Chapter 53

Chapter 53 Chapter 53 [Damn it! Why is the Mountain Crawler here?] “Don’t worry, it’s just a kid. Focus on its weak legs and belly.” Jade was observing the battlefield from atop the container crane. He wore specially crafted goggles on his head, equipped with various features such as heat detection and long-range target magnification commonly used by snipers. Jade invested heavily in this equipment to enhance coordination with his teammates. [Hey, Tin can! I’ve got its back, so aim for its legs!] [Are you sure?] [I’ll keep an eye on the bastard.] [Frost, I’ll provide sniper support.] As Jade had anticipated, his teammates quickly adapted to dealing with the Mountain Crawler. Frost rushed in to strike its legs, and when the creature retaliated, Dwayne interfered with its vision by sniping its eyes. In the meantime, Hope showered it with grenades. [Grrrrrr....] The Mountain Crawler, just a wild animal, had no choice but to succumb to the relentless teamwork of Jade’s group. The creature’s cries of anger and injustice echoed even to this distant location. ‘But where did it go?’ Jade suddenly realized that he couldn’t see the creature anymore. He had overlooked its movements while concentrating on the Mountain Crawler. ‘It must be nearby.’ To find the most dangerous monster that Jeanette had warned about, Jade manipulated his goggles. When Dwayne first spotted the guys with Gallagon, Jade ordered to kill the unidentified man first. It wasn’t a carefully considered command. Throughout their hunting experience, the most dangerous enemies were humans, not monsters. However, Jeanette objected to Jade’s order. The truly dangerous presence was not the man but the monster carrying Gallagon on its head, she claimed. As a cultist, Jeanette sensed a flow of psychic power from the guy that she had never encountered before. According to her, among the psychic powers she had witnessed in her lifetime, this one was the most ferocious and majestic. It was the first time Jeanette had made such a statement, and Jade was momentarily puzzled. If he could extract the guy’s genes and transfer them to Si-hyun Yujin, she would undoubtedly become much stronger. ‘Capturing the guy alive would also help the lady, but...’ However, Jade was well aware of how dangerous the unidentified psychic power could be. If the capture attempt failed, it would be a real disaster. So, he ordered Dwayne to target him first. ‘Though the ambush failed, we can still keep him out of our sight... Huh?’ Strange sounds reached Jade’s ears as he searched for the guy. It sounded like the wind, and at times, like the vibrations when a levitating car approached. ‘Where is this sound coming from?’ Scanning around the crane revealed nothing unusual. Jade called Dwayne, who wore similar goggles. “Dwayne, check around the crane...” [New enemies!] [They’re supporting the Mountain Crawler.] [Aren’t those the guys we saw earlier? The ones with Gallagon.] Hastening to reevaluate the battlefield, Jade spotted Blue Gallagon, just as Hope had mentioned. Behind him, a large balloon, rising to thigh height, followed. A gaunt man hiding behind a container at a slight distance also came into view. Having found the Gallagon he was looking for, Jade quickly picked up his communication device. “Don’t attack Gallagon! If he gets hurt, the mission is a failure.” [What should we do then? We agreed to deal with them later because of Gallagon.] It wasn’t a significant problem if Gallagon got hurt. As long as he didn’t die, they could somehow treat him. ‘The problem is that Blue Gallagon can call his kin.’ Although the Gallagon in the city wasn’t the one, Jade had heard about an incident where they incurred significant losses while trying to rescue another Blue Gallagon. At that time, two White Gallagons and one Black Gallagon appeared to save the Blue Gallagon. Due to them, they suffered tremendous losses, losing ten warships. ‘I don’t know if it’s fortunate or not, but the guy I brought along seems unusually quiet.’ Whether the heavens were helping Jade or not, the creature still hadn’t called its kin. However, they couldn’t predict how long the creature’s patience would last. They needed to quickly stun it and put it in the cryo-container. ‘...Looks like we’ll have an adventure here.’ Determined, Jade gave orders to his teammates through the communication device. “...The plan was to deal with them after securing the area, but we have no choice. Eliminate everyone except Gallagon.” [Only need to be cautious with Gallagon? Alright.] [Yeah.] “Hope, be careful with the grenades.” [Got it, Mom.] [Wait, there’s something wrong with that pink balloon!] When I was first sniped, it was highly likely that the enemies had already prepared for our members. ‘One human and one Gallagon, they probably assumed there was an unidentified monster.’ If there were more humans among us, or if I were at least an intellectual being, the enemies might have questioned the current situation. Humans can be threatened to move forcibly, after all. But the only human among us is over there, shivering and hiding next to the Gallagon. Therefore, they only think that their teammate is acting unpredictably, and they don’t even consider the situation where the monster is ‘holding and moving’ him without killing him. Of course, unless the enemies are fools, they would recognize that there’s a problem with the teammate and try to respond. And it’s precisely their logical actions that I’m aiming for. [Jade! Answer me!] [Dwayne! Jade is heading your way!] “The line of sight doesn’t reach. Check it out right away.” “Off...” The man I’m holding seems to be Jade Russell, the man who brought the Adhai to this city. I haven’t seen his face in detail yet because facing him directly would reveal my identity. ‘I had a feeling it was him, and it turned out to be true.’ “Off...” Jade, or rather, the man, tried his best to convey this fact to his teammates, even though his limbs were twisted and he was being held by me. ‘I can’t just leave him like this.’ I bit his shoulder. The neurotoxin coursing through my bodily fluids burrowed quickly into his body. “......” Startled like a goat, Jade, frozen stiff, became silent with that. With the doll-like limbs whimpering, I moved on to the next target. ‘Next is the sniper.’ I didn’t know where he was when I was attacked earlier, but not now. The sniper is within the Soul Link range and at the same time positioned to shoot within Jade’s field of view, which I am holding. Calculating the enemy’s position through this narrows down the range significantly. ‘If I get closer, the sniper will probably show up to check up on his teammate.’ Entering the suspected range where the sniper might be, I laid Jade on the ground next to the container. I waited for the enemies to react from outside Jade’s field of view. ‘It’s time to move slowly.’ Since the sniper is likely sharing his sight with Jade, he should quickly figure out where Jade is. I focused on my auxiliary senses and continued to monitor the surroundings. After a few minutes, my auxiliary senses detected movement. It was an agile movement, almost mistakable for a mouse or cockroach. ‘It’s him.’ Quietly, I maneuvered to avoid being caught in the agile sniper’s line of sight. Most likely, the sniper, like Jade, wears equipment that assists their vision, so I need to stay away from this spot. ‘This should be far enough.’ Keeping a certain distance, I hid in the shadows and waited. The sniper approached cautiously, like a mouse aiming for a piece of cheese in a trap. Even though it was a distance where he would gradually become visible, his figure was not seen. Instead, I could feel through my auxiliary senses that the opponent might be wearing optical camouflage gear. ‘Well, it won’t matter if I hit his head.’ When he stops moving to check Jade’s condition, that would be the opportunity. [The Mountain Crawler is taken care of! The rest won’t be much longer!] Bad news came through Jade’s communication device. If the Mountain Crawler is dead, Number 26 and Adhai won’t last much longer. ‘...No. Let’s trust them.’ I shook my head despite the negative thoughts. From my experience so far, Number 26 is not weak. It should be able to hold on until I go to help. I waited patiently. Negative stories continued to come through the communication Device, but I gritted my teeth and endured them. And finally, my auxiliary senses brought good news. The sniper was standing on the roof of the container in front of me. I aimed with the Spine Projectile Organ at his location. The target was his heart. Although not visible to the naked eye, the super-senses of my auxiliary system easily captured the quiet heartbeat of the sniper. “This is Dwayne. I’ve got a visual on Jade....” Before he could finish his sentence, a bone spike was launched from my fingertips. As expected, Amorph’s senses didn’t betray me. The sniper didn’t get to finish his sentence before he crashed down into the container.