95. Mantis
The sudden unexpected event caught everyone off guard. After the swift gust of wind, leaves fell, and trees toppled. The descent of massive trees from a height of hundreds of meters was no small matter. After dropping to the ground, the members of KID quickly rose.
The mecha detection system’s alarm sounded continuously. All members of KID saw the coordinates overlapping with the S-level pollutant.
Ying Chenlin kept his attention on the Mantis. The appearance of the giant Mantis was much more bizarre than a regular Mantis. Its entire body was green, retaining the basic appearance of a Mantis, but its front limbs had mutated, becoming large and thick. The hard, serrated edges gleamed with a cold light, resembling two terrifying scythes covered in spikes.
While Ying Chenlin focused on it, the Mantis adjusted its orientation, and its massive body underwent agile changes in an instant.
“Go!” Ying Chenlin shouted.
The other members of KID didn’t lag behind. Almost simultaneously with their movement, the wind blades sweeping from the Mantis’s front limbs immediately passed by, shattering the trees in front of them into several pieces.
“It came too suddenly!?” Ji Qingfeng hastily avoided the attack, looking up at the Mantis high above. “This thing doesn’t seem slow in movement! It hasn’t come for most of the day, and when it does, it unleashes a big move?”
“Its front limbs are very sharp, and the cutting force of the wind it generates is strong.”
Ying Chenlin dodged the attack. “Try to avoid its frontal assault!”
Although KID, especially Ji Qingfeng, had experienced numerous battles with S-level pollutants, they had encountered relatively few insect-type pollutants. However, the focus of KID’s attention had shifted to another point when they saw the Mantis displaying its sharp and terrifying claws.
“Is it using its front limbs to generate wind? The wind is like a blade.”
“Is this wind its anomalous ability?! Wow, wind-type anomalous crystals! Is this worth 80 million?!”
Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao only remembered one thing: attack-type S-level anomalous crystals were valuable, and among them, rare wind-type anomalous crystals were even more precious.
“It’s considered a wind-type attack, probably a Wind Blade anomalous ability,” You Su avoided the attack and then said, “Wind Blade unique abilities are rare and valuable.”
As soon as the word valuable was mentioned, the Mantis fiercely attacked in their direction.
Its pair of crimson eyes scanned the surroundings. Its limbs perched on fallen branches, and it raised its front limbs, unleashing a powerful wind blade. Moreover, the attack speed of this wind blade was extremely fast, almost the moment the Mantis raised its hand, the attack had already been launched.
Lin Yao dodged three consecutive attacks and exclaimed, “Damn, this brother looks even more ferocious than the cannon bird we fought last time!”
Lu Xi corrected, “That was a Steelwing Bird.”
“There’s still some difference. The Steelwing Bird can kill with one shot, and this Mantis’s wind seems very sharp and cutting, but once it’s blocked, its power decreases,” Huo Yan, who had just used Devouring Shield to block, roughly assessed the damage. “But it’s still quite fierce.”
How could it not be fierce? All the trees around had fallen!
Even the trees that survived in the contaminated zone, even if they didn’t evolve into pollutants, still possessed certain pollutant characteristics, definitely differing from ordinary trees. In terms of trunk toughness, they should have the defense strength of at least C or B-level pollutants.
But this Mantis swept a few wind blades, and all the trees were knocked down.
Exaggerating a bit, one slash, one B-level pollutant.
“It’s coming again!” Lin Yao shouted.
Huo Yan quickly stepped forward to open the shield, blocking the attack with a loud bang. “Come, everyone, hide behind me.”
“How are we going to deal with this?” Ji Qingfeng asked, “We can’t get close to it.”
Ying Chenlin looked at Huo Yan, “Huo Ge, how much longer can the shield hold?”
“It should last for a while.” Huo Yan looked at his control panel. “These winds seem like physical attacks, but in reality, they are greatly affected by the abilities of this pollutant. As long as it’s not a real, sharp attack, the Devouring Shield is effective against it.”
Ying Chenlin received a positive response from Huo Yan, “Then let’s wait inside the shield for a while.”
Wait? Others looked puzzled, but soon realized!
The path opened by You Su was easy to traverse, but as they walked into the undamaged part, their flight began to be restricted. And now, with this Mantis appearing, it immediately released Wind Blades in their direction.
The original narrow gaps between trees in the swamp forest became even more complex due to the Mantis sweeping a few times. It made it difficult for them to get close to the Mantis.
The destructive power of the Mantis’s Wind Blades was extremely strong. In this short period, those trees lying on the ground were repeatedly cut several times by it.
The forest path was narrow, but with the Mantis’s continuous destructive force, even if there was no path, this Mantis could create one for them.
Upon hearing this idea, You Su said, “Then let’s move aside, those trees are blocking our vision.”
Ji Qingfeng, “Got it, we’ll move where there are more trees.”
Lin Yan, “Smart, this way we won’t waste energy.”
Huo Yan understood, “Let’s move once it finishes on this side.”
All members of KID felt that this method was feasible. They even started observing this pollutant in place. It had to be said that this pollutant looked strange, especially those two front limbs, which were indeed cool.
Ying Chenlin was also observing.
During the last meeting in Qiu Jin, he had obtained a wind-type attack anomalous crystal, but that crystal ended up in You Su’s hands and was currently in KID’s reserve weapon arsenal. Now, with another wind-type attack pollutant appearing, Ying Chenlin instinctively made a judgment upon seeing it.
