C4 An Inexplicable Battle(1)
Bai Chengcheng and his two companions waited in a mix of fear and tension for several minutes, but the 'monster' showed no signs of life, allowing their racing hearts to gradually settle. At that moment, they were still unaware that they had killed a human being.
Bai Chengcheng gestured for them to make a quick exit. He didn't forget to scoop up the pumpkin-shaped meteorite and hurriedly clambered ashore. As for the teardrop-shaped meteorite, it was lost, and he dared not search for it any longer.
The trio emerged from the water, still shaken, and stashed the 'watermelon' and 'pumpkin' meteorites into their backpacks. After hastily wiping off the water, they donned their clothes and had Lu Youzhi hoist the backpack onto his back before they all sprinted back the way they came.
With his heart pounding, Fan Gongming asked, "What was that monster, anyway?"
Bai Chengcheng shook his head. "I don't know, and it doesn't matter. Let's just get out of here fast, in case it has company."
What they had encountered was no monster but a frogman in a special diving suit, who had met the most frustrating end any Martial Master could experience.
In a fair fight, a Martial Master taking on a Martial Disciple was akin to an adult battling a toddler from kindergarten. By standard classifications, a ninth-level Martial Disciple's strength ranged from 100 to 900 kilograms, whereas a ninth-level Martial Master's strength spanned from 10,000 to 90,000 kilograms.
The weakest Martial Master possessed over ten times the strength of the strongest Martial Disciple. Not just three, but even thirty Martial Disciples would be no match for a single Martial Master.
The Martial Master's demise began with Bai Chengcheng's bizarre resilience. The Martial Master, wielding a sharp alloy dagger, somehow failed to pierce Bai Chengcheng's bare skin—an utter defiance of logic.
This inexplicable event stunned the Martial Master, leaving him vulnerable to Lu Youzhi's chokehold—a surefire path to death. Regardless of his immense strength, it didn't equate to his neck's ability to withstand such force.
Still, the Martial Master could have easily turned the tables on Lu Youzhi with just a moment to recover. However, Fan Gongming's unsavory attack on his sensitive areas proved to be the final blow. In a single breath of fury, the Martial Master's neck was broken by Lu Youzhi.
This individual was working with a group lurking on the eastern seabed. They were scouring the ocean floor for 'Meteors' before the arrival of Zramshire High's airbus. Once the plane appeared, they received orders to remain submerged and motionless to avoid detection.
He targeted Bai Chengcheng because Chengcheng had taken the 'Meteor' he had found. The object of their search might have been within those 'Meteors.' To seize any opportunity, he couldn't let Chengcheng walk away with his 'Meteor,' prompting him to act. He had anticipated quietly eliminating the three students, but instead, he met his end at the bottom of this alien sea, losing the very target they were seeking.
Until his last breath, he never realized his biggest misfortune was wearing a diving suit. Had he touched the teardrop-shaped 'Meteor' with his bare hands, he, not Chengcheng, would have become the host for their sought-after target.
This was also a tragedy for his faction. In the interstellar age, the fear of radiation and potential mutant bacteria meant that no one dared to touch unidentified celestial objects with their bare hands, except for the uninformed and intrepid students like Bai Chengcheng. Who could have predicted that such a mysterious object would enter the body in such an odd manner and confer such inexplicable defensive powers?
Most of the students had already evacuated from Sky Arrow, leaving only Bai Chengcheng and two others still searching for the meteor. Consequently, Faang Xinghang's focus was primarily on these three audacious individuals. Their frantic sprinting immediately caught Xinghang's attention.
Rising to his feet, Xinghang peered through his binoculars at the trio running in terror. To his astonishment, several frogmen surfaced on the eastern side of Sky Arrow, swiftly shedding their diving gear and converging on Chengcheng's group.
"A terrorist attack?" was Xinghang's initial thought. He urgently broadcasted in the group chat, "Bai Chengcheng, you might be facing a terrorist attack. Head to the opposite side of Sky Arrow—there's someone blocking your path ahead. Stay calm; I'm on my way." After instructing the other students to remain in the tent area and not to move, he leaped backward into the East Sea Green. With a thunderous roar, he soared into the sky, speeding towards Chengcheng's location.
