Volume One: Planet of Beasts Chapter 53: Alley Warfare

Although the volcanic scorpions had lived in Lingyun Grotto for a long time, their eyes had not degenerated. This was because the depths of the grotto were volcanic rather than pitch-black. Their long-term exposure to the volcanic environment meant they were not overly sensitive to light, but the blinding glare of the flare compelled them to approach, driven by an irresistible instinct.

Most insects are phototactic. While these volcanic scorpions were several times larger than ordinary scorpions, they remained insects at their core. A single round of explosions did not kill many of them; grenades were designed to deal with humans, and their blast angles tilted slightly upward. Because the scorpions were so low to the ground and positioned a bit too far away, the grenades failed to inflict damage upon them. Even so, the explosions were not entirely without effect. The fleeing hunters managed to cling to life, and the hunters in the other directions also caught a brief respite.

"You guys deal with the ones on the ground. I'll take care of the ones climbing the walls!" Li Juxu poked his head out and shouted to the fleeing hunters.

"Can you even pull this off?" A short, chubby, dark-skinned man thought it was a good idea, yet he doubted Li Juxu's capabilities. There were six of them left. Dealing with the scorpions from just one direction was manageable; their previous frantic retreat had been caused by the chaos of having to defend multiple flanks simultaneously.

If a sniper dedicated himself to eliminating the wall-crawling scorpions, it would be a tremendous help.

"Whether I can or not, I have to try. Do we have any other way out?" As Li Juxu spoke, he fired several shots in rapid succession, every single bullet hitting its mark. The carcasses of the volcanic scorpions plummeted from the wall one after another, instilling immense confidence in the remaining hunters.

"Let's do it!" After a brief discussion, the hunters decided to take a gamble. Taking advantage of the fact that the scorpions had not yet dispersed too widely and still presented an opportunity for concentrated eradication, they knew that once they fled, the creatures would spread everywhere. Should that happen, the entire settlement would cease to be safe.

It had to be said that the veteran hunters still possessed a strong sense of responsibility. Their crossfire remained steady as they continuously gunned down the scorpions, with someone assigned to throw explosives in a well-coordinated rhythm.

Tonight's wind was light, yet the temperature remained bitterly low. Li Juxu wore ultra-thin thermal gloves, so his hands did not feel cold. How wonderful it was to have money! He had never possessed such gear before, when his bare hands would be exposed to the biting wind, forcing him to rely entirely on sheer willpower to endure. This pair of gloves was priced at 128,000 copper coins; unless it were an extraordinary situation, Li Juxu would never have been willing to buy them, but using them truly felt remarkably comfortable.

Streetlights lined the streets, but they were spaced far apart, leaving the overall ambiance dim and visibility poor in many areas. This, however, did not hinder Li Juxu, who possessed night vision. His gaze was piercing and bright. A distance of over a hundred meters posed virtually no difficulty for him; one shot per target, and any volcanic scorpion he locked eyes upon could not escape its doom.

Little Sister acted as his spotter. After all, he was only one man, and his attention could only cover the wall on one side, leaving the other flank vulnerable to oversight. A professional sniper required a spotter not for the sake of appearances, but because it was genuinely useful.

On the other hand, it was also a way to conceal his true strength. No one knew where the greatest danger lay or when it might strike. Keeping Little Sister safe in reserve could save his life at a critical moment. The hunters on the ground were currently in a cooperative state, but this alliance was fragile and could shatter at the first sign of danger. In the end, one could only rely on oneself.

Both Li Juxu and Little Sister had experienced the harsh perils of society and understood deeply that one must always keep a trump card up their sleeve.

The streets extended in all directions. Li Juxu's alley had achieved good coordination and managed to stem the onslaught of the volcanic scorpions, forcing them back by barely a few meters. However, the situation on the streets in other directions was grim. Screams echoed continuously. Given the ferocious potency of the scorpions' venom, a scream practically equated to death, a fact confirmed by the chaotic sounds of explosions and gunfire.

Li Juxu's side had only fallen back five meters, meaning their position was essentially unchanged. Meanwhile, the hunters in other directions had retreated from one end of the street to the other, until the sound of gunfire grew almost inaudible. When the gunfire in the adjacent alley suddenly ceased, the short, chubby man showed a shred of conscience and roared at Li Juxu, "Brother, the wind is howling, time to bail!"

With that, the group turned and sprinted away at lightning speed, vanishing out of the alley in the blink of an eye. No sooner had they bolted than the volcanic scorpions spilling over from the neighboring street emerged. Li Juxu and Little Sister did not run. They were on a rooftop; running down to the street and charging out would take too much time, and secondly, they did not need to panic.

Limited by their size, the volcanic scorpions focused primarily on the ground, and though some climbed the walls, their numbers were small. Lastly, when Li Juxu chose to ascend the building, he naturally left himself a way out. He carried a rope-launching gun on his back, allowing him to easily traverse from one skyscraper to another. Yet, the greatest issue right now was that Li Juxu was losing faith.

At the current rate of attack, it was utterly impossible to completely exterminate the volcanic scorpions. Their total population vastly exceeded the settlement's ammunition reserves. Standing guard on the rooftop and killing ten thousand or a hundred thousand of them was merely a drop in the bucket for the swarm, having no impact on the grand scheme of things.

He felt as though he were engaging in a meaningless endeavor. Little Sister seemed to see right through his thoughts, looking at him with worry, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something but stopped.

A low, deep rumble tore through the night. It was a completely golden armored chariot, hurtling forward from the street behind them. The front of the vehicle was fitted with a heavy iron plate bristling with terrifying, jagged spikes. A Gatling gun was mounted atop the roof, and heavy machine gunners hung from each side. The twin headlights, of an unknown wattage, emitted a dazzling glare that punched two massive holes into the dark night.

The moment the chariot charged into the alley, the Gatling gun roared to life. Its thunderous clatter drowned out all other sounds, and a golden beam of bullets raked the ground, instantly pulverizing the volcanic scorpions. The heavy machine guns on both flanks also joined in, unleashing a frantic barrage upon the sea of scorpions blanketing the ground and walls. Just as both Li Juxu and Little Sister assumed the chariot would come to a halt, it suddenly accelerated like a cannonball, smashing straight into the thick of the scorpion swarm.

Weighing no less than thirty tons and bolstered by immense horsepower, the vehicle plowed fifty meters deep into the swarm before its momentum finally slowed slightly. Countless scorpions were crushed into fragments and ground into pulp. Before the creatures could even react, the roof hatch flew open, and a woman clad in leather emerged. Wielding a particle gun in each hand, she fired two shots directly into the dense, churning army of volcanic scorpions.

A pale-blue wave of particle energy swept across the area, reducing untold numbers of scorpions to ash and leaving two stark, blank patches on the dark red street. Five seconds later, she fired two more shots, and after another five seconds, two more. Half of the main street's volcanic scorpions were utterly eradicated, leaving only a few scattered stragglers in the corners. The woman slipped back inside the chariot, which executed a nimble U-turn and sped away gracefully. Throughout the maneuver, the Gatling gun never ceased firing until the vehicle finally thundered out of the street and its noise faded away.

The armored chariot vanished into the night. Li Juxu stared at its receding silhouette for a long time, his heart surging with emotion as his confidence was reignited.