The Dawn Alliance hiatus did provide them with many opportunities. Ying Chenlin had been busy designing weapons for KID’s mechas during this time. Although they harvested quite a few anomalous crystals in Qiu Jin’s meeting, there weren’t many that were suitable for weapon upgrades. When he saw this Mantis, Ying Chenlin’s first thought was about the weapons for Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao.
In his original design, he used an A-level Poison Spider to create a speed-control binding scythe for Ji Qingfeng. However, he had not been able to find an advanced replacement anomalous crystal suitable for Ji Qingfeng. As for Lin Yao, who used the ‘Regeneration’ anomalous ability to create a basic attack flowing Long Sword, it indeed suited Lin Yao, but once someone restricted his distance, Lin Yao’s basic attack Long Sword became useless.
However, when he saw the two front limbs of this Mantis, a new idea suddenly came to his mind.
“The Mantis’s front limbs have a scythe-like structure, and its melee capabilities are strong. Once it gets close, it might completely entangle and strangle the opponent until they’re dead,” Ying Chenlin continued, looking at the Mantis in front of him. “And it also has a sort of long-range Wind Blade anomalous ability. Leaving aside how compatible this Wind Blade ability is with our mechas, just looking at these two front limbs, they are quite valuable.”
The potential for modification was enormous. By extracting the materials from the front limbs, they could create a highly sharp serrated scythe.
Moreover, this Mantis has a total of two segments of front limbs. With some luck, Ji Qingfeng’s binding scythe could be modified into a double-headed blade, enhancing the attack strength of the short scythe. The wind-type anomalous crystal could also be removed for Lin Yao to use. Lin Yao is a straightforward melee mecha pilot who doesn’t use cannon-type weapons. However, by referencing the Mantis’s attacking style using wind, Lin Yao’s Long Sword could be modified.
Lu Xi understood Ying Chenlin’s intention.
Huo Yan, “But we have to kill it first.”
“Right.” Ying Chenlin continued to observe. “Its hind legs also have strong jumping ability, which can be useful as reinforcement material. Its eyes seem to be good too. I see its visual performance is quite sharp; maybe it can be used to enhance the capturing ability of the visual system.”
“As for the central trunk section, there doesn’t seem to be any apparent advantage at the moment. However, this giant wind-type pollutant is rare, and selling it can fetch a high price.”
Summing up the discussion, the conclusion was that this pollutant was a treasure trove, and killing it would be highly profitable.
The Mantis did not expect its prey to stay in place and not leave. This behavior was undoubtedly a provocation to it.
It looked at the glowing protective shield, accelerated the speed of the Wind Blades, and swept forward.
The gazes of the people towards the Mantis became more serious, as if they had already begun to determine from which position to attack.
Watching its dedicated work, the language in their minds automatically switched to another one. Indeed, those front limbs were excellent! Let’s get them!
While everyone was eagerly discussing how to deal with the Mantis, Lu Xi said, “I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling about this.”
Huo Yan held the shield up all the time, “To be honest, I also feel a bit uneasy. I always feel a chill on my back.”
Ying Chenlin paused for a moment, suddenly realizing where they were. This was the Swamp Forest.
From external detection, it was the most resource-rich area on the main planet of Coria.
“It’s normal to feel uneasy.” You Su, who hadn’t spoken much, suddenly said, “Look at the edge of the radar signal.”
The range of the protective shield was wide, almost covering all six mechas of KID. The energy index had basically been pushed to 60%. Such a protective shield in the forest was like a shining light bulb. Pollutants nearby couldn’t possibly not notice. Once they detected such an energy reaction—
Originally, there were only one or two pollutant signals, but as the protective shield stayed open longer, the red pollutant signals on the detection radar suddenly increased, and they were approaching their direction at an extremely fast speed.
Ying Chenlin said, “We’ve become targets.”
KID Team: “!!!”
You Su said, “Deploy the cannons.”
In this urgent situation, Ying Chenlin didn’t have time to say much. He immediately switched to his own rapid-fire cannon.
This time when he came out of the base, he didn’t use a pure Guardian mecha or an Artillery mecha. Instead, he brought two weapons on the foundation of a Control-type backup mecha. One was a long-range rapid-fire cannon, and the other was a thunder magnetic cannon suitable for melee combat.
“Huo Ge, open up a position for us,” Ying Chenlin shouted.
Huo Yan immediately controlled the protective shield to open a small opening. As soon as the opening appeared, the gunfire from You Su and Ying Chenlin immediately roared out. One shot was cut open by the Mantis’s Wind Blades, and the other hit the Mantis directly.
The Mantis, attacked in such a way, seemed surprised that such weak prey dared to resist and immediately became enraged.
Its two front limbs moved forward, and the speed of the Wind Blades increased.
Lin Yao, confused, asked, “What is this for?”
Ying Chenlin replied, “Provoking it.”
Ji Qingfeng: “?”
“Do we need to be so brave? In the StarNet dramas, this behavior is called courting death.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the enhanced version of the Wind Blades immediately hit Huo Yan’s protective shield. This attack was much stronger than before, even pushing back the mecha controlled by Huo Yan several steps.
While the Mantis fiercely attacked, the pollutants in the distance finally approached, violently colliding with the defensive shield. Then, they tightly pressed against the protective shield, as if they wanted to break through and rush in, pushing the entire protective shield forward a few steps.
Lin Yao shouted, “They’re pressing tightly!”
Ying Chenlin said, “That’s right. Huo Ge, turn around with the protective shield!”
Huo Yan acted immediately. The rotation of the entire protective shield brought the side covered with pollutants to the front. The Wind Blades of the Mantis swept across, instantly cutting the pollutants pressed against the protective shield into two halves, falling to the ground alongside the tree trunks that the Mantis had cut into pieces.