Gunshots echoed sharply. Bullets struck the rocks, sending sparks flying. One bullet grazed Lu Youzhi's backpack, the force of the impact knocking him to the ground.
Lu Youzhi, shot and terrified, left his companions in a state of shock. Bai Chengcheng hit the dirt and scrambled over to Lu Youzhi, yelling, "Big Bear, are you okay? Where did it hit you? Please don't scare me like this."
Rubbing his sore arm, Lu Youzhi winced, "It hurts. I'm not sure if I've been shot or not."
"Let me check, let me check," Bai Chengcheng said, frantically scanning for injuries but finding no blood. He finally noticed a bullet hole in the backpack and breathed a sigh of relief. "It's okay, you weren't hit. It just grazed the backpack."
"Oh, I wasn't shot? Then I'm fine," Lu Youzhi said, shaking his arm, which seemed to hurt less now.
Fan Gongming, frustrated, gave Lu Youzhi a smack on the head. "You oaf, not even knowing whether you've been shot! You could scare someone to death, you know?"
Lu Youzhi offered a sheepish smile, touched by his brothers' concern.
Fan Gongming, puzzled, remarked, "Why would there be a terrorist attack here? And why did they have to pick us?" Like Faang Xinghang, they too believed they were the targets of a terrorist attack, as there seemed to be no other explanation for the sudden gunfire.
Bai Chengcheng replied irritably, "How should I know? This isn't the time to figure it out. We need to move!" They crouched and dashed through the towering crevices of the rocks.
From high above, Faang Xinghang saw Lu Youzhi fall after being shot, his face draining of color. Ignoring the students from the Southern Continent, he dove in their direction, unleashing a barrage from his arm-mounted shotgun at the 'bandits' near Bai Chengcheng and the others. His targets were unprotected bodies; there was no need for energy weapons.
With his aerial suppression, the bandits scrambled to the ground, using the rocks as cover.
In the group chat, Faang Xinghang called out, "Lu Youzhi, where are you hit? Is it bad?"
Lu Youzhi responded, "Brother Faang, I'm okay, I didn't get hit by any bullets."
Relieved, Faang Xinghang instructed, "Run, head to the right front. Fast." To the right front of Bai Chengcheng and his companions was a gap in the encirclement, where the two bandits blocking their path had been reduced to nothing by Faang Xinghang's rapid-fire weapon.
Bai Chengcheng and the others scrambled to their feet and dashed off, prompting Faang Xinghang to yell, "Stay low! Run through the gaps between the rocks!"
As they fled, Faang Xinghang made an emergency call to the local military department, requesting backup. With his high-level clearance, the First Emperor's military immediately engaged the Sky Eye Surveillance System, focusing intently on the Sky Arrow vicinity and dispatching special forces to the Arctic at top speed.
The frogmen had ambushed Bai Chengcheng because the Martial Master they had just killed had managed to send out an emergency signal before his death. This signal, reserved for critical situations, could forcibly activate all their team's silent devices.
The group lurking underwater realized a significant event had occurred when their silent devices suddenly activated. What could be so important at this moment? Unless it was the target they had been searching for years, they were ready to respond forcefully, even if it meant confronting formidable opponents and the First Emperor's stationed troops.
Unbeknownst to them, the deceased had not confirmed the target's appearance; he had merely sent the signal out of spite against Bai Chengcheng and his friends.
The lurkers, observing Bai Chengcheng's trio fleeing rapidly through the monitors, concluded that they must have acquired their objective. The other frogmen near the shore, desperate to reclaim the precious artifact, emerged from the depths and gave chase, determined to recover the treasure at all costs.
Lurking on the seafloor, the amphibious spaceship observed Faang Xinghang activating the East Ocean Green. The leader, realizing that the frogmen alone couldn't accomplish the mission, immediately commanded, "Starshark Seven, launch two missiles at the students and aircraft on the Southern Continent. Deploy two mechas to eliminate the students there."
