Chapter Nineteen: Hunting the Leader

Having lived two lives, no, he hadn't really been much of a person in his previous life.

This was Gao Gong's first time engaging in such brutal close-quarters combat after reincarnating as a human.

Gao Gong's right eye had turned completely red. It was the infrared mode, and in this mode, two humanoid heat signatures were moving at high speed.

His blade flashed, parrying the opponent's scythe. Stepping forward with his left foot, he expertly twisted his wrist, and amidst the sparks generated by the friction, the Red Unicorn fiercely slashed at another Reaper's chest armor, forcing it back three steps.

[You dealt 76 damage to a D-Class Reaper]

His senses on high alert, a dark shadow flashed past his peripheral vision, stabbing at him from his flank. Gao Gong twisted violently, narrowly dodging a fatal blow. A bloody gash opened on his waist, and blood spurted out.

[You took 19 damage and entered the Bleeding status]

The High-Speed Micro-Machine Finger Tiger worn on Gao Gong's left hand immediately activated its chainsaw mode. Four high-speed rotating circular saws viciously pressed into the opponent's faceplate.

The opponent's cheek visibly caved in, and blood, along with the thick fluid from their exploded eye, was churned out together.

"Aowww~~" The opponent let out a piercing scream. The mouthparts behind the metal armor opened, revealing four sharp teeth above and below.

[You dealt 123 damage to a D-Class Reaper and inflicted Blindness]

A gust of foul wind hit him from behind. Gao Gong didn't have time to dodge. He deftly twisted his right wrist, blocking the incoming attack with his nearly two-meter-long heavy blade held in a "Su Qin carrying a sword" stance on his back.

However, the opponent's downward slash had changed. The thick bio-scythe split into nine segments just before impact, transforming from a blade into a whip that viciously lashed Gao Gong's back.

Gao Gong could even feel the metallic clang of his titanium alloy bones colliding with the opponent's bio-blade whip.

[You took 39 damage and entered the Bleeding status]

A normal person would be at least half-dead from a single whip like that, but Gao Gong was half-robot. The intense pain even made his consciousness exceptionally clear. He was even contemplating whether to replace his bio-muscles when he got back.

Steel bones and iron muscles could only unleash their full power with steel reinforcement.

Instead of retreating, Gao Gong advanced. Enduring the pain, electronic beams spread from his palm to his fingertips. He rotated his right wrist again, and the massive blade body flexibly turned once more.

Holding the blade with one hand, he fiercely grabbed the Reaper in front of him by the neck. With a "zi la" grinding sound, the serrated blade tip pierced from its abdomen and emerged from its back. It seemed to have hit something during the process – the opponent's spine.

He inserted the blade with one hand and pulled it out with both, splitting the opponent's belly as he did so.

Instantly, green pus, strange organs, and undigested human flesh gushed out.

[You dealt 235 damage to a D-Class Reaper]

[You have killed a Developing Reaper, EXP +480]

Seeing its ferocious opponent and its almost severed comrade, the Reaper behind it instinctively paused its scythe. For the first time, the emotion of 'fear' arose in its mind.

Blade light and scythe clashed, their speed too fast for the naked eye to follow.

If there was one blueprint among the many Gao Gong had acquired that proved most useful, it wasn't the fierce Micro-Machine Finger Tiger or the explosive Mechanical Sheath, but the unassuming Tactile Nerve Stimulator.

This minor modification to his hand nerves gave Gao Gong's melee combat more versatility, making his hands and the blade somewhat of a single entity.

This was the advantage of cybernetic prosthetics; they weren't tools, but parts of the person.

After fighting for over a dozen exchanges, his infrared vision finally locked onto the opponent's energy source. Taking a hit on his arm, Gao Gong charged directly into the opponent's embrace with his blade, and the serrated blade tip pierced a spot below the throat, between the shoulder blades.

That was the Reaper's energy source.

[You dealt 'One-Hit Kill' to the target]

[You have killed a Developing Reaper, EXP +480]

Although he was outnumbered four to one, and the situation was perilous, the fight didn't last long, only about ten seconds from start to finish.

The outcome was one injured and four dead. Gao Gong lost a third of his health, while the four D-Class Reapers were dismembered.

Such combat results were considered a remarkable achievement, even among the strongest Mechanical Hunters.

However, the battle wasn't over. Gao Gong sheathed his blade, picked up his sniper rifle, and hid in the bushes. Moments later, clouds of white mist began to rise from various locations.

The remaining Reapers no longer dared to split up. Moving in pairs, they cautiously began to probe into the mist.

Soon, they found what they were looking for: tripwires connected to a cluster of three Grenade Fruits.

"Boom!!"

Gao Gong had eliminated six of the thirteen Reapers and injured two. The remaining Reapers couldn't spare any forces to pursue him.

This made the Reaper Leader even more enraged. Compared to the still somewhat humanoid Developing Reapers, it had completely surpassed the human form.

Its height was close to three meters, its thick back hunched high, and it wielded not one, but two pairs of scythes. On its back, three pairs of oversized cicada wings vibrated the air, indicating they could fly, or at least glide at high altitudes for short periods.

Its stats were more than double that of a Developing Reaper.