Other members of KID: “?”
“!!!”
In the Coria Management Bureau’s lounge, when KID and the S-level pollutant encountered each other on a narrow path in the Swamp Forest, all the team leaders and coaches immediately reacted. The situation with the two pollutants in the swamp forest was the least clear, and even the appearance of these pollutants was unknown. They could only judge the strength of these pollutants based on the S-level pollutant’s numerical reaction.
The other teams had not made any moves yet. No one expected that KID would be the first to encounter the pollutants.
Someone exclaimed, “The pollution value is actually 8800?”
Zhang Ge looked at the values displayed on the system and said, “For a moment, I don’t know whether to say they are lucky or unlucky. Anyway, can we retrieve some information from the KID system?”
Shen Xingtang replied, “…The numbers seem quite auspicious.”
Others: “…”
Is that the point!?
“Was it suppressing the pollution value originally? Such pollutants should be immediately locked as targets. But the Management Bureau has been providing range coordinates.”
“In that case, we can only start from the pollutants themselves. This pollutant probably has some mimetic ability, so it couldn’t be precisely locked when approaching.”
“Mimetic ability, that means it’s an insect-type S-level.”
*In biology mimesis (from ancient Greek μίμησις mímēsis, “imitation”) refers to a form of crypsis where living creatures mimic the form, colour and posture of their surroundings to avoid being noticed from their surroundings by predators depending on sight. Basically camouflage.
–
A pollution value above 8000 indicates that this pollutant has a certain level of difficulty.
But soon they noticed another detail: the coordinates of KID on the map did not show any significant changes; they seemed to be almost stationary.
“Why are they staying in one place!?” A coach looked at Jiang Simiao and said, “This doesn’t seem right, right? Can we retrieve data from their mechas to check the situation?”
“They are still in the swamp forest, and the signal in that area was already poor. Now we can only maintain communication with difficulty,” Jiang Simiao operated the system, but he quickly pulled up a part of the recorded information on the map, “Retrieving information from KID mechas generates too much data. Sending it to us may result in data loss, but we can still make some analysis from small pieces of data.”
After pulling up the data, they found that the KID mechas had not suffered much energy consumption. The only mecha that showed energy consumption was Huo Yan’s KID Tank mecha.
Jiang Simiao immediately confirmed, “Huo Yan has activated the shield; they may be under intense attack from the pollutants!”
“Bad news! We detected a large number of pollutants approaching KID!” The staff responsible for monitoring the pollution signal shouted.
Everyone in the rest area turned their attention to the signal station, where they saw the S-level and KID mechas still staying in the middle of the radar.
But gradually, on the edge of the radar, more pollutants were rapidly approaching their direction!
“How can there suddenly be so many pollutants!”
“Activate the shields! That big light bulb!”
Not activating shields leaves them unprotected, but keeping shields on for an extended period might attract a large number of pollutants. The swamp forest’s environment is too harsh for them. Even though a large portion of pollutants has been attracted away by people from the Second Domain, there are still other pollutants in the swamp forest that haven’t been disturbed. KID mechas’ positions are already considered deep, and the energy leakage from battles could potentially attract nearby pollutants.
“They haven’t moved, so the pollutants attracted by the shield should be limited. Some might be lower-ranking entities being controlled by the S-level pollutant.” A coach quickly analyzed, “But limited is limited. Still, the number of pollutants attracted is too high, right? Now they not only have to deal with this S-level but also find a way to get rid of this group of pollutants.”
Shen Xingtang immediately said, “Establish communication to confirm their situation!”
“The increase in pollutants is causing interference, and I can’t guarantee whether I can connect.” Jiang Simiao was trying to establish a connection, but the variables in the swamp forest were too great. “I’ll try to strengthen their communication signal. It should work!”
Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t disturb mecha pilots during battles. However, with no live footage and all the information appearing as encrypted data, they couldn’t determine the mecha pilots’ situation without contacting them.
They initially thought that KID were undergoing a tough battle, and communication would be challenging. However, the communication went through immediately.
The rapid connection speed caught everyone in the lounge off-guard. They then heard the sizzling sound of electric currents in the channel.
In addition to the electric current sound, there were also faint voices.
Everyone: “?”
The signal still seemed usable?
Shen Xingtang said, “Simiao, see if you can further reduce the noise.”
Jiang Simiao, a data analysis specialist, showcased his years of expertise in this critical moment. “Complete noise reduction is impossible, but this signal is slightly stronger than when they were being pursued before. I’ll try to reduce the electric current sound.”
After some noise reduction, the electric current sound lowered a bit, and they could barely hear the voices.
Just as they were about to remind KID of the dangers of the swamp forest, they heard discussions coming from the communication channel.
“Can’t this one work? It looks pretty good.”
“It’s useless. The materials won’t sell for much.”
People from Coria: “…?”
The audio is clear, but why haven’t they understood a single word???
“Did you tune into the wrong channel!?” Zhang Ge looked at Jiang Simiao in surprise.
Jiang Simiao replied, “You can question my noise reduction algorithm, but you cannot deny my professional competence. Tuning into the wrong channel is an insult to me!”
The voices in the channel continued —
“What about this one? The size is a bit big; shall we cut it into pieces? It’ll be easier to store that way.”
“What about its middle part? Is it useless? If so, let’s skip it; it’s a waste of storage space.”
Amidst these discussions, a somewhat calm voice interjected, “Its body seems to have maneuverability; there’s no need to cut its limbs.”
Zhang Ge didn’t understand half of what was being said, “Aren’t they fighting pollutants!? What are they talking about?”
