the others were already quite alarmed.
Though it was still early, Ren Zhong’s damaged equipment made it necessary to return to the town.
On the way back, Zheng Tian tentatively suggested: "Today’s haul is already quite good, so maybe... we try again tomorrow?"
Ren Zhong shook his head, "No, my armor only needs new outer armor plates, which are quick to repair. We’ll go back, find Ju Qingmeng to buy new equipment, and rest. Also, remember to restock ammunition and supplies. I’ll get some more accessories this time, prepare some new things, and then we’ll return to deal with the Crystalized Pangolin."
"What?" Zheng Tian exclaimed, "But that’s a Level Four Ruined Beast! It’s already lucky we escaped. Do we really have to go back?"
Ren Zhong smiled, "In my previous work, this was my approach. At first, I rushed blindly. When I hit a wall, I’d stop, feel the bruise on my forehead, and consider how bad it hurt and what kind of scar it left. Then I’d ponder what that difficulty really was like. Once I understood its form, I could figure out how to overcome it. That’s the principle for all things in the world. Anything that didn’t kill me on the first encounter will eventually become my prey."
He added a thought internally.
Actually, even the ones that killed me the first time still ended up as my prey.
Ou Youning swallowed hard and hesitated, "Brother, I know you have lots of ideas. But even if we manage to kill the Crystalized Pangolin, forcibly extracting the crystal chips devalues them a lot, doesn’t it? It’s quite wasteful. Maybe we should build up a bit more strength first? You always said, ’stock up and fortify before claiming the throne,’ right?"
Ren Zhong shook his head, "You underestimate Chen Hanyu."
As he spoke, he patted Chen Hanyu’s shoulder in the front passenger seat, "You can do it, right?"
He was asking with feigned ignorance.
Chen Hanyu blushed and lowered her head, "I’ll... I’ll do my best. But there’s hope for a perfect extraction."