Name: Reaper Leader

Radiation Level: C

HP: 3240/3500

Stamina: 1000/1100

Bio-Energy: 11580

Bio-Attributes: Strength 55 Agility 46 Endurance 38 Intelligence 8 Perception 27

Skills: Steel Slash Lv9, Cross Slash Lv9 (Advanced), Electromagnetic Whip Lv8, ??, ??

Leader Template: Domination Aura, ??

Effect 1: Possesses the power to command and manipulate mechanical bio-beasts of the same kind.

Effect 2: Has a deterrent effect on异类 (other species), perception -5, and inflicts a fear status.

This Reaper Leader is even stronger than the one the original host dealt with; it has a boss template!

And there are a total of two Reapers with leader templates!

Not to mention anything else, if just one Reaper Leader were to go down, the people of the Cable Tribe wouldn't have survived until now.

And the reason they are still alive, and even more stable after Gao Gong drew some of the enemy's fire, is thanks to the mysterious Professor Han.

Every time this male and female pair attempted to attack, they would inexplicably change direction.

The Reaper Leader also found it very strange. The prey was right in front of it, so why did they always disappear whenever it charged at them?

It was that old hunter's eyesight that was the problem!

The intelligence of C-Class monsters is not much different from ordinary people. When the pheromones of its offspring disappeared one after another, it finally became enraged.

As it went berserk, countless light spots scattered from beneath its three pairs of cicada wings. Each light spot that fell would transform into a scorching wind wave, and a powerful radiation storm began to brew with it at the center.

"Professor!"

Blood flowed from Professor Han's ears, mouth, and nose. The old man's already pale face became even paler, and his body swayed precariously.

The beast-skin girl's expression changed drastically. If the Professor died, they would all perish here.

"Calm down, calm down," Professor Han's voice still carried a reassuring aura.

"This might be an opportunity."

"What opportunity?"

"It's controlled the opponent to unleash its ultimate move. Well done!"

And on a high ground, Gao Gong smacked his lips. The eyelid of his right eye blinked rapidly twice, transforming into sniper mode.

Gunshots rang out consecutively. The Reaper Leader unleashing its ultimate move was nothing more than a target for him.

[You dealt 23 damage to the Reaper Leader]

[You dealt 15 damage to the Reaper Leader]

[You dealt 35 damage to the Reaper Leader]

[You dealt 27 damage to the Reaper Leader]

The sniper rifle, Cat Demon, had an attack power of 78 points, along with kinetic damage enhancement. However, when the sniper rifle's bullets landed on the target, they were weakened to half or even a third of their original power.

Even so, in less than half a minute, Gao Gong unleashed over sixty rounds, depleting nearly half of its health.

The Reaper Leader's ultimate move also produced strong effects. For example, many people from the Cable Tribe, like Huang Yuanli before, rolled their eyes back, foamed at the mouth, and collapsed. The Metal Sparrows and other small mechanical bio-beasts, no longer under control, began to flee in all directions under the pressure of the leader-class Reaper.

If only something powerful could appear right now.

Gao Gong also began to feel anxious. If he had his custom-made Beast Hunter at this moment, it would be a single, decisive blow.

If not, an RPG would do.

Gao Gong's gaze fell on the other female beast. Although this female beast was still flying around like a headless chicken, its flying speed was increasing, and it was getting closer to the Cable Tribe's location.

This indicated that the opponent was beginning to break free from Professor Han's control.

If Professor Han couldn't control it, then he would have to run.

Two C-Class Reapers with leader templates – it wasn't that they couldn't be fought, it was just that they were truly unbeatable.

Gao Gong was not someone who lacked decisiveness. It was either retreat, or seize this moment to kill one!

Almost immediately, he made up his mind.

The micro-motors in his knee joints whirred again.

Gao Gong charged into the radiation storm at full speed.

[You have been buffeted by the radiation wind, all attributes -20%, duration: three days]

[You have entered the 'Skin Damage' status]

[You have entered the 'Minor Mutation' status]

[You have entered the 'Stomach Cramps' status]

Gao Gong swung his Steel Rope Claw forcefully, latching onto a tree branch, and climbed up in a few swift movements.

The advantage of being deformed was that the thick branches had almost formed a platform.

Gao Gong gripped the hilt of his blade tightly, veins bulging on his fingers. His palm even emitted traces of electricity, along with a faint smell of cooked protein.

The Tactile Nerve Stimulator had also entered overload.

As for the Electromagnetic Exciter, it was even more so. The entire mechanical scabbard was trembling frantically. If Gao Gong's strength wasn't 16 points, equivalent to the grip strength of three adult men, the scabbard would have been ejected before the blade could even be drawn.

Finally, using the jumps between trees, Gao Gong finally reached the Reaper Leader's back, at a height of nearly three stories.

His left eye was screwed shut by the wind, while his right eye stared intently at the radiation source in mid-air.

Gao Gong's thigh muscles tensed to the extreme. As he leaped, he abruptly released his scabbard, and a powerful surge erupted along the blade, carrying his body across three meters.

The crimson blade light once again broke the sound barrier, slicing into the opponent's neck, as thick as a thigh. A red line connected along the path of the blade.

The next moment, a waterfall of blood sprayed out.

[You dealt 1549 damage to the Reaper Leader]