Shen Xingtang understood and fell silent, “They are discussing how to cut up pollutants.”
One of the coaches, who was a bit puzzled, asked, “I have some knowledge about pollutants. What does it mean for the body to have maneuverability? I have never heard of such a term.”
“That’s right.” Jiang Simiao understood this part; he explained, “It means they don’t need to cut it; they can fold it. This way, putting it into the mech’s storage compartment can save space.”
Others: “…”
They were already considering how to cut up the pollutants before the pollutants were dead?
At the scene in the swamp forest, the blue protective shield still emitted light. However, outside the protective shield on the ground, quite a few pollutant corpses had accumulated.
KID’s mechas were crouching, and the ranged mechas were busy taunting the Mantis. Whenever there was a chance, Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao pulled in a few dead pollutants from the gap in the protective shield, quickly processed the materials, stored them in the storage compartment. Underneath their feet, there was already a collection of pollutant corpses.
“We’re done handling this side,” Ji Qingfeng said, “Old Huo, turn around.”
“After turning around, we need to find another place to squat,” Lin Yao kicked a pollutant away, “This place is already full.”
People from Coria: “???”
What are they talking about? Turning around? Roasting something? Changing places to squat???
“No, Zhang Ge, something is not right,” the person responsible for data detection said, “There are many pollutants rushing toward them, but these reactions disappear quickly…”
On the detection system, the pollutants attracted by the light shield were almost stacked on top of KID. However, these pollutants, although numerous, were decreasing rapidly. They observed the detection system, and the approaching pollutants became fewer and fewer.
With KID hardly moving, the pollutants attracted by the light shield were limited. They watched as the number of pollutants decreased, and the voices in their ears became clearer.
“Is it over?” Lin Yao seemed not satisfied, “Why aren’t there any other pollutants coming over?”
“The range is limited, and the pollutants attracted are just these,” Ying Chenlin looked at the surrounding environment. Under their effective displacement, the Mantis almost cleared the surroundings. “The intelligence of insect-type pollutants is not high, even if an S-level evolves intelligence, its intelligence is still limited.”
“The Mantis doesn’t have much intelligence. The mecha itself is forged with pollutant materials. In other words, when pollutants overlap with us, even if it can distinguish individuals, in its eyes, it’s just prey gathering together. As long as we provoke it, it perceives it as prey provoking it. In its view, clearing pollutants is not much different from clearing us, especially when it considers itself powerful.”
“Ever heard of ‘the Mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind’?”
Ying Chenlin explained, “The Mantis will only see the enemies in front of it.”
So when the surrounding obstacles were cleared, and the Mantis’s reactions became more sensitive, it was challenging for it to observe enemies from all directions. During the brief interval when the wind blades stopped, Ying Chenlin immediately ordered Huo Yan to retract the shield. Several mechas quickly darted out from the shield, crouched down within it at the same time.
In the Coria rest lounge, the people there only realized what was happening after KID’s mechas had already started fighting the pollutants.
Seeing the prey leaving its sight, the Mantis immediately chased after Ji Qingfeng’s mecha.
Ji Qingfeng: “Wow! Why is it only targeting me?”
Seeing the Mantis attacking Ji Qingfeng, everyone else flew around it. With no trees blocking their way, the mechas capable of free flight were not afraid of the Mantis. When it came to one-on-one combat with this Mantis, they might not have the advantage, but with six mechas, once the Mantis lost the protection of its environment, it was KID’s home turf.
As the Mantis’s wind blades reached Ji Qingfeng, it also suffered attacks from behind.
In just a few moments of the wind blades, it was completely surrounded by KID’s mechas.
Ying Chenlin stayed at a relatively distant place, assisting the attack with the Thunder Magnetic Cannon, but his attention was focused on the system.
This Mantis had a single extraordinary ability, and its intelligence only reached the level of an ordinary A-class animal-type pollutant. However, why did it have such a high pollution value? Moreover, this pollution value remained constant, starting from 8800 at the beginning and staying at 8800 until now, without any change.
He hadn’t encountered an S-class Mantis before, so for a moment, he was unsure whether it was a biological characteristic or if this pollutant had other unknown features.
Thinking about this, Ying Chenlin looked at the coordinates of another S-class pollutant. Was he overthinking?
After squatting for so long, KID’s team had already understood the body structure of this S-class pollutant very well. They knew exactly where to attack and how to deal with it. Lu Xi’s water cannon had become the best control weapon, making the slowed Mantis unable to react quickly, and the movements of multiple prey made its wind blades scatter randomly.
Continuous attacks slowed down the speed at which the Mantis released its wind blades.
At this moment, the ground centered on the Mantis suddenly lit up, enveloping all the mechas within the area like a massive space.
Ji Qingfeng was stunned, “What the hell is this!? Does this Mantis have another attribute?”
The magnetic field data inside the mechas underwent a tremendous change, and communication with Coria was instantly cut off.
Ying Chenlin felt the earth spinning in front of him, and the energy fluctuations in the magnetic field and space made all the mechas feel an inexplicable sense of compression. In the next second, everyone’s vision went black with a strong sense of dizziness and nausea spreading.
When the vision brightened again, Ying Chenlin felt that the once brightly lit surroundings had become dim.
He endured the dizziness and, upon seeing the surroundings clearly, was instantly stunned.
“Chenlin, it seems like we are the Mantis now…”
The shadows of trees were dappled, the surroundings were silent, and it was a world of difference from the previous environment.
Standing tall above them was another enormous creature, currently looking down at them.
TN:
Uh-oh. You really can’t beat Chenlin when it comes to strategizing!