Starshark Seven was another one of their amphibious spaceships. Targeting the Southern Continent was a feint, meant to distract Faang Xinghang and prevent him from rescuing Bai Chengcheng and the others. With nearly fifty people in danger on one side and only three on the other, it was clear whom Faang Xinghang would prioritize.
Suddenly, two missiles burst from the ocean surface toward the Southern Continent, startling Faang Xinghang. He couldn't risk getting closer to Bai Chengcheng and his companions; instead, he swiftly locked onto the missiles and fired. Two particle beams streaked out, and the missiles exploded. But Faang Xinghang's anxiety didn't subside, as two more mechas emerged from the depths.
"Form 2 Mirage Eagles. What organization do these people belong to? How did they smuggle their weapons onto Primarch Star? Damn it, what are the stationed forces doing?" Faang Xinghang was both shocked and enraged, unable to fathom the situation.
The combat strength of the Mirage Eagle mechas wasn't overwhelming, but their speed was exceptional, suitable for high-level Martial Masters or low-level Martial Grandmasters. The ability to deploy two Mirage Eagles indicated the formidable power of this organization.
There was no time to ponder. Faang Xinghang urgently instructed all students in the Sky Vision group to scatter and sprint inland, putting as much distance between themselves and the sea as possible. He couldn't risk having the students board the aircraft; the time needed for boarding and takeoff was a luxury they couldn't afford. Faang Xinghang feared a catastrophic loss if they were caught in the open. He himself zigzagged, constantly changing direction and position, firing at the two approaching mechas while simultaneously launching his own offensive.
In modern warfare, with weapons of immense speed and lethality, mecha battles couldn't be like traditional duels where combatants stand and wait for the opponent's move. An attack left almost no time to evade. Constant movement was essential, making it impossible for the enemy to lock onto a position. This demanded that the mecha pilot possess extraordinary physical strength and lightning-fast reflexes, capable of precise maneuvers even at breakneck speeds. Martial arts techniques came into full play in this high-stakes dance of death, akin to two martial arts masters engaging in a long-range duel with concealed weapons.
The two mechas constantly shifted their positions as soon as they emerged from the water, never daring to pause. Their primary objective was to pursue the students fleeing across the southern continent, compelling Faang Xinghang to intervene.
As Faang Xinghang moved to intercept the mechas, he inevitably drifted further from Bai Chengcheng and his companions. The frogmen, previously suppressed by Faang Xinghang, seized the opportunity to regroup and encircle Bai Chengcheng's party.
While escaping, Bai Chengcheng spotted the weapons of enemies Faang Xinghang had previously eliminated. He quickly signaled to Fan Gongming to gather the firearms from the fallen foes, and each secured a rapid-fire pistol.
Neither had ever handled a pistol in the real world, but their experience in the Second World had given them a basic understanding. The safety was already disengaged; all they needed to do was aim and pull the trigger, making sure to grip firmly and brace for the recoil. They harbored no illusions about their shooting accuracy.
The trio crouched and navigated through the stony labyrinth, dodging a barrage of bullets. They occasionally returned fire, deterring the enemy from closing in too boldly.
Their initial shots were wildly off target. However, after several attempts, Bai Chengcheng strangely began to get a feel for the weapon and adjusted to its kickback.
The enemy closed in, with three assailants barely twenty meters behind and two more blocking their path. Bullets screamed overhead as the three found themselves pinned down in the crevices between the rocks, immobilized.
Fan Gongming sporadically retaliated with a few shots, but his bullets veered off course, revealing their inexperience with firearms. This diminished their intimidating presence, allowing the enemy to advance rapidly and fearlessly.
"What do we do now?" Both Lu Youzhi and Fan Gongming were panicked. Despite Lu Youzhi's role as the enforcer and Fan Gongming's as the tactician, it was Bai Chengcheng who typically stepped up to strategize in these critical moments.
The Three-man Group was a tongue-in-cheek student club formed by the trio. The name they chose was a bit risqué, playfully capitalizing on a common turn of phrase.
