Volume One: The Planet of Ten Thousand Beasts Chapter 5: The Blue Scorpion (Part One)

Bullets struck the interior of the driver's cabin, sparking in rapid succession. The soldier in camouflage poked his head out, then quickly ducked back as a bullet grazed his scalp, leaving a streak on his cap.

Bang, bang, bang...

The soldier rolled swiftly on the ground, lightning-fast, six bullets trailing behind him—all missing by mere inches. That tiny margin was enough for him to slip around to the other side of the armored vehicle. Reaching to his waist, he grabbed a grenade.

He tossed the grenade inside the compartment but hadn’t yet escaped when it was promptly swatted away; the occupants inside reacted with astonishing speed.

Boom—

The grenade exploded midair. The soldier, who had dived under the vehicle just in time, barely caught his breath. The blast's shockwave was as heavy as a mountain. Like a gecko, he flipped out from beneath the vehicle on the opposite side, brandishing two machine guns—one in each hand—firing indiscriminately at the armored vehicle. Bullets flew chaotically inside the cabin. Such a dense barrage should have killed even a rat. Yet the soldier was not at ease.

The moment his magazines emptied, he slipped a pistol into the holster on his leg and retrieved two more grenades. With practiced ease, he removed the safety from one grenade. Just as he was about to throw it, an ear-splitting volley of gunfire erupted from inside the vehicle.

The soldier’s extensive combat experience alerted him the moment he saw the muzzle flash inside the cabin. Realizing the danger, he didn’t even have time to discard the grenade and threw himself to the side with all his might.

Bang—

The armored vehicle, capable of withstanding ordinary machine-gun fire, now bore a bullet hole. The soldier flew sideways for several meters, crashing heavily onto the ground. Bloodied, Li Juxu leaped out from the vehicle clutching a pistol. Just as he aimed, the soldier rolled away like lightning behind an earthen embankment.

"Damn it!" Li Juxu cursed. He knew the armor’s thickness halved the sniper rifle’s power and saw the soldier’s heavy bulletproof vest. Still, the remaining force felt like a collision with a car. If it had been an ordinary man, his insides would have shattered and he’d be bleeding out. Yet the soldier recovered within seconds—almost superhuman.

Li Juxu realized he had been careless. He should have held the sniper rifle, not a pistol. The sniper rifle was heavy, and when speed was paramount, the pistol was undoubtedly more convenient. His mind raced with thoughts, but his speed only increased. He knew regret solved nothing. Running back to the vehicle for the sniper rifle was out of the question. Charging up the embankment meant two quick shots.

Two bullet holes appeared in the dirt. The soldier vanished. A wave of icy dread swept over Li Juxu. He barely had time to think before he lunged to the side with all his strength.

Boom, boom!

The grenade exploded where he had just stood. Fortunately, the soldier couldn’t predict his dodge direction, or this would have been fatal. The blast on the embankment sent Li Juxu sprawling to a lower position, narrowly avoiding the grenade’s lethal arc. His ears were ringing, but his hairs stood on end. He rolled over the ground with all his might.

Bang, bang, bang!

Bullets chased his rear. The first three missed. The fourth grazed his body, tearing away a chunk of flesh from his arm. Li Juxu involuntarily stiffened—not because of the wound, but because a protruding rock jabbed into his thigh, pain so intense it nearly took his breath away. Inevitably, his speed slowed. Sensing danger, he gritted his teeth and instinctively fired several shots behind him.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

Li Juxu knew he hadn’t hit the soldier. Yet at least he disrupted the soldier’s firing rhythm. The gunfire ceased; the soldier hid. Seizing the moment, Li Juxu adjusted his stance, scanning the other side of the embankment. He saw no sign of the soldier but was certain he lay hidden there. The moment he showed himself, the soldier’s deadly aim would find his head. The soldier’s marksmanship was terrifyingly precise.

Slowly crawling over the rocky ground, Li Juxu regretted again not having taken the sniper rifle. Suddenly, an idea struck him. With a glance toward the armored vehicle, he made a decision. Taking a deep breath, he picked up a dark stone and hurled it forcefully.

“Damn!”

Just as he was raising his gun to aim, the soldier threw something—another grenade. The soldier was bluffing; the opponent was not.

Faced with mortal danger, a surge of strength welled up inside him. Summoning all his might, he burst from the low ground, leaped into the air. Before he landed, the explosion erupted behind him, the shockwave slamming into his back. Even in his bulletproof vest, his back went numb in an instant. Dizzy and aching, he raised his pistol, just catching sight of the soldier’s right hand blowing apart as he aimed.

The pistol warped, flesh and bone scattered through the air—it was a woman. His efforts had not been in vain. She seized the opportunity. However, her aim was slightly off. Had it been a headshot, the fight would have ended.

A normal person’s palm would have been shattered, instantly incapacitated by the pain. But the soldier was professionally trained. He darted away with near-cheetah speed, evading the woman’s second shot. Slithering in an S-pattern, he avoided Li Juxu’s consecutive fire as well. Yet all his bursts missed; neither hit the other. Their magazines emptied almost simultaneously.

The soldier, with one arm disabled, should have been vulnerable to close combat. But comparing their builds, Li Juxu wisely kept his distance. Suddenly, the soldier accelerated sharply; the gap closed instantly. Li Juxu struck with lightning speed. The soldier blocked the punch, and when their fists met his arm, Li Juxu felt not flesh but a steel pipe—solid and unyielding.

His arm tingled and went numb as it was pushed aside. The next moment, the soldier locked his throat. The soldier’s arm was like an Amazonian anaconda—Li Juxu suspected it could snap a tree in an instant. He pushed with both hands against the soldier’s limb but felt like he was pushing a car with the accelerator floored—utterly outmatched.

His neck tightened, suffocation burning. He fought the pain, twisting his legs around the soldier’s in desperation, and thrusting his back forward, hoping to throw him down. Pain exploded through his body, but the soldier remained unmoved. Instead, Li Juxu’s legs nearly broke.

This was no mere man—it was reinforced steel.

Oxygen-starved, his vision blurred. Relying on feeling, he grabbed the soldier’s other arm—now without a palm—and squeezed hard. The soldier stiffened instantly, pain triggering a surge of strength. The arm strangling Li Juxu’s neck contracted violently, nearly breaking his throat.

At the critical moment, a shot rang out. The soldier collapsed heavily. The woman arrived.

Li Juxu couldn’t see clearly but heard the shot. The soldier had been hit in the foot—left or right unknown. He felt the soldier entangle his body, forcing him to roll rapidly on the ground. The soldier’s combat experience was extraordinary. His rolling forced the woman to cease fire unless she no longer cared about his life. Considering their unstable relationship, Li Juxu’s heart leapt. From her perspective, shooting now was the best choice.