95. Mantis
The sudden unexpected event caught everyone off guard. After the swift gust of wind, leaves fell, and trees toppled. The descent of massive trees from a height of hundreds of meters was no small matter. After dropping to the ground, the members of KID quickly rose.
The mecha detection system’s alarm sounded continuously. All members of KID saw the coordinates overlapping with the S-level pollutant.
Ying Chenlin kept his attention on the Mantis. The appearance of the giant Mantis was much more bizarre than a regular Mantis. Its entire body was green, retaining the basic appearance of a Mantis, but its front limbs had mutated, becoming large and thick. The hard, serrated edges gleamed with a cold light, resembling two terrifying scythes covered in spikes.
While Ying Chenlin focused on it, the Mantis adjusted its orientation, and its massive body underwent agile changes in an instant.
“Go!” Ying Chenlin shouted.
The other members of KID didn’t lag behind. Almost simultaneously with their movement, the wind blades sweeping from the Mantis’s front limbs immediately passed by, shattering the trees in front of them into several pieces.
“It came too suddenly!?” Ji Qingfeng hastily avoided the attack, looking up at the Mantis high above. “This thing doesn’t seem slow in movement! It hasn’t come for most of the day, and when it does, it unleashes a big move?”
“Its front limbs are very sharp, and the cutting force of the wind it generates is strong.”
Ying Chenlin dodged the attack. “Try to avoid its frontal assault!”
Although KID, especially Ji Qingfeng, had experienced numerous battles with S-level pollutants, they had encountered relatively few insect-type pollutants. However, the focus of KID’s attention had shifted to another point when they saw the Mantis displaying its sharp and terrifying claws.
“Is it using its front limbs to generate wind? The wind is like a blade.”
“Is this wind its anomalous ability?! Wow, wind-type anomalous crystals! Is this worth 80 million?!”
Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao only remembered one thing: attack-type S-level anomalous crystals were valuable, and among them, rare wind-type anomalous crystals were even more precious.
“It’s considered a wind-type attack, probably a Wind Blade anomalous ability,” You Su avoided the attack and then said, “Wind Blade unique abilities are rare and valuable.”
As soon as the word valuable was mentioned, the Mantis fiercely attacked in their direction.
Its pair of crimson eyes scanned the surroundings. Its limbs perched on fallen branches, and it raised its front limbs, unleashing a powerful wind blade. Moreover, the attack speed of this wind blade was extremely fast, almost the moment the Mantis raised its hand, the attack had already been launched.
Lin Yao dodged three consecutive attacks and exclaimed, “Damn, this brother looks even more ferocious than the cannon bird we fought last time!”
Lu Xi corrected, “That was a Steelwing Bird.”
“There’s still some difference. The Steelwing Bird can kill with one shot, and this Mantis’s wind seems very sharp and cutting, but once it’s blocked, its power decreases,” Huo Yan, who had just used Devouring Shield to block, roughly assessed the damage. “But it’s still quite fierce.”
How could it not be fierce? All the trees around had fallen!
Even the trees that survived in the contaminated zone, even if they didn’t evolve into pollutants, still possessed certain pollutant characteristics, definitely differing from ordinary trees. In terms of trunk toughness, they should have the defense strength of at least C or B-level pollutants.
But this Mantis swept a few wind blades, and all the trees were knocked down.
Exaggerating a bit, one slash, one B-level pollutant.
“It’s coming again!” Lin Yao shouted.
Huo Yan quickly stepped forward to open the shield, blocking the attack with a loud bang. “Come, everyone, hide behind me.”
“How are we going to deal with this?” Ji Qingfeng asked, “We can’t get close to it.”
Ying Chenlin looked at Huo Yan, “Huo Ge, how much longer can the shield hold?”
“It should last for a while.” Huo Yan looked at his control panel. “These winds seem like physical attacks, but in reality, they are greatly affected by the abilities of this pollutant. As long as it’s not a real, sharp attack, the Devouring Shield is effective against it.”
Ying Chenlin received a positive response from Huo Yan, “Then let’s wait inside the shield for a while.”
Wait? Others looked puzzled, but soon realized!
The path opened by You Su was easy to traverse, but as they walked into the undamaged part, their flight began to be restricted. And now, with this Mantis appearing, it immediately released Wind Blades in their direction.
The original narrow gaps between trees in the swamp forest became even more complex due to the Mantis sweeping a few times. It made it difficult for them to get close to the Mantis.
The destructive power of the Mantis’s Wind Blades was extremely strong. In this short period, those trees lying on the ground were repeatedly cut several times by it.
The forest path was narrow, but with the Mantis’s continuous destructive force, even if there was no path, this Mantis could create one for them.
Upon hearing this idea, You Su said, “Then let’s move aside, those trees are blocking our vision.”
Ji Qingfeng, “Got it, we’ll move where there are more trees.”
Lin Yan, “Smart, this way we won’t waste energy.”
Huo Yan understood, “Let’s move once it finishes on this side.”
All members of KID felt that this method was feasible. They even started observing this pollutant in place. It had to be said that this pollutant looked strange, especially those two front limbs, which were indeed cool.
Ying Chenlin was also observing.
During the last meeting in Qiu Jin, he had obtained a wind-type attack anomalous crystal, but that crystal ended up in You Su’s hands and was currently in KID’s reserve weapon arsenal. Now, with another wind-type attack pollutant appearing, Ying Chenlin instinctively made a judgment upon seeing it.
The Dawn Alliance hiatus did provide them with many opportunities. Ying Chenlin had been busy designing weapons for KID’s mechas during this time. Although they harvested quite a few anomalous crystals in Qiu Jin’s meeting, there weren’t many that were suitable for weapon upgrades. When he saw this Mantis, Ying Chenlin’s first thought was about the weapons for Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao.
In his original design, he used an A-level Poison Spider to create a speed-control binding scythe for Ji Qingfeng. However, he had not been able to find an advanced replacement anomalous crystal suitable for Ji Qingfeng. As for Lin Yao, who used the ‘Regeneration’ anomalous ability to create a basic attack flowing Long Sword, it indeed suited Lin Yao, but once someone restricted his distance, Lin Yao’s basic attack Long Sword became useless.
However, when he saw the two front limbs of this Mantis, a new idea suddenly came to his mind.
“The Mantis’s front limbs have a scythe-like structure, and its melee capabilities are strong. Once it gets close, it might completely entangle and strangle the opponent until they’re dead,” Ying Chenlin continued, looking at the Mantis in front of him. “And it also has a sort of long-range Wind Blade anomalous ability. Leaving aside how compatible this Wind Blade ability is with our mechas, just looking at these two front limbs, they are quite valuable.”
The potential for modification was enormous. By extracting the materials from the front limbs, they could create a highly sharp serrated scythe.
Moreover, this Mantis has a total of two segments of front limbs. With some luck, Ji Qingfeng’s binding scythe could be modified into a double-headed blade, enhancing the attack strength of the short scythe. The wind-type anomalous crystal could also be removed for Lin Yao to use. Lin Yao is a straightforward melee mecha pilot who doesn’t use cannon-type weapons. However, by referencing the Mantis’s attacking style using wind, Lin Yao’s Long Sword could be modified.
Lu Xi understood Ying Chenlin’s intention.
Huo Yan, “But we have to kill it first.”
“Right.” Ying Chenlin continued to observe. “Its hind legs also have strong jumping ability, which can be useful as reinforcement material. Its eyes seem to be good too. I see its visual performance is quite sharp; maybe it can be used to enhance the capturing ability of the visual system.”
“As for the central trunk section, there doesn’t seem to be any apparent advantage at the moment. However, this giant wind-type pollutant is rare, and selling it can fetch a high price.”
Summing up the discussion, the conclusion was that this pollutant was a treasure trove, and killing it would be highly profitable.
The Mantis did not expect its prey to stay in place and not leave. This behavior was undoubtedly a provocation to it.
It looked at the glowing protective shield, accelerated the speed of the Wind Blades, and swept forward.
The gazes of the people towards the Mantis became more serious, as if they had already begun to determine from which position to attack.
Watching its dedicated work, the language in their minds automatically switched to another one. Indeed, those front limbs were excellent! Let’s get them!
While everyone was eagerly discussing how to deal with the Mantis, Lu Xi said, “I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling about this.”
Huo Yan held the shield up all the time, “To be honest, I also feel a bit uneasy. I always feel a chill on my back.”
Ying Chenlin paused for a moment, suddenly realizing where they were. This was the Swamp Forest.
From external detection, it was the most resource-rich area on the main planet of Coria.
“It’s normal to feel uneasy.” You Su, who hadn’t spoken much, suddenly said, “Look at the edge of the radar signal.”
The range of the protective shield was wide, almost covering all six mechas of KID. The energy index had basically been pushed to 60%. Such a protective shield in the forest was like a shining light bulb. Pollutants nearby couldn’t possibly not notice. Once they detected such an energy reaction—
Originally, there were only one or two pollutant signals, but as the protective shield stayed open longer, the red pollutant signals on the detection radar suddenly increased, and they were approaching their direction at an extremely fast speed.
Ying Chenlin said, “We’ve become targets.”
KID Team: “!!!”
You Su said, “Deploy the cannons.”
In this urgent situation, Ying Chenlin didn’t have time to say much. He immediately switched to his own rapid-fire cannon.
This time when he came out of the base, he didn’t use a pure Guardian mecha or an Artillery mecha. Instead, he brought two weapons on the foundation of a Control-type backup mecha. One was a long-range rapid-fire cannon, and the other was a thunder magnetic cannon suitable for melee combat.
“Huo Ge, open up a position for us,” Ying Chenlin shouted.
Huo Yan immediately controlled the protective shield to open a small opening. As soon as the opening appeared, the gunfire from You Su and Ying Chenlin immediately roared out. One shot was cut open by the Mantis’s Wind Blades, and the other hit the Mantis directly.
The Mantis, attacked in such a way, seemed surprised that such weak prey dared to resist and immediately became enraged.
Its two front limbs moved forward, and the speed of the Wind Blades increased.
Lin Yao, confused, asked, “What is this for?”
Ying Chenlin replied, “Provoking it.”
Ji Qingfeng: “?”
“Do we need to be so brave? In the StarNet dramas, this behavior is called courting death.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the enhanced version of the Wind Blades immediately hit Huo Yan’s protective shield. This attack was much stronger than before, even pushing back the mecha controlled by Huo Yan several steps.
While the Mantis fiercely attacked, the pollutants in the distance finally approached, violently colliding with the defensive shield. Then, they tightly pressed against the protective shield, as if they wanted to break through and rush in, pushing the entire protective shield forward a few steps.
Lin Yao shouted, “They’re pressing tightly!”
Ying Chenlin said, “That’s right. Huo Ge, turn around with the protective shield!”
Huo Yan acted immediately. The rotation of the entire protective shield brought the side covered with pollutants to the front. The Wind Blades of the Mantis swept across, instantly cutting the pollutants pressed against the protective shield into two halves, falling to the ground alongside the tree trunks that the Mantis had cut into pieces.
Other members of KID: “?”
“!!!”
In the Coria Management Bureau’s lounge, when KID and the S-level pollutant encountered each other on a narrow path in the Swamp Forest, all the team leaders and coaches immediately reacted. The situation with the two pollutants in the swamp forest was the least clear, and even the appearance of these pollutants was unknown. They could only judge the strength of these pollutants based on the S-level pollutant’s numerical reaction.
The other teams had not made any moves yet. No one expected that KID would be the first to encounter the pollutants.
Someone exclaimed, “The pollution value is actually 8800?”
Zhang Ge looked at the values displayed on the system and said, “For a moment, I don’t know whether to say they are lucky or unlucky. Anyway, can we retrieve some information from the KID system?”
Shen Xingtang replied, “…The numbers seem quite auspicious.”
Others: “…”
Is that the point!?
“Was it suppressing the pollution value originally? Such pollutants should be immediately locked as targets. But the Management Bureau has been providing range coordinates.”
“In that case, we can only start from the pollutants themselves. This pollutant probably has some mimetic ability, so it couldn’t be precisely locked when approaching.”
“Mimetic ability, that means it’s an insect-type S-level.”
*In biology mimesis (from ancient Greek μίμησις mímēsis, “imitation”) refers to a form of crypsis where living creatures mimic the form, colour and posture of their surroundings to avoid being noticed from their surroundings by predators depending on sight. Basically camouflage.
–
A pollution value above 8000 indicates that this pollutant has a certain level of difficulty.
But soon they noticed another detail: the coordinates of KID on the map did not show any significant changes; they seemed to be almost stationary.
“Why are they staying in one place!?” A coach looked at Jiang Simiao and said, “This doesn’t seem right, right? Can we retrieve data from their mechas to check the situation?”
“They are still in the swamp forest, and the signal in that area was already poor. Now we can only maintain communication with difficulty,” Jiang Simiao operated the system, but he quickly pulled up a part of the recorded information on the map, “Retrieving information from KID mechas generates too much data. Sending it to us may result in data loss, but we can still make some analysis from small pieces of data.”
After pulling up the data, they found that the KID mechas had not suffered much energy consumption. The only mecha that showed energy consumption was Huo Yan’s KID Tank mecha.
Jiang Simiao immediately confirmed, “Huo Yan has activated the shield; they may be under intense attack from the pollutants!”
“Bad news! We detected a large number of pollutants approaching KID!” The staff responsible for monitoring the pollution signal shouted.
Everyone in the rest area turned their attention to the signal station, where they saw the S-level and KID mechas still staying in the middle of the radar.
But gradually, on the edge of the radar, more pollutants were rapidly approaching their direction!
“How can there suddenly be so many pollutants!”
“Activate the shields! That big light bulb!”
Not activating shields leaves them unprotected, but keeping shields on for an extended period might attract a large number of pollutants. The swamp forest’s environment is too harsh for them. Even though a large portion of pollutants has been attracted away by people from the Second Domain, there are still other pollutants in the swamp forest that haven’t been disturbed. KID mechas’ positions are already considered deep, and the energy leakage from battles could potentially attract nearby pollutants.
“They haven’t moved, so the pollutants attracted by the shield should be limited. Some might be lower-ranking entities being controlled by the S-level pollutant.” A coach quickly analyzed, “But limited is limited. Still, the number of pollutants attracted is too high, right? Now they not only have to deal with this S-level but also find a way to get rid of this group of pollutants.”
Shen Xingtang immediately said, “Establish communication to confirm their situation!”
“The increase in pollutants is causing interference, and I can’t guarantee whether I can connect.” Jiang Simiao was trying to establish a connection, but the variables in the swamp forest were too great. “I’ll try to strengthen their communication signal. It should work!”
Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t disturb mecha pilots during battles. However, with no live footage and all the information appearing as encrypted data, they couldn’t determine the mecha pilots’ situation without contacting them.
They initially thought that KID were undergoing a tough battle, and communication would be challenging. However, the communication went through immediately.
The rapid connection speed caught everyone in the lounge off-guard. They then heard the sizzling sound of electric currents in the channel.
In addition to the electric current sound, there were also faint voices.
Everyone: “?”
The signal still seemed usable?
Shen Xingtang said, “Simiao, see if you can further reduce the noise.”
Jiang Simiao, a data analysis specialist, showcased his years of expertise in this critical moment. “Complete noise reduction is impossible, but this signal is slightly stronger than when they were being pursued before. I’ll try to reduce the electric current sound.”
After some noise reduction, the electric current sound lowered a bit, and they could barely hear the voices.
Just as they were about to remind KID of the dangers of the swamp forest, they heard discussions coming from the communication channel.
“Can’t this one work? It looks pretty good.”
“It’s useless. The materials won’t sell for much.”
People from Coria: “…?”
The audio is clear, but why haven’t they understood a single word???
“Did you tune into the wrong channel!?” Zhang Ge looked at Jiang Simiao in surprise.
Jiang Simiao replied, “You can question my noise reduction algorithm, but you cannot deny my professional competence. Tuning into the wrong channel is an insult to me!”
The voices in the channel continued —
“What about this one? The size is a bit big; shall we cut it into pieces? It’ll be easier to store that way.”
“What about its middle part? Is it useless? If so, let’s skip it; it’s a waste of storage space.”
Amidst these discussions, a somewhat calm voice interjected, “Its body seems to have maneuverability; there’s no need to cut its limbs.”
Zhang Ge didn’t understand half of what was being said, “Aren’t they fighting pollutants!? What are they talking about?”
Shen Xingtang understood and fell silent, “They are discussing how to cut up pollutants.”
One of the coaches, who was a bit puzzled, asked, “I have some knowledge about pollutants. What does it mean for the body to have maneuverability? I have never heard of such a term.”
“That’s right.” Jiang Simiao understood this part; he explained, “It means they don’t need to cut it; they can fold it. This way, putting it into the mech’s storage compartment can save space.”
Others: “…”
They were already considering how to cut up the pollutants before the pollutants were dead?
At the scene in the swamp forest, the blue protective shield still emitted light. However, outside the protective shield on the ground, quite a few pollutant corpses had accumulated.
KID’s mechas were crouching, and the ranged mechas were busy taunting the Mantis. Whenever there was a chance, Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao pulled in a few dead pollutants from the gap in the protective shield, quickly processed the materials, stored them in the storage compartment. Underneath their feet, there was already a collection of pollutant corpses.
“We’re done handling this side,” Ji Qingfeng said, “Old Huo, turn around.”
“After turning around, we need to find another place to squat,” Lin Yao kicked a pollutant away, “This place is already full.”
People from Coria: “???”
What are they talking about? Turning around? Roasting something? Changing places to squat???
“No, Zhang Ge, something is not right,” the person responsible for data detection said, “There are many pollutants rushing toward them, but these reactions disappear quickly…”
On the detection system, the pollutants attracted by the light shield were almost stacked on top of KID. However, these pollutants, although numerous, were decreasing rapidly. They observed the detection system, and the approaching pollutants became fewer and fewer.
With KID hardly moving, the pollutants attracted by the light shield were limited. They watched as the number of pollutants decreased, and the voices in their ears became clearer.
“Is it over?” Lin Yao seemed not satisfied, “Why aren’t there any other pollutants coming over?”
“The range is limited, and the pollutants attracted are just these,” Ying Chenlin looked at the surrounding environment. Under their effective displacement, the Mantis almost cleared the surroundings. “The intelligence of insect-type pollutants is not high, even if an S-level evolves intelligence, its intelligence is still limited.”
“The Mantis doesn’t have much intelligence. The mecha itself is forged with pollutant materials. In other words, when pollutants overlap with us, even if it can distinguish individuals, in its eyes, it’s just prey gathering together. As long as we provoke it, it perceives it as prey provoking it. In its view, clearing pollutants is not much different from clearing us, especially when it considers itself powerful.”
“Ever heard of ‘the Mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind’?”
Ying Chenlin explained, “The Mantis will only see the enemies in front of it.”
So when the surrounding obstacles were cleared, and the Mantis’s reactions became more sensitive, it was challenging for it to observe enemies from all directions. During the brief interval when the wind blades stopped, Ying Chenlin immediately ordered Huo Yan to retract the shield. Several mechas quickly darted out from the shield, crouched down within it at the same time.
In the Coria rest lounge, the people there only realized what was happening after KID’s mechas had already started fighting the pollutants.
Seeing the prey leaving its sight, the Mantis immediately chased after Ji Qingfeng’s mecha.
Ji Qingfeng: “Wow! Why is it only targeting me?”
Seeing the Mantis attacking Ji Qingfeng, everyone else flew around it. With no trees blocking their way, the mechas capable of free flight were not afraid of the Mantis. When it came to one-on-one combat with this Mantis, they might not have the advantage, but with six mechas, once the Mantis lost the protection of its environment, it was KID’s home turf.
As the Mantis’s wind blades reached Ji Qingfeng, it also suffered attacks from behind.
In just a few moments of the wind blades, it was completely surrounded by KID’s mechas.
Ying Chenlin stayed at a relatively distant place, assisting the attack with the Thunder Magnetic Cannon, but his attention was focused on the system.
This Mantis had a single extraordinary ability, and its intelligence only reached the level of an ordinary A-class animal-type pollutant. However, why did it have such a high pollution value? Moreover, this pollution value remained constant, starting from 8800 at the beginning and staying at 8800 until now, without any change.
He hadn’t encountered an S-class Mantis before, so for a moment, he was unsure whether it was a biological characteristic or if this pollutant had other unknown features.
Thinking about this, Ying Chenlin looked at the coordinates of another S-class pollutant. Was he overthinking?
After squatting for so long, KID’s team had already understood the body structure of this S-class pollutant very well. They knew exactly where to attack and how to deal with it. Lu Xi’s water cannon had become the best control weapon, making the slowed Mantis unable to react quickly, and the movements of multiple prey made its wind blades scatter randomly.
Continuous attacks slowed down the speed at which the Mantis released its wind blades.
At this moment, the ground centered on the Mantis suddenly lit up, enveloping all the mechas within the area like a massive space.
Ji Qingfeng was stunned, “What the hell is this!? Does this Mantis have another attribute?”
The magnetic field data inside the mechas underwent a tremendous change, and communication with Coria was instantly cut off.
Ying Chenlin felt the earth spinning in front of him, and the energy fluctuations in the magnetic field and space made all the mechas feel an inexplicable sense of compression. In the next second, everyone’s vision went black with a strong sense of dizziness and nausea spreading.
When the vision brightened again, Ying Chenlin felt that the once brightly lit surroundings had become dim.
He endured the dizziness and, upon seeing the surroundings clearly, was instantly stunned.
“Chenlin, it seems like we are the Mantis now…”
The shadows of trees were dappled, the surroundings were silent, and it was a world of difference from the previous environment.
Standing tall above them was another enormous creature, currently looking down at them.
TN:
Uh-oh. You really can’t beat Chenlin when it comes to strategizing!
